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Towa Tei's got a new one out, but half the disc is crappy nü-skül R&B and substandard discoid dreck. Far better is the Fantastic
Tricky Angels With Dirty Faces (Island/Polygram) Goldie's Self-Absorbed Album '98 was a glitch in Goldie's road; he'll find his way again. Tricky's situation is altogether different. Oooh yes, I'm afraid so. Tricky is stuck in some conceited, bilious, stupid, song-less place, with too many THC-ridden spliffs for his own good. This album is not only bad (Tricky says he "couldn't think" of any tracks--eh, why do an album then?), it's insulting. And I don't care if PJ Harvey makes an anorexic appearance, that track's cack too. So this review will be short and sour: don't buy it. And more importantly, don't let anyone convince you this gunk's somehow "genius" on the basis that it's so unlikable. There is such a thing as a conspiracy for mediocrity--and even "godfathers" can participate. 5.5/10 (Mireille Silcott)
Montreal's rave initiator comes in ever so serious with a mix of techy tracks on the Soma/Plus8 axis. Somehow infusing a lifey flow into records that could be taken for mere noodling or self-consciously minimal arty testimonials (by everyone but the highbrow/mid-class white label massive), this comp lands on the good side of icy. The mixing's so fine you can't even see the brushstrokes, and there are thoughtful inclusions of Plastikman's "Spastik" and Ron Trent's moody 1992 flourish "Altered State" (among the more gorgeous emo-house tracks ever, methinks). Über-tasteful, perhaps at the expense of energy--which isn't the point here, anyway. 8/10 (Mireille Silcott) Various P-Jays Unda-Pendent Hip-Hop Vol.1 (P-Jays-Rec./Ubiquity)
West Coast beat junkie DJ Greyboy presents this mixed-up compilation featuring some bright and not-so-bright moments from some young lions and veteran MCs alike. Assembling new crews from other groups à la Lyricists Lounge provides for some nice tracks from the U.K., featuring members of Sunz of Man, and The Giant a.k.a. A.G. from D.I.T.C. fame. Some gems up in here for sure, but I'm just waiting for the rest of the album to grow on me. 7/10 (Scott C)
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Various Sushi 3003: A Spectacular Collection of Japanese Clubpop (Bungalow/Fusion III)
Plastic Machine's eponymous release on Bungalow. Surfing the same channels as Pizzicato 5, the Machine delivers superior-grade featherweight recyclodelica (and dig his take on Joe Jackson's "Stepping Out"). Your best bet for J-pop, though, is the Sushi comp, also on Bungalow. Towa Tei's in there, as are F.P.M., P5, and Cornelius, Japan's answer to Beck. And some wicked surprises as well: Ex-Plastics member Hajime Tachibana's "Moog Power," for instance, or Les 5-4-3-2-1's ultraswank "Bond Street." From bossa nova to breakbeats, fuzztone to found sounds, J-pop takes us to the 21st century... by tossing the entire 20th in a blender set on "fun." 9/10 (Rupert Bottenberg)
Montreal Mix Sessions 1 Mixed by Tiga (Sona/Marquis)