The Flamin' Sideburns Hallelujah Rock 'n' Rolla (Bad Afro/Fusion III)
John Vanderslice Time Travel Is Lonely (Barsuk) A concept album, apparently, but without the gauzy tales of wizards or centaurs. Polar madness and computer viruses are the vague themes, as well as yearning for lost love, but we're not talking about Radiohead here. What characterizes this album, the sophomore disc for the former MK Ultra singer, is its choppy, minimal pop style laced with Vanderslice's aggressive whine. There's driving pop rhythm (Talking Heads meet indie rock?), and smoother, finger-picked moments with just enough piano (Bowie?). Childish melodies and messy arrangements upset the balance at times (particularly on "side one"), but nobody said it would be an easy voyage. 7.5/10 (Lorraine Carpenter)
New Town Animals Is Your Radio Active? (Mint/Outside) Some records require headphones for the full listening experience. This one takes safety pins, skinny ties, dish soap in the hair and tons of zits. These Vancouver youngbloods dish out classic, adrenalized punk rock in the spirit of the Dickies, Stiff Little Fingers and the Clash (check the anthemic gee-tar twang), albeit minus the political zeal. Of course, originality isn't the issue on records like this, sustaining the hyperactive kick is. This, the NTAs achieve. Oh, and singer Nick Newtown's adenoidal yelping isn't an affectation. He really is a pasty Brit. Roight! 8/10 (Rupert Bottenberg)
D12 Devil's Night (Shady/Universal) What better way to introduce yourself to the hip hop public than to ride in on the notorious coattails of Detroit's most wanted, Eminem. D12 is your average, run-of-the-mill crew of MCs who we all know wouldn't be getting any kind of play if it wasn't for Em. They know that, Em knows that, and it looks like they're about to milk it for all it's worth. Devil's Night basically allows these dudes to fuck around on record and profit from it. All six dudes have alter egos, leaving even more room for fun and games and the occasional loss of an eye. No real standout MC here, minus Em who does his thing, but it's nice to listen to a joint that makes you laugh throughout even if the music ain't nuthin' special. 7/10 (Scott C) Diamond D B Sides and Bootlegs (Fat Beats) It's been a while since we heard any noise from the psychotic neurotic Diamond D, who apart from his work with D.I.T.C. has been keeping a fairly low profile in the wide world of hip hop production. This is a collection of serious instrumentals that helped define Diamond D as a heavyweight in his native NYC and abroad. They could make about 10 more volumes of this and I wish they would, but they won't, and it's too bad. Diamond has always been good at those dark, subtle and drum-tight loops that leave just enough room for the MC to shine just as bright as the beat. This record is a must for the Sunday-night freestyle session, but could just as easily bump solo. 8.5/10 (Scott C) Fila Brazilia Anotherlatenight (Kinetic/Fusion III)
YMC Essentials (Yoshitoshi/Fusion III) This offering from the land of lingonberries and good vodka comes to us via the U.S. capital city. When D.C.'s musical diplomats Dubfire and Sharam, aka Deep Dish, heard what Sweden's YMC, aka Yan and Cpook-e, were working on, they decided it needed a little stateside attention and so they nabbed it for their Yoshitoshi label. YMC's Essentials contains 12 tracks of milky-smooth, chilled out, clean and crisp tech-house numbers, including a few really sweet vocal numbers. 8/10 (Krista) SquarepusherGo Plastic (Warp/Outside)
DJ Dara Future Perfect (Moonshine/Koch) And here's proof yet again that while this city can't even support one drum & bass night, the rest of North America can muster up enough interest to warrant the release of multiple compilations on a big-time label. This time around, the crew at Moonshine has chosen the formerly dreadlocked NYC-via-the-Isles DJ Dara, golden boy of New York's Breakbeat Science organization, who in turn has selected a stunning set of tunes from names like Ink & Dylan, Teebee, Decoder & Substance, J-Majik--need I say more? Get ye this CD. 9/10 (Krista) Badmarsh & Shri Signs (Nutone/Nettwerk)
Various Caribbean Divas (Victory) This compilation of some of soca's swingin' sisters is proof that the genre is as diverse as its performers. The more common "jump and wave"-style soca is represented with tracks like Sanell Dempster's "De River" and Shi's "Tik A Wok." More traditional calyspo styles come through on Cathy Ella's "Frenchman" and Lady Spencer's "D Ring Bi Ding Ding." Other influences, like dancehall (Sharlene's "Mister DJ") and soul-pop (Denise Bekfon's "Burnin") round it all out. 7.5/10 (Gerard Dee) Alicia Keys Songs in A Minor (J/BMG)
Willie Nelson Rainbow Connection (Island/Def Jam/Universal)
Bill Carrothers Duets with Bill Stewart (Birdology/Warner) Piano-drum duets are somewhat of an oddity, last year's meeting of Mal Waldron and an earlier pairing of Russ Freeman and Shelly Manne coming immediately to mind. Carrothers is from Minneapolis. Time in NYC saw him hooking up musically with Gary Peacock, Buddy DeFranco, Seamus Blake and Steve Wilson as well as his partner here, Bill Stewart, a most musical and adventurous drummer. The 13-track program of originals and standards is first rate--try "Puttin' On the Ritz" for starters. 9/10 (Len Dobbin) |
I was going on day three of trying to find the right words to describe the debut album by Turbo Recordings' latest discovery, Swedish native Peter Benisch, when I realised I was searching for the literary equivalent to the lost city of Atlantis. And with its rich and beautiful stories, Soundtrack Saga could indeed be the soundtrack that tells the tale of Atlantis's discovery--an experience that would certainly only be translatable through music. So lie back and listen to what Benisch is showing you: cashmere hills, limitless skies, monsoons, oceans of turquoise water and whatever else you want to see. It's all there. 10/10 (Krista)
This quartet from Helsinki Rock City sure impressed folks with their debut Time to Testify, but after their split release with the Hellacopters, White Trash Soul, they seem to have figured out the template for greatness. Gone is the Sonics garage blast as room is made for a more Stones-y R&B swagger. Even laid-back songs like the Velvets-esque "Flowers" stand great alongside the Stooge-isms in "World Domination." The Sideburns are definitely following the recent path cut by the Hellacopters and their fellow Swedes Soundtrack to Our Lives but aren't just nipping at their heels. If anything, they're leading the pack. 9.5/10 (Johnson Cummins)
Not an album of new material, no, but rather the Fila fellows' foray into the post-party wind-down mix--a popular theme in comp CDs of late. As one might guess, the record crates of Hull, England's Dave McSherry and Steve Cobby contain a deliriously diverse spread of material to work with. Opening on John Barry's ultra-boss "Persuaders Theme," the boys shuffle between U.K. hip hop (Nightmares on Wax, Mr. Scruff's lovable Moondog bite "Get a Move On"), old soul and new (Marvin Gaye, Kelis), downtempo soundscaping (Eno, David Holmes's "Rodney Yates") and weird-beard rock (Beta Band). Choice cuts from all make for an exceptional mix, full of quality and character. 8.5/10 (Rupert Botteberg)
With all that infuriating, Warp-ed choppiness, Squarepusher (Tom Jenkinson) delivers aggro-techno with manic proficiency. Dubbed-out interludes provide some time out before the next D&B seizure, but you're soon bombarded with crazed breaks, possibly simulating getting your head caught in a short-circuiting machine. The volume of inhuman, speedy digitalisms make us all the more grateful for the rare steady beat, but the strongest tracks fuck with atmosphere as well as rhythm. Unfortunately, much of this is heavy on assault, light on charm. Richard James, where art thou? 7.5/10 (Lorraine Carpenter)
Now that the hype over the Asian breakbeat scenario has died down, the elimination rounds begin. One of the better acts of the movement, the pairing of London beat-wrangler Badmarsh and Mumbai bassist Shri, prove they've got legs with this second album. A charged blend of moody Indian folk stylings and Bollywood strings with angular funk action is now partially supplemented by U.K. Apache's soft but solid ragga routines--note "Get Up," wherein a one-love dancehall mantra segues to a fat-pixelled James Brown bite. Each tune here is satisfyingly self-contained, making for a spectrum of moods and motives. Sign on now. 8.5/10 (Rupert Bottenberg)
The debut by newcomer Alicia Keys breaks down the hype to this: good music is just plain good. A novice transformed into an old soul, Keys handles her music like it was back in the day. She does it literally with her remake of Prince's "How Come You Don't Call Me Anymore" and figuratively with tracks like "A Woman's Worth" and the '70s-style groove of "Rock Wit U." In an album full of standouts, "Caged Bird" is still a showstopper. 9/10 (Gerard Dee)
Apparently Ol' Willie was smoking way too many banana peels when he came up with this ueber-lame title and cover, but that ain't nothin'. His rendition of "I'm Looking Over a Four Leaf Clover" is like bamboo splints being shoved under your fingernails. I've always had a soft spot for this mellow fellow, as he is able to croon with the best of them and lay down some jaw-dropping guitar, but his rendition of "Just Stopped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In)" is el-stinkaroo. Maybe Willie should phone his old pals the Supersuckers or Merle Haggard and get some hits. The enhanced CD comes with pictures of his family. Woo hoo, wake the neighbours! Pictures of Willie's kids, pictures of Willie's kids! 4/10 (Johnson Cummins)