Bilal's debut has been highly anticipated since he dropped the fly "Soul Sista" on us earlier this year. His eclectic, unconventional style doesn't disappoint. Jazz and hip hop mix liberally with old-school soul, a combination that produces obvious crowd-pleasers like the infectious "Love It," the quiet storm "When Will You Call" and "Reminisce," featuring Common and Mos Def. But it also produces tracks like the highly introspective "Sometimes," the ultra-funky "Slyde" and the conversational "Love Poems." Social consciousness figures prominently in Bilal's repertoire, as in the street-savvy "Fast Lane" and the love-gone-wrong song "Sally." His closing opus "Second Child" is a psychedelic rock drama that proves Bilal is clearly second to none. 9/10 (Gerard Dee)
Porcupine Tree Recordings (K Scope/Snapper)
Elbow Asleep in the Back (V2/BMG)
Various Sexy Beast Soundtrack (Beyond/Universal)
The Start Shakedown! (The Label Records/Universal)
Tweaker Linoleum EP (Six Degrees/Outside) So Chris Vrenna has finally made it to solo-artist land. After meandering about from his stint as drummer and programmer for Nine Inch Nails and leaving his signature on projects by Rasputina, Manson, Xzibit and Hole, Vrenna drops an EP full of sordid remixes of a track from his upcoming full-length The Attraction to All Things Uncertain. Various versions of "Linoleum" (sung by darkling David Sylvian) are remixed by heavy hitters like King Britt, Josh Wink and Teargas & Plateglass. There are a few extra tidbits that sow promise for the future, so stay tuned. 7/10 (Lateef Martin) Various The Funky Precedent Vol.2 (No Mayo/Matador) So here we go again with a comp that pays homage to the thriving underground network of MCs, producers and DJs that all reside in the comfort zone that is the Bay Area. San Francisco and Oakland seem to have absolutely no shortage of talented artists who keep plugging away at this shit for the love. You've got cats on here like Rasco, Zion I and Encore, who rarely disappoint their loyal fans, as well as the Anticon boys takin' it to the left with style. Also making an appearance is Live Human, the three-piece live outfit that fits, but doesn't fit into any easy category, as well as Hiero veteran Pep Love doing his thing. This mostly hip-hop-based cross-section is a great slice of what seems to be a very healthy scene, and not a bad listen. 8/10 (Scott C) Da Beatminerz Brace 4 Impak (Rawkus/Virgin) This record gets the hi-hat straight out the gate. Evil Dee and Mr. Walt made Blackmoon in the early '90s with some of the dirtiest, fattest production of the day. They continued to produce for Bootcamp Click, Helter Skelter and Smif-N-Wessun (Cocoa Brovaz) as well as remixing numerous ill joints for all kinds of people along the way. However, if the Beatminerz productions over the last two years have been any indication of what was coming, then you already know. Brace 4 Impak, sucka, because the Beatminerz fell the fuck off. Not that you shouldn't buy this record, but the standard they set for themselves has been scrapped for some laziness. When you get tired of listening to this, pull out a copy of Blackmoon's Enta the Stage and see how tings done changed. 7/10 (Scott C) Various Sound of the Underground: Mixed by Flipside (SPG) Cleary on the road to becoming the Canadian equivalent to MTV's DJ Scribble (minus the Cindy Margoles factor), Toronto's Flipside is a DJ/producer and MC (for drum & bass DJ Freaky Flow) who really knows how to multitask. When he's not DJing or accompanying Flow on rave tours to the far reaches of the planet, he's hosting a radio show on T-dot's FOXY 88.5. Flip recently decided to "take a break from his infectious lyrical rhyming to showcase his innovative DJ styles," and put out this mix CD, a collection of Bouge-friendly, main-room hard house tunes, heavy on the drum-roll tip, from names like Cevin Fisher, Felix da Housecat and Harry "Choo Choo" Romero. 7/10 (Krista) Etienne de Crecy Tempovision (V2/BMG) It's no Superdiscount, but rather a more mature sound for French producer Etienne de Crecy. Apparently Crecy has grown up a little bit and decided to ditch the quirky, funky house sounds of his early Solid label releases in favour of a more, dare I say it, radio-friendly sound. That's not necessarily a bad thing. Crecy's Tempovision still retains all of the good French house qualities, fused into 11 tracks of laid-back, 120 bpm grooves, as relaxed and unpretentious as any Frenchman could hope to be. Belita Woods supplies some Billie Holiday stylings and Alex Gopher lends a hand to the beats. And check the video for "Scratched," it's excellent! 7.5/10 (Krista)
Itaal Shur 10 Hits to Bliss (Wave/Fusion III) A couple of surefire offerings that represent an organic, imaginative approach. From Six Degrees comes a spice rack of Latin fusion housers where Coltrane, Palmieri and R&B sensibilities meet at a rhythmic crossroads. Jay Rodriguez (ex-Groove Collective) and prominent DJ Ron Trent, who comprise Bàtidos, use woodwinds, strings and keyboards to create an enticing blend. While Bàtidos display a jazzy pastiche, Itaal Shur's 10 Hits to Bliss has more of a funk party going on. Shur, also a former member of NYC ensemble Groove Collective and a gifted song scribe in his own right (i.e. Santana's "Supernatural"), brings a live jam-session feel to a song-driven, housesified framework with interesting twists and turns thrown in. Naked Music's Lisa Jones lends her pipes to the proceedings. Bàtidos 9.5/10, Shur 8.5/10 (Peter Lightburn) Up, Bustle and Out Master Sessions 2 (Ninja Tune/Outside)
Paul Plimley/John Oswald, Marilyn Crispell, Cecil Taylor Complicité (Victo) Surges of energy and resonance occasionally slice through the blank intensity of this massive triple CD which documents the closing performance at Victoriaville's FIMAV 2000. Three pianists here, all distinct, each making similar efforts to blur the lines between jazz and noise-improv. The Plimley/Oswald disc is distinct because it balances ultra-fragmented piano (think hyper-spastic Thelonius Monk) with rolling saxophone à la Ersonics. Crispell moves into more uniform territory, with long, airy gestures. Taylor's disc is overtly passionate, aggressive and some of the most genuine free jazz this writer has heard. A word of caution: Complicité borders on overwhelming. Listen to it slowly, unless you're one of those art-jazz types by nature. 8.5/10 (Boss Sambosa) Ted Nash Sidewalk Meeting (Arabesque/Allegro) This 41-year-old reedman is the son of trombonist Dick Nash and nephew of Ted Nash (of Les Brown fame). This outing is far from the big-band background the younger Nash has been associated with. A jazz outing with the feel of many genres--klezmer, tango and musette--this is a true world music played by a quintet of reeds, accordion, violin, trombone (doubling on tuba) and drums. Lively and recommended! 9.5/10 (Len Dobbin) |
London's Porcupine Tree came to life a decade ago as a fake lost '70s prog act, so you can imagine where this is going. Led by prog vet Steven Wilson, the band specializes in epic songs dominated by smoothed-over atmospherics, distant guitar wails, droning riffs and throwaway lyrics. Forays into straight pop-rock are no more appealing than this largely adult contemporary fare. At least Yes was funny. Moving north to Manchester, the Mercury-Prize-nominated quintet Elbow take the more direct and colourful route with their prog influences. Strong rhythm and well-infused guitar and synth work make for a more organic sound, recalling Radiohead and their Beta Band buddies at times. Though far from perfect (it's their debut, after all), Elbow have the ability to hypnotize, creep out or get your head bobbing--no small feat in my book. P-Tree 4.5/10, Elbow 7.5/10 (Lorraine Carpenter)
The advance word on this slice of Brit-grit crime cinema is good, real good, propping up Ben "Gandhi" Kingsley as one scary fucker. The dialogue snippets slathered all over this soundtrack attest to the film's creep factor. Bookended by the Stranglers, Mancini, Dean Martin and a trio of mood tracks by composer Roque Baños, the bulk of the music here comes care of the Mo'Wax label, pitting off-rockers South against label-head James Lavelle and his UNKLE project. The results are stripped-down, smoky and ruthless, largely rhythmic exercises in neo-noir swagger and slippery, red-light dub rock. The aforementioned dialogue snakes in and out perfectly, building an almost unbearably tense vibe. 8.5/10 (Rupert Bottenberg)
At its best, the debut album by this Los Angeles band is all about intense pop-punk anthems with heavy new wave synths and that familiar '80s electro-shimmer over everything. At its worst, the fact that this disc was produced by a man who's worked with the likes of Orgy and Crazytown shines through a bit too clearly. All things considered, however, this remains a promising start (yeah, ha-ha-ha), largely due to the engaging feisty girl vocals of Aimee Echo (like Kristen Hersh after five coffees) and the fact that these dudes can basically string a tune together. 7.5/10 (Lorraine Carpenter)
Bàtidos Olàjope (Six Degrees/Outside)
In which UB&O's Rupert "Señor Roody" Mould continues his adventures on the Buena Vista crucial dub tip. The Bristolian internationalist once again bails for Havana, to resume his collaboration with an assortment of local talent, primarily flautist/pianist/composer Richard Egües (Portishead's Jim Barr helps out on bass). Filtering that lazy Cuban groove through the thick swirl of a slow-mo Bristol soundclash yields results every bit as good as on the first Master Sessions, while a Graham Greene dedication and a bonus film clip sweeten the deal. With two discs and a diary so far, Roody's Cuban excursion is paying off in a big way. 8/10 (Rupert Bottenberg)