Published by James September 19th, 2006
in Free Tracks, Album, Review and 2006.
Wale Oyejide’s sophomore effort, Africa Hot! - The Afrofuture Sessions, sees his sound drift farther from its Hip-Hop underpinnings to embrace a more diverse sound ranging from House, Electro, and Afro-Pop. In particular, the sounds of West Africa find the broadest use in expressing his message where at times his delivery approximates a raw more unpolished version of Youssou N’Dour with all the politics of Fela Kuti providing the momentum. The album, in itself, follows a path that has it move from Afrocentric Hip-Hop to tribal driven Electro, to sprawling Soul House numbers in seventy minutes making for a deeply engaging listen.
Tracks like “H.I.V.” best demonstrate Oyejide’s politics and concern for the problems that plague Africa and the world at large. He earnestly implores the listener to sit up and listen carefully that ignorance and carelessness carries the gravest of consequences and provides traction to the disease. He sings of simple mistakes leading to the deaths of children and lectures on the necessity that individuals must take control of their destiny and protect themselves in order to ensure the future. Writing about it gives the song all the appearance of being a five minute PSA and in some regards it is but Oyejide’s convictions are strong and his believe in the inherent goodness of mankind prevails making that “H.I.V.” more than a simple moment in health education.
Later in the album, as the tone begins to change, the listener is treated to some astounding dance fueled production as tracks like “Cooba” burn with a tribal drive anchored by a dirty bass line than growls and snaps. Here Oyejide stretches into many different genres mashing Cumbia rhythms with Tech House and elements of Breakbeat. “Cooba” is easily a mix ready track providing enough fire to get people moving. “Heaven” sees things slow down with some blissed out Soul House, smoldering and swaying gently as the listener is guided closer to the end of the album further proving that Oyejide is not composed of a single trick, that he possesses a deep love of music from all people. Africa Hot! easily makes My Best of 2006 list.
Free Track: Africahot! (+ Meczilla)
Website: Science Fiction Is Wale Oyejide
Myspace: Wale Oyejide
Published by Scott September 18th, 2006
in Album, Review and 2006.
I only recently “discovered” Dr. Dog, being impressed by the song “Say Something” on a mix that someone sent me. I promptly grabbed the album it came from, 2005’s fantastic Easy Beat, and have been playing it fairly regularly since. I didn’t even realize they had an EP scheduled for release so it was a pleasant, timely surprise when it cropped up on eMusic the other day. All the more so since Takers and Leavers is another wonderful collection of songs.
The good Doctors continue to proudly incorporate their 60’s and 70’s influences into their own brand of scrappy pop-rock. Not to give the impression that their music is nothing more than a pastiche of past icons’ styles, but part of the fun is definitely in the style checks. “Goner,” for instance, features slide guitar reminiscent of George Harrison, Ringo-like drum fills, and vocals that at one point sounds like Paul at his “I’m Down” wildest. (John must have kept his spectral touch to himself as there’s nothing that strikes me as particularly Lennonesque.) The folky acoustic guitar and vocal harmonies on “California” at first made me think it was a cover of some lost Crosby, Stills, and Nash song. And I believe Neil Young, slipping through a wormhole in time during the Tonight’s the Night sessions, sings on “Livin’ a Dream.”
But seriously, Takers and Leavers is pretty irresistible. It doesn’t necessarily cohere as a singularly themed work, but the variety is engaging and nothing smacks of filler. It’s all high quality, but the opener, “Ain’t It Strange,” stands above the rest. With yearning, cracking on the high notes vocals, gorgeous harmonies, endearing hippy drippy lyrics, and a melodic fretboard workout winding things down at the end, it’s a psych-pop gem. Of course, the remaining nineteen minutes aren’t too shabby either.
Mixtape tracks- Ain’t It Strange, Goner
Freebies- Well, I suppose low quality is better than nothing. 96 kbs versions of “Ain’t It Strange” and “California” are available at the Dr. Dog MySpace page.
Published by Scott September 15th, 2006
in Album, Review and 2006.
These guys have been around for a while but I’d never listened to anything by them until grabbing An Amazing Dream from eMusic. Not only did the samples sound promising, but I found out they’ve worked with Kurt Heasley of Lilys fame in the past. I figured if he digs them, they were probably worth looking into.
I’m not exactly blown away and scrounging desperately for the rest of their oeuvre, but I’m not disappointed either. An Amazing Dream is a solid album of mellow psych rock. And sure, their roots can be traced back to the original psychedelic artists of the late sixties, but what I hear is more of a throwback to the nineties. With multi-tracked vocal harmonies and guitars filtered through a Batcave’s worth of reverb, their sound recalls the more spacey Brit-pop moments of that era. AMG compares Asteroid No. 4 to another band with some of the same influences, The Brian Jonestown Massacre, and I think there are definite similarities.
Despite the detached vocal delivery and friendly guitar pop sound, there are some dark overtones to the lyrics. Topics touch upon bitter breakups, regret for having wasted time with a no longer significant other, and that time honored tradition of shooting one’s old lady down for sleeping around. The misogynous leaning subject matter actually serves well to balance the overall ethereal tone. It adds depth and drama to an album that might otherwise come across as mildly trippy fluff.
Mixtape tracks- Take Me Down, Into the Meadow
Freebies- There’s a couple of crappy 96 kbs quality mp3 downloads available at the band’s MySpace page, but I wouldn’t bother with those. If you’re at all interested in checking out the album, you can stream the whole thing from the Asteroid #4 site.
Published by David September 14th, 2006
in Album, Review and 2006.
Looking for some good ol’ Saturday morning cartoon punk? Osaka Popstar is the moniker used by cartoonist, film-maker and music producer John Cafiero and he has assembled some of his friends to back him who are American Legends of Punk. This supergroup of punk features Marky Ramone, Jerry Only of The Misfits, Dez Cadena of Black Flag and Ivan Julian of The Voidoids. The lead off track and the album’s strongest song “Wicked World”, was written by Daniel Johnston. The album released back in May, is a juiced-up colorful comic book in which Cafiero sings with such vibrancy you could almost see the colors pop. Some songs are even about cartoons, such as “Sailor Moon”, “Astro Bot” and “Where’s the Cap’n?” about Captain Crunch cereal and features a Popeye riff. Johnston also appears as a background vocalist on “Man of Constant Sorrow”, a variation of the traditional song which appeared in “O’ Brother Where Art Thou?”, but this version takes place in New Jersey. They also cover two Richard Hell & The Voidoids songs back-to-back, “Love Comes in Spurts” and “Blank Generation” in which they power through with amazing speed. At under 30 minutes and only 12 songs, there are no egos popping from from these legendary cartoon punk characters. This is clearly an album made for fun and delivers a romping good time. The CD comes with a bonus DVD that contains 2 videos: “Wicked World” & “Insects”. The video clip for “Insects” looks hysterical. Check out all the fun on their site!
Published by James September 12th, 2006
in Album, Review and 2006.
Classics, if you’re anything like me, is the perfect bridge between that pair of acid washed 501s with the tear in the left knee and the fact that Colette’s Hypnotized is still in weekly rotation. It is a decadent romp filled with crisp drum production and thick, heavily processed guitars that oddly evoke fond memories of all those long summer days grinding through “More Than A Feeling” because the guitarist truly believed Boston was the pinnacle of rock music. On their sophomore effort Ratatat joins the mathematical precision of beat making and juggling with all those fleeting moments in rock that might make you pause and think, “Hey, maybe guitarists aren’t so bad after all…”
This is an album about guitars or more accurately about hyper-distorted, freakishly compressed layers of tones that occasionally approximate six strings and a fretboard but more often than not have more in common with a synthesizers and racks of tone generators. This is not to say that Stroud is on the same page as DragonForce’s Li and Totman, rather his playing is definitely more understated, eschewing flashy technique and focusing on balance and interplay between melodies and sounds. “Montanita” shows him layering delicate tones that glisten with just enough tremolo to give a sheen of exotica yet the song still manages to retain grounded in the rock roots from which Stroud emerged.
Giving structure to all of it is the work of Mast, the brains and production behind the pop friendly beats that dominate the album. From the infectious dancehall inspired back beat of “Gettysburg” to the restrained Beatlesque psychedelia of “Tropicana” his work on the album demonstrates that it is far deeper than just a collection of hooks and bridges. It is his ear for composition and arranging that help this album span the world of bedroom beats and arena rock posturing; if you have any doubts check out the free stream over at Myspace of “Wildcat” with its campy cat growl and early 80’s bare-bones Disco rhythm section.
Slap “Lex” on your next mix to give it that much needed strutting cock-rock flavor and by all means grab the whole album if you have the chance even if it means the rock purists in your circle will wrinkle their noses at the hyperbolic guitar production and post-ironic harpsichord lick. Classics makes it onto my Best of 2006 list for the simple fact that it makes me like guitarists again, if only for a little over 40 minutes.
Published by Scott September 11th, 2006
in Album, Review and 2006.
With a junk drawer’s worth of synthesizers, drum machines, samplers, and turntables balancing melodic acoustic guitar and drawling vocals, Geoff Reacher’s Avec Reacher C’est Plus Sur makes for a novel listen. At first the contrast of electro instrumental clutter with the traditional organic tools of a singer-songwriter can be disconcerting. It seems to waver between unique artistic expression and a horrible mess. Repeated listens tip things in Reacher’s favor as his inventive, often playful sound ultimately inspires appreciation if not enjoyment. Highlights include the hip-hop tinged, Beck-ish “Snarling Wheels of Sin” and the desolate melancholy of “Ride to the Grave.” But my favorite is the loose and funny twang pop of “Look Me in the Eye,” with its nod to The Kinks in the lines, “Well I’m not the world’s most passionate guy / But if that asshole can dance / Well then fuck it so can I.” Geoff Reacher’s intruiging electro country hybrid is definitely worth checking out.
Mixtape tracks- Look Me in the Eye, Snarling Wheels of Sin, My Heart’s a Rocket
Freebies- You Like My Song, Snarling Wheels of Sin
(And I love the comment on Reacher’s site referring to his MySpace page, “if you want em to sound crappier.”)
Published by David September 8th, 2006
in Review and Concert.
I just turned 40 on the 5th of September and to celebrate my friend Joe and I, who turned 40 the day after me, went to Maxwell’s in Hoboken on the 6th. We started going to Maxwell’s back in the mid-eighties after we graduated high-school together. This is where we discovered numerous bands and developed most of our listening habits. Hands down our favorite act for many years were the Feelies. So when we heard lead guitarist Glenn Mercer was headlining a rare gig, we made it an excuse to celebrate our birthdays. Back in our salad days we always appeared to be the youngest in the crowds that attended Feelies shows. Looking around at the audience I said to Joe, “Well good thing we came here for our birthdays, now we don’t seem so old” because at 40, we still are in that youngest generation of Feelies’ fans.
Former Feelies bassist, Brenda Sauter opened the evening with her band Wild Carnation. The set contained mostly originals with Brenda on all the lead vocals. I have heard a couple tracks in the past on a website but never purchased their album. The tunes sounded very fresh and airy which I would compare their newly updated sound to Elf Power. Towards the end of her set she asked Dave Weckerman and Glenn to join her. They performed two staple Feelies covers, Neil Young’s “Powderfinger” with Dave on lead vocals (picture 2) and straight into Patti Smith’s “Dancing Barefoot” one of the few songs that Brenda actually sung with the Feelies.
Glenn Mercer was backed by his current band which he has been working on new material with Feelies percussionist and long-time collaborator Dave Weckerman. Also joining Glenn’s band is Vinny DeNunzio, the original Feelies drummer before the band had ever recorded. Along with brand new material that sounds incredibly sharp, Glenn mixed in Feelies classics such as “Doin’ It Again”, “It’s Only Life” and “Crazy Rhythms” as well as popular covers they used to play such as Television’s “See No Evil” and The Stooges “Real Good Time”. Although without Bill Million it would not be considered a Feelies reunion, this night came the closest since they broke up July 1991. The set was short lasting under an hour including 3 encore songs, but I am sure everyone was happy the evening ended early because it was a work night and we all need get our sleep, now that we’re over the hill.
Check out some songs on Glen Mercer’s & Wild Carnation’s MySpace Sites.
Read a biography on the Feelies which I contributed to on Rate Your Music.
