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25 April 2006

Nalle, By Chance Upon Waking (Pickled Egg) Rating: 8
Nalle's MySpace page ranks the "magico-religious traditions of birds and bears" as one of their influences, and that, combined with the mysterious folktale ink drawings of wings and trees on the packaging should go a long way towards telling you if you'll like this band or not. Hanna Tuulikki's voice has crimped, crisp, zig-zagged edges; she sounds as if each note is being cut slowly out of the air with a pair of pinking shears, or as if her vocal cords have been taken over by a croaking goat. She plays the kantele and sings about the sun. Her companions, Chris Hladowski and Aby Vulliamy, play bouzoukis, ouds, clarinets, violas, and other instruments. Their tunes prink with awkwardness, a kind of willed, spiky simplicity that keeps you quivering and alert. When Tuulikki sings, "I touch a liiitttle tip," the instruments twitch in sympathy, and the emotion of the simple action -- touching -- is illustrated with such empathetic devotion that it's almost embarrassing, like watching someone get stigmata in church. I've seen the word 'freakfolk' used to describe Finnish bands such as Paavoharju. You could use it here as well. [Amazon | Insound]
      — Deanne Sole
"Sunne Song": [MP3]
"Iron's Oath": [MP3]
"New Roots": [MP3]

Xrayok, Like Life (self-released) Rating: 7
It's amazing, the development that's evidently happened between the release of Xrayok's debut album, the clunky, overreaching Reflex, and their new EP, Like Life. Like Life is one of those CDs that you just know you're going to enjoy by its cover art, a sparse, whitewashed sky punctuated by the spindly fingers of the trees below. The music within matches that visual perfectly, as Xrayok's touch has become lighter and more contemporary via the use of those quick, new wave beats that the kids love so much these days. The keyboards are better integrated, the basslines are suitably heavy, and lead vocalist TJ Hill is establishing an honest-to-God identity with his Thom Yorke of Pablo Honey and The Bends singing old Cure songs style. The only mark against Like Life is the inability of any of its songs to truly separate themselves from the rest, though the creative synthwork (courtesy of Allison Smith, the unsung hero of the disc) and fairly catchy chorus of "Smile" and the small explosions that drive "Sunshine" are fairly noteworthy. Like Life is what happens when a band finds a sound that works -- with any luck, the next album will be the sound of that same band stretching that signature sound to its limit. [Insound]
      — Mike Schiller
multiple songs: [MySpace]
multiple songs: [PureVolume]

Feist, Mushaboom Remixed EP (Interscope) Rating: 3
Broken Social Scenester Feist did a little number on our hearts in 2004 with the quirky hit "Mushaboom", full of charm and Frenchie glee. The two remixes on the inexplicable Mushaboom Remixed EP don't butcher the song as much as completely re-imagine something that was near-perfect in the first place. Postal Service slows Feist's charismatic vocal down till she sounds almost as lovelorn as Ben Gibbard himself; and the "mushaboom" background of the chorus becomes a whispered exaltation: yeah, this sounds like a Postal Service track. The Knock Knock remix, on the other hand, busts out like a rap song paint-by-numbers: 1. throw an ominous rolling synth line underneath Feist's melody; 2. overlay a brief interlude of chaotic scratching; 3.add a gaggle of indecipherable voices as if about to launch into a rap verse. In contrast, the video for "Mushaboom", also included on the disc, is utterly captivating -- complete with Ikea bedsheets, flying toast, flying Feist. But as I said, the whole thing's inexplicable because -- well, really, who buys singles anymore anyway? You can watch the video at Feist's website: there is therefore no reason to give two hoots about this little disc. [Amazon | Insound]
      — Dan Raper
multiple songs: [MySpace]

Mobb Deep, "Put 'Em in Their Place" (Interscope) Rating: 3
Oh, Mobb Deep: the places you'll go! And on the strength of your new single, "Put 'Em In Their Place", here are two new destinations:

Place 1: Producer Hall of Fame. When asked to name his favorite producer, Prodigy thought hard and replied "H-A-V-O-C!". And the proof is in "Put 'Em" as "Hollywood" Hav demonstrates a mastery of that great democratizer of home-recording, GarageBand -- watch the treble on them drums! Apparently a bigger bankroll permits a 'hit' to consist solely of: a monotonous buzz, a lazy beat, and idle chatter. In another adventurous step back, maybe he'll move on to the SP-1200 next? Or "looping"??

Place 2: Emerald City. Because they're off to find the Wiz. [Insound]
      — Dan Nishimoto
multiple songs: [MySpace]

.: posted by Editor 9:20 AM