After the chilly expansiveness of Homogenic, the world's most beloved Nordic elf pulls the about-face which the transitory Dancer soundtrack hinted at. Vespertine is an album of very private thoughts and moments--"We go to that hidden place," she breathes on the opening track. It's marked by a tender, fragile, carefully contained beauty, strung together like dewdrops on a spiderweb in the dusky half-light the title suggests. Collaborators include various po-mo sound-scroungers like Matmos, Matthew Herbert and Console, so squishy, scattered microbeats and quiet bits of reconstituted natural sound make up the texture of this understated disc. Playing off that are smooth synths and classical instrumentation, including the harp work of the noted Zeena Parkins. Björk's voice is at its most delicate and childlike as she muses on love, loss and lonesomeness (which is not always lonely), and even the music-box instrumental "Frosti" has that flowers-in-the-attic feel. This won't get much dancefloor mileage, but you'll hear it drifting out of every tree fort and hobbit hole this fall. 9.5/10 (Rupert Bottenberg)
Stereolab Sound-Dust (Elektra/Warner)
Spookey Ruben Bed (Hi-hat Recordings/Page) Spookey Ruben Breakfast (Hi-hat Recordings/Page) Wow, two discs from Toronto's "prankster of pop!" One is kinda slow, one is kinda fast, and both kinda suck ass! Why? The lyrics range from negligible to irritating. The cutesy, mincing vocals are dotted with ill-advised wailing and occasional outright mimicry of dudes like Beck. Sonically, Bed's airy muzak and hackneyed electro forays are so tired they'll need that frickin' bed. The peppy pop-funk and almost-'80s electro-grooves on Breakfast (Beck again) are more palatable, almost tasty when the vocals are downplayed, which is rarely. This guy clearly thinks he's super-hot shit. Sadly, he's just shit. Bed 3/10, Breakfast 5/10 (Lorraine Carpenter)
Black Box Recorder The Worst of Black Box Recorder (Jetset)
Blue Man GroupAudio (Virgin/EMI)
Slipknot Iowa (Roadrunner/Universal) Two years after their chaotic debut on stages and minds across the world, death-metal showmen Slipknot return with Iowa. This nine-piece horde, consisting of two percussionists, two guitarists, a sample jockey, drummer, bassist, DJ and vocalist, is notorious for the energy they put into live shows, but Iowa falls short. Yes, it's loud, fast, aggressive, energetic and heavy, but so what? Sure, adding a DJ and sampling creates an atmosphere and space that is lacking in death metal, but the lack of variety in song structure gets boring after awhile. Lyrics about defiance and independence are great, but "fuck," "shit" and "I hate you" get tired real quick. There are some standouts, like opener "People = Shit," "Metabolic," "The Shape" and a 14-minute hidden track, but too much of Iowa is pissed-off filler. 6.5/10 (Lateef Martin) Afronaught Shapin' Fluid (Apollo/R&S) After listening to Afronaught's debut full-length, it becomes quite clear why Orin Walters (aka Afronaught) is pictured on the cover decked out in full NASA spacegear, holding nothing but an Akai MPC3000. This LP sounds like he left the planet for a while to record. The West London native, best known for his Bugz In The Attic and Neon Phusion memberships, shifts the gears of progressive black music, creating what can only be described as genre-destructive genius. Fully capable of producing everything from down-beat groovery to neo-dancehall, bruk-step fusion, hip-chop and everything but your average four on the floor, Afronaught has come back to earth for this release. Get it while you can. 10/10 (Scott C) DJ Maüs Cream CD3 (YUL/EMI) It's two-step, it's electro, it's techno, it's the Cream Festival mix CD by Montreal's DJ de l'heure, Maüs. This 14-track journey through the mind of one of the city's finest DJs takes the listener from the melodic two-step beats of Montreal producer Orazio to the infectious tech-house swing of Steve Bug to the deep, funky rhythms of Mateo Murphy and Hipp-E. What starts off as quirky and deliciously minimal soon becomes deep and strikingly powerful, and provides a strong insight to the person who mixed it. Even if you don't dig Cream, this CD is worth adding to your collection. 8.5/10 (Krista) The Funky Lowlives Inside EP (G-Stone/Fusion III) Since '93, Austrian label G-Stone Recordings have been responsible for chilled-out electro-jazz that proved that the lounge vibe could be something more than an ironic, retro wink, with label mainstays Kruder & Dorfmeister and Tosca providing compelling reasons to plunk down $25 or more for a CD. The Funky Lowlives add to G-Stone's dynamic roster with a an EP of earthy, Latinized funk where live bass, drum and guitars get up close and personal with dubby bleeps and effects. Claire Szembek's vocals complement the record's lush, tranquil panoply in an understated fashion. Since Inside is only a four-tracker, the best is certainly yet to come. 8.5/10 (Peter Lightburn) Various Lush Life Electronica (Quango/Outside) Whoa! Easy there, Sandman, it's the middle of the day--too early for sleep! And I certainly don't have time for meditation now, so perhaps I should turn off this Lush Life compilation, a collection of pleasantly relaxing keyboard electronica from artists like John Beltram, Bochum Welt and Move D. It reminds me of the kind of music they play where I get my legs waxed (a ploy to make me forget about the hideous pain). A perfect tool for taming savage beasts or performing therapeutic massage, but not suitable for listening to on long drives or while operating heavy machinery. 7.5/10 (Krista) Aaliyah Age Ain't Nothing But a Number (Jive/BMG) Aaliyah One In a Million (Atlantic/Warner) Aaliyah self-titled (Virgin/EMI) With last weekend's untimely passing of R&B singer Aaliyah, a look back at her career is in order. Under the guidance of R. Kelly, the prophetic Age Ain't Nothing But a Number introduced the 14-year-old Aaliyah to the world, via the straight-up party jam "Back & Forth" and her faithful cover of the Isley Brothers' "At Your Best (You Are Love)." Two years later, in '96, she shocked Kelly and the rest of the world, proving she was more than the sum of his production skills with the sophisticated One In a Million. The then modestly known Timbaland provided off-centre beats that took some getting used to, but proved a winning formula. Although the first single from this year's self-titled album, "We Need a Resolution," was again produced by Timbaland, she was ready to move in a new direction with her latest single, "Rock the Boat," produced by a different team. She had been in the Bahamas shooting the video for this single when fate stepped in. Tough without being foul-mouthed, sexy without being slutty, she probably wasn't the greatest singer or the best dancer. But one in a million? No doubt. She will be missed. Age Ain't Nothing... 7/10, One In a Million 8.5/10, Aaliyah 8/10 (Gerard Dee) Various Saturday Night Fish Fry: New Orleans Funk & Soul (Soul Jazz/Nice)
Shawn Loescher Distance (Exponent) Following in the footsteps of people like René Thomas, Joe Henderson, Don Alias, Bob Mover and Sadik Hakim, this San-Diego-born alto saxophonist has taken up residence in Montreal. Still a few weeks away from his 28th birthday, he's nonetheless found time to work with the likes of Tom Waits, Louis Bellson and Mark Murphy. His Canadian debut CD is in the trio format and his superb playing can be heard on pieces like "Subconscious-Lee," "Body and Soul" and his own "Waltz," from the mass he wrote on a commission for Music Sacra Europa, which is a thing of rare beauty. 9.5/10 (Len Dobbin) At Upstairs, Aug. 31-Sept. 1 |
It's clear that England's Stereolab have now settled into the third stage of their evolution. They've gone from guitaristic jangle-trance to contoured, analog info-muzik to what might be called chamber pop. It's a calm but ambitious fusion of jazz, classical and mildy funky jingle-smithery that began to really fall into place on their previous album Cobra and Phases. Again confirming the post-rock connection, Sound-Dust was recorded in Chicago with John McEntire, Jim O'Rourke and master arranger Sean O'Hagan on- board. Despite some strong moments like the piano-based, country-tinged "Captain Easychord," and of course the band's knack for sculpting sound into a rich, three-dimensional environment, the album feels a bit removed and uninspired. Not their strongest effort, but given that this is Stereolab, it's still light years ahead of most of what's out there. 8/10 (Rupert Bottenberg)
Mediocre covers of Bowie's "Rock 'n' Roll Suicide" and Terry Jacks's already mediocre "Seasons in the Sun" notwithstanding, this B-sides/video comp features some of BBR's best. The U.K. band's signature pop-light sound of delicate female vocals, minimal keys and guitars beautifully frames their dark, eloquent anecdotes. A deliberately oddball cover (and easily the best of the lot) is Althea & Donna's "Uptown Top Ranking," a German disco-reggae hit from the '70s. And Britpop roots shine through on the would-be anthem "Start As You Mean To Go On," while BBR's U.K. hit "The Facts of Life" gets remixed by Pulp's Jarvis and Steve. Aces. 8/10 (Lorraine Carpenter)
You may have heard of these guys, an enigmatic outfit focusing on three bald, blue-headed, turtlenecked troublemakers who blur the lines between conceptual art, abstrakt mime and customized neo prog-rock in their performances. They've struck a chord with their funny, inventive and thought-provoking shows, an important part of which is the furious, percussive jams on any number of infernal contraptions of their own design. Instruments like the tubulum, drumbone and shaker gong are the basis for this collection of music, a propulsive affair with no small quantity of dramatic guitar chords over the roar of the percussion. Closer to Grand Prix racecar themes than avant-garde art-noise, to be honest, but probably a better listen for it. 8/10 (Rupert Bottenberg)
Time to pull out your hunka-dunk and get your thang together because Saturday Night Fish Fry is in full effect. New Orleans has always enjoyed a healthy history of music, and this second look at the Louisiana hotbed, by Soul Jazz Records, should get you hookin' and slingin'. Takien mostly from the mid- to late-'60s, there's music here from Dr. John, Lee Dorsey, Eddie Bo, Betty Harris, Wild Magnolias and the Meters, of course, ranging from country juke-joint soul to dirty bayou funk, and a handful of New Orleans standards. Proper. 8.5/10 (Scott C)