PopMatters Music Short Takes

New Duncan Imperials, End of Phase One (Pravda)

The New Duncan Imperials went back to the studio after an eight year hiatus and continued creating its weird rock and roll ways with loud, crunchy guitar riffs, straight ahead drumming, and half-drunken vocals. New Duncan Imperials always sounds like they’re having a good time, even when lamenting the end of parties’ past. This new record walks that fine line behind the classic indie sound of The Replacements (check out the song “Nothin’ to Do”) and the classic rock of Tom Petty (“I’m Invisible”) and goes on various inebriated sidetracks in between. There’s a kitchen sink approach to the lyrics, which mostly fall on the side of funny but sometimes just sound out there. The fact that NDI doesn’t take itself too seriously works in its favor. Rock is supposed to be fun, and this disc offers lots of entertainment value. Even the one self-consciously country tune, “What do People Like”, cries its tears in its beer for amusement purposes. [Amazon]

Amy Kuney, Bird’s Eye View (Spin Move)

With Amy Winehouse spending more time in tabloid pages than in the studio or onstage, the western world is ripe for a soul singing chanteuse to take her place. There may be candidates with more soul in their voices but Amy Kuney’s combination of songwriting chops, professionalism and vocal strength may make her a leading candidate.

Kuney’s latest release, Bird’s Eye View, is filled from top to bottom with the acoustic Lillth Fair-vibe that she has become known for while releasing an EP and performing a hundred live dates a year. What it also has, that may come as a surprise, is a lot of soul. Kuney sings with hints and flavors of Motown that only reveal what may be hiding behind her other recordings. In the track “Angel Tangled in the Telephone Lines” it sounds as if her voice is seconds away from breaking through the more generic singer songwriter category she often is left in to fill the vacancy of Winehouse’s collapse and Joss Stones safe jazz vocal choices. “Would You Miss Me” picks up the pace but still conveys a soul chanteuse looking to break out.  [Amazon]

Klangwart, Stadtlandfluss (Staubgold)

Determining the quality of an ambient release is a tricky proposition, because the verdict so often comes down to the intersection of expectation and realization; if you want a piece for background listening and the disc delivers background listening, it’s golden. On the other hand, if you want some kind of narrative flow and you get background listening, well, the same disc that was magically so wonderful in the first scenario becomes trash.

Klangwart’s new release, the first in nine years for Markus Detmer and Timo Reuber, will please those who are looking for a narrative. Stadtlandfluss is a beautifully executed piece of ambience, broken up into seven parts on the CD but never delineating itself in any kind of audible way. It spends almost its entire duration in a state of slow build, starting with silence, building through radio static and drones into an almost Autechre-esque pastiche of rhythmic distortion, eventually culminating in a terribly abrasive spiked wall of static before falling off a cliff and completely fading to silence again. As such, it could be a metaphor for a coming hurricane, or a day in the life of a working stiff, or creation—it doesn’t really matter. What does matter is that Stadtlandfuss maintains its focus and stays interesting for its entire 35 minutes, making it an utterly engaging success. Just don’t relegate it to the background. [Amazon]

Shed, Shedding the Past (Ostgut)

Shedding the Past is a collection of eleven Detroit-style techno tunes by German techno engineer Shed. It is a record in the mold of Aphex Twin with a powerful skipping beat that is the trademark of this German hotshot. At times it is intense, monotonous, technically complicated but never dull. From the ambient-tinged “The Lower Upside Down” to the Kevin Sanderson styled (and humorously titled) “Another Wedged Chicken”, one really needs a dark Berlin club in an office block to really appreciate the euphoric highs and beats that wind you. However, even out of that setting Shedding the Past stands up on its own. Detroit techno’s originators may have hailed from Bellville, Michigan but the techno sound was inspired by any number of German electronic musicians, most notably Kraftwerk. Therefore it is fitting that a German engineer should pick up the ball first punted by the Bellville Three and run with it to score a try of his own.  [Amazon]

King Syze, The Labor Union (Babygrande)

Since the crew’s formation in 1998, Army of the Pharaohs has become one of the go-to posses for hardcore rap. Like their contemporaries in the Boot Camp Clik, affiliates of Army of the Pharaohs fill their records with sometimes clever tough-guy battle raps over orchestral, epic beats. And, like Boot Camp Clik certain emcees are in another league while others simply fill space or provide brief moments of brilliance. That is where King Syze comes in.

On The Labor Union, the follow-up to his 2006 debut Syzemology, he declares that the 13 tracks within represent his rebirth, his comeback. He carries that message throughout the album, spitting with his Fat Joe/Big Pun-esque flow that he cannot and will not lose. And although he doesn’t technically take the L on here, it would be inaccurate to say that King Syze wins. His delivery, which is surprisingly smooth and not as abrasive as his fellow Pharaohs, is solid, but it doesn’t demand your attention. Even on stellar tracks like “Play Ya Part (P.Y.P)”, “Labor Union”, and “Cement Work”, the King can sometimes lose you. It’s only on the fantastic “That’s How You Rap” that he flexes his lyrical muscles and unique wordplay.

But there are far too many dull and less inspiring cuts like “Creep Show” and “Pain” that become snoozers during a repeated listen. And those tracks are what weigh down an otherwise decent album. Even though AotP lovers will certainly pick this up without hesitation, any newcomers should sample King Syze first. [Amazon]

Björk, The Dull Flame of Desire (One Little Indian)

“The Dull Flame of Desire” is probably the least likely of any of the tracks on Björk’s 2007 Volta to be remixed. But Modeselektor’s reworkings of the plodding, brass-orchestrated duet actually come off as somewhat adequate reinterpretations of the Icelandic vixen’s standout. Unfortunately, the rest of the recent The Dull Flame of Desire single release is completely disposable.

Modeselektor’s two cuts—“For Boys” and “For Girls”—are drastically different from both the original cut and each other. “For Boys” is more similar to the original song, carrying the chamber reverb that showered Björk and Antony Hegarty over a scorched staccato keyboard. “For Girls” is a masterful dissection of the track’s vocals, as Modeselektor chop and screw Björk’s croons while riding crescendoing sysnths. Possibly the most intriguing aspect of either is the way Antony’s voice is manipulated. A signer who is known for his outwardly emotional melodrama, his vibrato croons are made to sound incredibly calculated and mechanical; his voice finally sounds at home rather than lost amongst eloquent, organic compositions.

The Dull Flame of Desire also carries a superfluous instrumental, album mix, and radio mix. The most disappointing aspect of the whole disc, however, is the inclusion of the Sinden remix of “Innocence”, which equates to a shoddy DJ speeding it up and mashing it together with a random, overwrought Justice track. [Amazon]

Various Artists, Vicky Cristina Barcelona (Telarc)

Location has always played a huge role in Woody Allen’s films, and nine out of ten times it’s been Manhattan. With Vicky Cristina Barcelona, the 72-year-old director took an unlikely detour to Spain and came back with his freshest film in years. Gone is the hyperkinetic ragtime-tinged jazz that scored classics Sleeper and Bananas. In its place we have an inspired compilation of Spanish guitar music, “reflecting the feeling of Spain or certainly Barcelona as I’ve portrayed it,” Allen writes.

Only two tracks feature vocals—“Barcelona” and “La Ley Del Retiro”, both by Giulia y los Tellari—and they are fabulous. The former becomes a sort of quirky theme song that builds to the most irresistible climax of wah-wah harmonica and Spanish chanting. Like the film, it captures both humor and sexuality. The latter is a sultry, instrumentally dense waltz that perfectly soundtracks the film’s most intense love scene. I don’t know Spanish, but the singer’s raspy moans are evocative enough. The rest of the album explores the gorgeously intimate flamenco solos that moved Rebecca Hall’s character in the film ("Granada", “El Noi De La Mare"), as well as the bouncier Mexican jams that so richly captured this uniquely Spanish ambiance. That said, this soundtrack flows so freely on its own merit—seeing the film is no prerequisite. [Amazon]

Chandeliers, The Thrush (Obey Your Brain)

In at least one way, synthetic music is never wholly live, since its most basic building blocks are tones and sounds that have been recorded and stored, not blown or strummed or pounded. Yet, as Chicago’s Chandeliers demonstrate, what you do with those stored bits of sound can be as live as you want it, the foundation of an aesthetic that is as improvisatory and communicative as any traditional-instrument jazz band. Their first full-length is built on improvised jams—one guy taking off from another guy’s idea, two people talking with notes and rhythms—that visibly move and adapt while you listen.  Recorded partly with Icy Demons’ Blue Hawaii and partly at Mahjongg’s home studio, The Thrush melds the popcorn beats and synth flourishes of disco with the scratchier funkiness of world-rhythms. 

“Mr. Electric”, right off the bat, calls out 70s porn funk with its buzzy synth bass, syncopated, stop-short drums, washes of plasticine synthesizer tones. “Mango Tree”, the only cut with vocals, is slithery with falsetto soul trills, lush with multiple keyboards. It sounds very much like those late 70s soul-into-disco crossover hits, all bass and mock insinuation. They’re interesting cuts, but feel a bit overthought and overcrowded, at least compared to the two clear winners near the end. “Bamboo” is far scruffier and more ominous, adding the sub-bass threat to its syncopated sheen. It’s followed by even dirtier “Graffiti” whose clattering drone (and melodica) evokes dub-steppers like Appleblim), while its bass funk underpinnings remind you of Mahjonng.  These tracks strip off some of the sheen inherent in those cold, perfect electronic sounds, and pare down the number of ideas working simultaneously...for a clear album highlight. [Amazon]