CD REVIEWS
Jan 1, 2006 12:00 PM
FISCHERSPOONER
The Other Side: New York (Deaf Dumb & Blind)
Is this really the sound of New York City?
The concept here is great: Pick one of the world's cultural capitals, select a representative musical tastemaker to create an edgy soundtrack, toss in a DVD tour and package it as a multimedia presentation from the Time Out city guide behemoth. Selecting Fischerspooner as that tastemaker is not the issue here, as the songs trotted out on this disc are mostly solid tunes from the likes of Bloc Party, Broadcast, Electronicat and Princess Superstar.
However, why these sounds are so jarringly juxtaposed is something of a mystery. This compilation leaps wildly from Lower East Side hipster dives to celestial Euro-pop before turning to electro-glam Williamsburg, circa 2001 (thanks, in part, to Fischerspooner's own cover of “Emerge” and a choice David Carretta track), then swings back to fantastically urgent house and techno (which, incidentally, seems more fitting of the Berlin underground) before ending with vintage Laurie Anderson with no sense of flow or continuity. The appeal of most of the tracks is enough to satisfy, but the way they're connected is a head-scratcher. — Christine Hsieh
)EIB(
Maldini & Vegas Presents Bad Taste (BC/System)
Good, just homogenous taste
Jason Maldini and Michael Vegas of Bad Company UK — aka )EIB( — feature recent releases from their label on Bad Taste. Anything related to this camp and its preceding product is reliably predictable, if somewhat unprogressive and repetitive. Snarling bass lines and briskly paced beats, plus catchy melody lines that stay in the same vein as previous floor fillers, don't propel Bad Taste forward much. But the collected endeavors of Chase and Status (“Loader”), Teebee (“Facing the Sun”) and the compilers themselves sit well together, gelling into a smoothly moving entity. — Lily Moayeri
THA ALKAHOLIKS
Firewater (Waxploitation)
It's last call, yo
Party-rockin, hard-drinkin' hip-hop group Tha Alkaholiks had a hand in changing the way hip-hop heads looked at the West Coast, drawing dedicated die-hard fans to their legendary shows. But after more than 10 years, the trio of Tash, J-Ro and DJ E-Swift is finally hangin' up the mics and putting the caps on the bottles. On Firewater, “Turn It Up” and “Drink Wit Us” will easily find their place into fans' homemade best-of tapes, while joints like “Poverty's Paradise” showcase a rarely seen socially conscious side. Firewater is a worthy exit for Tha Liks and will leave fans thirsty for more. — Aaron Schultz
BIGG JUS
Poor People's Day (Mush)
Jus what we need
Boasting a lifetime commitment to the idea that hip-hop needs no corporate sponsorship, Bigg Jus has a timely achievement with Poor People's Day, both sonically and lyrically. The Company Flow co-founder abides by the challenging blueprint of his former group's debut, Funcrusher Plus, and squashes peers and Bush negligence on the vicious “Illustrations of Hieronymus Bosch … That 1467 Shit” as well as on the title track. DJ Gman's grandiose, dreary symphonies, with plentiful cuts and deep beats, match and nearly rail over his partner's incisively abstract verse. Bigg and important. — Dominic Umile
CARL CRAIG
Fabric 25 (Fabric)
Futuristic techno funk
There are no surprises in store here — just sophisticated techno abounding with liquid rhythms, unexpected vocal flourishes and hard-to-resist beats, all delivered with a self-assured pace that highlights Carl Craig's deft touch on the turntables. Craig mixes and matches a batch of truly distinctive artists with great flair, scattering disjointed funk from Just One and glacial synth lines from Rayon among urgent string arrangements by Soundstream and resonant house by Kerri Chandler and Blaze, before ending with sparse, emotive techno that leaves the listener breathless and gasping for more. — Christine Hsieh
DEATH FROM ABOVE 1979
Romance Bloody Romance (Vice)
Noise rock gets a makeover
With the help of a few friends, indie noise rockers DFA1979 remix their white-knuckled bass and drum tantrums top-to-bottom on this outing. The four remixes of “Romantic Rights” range from bouncy and vocoder-tweaked (Marczech Makuziak Remix) to techno-edged (Dahlback Remix), Moog-squelchy (Erol Alkan's Love From Below Re-Edit) and massively distorted (Phone Lovers Remix). Elsewhere, bassist Keeler and DFA1979 producer Al-P rework “Sexy Results” into an infectious dancefloor gyrator, and Justice channels the anger of “Blood on Our Hands” into rubbery, club-friendly fare. — Rob Kirby
FIVE DEEZ
Kommunicator (!K7)
The comfy vibes of hip-house
The upscale hip-house of Five Deez doesn't attack the senses; it wafts out of speakers and smooth-talks its way into open ear canals. Two parts underground hip-hop, one part subtle electronic grooves, the formula succeeds by ignoring convention. “Kommunicator” eases in with soft piano flourishes and upright bass runs, and the Ohio crew continues on to drop conscious lyrics over a collage of blips, whirrs, hand claps and echo effects. “Black Rushmore” infuses atmospheric soul into the mix, with breezy female vocals that float above undulating keyboard swells. May drastically lower blood pressure. — Rob Kirby
MADONNA
Confessions on a Dance Floor (Warner Bros.)
Material Girl finds retro release
Let's face it — Madonna loves to expose herself. Consequently, Confessions on a Dance Floor's artwork shows the exhibitionist aiming her perky butt outward like a lap dancer on all fours. Confessions' music works a similar premise, returning the singer to the '80s sound that made her famous — with a wink and a nod. Largely co-written and co-produced by Les Rythmes Digitales' Stuart Price, with Mirwais Ahmadzai, Bloodshy & Avant and the Murlyn Music Collective, Confessions finds Madonna exploring carefree and sometimes trite lyrics, pounding 4/4 beats, lush string pads and throbbing synthesizers. It's deliciously retro dance music without a hint of fat.
Segued together like a DJ set, the songs recall everyone from Donna Summer and Blondie to Depeche Mode. Floor-filler “Hung Up” samples ABBA's “Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!,” and the album maintains the party vibe until the semi-spiritual “Isaac,” which samples vocalist Yitzhak Sinwani over an acoustic guitar and wafting Middle Eastern strings. “Like It or Not” is equally self-righteous, but Confessions is really about dancing till dawn and getting lost in the sounds of yesteryear. — Ken Micallef
GOLDIE
Presents Metalheadz MDZ 05 (MDZ)
Ain't sayin' he's a gold digger
MDZ 05 comes fifth in Goldie's ongoing sampler series of the legendary drum 'n' bass label he founded. Disc one is a 12-track comp featuring Marcus Intalex, Klute and Digital, among others. The second of the two is a searing rush of beats via a 17-track mix by the d'n'b pioneer. Sure, Goldie masterfully trades the spacey, winding synths of Klute's “Can't See the Grooves” for the overpowering breaks of Commix's “Tycoon,” but he simply can't outdo the blazing acid synth-washed jungle of the hidden cut. His underhanded shadiness isn't only reserved for thuggish onscreen cameos. — Dominic Umile
HEAD LIKE A KITE
Random Portraits of the Home Movie (Pattern 25)
Pop that floats like a dream
Head Like a Kite is the side project of Dave Einmo, guitarist for indie-pop group Sushirobo. Einmo draws inspiration from 8-track movies shot by his parents in the '70s and integrates them into his krautrock and shoegazer-style compositions. The band also draws on a whole host of talented friends and guests, including 14-year-old Asya of Smoosh on “Noisy at the Circus,” brilliant pop that shows why Smoosh avoided being labeled a gimmick. Random Portraits is a beautiful pop album that pays personal homage to the past but has one eye on the future. — Aaron Schultz
INFADELS
We Are Not the Infadels (Wall of Sound)
1,000 punks compel you
A Clash-lifting, Mick Jagger — strutting four-piece from London, Infadels pack a mighty wallop with enough slashing guitars, disco drum beats and catchy choruses to send you back to your '70s vinyl stash. Infadels' faithfulness to The Clash's militant energy is almost scary, like a midnight reincarnation with Malcolm McLaren performing séance duties. Thus, the production is primarily live with zombie synths, Moog swoops and ragged vocal effects. Standouts include the delicious robot disco of “Jagger '67” and terrorist-baiting rawker “Love Like Semtex.” — Ken Micallef
JAZZANOVA
The Remixes 2002-2005 (Sonar Kollektiv)
Elevating remixes to an art form
This collection of remixes is a testament to the group's consistently high-quality revamps — solid tunes made better with stutter-step rhythms, fractured beats and amplified instrumentals. Shaun Escoffery's “Let It Go” and Fat Freddy Drop's “Flashback” shoulder up to a smoking, sultry rework of Calexico's “Black Heart” and a darkly seductive take on the Free Design's “Lullaby” and sound like they were absolutely meant to be played that way. Marvelous stuff and all the better for the way it draws you into its easy sophistication and laidback atmosphere. — Christine Hsieh
JÓHANN JÓHANNSON
Dís (The Worker's Institute)
Cinematic sounds from Iceland
Icelandic composer Jóhann Jóhannson penned the tracks on Dís as accompaniment for the film of the same name, which must account for the album's seeming lack of cohesion. Jóhannson runs the gamut from '60s-inspired jangle (“Efripídes Og Nedripídes”) and straight-up '80s guitar (“10 Rokkstig”) to light electronics worthy of Morr Music (“Saumavel,” “Thynnkudagur”). But he also finds space for a sappy piano ballad (“Ruslpóstur”) and the sickeningly sweet pop-vocal title track. Never settling on one style, Dís captures many different moods. But, overall, they're generally pleasant. — Erin Hutton
MOZEZ
So Still (Apace)
Zero 7 vocalist goes deep
Sometimes, synthetic sounds are the perfect foil to hot-buttered soul. Zero 7's Mozez has a creamy voice and an epic vision. So Still sounds like a modern Marvin Gaye joined by top producers; indeed, the album features Nightmares on Wax and Guy Sigsworth. Electric piano often comforts Mozez' world-weary musings, but it's the dizzying electronic sounds that make So Still more than a retro treat. There are the rubbery loops of “Feel Free,” the delays and envelope filters lacing “Baby Blue” and the woozy strings and brittle beats on the soaring “Somehow Now.” So Still is beautifully lush and lovingly frigid. — Ken Micallef
NOTORIOUS B.I.G.
Duets: The Final Chapter (Atlantic)
Uh … and another one!
It has been six years since we last heard an album from the original King of N.Y. Finally, Bad Boy gives us Duets, which blends a throng of Biggie's A-list friends, today's hip-hop elite and some of Biggie's (aka Christopher Wallace) best verses to craft a fitting curtain call to one of the greatest rappers of all time. While Duets follows much of the same formula as his last posthumous album, Born Again (big-name guests and producers), this record comes off more cohesively.
The Bob Marley — assisted “Hold Ya Head” finds Biggie spittin' his bleak “Suicidal Thoughts” verses backed by a “Johnny Was” sample from the reggae legend; the new track captures the urgent and dramatic feel of the original with ominous bells and strings. Elsewhere, Biggie is backed by a Jazze Pha production for “Nasty Girl,” which infuses an extremely catchy hook courtesy of Jagged Edge and some sub-par rhymes from Nelly and Diddy. The single exhibits the root of what is wrong with this record: Biggie is pitted with artists with whom he might have never worked if still alive. The saving grace comes in the form of tracks like “Beef,” where Mobb Deep glides over the vocal-layered banger. — Omar Hamza
MODILL
Midnight Green (EV)
Chicago duo keeps it entertaining
K-Kruz' production ranges from jazzy and smooth to hyperactive and slightly ADD; regardless, his creative approach is rewarding. With new elements constantly weaving in and out and various reverbs and inventive panning morphing sampled loops, there's never a dull moment. Rapper Racecar deftly maneuvers around the melodies, matching mood with content and drum thumps with wordplay, his years of freestyling paying off. Midnight Green is mainly Walkman music, but has its fair share of high-energy joints. As Racecar says, “The proof is in the pudding…no head-nodding to that over-deep groove shit.” — DJ Ethx
MUGGS VS. GZA
Grandmasters (Angeles)
When East meets West
There's a special relationship that exists between DJ and MC. For hip-hop's cream of the crop, the beats seem to perfectly match the rhymes. When the Wu-Tang Clan's supersharp lyricist The GZA joined Cypress Hill's DJ Muggs for Grandmasters, the dynamic duo cut an album full of East-meets-West flavor. The GZA's crafty and thought-provoking rhymes shine all over Grandmasters, especially on the personal tale of “Queen's Gambit” and the slick “Unstoppable Threats,” while DJ Muggs' soulful beats offer some of his tightest work to date. The hip-hop world was in need of an album like this. — Chris Clark
NORTEC COLLECTIVE
Tijuana Sessions Vol. 3 (Nacional)
South of the border blowout
Pepe Mogt, Melo Ruiz, DJ Bostich and their friends, who fill the third installment of the lauded Nortec Collective series, could show U.S. musicians a thing or two. Each track here is a marvel, bursting with clever combinations of native folk culture, warped programming treatments and diverse, bubbling beats. Mariachi trumpet and car horns fill Bostich's bouncing “Tengo La Voz,” followed by the accordion 'n' hip-hop freakiness of Fussible's “Tijuana Makes Me Happy” and Clorofila's Shaft sendup, “Funky Tamazula,” which boasts programmed timbales, trumpet and farting bass. — Ken Micallef
PRINCE PAUL
Hip-Hop Gold Dust (Antidote)
One from the hip-hop vaults
Although most tracks from this time capsule of unreleased Prince Paul productions first took breath in the mid-'90s, the beats still sound fresh, relevant and dope. On “My Mindstate,” Paul works in snippets of Chic and Grandmaster Flash, as De La Soul ride the steady bass throb like a La-Z-Boy massage chair. “Don't Be Afraid of the Dark” exhumes a classic Gravediggaz track, replete with bugged-out MC flows, doomsday drum march, mournful horn wails and trademark B-movie vocal loop. On the lighter side, the beatbox vibe of “Shakey Grounds” by Resident Alien is pure party-mode Paul. — Rob Kirby
MARKUS SCHULZ
Without You Near (Ultra)
Without these vocals
The trance/house blends on Without You Near find Markus Schulz plumbing dark melodies via vocoders (“Without You Near”) and tighter progressive techno (“Red Eye to Miami”). Known by thousands for his Global DJ Broadcast show and an impressive roster of production credits (Madonna, Depeche Mode), Schulz' debut artist LP is fairly solid, outside of some sub-par guest vocalists. The nearly evil swells of “Arial” slowly drown out the lesser hired hands of the subsequent tracks, particularly the woman singing on “You Won't See Me Cry 2005.” She might as well be in Wilson Phillips. — Dominic Umile
VARIOUS ARTISTS
The Rub: It's the Motherfucking Remix Volume 2 (It's the Rub)
Mash-ups galore
It's a pleasant surprise to find mixtapes that are exactly that — mixed. And DJ Ayres' comp is mixed with a fluid exactness that mirrors the nonstop dance party that is The Rub — a collection of mash-ups the likes of which you'd find at the long-running monthly party held at Southpaw in Brooklyn. DJs such as A-Trak, Mark Ronson and Diplo blend the likes of Marvin Gaye, Talking Heads and Billy Joel with Mobb Deep, TI and Crime Mob to accentuate moods and take things in altogether new directions. A highlight here: DJ Crooked's Jay-Z “Hey Papi” vs. A-ha “Take on Me.” — DJ Ethx
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