2006’s UK-based sensation The Go! Team is back for another go-around with its Sub Pop debut, Proof of Youth. Featuring more of the cheerleader-esque vocal chants, ’60s soul melodies, and guest spots from Chuck D and Marina from Bonde Do Role, the sextet is well on its way to the same praise of Thunder, Lightning, Strike. Proof of Youth is out September 11.
The length these two artists have traveled to evolve classical Indian music is astounding, so their reunion could only result in greatness. Anoushka Shankar, whose father, Ravi, introduced the entire genre to Western audiences, plays the sitar beautifully above Karsh Kale’s tablas. Along with the MIDIval PunditZ, Kale’s production hand is exceptional, as the classical pantheon converges with digital technology. Sting, Norah Jones, Vishal Vaid, and Kale himself layer the instrumentals with brilliant vocals. An inclusion of Chinese folk music and a dazzling display of the santur make this a globetrotting effort. True to their original intent, all boundaries dissolve on this masterpiece.
Animal Collective is secret languages and psychic messages, the sound of strange jam sessions lasting late into the night, the echoing of laughter over ancient stories, the wonder of sunrises watched together around the world. It’s hundreds of textures layering over each other to create nuances of feeling: the fuzz of a distortion trail suggesting a wisp of campfire smoke, vocal whorls spiraling ’round and ’round like a carnival carousel.
Another band might make this seem like a giant in-joke, but each Animal Collective album is an invite to enter the universe that longtime friends Avey Tare, Panda Bear, Deakin, and Geologist have been slowly crafting since they were in high school in Maryland.
Indeed, their current sound–and the creative process behind it–is just an evolution of the way they were doing things back then. “We would get into, like, horror-movie soundtracks but we didn’t know how people made [them],” recalls Geologist of his first sonic experiments with Avey Tare. “So it was like, ‘What could we find around the house that we could then effect to make it sound like this?’ I think our early experiments really stuck with me, just the idea that you can make up your own rules. Just find the sound that you’re looking for; don’t think about the process that other people have gone through. It’s more fun if you just figure it out for yourself.”
Avey Tare initially took clues from lo-fi indie-rock bands of the early ’90s, many of whom recorded to hand-held tape players or answering machines. “Guided by Voices or early Silver Jews recordings or early Pavement stuff was psychedelic to me, not in a cliché way, but as far as the sound quality and the echoes and stuff,” he recalls. “When I first started recording my own stuff, it seemed like, ‘Wow, [recording to tape] should sound crappier but it almost sounds better. The music just takes on its own personal quality.”
Tape is a prominent theme in Animal Collective’s history. The crew are all deeply fascinated by acts doing avant things with minimal means; Panda Bear name-checks White Noise’s 1968 tape-spliced pop album An Electric Storm as an eye-opener, while Deakin had his melon twisted by early Can, Residents, and Captain Beefheart records. No surprise that the four laid down their first material on four-tracks and eight-tracks, recordings that eventually spawned Panda Bear’s solo debut on Soccer Star and 2000’s Spirit They’re Gone, Spirit They’ve Vanished (Fat Cat), the collective’s first official album.
“When we were young, we didn’t really go out and party that much,” explains Avey Tare. “It was always just like, ‘Why don’t you come over and make music?’ That’s kind of just how we would hang out, and that’s why we do it the way we do it now.”
Members have dispersed to New York, Lisbon, and points beyond, but they recreate the jam-session vibes in tour rehearsals, writing songs that will get tested and fine-tuned while they’re on the road. These songs get practiced, but not endlessly, says Avey Tare. “We like to keep it a little bit looser–not loose like it doesn’t matter what we do, but just loose so it feels like there can be some openness, so the energy still feels real. There’s something about approaching a song for the first time, that’s a lot nicer for the stage than just beating a dead horse and playing the same song over and over again.”
On earlier albums, Animal Collective’s songwriting method occasionally produced a disorienting dinghy ride through unpredictable seas, with haphazard tempo changes and waves of squall pounding the sides of the boat. But Strawberry Jam, their most recent record, is a palms-outstretched collection of leftfield pop; recorded under the desert skies of Tucson, Arizona, it’s got more vocal meat and discernable choruses than previous efforts. It’s fantastical–not like elves and unicorns, but in the way that a few mushrooms on your morning toast could make you see the wonder in everything from terra firma to the teapot. It celebrates the magical in the real world, from the otherworldly samples of whales and walruses that Geologist contributes, to lyrics about food and fun and friends.
“[Our music] has to do with seeing the magic in life, but not in a fanciful way,” says Deakin. “All the things that make up your daily existence end up being pretty powerful.”
“Music, in general, is just a magical thing,” concurs Avey Tare. “Any time we’re making a record or making music together it kind of becomes this other fantasy world in itself. It’s kind of escapism. We want to take people away from reality.”
Germany-based minimal dub electronic artist Stefan Betke, who records as Pole, will release a remix collection in November featuring new versions of tracks from his March ’07 album Steingarten (~scape). Four limited-edition colored-vinyl 12″ singles, featuring some of the world’s most unique techno, electronic, and dubstep producers, will precede the CD version of Pole: Steingarten Remixes.
The first clear-vinyl single features remixes by Berlin-based producer and Perlon label head-honcho Dimbiman, along with one of his artists, Melchior Productions. Both are known for their deep and soulful minimal techno and house productions. Outstanding Detroit DJ and engineer Mike Huckaby offers a third remix, which ~scape spokesperson Barbara Presinger describes as “a massive dub techno rework.
Remix single Number Two is orange vinyl and features Canadian artists The Mole and Frivolous. Montreal’s The Mole is known for his dynamic live appearances at the Mutek festival and his singles on Wagon Repair and Revolver. Frivolous released his highly acclaimed debut album on ~scape in February ’07. His diverse approach to electronic music, which includes string arrangements and swinging jazz motifs, informs his take on Pole’s “Achterbahn.”
October and November will see two more singles. The third installment features Skull Disco, dubstep producer Shackleton, and Punch Drunk artist Peverelist. Canadian global-dub explorers Deadbeat and Ghislain Porier, as well as Monika Enterprise founder Gudrun Gut, re-imagine Pole’s music on the remix series’ fourth edition.
Pole Remixes 1 (Out September 21)
A1. “Pferd” Melchior Productions’ Zodiac Mix (7:37)
B1. “Achterbahn” Dimbiman Remix
B2. “D”
San Francisco-based production duo Rondo Brothers’ Seven Minutes to Midnight is whimsically eclectic, veering through a multitude of genres including hip-hop, rock, and dream-pop. Honing their craft since 2003, and working alongside folks like Dan the Automator, technical teammates Jim Greer and Brandon Arnovick create appealing songs with engaging arrangements throughout this 17-track suite. Some of the downtempo instrumentals, like “El Corazon,” aren’t too inspiring, but the intrigue factor kicks in with the dreamy “I Feel in Love.” These Brothers do their best to work it out, and the end result is a solid effort.
Anyone who’s heard me play this year will have heard at least four SpectraSoul tracks in every set. This production duo from the U.K. is killing me right now. Although every tune is quality, “Adoration” is the one for me on this EP; it’s a stripped-down roller with a monster bassline that smashes the dance. Watch out for these guys!
Simon Kealoha as Calika has absolutely no problem probing into the depths of electronic and acoustic possibilities. At once droning, rhythmic, and painstakingly experimental, “2 Quarters Make Half A Smile” will make any Aquarius Records’ shopper as excited as any post-rock super fan. Melody and arty sound collages rarely match up better.
Waxing poetic about the impending environmental crisis is common enough in Hollywood and the political arena, but electronic music is rarely found in the same sentence as phrases like “global warming,” “green lifestyle,” and “carbon neutral.”
Enter techno icon and head of Minus and Plus 8 Records, Richie Hawtin. A quick peek at the label’s site reveals the following message from the DJ and producer:
For the past 17 years, Plus 8, Minus, and myself as a performer have been part of the continued development of electronic music, a music that prides itself in always looking towards the future. So in the spirit of this tradition, I urge us all to look towards the future of our planet and make the necessary steps in our lives to ensure a bright and safe future for our next generations.
Not one to blabber away without backing up his statements, Hawtin has announced Minus’ plan to become a carbon neutral company, with the initial focus resting on artist travel and manufacturing practices.
Hawtin, in a recent press release, cites offsetting CO2 emissions from plane travel as one solution, as well as seeking other means of traveling to gigs (bus, train, bike, etc.). Minus has also implemented the practice of packaging releases in recycled, plastic-free materials and utilizing the digital realm as much as possible.
While these aren’t necessarily revolutionary tactics, the mere fact that a prolific and much-respected figure has spoken out on a topic rarely broached by the electronic music community is pretty heartwarming. So if you see the likes of Matthew Dear, Ricardo Villalobos, and Lindstrøm biking to their respective gigs, armed with CD promos packaged in paper, you’ll know electronic music is catching on to the trend. Let’s hope it does.
Jamaican national elections take place this week. Early, pre-election polling shows that Prime Minister Portia Simpson-Miller’s ruling Peoples National Party is trailing Bruce Golding’s Jamaica Labor Party by several percentage points.
The Marley Family’s Fifty Six Hope Road Music Limited estate filed a lawsuit against Universal Music Group and Verizon Wireless to counter an alleged, fraudulent agreement to utilize Bob Marley’s name, likeness, and image to promote ringtones.
Collie Buddz
Tony Matterhorn, Collie Buddz, Sean Kingston, Shaggy, and Stephen Marley have all been nominated in the Best Reggae Artist category for the UK’s 2007 Music of Black Origin (MOBO) awards. The MOBO Awards were launched in 1996, and over their 11-year history have become an important celebration of black music. Beenie Man and Sean Paul have both won the award three times. Other winners include Shaggy, Mr Vegas, Wayne Wonder, and Damian Marley.
Reggae singjay Anthony B drew crowds to Wildman Street in downtown Kingston to get a glimpse of his latest video for the single “Bad From Long Time” on 357 Records’ Street Vibes riddim. “It was a good shoot,” says the artist. “We did it at Wildman Street because it is a place where I always used to go to check Louie Culture and I had always wanted to do a video down there.”
Jamstar Productions’sLadies of Reggae: The Trinity Tour will feature live performances from premier female artists Marcia Griffiths, Diana King and another to be announced. The fall tour will stop in nine American cities starting in New York on October 18 and running through October 27.
The reunited Wailing Souls made their triumphant return after 23 years. All four members were at the world-famous Hollywood Bowl in Hollywood, California on August 12, with Burning Spear, Sly and Robbie, and a 17,000 capacity crowd. The group recently made a visit to Inner Circle’s state-of-the-art studio Circle House Studio in Miami and recorded a cover of The Police’s “One World” for an upcoming Shanachie Records tribute CD. Plans are now in the making for a new Wailing Souls album, followed by an extensive tour of North America, Europe and elsewhere.
Busy Signal
In the Jamaican charts this week: The Living Fire Chuck Fenda‘s single “Caan Cool” (Birchill) hit the number-one spot, followed by Anthony B’s “Tease Her” (Trinity 7), with deejay Busy Signal‘s “The Days” (Daseca) at three. The top-five is rounded out by long-standing hits “Back It Up” by Beenie Man (357) and RDX featuring Jigsy’s “Dance” (Apt 19). Also climbing: Mavado’s “Gully Side,” Pressure’s “Love & Affection,” and Daville’s “Give Thanks For What You’ve Got.”
Sphinx Records will release a new album by The Crown Prince of Reggae, the late-Dennis Brown, on September 4. The album, Dennis Brown With Friends, is produced by Brown’s old friend and colleague Joseph Williamson and features Luciano, Dean Fraser, Sugar Minott, Freddie McGregor, Joseph Benaiah, Screwdriver, Mark Wonder, and Benjy Myaz.
In other release news: Ras Shiloh releases his first full-length in five years, the Bobby Digital-produced Coming Home. Veteran act Israel Vibration’s new album Stamina is out now on Nocturne. On the hardcore dancehall tip: Gize Burrowes’ (a.k.a. 77Klash) Swarm riddim features Aidonia’s slick single “Ah You/Gal Bawl.”
I-Wayne
Soon come: Soprano roots singer I-Wayne releases his sophomore effort Book Of Life on VP November 2007. I-Wayne burst onto urban radio in 2005 with his fiery single “Can’t Satisfy Her” in heavy rotation at New York’s Hot 97. The new album covers domestic violence in “Jealousy and Abuse” (featuring the great Lady G); male and female intimacy in “Need Her in I Arms”; and worldwide divisions and anarchy in “Politics and Religion.”
What do great roots acts Barry Brown, Junior Reid, Wayne Jarrett, Cedric Myton & Congos, Bascom X, Gladiators, Viceroys, Triston Palma, and Midnite all have in common? You can hear them streaming 24/7 on one of the internet’s best reggae channels. 1.FM Reggae Trade with DJ SassoReggae. Based out of Brazil, the show is available in both broadband and dial-up streams, and is available on iTunes, Windows Media Guide, Real Radio Guide, SHOUTcast, and AudioRealm radio station listings. No memberships or log-ins required.
Catch more reggae news on Topix Reggae News’ RSS link and Nice Up’s RSS feed.
