Produced by Lee Perry during his Black Ark era, The Congos’ 1977 debut Heart of the Congos is a must-have for reggae fans. After being approached by The Congos’ Cedric Myton, the folks at Blood and Fire wisely chose “The Fisherman” from that classic to feature in its one-rhythm series. For serious fans, this release features 22 different artists’ interpretations of the “Fisherman” rhythm, plus remixes of the original and dub track. Organized into two discs, roughly according to the artists’ ages, the versions stick close to the spirit of the original, with newcomer Lutan Fyah bringing the most heat (“Whitewash Walls”) and vets like Gregory Isaacs providing context (“Spot and Beat the Bank”).
SCSI-9 The Line Of Nine
Moscovite minimalists Anton Kubikov and Maxim Milutenko have long been pillars of Russia’s underground dance scene, but it wasn’t until Kompakt included their 2003 break-out hit “All She Wants Is” on the taste-making Total 5 comp that the duo gained international notoriety. The Line Of Nine sees the techno twosome return with a gorgeously nuanced and hypnotic collection of lounge-y, 4/4 thumps that, despite never deviating from the midtempo range, prove deceptively diverse. Weaving an array of delicate, fluttering melodies through each of the album’s 12 tracks, the duo builds on the trance-tinged melancholy and airy elegance served up on last autumn’s On The Edge EP (all three tracks thankfully present here), patching pastoral pop, smoky seduction, and icy thrust into a surprisingly vibrant, multi-hued tapestry.
Peaches Impeach My Bush
She’s hairy, trashy, and oh-so-clever-and she’s got a political streak to match the best of ’em. It’s hard to resist the self-proclaimed “Queen of the Electro-Clap,” and Impeach My Bush, Merrill Nisker’s third full-length, reminds us why: Peaches’ dry, fly, steely wit wins you over while catchy punk hooks keenly package her words. Impeach embraces more rock ‘n’ roll than previous releases-check the soaring guitar riffs on “Boys Wanna Be Her”-which makes sense, since Peaches has admitted to holding Joan Jett in the highest regard. It‘s Peaches’ humor that keeps her sexy camp fresh: On “Fuck or Kill” she proclaims, “I’d rather fuck who I want than kill who I am told to.” Ya gotta love a pimp.
The Broken Keys Gravity
Ben Lamdin (Nostalgia 77) and Nathaniel Pearn (Natural Self) join forces to mend The Broken Keys. Gravity hails the crackling, juicy, grand-ole funk and soul of the ’60s and ’70s with a straight-up acid trip of organs, horns, and guitar feedback. It’s pure time warp with all the glories of pre-dawn hip-hop breaks and jazz-fused riffs-in fact, it’s scary how well two 21st century white boys from London have recreated 1976 Philly funk! “Slingshot Part 1” and “Slingshot Part 2” are straight-up b-boy anthems while “The Invisible” is right out of the movie Black Caesar. In the words of Wild Cherry: “Lay down that boogie and play that funky music ’til you die.”
AWOL One The War of Art
Tony Martin (a.k.a. AWOL One) is a staple in L.A. hip-hop culture. Part of the influential Shape Shifters crew, he brings together a top-breed collective of producers (J-Zone, Grouch of Living Legends, DJ Rhettmatic) and MCs (KRS-One, 2Mex, Eyedea of Rhymesayers) to create a flow of quality rhymes over quality beats. It isn‘t a surprise, with AWOL One’s track record, that this veteran hip-hop soldier is decorated as an “overlooked rap phenomenon,” a statement clearly addressed in the single “Get By.” Overlooked or not, The War of Art is an undeniable battle cry that Awolrus ain‘t going nowhere.
Baron Zen At the Mall
An unlikely release for a hip-hop label, At the Mall collects Baron Zen’s “DIY ’til you die” punk rock from the Bay Area, circa 1989. Strummed and sung by Sweet Steve, with dysfunctional drums programmed by Peanut Butter Wolf (oh, now you get it?), At the Mall is a 14-track homage to jaded suburban teens drinking spiked Orange Julius and stealing Joy Division cassette tapes and comic books. The band’s cover of Katrina and the Waves’ 1985 classic “Walking on Sunshine” sums up the entire album. Suburbia sucks, but the boredom forces you to get fiercely creative.
Various Artist Made in Brasil
The recent baile funk fever might lead to the conclusion that that’s all Brazilian music has to offer. Nothing could be further from the truth, and that‘s what WordSound’s head scout Skiz Fernando found out when he spent a couple of months in Rio. Remember that this is Brasil with an “s,” and all types of the country’s music are pushed forward. The swinging acoustic guitar on BNegão’s “No Hay,” Dom Negrone’s mix of hip-hop and samba (“O Povo Que Vibra”), Mamelo Sound System riding the Stalag riddim on the dub-hop “Liri Sista,” and Digitaldubs’ mixture of dancehall and Afro drums on “Arrego” all add up to future visits to the favela from Diplo and friends.
Douglas Coupland’s JPod
Vancouver’s Douglas Coupland defined youth in the early ’90s with works like Generation X and Shampoo Planet, coaxing deeper meanings from a tech-obsessed generation’s collective neuroses. Nearly 15 years later, Coupland faces the question: Will he become obsolete, or merely retro, like some adored but aging game console from childhood?
The author’s latest, JPod (Bloomsbury; hardcover, $24), clearly challenges his ability to stay current. A self-proclaimed update on Microserfs, Coupland’s 1995 look at computer-industry drones, Jpod revisits familiar themes, chronicling six 20-something videogame coders looking for spiritual nourishment while building a corporate-controlled skateboarding game.
In many ways, it’s information overload. Never missing a chance to riff on trends and technology, the author relishes the chance to intelligently toy with marijuana co-ops, fast-food mascots, Chinese industry, and even Douglas Coupland, inserting a slightly sadistic take on himself–Charlie Kaufmann-style–into the novel. In an interview on the official Jpod website, he claims the self-inclusion is his response to Google and online archives that won’t disappear. But the whole novel reads like a response from an all-powerful search engine–it’s a set of searchword-connected storylines that cover exceptional amounts of cultural ground with very little depth. It all seems rushed and slightly shallow–then again, maybe that is the cultural zeitgeist, something Coupland has always captured.
Asobi Seksu On Tour
Still riding the wave of success that’s followed their sophomore album Citrus, released earlier this year, New York’s Asobi Seksu embarks on a tour that will keep the band busy through most of the fall. If you can’t wait until September to see this quartet’s twisted version of atmospheric rock live and up close, catch them on their home base in New York at the end of the month.
Tour Dates
7/30: Brooklyn, McCarren Park Pool
9/14: Boston, Tufts University
9/15: Ithaca, Cornell University
9/16: Buffalo, Soundlab
9/17: Ottawa, Babylon
9/19: Montreal, Green Room
9/20: Toronto, Horseshoe
9/21: Detroit, Lager House
9/22: Chicago, Schubas
9/23: Milwaukee, Cactus Club
9/24: Minneapolis, 400 Bar
9/26: Calgary, HiFi Club
9/27: Canmore, Canmore Hotel
9/28: Vancouver, Media Club
9/29: Anacortes, Department of Safety
9/30: Seattle, Chop Suey
10/1: Portland, Holocene
10/4: Santa Cruz, The Attic
10/5; Costa Mesa, Detroit Bar
10/6: Los Angeles, The Echo
10/7: San Diego, Beauty Bar
10/10: Tuscon, AZ Plush
10/12: Denver, Hi Dive
11/11: San Francisco, Riottt Festival
Out Now: Hierocast Episode V
In the ever-changing podcast evolution Hiero Imperium leads the pack, and this month’s edition of the Hierocast goes lengths to prove that. Hosted by Opio (Souls of Mischief), the podcast contains not just tracks from the likes of Casual, O.C., and Pigeon John, but also gives fans several opportunities to interact.
Previous to the release of this edition fans were able to submit their questions via message board to Opio, and between songs he answers these queries that range from the serious (What producers would you like to work with in the future?) to the ridiculous (Who would win in a fight between Tajai and Pep Love?).
Listeners also get the chance to win an iKEY portable USB recorder, which allows a user to record digital audio directly to any MP3 player. All you have to do is head over to the Hieroglyphics website and answer a few questions.
Hierocast Tracklisting
A Plus “Patna Please” (from the forthcoming album My Last Good Deed)
Opio “Granite Earth” feat. Pigeon John (from the album Triangulation Station)
Casual “Bitin & Freakin'” (from the album Casual Presents: Smash Rockwell)
O.C. “Shortly” (from the album Smoke and Mirrors)
Opio “For Those Who Don’t Know” (from the album Triangulation Station)
