Madlib Blunted In The Bomb Shelter (Antidote/Trojan)


I had high hopes for this one given Madlib's genius on other projects. The album in comprised of 45 solid tracks picked from Trojan's catalog of legendary Jamaican tunes by Madlib, then remixed. The problem is that they're woven together somewhat loosely, and Madlib and crew couldn't avoid throwing in scratches, cuts, and lame production effects where they weren't needed. This album is at its best when you get a run of 3-4 continuous tracks without any of the mentioned "tricks".


Decent if you're in the mood. Great tracks, but ignore what's between or thrown atop them.

[This message was edited by Ludwig on FRIDAY 14 November 2003 at 21:02.]

Mojave 3 - Spoon and Rafter

Maxwellspeed,

I bought this after the review here and listening to a few samples.

First time I played I thought ho-hum, pleasant enough. Second time through it was noticeably growing on me. Third time around, and a combination of that growth and it catching me in the right mellow mood means I think it's very good indeed.

Thank you.

nick.lees at btinternet.com

Múm

Finally We Are No One



Is a bit facile to say that this lot, on the basis that they’re Icelandic, are a cross between Björk and Sigur Rós but there’s a definite affinity there. The atmosphere is downbeat and relaxingly on the melancholic side but it neither features the swelling crescendos of Sigur Rós, nor do the occasional vocals sound remotely like Björk.

Add in a hint of DNTEL-style glitchiness and a smidgeon of Boards of Canada too and you have a really good, rather ethereal late night album.

Very more-ish and highly recommended.

Here, here, and here are 90 seconds from three of the tracks to give you the feel, though it rather obviously works much better on an album level.



nick.lees at btinternet.com

Nick,

Their earlier album "Yesterday is Dramatic - Today is OK" is also well worth getting hold of if you don't already have it.

Matthew

Nick,
I'm glad that you like Mojave 3. Their previous albums are also worth getting: OUT OF TUNE, and EXCUSES FOR TRAVLERS. I must admit though, the new one is my favorite. Also, Neil Halstead has a solo album called SLEEPING ON ROADS which is also brilliant. I don't know if you go to live shows these days, but either Neil or his band Mojave 3 are very nice to see live. Nothing extravagant. No rock stylings. Just playing the songs. Wonderful.

max

Bexar Bexar - Haralambos

This is delicious plinky plonkiness taken to it's logical conclusion.

The music itself is like being aurally stroked by Kylie with mittens made exclusively from kittens. It's impossible not to like it, however much you want to.

Wonderfully melodic, instrumental burblings - not so much chill-out (which is a horrendous pigeonhole), more blissed out. Like lying on a beach with your favourite cocktails, watching the world pass you by.

If your speakers don't do bass, it may not be such a good thing. Luckily mine do.

Comparisons include - Mogwai, but without the loud bits; Lemon Jelly, if they were a bit more relaxed; the soundtrack to Donnie Darko, but not as menacing. No guitars though.

I really, really like it. It's a bugger to find, although Smallfish do have it.


"Plinky plonky loveliness"

ag

bexar.jpg (15 Kb, 319 downloads) Bexar Bexar

An album with a mixture of spoken word and music exploring the aiport, travel, migration , race and politics. Mike Ladd is I believe what you young people call a HipHop artiste and Vijay Iyer a great modern jazz talent. Frankly (and despite the scorn of a more musically erudite exforum member) I love this. Its smart in a sort of American liberal arts college post grad way sounds fabulous and mosty importantly is really rather funny at times. I'm going all out and rating it





www.vijay-iyer.com

Jimi Plays Berkeley - Jimi Hendrix Experience



I got this a few days ago and rushed to put on Machine Gun, straight from work. Being familiar only with the Band Of Gypsies versions of this, I was a bit nonplussed and a little disappointed by it. Hmmm.

Tonight, with my wife out visiting friends and my youngest daughter hiding in her room, I was able to concentrate on the album as a whole and more importantly play it at a reasonably decent volume <cough>.

Like a few Hendrix concerts it starts out a bit slowly, but soon warms up and by Lover Man the band are really flying. The old songs are played with real fire and passion and Foxey Lady in particular is brilliant, as is Voodoo Child (Slight Return).

Which brings me back to Machine Gun. It is a very different take on the song. It doesn't have the metronomically fierce attack of the BoG versions but it does have an equally effective fluid wildness that rather oddly had me think "Boy would my father have hated this" .

So, top stuff.



nick.lees at btinternet.com

Buddy Miles (BoG) and Mitch Mitchell had very different drumming styles. I bet this played a part in how the songs translated no doubt.

I used to work with an old-timer who met his future wife at that show.

I just noticed, that was the day after I turned 4 years old.

quote:

---

Originally posted by maxwellspeed:
Buddy Miles (BoG) and Mitch Mitchell had very different drumming styles. I bet this played a part in how the songs translated no doubt.

---

Totally

nick.lees at btinternet.com

Vijay Iyer & Mike Ladd - In What Language

quote:

---

What I posted elsewhere

I think it's a better integrated sound than APC vs Matthew Shipp, for instance. I don't know Iyer's stuff, but I get the sense that his fans will love it, and Mike's delivery is on Welcome to the Afterfuture form. My take is that if you are anywhere between being really into Mike's thing and not finding Iyer's thing annoying, and not finding Mike's thing annoying and really into Iyer, there's something here for you.

BTW, I'd like to think I should get some credit here, but I doubt it. Earlier in the year I wrote to the guys at Thirsty Ear and complained about the non-redbook standard CD format that was used on APC vs Matthew Shipp. After a few emails with some guy there I suggested that they should definitely approach Mike to do some stuff, as I thought his stuff would fall within their aims. The guy said he'd never heard of him, but would check him out. Lo and behold, they've now got a project by him in the works.

Look at me and my big head!

---

Anyway, I like it alot. I've not heard Mike on this form since ...Afterfuture, and he's a unique talent. Whilst I can't deny I would have prefered to hear him over some beats and an Erik MO bassline, it undoubtably works.

Atmosphere - Seven's Travels


Slug's widely hyped as the next big thing. With fellow Epitaph scoop Sage Francis, Atmosphere are one of the underground hip hop acts that are expected to crossover beyond the usual audience. Sure, there's nothing jaw-dropping here, but they don't put a foot wrong either. It's a confident, funky sound, and along with Non-Prophet's Hope, it's been on heavy rotation since I got it. I prefer it to the Lucy Ford EP, but I get the sense I am in the minority, so you might want to check that first. To give a better known reference point, if you liked A Tribe Called Quest or Jurassic 5, and aren't sure where to look next, picking this up would be a good move.

Heinrich Schütz - Psalmen Davids



Anyone interested in chill-out who also has a fondness for small-scale close-harmony vocals (with only an organ for accompaniment might like to try this early German effort out (especially as it only costs £4.99 from Amazon).

This is a consitently beautiful record by a composer than has been rather neglected.

Here's Schütz's take on "An den Wassern zu Babel" (By The Waters Of Babylon) - and it's a bit different from the Boney M version...

nick.lees at btinternet.com

Hymie's Basement - Hymie's Basement


Oh my, this is good. Think of all the good bits of Oaklandazulasylum, Ether teeth, Cold House, and Amnesiac swished together through some as-yet-uninvented Degrassi Junior High era Kids TV vibe-iser effects box. Proper magical. If you already like Why? or Fog, you'll adore this. If you haven't caught to the the non-hip hop side of anticon already, this is a somewhere between the gentler bits of GYBE and the catchy bits of Kid A era Radiohead, with Broder and Why?'s spoken-word, sing-song poetry rap and samples drifting in and out. It's very very lovely.


Post-rock gentle-hop.

Wrens: Meadowlands


This is a fine demonstration that indie rock in the post-Galaxie500/Pavement/Pixies tradition is still alive and well. Meadowlands rewards repeated listening; songs that initially seem derived and repetitive start revealing all kinds of interesting little layers and textures, while what seems at first like a disjointed collection of different styles starts sounding like a perfectly natural progression. The album slowly transitions from Will Oldham-style alt country to something closer to the Pixies or even the Strokes. Certainly one of the best albums I've heard this year; only a couple of small misfires (the track "Boys you Won't" doesn't quite work) bring it up short of an NH=5. High side of:

Lost In Translation - OST

This is amazing.

Everyone needs this in their lives. Importantly, it has new work from Kevin Shields on it, and that should be enough of a reason to dash out and buy it in itself.

Other tracks include Death in Vegas, Air, My Bloody Valentine, Squarepusher and Jesus and Mary Chain, as well as some other stuff from some other people that I haven't heard of before.

The most important thing to know is that it has new work by Kevin Shields on it. And this work is excellent.

This album is downbeat, it's uplifting, and Mr Shields work makes the new breed of post-rock groups look, well, inferior. Wonderful stuff. I defy anyone not to get goosebumps when 'Girls' from Death In Vegas comes on.

It's been a good year for Soundtracks, but this is up there with the best of them.


Outstanding

ag

lost_in_translation.jpg (20 Kb, 161 downloads) OST

Eric,

You are totally right -- Meadowlands is completely derivative but nevertheless brilliant. Its probably going to be my Album of the Year.

Matthew

The Wrens

Robinsons album of the year, eh? Praise indeed - it's been a great year, IMHO.

I think it's good, but album of the year? Maybe I'll give it a lot more play time. I have only had it a few weeks, and it's not been on heavy rotation.

I made this mistake with Clearlake - Cedars; I bought it, played it a few times, thought it was good, then ignored it. Only when I went back to it did I realise it was brilliant.

ag