Music Reviews: January 2008

Four more rich boys from NYC who think they can rock? But don’t have a stroke, they really do!

Richard Swift is an ideal when it comes to our modern definition of artist: comfortable in many mediums and unafraid to experiment.

Ultimately, non-commercial hip-hop outfit Food for Animals' Belly proves to be a compelling record, despite its limitations.

With his gentle guitars and minimalist electronics, Berlin-based Matthias Grübel presents the perfect soundtrack for wasting away slowly in the desert, with eloquence.

Boxcutter’s latest contains plenty of macro dub infections, but with any luck the album will also help cement his status as a singular artist of many forms and fancies.

The shadow of the Fall still looms largely over the Filmstars.

Predictably, yet another bold and consistently satisfying release in Xiu Xiu's discography.

Last band standing from CBGB's has guitars older than the latest batch of neo-garage hopefuls -- and still shows them up in this taut set of rave ups.

Although Makings of a Man still finds Jaheim still trying to impress the dudes on the block, there’s a glimmer of hope in a good chunk of the album.

The debut album from these greasy Atlanta rockers fails to turn the musical engine over.

Intricate, minimal post-something-core not destined for a dancefloor near you anytime soon.

I know that the harmonica is, for many jazz fans, the most detested of instruments.

Get out some incense, and a ouija board, if you have one... The Mars Volta has a new album out.

The real coming out party for Montreal's finest beatsmith burns all the dancehall joints you can handle, and then a couple more.

The debut album of post-punk trio Dartz! is thankfully much better thought-out than their band name.

With his second solo outing, the Crooked Fingers sideman spins dark, obsessive tales of lust and violence, leavened by shimmery guitar picking and a wry sense of humor.

This project is the reason live albums were made: to emphasize connections, to show how new creative brushstrokes affect timeless material, and to give fans a reference point for what makes the artist excel.

Instrumental music for the MTV-raised, ADHD-infected, Architecture in Helsinki-loving indie popster.

The eclectic pianist/songwriter delivers a treat -- ten perfectly crafted pop songs that recall his best work or maybe are his best work.

There is only the stultifying loneliness, sadness, and occasionally the twistedness of the film to be found in its music.

Carnival II touches points all over the musical map, while also dropping science and making people dance in equal measure.

Simply put: another decent snowboarding soundtrack.

While Sorry Vampire is not quite to the level of being a masterpiece, the album proves that Ralston may just be the type of artist who has a masterpiece in him.

It's pretty much impossible to imagine about half of the dance music or hip-hop that exists today ever having been created without the influence of the Scroggins sisters.

Liverpool 8 is the work of an artist completely at ease with himself.

Nostalgialator is one crazy, haphazard album where the sheer entertainment value manages to outshine any of Ladd's lyrical shortcomings. For this we can be grateful.

The disc has a sprawling intimacy whose many moods go all over the places of the human heart.

Rich, hard-charging metal from an Oakland band possibly obsessed with Apollyon the Locust King.

Playaz Circle are good enough to stick around for awhile but won’t be changing anyone’s mind about crunk.

Close to Paradise brings fantasy to an indie subculture that has almost always favored emotive non-fiction.

No longer one of the best unsigned bands in US, the Whigs aim to be just one of the best.

Less immediate than its predecessor, but more fun to listen to.

You've got to love it when an American band uses the Queen's English when spelling its name.

An eclectic, dynamic release from one of American folk music’s best-loved triple threats.

Five minutes of listening makes it perfectly clear that, at least for this album, Coburn has left house behind.

Lagrène is so calmly amazing on guitar that it’s easy to forget the rest of the musicians who surround him.

The founder of Dim Mak Records releases his debut "mix tape" that recaps some of the best electro-tinged remixes of 2007.

This indie-psych band from Oklahoma follows its promising 2006 debut with a more assured, better sophomore effort.

MGMT dip into the big sounds of the '70s on their debut album, embracing the irony so much they almost overcome it.

Two different and very distinctive interpretations of the genre -- but unfortunately, not entirely equal in their charms.

Saves the Day returns with a solid effort. Haters beware.

The best gypsy swing is full of local accents, with a strong indentity, cosmopolitan and not monotonous. It is rare, and it is here.

Although they haven't lost a step since Jason Isbell left, the Drive-By Truckers' seventh album doesn't know when to say when.

Fun, disposable pop music should sound fresh and new, but this sounds old already ... partly because it is old.

The debut from this Canadian band looks affectionately backwards.

It's often the case that, given any track from the set, one would be hard-pressed to tell if it was a Mashayekhi or an Ebtekar composition.

Nourallah reminds us that the contemporary pop music world isn't solely made up of wannabe Justin Timberlakes.

In the Future is an expansive statement of an album, full of big guitars and cold space, a variety of sounds and a hard-earned and ever-present brilliance.

Two separate best-of discs highlight the multi-faceted career of Tupac Shakur, throwing in a few unreleased tracks and remixes to sweeten the deal.

The second album from the melancholic Jettie is all very pleasant, but ultimately uninspiring, and at times downright dull.

Remember “Jackie Blue”, that big 1975 hit song by the Ozark Mountain Daredevils? So does Todd Fancey.

A trip down memory lane that manages to indulge in nostalgia without ever seeming gratuitous or pandering.

The sounds that make 1960s pop so breezy -- lush harmonies, jazz chords, baroque instrumentation -- turn uneasy in this fascinating album.

Geographically confused Italian band the Canadians, successfully channel the sweet sunny pop of the California coast.

It took Siouxsie Sioux nearly 30 years to complete her first, full-length solo album, an eclectic mix of styles ranging from industrial to jazz. Mantaray was worth the wait.

Chicago duo soars among skyscrapers, with capes built from cartoon-inspired hip-hop and beats that have been mutated to move your body silly.

Jesy Fortino is a unique voice worth listening for, creating unique music worth struggling through in order to find its beauty.

The Hard Lessons’ brief EP should do exactly what it’s supposed to: get them on the radio.

A strong set of orchestral pop from the former Test Icicle.

Translating the live experience to CD is tricky business and though the record shows off the Wreckers' talents, the reward does not prove equivalent to the inherent risk.

Anyone wanting to understand this crucial era in modern music need look no further for a great sampler of the artists and genres involved.

With his new album, Baz has reestablished himself as one of rock's preeminent vocalists, and, equally important, he's crafted a record that ranks among the year's best in hard rock.

This project headed Marcy Emery, and featuring Dan Bejar and a bunch of other great Canadian musicians, pays tribute to an unknown singer-songwriter and digs up unexpected pleasures in the process.

The Croatian "nu-jazz/soul" duo keep it fresh on this sophomore effort, which practically demands a martini, a good sound system, and a place in the sun.

Thirty years after the Khmer Rouge silenced the original voices of Cambodian rock, a group of Californians infect audiences worldwide with their very own version of that reverb-drenched cocktail of surf-rock, garage psychedelia and soulful jazz.

The band's "comeback" ends up sounding like a Twin Cinema-era New Pornographers relaxing after a couple of bong hits.

Tullycraft twee-pop is snarky and self-reflexive, but it's rocking enough to crank up while you decide how seriously you should take it.

Two solo violin works from Norwegian composer Ole-Henrik Moe sound nothing like the violin.

The blues had a baby and they named it rock and roll. Jimmy Reed was one of the few visionaries to make it happen, as this outstanding 23-song compilation proves.

Nashville session veterans drop the schmaltz and dig up their Ozark roots with a rough 'n' ready set of bluegrass originals.

As with its predecessor, My Downfall is a meticulous exercise in constructing intricate and expansive classical music, then inundating the results in heavy drum and bass programming.

An up-and-coming bandleader continues to make his mark on contemporary jazz, and introduces us to a number of his talented collaborators on this impressive new release.

Scottish band siphon the spirit of Camera Obscura and Belle and Sebastian, distilling it down into their own brand of fey folk and indie-pop.

By now more an idea than a band, the Temptations return with a tightly constructed, mostly fun, yet deeply inessential new record.

Blossom Dearie-ish jazz singing from an elegant but predictable artist.

Distortion is a game, a question, a provocation, a distortion, a fable, a fake, and a collection of pop songs.

Freed from the constraints of genre boundaries, the Swedish duo has crafted this convergence of electronic pop and jazz that sounds as utterly natural as it does unusual. An overlooked treasure, for sure.

Although he risks overkill with so many EPs, Justin Broadrick's Jesu continues to be as consistently good as ever.

The Philly region spawned both Lotus and Dance Party USA. Coincidence?

A collection of liberation soul jazz with a fresh, free tang.

Too often, the band falls into the creative boxes and conventions of the emo/pop-punk/call it what you will genre.

There's a lot of good hip-hop here, but more importantly, you have the acknowledgment that there is an awareness of good hip-hop that transcends national identity.

Dane Cook's third album of no-brow frat comedy is a monument to Cook's enormous ego, willful ignorance, and mob mentality. Don't confuse hype for talent.

It's not a perfect retrospective, but when the highs are as thrilling as "Jackie Wilson" and "Crazy Love", it's pretty hard to deny Morrison's legacy as a singles artist.

One of the more enjoyable house CDs I've heard in quite a while.

Kansas City’s gates fling wide to release Mac Lethal. He may like to pound the beer but don’t let the love for brew fool you. His rhymes will sober you right up!

Anyone who doesn't think technology has the ability to revolutionize, improve, and enable unimaginably creative music is damned by Ellis's second work of molten jazz-fusion.

Are Idlewild the answer to a question no one asked? This career retrospective does little to resolve the matter.

Two hours (!) of evocative improvisations. Not bad.

For those who love techno, I mean really love techno, this is as close to the Godhead as you're likely to get.

The music of people who know that they will never be asked to face huge audiences and rarely required to sing to anyone other than themselves and their friends.

To quote their hit song: it is, in fact, too late to apologize indeed.

Myracle Brah, at its best, is a combination of classic rock ideals and fresh musical energy.

A full collective, American unconsciousness of glorious Saturday morning cartoons-and-sugar-cereal overstimulation.

The third installment of his Hi-Teknology series proves to be one of his weakest.

The third in a series of experiments, Ropeadope's gaze into Harlem gets the jazz-fusion job done, then leaves work five minutes early.

An album of contrasts it may be, but Rusty String showcases some excellent songwriting in amongst the amalgamation of electronica and more organic sounds.

Japanese guitarist Hisato Higuchi coaxes ethereal loveliness, ineffable melancholy, and bracing, abrasive bouts of distortion from electric guitar and voice.

An early group effort from a great jazz singer who has never gotten his due.

Totaling 74 songs (not counting the DVDs), that's a lotta Eels! So it's surprising that these two collections leave you wanting to hear even more.

The late, great Texas guitar god’s collaborative efforts with a diverse array of friends, family, and admirers are finally compiled together, with decent results.

Mack 10's best-of compilation doesn't offer any new tracks to sweeten the deal, however, it is still a solid career retrospective of head-bobbing rhymes to make the collection worth your time.

Swing guitar taken way back and way forward in a tight, relaxed quartet date.

First full length album by Bristol-based Pinch submerses skittery, subtle beats in bone-chilling currents of bass.

Haven is a band that steadily and skillfully toes the line between pop and rock, and seems to have a deft sense of how to craft melodic, radio-ready songs without pandering or sacrificing artistic value.

If Lupe Fiasco’s sophomore effort simply sounds like a darker extension of his debut, perhaps that’s not such a bad thing, considering The Cool is everything that a great hip-hop album should be.

The Motion Sick return, but opt for camp and boyish charm instead of improving on their last, quite solid record.

After some much needed time off, genre-jumping songwriter Chris Simpson and his new band offer up a debut that makes you re-evaluate your "best of the year" album list.

Music from Dead Can Dance, film scores and her solo work makes this compilation a true treasure for fans and newcomers to Gerrard's repertoire.

The best moments here are simply nowhere near as good as the highlights off Muzikizm, and the lowlights are just not very good at all.

Corey Harris sings and plays Rasta Reggae hymns while offering spiritual assurance and giving musical insight.

Eazy E only released one solo album in his brief lifetime. Though highly influential, for better or worse, Featuring ... only shows just how slim the pickings are in his vaults.

Aloha tries their hand at a new, toned-down sound, and on Light Works they are halfway successful.

It is perhaps fitting for a disc that honors a dead man that the central motif is something like: life is hard, the world is ugly, loneliness may be your only friend.

Civilizations clash with harmonious results as this Iraqi-American composer fuses the traditional strains of Arabic folk music with fiery free jazz, creating a powerful tribute to a beautiful culture whose history is obscured by the fog of war.

The drummer brings a wild and jagged quintet into jazz's Carnegie Hall and makes it all sound new again.

Any fan of folk, alt-country, jazz, or indie should be listening to the aching, delicate, and enchanting sounds of Pseudosix.

An album of love songs, Wider is more like an invitation, Valera welcoming a lover to come create a new universe with her.

There's a lot of space in the sound here, a lot of room for careful noodling and subtle effects.

Interestingly, Hiorthøy saves his best moments for the tracks with Norwegian titles.

Melodii Tuvi is a lesson in contrasts, a remedial class for anyone who thought that all throat singing sounds the same.

Whether you’re behind the politics of it all or not, it’s hard not to enjoy the wide variety of good sounds packed into this package.

Very energetic quintet date led by the young veteran European-exiled sometime Horace Silver and Oscar Peterson drummer. Stirring.

Good-girl soul for the Starbucks set

Five years in the making, Bogdan's latest IDM full-length stays the manic glitch/jungle fusion course. Also, he hates me.

In the major label re-release of her debut album, For Lovers, Dreamers & Me, Alice Smith and her powerful voice continue to take listeners on genre-defying thrill ride.

Those of us who care should be deeply grateful to Soul Jazz Records that these performances are steadily being liberated from oblivion.

The Vancouver trio like sugary melodies, analog synths, and, apparently, a lot of New Order.

A lost hint of jazz-rock fusion from one of jazz's finest straight post-bop players.