Does the world really need another live Peter Tosh album? Yes, rasta. Talking Revolution distills the original Wailer‘s fiery essence into one crucial package and two discs (one electric, one acoustic), spotlighting not only Tosh‘s talent but also his penchant for outspoken controversy. The speech he gives in the middle of a rousing 12-minute romp “Burial” is as jaw-dropping a listen today as it was in 1978, and from the opening “Igziabier” to the closing medley of “Legalise It/Get Up Stand Up” (both of which appear unplugged and separately on disc two), there‘s literally never a dull moment. The band‘s on fire and so is Tosh, who uses the occasion (the One Love World Peace concert) as his own personal pulpit to demand equal rights and justice for all.
The Procussions Up All Night
The set-up: one night, one mic, one studio, live drums, live Fender Rhodes, J-Skills of the Sound Providers (a.k.a. Stro the 89th Key) on the kit, the keys and the boards, and a few guests invited for a late night jam session, complete with freestyles and (presumably) Heinekens and hydro aplenty. Basically, if you like The Roots (up to Illadelph Halflife), Breakestra, Project Blowed, Freestyle Fellowship, Roy Ayers, or Dr. Lonnie Smith, you‘ll be in love with The Procussions, who nail that mellow old-school soul-jazz vibe right down to the yellowed, faded album art. Up All Night isn‘t an especially danceable project, but it‘s as comfortable as a familiar couch for those blissful chill out sessions.
Pelican The Fire In Our Throats Will Beckon The Thaw
Before metal hardens and becomes rigid and unyielding, there is a point during its manufacturing when it takes the form of a slowly moving, blistering liquid. This is the sound of Pelican. While comparisons to metal bands like Isis and Dysrhythmia are occasionally appropriate, this talented Chicago instrumental quartet fabricates a much thicker and melodic form of post-rock more akin to Austin‘s Explosions In The Sky and sometimes channeling the awesome guitar drone of short-lived Windy City heroes Hum (“Stars”). Marked by seven epic tracks of constantly morphing dynamics, The Fire in Our Throats… is yet another triumphant interpretation of classical music catered specifically for the aging mosh pit-and-devil-horns set.
Various Artists Pulver Records Label Compilation 02
Partially obscured by the ascendancy of minimal techno and micro-house in Germany‘s dance underground, Stuttgart‘s Pulver Records has boldly forged onward over the last four years with a trademark sound fusing the Latin-informed jazz signature of Compost with the vigorous digital breaks of Kompakt. Mainstays like Inverse Cinematics and Dutch Rhythm Combo offer up cuts that further blur the divide between fractured dub, out-there jazz and electrified breaks. Big, bright and shimmering in an organic sheen, Pulver once again shows the world another side of German groove.
DJ Phantasy, Shodan & UK Apache I Say, You Say
OK ravers, get out your lighters, whistles, and horns-mek me see some signal! A strictly red light ragga MC track from Phantasy and Shodan, with UK Apache chatting pure party lyrics: “If them coming in tough/we coming in tougher/should a never test/the Original Nuttah.” It‘s madness laid over moody David Axelrod samples and a buzzing hornet bassline. To be honest, d&b has been in a rut and it needed an anthemic jump-up track like this to shake things up.
Drumsound & Bassline Smith Smokers Anthem
Drumsound & Bassline Smith don‘t let up for a minute with their ruthless hardstep output, which rarely wavers from their patented aggressive, bouncy two-step sound. This duo knows their way around both overdriven synths and massively compressed drums. While “Grand Theft Auto 2” sounds like Kurt Cobain‘s guitar riffs over a hard drum track, while “Smokers Delight”-with its “Under Mi Sensi” reggae sample and round, rubber-dub bass lick-inspires nuff one-foot skankin‘.
Capone Style Baby
Capone tracks are, in a word, brutal. They‘re also relentless, distinctive and push the limits of the volume threshold. No wonder DJs like Andy C, Mampi Swift, and Grooverider rinse Test plates with regularity. While “Style Baby” pulls no punches (the trademark compressed drums and overdriven bass will tear lesser speaker cones to shreds), the surprise A-side tune “No Food,” which opens with melodic jazz Rhodes chords, unfolds as a bass-driven sub roller. Think Krust‘s Full Cycle and V output and you get the idea. Another Test triumph.
Dooley-O Soaps
“I got reservations/dinner and a limo But your ass wanna stay home with Jay Leno/Watching re-runs of Ricki Lake/You‘d be the first one to go on Elimi-date…” Yes, Dooley-O‘s talking about women who watch too much TV. And he‘s hungry! “Instead of making a steak/you were Making The Band…” It‘s a humorous send up with a serious side: “The idiot box is tearing us apart.” Take that UPN, MTV and Fox! B-side “Monday Night” is a superb battle rap that recalls classics by Kool G Rap & Polo or Big Daddy Kane.
Eraldo Bernocchi + Harold Budd Music For Fragments From The Inside
Originally recorded as the musical accompaniment to PM Koma‘s video installation of same name, Fragments is an equally powerful experience out of context. Budd‘s subdued chording and stripped down structures engage the ebb and flow of Bernocchi‘s subliminal texturing, elastic vocal splices and sparse percussive programming with a cool, haunting touch. The tracks, named by number, incorporate elements of dub, jazz and even trip-hop, but only as a mild reference point in an otherwise amorphous daydream. Image-evoking in its own solemn state, Fragments is a projection of virtual light through the mind‘s eye.
Solu Music Affirmation
Giving deep house a healthy dose of fresh, soul-driven innovation, NYC‘s Dano Nathanson and Howie Caspe slide their debut album over to us like a beautifully garnished cocktail. Kai Martin‘s silken vocals caress the album‘s perfectly balanced instrumental flow, weaving effortlessly between the funk-fueled bumpery of “Can‘t Help Myself” and “Just Don‘t Know” to the beautiful, melancholy depths of “It Ain‘t Love” and “Blvd.” The superb keys, thoughtful lyrics and percussive zest found on Affirmation get upgraded even further with Dano‘s wide-ranging guitar presence, adding tremendously to the album‘s live energy. Seductive and smooth, Affirmation goes right to your head.
