The fourth in a series of CD/DVD combos put out by Time Out, this set concentrates on the city of Berlin. And if having âBerlinâ printed right on the front of the packaging wasnât obvious enough, the first track on the CDâDavid Bowieâs âHeldenâ, which is his German-sung version of âHeroesââdoes the trick. Compiled entirely by Ellen Allien, the compilation does a good job of creating a creepy and dark feel that is oh-so-German. The CD is a good mix of tunes that would serve as a good soundtrack for a David Lynch movie, including tracks from Plastikman and Terranova (featuring Tricky). And on the DVD, Ellen takes us to all of her favorite hot spots in Berlin, including a museum that currently has an exhibition of Japanese dildos, and the regionâs best known sex club: KitKatClub. Oh, man⊠I gotta check out a website real quick. Gotta run!
THE CAT EMPIRE â TWO SHOES (Velour Recordings)
I heard the first track off this album (âSlyâ) on a local radio station and was instantly hooked. Oddly enough, I received a press release for it the very next day and promptly put in my request for a review copy. Getting shit for free is great! Two Shoes is the sophomore release for this Australian sextet, and even though I hadnât heard of them before the Internet tells me their debut sold, like, a brillion copies. If this release is any indication of their first, I can see why. Thick in drums and bass lines, and peppered with more horns than the Devil himself possesses this release dips and dives in and out of soulful funk, ska, reggae, and even a bit of good olâ rock ânâ roll. Lead vocalist Felix Riebl has an amazing voice; it sounds as if he simply opens his mouth and the words just fall out onto the table. And the backdrop of sound created behind him is equally as amazing. The entire disc was recorded in Havana, Cuba, and itâs apparent as the influence of old-school Latin sound can be heard. Itâs a fun album, a feel-good album. And whatâs wrong with that? Nothing.
RATING: FOUR STARS
FISK INDUSTRIES â EPs AND RARITIES (Mush Records)
I had never heard of Fisk Industries before (also known as the London-based multimedia artist Mat Ranson), so I when I first received this release I wondered why this person I had never heard of before deserved a double-disc release collecting his unreleased EPs and rarities. What weâre given is some fairly interesting work that most easily falls into the category of electronica. The first disc collects two of Ransonâs EPs: 2003âs The Isle Of Wight and 2006âs 77 And Rising. The second disc gives us rarities also collected during this three-year timeframe. Is it good? Yeah, itâs not bad for someone I had never heard of before. But Iâm not sure if it deserves a two-disc collection of music that was created just a couple years back. Personally, I would have rather Ranson put his energy into something new instead of relying on the age-old trick of releasing old material with new packaging. Well-known musicians who have been around for decades and have paid their dues, maybe. Fisk Industries? Not so much.
RATING: TWO STARS
LODEN â VALEEN HOPE (Mush Records)
Straight outta Belgium, electronic artist Loden has created Valeen Hope, his debut full-length release. And yeah, releasing an album entirely on your own is a major feat. Unfortunately, itâs just kind of boring. The press release says itâs reminiscent of Airâs work. If theyâre talking about the yawnfest Air just released, they couldnât be more right. Electronica needs to be taken to the next level, much like hip-hop did years ago. Sadly, Loden will not be the person to take the genre that much-needed new step forward.
RATING: TWO STARS
This is exactly like the Berlin CD/DVD set, except instead of concentrating on Berlin itâs all about Los Angeles. The CD was put together by Stones Throw DJ Madlib, and features tracks from Prince Jazzbo, Quasimoto, and Madlib himself, among others. This set is much more urban, much more funky than the Berlin collection, and appropriately so. The DVD is hosted by Peanut Butter Wolf, whoâlike Ellen Allien on the Berlin collectionâtakes viewers around the city to show them some of his favorite spots. And while I agree with most of themâlike Amoeba Music and the Dresden RoomâI have to admit that Iâm disappointed in his support of Sunset Boulevardâs Standard Hotel. I had an âopportunityâ to stay at this Petri dish of L.A. filth a few years ago, and wouldnât suggest it to my worst enemy, let alone some poor, unsuspecting journalist. Goddamn Standard HotelâŠ.
RATING: FOUR STARS
A PAPER CUP BAND â MIDWESTERN POST-SARCASTIC (Bastard Folk Records)
Formerly known as Moorebeck Stellar, A Paper Cup Band picks up right where their first incarnation left off. Imagine if three guys recorded an album in their living room, utilizing every instrument, utensil, and noise they could get their hands on. That is this album. And thatâs not to say that it sounds low-budgeted or shoddy, but rather that it sounds intimate and personal, which are two things that I believe should be a part of every good album. The list of what they sound like is too long to get into, but if youâre looking for good music that also has a heart and soul to it, pick this up.
RATING: FOUR STARS
PRIESTBIRD - IN YOUR TIME (Kemado Records)
There once was a band named Tarantula AD that I used to dig. That band is now known as Priestbird. And while I don\'t agree with their new name (Priestbird?!? Come on!), I still dig the indescribable progressive sound this trio puts forth. Sometimes hard and chaotic, other times mellow and more focused, The Band Formerly Known as Tarantula AD (BFKATA) dips into territories almost all bands today wouldn\'t dare step into: the experimental. You won\'t find a radio single here, folks. Thank fucking God.
RATING: FOUR STARS
ROPE, INC. â SONGS OF LOVE AND WAR (Second-Shimmy Records)
Caught somewhere between a Joy Division cover bandâs album and a whispered Marilyn Manson disc, Rope, Inc. fails to do anything for me. While the production end of it is impressiveâhandled by former Butthole Surfers member and John Zorn collaborator Kramerâthe actual music that has been createdâcreated by singer/songwriter Matt Menovcikâis easily forgotten once it leaves my speakers.
RATING: ONE STAR
SIRENIA â NINE DESTINIES AND A DOWNFALL (Nuclear Blast)
If I had been born a decade earlier and grown up as a hair band enthusiast from the Eighties I might really dig this Norwegian goth-metal band. Unfortunately, I didnât, so the cheeseball lyrics and eye-rolling conceptâthe album attempts to capture the legacy of a sirenâs enchantment⊠yeahâinstead leaves me feeling two things for this release. First, Iâm entertained by the idea that itâs even real. And second, Iâm saddened for the people who took it seriously enough to make it. Guess I wonât be getting love from Norway anytime soonâŠ.
RATING: ONE STAR
SMALL TALK (Sony)
THEREâS A RIOT GOING ON (Sony)
STAND! (Sony)
A WHOLE NEW THING (Sony)
LIFE (Sony)
FRESH (Sony)
DANCE TO THE MUSIC (Sony)
My left forearm is tattooed with two whiteys who have been inspirational in my life when it comes to the world of music: Elvis and Cash. Iâve recently been thinking about getting a few inspirational brothas tattooed on my right forearm to balance out the races: Jimi Hendrix, Chuck D, and Sly Stone. Thanks mostly to my mother and father, those three guys sum up my childhood music scene. Especially Sly. So Sony is doing me a huge favor this month by remastering and rereleasing seven of Sly & The Family Stoneâs classic albums from the Sixties, including Stand!, Life, and Dance To The Music, just to name a few. Both the sound and the art have been cleaned up for the rerelease, and as if you really needed a reason to buy a Sly album, each of these rereleases have four to five additional tracks on them, including previously unreleased tracks, alternate versions, and remixes. You can buy each disc separately or, if youâre brilliant like I am, you can buy the seven-disc set for a flat price of around $60. Not bad considering it is Sly. So if you already own these albums but want them cleaned up with some extra music, seek them out. And if you donât already own any Sly, what the fuck is wrong with you?
RATINGS: FIVE STARS (for all seven of âem)
TYSON SNYDER â DIE TO PRETEND (Audioleg Records)
Whoa! What the fuck is this?!? The cover art and title of this release led me to believe that I was in for some cheesy-ass goth crybaby shit (and yes, if youâre goth, youâre a fucking crybaby). But when I started this CD up I could barely believe my ears. And believe me, my ears donât lie. What came through my speakers was some of the weirdest hip-hop/VH1 Storytellers shit Iâve ever heard. Snyder hails from Colorado, and I donât know much more about him than that, other than the fact that this kid lays down some of the most intelligent lyrics Iâve heard in a long time. Still, the feel of the music itself is dark and dank, the type of shit youâd expect to hear in the backroom of some dive bar. Fuck, how can I even describe this?!? Okay, if Buck 65 joined Atmosphere, then you might have the beginnings of Tyson Snyder.
RATING: FOUR STARS
DVDS:
JAMES MARSHALLâS CINDERELLA⊠AND MORE BELOVED FAIRY TALES (Scholastic Video Collection)
Scholastic does it again with this DVD that collects five classic stories from my childhood. Of course, these stories were told way before my childhood was even a thought, but there are a handful of classic childrenâs tales that bridge that generational gap, living on timelessly from child to child to child. First, weâre given a dose of Cinderella as illustrated by James Marshall, and as retold by Barbara Karlin. Itâs an age-old tale with some âehâ art, so itâs definitely not my favorite. Iâd take the Disney retelling any day over this one. Next up is Hansel and Gretel, which is also illustrated by Marshall. Again, itâs âehâ on the art tip, but what this story has going for it is a narration by Kathy Bates. He didnât get out of the cock-a-doodie car! And Hansel and Gretelâs story is better than Cinderellaâs, so this was definitely a step up. Coming in third and fourth on the disc is Three Billy Goats Gruff, and The Elves and the Shoemaker. These stories are pretty straight-forward, but the art is better by leaps and bounds, with Marcia Brown working goat detail, and Jim LaMarche working the Elves. And the Elves are narrated by Patrick Stewart! Heâs Professor X, you know! And lastly weâre given a bonus video: The Fisherman and His Wife. Oddly enough, Scholastic has a tendency to make the strongest video on the DVD appear as the bonus. Itâs not a big deal, I guess, but this story could have easily been the main feature on the disc. Itâs a great story, has great art, and totally takes me back to my childhood. Now if I could just find all of my Masters of the Universe figures, Iâd be in heaven.
RATING: FOUR STARS
RUN DMC â LIVE AT MONTREUX 2001 (Eagle Vision USA)
This hour-long DVD captures the 2001 performance of Run DMC at the legendary Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland. If youâre a fan of Run DMC, this is one to own. Itâs filmed well, has great sound, and captures the trio in one of their last performances before Jam Master Jayâs murder. You get a little over a dozen classic tracks, including âItâs Trickyâ, âMary Maryâ, and âPeter Piperâ, to name a few. The group planned their performance smartly, going for an almost all-classic set list, and not playing many songs from late in their career. There is a great show captured here, but it would have been nice if there were some extras on the disc. Also, if DVDs arenât really your thing, the performance has also been released on CD.
RATING: FOUR STARS
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