TIGHT PHANTOMZ - CRAZY WHEN WET
3/5
Sounds like: Nightfool, TV On The Radio, Desperate Youths
Ninja fucking kicks, guitar throwing, and straight rock n roll, ZZ top style! Sounding like 70's and 80's rock and roll pulled from a swamp, Crazy When Wet brings so many riffs you may just choke on them.
- Peter Devito
MUSIC'S GOOD FOR: Answering your cell phone as your sexual partner is about to climax, stopping mid-thrust, excusing yourself, saying "Sorry, honey. Might be business."
More: southern.com/southern/band/TGHTP/
Common - Be
4/5 Sounds like: Mos Def, Talib Kweli, Raphael Saadiq, Lauryn Hill On his sixth solo album, Be, Common commands primo production with flawless urban storytelling to raise the bar for MCs far and wide. With superb socio-awareness and clutch cameos from Kanye West, Common's newest album reveals the most important hip-hop album of the year. His timeless narration and intelligent infusion of musical mastery offers a real-world relief from the iced out, gun-toting images of the modern hip-hop artist. Be comes at a time when consciously minded lyricists and alternative-rap styles are undoubtedly en vogue.
Since first spitting for mass distribution, Common has been a bit of a hip-hop chameleon. Initially known as Common Sense, his evolution has stretched from the typical 40 drinking, Cardhart-wearing rapper from his debut album, Can I Borrow a Dollar? into a Lacoste wearing, poor-boy (hat) sporting, vegan-mc who is now one of the most lyrically capable and clever rap-thinkers the genre has produced in recent years.
His 1994 sophomore effort, Resurrection - which is widely compared to Nas' Illmatic album because of the influence it had on rap - brought about his current style and formula. This is the same album that sported the joint "I used to love H.E.R.," which set sensitive with West Coast rappers Ice Cube and Mac Ten, among others. The now famous incident, subject of a segment in the popular rap DVD series Beef would later be squashed my Minister Louis Farrakhan.
In 2002, Common dropped his most creatively alternative and progressively aimed album to date, Electric Circus. The album, said to have been heavily influenced by his then girlfriend, Queen of neo-soul, Erykah Badu, abandoned Common's hardcore fans and offered a deeply innovative and experimental album that strayed from the substance of his previous albums.
Unfortunately, J.Dilla, a Detroit producer and long-time Common collaborator, got serious food poisoning while the two were working on the third track for the Be album. Subsequently, Common recruited Grammy-grabbing producer/mc Kanye West to take over reigns as executive producer. The end result is a masterpiece album that combines soulful, cool-jazz elements with socially reflective, inspirational lyrics into a funky-fresh formula for success.
On Be, Common creates a cross-cultural experience that units the divide between the gangster and b-boy elements in hip-hop. Even if he hasn't accomplished such serious feats, he has crafted a flawlessly creative and innovative album that rises from the ashes of an all too image concerned rap industry. Common finds himself at the door-step of super stardom and the beginning of a promising turning point for hip-hop.
- Matt Caputo
MUSIC'S GOOD FOR: Music's good for: Forget-ting the inside story of British rock's forgot-ten heroes.
MORE: www.common-music.com
THE NEW PORNOGRAPHERS - TWIN CINEMA
3/5
Sounds like: Neko Case, Dan Bejar (Destroyer), A.C. Newman.
VANCOUVER super group The New Pornographers continue Canada 's not so sinister plan to conquer the world with their beautifully crafted pop music. "Use It" contains brilliant harmonies and a driving piano that is much different from the carnival sound found on previous Pornographer's material, while "Three or Four" contains hard hitting drums and a rockier edge. Neko Case once again shows why she is not only one of the most attractive women in indie rock, but also one of the most talented.
- Tom Wilde
MUSIC'S GOOD FOR: [fart]
MORE: www.thenewpornographers.com
ASSHOLE PARADE - SAY GOODBYE
3/5
Sounds like: Pig Destroyer, Agoraphobic Nosebleed, A
Glimmering Sheen of Death and Decay, Of? cer Down
This band screams a lot and plays their music very fast and loud. I say the following because I think I should: What a bunch of assholes. Selected lyric not available.
- Rimjob Inquisition
MUSIC'S GOOD FOR: Reading the newspaper.
MORE: www.noidearecords.com
DEADBABY CUDDLEFEST - ITS TEMPER WOULD REMAIN
5/5
Sounds like: The Tony Danza Tap Dance Extravaganza, Sal
vadore Deli, Neutral Milk Hotel, Screaming Monkey Boner
IS there such a thing as an avant-punk supergroup? If so, Deadbaby Cuddlefest would define the term. Combine the dynamic growl of vocalist Haldis Ashby (formerly of Donald Suck), the blistering experimentalism of bassist Elvin Corbett, the psychedelic punk-thrum of guitarist Reeves Osmond (the fiendish duo behind Jerry's Kids), with the soupy, bulldozing drumbeat of Havyn Salvador (Pedro Martinez) and you get - well, something. It seems you get.Deadbaby Cuddlefest.
On paper, the band should never work. Corbett and Osmond play it West Coast style, never afraid to hit just the right discordant note, while Salvador 's restrained yet powerful beat hums like a third rail beneath it all. It's Ashby's voice that holds it all together, especially on tracks like, "William S. Burroughs's Lost Electronica Album [sic]," a twelve-minute genre-smasher always on the verge of tearing itself apart from inner tension.
"Horizontal Mambo Number 5," a dirge-like cover of the Lou Bega classic, is another standout track, skillfully reworking a bit of pop ephemera into what can only be described as a fractal soundscape rendering of Through The Looking Glass. A computerized Red Queen howls, "She can't do Addition! She can't do Subtraction! Can you do Division? Divide a loaf by a knife - what's the answer to that?" as Ashby's "Jump up and down go and move it all around / Shake your head to the sound" echoes like a Commandant's orders. That sound of rice paper cracking? Osmond slathered a microphone in honey, dropped it into an ant colony, and then recorded the results.
Its Temper Would Remain is by no means an easy listen, even for those who appreciate the other work of these artists. Deadbaby Cuddlefest is not so much a coherent group as a Frankenstein monster (or perhaps a hunchbacked Voltron) whose parts squirm and conflict against one another. Still, DbC's unique vision provokes even as it frustrates. Listen to them and know the future.
- Wendolyn Dowis
MUSIC'S GOOD FOR: Realizing that, in the past, US foreign aid has been ridiculed as generally unfocused and full of wasteful programs with unclearly defined goals.
MORE: www.deadbabiesforhire.co.uk
WEST HOLLYWOODCHEERLEADERS - S/T
3/5
Sounds like: Butthole Surfers, Candlebox, Master Haircare
WHEN I was in high school, I wanted to pack up and head to Hollywood . Basically, just to say fuck everything and fuck traditional life. I was going to write. A lot has changed since then, but when I listened to a song called "Nuclear Wings," I started thinking about it again. Just another motivational track from West Hollywood Cheerleaders. The ten disc album forced me to kick back and grab a beer. I didn't have any "cocaine in the drawer," but I suppose if I did I would have done it all and caught a nose bleed.
- Josh Fedorski
MUSIC'S GOOD FOR: Thrashing, going to a cir-cus, leaving injured, but peaceful.
MORE: www.whcheerleaders.com
MOGGS - THE WHITE BELT IS NOT ENOUGH
2/5
Sounds like: Fugazi, Blonde Redhead, Sonic Youth,
Erase Errata
THE White Belt Is Not Enough most likely will not appeal to you . I became frustrated while listening to The White Belt Is Not Enough, because as soon as I came across a frantic dance ? oor ?ller like "Disco," I was confronted with a rambling, pointless instrumental. I received more enjoyment from reading the tracklist and noticing there was a song titled "Interglacial Marriages" than I did actually listening to the song.
- P.Divi.
MUSIC'S GOOD FOR: Immersing yourself completely into spiritual psychology, then crafting a new line of premium organic hair care products - hairspray, hair gel, hair soap - that ooze The Essence of GodT into your hands, your hair, your being.
MORE: www.moggs.com
DJ SMI - I DARE YOU TO MAKE LOVE TO THIS
5/5
Sounds like: IOne of the best mix tapes you've ever heard
SMI : "Think of this like a storybook for adults. that are naked. Light some candles, roll and L, place some wine and fresh seedless grapes on the bed stand and press play." Selected Tracks: DJ Shadow, "Fixed Income"; Viktor Sjorberg, "Sluta Snaka"; George Duke, "Foosh"; De La Soul, "Do The Damn Thing"; Gorillaz, "Slow Country"; A Tribe Called Quest, "Jazz (We've Got It"; John Coltrane / Wilbur Harden, "Oomba". 30 tracks total. Get it.
- Herbert Grocery-Store
MUSIC'S GOOD FOR: Other than sex? Shit, driv-ing? Dancing? Relaxing? Smoking herb? Walking down East Carson Street with your headphones on, listening to this at full volume, pretending the world is passing you in slow-motion? Whatever. Anything.
MORE: www.swig-art.com AND MORE: www.720records.com
THE LIFE AND TIMES - SUBURBAN HYMNS
5/5
Sounds like: Failure, Autolux, Engine Down and, uh, Shiner
BAND names are merely convenient.
In the case of any good songwriter that lies at the core of said band, the music is a reflection of that individual. The Life and Times simply stands as a chronological reference for vocalist/guitarist Allen Epley, the same guy who gave us the superb Kansas City outfit Shiner. If you'venever heard them, go listen to them. Do it now.
Epley's career has been solidly established among indie-lore. On this new album, with a new supporting cast backing him up, Epley continues to craft brilliant rock music. His easily distinguishable voice is both soothing and foreboding. Not to mention his signature guitar work, twisting, floating, and stabbing its way through each song, blending elements of Radiohead, Shudder to Think, Chavez, and Hum.
- Z.B.
MUSIC'S GOOD FOR: Amassing an impression collection of stamps.
MORE: www.thelifeandtimes.com
MOMMY & DADDY - DUEL AT DAWN
4/5
Sounds like: Scarlet Soho , The Homosexual Agenda, Mon
Frere, Sally, Bible of the Devil
NYC'S Mommy and Daddy follow up their recently released Fighting Style Killer Panda EP with Duel At Dawn, a much darker and melodic effort that elevates them to a higher level. Is Duel At Dawn complicated? No. Dramatic? No. Fun as hell? Yes. Please remove the Radiohead and Bright Eyes from your stereo and realize your life is nowhere near as painful as victims of unimaginably destructive flooding. Stop being a drama queen and dance!
- P.Divi
MUSIC'S GOOD FOR: Dancing in the forest.
MORE: www.mommyanddaddy.com
ADAM EVIL & THE OUTSIDE ROYALTY - .AND IT LURCHED FROM THE HEAVENS: THE GREATEST MUSIC EVER CREATED BY MAN
FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF FFFFFF
Sounds like: T-Rex, David Bowie, The Rolling Stones
WHEN asked how they were able to achieve such an immaculate recording of their debut album, Adam responded "the entire record was composed, tracked, mixed and mastered in the nude; modern clothing emits subsonic vibrations that have been proven to corrupt the integrity of analog tape as well a most digital media. This can't be argued with - I read it in a scienti?c journal!" CD release 9-16 in NYC.
- Adam Evil
MUSIC'S GOOD FOR: Realizing that you needn't hear music ever again, because melodic perfection has already crossed your ears. And it was good.
MORE: www.adam-evil.com
PELICAN - THE FIRE IN OUR THROATS WILLBECKON THE THAW
4/5
Sounds like: Isis , Mouth of the Architect, Sabers
WITH a distinct blend of doom, metal, and progressive rock, this Chicago band is starting to garner plenty of attention for their instrumental heaviness. And with this new album - a monumental body of work: 7 tracks, 6 of which clock in at over 6 minutes
- Pelican has fully developed an ability to build a skyscraper from a pile of bricks, droning, buzzing, humming, crunching and raging their way into a consistent sound only fairly described as ominous.
- Z.B.
MUSIC'S GOOD FOR: good lord, what isn't this good for? Sewing, maybe.
MORE: www.hydrahead.com/pelican |
