Bill Ding "The Horrendously Named" EP (Smilex)
Bill Ding's main man John Hughes III's father is responsible for such cinematic disasters as Pretty in Pink, but the younger Hughes has not inherited his dad's bad taste. Since word on the indie circuit is that Bill Ding have called it a day, "The Horrendously Named" EP will serve as a great wave goodbye. Taking the jazz route via Tortoise in "KCSS," while laying down dub beats in "Tapdance Shoes," they successfully keep you on the edge of your seat.
BabyBird I Was Born a Man(Handsome Boy/Sonic Unyon) Huh? A two-year-old album by a one-man, lo-fi Brit band that's now a multi-member, chart-bustin', guitar-pop group?! One thing at a time: British and lo-fi?!? Blur might be tragically aping Pavement these days, but the explanation for this anomaly could be that big Bird Stephen Jones was raised in the neo-Amerindie climes of New Zealand. A little Guided By Voices, a little Stephin Merritt and two more domestic catch-up releases to come in September. 8/10 (Chris Yurkiw) Sportsguitar Married, 3 Kids (Matador) The best-named band (in Switzerland, anyway) is back and they're flying the Matador flag. To their credit, they sound like no one else in particular as they extract pretty textures from understated dissonance. At the same time, a shortage of propulsive energy makes sitting through this number a bit of a chore. That's not terribly sporting, now is it? 6.5/10 (Rupert Bottenberg)
Some people are talking about how Missy is so wack. Wack? How wack are the joints she penned for Ginuwine, Aaliyah, SWV, Jodeci, et al.? How wack are her sizzling cameos in videos? How wack is her debut album on her own label, on which she wrote every cut? Yes, the "nigga" and "bitch" references are tired. Meantime, producer Timbaland's beats are state-of-the-art. And Missy carries her sweet-strong vocal style with dexterity. This may not be the next Wu-Tang Forever, but it's solid enough to keep Missy rightfully " hee hee haw"-ing all the way to the bank. 8.5/10 (Gerard Dee)
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Having more similarities with literary outlaw Byron Gyson's cut up method than any rock outfits or even DJs, Bill Ding's unpredictability has ensured them a place as innovators in a sea of imitators-with-samplers. If you're a fan of stuff from DJ Shadow and the Herbaliser to Tortoise and the sound of broken air conditioners, then this is a disc for you. 9.5/10(Johnson Cummins)
Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott Supa Dupa Fly (Warner)