Richard Elliott

Reviews

Cracked Media: The Sound of Malfunction by Caleb Kelly

By Richard Elliott

Kelly's study provides access to some fascinating theories of, and experiments in, the "wrong" uses of technology as explored by some important sound artists of the phonographic era. [18 November 2009]

Rosie Flores: Girl of the Century

By Richard Elliott

Flores has added a few valuable numbers to her discography and a bunch of sassy standards that suggest once again that she will be happiest strapping on an electric guitar and rocking out on a stage. [12 November 2009]

LCD Soundsystem: 45:33 Remixes

By Richard Elliott

The music has not only been remixed, but has also had its original purpose radically reconfigured. [11 November 2009]

Carla Bley: Carla’s Christmas Carols

By Richard Elliott

These beautifully arranged pieces place this among the really enjoyable and surprising Christmas albums.

Mario Adnet & Philippe Baden Powell: Afrosambajazz: The Music of Baden Powell

By Richard Elliott

Brazilian guitarist and composer Baden Powell has his music treated to rich and beautiful jazz arrangements. [4 November 2009]

Kings of Convenience: Declaration of Dependence

By Richard Elliott

Quiet is no longer the new loud and the Kings may need to up their game if they're to leave work of lasting value. [30 October 2009]

Beastie Boys: Hello Nasty

By Richard Elliott

If Hello Nasty seems less unusual than it did on its appearance in 1998, its inventiveness should not be overlooked.

Sam Bush: Circles Around Me

By Richard Elliott

Circles Around Me provides an excellent showcase for Sam Bush's talents as mandolin player, fiddler, singer, and songwriter, as well as a reminder of his role in promoting the "newgrass" phenomenon of the 1970s. [29 October 2009]

OOIOO: Armonico Hewa

By Richard Elliott

Despite the dark forests that OOIOO occasionally travel, it seems the group is ultimately driven to find the open pastures and high, harmonious places where the air is clear. [20 October 2009]

Upsilon Acrux: Radian Futura

By Richard Elliott

If musicians are the true athletes of memory, then Upsilon Acrux are true heptathletes. Radian Futura is a fine workout for the ears and brain. [16 October 2009]

Khaled: Liberté

By Richard Elliott

Raï king Khaled claims freedom from musical straightjackets and has made some of the finest music of his career. [12 October 2009]

Richard Hawley: Truelove’s Gutter

By Richard Elliott

A work that revels in the possibilities of time and space, from the epic running time of the tracks to the warm resonance of the album's soundworld. [1 October 2009]

Bebel Gilberto: All in One

By Richard Elliott

This is a music of moments rather than events, of transient impressions rather than big stories. It has the confidence and maturity to know that the everyday is as much a repository of memories as the eventual. [28 September 2009]

Hot Club of Cowtown: Wishful Thinking

By Richard Elliott

The Hot Club prove again that the western swing pioneered by Bob Wills was a vitally modern music that has yet to exhaust its sophisticated vocabulary. [24 September 2009]

Joshua James: Build Me This

By Richard Elliott

With his opaque, inviting lyrics and his awareness of song dynamics, James is an original voice. [21 September 2009]

Nitin Sawhney: London Undersound

By Richard Elliott

Neither angry nor elegiac enough, Sawhney's eighth studio album is a highly professional, too-slick response to the changed spaces of the city. [14 September 2009]

Cristina Branco: Kronos

By Richard Elliott

Cristina Branco thrills to the possibility of being several different artists: at one point she will be a faithful fadista, sticking to tradition; at another, a folk-jazz singer. [28 August 2009]