Tobias Lilja Time is on My Side

Tobias Lilja’s sophomore album brings to mind the term “ambient emo.” There have been few proponents of the subgenre because it isn’t easy to execute without sounding ridiculous. In fact, it takes great poise: David Sylvian, Martyn Bates, and Mark Hollis all predate Time Is on My Side‘s chilling torch songs. Lilja’s voice may not be as pliable and emotive as those esteemed singers, but he does convey undeniable sincerity and acute pain through his woeful lyrics. Lilja conjures tundras of synth flourishes laced with skeins of guitar and violin, and their amorphous ache will chill you to tears.

Turbulence Do Good

You might recognize his signature exclamation (bu-bloh!), but reggae sing-jay Turbulence is not as well-known as contemporaries Sizzla, Anthony B, or Capleton, even though he’s released a dozen albums in half as many years. But creative productivity in reggae frequently means quality control goes out the door. Not the case on Do Good, as German producer Brotherman gathers Dean Frasier, Horsemouth Wallace, and other top-flight live musicians at Jamaica’s Tuff Gong studio to guide this offering. Brotherman’s rootsy one-drop riddims match Turbulence’s strong, arcing timbre like a colorful bobo turban. It’s good reggae done great!

Various Artists Dr. Lektroluv: Live Recorded at Extrema Outdoor 2006

Belgian DJ Dr. Lektroluv obviously knows how to keep a crowd from getting bored: Recorded at the Dutch Extrema Outdoor festival-obviously!-this is a quick-moving, hour-plus set of banging electro that never lingers for long on any one track. With programming that mixes Etienne de Crecy, The Cure (remixed by Digitalism), and Cajmere with Dada Life and Cajuan, the result is relentless and hard-edged, always driving to the next track. If you didn’t make it out to the Netherlands last year, let this be incentive for a trip in 2007.

Tinariwen Aman Iman

With fans ranging from Carlos Santana and Robert Plant to Thom Yorke, this band of Tuareg blues musicians from the Malian desert has turned local fame into international acclaim. This third record (translated: “water is life”) is a brilliantly executed collection of electric guitars swirling amidst handclaps, background percussion, and the effervescent chants and vocals of their revolving cast of characters. At its center, vocalist/guitarist Ibrahim Ag Alhabib-whose history deserves a book of its own-growls and harmonizes with such passion that any intrigued mind will quickly open. The depths of African blues meet amplified rock ‘n’ desert soul throughout.

Thes One Lifestyle Marketing

In 1969, German-born composer Herb Pilhofer helped launch the first digital recording studio in the States. On Lifestyle Marketing, People Under the Stairs’ producer Thes One fittingly canonizes Pilhofer for his unique vision, but mostly for his catalog of distinctive, synthesizer-tinged commercial jingles. On the first of Lifestyle‘s two CDs, Thes utilizes tasteful loops and crisp, reverberating beats to celebrate Pilhofer’s flowery compositions. MCs are hardly missed on the light, flowery “Target,” powered by Thes’ stuttering string snippets and mid-tempo breaks, but the muffled choral samples that linger in “GBX Malt Liquor” beg for beer-muscled, boast-heavy verses. The second disc is a rundown of Thes’ carefully selected favorite Pilhofer jingles as they originally appeared, swathed in Moogs and textured multi-part harmonies. When it’s not inspiring inevitable cravings for “Crystal Sugar” and “Grain Belt Beer,” Lifestyle Marketing can be an elegant instrumental experience.

Mando Diao Releases Ode to Ochrasy

Given that the name of their band came to them in a dream, it comes as no surprise that the title of Swedish group Mando Diao’s third album, Ode to Ochrasy, similarly refers to dreamlike states. “Ochrasy” denotes the grey area between dream and reality, specifically, the time experienced after the after-party and before the next day. The record itself deals thematically with the title, while musically it strolls down the band’s familiar path of garage rock and mystical, psychedelic influence.

Previously garnering plenty of attention from the likes of Rolling Stone, Filter, and Magnet, the band has remarkably updated their approach with Ochrasy. Friend and retro-psych hipster Bjorn Olsson helped the group renew their focus on the concept of the album, encouraging them to view it as a fractal whole, rather than merely the sum of its parts. Taking Olsson’s suggestions to heart, the band produced the album themselves.

Having toured from Europe to Japan with bands like Hellacopters, Kent, and The Bravery, Mando Diao is ready to come to the US for an extensive Spring tour, including an appearance at the South By Southwest festival in Austin, TX.

Ode to Ochrasy is out April 24, 2007 on Mute.

Tracklisting
1. Welcome Home Luc Robitaille
2. Killer Kaczynski
3. Long Before Rock’n’roll
4. The Wildfire
5. You Don’t Understand Me
6. Tony Zoulias
7. Amsterdam
8. TV & Me
9. Josephine
10. The New Boy
11. Morning Paper Dirt
12. Good Morning Herr Horst
13. Song for Aberdeen
14. Ochrasy

Various Artists Triple R: Selection 5

Trapez Records boss Riley R. Reinhold is one of the best-connected DJs in the technosphere. That fact, plus his unerring ear for killer choons, makes his mix CDs overflowing banquets for 4/4 aficionados. Selection 5 maintains the tradition, as Triple R cherry-picks quality jewels from an international roster of elite producers (Jeff Samuel, Alex Under, N™ze) and dazzling newcomers (Rico Püstel, SLG, Sandiego). The Selection series generally nixes rowdy anthems in favor of headier, mid-tempo, boom-tsss fare and inventive textural quirks. Nevertheless, these 20 tracks will definitely generate serious body heat. Add another “R” to Riley’s moniker-reliable.

Various Artists Urban Club Africa: Hip Hop Dancehall and Kwaito

Out/Here seeks to give wider exposure to the raw, grassroots sound of contemporary urban Africa, as opposed to the adulterated, internationally minded material that is foisted on us as “world music.” As the latest installment is a sort of label sampler, drawn mostly from past and upcoming releases and focusing on the most danceable cuts, it’s not quite as compelling as earlier Out/Here discs, but is still miles ahead of the competition. High points include Senegalese female hip-hop group Atif, Kenyan duo Necessary Noize, Ghanaian hip life from VIP, and upfront gangsta styling from Liberia’s Scientific.

Various Artists Freshly Composted Vol. 2

For their 250th release, Compost, one of Europe’s most consistent and crucial dance labels, has paired rare tracks previously available only on 12″ with staples from the label’s current roster. Aside from critical cuts like Muallem’s cosmic edit of The Droids’ “Shanti Dance,” and Marsmobil’s thump-heavy lounger “Mangia Amore,” the extended remixes will send listeners into a sonic abyss. Need evidence? With Carl Craig’s 10-minute take on Beanfield’s “Tides,” and the paranormal Todd Terje take on Felix Laband’s “Whistling in Tongues,” it’s obvious the label deserves some hefty credit. In addition to the outer-orbit obscurities, there are a slew of nu-jazz and hip-hop contributions from acts like Harvey Lindo, Soil & Pimp, and Ben Mono, making Freshly Composted Vol. 2 as diverse as it is dynamic, offering treats for b-boys, disco freaks, and club kids simultaneously.

Various Artists Afterhours 3

This packed three-CD set unfolds slowly and languidly, without getting sleepy. The first disc, labeled “Organic,” features tracks like the sleek house of Tosca’s “Superrob.” Disc Two (“Electronic”) features Carl Craig’s winding “A Wonderful Life,” Cerrone’s disco classic “Supernature,” and Gus Gus’s warm “Moss.” And the final, lone, unmixed disc (“The Future”) takes a much darker approach, anchored by Nick Galea & Native’s “Dropped.” This is the kind of after-hours music that’s more than just the sonic wallpaper of far too many chill-out compilations.

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