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 Waltz
for Koop [Includes bonus DVD] Koop
Koop comes from a universe where Miles Davis never made Bitches
Brew, replacing swing with funk, and instead double basses kept
walking and jazz kept swinging all the way until the sampler arrived
to chop it up. Not electronic music with a touch of jazz, but jazz
sparingly laced with electronics. Magnus Zingmark and Oscar Simonsson,
both from Sweden's main university-town Uppsala, now residing in
Stockholm, were the first two jazzheads in their hometown to lose
interest in the perpetual Hammond organ-licking of Jimmy Smith.
Instead, they embarked together down the more rewarding paths of
Hard-bop and raw Latin beats, avoiding fusion's tendency to dilute
the original spirit of jazz. Waltz For Koop has been re-released
by Palm Pictures with a added tracks and a bonus DVD, containing
the acclaimed videos for "Summer Sun" and "Glomd," as well as two
remixes, "Summer Sun" (Markus Enochson Remix) and "Relaxin' at Club
F***n" (Dorfmeister vs. Madrid de los Austrias Version). |
 Supreme
Beings of Leisure Supreme Beings Of Leisure
It's reported that Supreme Beings of Leisure emerged when a rap
group called Oversoul 7 added a singer named Geri Soriano-Lightwood.
Yet the band's laid-back dance grooves sound all of a piece, as
if they'd played together for years. There's no messy merging of
disparate styles, no rude sound shifts that occur when young bands
search for their sound. Instead, this is a professionally buffed
production. Though the three instrumental members all share programming
duties and the music is certainly heightened by a liberal use of
special space-age effects, the music is far more rooted in traditional
soul-ballad and pop-rock writing than apparent on first listen.
1. Never the Same 2. Golddigger 3. Last Girl on Earth 4. Strangelove
Addiction 5. Ain't Got Nothin' 6. Truth from Fiction 7. You're Always
the Sun 8. Sublime 9. Nothin' Like Tomorrow 10. What's the Deal
11. Under the Gun |
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 Loud
Timo Maas
Timo Maas's remix of Azzido Da Bass's Doom's Night brought him fame
and 2000's Music for the Maases brought him acclaim, but Loud establishes
the Dusseldorf DJ as the Teutonic master of the dance floor. Matching
the ferociousness and accessibility of Thriller with the warped
sonics of Dig Your Own Hole, Maas creates a doom-laced, freak-beat
ultraworld. While 4/4 is still the message, Maas matches surreal
sounds with alienated dialogues, sultry vocals, and a song-oriented
approach, giving Loud its irresistible, codeine-like buzz. "Help
Me" begins with the sound of grinding gears followed by campy effects
and Kelis's breathy vocal. Bits of downtempo and electro in the
form of "Hash Driven" and "Shifter" ratchet up a sense of gleeful
foreboding; "That's How I've Been Dancing" recalls KC and the Sunshine
Band entertaining a Nuremberg rally. |
 Rings
Around the World (Bonus CD) Super Furry Animals
Disc: 1 1. Alternate Route To Vulcan Street 2. Sidewalk Serfer Girl
3. (Drawing) Rings Around The World 4. It's Not The End Of The World?
5. Receptacle For The Respectable 6. (A) Touch Sensitive 7. Miniature
8. No Sympathy 9. Juxtapozed With U 10. Presidential Suite 11. Run!
Christian, Run! 12. Fragile Happiness Disc: 2 1. Tradewinds 2. The
Roman Road 3. Patience 4. Happiness Is A Worn Pun 5. Gypsy Space
Muffin 6. Edam Anchorman 7. All The Shit U Do |
 I
Buffalo Daughter
The three members of Buffalo Daughter are as much sonic collage
artists as musicians, and I--their 2002 release and quite possibly
their masterwork--can be viewed as both a collection of songs and
a serious challenge to accepted norms about dissonance, structure,
harmony, and the studio itself as an instrument. Take, for instance,
the opening track, "Ivory." An electric guitar slowly unspools a
repeating series of minor keys while the three Japanese women gently
coo over top. Normal enough, then out of nowhere comes a cacophony
of strings, as if a heretofore unnoticed orchestra began warming
up in the studio next door. Just as suddenly, an agile violin begins
shadowing the guitar's stated melody, then the whole thing just
drifts off into the ether. |
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 Space
Age Bachelor Pad Music Esquivel
1. Sentimental Journey 2. Latin-Esque 3. Mucha Muchacha 4. Surfboard
5. Begin the Geguine 6. Lazybones 7. Whatchamacallit 8. Music Makers
9. Harlem Nocturne 10. Jalousie 11. Bye Bye Blues 12. Baja 13. Who's
Sorry Now? 14. Anna |
 Cabaret
Manana Esquivel
1. Mini Skirt 2. Johnson Rag 3. Night and Day 4. El Cable 5. Harlem
Nocturne 6. Mucha Muchacha 7. Time on My Hands 8. Malagueña 9. Guanacoa
10. Sentimental Journey 11. Estrellita 12. Limehouse Blues 13. Todavía
14. April in Portugal 15. Take the "A" Train 16. Question Mark (Que
Vas a Hacer) 17. It Had to Be You 18. Yeyo 19. Lullaby of Birdland
20. Flower Girl from Bordeaux |
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 Voi-La
Intruder Gogol Bordello
Underground band with revved-up "gypsy songs, russian language
punk meltdowns". Accordion, fiddle, electric guitar and drums
make a unique sound. 1. Sacred Darling 2. Voi-La Intruder 3. Greencard
Husband 4. Passport 5. Start Wearing Purple 6. Shy Kind of Guy 7.
Mussolini vs. Stalin 8. Letter To Mother 9. God-Like 10. Nomadic
Chronicle 11. Letter To Castro (Costumes for Tonight) 12. Unvisible
Zedd 13. Sex Spider 14. No Threat 15. Against The Nature |
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 American
IV: The Man Comes Around Johnny Cash
On first thought, the idea of the Man in Black recording such covers
as "Bridge over Troubled Water," "Danny Boy," and "The First Time
Ever I Saw Your Face" might seem odd, even for an artist who's been
able to put his personal stamp on just about everything. But American
IV: The Man Comes Around, which also draws on Cash's original songs
as well as those by Nine Inch Nails ("Hurt"), Sting ("I Hung My
Head"), and Depeche Mode ("Personal Jesus"), may be one of the most
autobiographical albums of the 70-year-old singer-songwriter's career.
Nearly every tune seems chosen to afford the ailing giant of popular
music a chance to reflect on his life, and look ahead to what's
around the corner. From the opening track--Cash's own "The Man Comes
Around," filled with frightening images of Armageddon--the album,
produced by Rick Rubin, advances a quiet power and pathos, built
around spare arrangements and unflinching honesty in performance
and subject. In 15 songs, Cash moves through dark, haunted meditations
on death and destruction, poignant farewells, testaments to everlasting
love, and hopeful salutes to redemption. He sounds as if he means
every word, his baritone-bass, frequently frayed and ravaged, taking
on a weary beauty. By the time he gets to the Beatles' "In My Life,"
you'll very nearly cry. Go ahead. He sounds as if he's about to,
too. Unforgettable. |
 The
Rising (Special Packaging) [LIMITED EDITION] Bruce Springsteen
Although it seemed the Boss had put writing rock anthems behind
him after Born in the U.S.A., his longtime fans knew if any artist
could write anthems addressing September 11, 2001, and not make
them sound jingoistic, it would be Bruce Springsteen. The numerous
anthems on his much-anticipated first full-length album with the
E Street Band in 18 years are subtler than those of the Born to
Run era. But the elements are all there: the joyous rocking strains
of "Countin' on a Miracle," "Mary's Place," and "Waitin' on a Sunny
Day"; the dark overtones of "Further on Up the Road"; the stunning
guitar solo that closes "Worlds Apart," a dramatic Arabic-tinged
piece detailing star-crossed love between a Muslim and an "infidel."
Although most of these songs deal with death and tragedy, they still
inspire. But while the lyrics are intriguing, what's more remarkable
is how well The Rising works as epic rock & roll as it draws from
rockabilly, soul, doo-wop hard rock, country, and even industrial.
To skewer a cliché, when The Rising is good, it's great. And even
when it's not great, it's still awfully good. Special limited edition
deluxe package includes the CD in a hardcover book with a 40 page,
full color booklet filled with extra photos, handwritten lyrics
and more. |
 Sonic
Jihad [EXPLICIT LYRICS] Snake River Conspiracy
More than just a straight nu-metal collection, Sonic Jihad is a
journey, lyrically and musically, through human emotions. The luscious,
slo-mo cinematic strains of "Casualty," with its dragging beats
and Bond-esque strings, is an homage to longing. The Phil Spector-inspired
production of "You and Your Friend" and the ultra hi-tech aching
of the Cure's "Love Song" encapsulate love and obsession. And the
concoction of drum & bass, cheesy lounge elements, and demonic guitars
on "Somebody Hates You" makes a convincing stab at--not surprisingly--hate.
And their distressed and blissfully aching cover of the Smiths'
"How Soon Is Now" is nothing short of staggering. With femme fatale
Tobey Torres vocals in the fore and the entire group creating drama
and attitude, Sonic Jihad is the triumph of passion over technology. |
 Red
Dirt Girl Emmylou Harris
Consider this Emmylou Harris's emancipation proclamation--an album
that confirms that 1995's adventurously atmospheric Wrecking Ball
wasn't an aberration, but a preview of more radical changes to come.
Long the godmother of alternative-country's traditionalist wing,
Harris here writes songs with Luscious Jackson's Jill Cunniff, sings
a duet with Dave Matthews ("My Antonia"), and recruits Bruce Springsteen
and Patti Scialfa to provide harmonies on the album's most compelling
ballad ("Tragedy"). The production by Malcolm Burn applies sonic
treatments of drum machines, shimmering guitars, and echoed vocals
to a song cycle by Harris that is largely original and deeply personal,
filled with dream imagery and evocations of a spiritual quest. While
material such as "Michaelangelo" and "Bang the Drum Slowly" suffers
from an arty ponderousness, it's doubtful that Harris has ever recorded
an album that means more to her than this one. |
 Digdig
Rene Lacaille & Bob Brozman
Bob Brozman is a true ambassador of the Hawaiian slide guitar, island
hopping from Martinique to Okinawa to collaborate with other top
musicians little known outside their own countries. His fluid and
occasionally witty steel guitar finds its perfect foil in the hyperactive
rhythms of René Lacaille, a guitarist, accordionist, singer, and
composer from the Indian Ocean island of Reunion. Lacaille alternates
between tropical Gallic pop suggestive of a steamy cabaret and fiercely
energetic homegrown dances that percolate with African influences.
Among the liveliest pieces are the instrumentals that comprise about
half of the disc, and these mingle the inevitable island-trader-route
cross currents as suggested by the high-speed, high-octane mix of
Arabic modalities and homegrown sega rhythms on "An Dio." Brozman
and Lacaille exchange and mingle licks as briskly as the beat of
a hummingbird's wings. |
 Deep
Natural Michelle Shocked
Miss Shell Shocked....Although double albums are again de rigueur,
the mercurial Shocked pushes the envelope on her first release in
four years. Fully free from major-label duties, Shocked picks up
where the quasi-gospel vibe of the limited-edition Good News left
off (even reprising a few tracks) and delivers the most expressive
singing of her career. She fuses deep Southern funk, Jamaican dub,
ambient country-folk, and socially and sexually conscious soul (à
la What's Going On) with poignantly confessional, faith-based lyrics. |
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 Black
Ivory Soul Angelique Kidjo
Angélique Kidjo's previous albums have been decidedly patchy affairs,
with tracks ranging from the sublime to the abysmal. With Black
Ivory Soul, however, Kidjo strikes a lovely and generally consistent
note. Exploring the connections between her native Benin and Brazil's
Bahia region, she makes beautiful music flavored by two continents
on songs such as "Tumba," with its crisp but subtle percussion driving
a lilting melody, or "Afrika," where the cascading notes of the
kora help bridge the Atlantic. 1. Bahia 2. Iwoya (w/ Dave Matthews)
3. Olofoofo 4. Tumba 5. Black Ivory Soul 6. Refavela 7. Iemanja
8. Afirika 9. Okanbale 10. Ominira 11. Mondjuba 12. Ces Petits Riens
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 Pirates
Choice Orchestra Baobab
For people who know their Senegalese music, Orchestra Baobab's Pirates
Choice is the Holy Grail. By the time this music was recorded to
four-track in 1982, the immensely popular band had been playing
nightly for years at a Dakar club called Baobab. But legendary status
in Senegal didn't help the musicians get wider attention--the album
wasn't released in Europe until 1987, and it only now comes to the
U.S. for the first time. Latin music was popular in Dakar, a port
city, and the band mixed various strains of Latin music with different
African music styles to create uniformly stunning results not all
that different from Afro-Cuban music. The French vocals are lovely,
and the powerful mix of African and Latin percussion is undeniable--but
keep a particular ear out for guitarist Barthelemy Attisso, whose
tasteful leads float over the top. |
 Cybertropic
Chilango Power Los De Abajo
Exploding out of Mexico City, Cybertropic Chilango Power is Los
de Abajo's second release for David Byrne's Luaka Bop label. Los
de Abajo's recent nomination for the first BBC Radio 3 World Music
Awards has pushed them further forward, though these Chilangos (denizens
of Mexico City) have now been together for a decade. The world at
large had to wait until 1998 for their eponymous debut album; prior
to that, Los De Abajo's early efforts circulated via the local cassette
underground. The band name means "those from below," a reference
to the members' politically activist leanings. Besides having an
uncompromising lyrical content, the music reeks of unhealthy fun,
set to fire up fans of Ozomatli, Manu Chao, or even Los Lobos. The
salsa, son, cumbia, and Mexican trad elements vibrate in sympathy
with hip-hop, reggae, ska, funk, and electro, the band handily providing
the genre name of TropiPunk to encapsulate where their fusing lies
in the category bins. Their signature sound is dripping with saucy
trumpet innuendo, the ensemble vocals ranging from raspy rap to
harmonious Latino. |
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 Friday
Afternoon in the Universe Medeski Martin & Wood
They may attract Sufi-dancing Deadheads to their rock-club shows
and they may have connections to lower Manhattan's art-music scene,
but when you get right down to it, Medeski Martin & Wood are just
a jazz organ trio. Organist John Medeski, drummer Billy Martin,
and bassist Chris Wood don't work a whole lot differently from the
old Jimmy Smith Trio; they get a good groove going, add a catchy
hook and then improvise changes on both the rhythm and the melody.
They may take more liberties than Smith ever has, but that familiar
combination of a thick organ sound and funky drum patterns is still
the core. The third Medeski Martin & Wood album, Friday Afternoon
in the Universe, is the best reflection yet of the trio's live show,
for 13 of the 15 tracks feature no guests, just the interaction
among the three principals. And that interaction has been honed
by three years of extensive roadwork into a genuine give-and-take.
There's no parade of disconnected solos here, no fast, flashy playing
for its own sake; the three players move as one through impressionistic,
atmospheric patches into driving funk grooves and then off onto
spacey tangents. |
 The
Remixes, 1997-2000 Jazzanova
Very cool Studio K7/Compost 2 CD down tempo collection featuring
remixes they did for the likes of, 4-Hero, Incognito, United Future
Organization, Soul Bossa Trio, Ian Pooley and many more. This 2000
Jazzanova / Compost release comes in a double tri-fold digipak.
Electronic jazz. |
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