MUSIC REVIEWS
by MIRROR MUSIC
December 8, 2011
ALBUM OF THE WEEK
THE ROOTS
Undun
(Def Jam)
True progress being a testament to tenacity and endurance in any art form, the Roots pick up here right where their 2010 opus How I Got Over left off, in exactly the same fashion that saw the logical gearshift forward from their previous two criminally under-heard LPs. If you never listened to them piece it together after Things Fall Apart, you’ll have zero point of reference to watch them come conceptually Undun. The faithful, meanwhile, remain ever-rewarded. 10/10 Trial Track: “Redford” (For Yia-Yia & Pappou) ft. Sufjan Stevens (Darcy MacDonald)
THE BLACK KEYS
El Camino
(Nonesuch)
Since busting out with their take on Junior Kimbrough meets the MC5 in 2001, this duo’s raw blues has received a bit of spit and polish in favour of smooth soul while working with producer Danger Mouse, helping to broaden their narrow parameters. On El Camino, they stick to what they know and thankfully don’t throw many curveballs. If you’re a dyed in the wool fan, you’ll buy it, but if you’re a new Bonnarooer and really want to get your feet wet, track down 2004’s Rubber Factory for the real deal. 7/10 Trial Track: “Little Black Submarines” (Johnson Cummins)
ESTAN
Distract Engage
(independent)
Recalling the most nerdish oddities of the 90s, local omni-instrumentalist Estan Beedell has a firm grasp on his own offbeat, hospitable alternative rock handle, but delivers what could have come across as a simple revisiting by expertly combining the complex with the catchy. Take a layered song like “Cocoon,” which zips from girl group harmonies to a horn solo to a pitch-perfect classic-era Weezer rock-out in a perfectly logical manner. 7.5/10 Trial Track: “Retirement Home” (Erik Leijon) With Open Arms, Fast Hands and Kurvi Tasch at Il Motore, Fri. Dec. 9, 8:30 p.m.
ATLAS SOUND
Parallax
(4AD)
The spindly Bradford Cox remains as prolific as ever, dipping his fingers in many pies but never losing his ability to contort his off-putting disaffection into something quite sinister. His third release as Atlas Sound can sometimes feel pretty skeletal compositionally, and the songwriting is deceptively conventional, but when repetition is cleverly deployed and corroded with bubbling and gurgling sonic splashes, Parallax opens like a bottomless cave of mangled riches. 7/10 Trial Track: “Te Amo” (Erik Leijon)
FERRISWHEEL
Un Peu au nord et sans distortion
(E-Tron)
Members of Timber Timbre, Torngat, Bell Orchestre, the Luyas and even more local bands assembled in a certain Farnham church with star engineer Mark Lawson to record the seven instrumentals heard here. Brought to life with strings, horns, guitars, drums, percussion and piano, the songs are alternately rousing, riling or reflective, but whether melancholy, joyous or anxious, they all unfurl with finesse. 7.5/10 Trial Track: “Dusty Gentle Creature” (Lorraine Carpenter) Album launch with Nick Kuepfer at Casa del Popolo, Fri., Dec. 9, 9 p.m.
LOCRIAN
The Clearing
(Fan Death)
Last year’s epic The Crystal World was a true piece of majestic beauty, but instead of trying to rise beyond the watermark, this Chicago trio veers in different directions on this four-song offering. Shades of Ummagumma-era Floyd emerge as opener “Chalk Point” lays down the melancholy and takes its sweet time to unfold. And when Locrian have the legroom to stretch out, on the 20minute drone/psych-fest of the title track, real magic happens. 9/10 Trial Track: “The Clearing” (Johnson Cummins)
THISQUIETARMY
Resurgence
(Denovali)
This two-CD set by local one-man drone act Thisquietarmy (aka Eric Quach) is his most accessible release yet. Atop his doomy dreamscape sound sits krautrock/Chrome/Helios Creed repetition courtesy of a loud drum machine, shoegaze guitars and gorgeous vocals by Meryem Yildiz, all sealed up with post-punk shellac. While his densely packed sheets of sound are still in wide array, Quach is quicker to get to the punchlines, his songwriting more crafted and mature than ever. 8.5/10 Trial Track: “Gone to the Unseen” (Johnson Cummins)
SAUL WILLIAMS
Volcanic Sun
(Pirate’s Blend)
On his fourth LP, Williams changes his musical direction. Trading up producer Trent Reznor (Nine Inch Nails) for Renaud Letang (Feist, Franz Ferdinand, Peaches) is a decidedly pop move, but if you know Williams’s work, his pop ain’t quite clean. As lyrically potent as ever, Volcanic mixes in a bit of Reggaeton, 60s surf, rock, hip hop, Afrobeat and more. It’s perhaps not as edgy and urgent as The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of Niggy Tardust, but an engaging, bold entry nevertheless. 8/10 Trial Track: “Look to the Sun” (Lateef Martin)
DOOMTREE
No Kings
(Doomtree)
If indie rap can be known sometimes to hit no harder than a brash, empty, locker room shove, the Midwest’s Doomtree collective, as individual lyricists, MCs, singers, producers and DJs, have always lashed out with don’t-fuck-with-me rhythm ’n’ rhyme beatdowns to stop ’em cold. But when they gang up, as on this second crew LP, they seem to take their group prowess for granted, assuming the win rather than risking anything for it. 4.5/10 Trial Track: “Bangarang” (Darcy MacDonald)
KORN
Path of Totality
(Roadrunner)
Korn made a dubstep album. Not bad. Exicison, Skrillex and Downlink contribute to this new sound—one I hope Korn moves on from, richer from the experience. Like previous Korn releases, Totality can get a little heavy-handed and unnecessarily noisy. Less is more. Perhaps a more engaging approach would have been for the band to record these songs live, adapting dubstep styles into their playing with minimal electronic influences and staying away from the clichés. Kudos for the effort, though. 7/10 Trial Track: “My Wall” (Lateef Martin)
SEAL
Soul 2
(Warner)
The song selection on Seal’s second full album of soul covers, following 2008’s Soul, would appear to be better suited to the singer’s husky baritone than some of the songs on that first set. But while his renditions of songs like Teddy Pendergrass’s “Love TKO” and Al Green’s “Let’s Stay Together” are competent, they lack the essential fire that those original singers brought to the table. 7/10 Trial Track: “I’ll Be Around” (Gerard Dee)
VERTICAL SQUIRRELS
Winter’s Gate
(Barcode Free)
Garden pests or welcome guests—it depends on your proclivity for improvised instrumentals. The 14 pop, funk and, well, squirrelly tracks on this sophomore CD find the band honing in on their sound, running along the fence more than meandering around the yard. Most pieces feature the highly compressed, fuzzed-out lead guitar incursions of Daniel Fischlin, backed by circling piano cells, bass and clattering drums. Think Swell Maps circa Whatever Happens Next… with Nikki Sudden replaced by Robert Fripp. 8/10 Trial Track: “Gate, No Fence” (Lawrence Joseph)
MINI REVIEWS
ARCHITEUTHIS REX Urania (Utech) This nearly hour-long listen is the sonic equivalent of swimming through black Vaseline. Label Utech proves yet again that their brand printed on the back of a CD is a mark of brilliance. 9 (JC)
RAMMSTEIN Made in Germany 1995–2011 (Universal) They’re German, they’re scary, and if compressed into 16 songs, possessors of an impressive career. 8 (EL)
LANTENER self-titled (ORAL) This local duo completely surprises with a weaving of rock/drone/psych/doom served up in epic proportions. Keep yer eyes peeled for these guys. 8 (JC)
CHARLOTTE GAINSBOURG Stage Whisper (Because/WEA) An LP featuring material from last year’s Terrible Angels EP, 11 live recordings and six brand new songs, half of them gold. 7.5 (LC)
JEFFREY LEWIS A Turn in the Dream-Songs (Rough Trade) Best liner notes of 2011: a beautiful comic book drawn by Lewis himself. 7 (EL)
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