From the opening hissy peck of Manhattan-based Finnish duo Dead Combo’s drum machine, it’s apparent this pair is locked in a suicide pact to resurrect Lower East Side sleaze, or at least look sweaty trying. Skintight leather and stained white cotton plastered to them, Dead Combo’s greasers hunch over a sputtering, squirrelly moog and a mauled guitar, both lurching sneers atop a glam-disco stomp as easily descending in to brooding murk. From the stuttering “You Don’t Look So Good” to a skuzzy, slashed-up cover of Bowie’s “Let’s Dance,” this stylized apocalyptic biker gang lets fly ricocheting rivets of searing see-saw squall that may not be as foot-forward as much of Output’s retro-tinged roster, but is as affecting as it is affected, nonetheless.
Q And Not U Power
Spaced between an equal number of EPs, the third full-length album by Washington D.C. trio Q And Not U, Power, would be better named “Nimble.” There is no brute strength exhibited, instead Power is 13 tracks of bobbing, buoyant dexterity. For the most part post-hardcore skronking yelps have been replaced by an elastic smelting of buffed synths, rounded kicks and bass runs, more cleanly kempt yet still bristly guitars and falsetto rather than fractured cries, though there is still sinewy angularity in the second half, specifically the ramping squeals of “X-Polynation” and Fugazi-ish call-and-response of “Book of Flags.” Q And Not U have not gone “New York,” though hints of Talking Heads and the DFA might be traceable in the powerfully epoxied jitters.
Ame Ame
Ame, je t’aime. Thanks for sticking to what you do best-electro-fied house deepness with more than a nod to Metro Area-and not following the current trend for albums to sound like eclectic DJ sets. Your deliberate builds, non-kitschy hand claps and subtle dashes of dub stylings are the stuff of early morning warehouse bliss, when only the dancers remain. Your murky mood on “Ojomo” may stall a bit, but the sexy chug of “Hydrolic Dog” and the restrained piano stabs on “Shiro” are tr»s magnifique. Two Germans with a French name, lovers of West End Records and Weather Report-whatever your contradictions, merci beaucoup for leaving them out of this stunningly straightforward album.
Siji God-Given
I’m gonna toss all the nu/neo/new prefixes and call this one simply a soul album. God Given is full of sweet harmonies and instantly memorable melodies all in service of Siji’s gorgeous tenor. Though his high ‘n’ tight vocal style recalls Al Green, Siji has written a thoroughly modern album, neither retro nor derivative. From sultry slow jams like “Heal” to loping mid-tempo gems like “Running Away,” God-given is a true gift of soul.
RA The Rugged Man Die Rugged Man Die
A Soundbombing regular whose mentally warped white boy style pre-dates Eminem by a half-decade, RA The Rugged Man is fully aware his shot at fame has passed him by. It’s just that he doesn’t give a fuck, or so he’d have you believe on “Lessons,” a blow-by-blow account of missed opportunities and unrealized purist aspirations (“I don’t want fans who don’t know who G Rap is.”). His first full-length to see release, Die Rugged Man Die isn’t the first one RA’s made, which is why this seriocomic tragedy featuring J-Zone beats and a guest appearance by the Bad Brains sounds so self-assured.
Shock G Fear Of A Mixed Planet
Fear of a Mixed Planet might be a reference to a classic Public Enemy record and “Weesom Hustlas” sounds like a re-make of EPMD’s “You’re a Customer,” but Digital Underground mastermind Shock G isn’t on any retro shit with his solo debut. Though eclectic to a fault, Fear nonetheless finds the producer/MC moving in a forward direction. “Cherry Flava’d Email” and “Cinnamon Waves” (which features DJ QBert and the record’s oddest moments) have the ’80s/Prince vibe their titles suggest, while “My Opinion” (with Numskull of the Luniz), “Who’s Clean” and “Fear of a Mixed Planet” form a triad of racial observations as seen by the mixed-race Shock.
Mr Vegas Pull Up
Jamaican singjay Mr. Vegas has been drastically underexposed in the American market until his breakout smash (and title track) on the Coolie Dance riddim, which spawned a summer of bangin’ remixes (the Culo feat. Lil Jon included herein). This is a smart move by Delicious Vinyl and Vegas because this flow will penetrate the reaches of Kansas with ease. The LP also includes “Bad Man”and “Under Mi Sensi,” both serious hits with big ups. Plenty of new material here brings the dancehall phenomenon deeper, and oh is he bashing ’em up. How can one man make a song about a Ninja motorcycle sound so cool?
Fila Brazillia Dicks
You either dig Fila’s formula, or you don’t. If you’re familiar, there’s hardly a letdown here, as the quadratic equations these blokes have coded are fully sourced for your enjoyment. But if you think downtempo is nothing more than a descriptor that we can swallow halfheartedly, over a cocktail, while internally connoting something more akin to Urban Outfitters’ music, this is not for you. What happens when good DJs make so-so producers? It’s never anything more then Lenny Kravitz’s warm shag carpet, it’s the infallibility of falling-when you never got up. This is Downtempo. And these guys are Dicks.
Various Artists Techno Division Vol. 4: Mixed By Chris Liebing
This double-disc mix from a most proficient techno turntablist rouses quite a squall, especially on disc two, which reminisces the deeply beatless yet unrelenting uteri pound of a Jeff Mills track: bottomless, rich, textured, ingressive. The proponents of overly proscribed minimalism that currently holds court over listeners and critics could learn a great deal from the acutely improvisational techniques of these pulsating oscillators. Track selections include Wink, Villalobos, Liebing and Dear, and all are perfectly subterranean.
Slowly Minute Tomorrow World
However clich» this sounds, Takahiro Chiba makes music children would love. This is not a judgement. Like Lullatone, Minotaur Shock, Dorine Muraille and his countryman and Childisc label-owner Nobukazu Takemura, the 24-year-old Sapporo resident reapplies the gentle, dreamlike sounds we associate with childhood into a context of disorienting repetition and disarming na‘vet». With acoustic guitar, laptop and a treasure chest of chiming samples, Tomorrow World is one of woozy charm. One that the parents of said children might do well to visit every now and again.
