CD REVIEWS
Mar 1, 2007 12:00 PM
THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE QUEEN
The Good, the Bad and the Queen (Virgin)
Sprawling and strange
Blur's frontman hasn't much forgotten the peculiar surface of 1993's Modern Life Is Rubbish (1993). Alongside The Clash's Paul Simonon, The Verve's Simon Tong and Fela Kuti's Tony Allen, Damon Albarn's squad of well-knowns doesn't fit the usually disappointing result of a supergroup in the Good, the Bad and the Queen. Their gloomy debut marries Albarn's adventurous pop songcraft, a critique of England's Iraq involvement, a rippling backdrop of atypical arrangements and the sway of a staggering drunk.
Tavern piano, muddy Wurlitzer tones and airy electronic augmentation carry the beatless and sleepy “Kingdom of Doom” with lofty melodies, while the feather-light “Nature Springs” is lifted by swooning chorus harmonies and sporadic string swells. Producer Danger Mouse and his Gorillaz bandmate Albarn chop Allen's beats into a maddening percussive blitz on The Good, the Bad and the Queen. Their efforts to frustrate on “Three Changes” yield jumbled drum workouts and a shriekingly pitched-up counter vocal, “Bigmouth Strikes Again”-style. Sounding young but hardly sober, TGTB&TQ toil in a wonderfully strange capacity for what sounds like long into the night. — Dominic Umile
2 BIT PIE
2 Pie Island (One Little Indian)
UK group teases the dance palate
2 Bit Pie is like an electronic coop. Mike Bryant and Jon Fugler (both of Fluke) and She Shell siren Yuki pulled the friend card for 2 Pie Island, assembling musicians such as vocalist Jan Burton (Syntax) and former Bush drummer Robin Goodridge. Big beats and operatic flavor (“Soto Mundo”) or dark guitar fueled by thick distortion (“Nobody Never”) drive the energetic rock-based electronic music. The beats are haunting and sometimes otherworldly, yet reminiscent of Depeche Mode and Fluke. And Fugler and Yuki share vocal duties, playing off one another as if they were instruments. — Jason Jurgens
ADULT.
Why Bother? (Thrill Jockey)
Uneasy listening for the undone
Whether Adult. asks you to be paranoid (“You Don't Worry Enough”) or wonder why you should care, the band presents it in a way that makes you listen, even if you're not happy about it. Dissonant guitars, electro sounds and the stately dementia of accordion set up Nicola's ghostly walk-down-a-long-hallway vocals and Adam Lee Miller's channeling of PiL-era Johnny Rotten, while the lyrics evoke…well, doomsday. While musically bold, it's often preferable to have help escaping the mire instead of being pushed farther down into it; but maybe Adult. wants you to decide if it's worth the trouble. — Kristi Kates
BLACK MILK
Popular Demand (Fat Beats)
The new face of Detroit
Young producer/MC Black Milk arguably owes a lot to the late J Dilla for his rugged yet soulful output. Amid the obvious influence from the king of the Motor City hip-hop sound, Black seems to be finding his own comfort zone on Popular Demand. Partial to dusty, Motown-esque samples and dirty drums, this up-and-comer gets his swagger on with lines like, “Producer/rappers get the most criticism/ 'til they heard Black./ Now they gonna feel different.” No doubt, Black Milk deserves to boast with tracks like the funky wake-up call about crooked cops, “Watch Em.” But he also has room to grow. — Max Herman
GUI BORATTO
Chromophobia (Kompakt)
Bright hues coat minimal beats
The fear of colors is only in the title as Gui Boratto employs a broad palette of deftly intertwined textures and tones in his melodic techno sounds. Carefully chosen and arranged noises create a terrific balance, but the quality of the mix is no surprise as the Brazilian Boratto cut his teeth producing the likes of Manu Chao, Steel Pulse and even Garth Brooks. Now focused on building intricate rhythms, his skill is on display in the U-turn changes of “Shebang,” the buzzing tribalism of the title cut and the glossy surge of the commercially appealing “Beautiful Life.” — Noah Levine
CRIME MOB
Hated on Mostly (Reprise)
Georgia collective fills us with hate
The title of this album needs continuation. Crime Mob could have used up some of that empty disc space by titling it Hated on Mostly, for Good Reason. The group that brought you “Knuck if You Buck” is back and more cliché than ever. The first single, “Rock Yo Hips,” and its directional-dancing instruction borders on the fringes of nauseating. “Circle,” with its Friends of Distinction sample, is by far the best track on the album. Unfortunately, it will be lost in the midst of nursery lyrics and lazy production. The crew even manages to completely jack Haddaway's “What Is Love.” — Omar Hamza
ELUVIUM
Copia (Temporary Residence)
A shiny new classic
As Eluvium, Matthew Cooper pens gorgeous, disarmingly ambient music. He processed guitar tones to great effect on Talk Amongst the Trees and fattened them with piano on 2006's brief When I Live by the Garden and the Sea. Not only is Copia the strongest of his recent work, it's an elegantly crafted neo-classical masterpiece, wherein Cooper's piano playing dances gracefully with synths and string accompaniment (“Indoor Swimming at the Space Station”) and even with sparkling brass (“Repose in Blue”). Wholly shimmering and lush, Copia glistens all the way through, deeming subtlety an antiquated art form. — Dominic Umile
I'M FROM BARCELONA
Let Me Introduce My Friends (Mute)
The penny candy of pop
How many bandmates does it take to make a happy Scandinavian pop album? A whopping 29, if you're talking about I'm From Barcelona. The album is chock-full of zippy sing-along refrains (the most catchy being “Barcelona Loves You,” “Collection of Stamps” and the breezy, bell-graced opener “Oversleeping”) and all manner of instruments. From the expected guitars to the unexpected banjos and kazoos, this multitude of musicians brings childlike abandon to alterna-pop music with a cheerful yet innovative set that, as corny as it sounds, will make you grin like an 8-year-old on Pixy Stix. — Kristi Kates
J DILLA
Ruff Draft (Stones Throw)
The legend lives on
This extended re-release of J Dilla's vinyl-only EP, Ruff Draft, is addictive. There's no better way to describe this late producer/MC's rugged, bottom-heavy tracks, which are ignited by a mix of scorching synths and samples. Lyrically, some may call his concepts superficial, but Dilla expertly creates anthems for everyday life, like making proper use of your Jeep's speakers (“Reckless Driving”) and getting dough (“The $”). And on occasion, he heads into left field with equal success as heard on the psych-rock love song, “Nothing Like This.” Bottom line, Ruff Draft is essential listening. — Max Herman
MONEY MARK
Brand New by Tomorrow (Brushfire)
Such a sad boy
Although Money Mark is typically associated with artists such as the Beastie Boys, Beck and Blues Explosion, you wouldn't know it by listening to his latest full-length, Brand New by Tomorrow. If anything, the only connection this album has with Mark's collaborations would be Yoko Ono, as Brand New vaguely hints at the Beatles' White Album and in parts to John Lennon's Imagine. An album for breakups and recoveries, Brand New could be about Mark's own healing or that of those around him. The one sure message is that something went wrong, and there are repairs to be made.
The multi-instrumentalist doesn't overwhelm his compositions with excessive sounds; rather, he lets each piece speak loudly on its own. The strings on “Summer Blue” have their special place in between Mark's words and the shuffling percussion. Elvis Costello is channeled on the desperate assertions of “Every Day I Die a Little.” “Eyes That Ring” features bold brass bursts that don't do enough to override Mark's desolate murmurings. What is outstanding about Brand New is the humble offering of instruments, which are so individually unassuming, that together, their impact is louder than you would expect. — Lily Moayeri
THE JAI-ALAI SAVANT
Flight of the Bass Delegate (GSL)
Making frat parties fun again
This unique band mixes post-punk and island music (ska, dub, etc.) influences with just a reminder that band leader Ralph Darden is also DJ Major Taylor in his other life. Besides the uncommon mix of distorted guitars with horn sections, sung/shouted vocals, smart lyrics, singsongy choruses and plenty of hooks characterize the album. This concoction is most potent on up-tempo party rockers such as “Arcane Theories” and “When I Grow Up.” The album overall has an early '90s feel — the heyday for bands that lacked pretension and willingly mixed disparate influences. — Markkus Rovito
JOAKIM
Monsters & Silly Songs (Versatile)
Futuristic French disco
Opening with the military beat of a rusty troop of windup toys (“Monster #1”) and quickly evolving into a friendlier version of his distinctive make of modern electronic music, Joakim's Monsters (four in all) are the kind you could easily invite over for an espresso before you hit the clubs — and the other 12 tracks are pretty appealing, too. From the chanting-and-goose infusions of “Three Legged Lantern” to the genre-blending transitions of “Love-Me-2,” the squashy video-game bursts of “Drumtrax” and the Bryan-Ferry-gone-techno sound of “Lonely Hearts,” this set is anything but silly. — Kristi Kates
LOVEDRUG
Everything Starts Where It Ends (The Militia Group)
Starting over can be tough
Lovedrug's Everything Starts Where It Ends slipped through the volatile clutches of Columbia Records. While picking yourself up out of the corporate trash bin is admirable, the album is too inconsistent. Lovedrug sets the bar high with the funked-out “Happy Apple Poison” and Muse-ish “Pushing the Shine” before staggering through a few too many ballad-y pop numbers. Comparisons to early Radiohead are blatant, and grungy accents give the band some toughness; unfortunately they don't explore this dimension enough. — Jason Jurgens
THE ONE A.M. RADIO
This Too Will Pass (Dangerbird)
Yale and yonder
Hrishikesh Hirway's sizable audience swells with each One A.M. Radio entry, and on This Too Will Pass, the Ivy Leaguer is braced for more accolades with his trusty intimate-chamber folk-and-beats formula. Hirway lingers in the beats department on This, or at least in the beats-enhancing department, as the boisterous loops under “Fires” and “Lest I Forget” have too much punch to have played well on 2004's A Name Writ in Water. While there's a sameness that runs from song to song here, Hirway's orchestral flourishes and melodies brighten things before staleness sets in. — Dominic Umile
ONO
Yes, I'm a Witch (Astralwerks)
Yoko, we hardly heard ye
Sporting the new showbiz name — to assumingly make her as worldwide as Bono, Madonna and Moby (didn't going by “Yoko” accomplish that?) — the former Mrs. Yoko Ono-Lennon returns. This time, she's backed by a cast of 17 remixers who mangle and mash up her vocals into something more familiar than you would ever expect. It's surprising how well Ono's flat, monotone and machine-gun vocals sit amid personalities as diverse as Hank Shocklee, Jason Pierce, the Flaming Lips, Peaches, DJ Spooky and Cat Power. If anything, Ono has never sounded quite this tuneful, pop prescient or Phil Spector-songbook classic. Even Lennon/Ono's original noise pastiche, “Cambridge 1969/2007,” is more drill-funk flotsam than antiwar freakout, though Ono's larynx-shredding cries retain their radical power.
Some of the best tracks come from relative unknowns, such as the beat-driven drone of Blow Up's exceptional “Everyman, Everywoman” and the guitar-spewing funk-punk of the Brother Brothers' “Yes, I'm a Witch.” Even on a simple vocal and piano track like Cat Power's “Revelations,” Ono sounds calmly powerful and plaintively sweet. Lennon was right, after all. — Ken Micallef
PANTHER
Secret Lawns (Fryk Beat)
Dance dance evolution
Mutated from the solitary musical presence that is Charlie Salas-Humara, Panther funks and punks up his jazz/pop songs to the point where they're often fully unrecognizable from their initial form. Grungy synths make up the heaviest part of the foundation, as Panther uses his raw falsetto on such impulsive compositions as the R&B-flavored “How Does It Feel?” and the broken-record vocal backbeat of “Take Us Out.” Surprisingly hooky given its manifold approaches, this set, performed and recorded mostly by Panther himself, indicates he won't have to be begging for his “Chanzz” for much longer. — Kristi Kates
SEAN PRICE
Jesus Price Supastar (Duck Down)
Brooklyn stand up!
Originally known as Ruck of the duo Heltah Skeltah, MC Sean Price has never been as active or ferocious on the mic as he is now. Joined by some of today's best beatsmiths (9th Wonder, Ill Mind, etc.), this Brooklyn native comes out hungry on his sophomore solo shot. While his free-flowing verses will leave some craving more focus from Price, there's no denying that he makes his mighty presence felt on the thunderous bangers “Cardiac” and “King Kong.” What's most impressive, though, is how he maintains his edge even on smoother productions, such as the soothing, soul-infused “Violent.” — Max Herman
KRISTOFFER RAGNSTAM
Sweet Bills (Bluhammock)
Swedish hooks, a little French flavor
Swedish pop-rock — The Cardigans, Komeda, Caesars, The Sounds, The Hives — is catchy. But it seems Kristoffer Ragnstam takes more cues from French band Phoenix (check out “Breakfast by the Mattress”) than his Swedish kin. Sweet Bills bounces and jerks with insistent rhythms, and mixing engineer Chris Brown (Blur, Supergrass) ensured that the whole package — psych-rock guitar bends, live drums, a Casio-esque drum loop, synth thickener, plunky piano, etc. — meshes well. But more importantly, Ragnstam knows that if songs aren't catchy, who cares about parameters and signal chains? — Kylee Swenson
THES ONE
Lifestyle Marketing (Tres)
Digging a bit deeper
Conceptually, Thes One of People Under The Stairs outdoes himself on his rhyme-free solo debut. Here, he explores the electronic-based jingles of composer/pianist Herb Pilhofer and reanimates them into his own faux advertisements. Despite the fresh concept, these mid-tempo soundscapes aren't entirely different from what Thes crafts for PUTS; his crisp drum programming and chopped-up samples haven't gone anywhere. But the ways he flips the cutesy female-vocal snippets and evokes a specific mood on selections “Target” and “Hy-Vee” does provide a change of pace for this devoted crate digger. — Max Herman
NICK WARREN
Paris (Global Underground)
A French toast
Bristol's Nick Warren finds inspiration in Parisian clubbers for Global Underground's 30th release. On the more universal CD1, Warren hosts hypnotic mid-tempo and downbeat that can enrich any social/private booze-soaked setting. Memorable moments include a heavenly synth-washed Ulrich Schnauss remix of Justin Robertson's “Revtone,” as well as Warren's sneaky clips of Nove's folk-guitar licks (“Sedatives”) in the front end of Audioglider's “Whiskers.” CD2 is the dance volume, and Warren's trance-y tastes surprise wondrously with a sultry dub-infected Habersham & Kazell entry. Merci, Nick. — Dominic Umile
VARIOUS ARTISTS
EV Records Presents: Everything (EV)
Chi-town upstarts represent
From the musical mecca Kanye, Common and Twista call home comes EV Records' brashly titled compilation Everything. Short on Billboard bullets but long on reach, the in-house upstarts behind Chicago's startup run hip-hop's shape-shifting gamut, from top-40 bling-core to blunted underground. Royce Da 5'9"'s opener “The Mic” comes hard while Ang 13's R&B-peppered “Ain't Goin Down” and Windy City native Psalm One's dusty groove “Things I Do” soften the thug blows. This set showcases the Second City producers in first-rate action. — Jorge Hernandez
| Want to use this article? Click here for options! |  |
