Trembling Blue Stars Alive to Every Smile (Sub Pop)
Oysterhead The Grand Pecking Order (Elektra/Warner) Imagine a sound composed of the rabid plucking, popping and groovin' of Primus' Les Claypool, the heady guitar trips of Phish's Trey Anastanio and the legendarily dubby drummings of the Police's Stewart Copeland. What you get is folk-driven mushroom trip through pastel-funk drenched with sensible/nonsensical babbles bubbling from a steaming pool of clay served to you on a trey in Copeland. An interesting concoction tasting just like you hoped: Bluddy kooky. 8/10 (Lateef Martin)
Kid Rock Cocky (Atlantic/Warner) Kid Rock gets a bad review simply by default. Mixing "southern rock with the hip hop," the Kid's got "lyrics you can't fuck with," so watch out you hardened "'caine slingin'" street thugs! Backed by cheesy rock riffage, a raspy MCA-esque delivery and a whole lotta powdered-up pseudo-soul, the Kid can't stop y'all! I was gonna give Cocky a generous 3, but the "skinny models/you can keep those/I like big corn-fed midwestern hoes" line is worth a whole point. 4/10 (Lateef "Cocky" Martin)
Misfits Cuts From the Crypt (Roadrunner) Before you get too excited, these are demos and rare tracks culled from 1996-2001--that's right, the shit years! To say that this cheesy metal even comes close to the Danzig-era gems from Beware or Walk Among Us would be a complete joke. Most dyed-in-the-wool Misfits fans will agree that the post-Danzig records were bad enough, so why would we want the leftover scraps? A cover of the Ig-ster's "I Got a Right" sounds like Anthrax, and they even have the balls to add a horrible middle eight. Not even mescaline-fuelled punkers are going to be fooled into this one. 4/10 (Johnson Cummins) Various If I Was Prince (Rex)
The Electronic Humans Guild self-titled (Robosapien)
Aphex Twin Drukqs (Warp)
J. Majik Drum & Bass Mix (DMC / Mixer) Dubbed "the Luke Skywalker of drum & bass" by Metalheadz' Don Goldie, the U.K.' s J. Majik has emerged as one of the world's foremost d&b DJ/producers. This musical Jedi's quest began at the age of 12 when he would seek out the latest vinyl hits and retreat to his bedroom to use the force on his turntables. A decade later, he's got gigs all around the solar system, groundbreaking tunes and a mind-blowing knack for programming. His first mix for Mixer Mag's CD series features memorable tunes like Shimon's "Hush Hush," Optical's "Kerb Krawler," and Adam F's classic "Brand New Funk." 8.5/10 (Krista) Various Sweet Leaf Production (presents) The First Harvest (Sweet Lab-l) The first release from this trance and techno-centric conglomerate is a compilation of banging, 303-heavy, psychedelic acid-trance tunes from local trance junkies like Pop-eye, Indica, the Bobby Thrust Experience and Preach, some of the same names that were involved with raves like Matrix, Embryon and Trick O Treat. Judging by the cover art for the album (marijuana) and its title, "The First Harvest," the group is more than comfortable with the fact that their compositions are generally "chemically inspired." If 160-bpm + tech-trance is your bag, then take a listen to this homegrown, hydro-powered madness. 7.5/10 (Krista) Marley Marl Re-Entry: Beats Rhymes & Jam Sessions (BBE) It's good to know that Marley Marl still has the sense that made him one of the most influential producers in the early days of hip hop. Marley may have given up the crown to people like Pete Rock and Primo, but you can hear that he's still got it on tracks like "Foundation Symphony" and "What Ruling Means." Giving top-notch producers the chance to choose tracks for a comp is one thing, but giving beat kings like Marley open season on whatever sound he wants is just what your lazy ears should be hearing. Aging b-boys unite! 8/10 (Scott C) Erick Sermon Music (JRecords/Sony) Remember "Music?" The song all you Marvin Gaye lovers hated until you just couldn't help but sing along? The E double might have stumbled on a pretty simple coupling of wonky bass and Mr. Gaye, and many of us were appalled at its simplicity, but no one cares now--that song is huge! The album is surprisingly good, minus Erick Sermon trying to pull another fast one with "Hot," where he samples Marvin yet again. Thick and chunky beats provide a back end to a record that, for once, released the strongest song as the single. Bravo! 7.5/10 (Scott C) Angie Stone Mahogany Soul (J/BMG) Two years ago, Angie Stone's "No More Rain," helped me through a bitter romantic experience. Her sweet soul music spoke to some of the shit I was going through, and her latest, again, is like a soothing balm. Everything is solid, but exceptional standouts include: her tribute to black men, "Brotha" (along with its remix, featuring Alicia Keys and Eve), and "Soul Insurance," a homage to soul innovators. Blues takes control in "20 Dollars," and two tracks tackle obsessive love, "What U Dyin' For" and the folksy "Bottles & Cans." Above all, "More Than A Woman" is straight up Mahogany Soul. Beautiful. 10/10 (Gerard Dee) Shakira Laundry Service (Sony) Hoping to duplicate Ricky Martin's crossover success and cash in on la vida loca, Colombian sensation Shakira unleashes her English-language debut. Like Martin, Shakira mines the pop-rock field, and, for the most part, comes up with MOR rock tailor-made for radio. But, also like Martin, her musical ability shines most clearly on Spanish contributions to the set like "Suerte," which appears in both Spanish, its English-language equivalent "Whenever, Wherever" and the subtle "Que Me Quedes Tu." Martin fans take note. 6.5/10 (Gerard Dee) Townes Van Zant Anthology 1968-1979 (Fuel 2000/True North) Before his death in 1997 (after years of hard living), Van Zant was a master of encapsulating pain in his songs. These melancholic odes take the torch from Hank Williams, but all Van Zant's songs bear his personal stamp. Lyrically, he can't be matched, as he slings pearls about lost love, loneliness and the after-effects of looking for solace in empty places. The timber of his voice over a gently picked acoustic also proves him quite a stunning performer. Find out why people like Steve Earle consider him one of the best American songwriters of all time. 8.5/10 (Johnson Cummins) |
French gypsy jammers LNV have always had the acoustic side down, having delivered a decade of funky folk-pop caked with garlic, harissa and Mediterranean brine. Their last album Trabendo saw them flirting with the electric clubbing side, with Howie B. in the producer's chair--meant well, didn't quite come off. This paradoxical new one does, as LNV radically refashion some of their well-loved tunes ("C'est pas la mer à boire," "Voila l'eté," "Hey! Maria"... but not "Zobi la mouche") in a manner that's at once casual and very handcrafted, and also buoyantly groovy. The certified-organic candlelight sing-alongs could, and I'm sure will, slide inconspicuously into many a local dancefloor DJ's playlist. 9/10 (Rupert Bottenberg)
Former Field Mice frontman Bob Wratten always had a knack for melodic, lovelorn pop in that early '90s mould, and if it ain't broke... Well, fans of the Pale Saints, the Sundays and Lush will appreciate this band's fourth album, combining the effected guitars, (small "L?") lush harmonies and lilting melodies of shoegazing with contemporary electronics and sequenced beats. Produced by Saint Etienne tinkerer Ian Catt, this is delicate and often sad stuff (even danceable tracks like "St. Paul's Cathedral at Night" retain a melancholy tone), a rejuvenated relic from the land of baggy clothes, floral prints and mushroom cuts. 7.5/10 (Lorraine Carpenter)
Man, myth, or symbol? It's hard to deny the super-colossal powers of Prince, as 10 underground electronic artists testify on this tribute album. Downbeat, funky, electronic mishmash is the norm, an approach with mixed results (no one should have touched "Alphabet Street" or bothered with "The Most Beautiful Girl in the World"). Highlights? Toronto-via-Berlin electro-fucker Peaches (and friends) get down nicely on "Sexy Dancer," while OP:1 Bastards draw a cool groove from "If I Was Your Girlfriend," and newcomers Misty Dixon (fronted by Prince's antithesis, a six-foot white woman) take on "The Beautiful Ones" with trippy delicacy. 7/10 (Lorraine Carpenter)
"How do you know you're not a replicant, Mr. Deckard?" Local ro-boy Jon Asencio's always got some crackpot musical scheme on the go, and they usually involve droids and space stuff in some way. Also, they're invariably a perfect balance of silly and touching (recall please Starbean or Techno Pest). This new thing, the EHG, is a loose collective wherein Asencio is the only constant in personnel. Likewise, the only constant, in terms of style and intention, is the yummy electronics. Deep dub algoriddims, vector-based pixel pop and mysteronic moodscapes all serve to recalibrate your circuits while-U-wait. Mandroids and fembots, let the Guild trip begin. 8.5/10 (Rupert Bottenberg)
Since his last LP in '97, Aphex Twin released two superb singles with genius videos, announced his retirement, then got straight to work on this classic "Aphex acid" epic. Despite some ambient pisstakes (every double CD has a few tracks too many), this is a delightful listen fit for bit-of-everything techno types and intelligentsia alike, and spastic beat collages, Japanese music box-isms and classical piano interludes will warm Warp connoisseurs like a favourite blanket. And although this familiar palette risks redundancy after he and so many others have pillaged it, it's clear that this is the master at work. 8/10 (Lorraine Carpenter)