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Radio Boy Wishmountain is Dead, Long Live Radio Boy (Antiphon) After a year-long sabbatical, Matthew 'Herbert' Herbert's Wishmountain alter ego is killed and resurrected as Radio Boy on Phono's newly founded Antiphon offshoot. This is Herbert at both his strangest and best, crafting irresistible grooves out of the sounds of common kitchen appliances, and creating music that manages to be ridiculous and sublime at the same time. Musical proof that an artist can be experimental and accessible at the same time. Long live Radio Boy! 10/10 (Mateo)
On Postcards From Heaven, the Lighthouse Family--British duo Paul Tucker and Tunde Baiyewu--deliver a smart rhythm-oriented pop set ripe with lush, lyrical imagery. Baiyewu's subtle yet expressive vocal style (think Seal) are the perfect vehicle for Tucker's musical storytelling lyrics. Especially on tracks like "Question of Faith" and the title track, this English duo shine on a set that stresses artistry over chart ambitions. 7.5/10 (Gerard Dee) Various Musiques pour les plantes vertes (F Communications/Fusion III) Call it pad music, bachelor or otherwise. Based on the premise that sound is an essential aspect of home decor, a host of French electronic artists--DJ Cam, ScanX, Juantrip and such--have whipped up an aural Ikea catalogue. Ambient in the truest sense, these tracks, though fairly focused in their construction, wander dangerously close to New Age innocuousness at times. Still, that's only because the composers, relieved of their responsibility to the dance floor, are free to explore their emotive sides. That's clear from Laurent Garnier's "Fleur de lotus" and Juantrip's "Switch out the sun," with its debt to the Beatles and Philip Glass. 8/10 (Rupert Bottenberg) The Millennium Project Self-titled (Mo'Funk)
It's always a relief when a jazz-funk incarnation can engage and impress while safely dodging the retro pile. The Millennium Project, a Vancouver-based five-piece groove collective, deftly manage to link their jazz roots with an applaudable funky progression. Although their West Coast label Mo'Funk has been dabbling mostly with electronica, this project is right on track, moving with style towards the coming millennium.7/10 (Scott C.)
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Lighthouse Family Postcards From Heaven (Polygram)