OK, by both I meant Deadringers by RJD2, and One Word Extinguisher by Prefuse 73.

A local record shop had Deadringers down as the album of last year. It's certainly one of the best Def Jux releases. It's instrumental hip hop, with pretty high production values, without being slick. It's less gritty than Left Handed Straw by Controller 7, for instance. Well worth a punt.

One Word Extinguisher is a soulful take on the glitch hop form that Scott Herren popularised with his first release. It's a step forward from Vocal Studies and Uprock Narratives, but doesn't have the wow value that it did. I suspect it will make my best of lists at the end of the year tho'.

David,

'A Forest' is my favourite Cure song, it will forever exist as the version on Seventeen Seconds. Cure songs don't sound right without Robert Smith's plaintive wail and shouldn't be buggered about with by others. Even the version of A Forest on Mixed Up is a pale shadow of the original.

Watched the Pornography set last night, until Miss Seagull decided she wanted to watch Bob the Builder instead.

Listened to Slideling now, its ok, not bad but not jaw droppingly good either. It could be a grower so I'll give it...

Funnily enough, there was a Cure live album playing in Selectadisc today.

I love 'A Forest', the acoustic version on the other DVD is fantastic, hair raisingly so. My 7" 45 of it is nearly worn out.

The 'A New Forest' version, is without vocals, but treated respectfully, and not better or worse, different.

Don't see much of 'Killing a Arab' these days do we?

DS

ITC - Danni Minogue - I Begin to Wonder video

M83 - Dead Cities, Red Seas and Lost Ghosts

Hmmmm. Interesting one this.

Kind of like Future Sounds of London, if they did 'busier' music and if they hadn't gone all jazzy with their recent Amorphous Androgenous album. Boards of Canada? Maybe, but not as bleepy electronica. Imagine a more 'musical' version of The Avalanches - not meant in a bad way, the work here is very varied, and not reliant on clever use of samples to derive that variety.

It's impossible (and futile) to pigeonhole work like this.

I have only heard it a couple of times, and I really like it. I have no idea why I like it, but I do.


"Quite chilled French Electronic Samply Fun Stuff"

If you get it, go to amazon.fr - it's cheaper and quicker than amazon.co.uk. There may be other ways to get hold of it too.

Alex, who will never be a music reviewer

Lost for words - A Leaf Records Sampler

It's five quid. It has 17 tracks on it from several Leaf artists, including Manitoba, Susumu Yokota, Murcof, Boom Bip and Doseone and A Small Good Thing. There are other artists I hadn't heard of.

Generally, it's mellow electronica. The stand out track by a country mile is Saloon Dreams by A Small Good Thing. It's like Calexico/Eno/Morricone all rolled into one, and it's f*cking good. Really, quite seriously good.

The rest is a mixed bag, on the better side of good.

Worth having, and it's only a fiver


"Well worth the price of a beer for Saloon Dreams alone"

I have ordered albums by a few of the artists featured - direct from Leaf. Quite cheap too.

Alex

Alex,

I chased down these MP3s of ASGT on Epitonic, and was hooked. I've just ordered "Slim Westerns Vol 1&2". Sounds lovely. Many thanks.

The Epitonic tracks are pretty ambient, but with that certain something... in fact they reminded me of "Western Spaces" by Steve Roach and Kevin Braheny. It's an evocation of the deserts of south-west America. Here's an MP3 sample (4.7MB) of "The Breathing Stone" from that album.

nick.lees at btinternet.com

Nick

It's about time I started giving some recommendations back to you chaps!

I swear that I hadn't read any reviews of ASGT before my post as well...yet Epitonic said:

" Small Good Thing's debut album, 1994's Slim Westerns, is a gorgeous ambient album set out to dry in the southwestern desert. On the song "Godforsaken," A Small Good Thing drops ample references to Ennio Morricone's spaghetti western scores, adding the dusty sounds of a slide guitar over ambient passages that would make Brian Eno proud. "Somewhere South of Here" gets tense with the persistent toll of a funeral bell and a handful of badass spoken word samples from world-weary gunslingers"

!!!!!!!!

Alex

Bardo Pond: Dilate



Just got this '01 release, which no one here has mentioned (except that guy Glenda, who heard one track and was begging to find more).

Trippy, spacy, slowcore, ambient, and damn good. Isobel Sollenberger's gentle vocals coast alternately over over psyched-out sitars and flutes and fuzzed-out guitars that sound like the Swans slowed to 16 RPM.

I would never use hallucinogenic drugs, because it is illegal and morally wrong. But if I did, this would make a great backing track.

Max that Nickometer out:


What Low could do if they dropped Mormonism and acid both

"..I would never use hallucinogenic drugs, because it is illegal and morally wrong..."

Depends what you take. There are some great legal ones available..

Don't know how it can be morally wrong though.

-A-

Alan,

I live in John Ashcroft's America, where drugs are illegal, morally wrong, and also sinful (I forgot to add "sinful" in my post above; sorry Mr. Ashcroft). I would never use them. Never never never never.

You would probably like this Bardo Pond, by the way Alan (you wouldn't like it, Mr. Ashcroft).

Eric

Nick,

re: Neko Case - Blacklisted

quote:

---

It's possible it's a grower, and I'll give it that chance...

---

I've found new Neko Case albums to be like new Naim equipment. At first you wonder what all the fuss is about- then 5 weeks later, Bang!

Madlib: Madlib Invades Blue Note

quote:

---

From All About Jazz
All in all, Shades of Blue isn't just a Blue Note remix album, it's a re-imagination and celebration of Blue Note culture. "People say Blue Note was just a phase in hip-hop," Madlib explains, referring to the era when groups like Tribe and Gang Starr would sample the label's sounds. "But music is either good music or bad music and I still listen to Blue Note. I still love it." The convergence of Madlib and Blue Note on this special project transcends the legacies and reputations of both entities. It's a special convocation. Blue Note founders Alfred Lion and Francis Wolff would be proud.

---

That pretty much sums this up. It's a quality slice of Blue Note inspired hip hop. It sits comfortably somewhere between a Blue Note Breaks compilation and an instrumental track by DJ Premier. Proper head-nodding jazzy beats.

BTW, I got the double vinyl for what I would have expected to pay for a normal LP, but I've seen it for $40 on the net .

See the whole All About Jazz Review
Track Listing
1 Introduction
2 Slim's Return (orig. recorded by The Three Sounds as "Book of Slim")
3 Distant Land: Hip Hop Drum Mix (orig. recorded by Donald Byrd as "Distant Land")
4 Mystic Bounce (orig. recorded by Ronnie Foster as "Mystic Brew")
5 Stormy (orig. recorded by Reuben Wilson)
6 Blue Note Interlude
7 Please Set Me At Ease (orig. recorded by Bobbi Humphrey)
8 Funky Blue Note (new composition by Otis Jackson, Jr.)
9 Alfred Lion Interlude
10 Steppin' Into Tomorrow (orig. recorded by Donald Byrd)
11 Andrew Hill Break (orig. recorded by Andrew Hill as "Illusion")
12 Montara (orig. recorded by Bobby Hutcherson)
13 Song For My Father (orig. recorded by Horace Silver)
14 Footprints (orig. recorded by Wayne Shorter)
15 Peace/ Dolphin Dance (orig. recorded by Horace Silver & Herbie Hancock)
16 Outro

Classic Blue Note breaks with added hip hop flavouring

Mekon, how would you compare that to the New Groove album?

I never picked that up (but now I want to), but from looking at the tracklist, it'll be similar. However, I get a feel from the reviews that it shares its vibe with the Jazzmatazz series. I spent this morning listening to Step into the Arena. The Madlib beats are harder, sparser, and less consciously funky than a typical Gangstarr production.

Hope that helps.

Thanks. Off to sample...

Why?: Oaklandazulasylum
Why? is one third of Ninja-tune avant-hop supergroup cLOUDDEAD, but he's always been the least well known, rarely stepping out of the shadow of Dose One when it comes to rhymes, or Odd Nosdam when it comes to beats. This album is his debut solo album, with Odd Nosdam only briefly stepping on for production duties on a track or two.

So, the usual 'is this hip hop?' question gets raised, and most people skirt it, feigning boredom. Well, not me. This isn't hip hop. God knows what it is. It's somewhere between Money Mark and Scott Herren's folktronica. It's nearest reference point is anticon friend Andrew Broder's Fog project, but this is a darker, more twisted sound. I imagine it's what MTVHits would sound like a quad drop of double dipped purple aums. It's all a bit odd, but it's hella entertaining. Why? does a solid job, bringing a bunch of new ideas to the table.

I've already seen a review pinning it as album of the year. Well, I don't think it'll be mine, but it's certainly the best bad-acid folk-hop album I've heard so far!


Weirdo beats cooked with lighter gas in a confined space

DJ Shadow - Diminishing Reuturns

Originally broadcast on John Peel's Radio One show on March 29th, this is a two hour set by Mister Shadow, spread over 2 cd's.

For those expecting similar fare to the Private Press, you will be disappointed. It's full-on hip hoppery of the finest quality. Even John Peel crops up in the mix.

It's predominantly old skool rap based, peppered with some scratching and some stomping beats to test out the quality of your glazing. If you liked 'Do Androids...', or any of the work Shadow did with Cut Chemist, or early electro (I mean EARLY, as in early 80's), then this could be for you.

Production quality is ok, given that it's effectively a bootleg from the radio.


mmmmmmmm, yummy

Edit : I upgraded it from a 4 to a 5 after banging out Mantronix at 10 on the volume pot. I defy anyone not to play 'air-wheels-of-steel' to this (like air guitar, but much sadder)

[This message was edited by alexgerrard on WEDNESDAY 02 July 2003 at 21:52.]

UNKLESOUNDZ - Big Brother Is Watching

Another mystery double CD of UNKLE mix work. No track listing, no idea which CD is which, no idea of much really, other than that it is excellent. A little bit of digging around on t'internet reveals all though.

However this mix shares a lot of tracks with the bigger 'Do Androids Dream of Electric Beats' triple CD. Not in the same order, not the same versions in some places, but they are the same tracks.

If this isn't an issue for you, and it isn't for me, then this is a mixtastic slice of UNKLE action. Much in the same vein as 'Do Androids...', chopping up some family favourites from the UNKLE back catalog with some classic tracks.

Tracklisting (according to HMV, although I am not so sure myself):

1. UNKLE Sounds Intro
2. Lonely Years - UNKLE Feat. Richard Ashcroft
3. UNKLE Sounds Interlude #1
4. Song For My Father - Georgio Moroder
5. Organ Donor - DJ Shadow
6. Organ Donor - DJ Shadow [Remix]
7. UNKLE Sounds Interlude #2
8. Who We Be/Shout - DMX/Tears For Fears
9. Feel Good Hit Of The Summer - Queens Of The Stoneage
10. Untitled - UNKLE
11. Sounds Interlude #3 - UNKLE
12. Numbers/I Wanna Dance With Somebody - Kraftwerk/Whitney Houston
13. Hey Jack - Howie B
14. Tomorrow Never Knows - The Beatles [UNKLE Sounds Edit]
15. Holes - Mercury Rev [Unknown Edit]
16. Percussive Thinking - Forne
17. The Egyptian - Bushwacks
18. Untitled - Meat Katie
19. Found - Lee Burbidge
20. Dark Clouds - Halo
21. Underground Sound - Kevin Swain & Clive Henry
22. Seriously Twisted - Peace Division
23. Ludovicos Technique - Mode
24. Everything In It's Right Place - Radiohead [UNKLE Sounds Edit]
25. Untitled - Layo & Bushwacka
26. The Chain - Fleetwood Mac
27. Instant Karma - John Lennon
28. UNKLE Sounds Outro

Part 3 of the mix series (entitled Never Neverland) is out in the first week of September. I can't wait!


Hold on to your giblets, bass fiends

Stefano di Battista - Round about Roma

If you know Vince Mendoza's work, either on his own albums or as arranger for recent efforts by Joni Mitchell, you already have a pretty good idea of what this is going to sound like. Stefano does a good job on sax and Eric Legnini likewise on Piano, but it's the Symphonic orchestra "Les Archets de Paris" and Vince's arrangements that keep me coming back for more. More tone poetry than jazz.


Stefano, shmeshano. This is a Vinnies baby.

The Mars Volta: De-Loused in the Comatorium


The high expectations (in certain circles) surrounding this album have been met with a lukewarm reception. The complaint has been that the album's too complex and in need of editing, and it is indeed dense and a bit overwrought. Still, with the density comes a good measure of richness and experimentation. I happen to like the (quite obvious) Santana and Led Zep. references, filtered as they are through a haze of synths and guitars reminiscent of Dntel or Dismemberment Plan. (Fans of these latter two bands will probably enjoy this, fans of the former two may not.)

I want to give this a Nickhead4 rating, in part to brake the bandwagon knocking this album. But realistically, I must admit that it's only on the high end of:

Like a Schwartzwalder Kirschtorte; it tastes great at first, but is a bit rich after a few bites.