CD REVIEWS
Aug 1, 2004 12:00 PM
BEASTIE BOYS
To the 5 Boroughs (Capitol)
New York trio returns with a disc you should definitely ch-check out
Take the Beasties' original rock edge; mix it with their electronic tendencies; and throw in some party songs, a few tracks with messages of social concern and a little comedic flair (“I got a Be-Dazzler, so my outfit's tight,” Mike D raps on “Shazam!”), and you have To the 5 Boroughs. It's proof that the trio can put together an album of everything it does — and do it well. After a five-year hiatus, the Beasties spare no expense in style, but the group shows gear economy by programming fresh and old-school rhythms nearly 100 percent on a computer. Ad Rock, Mike D and MCA's Akai MPC2000 might have been gathering dust, but their flavor remains intact without growing moldy.
To the 5 Boroughs contains some distinctly '80s-influenced songs (as in the cowbell-heavy “Triple Trouble”) and one track, “Crawlspace,” which harks back to early-'90s Brand Nubian. The politics are out in full force on a few songs, but the album flows nicely, and despite the threesome's obvious feelings on certain topics, it doesn't come off as preachy of overbearing. If you've ever liked anything that the Beastie Boys have done, check this; it's one of the year's best.
— Adam Bernard
BUMBLEBEEZ 81
The Printz (Modular)
Living up to the buzz
In the retro-garage DIY wormhole that engulfs New York's music scene, the brother-sister duo of Bumblebeez 81, which hails from the Australian outback, fits the vibe like a hipster on the Friday night L train to Williamsburg. As it turns out, Chris Colonna has marked time at Brooklyn's Pratt Institute, and the art-student influences shine through in his raw, distorted and truly original take on laptop rock. He and sis Vila drop absurd raps and screams with impunity throughout, making a case to become heirs to the mantel the Beastie Boys left behind with “Cooky Puss.”
— Bill Murphy
DERRICK CARTER + MARK FARINA
Live at Om (Om)
Two legends, two discs — too good!
Live at Om is a document of Derrick Carter and Mark Farina's pre — Valentine's Day set at San Francisco's Mezzanine. Farina helms the first disc in the style that made him famous — lazy, hazy and groovy. The mixing and programming is impeccable, with key tracks from Cajmere, Jonny Rock and Land Shark. Chicago's Carter takes the second disc to the funky side with tracks from Daft Punk, Inland Knights and Stacy Kidd and Backroom Production. On the technical side, crowd noise is kept to a minimum, allowing the DJs to speak for themselves.
— Justin Kleinfeld
CLEVER
Troubled Waters (Single Cell/Offshore)
An Offshore account of found sound
Fracture + Neptune's “Normality Complex Parts 1 + 2” is sci-fi — kung-fu drum 'n' bass. Too many gong hits later, and the mix turns toward soulful vocals and harp-esque runs (Graphic, “1000”). Single cameos of grasshoppers and hard-breathed exhalations don't seem misplaced. Clever mixes tracks only from Offshore's catalog. Bongos, like tin on tin; single notes that hover above kick drums; and video-game chatter comfortably occupy the same space. As disparate as it sounds, that is the label's goal, and it's a Clever complement.
— Melody Caraballo
COO COO CAL
All or Nothin' (33rd Street)
Rapper kicks it Milwaukee-style
Milwaukee's best when it comes to hip-hop, and Coo Coo Cal bridges Southern bounce, West Coast low riding and Midwest sing-style rap with a kooky, animated flow truly befitting his moniker. Chicago speed rapper Twista drops by on “Midwest Best,” and the two proceed to get hyperactive over a stutter-step beat that takes a page or two from Timbaland's production manual. When Cal slows it down on “Block to Block,” his drawl takes center stage over the track's mid-'90s G-Funk feel. Unfortunately, subpar guest MCs abound, but Cal always makes rhyming look easy.
— Rob Kirby
ADAM FREELAND
Fabriclive. 16 (Fabric)
Breaks king breaks new ground
Thanks to his innovative late-'90s Coastal Breaks comps, Adam Freeland is almost single-handedly responsible for the burgeoning breaks scene. His latest mix is weighted with tracks from his own Marine Parade label — a good thing considering the caliber of the artists. The disc provides an eclectic ride with tracks from Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, UNKLE, Adam Freeland & the Soul Drummers and LFO. Mixed on three decks, Pioneer CD-Js and Ableton Live, Fabriclive isn't just technologically advanced; it faithfully represents Freeland's killer Fabric sets.
— Justin Kleinfeld
GABRIEL & DRESDEN
Nip/Tuck (Nettwerk)
TV on the stereo
Mixing for plastic-surgery saga series Nip/Tuck, Gabriel & Dresden stitch together a sometimes-jarring, often beatific portrait. But they work within an obvious confine. While making use of funky Latin electronic act Kinky's “Headphonist,” they also ineffectively wrap the disc in a network-approved bow of the show's theme song, “A Perfect Lie.” Meanwhile, Poloroid's “So Damn Beautiful” — ironic lyrics in tow — elbows its way through the crowded chill party. And, of course, no side room's complete without Wax Poetic's jazzy signature song, “Angels,” featuring Norah Jones.
— Melody Caraballo
JAZZANOVA
…Mixing (Sonar Kollektiv)
Found, lost and found again
This gear-shifting mix comp opens auspiciously enough with the implied funk of Jill Scott's “A Long Walk,” as retooled by Jazzy Jeff's A Touch of Jazz, and takes off from there, with varied success. The mood builds through awesome disco-funk tracks by Sirius Mo (“U-Again”) and Carol Williams (the '70s rarity “Can't Get Away From Your Love”) but then, right when it should be climaxing, loses steam with Âme's ponderous workup of Jazzanova's “Glow and Glare.” Fortunately, Endresen and Wesseltoft's mournful Rhodes vehicle “Try” saves the mission in true chillout style.
— Bill Murphy
MASTA KILLA
No Said Date (Nature Sounds)
Wu-Tang MC revives Wu greatness
Backed by eight of his fellow Clansmen, Masta Killa exceeds expectations with his first solo LP and one of the best Wu-Tang albums in a half-decade. In-house Wu-Tang producer True Master uses a sped-up Curtis Mayfield sample to infuse the old-time soul vibe on “Queen” while RZA makes Masta Killa's dead-serious delivery sound even deadlier over the raw N.Y. beats and midtrack tempo change of “School.” Add to the mix the lovable verbal tics and bipolar behavior of Ol' Dirty Bastard on the RZA-produced “Old Man,” and you've got Wu-Tang again doing what it does best.
— Rob Kirby
THIEVERY CORPORATION
The Outernational Sound (ESL)
Settle in for a global taste of this D.C. duo's DJing style
Listening to Thievery Corporation's original compositions, it is obvious that this duo has a colorful musical palette. But The Outernational Sounds compilation gives an insight into just how far Eric Hilton and Rob Garza's taste goes. Loosely mixed — the only option with sounds this disparate — and bordering on just-thrown-together, these tunes nevertheless blend extremely well. With selections released on the pair's own eclectic ESL label from Thunderball and Karminsky Experience, not to mention three from Thievery itself, the song lineup is bolstered by tracks from Boozoo Bajou, Major Force, Breakestra, Block 16 and the Troublemakers, among a dozen or so others.
On first glance, that grocery list of artists may seem like similar styles, but what Thievery takes from each is unique: Hilton and Garza bring out strains of music that are truly international, from the Eastern strings on “Mathar (Discovery of India Mix)” to the soft hip-hop of “Re-return of the Original Artform” to the funk-fueled “Cramp Your Style” to the modern version of ancient Oriental chimes on “Expo in Tokyo” to the reggae vibes of Thievery Corporation's “Richest Man in Babylon” remixed by G-Corp.
— Lily Moayeri
CARLOS MENA
Hip-Hop Meditations (Casamena)
Educated wordplay from Bay Area
Although countless heads complain about the dumbing down of rap music, few do anything about it, and even more once-“conscious” MCs are switching styles in hopes of commercial acceptance. Not this cat. Oakland's Carlos Mena delivers a stirring, complex and impossible-to-categorize album that oozes intelligence, spirituality and funk. Fusing exotic percussion with lush instrumentation and knocking beats, he raps, sings and speaks his way through 16 self-produced tracks. Deep but not preachy, this record is the ideal antidote to the mainstream's formulaic approach.
— Brolin Winning
PHOENIX
Alphabetical (Astralwerks)
A step up from 2000's United
On one hand, Phoenix belongs to the rock-synth Sophia Coppola group of creative minds and on the other, the Daft Punk mafia. But the French quartet doesn't quite fit into either of those überhip collectives. With Alphabetical, the group has arrived at an elusive space in which its songs define perfect pop but maintain a cool, independent edge. Retaining a sensibility that draws from '70s AOR groups, Phoenix goes one better by bringing a delicate but lasting style to “(You Can't Blame It On) Anybody” and “Holdin' on Together,” which recall Andy Gibb more than anything else.
— Lily Moayeri
ROB SONIC
Telicatessen (Definitive Jux)
The revolution might be televised
Anyone who caught a taste of Rob Sonic's “Mr. Important” from Funkstörung's excellent Disconnected album will be all over the D.C. MC's solo debut — a psychedelic mix of supremely abstract wordplay, raw old-school beats and the analog funk arsenal of a truly dedicated crate digger. From the Moogalicious low-end hooks of “Death Vendor” to the ominous mise-en-scène of “Shoplift” and the tribal style of “New Car Smell,” Sonic avails himself as both a topflight producer and a cutting-edge commentator on the state of a slowly simmering youth rebellion in today's information age.
— Bill Murphy
WAGON CHRIST
Sorry I Make You Lush (Ninja Tune)
Luke Vibert returns to past persona
Multifaceted producer Luke Vibert continues his unblemished streak of productivity (following his jacked acid YosepH LP, Italo robo-disco side venture Kerrier District and unadulterated DSP-dabbled jungle as Amen Andrews) with a return to his Wagon Christ moniker. This guise finds Vibert draping gauzy, giddy synth yawns over Motown bass lines like they were sequined gowns and spinning them around until they shimmer like disco balls (“Saddic Gladdic,” “Nighty Night”). He explores playful breakbeats in the Brooklyn parks (“The Funnies”) and creeping dub claps (“UBFormby”). It's as catchy as it is kitschy.
— Tony Ware
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