From: Christopher Grass (bluesjumper_at_hotmail.com)
Date: 2004-04-28 18:52:04
Some newer albums I've been listening to a LOT:
1. Stereolab - Margerine Eclipse - Just saw them live for the very first
time last week...great show! 6 multi-instrumentalists on one stage...
Latitia even played some trombone, which was cool because I play that
instrument too! I missed Mary's harmonies, but I'm glad the band continues
on. Also look for a band called Mice Parade that opened for them. Their
drummer is fantastic...kind of like Maff from The Egg. Let's
see...Japancakes meets Radiohead meets Jazzanova! heheh, I'm so descriptive,
I could write for the pretentious jokers at Pitchfork Media.
2. The Egg - Venice Beach ep - I have been a long-time fan of these guys for
many years, and their newest offering made me really want to hear the new
completed full-length album, out this summer. Their new stuff is very
laidback, with less distorted guitar work than they have used in the past on
Albumen and Travelator. "Say You Will" is a gorgeous song. Don't miss
their live show if you live in England!
3. Afterlife - Speck of Gold - Though these guys will probably get written
off as Zero 7 wannabes, I thought this new album was a bit more emotional
and soulful than Zero 7's newest (I still liked it). Now on Bar de Lune,
after jumping ship from Hed Kandi.
4. Monsieur Dodo - s/t - This has GOT to be a Gonkyburg album in disguise.
Great slowburning funk, a la Jol or early Quant, with a few uptempo numbers
and one killer live track.
5. Fila Brazillia - The Life and Times of Phoebus Brumal - interesting new
direction for the Fila boys, but I'm feeling it. My fave track so far is
"Bullshit".
6. Blue Note Revisited - while the cover art was really cheesy and
derivative of a bad Bond flick, the Kyoto Jazz Massive cut really made the
album for me. Good production, too.
7. Coldfeet - Jazzfeet - I finally got a copy of this, and it really threw
me. It's a straight jazz album...in fact, it's a big band jazz album! Lori
Fine and Watusi take a break from the electronic stuff and make a fine album
of originals and some interesting versions of jazz standards. My favorite
track on the disc: "Saturated in Blue", a Lori-penned original that sounds
like it was written back in the 40's. I am dying to either remix this track
or get someone to remix it with me...anyone interested?
8. Sandboy - Wanderlust - one of the best albums I've heard in the past few
years...sublime and beautiful
9. Mocean Worker - Enter the MoWo - I've been following Adam Dorn since his
drum n bass days, and this new album of jazzy breaks really shows off his
heritage in funk and jazz. Very high production values, too...if you like
the Fort Knox Five, you should love most of this.
10. Chris Joss - You've Been Spiked - nice funky breakbeats along the lines
of Malente and old Ursula 1000, but without the cheese.
And some albums I was hoping would be great, but only turned out to be ok:
1. Blockhead - Music By Cavelight - aside from a couple of inspired upright
bass accompaniment, this was a pretty average album of mostly instrumental
hip-hop. Nothing special, which kind of bothered me.
2. Double U - Life Behind A Window - A very different artist for the Sonar
Kollektiv label...this one almost sounded like it should have been put out
on Chocolate Industries. Kinda glitchy, folksy hip-hop...not bad, but it
needs a couple of listens. Don't go into it with high expectations, and you
might like it.
3. Aya - Strange Flower - This is a very different release for Naked Music.
I thought they were going into some weird electro direction with the label,
but this new one is about as mellow as it gets. Very pretty vocals, but a
bit bland overall. The remixes for this artist which came out earlier this
year are nothing like the original songs.
4. 10. Doctor Jazz's Universal Remedy Release 1.0 - Ok, I still don't know
if the name of the group is the "Universal Remedy", or if it's just the name
of the album. I'm kind of torn on this one...the music is nice (some great
electric piano and basslines) but the vocals are a little too smooth jazz
for me. Actually reminds me of some of the mid-90's groups that were on the
Acid Jazz label, like Night Trains and Swing Machine. Not for everyone
Still, I hope Kriztal continues to release full-length artist albums in the
future.
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