Ipecac
With the recent and often tongue-in-cheek assimilation of hip hop into the word of laptop electonica, it's about time someone with a Powerbook actually stepped up and rocked it. The trick with Dälek is that it's not the Powerbook that's on display, and Dälek isn't coming to hip-hop by way of smash-ups and mallrat b-boyism. Hip hop began as a uniquely urban expression, and as its reach has expanded into suburban territory in many ways, it has lost its connection to the grit, bustle, and sheer commotion of the city. 'From Filthy Tongue of Gods and Griots' brings the sound of the city back, and pays homage to hip hop's heritage by being embarrasingly honest. If DMX is is from the streets, then Dälek is unashamedly from the gutters. Beats and atmospheres sound dredged in dirt, and Dälek's straightforward delivery of lyrics about broken glass and third rails evokes startlingly real images of urban decay. Dälek fuses equal parts Public Enemy, My Bloody Valentine, and godspeed you black emperor! into a chaotic stew of squalor, anger, and sometimes hope that brings back the urgency of rap's early days. At the center of the album is a 12 minute epic of drones, feedback and noise that could be the end of a Mogwai meets Godflesh guitar noise session, but stays rooted to hip hop as Dälek flows over empty space to the rhythms ingrained in his head. Where The Veldt were shoegazers adding hip hop as an element to set them apart from their associates in the Cocteaus and the Jesus and Mary Chains of the world, Dälek are a hip hop trio who appropriate the expressive power of guitars, found sounds, and sheer noise to paint their urban murals. Make no mistake, this is not an IDM release, or an experimental noise album using hip hop flavor as a thematic mode—this is a hip hop record, and the one we've all been waiting for.
With the recent and often tongue-in-cheek assimilation of hip hop into the word of laptop electonica, it's about time someone with a Powerbook actually stepped up and rocked it. The trick with Dälek is that it's not the Powerbook that's on display, and Dälek isn't coming to hip-hop by way of smash-ups and mallrat b-boyism. Hip hop began as a uniquely urban expression, and as its reach has expanded into suburban territory in many ways, it has lost its connection to the grit, bustle, and sheer commotion of the city. 'From Filthy Tongue of Gods and Griots' brings the sound of the city back, and pays homage to hip hop's heritage by being embarrasingly honest. If DMX is is from the streets, then Dälek is unashamedly from the gutters. Beats and atmospheres sound dredged in dirt, and Dälek's straightforward delivery of lyrics about broken glass and third rails evokes startlingly real images of urban decay. Dälek fuses equal parts Public Enemy, My Bloody Valentine, and godspeed you black emperor! into a chaotic stew of squalor, anger, and sometimes hope that brings back the urgency of rap's early days. At the center of the album is a 12 minute epic of drones, feedback and noise that could be the end of a Mogwai meets Godflesh guitar noise session, but stays rooted to hip hop as Dälek flows over empty space to the rhythms ingrained in his head. Where The Veldt were shoegazers adding hip hop as an element to set them apart from their associates in the Cocteaus and the Jesus and Mary Chains of the world, Dälek are a hip hop trio who appropriate the expressive power of guitars, found sounds, and sheer noise to paint their urban murals. Make no mistake, this is not an IDM release, or an experimental noise album using hip hop flavor as a thematic mode—this is a hip hop record, and the one we've all been waiting for.
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Forced to change their name from Atomsmasher, the vibrant trio of JamesPlotkin, Speedranch and David White barrel through nine multi-dementialsongs on their second full-length album together like a super-chargedlightning-intense hail storm, ready and willing to make dentseverywhere in its path. Fiesty and fiery, with guitars surprisinglybare of effects, the glitch-thrash sound is still considerably loud andabrasive as on the debut. This time around, however, there are a numberof more conjunct ideas and compositional themes. Plotkin's guitarmelodies, for example, carry through numerous sullen moments hammockedbetween inhuman sonic assaults. The electronically sliced-and-diceddrum solos and squelched vocals once again are never dull andpredictable nor artfully heady. Unfortunately, rock purists willundoubtedly find their sound too digital while laptop lovers will findit too rock, but if you can step away from the process and listen tothe product for a moment, it's damned enjoyable.
Both the Greek inventor Daedalus and this Southern Californian share similar fates: they came up with something great that went tragically awry. This debut Plug Research full-lengther opens with a strong prelude: a simple, yet elegant combination of samples and original melodies, swirled together in a serene lullaby.
The debut release from Matt Hayden as Mindless Drug Hoover is a strangerelease from the more electronically-minded Deviant Records. Makingcomedy albums is a dangerous business, but Hayden's years of buskingmust have given him time to perfect these comic masterpieces. 'TopBanana' is a one-man-and-his-guitar affair, but the music is just thedelivery mechanism for his tales of smoking grass, being poor and evena love song (addressed to dried fruit on the glorious "Prune": "prune,oh prune/ you're a beautiful fruit, not just a laxative.."). 
Who else but Barry Adamson to bring blaxploitation soundtracks into the 21st Century? As with the previous album, 1998's 'As above, So below', these songs are predominantly vocal based, albeit steeped in familiar film noir trappings. For in Mr. Adamson's Murky World, Cinema is King. His fictional frames are backed with a deftly orchestrated mixture of genres, including samples of badass brethren like Ike Turner, Cypress Hill and John Coltrane. Concerning the fiery, fun funk of opener "Cinematic Soul," Adamson proudly declares, "this is the stone groove I've been dying to rock with all my life." Indeed! Even his enthusiastic young son can't resist joining in 'cause, after all, "what is a song if you can't sing along?" "Whispering Streets" follows suit with more dramatic funkiness as Adamson unconvincingly pleads, "I don't even know how the gun got in my hand." In the dreamy, strings soaked '70s soul styling of "Black Amour," he becomes the slicker than Shaft character "Satisfaction Jackson." SJ confesses, "I want you, I need you, I love you," nicely enough, but then adamantly insists, "hold my freaky hand." "Twisted Smile" is low and slow, hazy and lazy as the, "everyone is everyone," line loops in epilogue. Of the three (essentially) instrumentals, "Le Matin Des Noire," (Archie Shepp) is my fave. For over ten minutes an organ-flecked vibes groove vamps into the background as the hustle and bustle of Parisian streets becomes the foreground. "That Fool Was Me" sees Adamson diversifying his discography even further as horns and harmonica add Dixieland dynamics. Sweetly singing, "something about you baby and they all agree," Adamson then admits "only a fool would leave you and that fool was me". For the climax of the duet finale, "Cold Comfort," an inquisitive refrain of, "sugar babe?" is overpowered by mighty drum rolls and orchestral curtain call. Damn. Damn! Just another highly cinematic masterpiece, no sweat. Barry Adamson, the coolest motherfucker on the planet? Probably. 'The King of Nothing Hill' my album of the year? Probably. Check barryadamson.com for forthcoming European tour dates and other goodies.
Some of Palestine's gorgeous drones are now transferred to CD and remastered by Lee Ranaldo and Thomas Koner for the Netherlands-based Barooni label. The two have done a great job too: the sound is crystal clear. This opens with 20 minutes of near static drones and tones in "Two-Fifths".
Finally Eric Bachmann releases an album under his own name. The former singer of Archers of Loaf and current mastermind behind Crooked Fingers composed "Short Careers," as the score for a finished, yet to be released, independent feature called "Ball of Wax." The film has a frightening, chilling story, and it seems Bachmann has set the mood just right. The music fits right in between Bachmann's arty leanings with his Barry Black recordings and the more somber balladry of Crooked Fingers. Violin, cello, upright bass, piano, and guitar intermingle playfully throughout, despite the ominous tones of the revealing track titles ("Aspirin vs Arsenic," "Nosebleed," "The Mysterious Death of Robert Tower"). Bachmann's music never really seemed all that cinematic, though his lyrics have always told stories that are longer than life, so it deems him a rather odd choice for film scoring, particularly since that means there will be little in the vocal department. Add to that the fact that the movie is about major league baseball, and it sounds like a disaster waiting to happen. Luckily, the film was completed when Bachmann composed and recorded the score, so he had great freedom and inspiration—more than some composers get. The music is quirky enough while still serving a purpose, though not as much when heard on its own. It will probably have more meaning after the listener views the film, but on its own only a few tracks are truly stand-alone works ("Vision and Execution," "Ty Cobb," "Good Morning Sleepyhead"). This album is proof positive, however, that the former leader of a popular indie college rock band can score movies, and I'm sure he'll get more work for it in the future.
Take this album's title as a hint of what to expect. While watching a meteor shower and listening to music, the most exciting thing will, of course, be the meteor shower itself. Tara Jane and Dan are probably two of my favorite current singer/songwriters in the North American rock scene. I've seen both live on a number of occasions with their bands, Ida and Retsin, and once, just recently, in which each did fantastic solo performances. (Dan played on a number of instruments including a couple on harmonium and Tara Jane even did a Bruce Springsteen cover!) Needless to say, when I learned of the impending collaborative release, I was very excited. However, the two people whose voices and lyrics I cherish have ironically recorded an album of almost entirely instrumental songs— songs which disappointingly enough sound like they were explicitly built for vocals. With the exception of "Ooh la la..." (with French [?] vocals), there's a general void of any strong lead instrument. It almost makes me want to organize a letter-writing campaign for the duo to go back and record some lyrics on this record. This soundtrack for getting a midnight snack could easily bore the most sexually inactive vegan cafe patrons. Don't get me wrong, there's no love lost for these two, as they're each still incredible musicians and songwriters. However, if it's their signature sound that you've fallen in love with that you're anticipating, you'd be better off saving your money on this one.
"Mali Music" is a collaboration between Blur's Damon Albarn and a groupof musicians from Mali, hence the title. A recent New York Times pieceabout the making of this album brought up the inevitable issue ofcultural piracy and whether Western artists can effectively play withAfrican musicians without somehow exploiting them or tainting thepurity of their music. I feel that setting strict boundaries like thatlimit the overall possibilities of musical creativity and to be honest,I wouldn't have bought an album called "Mali Music" if it didn't havethe added recognizable hook. And I'm glad I did buy it, for a number ofreasons. First of all, the music is really good and different from mostof the new stuff that I listen to; overall it has a much happier,organic feel to it than what's in my normal rotation. Also Albarn'sadditions help add texture, like the dubby bass he puts under the finaltrack, "Les Escrocs" and his minimal vocals throughout the album. Asidefrom his vocals in English on a couple tracks, mostly he stays out ofthe way and leaves it to the musicians from Mail to perform theirmusic. The Times article mentioned that he went to Mali armed only witha melodica in order to keep his role simple and unobtrusive. Hiscontributions are important though and help add a familiar structure tosongs that might otherwise become inaccessible. On the track "SunsetComing On" he expertly weaves his vocals into the instrumental withoutoverwhelming it. I enjoyed listening to the new (to me) instruments andfor most of the album they meshed well with the modern layers ofproduction underneath. Another thing that I liked about the album isthat the proceeds go to Oxfam, a hunger relief organization that helpedsponsor the collaboration. So even if you don't agree with my musicalassessment, at least you won't feel guilty about adding this CD to yourcollection.
