PODCAST 8 LEE FIELDS PIRITUAL JAZZ TANYA MORGAN MAXIMO PARK ECCENTRIC SOUL Masei Bey GENERATIONALS Sum and Belief Are... AUTOPILOT IS FOR LOVERS Alchemist Tiny Vipers Boy 8-Bit
Immigrant Song- Led Zeppelin Iz the Wiz- The Presence feat. Centri & Stacs of Stamina Gaffling Whips- Bigg Jus Wucan- Black Mountain Bent Cold Sidewalk- Tangerine Dream Get Off the Bandwagon- EPMD Convict Colony- Saul Williams Cut That City- The Mars Volta Aural Exam- Masai Bey High Rise- Hawkwind Absentia- The Presence The Tower (Vocals)/Triangles- Arthur Brown's Kingdom Come Help Wanted- Company Flow Paid In Full- Eric B. & Rakim Fuschia & White- Nasa (of The Presence) Ice- Crack the Sky Batting Practice- Souls of Mischief Lift- Anti-Pop Consortium Meltdown- MBZR (Masai Bey & Zesto- Produced by Nasa) Super Ball- Rob Sonic 2012 and Countless- Hella Lex- Ratatat Razors- Super Chron Flight Brothers Raspberry Fields- Cannibal Ox Doctor Smoke- Asteroid Shock TV- Zesto The House, The Street, The Room- Gentle Giant Main Theme to "Fantastic Planet"- Alain Goraguer
It’s apparent within moments of listening to “Do You Love Me?(Like You Say You Do)”, the opening cut on My World, that Lee Fields exhibits all the tools to be a great soul singer. He has a great voice, rugged yet soulful; tough yet inviting. Think James Brown with more polish on his vocal stylings. The music and arrangement on this first song is also well received, like the rest of the album it’s classic with a few progressive twists. Fields also balances his tales of loss and heartbreak with a healthy sense of humor. “Don’t make me do something crazy girl!” he pleads to an ex-lover. Almost every track here grabbed my attention early and made me a fan by the time it faded out. Like every good R&B singer there is a good deal of truth behind what he croons. Love does, for the most part come and go like he says on the second song. On My World he employs the subtle textures of his voice to make observations about what can at times be a cold, cold world. The title cut, “My World,” he deftly calls it as he sees it over music that soulfully matches his somber observations. But when the album starts to feel to heavy a good dose of humor is injected. The game he kicks on “Ladies” is smooth, Fields is definitely an old school player. His banter with the ‘wimmins’ is expert; “I know you’re man is pleased down to his knees,” he shares with a fan. The band that backs Mr. Fields, The Expressions, also deserves a tip of the ol’ fitted cap. They are much more then the typical support band, a fact acknowledged by a couple of instrumental tracks that they shine on. Everyone that enjoys old school soul needs to pick My World up. Lee Fields has too much going on to be slept on anymore
SPIRITUAL JAZZ: ESOTERIC, MODAL+DEEP JAZZ FROM THE UNDERGROUND 1968-77
Label: Jazzman/Now-Again
Light a Nag Champa and prepare to sink in the deepest recesses of your couch. To say that this self-explanatory compilation is laid back is like saying Miles Davis could blow his horn. Each song attempts to help you peel away the stress via the spirituality of each musician. The religions that inspired are varied; Catholicism, Islam, and various Asian religions are sited. Despite this diversity each song works toward the same goal, getting your uptight ass to chill out. This task is accomplished, if this doesn’t help you its time to up your dosage. If anything Spiritual Jazz is too relaxing, I wouldn’t listen to this entire album if I needed to stay awake for any reason. “All Praises to Allah” by The Lightman Plus One was one of my favorites as I’m a sucker for anything with jazz flute in the mix. Then there’s the slow horns and quirky chimes of Ronnie Boykins’ “The Will Come, Is Now.” You might have to be a hardcore jazzologists to enjoy listening to this compilation all the way through, but it worked well for me a couple songs at a time.
BROOKLYNATI
ARTIST: TANYA MORGAN
LABEL: Interdependent Media
Tanya Morgan photo by Robert Adam Mayer
I am a firm believer that music can be seasonal, and that certain
records are just suited for certain times. "Cuban Linx" and "The
Infamous" are best suited for winter weather and Carhartt jackets.
"Brooklynati," on the other hand, is perfect for a Sunday in June,
possibly at a cookout or on a stoop. In fact, this trio is probably on
a porch or at a barbeque right now.
The two Cincinnati MC's (Donwill and Ilyas) and Brooklyn MC/Producer (Von Pea) have an "everyman" aesthetic that resonates with many a listener, especially in the current recession where people are finally tiring of the excessive wealth hip-hop has been based on for years. Missing from "Brooklynati" are themes of contraband slangin', hoe hustlin', or any form of big spending. Instead, the group mainly provides relatable songs about attainable women and rapping better than the next man. The album is set in the imaginary city of Brooklynati, the digital booklet even includes a map complete with locations such as "Yancy Park" and "Cuddlebum's Strip Club."
The album starts off strongly with "On Our Way" and "Alleye Need," two songs about the struggles and successes of the independent rapper. While this is certainly not new ground, TM covers it well, not dwelling on a "poor me" attitude, but simply highlighting the life of an independent musician. The last portion of the album is also quite strong, after a solid guest appearance from Blu on "Morgan Blu," Tanya Morgan continues nicely with "Never Enough (Crazy Love)," and "We're Fly," before reaffirming their everyman statement with "Just Arrived." I'm not including the iTunes Bonus Tracks, but they happen to be two of the strongest on the album. Artists - if a song is good, put it on there, don't just throw it at the end.
However it is the middle of the album that drags a litte bit and this is the side effect of the everyman rapper. At some point, everyday topics can become mundane, and part of the excitement of hip-hop is the hyperbole. Not everything needs to be Jeep bangers devoted to selling crack, but even songs devoted to braggadocio such as "Just Not True" are a bit too laid back. “Hardcore Gentlemen”, which is a clear and purposeful departure from the rest of the songs, is well received though. The beats in this part of the album are also quite laid back, and this may have been a good spot to place one or both of the bonus tracks, which are both more upbeat. All in all, Brooklynati is a solid effort by Tanya Morgan, and as stated earlier, is perfect for the right moment. The problem with being perfect for a specific time is that you’re then less than perfect for other times.
In addition to producing an always dependable brown ale, it looks like Newcastle, England is the spawning ground for an up-and-coming rock quintet. Having heard their third effort, Warp Records’ Quicken The Heart, Maximo Park may just have the chops to stick around and make a bit of harmonious noise while there. Park is one part innovation one part old hat with clear influences found in the 80’s and early 90’s pop and underground that these gents would’ve grown up listening to. While their first album, “A Certain Trigger” (2005), saw them lumped into a crowded grouping that music pubs were predicting would spawn the next Joy Division. The more radio friendly follow-up “Our Earthly Pleasures” (2007) earned Maximo Park a few jeers for aiming first and foremost for airplay and sing-along singles.
Here on their latest, MP returns to much of the vibrancy and energy that made them rising stars a few years back. Though the lyrical messaging of Quicken The Heart may be a bit trite this time around compared to the at-times poetic …Trigger, it is still sufficient proving ground for the talent of this group.
The album jumps out to a furious start with “Wraithlike”, a driving tune that sounds like an ideal set-opener for this act on the rise. The band lets the synths provide the canvas on the track, with Duncan Lloyd’s guitar work and Tom English’s frenetic drumming carrying the excitable pace. Frankly, it’s an ideal sound for the group, and something the album, which goes flat at times in its efforts to go deeper, could use more of, rather than the other way around.
“The Kids are Sick Again”, the first radio single from the album, “Calm”, a hauntingly arranged track that makes excellent use of tempo breaks, and “Tanned” stand out among an ultimately solid album. There are times that the synths permeating Maximo’s music add an all-too-syrupy-sweet quality to things, but the chops of front man Paul Smith somehow keep it grounded and a bit raw, despite the misgivings of Steve Coogan’s Alan Partridge on the ‘Giordie’ regional dialect. Here at times it’s the saving grace of a couple tracks.
Still in all it is a very solid listen, and while baring resemblance to their first L.P., Maximo Park’sQuicken The Heart is an ideal meet-and-greet album for new fans in the UK or those of us here across the pond.
Every town has one. That local haven, an establishment lauded by regulars and infrequent visitors alike; a place that cannot be sold through explanation or description, easily dismissed by passers by and those outside the know. Residents of Wichita, Kansas certainly had theirs, and for more than a decade Smart’s Palace was the hub of the unheralded Wichita Soul scene.
What made the otherwise unassuming bar/restaurant/dance-hall quite a bit more than ‘local legend’ is captured here, on The Numero Group’s compilation Eccentric Soul: Smart’s Palace. The 19-track EP is comprised of live recordings from 1965 through 1975, featuring nearly a dozen different acts and line-ups including the proprietors, The Smart Brothers, and their close acquaintances-come-jam mates The Neal Brothers. These sibling bands were incredibly well known in their own small pond, but poor timing andflat bad-luck kept them from ever making a legitimate indentation on the National Souls scene. Radio Disc Jockeys began taking business from live music scenes like Smart's Palace. In addition, the war in Viet Nam broke apart the club's namesake band just as things were coming together and it looked as if another rung or two on the ladder of musical success had been passed.
The classically harmonized "I'm Not Ashamed" (Bobby Neal and The Smart Bros-recorded 1965) kicks off the album in a nice manner, with the slow, rhythmic build-up just falling short of explosion before crashing back down to do it again. This harkens to their Detroit roots. The arrangement is a bit choppy, as listening to the tracks chronologically one gets a better feel for the evolution of Soul music. The earlier work being strongly Motown in inspiration, gradually opening up in the late 60's to rock-and-roll accented guitar riffing amidst the harmonies, to the 1970's and the clearly audible bass lines that are wholly 'funk'.
All told the lp is a nice little pick-up for legitimate Soul Music fans, though it would've been good to hear some of the live jamming played out rather than being cut short and the album pushing its listener forcefully into the next track. At any rate, the opportunity to hear some acts that fall under "coulda, should, woulda" while holding their own talent-wise with more prevalent acts in the genre shouldn't be overlooked by said fans.
The driving theory behind this self-produced ep is best summed up by Masai Bey himself. On the track “Speech Therapy” he offers “I’m about energy conservation/So I say great things in a small conversation.” The self science here is quite accurate. Not only is this a seven song ep, each track is roughly two minutes or so long. The result is an album that moves along at a brisk pace and each track contains more then a few well spit bars. The album starts out with Bey giving the listener more insight into his doctrine. “He’s amazing even though he doesn’t get out much,” he reflects on “AlterAmigo.” The beat here also serves as an example of what works best for him, which is a boom-bap-ish drum pattern accompanied by an unorthodox sample, here a rock guitar. On “Life Preserver” he deserves credit for charting new ground in hip-hop. While there has been plenty of anti-violence rap songs this could be the first to espouse turning the other cheek. Rarely do you hear a rapper so self assured that he rather make it home for dinner than keep it street when his “G” is tested. The ep finishes strong with two good songs, “Talking Shop” and “Waterlog.” The latter features a slick electronic sample over the type of drum pattern Bey employs to good effect. The former showcases the best beat on the project and one of the nicer lines, “I’m mysterious but out in the open like pyramids.” While some of the hooks fall flat, this is a solid ep. Fans of left of center New York hip-hop should appreciate what Masai Bey hath wrought.
‘Less is more’ may be an overdone cliche, but there are certainly times it applies, especially in dealing with record production. Some albums get too caught up in trying to capture a sound that the very sound being made is overlooked, hedged, trimmed or blanketed in synthetics. Such appears to be the case with the Generationals’ debut lp for Park The Van Records, entitled Con Law.
What should be an enjoyable ride set in breezy melodies and 60s styled pop harmonies is driven beyond the syrupy-sweet line by the over-produced, synthetic back beat and, more so, a blind allegiance to trying to fabricate a sound. In their zeal to recapture that specific era’s sound, the producer, Daniel Black, goes a little too far on some of the tracks here.
Hearing the opening "Nobody Could Change Your Mind", into "Angry Charlie" and even the very catchy "Faces In The Dark", a Shins-like loop chord melody, one gets the feeling that establishing a 60's Rock-and-Soul back beat was priority 1,2 and 3 going into the recording phase. While that certainly serves well to transition the first third of the album, it doesn't allow Ted Joyner or Grant Widmer, the duo that make up The Generationals, much in the way of expressive musicianship. It can be argued quite reasonably, however, that that's in keeping with the spirit of short, sharp Soul cuts of yesteryear, which the group is obviously emulating. Still one would like to see two clearly talented musicians like Joyner and Widmer cut loose a bit more here and there.
Con Law does do a fine job of paying homage to that aforementioned bygone era, but similar to the old Pop-Soul hits there isn't a whole lot in the way of originality or derivation. The quick catchiness of the melodies on the album is also its ultimate undoing; a few listens and the tracks really do start to bleed together. The second half of the album allows for a little more variance in song styling. The organ-driven "Wildlife Sculpture" is especially a nice change-up.
The Generationals aren't going to be everyone's cup of Folgers, but it cannot be denied that "Con Law" shows they've a healthy respect for their predecessors. Many tracks harken back to early R & B with fragments of doo-wop and British-Invasion pop harmonies reminiscent of The Hollies. Soul fans will appreciate the effort; music fans will enjoy this one at least a couple of times before the redundancy sets in. That can happen with any album; just a little quicker it seems on Con Law.
In general, hearing "Old Western hip-hop album" would send my iPod sprinting in the opposite direction. It is extremely difficult to pull off a themed rap album without sounding extremely forced and corny. The Lone Wolf is neither, a very impressive effort by MC Sum and producer Belief.
Not a concept album where every song follows a certain story, there is a consistent sonic theme running throughout the album. All the songs sound equally at home on the open prairie as they do on the streets of New York the duo inhabits. There's thankfully no rapping about chaps and saddles, rather, Belief's moody, well orchestrated beats are the perfect backdrop for Sum's reflective, observational lyrics, showcased expertly on the title track. Half auto-biography, half lesson to knuckleheaded peers, "The Lone Wolf" spotlights Sum's storytelling abilities, while providing thoughtful, non-preachy insight. "Breakfast on the Moon" also stands out, with Sum providing a slave narrative over Belief's ethereal country instrumental.
The Lone Wolf is a lesson in how to be different and creative, and actually do it, as opposed to those who just claim to have a "new movement.” Sum and Belief effortlessly transport the listener to a different place upon listening, The Lone Wolf is a very engaging album.
It’s a shame that I almost wrote this one off because of its generic, throwaway indie rock-sounding name. Autopilot is for Lovers is the project of two Portland sleepyheads, one dude and one lady who sings a lot like Stevie Nicks. The first track, “Whale Belly,” is rather nice, leading with a flood of accordion that lends a Frenchie air to the whole thing. But actually they are more “Indie-Americana” than Euro; the next track, “Trust,” features banjo-pickin’ and some layered harmonies. This is where lady (Adrienne Hatkin) starts to add another dimension to her Stevie impression. The press release says PJ Harvey, but please. I call Alanis Morissette—there is something in her half-forced vibrato in upper ranges that does it. I don’t get the intensity or eroticism of PJ from Hatkin’s lyrics; the latter’s are much more esoteric. Press release also cites Tori Amos, a comparison more apt in style than sound, but agreed. There is a lot here, many layers of folk-traveler wisdom and compelling instrumentation. It’s an experiment in balance and dissonance between a would-be dominant female voice and multi-layered instrumentation that often steals the song. It will be interesting to see what comes next, if anything, and if Hatkin’s vocals will continue to evolve into something more distinctive.
Before I get to one of the major points of this review, let me make a few things clear. This is a pretty good album and Alchemist, like it or not, is one of the best producers in hip-hop right now. He is also a guy that has consistently shown love to both mainstream artists and underground ones. Perhaps most impressively he made Prodigy sound better over Alchemist beats than he does over Havoc's. Allow me to also acknowledge that Havoc completely fell the fuck off, but that is hardly Alc's fault. The latter is no mean feat. So, all respect due to The Alchemist, and allow me to acknowledge him as one of the most underrated beatmakers in the game.
Now, allow me to present the definitive list of Producers who have any business at all trying to rap. And by producer, I don't mean you looped a couple samples on your own albums. I am talking about people who have built a formidable reputation or career out of making beats:
Diamond D Dr. Dre The Rza Large Professor
Kanye West MF DOOM DJ Quik The Beatnuts
Godfather Don El-P Eric Sermon Q-Tip
That’s it. If you are a well-known hip-hop producer and your name is not on this list, you should consider leaving the rap side of things to someone else. That does not mean you are a terrible MC, it just means that your rapping never brings anything to the table that could not be done better by a real MC. Pete Rock, for example; one of the all-time great behind the boards and honestly, not the worst rapper ever. But if Pete never spit on a track again that would probably be fine with everyone. Havoc is not on the list which might seem like an omission, unless you have heard his last two solo albums. I could consider exceptions for guys like J-Zone or Necro, artists whose shtick is so odd they might have trouble finding a rapper to execute their concepts, but even that is a stretch. So, obviously, Alchemist raps on this album. While I have heard worse, he is the worst rapper on every track he appears, and I would never listen to any of his solo tracks on Chemical Warfare again. Other than that, the beats are all great, and his choices of MC's are both diverse and appropriate. Kool G Rap and KRS rep admirably for the old school. Snoop, Jadakiss and Pusha T do their thing on what might be the albums best track, "Lose Ya Life". Then Alc pairs two underground vets, Evidence and Talib Kweli, with young bloods Blu and Kid Cudi, to good effect. Eminem, Fabolous and Lil' Fame each do exactly what you would expect on their respective joints, as do Three-Six Mafia and Juvenile. The only feature that really disappoints is Prodigy, which is unfortunate because Alchemist and Prodigy are generally a winning combination. The beat is flames but Prodigy uses the opportunity to give us an extremely graphic sex track, which might be fine if he was LL Cool J or Snoop. But I don't ever want to hear Prodigy rap about sex, period. It's kinda like your if your grandfather is drunk and starts trying to tell you about all the tail he used to get. I do not want that picture in my fucking brain.
-R. Ripperton
LIFE ON EARTH
ARTIST: Tiny Vipers
LABEL: Sub Pop
With her second album for Sub Pop Jesy Fortino hasn’t ventured into much new sonic territory, but fortunately hers wasn’t a novelty act in the first place. Remaining is her usually quiet, subtle songwriting, in which her guitar and vocals star in tracks that seldom rise in tempo above a crawl, and which rely on richness of tone, voice inflection and lyrics for intensity. The exception is “Time Takes,” which is chord-based instead of note-based, with synth notes booming over top the strummed rhythm and picked guitar notes dancing in at the end of the track. This track feeds into “Young God,” which has a chant singing quality to it, albeit without the measured quality of Christian religious music I’ve heard. The lyrics mete out the album title and are subjective in their storytelling, but never painfully introspective. A synthesizer, maybe the Oberheim she found in a bush and put to use on her first Sub Pop full-length, makes a couple of appearances. Certain tracks can seem overwrought and folk like, but there is a rough, modern line to the painstakingly felt notes. Instead of changing the program for this album, she has refined it; the delicate manipulation of sound at the end of “Life on Earth” testifies to a couple more years of an intense relationship with a guitar. Just as “Untitled” hints at more time composing; the song is arguably the most experimental and ‘electric’ to date, although there is a matter of a number of handmade CD-Rs that I don’t have, so my knowledge of what’s out there to date is admittedly incomplete. One can only hope that Jesy Fortino decides to continue adding to the instrumental complexity of her compositions like her labelmate Sam Beam did as his career progressed.
Boy 8 Bit has risen to prominence off the back of a series of memorable and inventive releases on Cheap Thrills and Mad Decent, two labels that have helped lead UK dance music out of a fallow period and into an exciting, energetic new era. Forging a sound that combines Electro, Baltimore, and Breakbeat, Boy 8 Bit’s music could not be further removed from the somewhat soulless deep-tech that came to typify the UK club scene of the early nineties.
If you aren’t familiar with the name, his punchy, high-octane productions have something in common with Crookers or Fake Blood, two other outfits who have been getting a lot of attention recently. What has set Boy 8 Bit apart from a crop of like-minded producers is his distinctive use of computer game-style bleeps, which he arranges into upbeat, melodic compositions and lays down over choppy drum breaks.
This trademark sound is in evidence on the title track and “A City Under Siege,” although elsewhere on Baltic Pine there is evidence that Boy 8 Bit may be moving on from the sound with which he has become so closely associated. “Wolfen” is a seriously moody, aggressive slab of techno while “Chapel of Ghouls” combines spooky organ synths with a pulsating, dubby beat. Every track on Baltic Pine is bursting with personality – well worth checking out if you like your dance music upfront and unpretentious.
It might sound ridiculous to say this, but The Bird Names sound a fair bit like a the Grateful Dead while keeping their track lengths around 3 minutes. Call them a short-attention-span psychadelic jam band. They are low fidelity across the board, the various instrumental parts are frequently meandering, quirky and experimental in the best possible sense, and they cram a fair number of ideas and transitions into a single piece (which also reminds me of Deerhoof). They also borrow sonic bits and pieces of familiar phsychedelic and folk stylings. The drawbacks are the to-my-ear mostly unintelligble lyrics and the sheer activity in each composition, which demands that you listen to the music actively. In other words, if you put this on to zone out and think about the cosmos, it’s going to fuck up your train of thought by the end of track one.
