After the punchy “You Got the Style” hit on the island, UK art-pop tarts Athlete found a keyboardist and matured to album-length priorities on Vehicles & Animals. On this album, “Refuse put to good use” cover art gives way to Pavement-inspired, Victor [Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, PJ Harvey] Van Vugt-produced smart noodling. Spare trip-hop beats and light guitar underline vocals that wouldn’t be out of place in a pub singalong. Song subjects range from light (the title track addresses playtime) to not-so (“Style” tackles the 2001 South London race riots). Vehicles & Animals is an innocuous set list for those that dig UK bounce-and by that we mean the Pogues with Zoloft and better teeth.
Dykehouse Chainsmoking
How does one categorize shoe-gazing, humorous, fun, hooky, bouncy rock that has a slight electro overtone? You don’t, you just drop the needle and wallow in the gorgeous, unselfconscious grooviness of both sides of this sterling 45. File between The Undertones, The Ramones, Fischerspooner and Wire.
Mixel Pixel Rainbow Panda
On their third album, NYC trio Mixel Pixel unloads trippy electro-folk that plunges mercilessly into your bewildered brain with schizophrenic emotion. From happy, bubbly Japanese-style pop ditties to nervous, livid meat grinders, Rainbow Panda nonetheless flows with tasteful shrewdness; that is, when Mixel Pixel isn’t taking pride in being charmingly annoying. Most tracks mix the blips and bleeps of familiar ’80s videogames with a psychedelic landscape of folk rock, quirky guitar changes, lo-fi electronic beats and goofy lyrics. Think the punk of Joy Division fused with the haunting oddness of Roller Skate Skinny or Mercury Rev. Then add some LSD and Nintendo to the mix. Ka-blam!
Entre R?os Idioma Suave/Sal
Argentinean trio Entre R?os likes it soft, silky and heart-tugging. Their music is so charming and cute yet melancholy all at once, you almost can’t take it. Both Idioma Suave and Sal were originally released in Europe on Elefant Records, in 2002 and 2003 respectively, but Darla couldn’t resist licensing these avant-garde pop gems for the States (adding bonus tracks and .mpeg videos). While Sal is more developed, both chug tenderly with minimal beats, digital glitches and fluffy melodies. But it’s Isol’s refreshingly beautiful Spanish singing that triggers a profoundly childlike emotion between pleasure and dismay, spawning pure solace and gentle relief.
Glenn Branca Lesson No. 1
No one has fused the structures of classical music with the raw energy of rock as successfully as No Wave pioneer Glenn Branca. This latest in a series of excellent Branca-related reissues on Acute Records resurrects the 1980 classic Lesson No. 1. In addition to the two pieces from the original record (the chugging, minimalist title track and the sublimely brutal “Dissonance”), the reissue includes a lesser-known work called “Bad Smells.” Written for choreographer Twyla Tharp, it’s a slice of angular post-funk writ elephantine. Also included is a QuickTime video of a live performance of the Branca epic “Symphony No. 5,” with an exultant composer conducting. Essential.
Taylor Deupree January
This inaugural release on the Japanese label Spekk features one of North America’s best exponents of digital minimalism and the founder of the 12k imprint. In spite of some new touches (the micro-fragmented vocals by Japanese sound artist Sawako, for instance), the five tracks that make up this disc do not mark a radical departure for Deupree, representing instead a gradual evolution of his very particular aesthetic. As always, the execution is impeccable, as Deupree makes the most of a small number of finely crafted sounds. Not groundbreaking, perhaps, but still quite lovely.
Deadbeat Something Borrowed, Something Blue
Triumphant yet downcast, understated yet epic-these are the contradictions to be found in Deadbeat’s music. Deadbeat, (Montreal’s Scott Monteith) is a dub minimalist who creates anthemic tunes from the digital detritus of found sound recordings. His ghostly frameworks are both resonant with emotion and strangely lacking in substantive quality at the same time. Rim shots echo like double images in a hall of mirrors as the bass pours forth from the speakers in waves. It’s all too common to immerse yourself in a Deadbeat track and realize eight minutes into it that it seems as if only a moment has passed.
Calibre Highlander
Calibre is the man of the moment and this single proves the rep is well justified. “Highlander” is on a dubby rollin’ lick; a heavy bassline grooves nicely with some clever percussion work to compliment the straight-patterned Amen break. The flip, “Mr. Maverick,” starts with a nice string section that builds up nicely into a heavy bassline drop using the much-loved Lyn Collins break. Serious release.
Laroque Goldfinger
This has been smashing the dancefloors for the last several months and is instantly recognizable by its massive “James Bond”-style breakdown and female vocals. This kicks in to an absolute stomper! The tune is simple but very effective; everything in the right place, all working together in harmony. Very different to his other releases-the man is versatile! One to watch.
Lunchbox Anyways
The Agriculture label’s been packing up and sending out treats from Brooklyn that are tricky in composition, complex in reference and totally listenable. With Anyways, Lunchbox (a mostly Swiss trio that includes DJ Olive) turns from fragile, gurgling, unidentifiable vocal snippets to thunderous African beats on the thinnest of wires; the resulting filigree of vinyl squawks, stutterstep samples and swaying funk is a tight, fine weave. Key track “Peanut Butter and Jelly” is anything but ordinary with its slurping beat and haunting, minor key lilt. Better than a thermos full of punch and a note from mom.
