KINDRED THE FAMILY SOUL
Surrender to Love (Hidden Beach/Sony)
From the musical wellspring that is Philadelphia, on the label that launched Jill Scott, comes this multi-talented band that immediately joins the frontline of the neo-soul sound revolution. At the helm of the 10-member strong Family Soul, the husband-and-wife team Fatin Dantzler and Aja Graydon (aka Kindred) create the type of vocal interplay and lyrical dexterity that was the signature of back-in-the-day bands like Atlantic Starr and Loose Ends. Their stories are filled with the challenges of raising a family, paying the bills and the love that binds, but occasionally they glimpse the bigger picture ("Don't Wanna Suffer (Carbon Copy)") and let loose ("Spread the Word"). Mainly, this brilliant disc is filled with the type of soul music that makes the surrender so satisfying. 10/10 (Gerard Dee)
BLUR
Think Tank (Parlophone/EMI)
Did you really appreciate Graham Coxon? You'll know after hearing this seventh Blur album, on which the ex-guitarist cameos with a throwaway riff on the last track. If his 'n' hers gas masks and a Moroccan orchestra are his social commentary, and if chicken-scratch drawings and pseudo-edgy noise and beats are his Radiohead pastiche, Damon Albarn's attempts to construct real songs are just as rational and effective. This album's first two tracks are exceptions - "Ambulance" is a gripping, subterranean epic and "Out of Time" is an alluring, melodic ballad - but then comes the shambling tumble into mediocrity. Please break up. 5/10 (Lorraine Carpenter)
VARIOUS
Matrix Reloaded: the Album (Maverick/Warner)
VARIOUS
House of 1000 Corpses (Geffen/Universal)
See? Linkin Park can make a good track - when they lose the whiny vocals and faux-rap. With Juno Reactor, Deftones, Unloco, Fluke, Rage Against the Machine and a naughty Marilyn Manson track, the Matrix soundtrack paints a perfect picture of digital mayhem. Strangely, Rob Zombie's Matrix contribution is far better than the yee-hawin', trailer-park rock 'n' roll he delivers on the soundtrack to his own film, House of 1000 Corpses. He had to include tracks that have no business in a horror movie, just for the stark contrast of death and lovey-dovey-ness (to wit, Helen Kane's "I Wanna Be Loved By You"). And "Brick House 2003" featuring Lionel Richie (for shame!) and Trina is as redundant as, well, another Rob Zombie track. Reloaded 8/10, Corpses 5/10 (Lateef Martin)
LANGHORNS
Mission Exotica (Bad Taste)
Cheers to this Swedish trio for delivering above and beyond the call of duty. It's one thing to put out a CD of high-grade surf-rock instrumentals loaded with swaggering twang and mysterious cool. It's something else to make a musical genre almost half a century old, one with incredibly exact parameters, sound so fresh and innovative. Recorded with care but not overproduced, and booby-trapped with all manner of unexpected but eminently suitable touches of brass, keys and percussion, this is a trip around the world in a surf bum's battered woody - with James Bond at the wheel. Mission accomplished! 9/10 (Rupert Bottenberg)
FRUIT BATS
Mouthfuls (Sub Pop/Outside)
I hope Eric Johnson's students at Chicago's Old Town School of Folk Music are impressed. With his bandmate Gillian Lisee and producer Brian Deck (Red Red Meat, Modest Mouse), Johnson gets an A for this sophomore album. It's not folk, per se, but trad instruments and, yes, animal noises lend an earthy tone to these sublime, often surprising pop sketches. Is it campfire cabaret? Rufus Wainwright after a sober week in the forest? Speed-free Velvets conducted by Brian Wilson, with Phil Spector looming somewhere in the background? Sure. 8/10 (Lorraine Carpenter) With the Field Register at the Jupiter Room, Wed., May 14, 9pm, $8
GOLDFRAPP
Black Cherry (Mute/Fusion III)
Rather than attempting to one-up the widescreen grandeur of Felt Mountain, this British duo's superfine debut, Goldfrapp add to the electro surplus, glam-stomping through an icy disco and spewing sexual innuendo. Of course, they do it well, and Alison Goldfrapp's silken voice is a novel addition to the electro canon. Old fans can cling to songs like the title track and "Hairy Trees," when the beat slows and the synth mosaics make way for stargazing strings and emotive poetry. But it's a disjointed record overall, with songs for dancefloors, songs for headphones and songs too mediocre for either. 7/10 (Lorraine Carpenter)
MONOBOX
Molecule (Logistic)
One of the founding fathers, alongside Jeff Mills and Mad Mike Banks, of legendary techno label Underground resistance, Robert Hood and his "less is more" attitude have helped shaped the minimalist sound currently de rigueur amongst techno headz. Under his Monobox moniker, Hood delivers an album chock full of pared-down yet driven electronic grooves. Although some of the wonkier tracks end up sounding a little too much like filler, there are several melodic and soulful Detroit-style gems lying in wait. Definitely worth a listen. 8/10 (Raf Katigbak)
A. DONTIGNY/DIANE LABROSSE
Télépathie (No Type)
Fans of the local actuelle/noise scene should already be familiar with the highly acclaimed Web-based label No Type. For the last five years, No Type has been offering up a quality assortment of experimental noise and actuelle CDs, vinyl and MP3s from a large roster of North American artists. Among these artists is the computer vs. sampler duo of Dontigny and Labrosse, whose April '02 show at the Casa del Popolo is immortalized here. A soundscape in collage form, ranging from electronic bleeps, hisses and bursts of noise to organic squelches and crumbles and pitter-pats, the sound is at once playful and disturbing. 8/10 (Raf Katigbak)
TYPECAST
Act 1 (independent)
Heads up. Looks like another MTL hip hop outfit has managed to pop up right under your nose. The sounds of Typecast seem to focus around soulful beats that hit, combined with the lyrical barrage of three MCs. Producers Naval Aviator and Dan Howlett seem to cater to the offbeat rhyme mechanisms of this ready-to-bust crew. Although a fairly ghetto recording, the essence of what these guys are about has no problem at all shining through, and I look forward to watching out for what they do next. Nice to hear musicality given equal billing alongside MC bravado. 8/10 (Scott C)
P'TAAH
Staring at the Sun (Ubiquity)
You could file the present pre-occupations of Chris Brann under future jazz, nu-jazz or broken-beat fare, but the beauty of an album like Staring at the Sun involves a body of warmth and movement that is very simple at its base. Unlike the complex mathematical equations of his recent Compressed Light project, this LP was made with summer soul and the energized dancer in mind, concentrating on upbeat, stuttered rhythms and the occasional downtempo observation. There are too many sweet vocalists, both male and female, on this record to mention though. Brann does it right, riding the rails of jazz fusion, unfettered soul and next-level rhythms that we all need right now. 8.5/10 (Scott C)
THICKE
A Beautiful World (Nu America/Universal)
No doubt because this white boy plays funky music he'll be compared to other blue-eyed soul men, but his funky/rock style is no imitation - despite the prominent "Fifth of Beethoven" sample on lead single "When I Get You Alone." More Jamiroquai than Justin, Thicke's not all about the groove, as the subtle title track and the introspective "The Stupid Things" prove. Musically and lyrically he tries to be diverse (the Latin-fuelled "Vengas Conmigo," the socially-charged "Berry Blue Skies"), but when he just lets the funk roll, like on "Oh Shooter" or "Brand New Jones," it's a beautiful thing. 8/10 (Gerard Dee)
RALPH PETERSON QUINTET
Subliminal Seduction (Criss Cross)
JEREMY PELT SEXTET
Insight (Criss Cross)
Common to these two recent releases are Peterson, trumpeter Pelt and Jimmy Greene on tenor and soprano sax. Peterson, a most musical drummer, is the veteran here. Pelt, in his late 20s, is, judging by his contributions here, a musician worth keeping an ear out for. Greene, a student of Jackie McLean, is quickly establishing himself. The quintet sides also feature pianist Orrin Evans and bassist Eric Revis, while Pelt's debut as a leader is abetted by the work of altoman Myron Walden, Rick Germanson on piano and bassist Vincente Archer. Both feature strong, straight-ahead playing on, for the most part, original compositions by the leaders. Both 9/10 (Len Dobbin)
BANG ON A CAN
Classics (Cantaloupe)
These modernist Manhattanites are probably most closely associated with neo-classical composer Steve Reich and his macro-minimalist mesmerism. As Classics shows, however, the sextet has a far wider vocabulary, one in which the mathematical discipline of the classical tradition meets the intuitive caprice of jazz, the robust rush of rock and the vivid illustration of film and cartoon music. The seven composers flagged for this look back at BOAC's mid-'90s efforts lay the groundwork for the ensemble to showcase their potential. Compare the springy cheer of Julia Wolfe's "Lick" with the grim tension of Michael Gordon's "Industry" and see. 8.5/10 (Rupert Bottenberg)
Mini CD Reviews
GUIDO BASSO/DOUG RILEY A Lazy Afternoon (Justin Time/Fusion III) A superb, atmospheric flugelhorn/organ duo session from 1997, beautifully recorded by the late Phil Sheridan. 9.5 (LD)
ELASTICA The Radio One Sessions (BBC/Koch) Five exclusive tracks and familiar faves from defunct Britpop greats. Make a cup of tea, put this record on. 8 (LC)
DJ VADIM FEAT. SLUG "Edie Brikell" 12" (Ninja Tune/Outside) Slug laces this Vadim bubbler while Sixtoo flips the beat on the "Bush at the Helm" remix. 7.5 (SC)
NOFX Regaining Unconsciousness EP (Fat Wreck-Chords) A taste of the post-9/11 venom and rage against the American herd to be found on the next album from SoCal's one tolerable skate-punk band. 7 (RB)
THE TELEPATHIC BUTTERFLIES self-titled (Rainbow Quartz) Kurt Vonnegut's world collides with nasal pop teetering on the edge of psychedelia. Sample title: "Mr. Laughabee's Circus." 7 (LC) With Karmad'aï and Once Knew Andrew at Petit Campus, Sat., May 10, 8:30pm, $7
SOUNDS FROM THE GROUND Natural Selection (Nutone) "Soulful" trip-hop schlock in a Kenny G vs. Cher stylee. If Darwin's theory held true, this stuff should have gone the way of the dodo about six years ago. 5 (RK)
THE PLANETS Classical Graffiti (Dramatico/EMI) The Popstars approach to classical music - an ensemble assembled largely for their looks produce sounds suitable for Siegfried & Roy. Photogenic fluff for the philistines. Fucking awful. 1 (RB)
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