CD REVIEWS

Jan 1, 2007 12:00 PM

FAT JOE

Me, Myself & I (Imperial/Virgin)

Brand-new street clothes, old business paradigm

If ever a face represented hip-hop success in gold chains and flash cars, it's the rotund visage of Bronx's Fat Joe. Also known as Joey Crack, Coca and occasionally Jose Cartagena, Fat Joe's entrepreneurial and A&R skills precede him, as do his hefty product endorsements.

Billed as a return to the “straight gutter” of his youth, Me, Myself & I boasts the typical superstar lineup, to where it seems pointless to cite exact credits. The names change but essentially stay the same: The Game and Lil' Wayne guest, and Scott Storch, DJ Khaled, The Runners, etc., produce. And like Joe's prior mega-million sellers, Me, Myself & I is built on repetitive beats, occasional misogyny and a handful of well-tooled samples (Isaac Hayes, Michael Jackson, Bob Marley). It's not that tracks like “She's My Mama” and first single “Make It Rain” aren't fun, but purely from a production angle, M,M&I is about cash flow, not creative flow. The sequenced beats are set in stone, varying little within each track, and the raps might as well have been phoned-in (and most likely were). But for cash clout and back-to-the-street cred, Me, Myself & I is sure to deliver. — Ken Micallef

4HERO

Play With the Changes (Milan)

More soul, but treading water

Mark Clair and Dennis McFarlane, aka 4hero, built a career out of melding two seemingly disparate genres together: hard-hitting drum 'n' bass and jazz-tinged soul that implored every review to mention the word “organic.” On Changes, its first album since 2001's Creating Patterns (Talkin' Loud), the duo leans on the soul side more than ever, crafting songs that alternate between beautiful, string-drenched soul (“Morning Child”) and Starbucks-ready background drone (“Play With the Changes”). Sure, the drum 'n' bass is still there, but it's a mere bit player in a previously dominant role. — Jason Newman

BLACK STROBE

A Remix Selection (Playlouder)

Parisian producers decide on dark rather than sexy

As French duo Black Strobe proves on this collection of remixes dating back to the year 2000, French dance music does not always have to equate with “sleek,” “sexy” or “funky.” This constantly mesmerizing set darkens up the source material considerably but never overwhelms the original track, making the songs feel more at home in neighboring Germany than in the group's home country. When Bloc Party screams, “It's so cold in this house” over Strobe's pulsating, robotic remix of “Like Eating Glass,” the room gets a little bit chillier. Highly recommended. — Jason Newman

BRAINTAX

Panorama (Low Life)

UK rhymer broadens his scope

“I'm tired of doom and gloom music — bring the soul back,” raps Braintax on the opening track of his new album. Hearing this declaration, one expects a more upbeat experience than what this elder Brit MC/producer actually delivers. But as cynical as his oft-politically minded hip-hop can be, Braintax has an aptitude for providing fresh social perspectives atop neck-snapping beats. Take “Grip Again,” which is a bold look into the motives of a suicide bomber, accented by a moving Middle Eastern melody. And on a lighter note, his jazzy heist fable, “Back to the Riviera,” is just as riveting. — Max Herman

MIRA CALIX

Eyes Set Against the Sun (Warp)

Autechre's lady adds acoustics

Mira Calix (aka Chantal Passamonte) has busted up the knob-twiddling joint by adding actual musicians to her mix. Manipulating a violinist and a children's choir (among other things) with her piano and sampler, Calix assembles menacing sounds and the odd broken beat. The album dances between still-as-snow beauty (“Protean”), orchestral horror-show cut-ups (“The Way You Are When”) and instrumental simplicity (“Tillsammans”). Throughout the 10 tracks, vocal grimaces, farts and noise disrupt pristine instrumental playfulness like drunken children smashing up the family car. — Ken Micallef

CLINIC

Visitations (Domino)

Pack up that Ziploc and let's go

Clinic breeds introspection — and a little psychedelia — on its new disc, an intelli-punk set that opens with the immediate attack of “Family” and sharpens up even more from there. Singer Ade Blackburn, although too muffled in the mix at times, purges his knotty thoughts in a variety of ways, from the demented Beach Boys harmonies on “Animal/Human” and the agitated chanting on “Gideon” to the eerie interlude of, well, “Interlude.” He's got a softer side, too, as evidenced in the subdued vocals of the title track; but it's the more intense rockers that make this visit worth the fare. — Kristi Kates

DEERHOOF

Friend Opportunity (Kill Rock Stars)

Meet your new two-faced friend

Deerhoof's lastest release, Friend Opportunity, flips between pleasingly pretty melodies and those that are more assertive, with unexpected adornments such as horns and cowbells, all in the name of their quirky brand of pop. On the pretty side are “The Galaxist,” with its elegantly plucked guitar lines riding sidesaddle, and the piano-graced “Whither the Invisible Birds?” Meanwhile, Satomi's more aggressive vocals take the reins on the percussive “Cast Off Crown,” “Matchbook Seeks Maniac” and “+81,” all galloping confidently across this musically diplomatic landscape. — Kristi Kates

DJOSOS KROST

No Sign of Bad (Quango)

A dose of Danish dub does the trick

Copenhagen, Denmark's Djosos Krost collective is lead by producers Pharfar and Filip who programmed Junior Senior's crossover dance hit “Move Your Feet.” That fact and their Scandinavian digs place the group oceans away from reggae music's balmy shores. But with a cast of European and Jamaican friends, Djosos Krost has made the year's best downtempo dub record. Lava-hot instrumental “Straight Upfront” echoes Deadbeats' digital trickery, while “Chapter One” hears MC Jah Bobby poignantly narrate Jamaican history. There's nothing bad here, only good. — Tomas Palermo

PIERS FACCINI

Tearing Sky (Ever Loving)

In love and loss

The threat of anonymity worries any debut songwriter, but a sales impact as minimal as Piers Faccini's vocal inflections on Tearing Sky's sparse accompaniment would clearly bankrupt the artist. Nearing a whisper on “Days Like These,” Faccini's syllables trail off toward the end of each solemn verse, against modest instrumentation and backups from Inara George. Sure, there's finger-picked wool-sweater love balladry (“Come the Harvest”), but when ghosts are conjured in Faccini's stirring calls to Delta bluesmen over bodhrans and little else (“Uncover My Eyes”), there isn't a coffeehouse in sight. — Dominic Umile

FUNKSTÖRUNG

Appendix (!K7)

A fitting end to a funky career

Since 1996, the German duo of Chris de Luca and Michael Fakesch have been churning out what they call “funky but distorted” tunes under the name Funkstörung. Unfortunately, after more than 10 years of creating top-notch IDM, glitch-hop and a variety of remixes for everyone from Björk to Wu-Tang, Funkstörung is calling it quits. But before moving on to pursue solo careers, the two producers are releasing Appendix — a collection of 11 remixes.

Working with a variety of artists, Funkstörung proves it has mastered the art of remixing, managing to keep the original beauty of the tracks intact while making each one its own. On “Heaven,” Lamb vocalist Louise Rhodes' voice floats over a complex collage of sound. On “Love in a Trashcan,” The Raveonettes' low-fi rock is morphed into a funky cut-and-chopped jam. And while there's also plenty of dancefloor-worthy tracks, including Enik's “No Fire,” the album's best moment comes when Funkstörung revisits Björk's “All Is Full of Love,” reworking the classic track into an ethereal, head-nodding downtempo masterpiece. It's sad the two are going their separate ways, but at least they're going out on a high note. — Dustin Glick

FACE CANDY

This Is Where We Were (Rhymesayers)

Keeping it off the cuff

Few MCs realize the power of improvisation like freestyle champion Eyedea, whose latest project, Face Candy, is all about the art of ad-libbing. On the collective's live debut, Eyedea, Carnage and Abzorbr let loose over the sparse free jazz of drummer J.T. Bates and bassist Casey O'Brien. These aren't battle raps, though. A handful of the tracks (for example, “Buzz Kill”) sound more like whiny spoken word than hip-hop. But on “Braille,” Face Candy encompasses the essence of freestyling by responding to being asked to keep the volume low with some smoothed-out rhymes and funky bass licks. — Max Herman

FUJIYA & MIYAGI

Transparent Things (Deaf Dumb & Blind)

Karate Kid fans rejoice

Danceable tempos and befuddling lyrics (“We were just pretending to be Japanese”) make the world go 'round for UK three-piece Fujiya & Miyagi on their debut LP. Championed by highly regarded DJs, Transparent Things' synth-addled nuggets are mostly for the boozing late-nighters, but they're balanced by both subtle pop and winding, angular guitar rock. Check the abundance of vocals in the sluggish funk of “Sucker Punch,” and pin that against the fluttering psyche backdrop and blanket of analogs in “Cylinders” — it's a balancing act Pat Morita would be proud of. — Dominic Umile

THE GLIMMERS

Fabriclive 31 (Fabric)

One-upping their DJ Kicks

On the Breakin' soundtrack, the hectic electro-beat shuffle of “Reckless” probably got a lot more basement-party play in 1984 than the sodden Ollie & Jerry album opener did; it just sounded nastier. Belgium's Glimmers agree; “Reckless” graces their crazed Fabriclive 31 mix, brimming with dated Ice-T verses and all. After a very welcome but counterfeit brass section on a Human League remix, Fabriclive 31 splinters into dub and later tumbles into “Too Fortiche,” an otherworldly musique concrète piece from Pierre Henry, steeped in tape manipulation. Headspins and minor headaches here. — Dominic Umile

HOLDEN

The Idiots Are Winning (Border Community)

Idiots minus the idiocy

James Holden runs longer than his usual single-length production stride on The Idiots Are Winning. Holden's tempo-hopping At the Controls (System, 2006) mix offered the gritty, elongated twirls that also define Idiots' opener “Lump,” as well as the needling in “Corduroy.” There are also dancefloor-unsuitable tracks, such as the thunderous melodic plods and distorted synth washes that squabble over some shine in the track “Idiot,” a paralyzing madness that is best illustrated by the paint-splattered album cover. Its DJ beat tools aside, Holden's Idiots deserves an ear. — Dominic Umile

THE SHINS

Wincing the Night Away (Sub Pop)

The Shins are shining

After selling more than a million copies of their first two albums, Oh, Inverted World (Sub Pop, 2001) and Chutes Too Narrow (Sub Pop, 2003), The Shins return proper with Wincing the Night Away. In 2004, The Shins abruptly arose from the shadows (sort of), when their song “New Slang” was featured on the Garden State soundtrack. Now a decade into their blossoming pop career, the Albuquerque-bred, darling indie-rockers have found their way with Wincing. Anchored by the sensible songwriting of guitarist James Mercer, the unassuming band of average joes has risen steadily by crafting catchy songs capable of capturing college students' ears.

Wincing the Night Away enjoys much of the artsy pop sensibilities of The Shins' two previous albums. Put '60s pop-rock and thought-provoking melodies together with strange keyboard tweaks and graceful lyrics that fit but don't seem as though they should, and you get Wincing. “Sleeping Lessons” and its twangy Americana offer the ruffled side to the delicate, almost romantic meandering of “Phantom Limb” and the frolic rock of “Girl Sailor.” The Shins have made another great pop album with Wincing, and it surely won't be their last. — Chris Clark

RAFTER

Music for Total Chickens (Asthmatic Kitty)

Saturday detention's not so bad

This one will take your full attention, Bender, so put those chair legs back on the floor and have a listen. Rafter Roberts and more than a dozen pals collaborate on these 18 short but complex songlets, making up a supercatchy collection of bite-size tunes you'll wish were longer. In addition to guitars and percussion (note those cymbals played with gleeful abandon), Roberts uses a variety of singers throughout, along with occasional bouts of screeching feedback and, by peculiar contrast, some cautiously played tambourine. Who knew chickens had such good musical taste? — Kristi Kates

SERENGETI

Dennehy (Bonafyde)

More surprising than a heart attack

You know Brian Dennehy from such films as Silverado and Tommy Boy, but you may not know Serengeti, let alone Kenny, the prolific Chicago rapper's lovable, stereotypical Bears-fan character who praises brats, chops, O'Douls, da Bulls, his wife Jueles, Windy City sports teams and working-class actors like Dennehy and Danza over slick, '70s-inspired hip-hop beats from producers such as Midas Wells (“Dennehy”), Emynd (“Don't Talk to Jueles”) and Flesh One (“New Dodge”). And DJ Crucial brings electric piano/organ-driven tracks for Serengeti's other characters, including Derek the yuppie (“Meth”). — Markkus Rovito

SHITAKE MONKEY

Street Beef (Universal)

Too cute for comfort

Depending on how much irony you like in your music, New York trio Shitake Monkey is either irritating white-boy soul or the most creative thing since Beck sang about “Debra.” The amount of genre-hoppin' — from bossa nova (“Mad Monkey”) and electro rock (“Maybe Lady”) to hip-hop beats (“Come On”) — is admirable, but too often the sound leans closer to Lyte Funky One's much-mocked “Summer Girls” (the Z. Cavaricci reference doesn't hurt) than, say, Beck's soulful side. Musically, the dudes have talent, but the tongue's gotta come out of the cheek once in a while, guys. — Jason Newman

STARS OF TRACK AND FIELD

Centuries Before Love and War (Wind-up)

Organic, electronic, dramatic

Although their label scorched the earth some 10 years ago by carelessly launching Creed's career, Stars of Track and Field spare no overdramatic expense on their Centuries Before Love and War; even the title screams “historical novel.” Brawny, guitar-thickened choruses from these Oregon chaps follow soft-piano melodies and computer-processed beats here. Centuries walks an organic/digital tightrope, with big-band boisterousness versus sharply produced glitch-pop on “Real Time.” And it stays catchy in somber harmonies on “With You,” even if it's a tad wimpy. — Dominic Umile

TRANS AM

Sex Change (Thrill Jockey)

Cosmic joyride sans Millennium Falcon

Trans Am have been on a journey since 2004's Liberation (Thrill Jockey), and Sex Change is better for it. Having disbanded for two years only to reunite in an Auckland studio, the D.C. trio continues to make odd and original music. Distorted guitars and live drums keep the sound organic, while synth sounds and random quirks produce a layered, electro-experimental effect. At times it's like you're teleporting through the galaxy (“North East Rising Sun”) or trapped in a sleezy rock den (“Shining Path”). Hang on, enjoy the ride and don't be alarmed if your tapered legs want to dance. — Jason Jurgens

VARIOUS ARTISTS

Prince ALI Presents Corner Ensemble (eye 5)

Cali up-and-comers band together

Compilations are a tricky business. It's tough to maintain a consistent vibe over 18 tracks with roughly as many different artists, and it's even tougher to draw interest when almost all of them are unknowns. On Corner Ensemble, MC prince ALI gives shine to various rappers, producers and live musicians, garnering uneven results. The snappy swagger of “Soul Travelers” from J2 is dope, and both tracks featuring the Destruments are outstanding. But the rest of the disc suffers from middle-of-the-road rhymes and dull production. Not necessarily bad, just unremarkable. — Brolin Winning

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