CD Reviews

Nov 1, 2007 12:00 PM

9TH WONDER

The Dream Merchant Vol. 2 (Hall of Justus/6 Hole)

Life post-Little Brother

Even with a mixed bag of players onboard (from Buckshot to Memphis Bleek), much-revered producer 9th Wonder wins again on The Dream Merchant Vol. 2, which partners hard boom-bap beats and a strong cast of MCs. Early in 2007, news broke that the North Carolinian's lustrous, crackling production would no longer back Little Brother's cheeky brag skills and wealth of cultural criticisms (see official releases The Listening and The Minstrel Show). The Dream Merchant Vol. 2 packs growth but little change, expanding on the stylish mid-'90s-inspired musicianship that landed 9th gigs with Jay-Z, Murs and a host of others.

The “Crooklyn Dodgers” posse track series is reignited for The Dream Merchant Vol. 2, as 9th's glimmering string samples and quick cuts find Mos Def, Jean Grae and Memphis Bleek big-upping their well-trafficked borough on “Brooklyn in My Mind.” Little Brother has us longing for the good ol' days of 2005 on “No Time to Chill,” and NC locals D.O.X. and O-Dash ride a Stax-ish bass line and the best snare sound on the record on “Thank You”; imagine 9th hunched over an IBM Thinkpad, tweaking shit for hours…tap, tap, click, save. — Dominic Umile

CASSIUS

15 Again (Astralwerks)

Fifty points for the bull's-eye

Philippe Zdar and Hubert Boombass seem to be aiming squarely at every possible genre of dance music with this set, gleefully lobbing beats and influences into the air and hitting the mark more times than not. Opening with the insistent guitar bursts of “Toop Toop,” they dash toward their targets with confidence, from the acid house of the title track to the duo's poppy protest song “Eye Water,” which is actually a Pharrell Williams-enhanced remake of “Hi Water” from Cassius' previous Au Rêve album. Other standouts include the jazzy drum 'n' bass track “Rock Number One” and the funky “See Me Now.” — Kristi Kates

DIVISION DAY

Beartrap Island (Eenie Meenie)

Sounds like the band's name

The precociously mumbled vocals of Rohner Segnitz lead right into fast-chugging guitar on the title tune, which sets only half of the tone for the rest of this indie-pop variety fest. That devil-may-care start-up attitude is something of an adroit trick, as the tracklisting veers between songs that charge right ahead (“Lights Out,” “Tap-Tap, Click-Click”) and those that are more pensive and even pretty (“Dayenu,” “Hurricane”). This dichotomy indicates that there's more thought here than what may lie on the surface at first listen, even if it take a few more spins to figure it out. — Kristi Kates

DUST GALAXY

Dust Galaxy (ESL)

Garza's groovy Galaxy quest

Thievery Corporation's Rob Garza has embarked on Dust Galaxy as his new solo project and effectively shifts his myriad talents from producer to songwriter/performer. With a passel of supporting musicians, including Cornershop's Adam Blake and Primal Scream's Martin Duffy, Garza merges '60s Brit-pop (“Overhead”), Paul Weller-reminiscent tracks (“Limitless”) and beautifully executed, electronically affected East Indian sounds (“River of Ever Changing Forms,” “Sun in Your Head”) into an album that is comfortably influenced by his work with Thievery but also a daring and successful leap for Garza himself. — Kristi Kates

edIT

Certified Air Raid Material (Alpha Pup)

Bombs be droppin'

Certified Air Raid Material blends Hefty Recs-styled cut and paste and the sort of acidic synth shards that find Justice advocates loading their knickers. edIT's glitch romps hit hardest when he flies solo; the indie MCs who show up on Certified only hog the shine from the L.A. producer/DJ. On his second solo effort (he's also part of Glitch Mob), edIT is an immediate force. “Fire Riddim” is like an ongoing car wreck of constant pitch-bent scream sounds and snare cracks, but it hardly prepares heads for the abrasive beat barrage of “If You Crump Stand Up.” That one smarts. — Dominic Umile

HANGAR 18

Sweep the Leg (Definitive Jux)

Breaking misconceptions

Alaska and Windnbreez of Hangar 18 defy the notion that indie hip-hop can't be fun. Not to be mistaken, their second album, Sweep the Leg, sees these tag-team rhymers take a stab at making emotive music (“Sad”) with mixed results. Still, it's their fast rap styling accompanied by paWL and Blockhead's punchy beats (“…That I Know I Want,” “Think Big”) that make this disc enjoyable. And while not too lively, the synth-y club narrative “Dance With Me” is a surprisingly normal — if not juvenile — anthem for Def Jux. What songs like this prove is that Def Jukies don't always lean toward the progressive. — Max Herman

KURIOUS

A Constipated Monkey (Amalgam)

Revisiting a near-classic

1994 was a great year for hip-hop. But with the ample amount of classics released then, it was easy for a less-touted MC like Kurious to get overlooked. On the rerelease of his debut, A Constipated Monkey, the sound quality wasn't enhanced, although the music itself holds up nicely. The Beatnuts-produced “Walk Like a Duck,” with its jazzy horn samples and crisp drums, is a prime example of how many of today's beatmakers are still using similar formulas. As for Kurious, his sometimes goofy, other times reflective approach beats a hell of a lot of what rappers are doing today. — Max Herman

PERCEE P

Perseverance (Stones Throw)

The longest-awaited debut is here

Since his earliest appearances on wax circa '88, The Bronx's Percee P has been known best for his machine-gun flow and impeccable breath control. In that regard, things haven't changed much for the Rhyme Inspector on his long-overdue debut, Perseverance. But what's surprising about this album is how well his lung-collapsing lyrics work with Madlib's offbeat production.

While Percee has worked with everyone from Lord Finesse to Jurassic 5, few have thrown so many sonic changeups at the MC like Stones Throw's ace beatsmith does here. The standout “Who With Me?” is a swelling, lo-fi banger featuring Madlib's signature smoked-out style, and Percee's free-flowing braggadocio falls right in line with the choppy rhythm. While Madlib does slip up slightly when he sloppily lifts a loop from a classic Nintendo game on “2 Brothers From the Gutter,” Percee doesn't seem phased by it. Yet he sounds most comfortable on one of the album's final numbers, “Raw Heat” — a sparse but rugged boom-bap track that has the MC declaring, “Yo Madlib! You took me back to the BX on this one.” Surely, longtime Percee fans will nod happily in agreement. — Max Herman

OHMEGA WATTS

Watts Happening (Ubiquity)

Shout-out to Rerun and Rodge

It's party-heavy, but Ohmega Watts kept things serious when he organized a clever framework of drum breaks, bass muscle and analog keyboard quirks for his second LP. On mic and beat duties, Ohmega Watts is half-Madlib, half-Eliot Lipp (“No Delay”) on Watts Happening; the Sound Directions-ish funk throwdown “The Platypus Strut” might as well have landed on an entirely different record when positioned against rigid, scratch-ridden banger “Roc the Bells.” Citing fave old-school hip-hop on “Memory Lane” is a ruse — there's a lot more than Rawkus releases in his crates. — Dominic Umile

PARA ONE

Epiphanie (Ryko)

Coffee and Advil, please

Berserk techno and disconnected ideas on Para One's Epiphanie are cooled only slightly when the beats drop out for ambient interludes. Even the French producer's hip-hop stings like Ghislain Poirier's does, with enough dub punches and abrasive machine noise to obliterate any sissy listeners in reach. “Dudun-Dun” fires up at the onset, with squeals and rubbery riffs that are mimicked in a melodious second act of more synths and choir backups. As Para One hammers out breakbeats and dices samples (“Def Tea Machine”), count on electro oddities tonight and splitting headaches in the morning. — Dominic Umile

EWAN PEARSON

Piece Work (!K7)

Anthemic two-disc remix collection

Everyone thinks they can remix these days, but Ewan Pearson brings the true goods. Whether taking on The Chemical Brothers, The Rapture or Goldfrapp, Pearson is an expert at creating epic, hypnotic dance anthems. With Piece Work, the Berlin-based producer and DJ's diverse sound is showcased in a two-disc collection of remixes. Just a sampling of Pearson's remix work over the past six years, the compilation features an all-star cast of bands and artists too long to list in this review. Highlights include the Pet Shop Boys' “Psychological,” Moby's “Raining Again” and Goldfrapp's “Ride a White Horse.” — Dustin Glick

PIECES OF PEACE

Pieces of Peace (Quannum)

Rediscovered booty

Lately, “retro soul” has caused more buzz than a Quaalude/Corona cocktail, but Pieces of Peace is the real deal. The Chicago group broke up in 1971, just after recording this debut album, which was never released until now. With a tight horn section driving the record like a mellow Cadillac hooptie cruise and funky guitar and organ riffs dripping down like sweat in a crowded, smoky club, this is a must-have for any rare groove DJ or as a shot of vintage flavor for downtempo or R&B jocks. Classic soul vocals top it off on the barn-burner “Flunky for Your Love” and the slow-jam earnestness of “I Still Care.” — Markkus Rovito

SIXTOO

Jackals and Vipers in Envy of Man (Ninja Tune)

Montreal's beat rebel returns

With his chops on the drum-machine pads, keys and sampler, it's easy to forget that Montreal's Sixtoo used to regularly rap at one point. On his latest instrumental opus, Sixtoo appears to have chosen the right path. Thunderous rhythms and mysterious melodies drive the resonance of this impressive release, yet the moods of each production are hardly static. The overcast downtempo feel of “Part 3” will be somewhat familiar for Sixtoo heads, while the suspenseful “Part 10” sounds like the score to a spy flick set in 2020. This one doesn't disappoint. — Max Herman

SULTAN

Yoshitoshi Montreal (Yoshitoshi)

Canuck drops beats without borders

Maybe Montreal's proximity to New York, Detroit and Chicago has something to do with it, but native son Sultan's latest mix for Deep Dish's Yoshitoshi label successfully strikes an infectious chord between hard techno and deep house. Slapping slippery disco meat on usually dry trance bones, hard, linear bpm get an airy lift from syncopated rhythms and light vocals. Sultan's set features long-players by 16 Bit Lolitas (“Passing Lights”), Joe T. Vannelli (“Prelude”) and many of Sultan's own mixes (including “Aidan”). Yoshitoshi Montreal is a local mix that plays well globally. — Jorge Hernandez

LUKE VIBERT

Chicago, Detroit, Redruth (Planet Mu)

Papa's got a brand new bag

After a handful of brilliant '90s albums under the aliases Wagon Christ and Plug, Luke Vibert recorded under his own name and promptly lost the plot. Vibert's alias-generated albums (such as 1996's classic Drum 'n' Bass for Papa [Blue Planet]) were delightfully bent affairs where comic spoken word and cavity-rattling rhythms became the sonic equivalent of cotton candy jackhammers and borscht-belt stand-up routines — with a drum 'n' bass beat.

Madness, like talent, is hard to quantify, but Vibert (along with mad buggers Aphex Twin and Squarepusher) proved his rep as an innovator of '90s sampler/rhythmic style. Chicago, Detroit, Redruth is Vibert's best effort since 2003's YosepH (Warp), recalling the nascent sounds that drew millions of fans to drum 'n' bass' manic spew. It's all here — the watery, wobbly synths, the barmy beats and silliness beyond compare. “Breakbeat Metal Music” offers a trash-talking robot, “Clikilik” drips acidy melodies and monster beats and “Rotting Flesh Bags” imagines a drug-addled party with a gang of psychotic senior citizens. Absolutely fabulous. — Ken Micallef

TBA

Size and Tears (max.ernst)

A musical grab bag

As a member of artist collective Goslab, Natalie Beridze (TBA, Tusia Beridze) can confidently disclose to her friends that her music redefines “variation.” Beridze's dreamlike electronica (4 Women No Cry; Monika, 2005) and brittle but dirty minimal techno (Stupid Rotation; max.ernst, 2006) contrast each other to no end. Size and Tears is just as mixed. A far superior song-oriented disc two features dense organ pieces like “Koktebel,” while shuffling pads twirl around vocal delays on “Silent Flow.” A series of choppy piano experiments proves grating on disc one, but maybe her friends dig that kind of stuff. — Dominic Umile

UUSITALO

Karhunainen (Huume)

Analog antsy-ness

In a tribute to his late father's play of the same name, Finnish producer Sasu Ripatti (known also as Luomo and Vladislav Delay) crafted lush, dizzying techno on all-analog gear for Karhunainen, his third LP as Uusitalo. No track is without a helping of ghostly organic ambience on Karhunainen, and even when noticeable structure surfaces in these dubby outings, the barren warehouse clangs continue unabated. Tracks “Tohtori Kuka (Doctor Who)” and “Satumaa (Wonderland)” were built on similar plunky bass melodies, with prominent beats squaring off for attention against Ripatti's playful tinkering. — Dominic Umile

µ-ZIQ

Duntisbourne Abbots Soulmate Devastation Technique (Planet Mu)

Champagne and Richard

Nostalgia is a great thing. If you're fan of Aphex Twin, his perpetual shadow, Mike Paradinas (aka µ-Ziq), offers kiss-up sounds at '90s prices. Aphex created the sampling insanity mold; Mikey's beats were closer to Morton Subotnick mashing Moog Play-Doh, and his melodies were distinctly more conventional. But even with their amorphous shapes and kid's nightmare themes, µ-Ziq's funeral songs retain a resemblance to the old master. Drop the laser anywhere, from “Eggshell” to “Insomnia,” and you've got yesteryear's sick synth fantasies, freshly scrubbed for the here and now. — Ken Micallef

WE ARE WOLVES

Total Magique (Dare to Care)

Montreal trio summon inner animal

Hey, it's a band from Montreal with wolf in their name! No, it's not Wolf Parade. It's We Are Wolves. And this trio of French-shouting canines has a much more ferocious bite. Crafting a sound, which can only be described as The Rapture bitten by a rabid Interpol, We Are Wolves explore the confines of a shout-punk, electro-rock cage. Led by the raspy howl of Alexander Ortiz, which manages to scare and lure you at the same time (hear “Vietnam” or “Magique”), and erratic and pulsing electro-beats, especially “Fight & Kiss,” Total Magique is certain to take the Canadian ass-shaker gold medal. — Jason Jurgens

WHITE WILLIAMS

Smoke (Tigerbeat 6)

Food for your electronic glamazon

New York transplant by way of Cleveland's DIY scene, Joe Williams, mastermind behind White Williams, offers Smoke. Having started in noise rock, Williams lands feet first in an electronic art pop world. Fortunately, he brought some of his experimental vices to the debut. Here, Williams channels early Bowie (Ziggy Stardust) by way of glam-y analog synths, laptop beats and crunchy guitars. Playful lyrics keep it light, while subtle blips and tones keep it quirky. He even finds time to cover Bow Wow Wow's classic “I Want Candy,” refining it with some muted electronic wizardry. — Jason Jurgens

Y SOCIETY

Travel at Your Own Pace (Tres)

Two generations, one vibe

When Boston's veteran MC/producer Insight decided to form a group with rookie D.C. beatmaker Damu the Fudgemunk, he was certainly taking a leap of faith. Despite Damu's inexperience, he meshes well with Insight on the pair's debut as Y Society. It's scary how similar Damu's midtempo MPC beats are to Insight's. The crisp drum claps and warped-keys sample heard on “Never Off (On & On)” are ideal for 'Sight and make for a timeless piece of hip-hop. The jazzy “Scientist” yields similarly stellar results. It's not revolutionary, but this debut is no doubt a reliable release. — Max Herman

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