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22 June 2006

Dert, Sometimes I Rhyme Slow (Isolated Music)
The proliferation of mash-ups (the illegal, much-derided bastard tracks created when two or more pre-existing songs are combined into one) is old news by now, and for good reason: after the novelty faded (Destiny's Child and Fugazi? Gwen Stefani and the Clash? peanut butter in my chocolate?), people started to realize that, nine times out of ten, these songs were entirely horrible Frankenstein pastiches of slightly-off tempos, conflicting keys, and painful, glitchy noise. Now that mash-ups are an art form like any other, apparently requiring skill,, horror of all horrors, it's the rare mash-up that actually survives Sturgeon's Revelation with any modicum of success. Dert succeeds with his latest disc, cleverly termed a "remixtape", sheerly through skill. The concept is interesting but nothing truly inspired: Dert cuts guitar work from José González's latest album Veneer into unconventional acoustic hip-hop beats, then matches them to rap a cappellas of Dert's choice, which means a lot of Kanye West, some Common and Talib, and single tracks from the likes of MF DOOM, Game, Aceyalone, and Nas. The nine tracks here are, without exception, exceptional, taking their distinctively "hip-hop" counterparts and replacing the bustle and bounce of their original production with gorgeous guitar loops. Not only are Dert's González-sampling beats simply beautiful, but they handle percussion in an interestingly subdued style for hip-hop and highlight the spare power of the vocals, exposing and drawing attention to the rappers' voices -- word has it that González himself was impressed with Dert's remixing. Kanye's ubiquitous "2 Words" undergoes a startling transformation, the socially-conscious lyrics coming across angrier and rawer over the cleaner guitar loop and the slowly-paced gospel choir sounding entirely different; Nas's classic "One Love" is sped up into a quickly-paced, nimble new animal of a song. José González's light, soft vocals are used for the chorus here, completely altering the feel, and when Q-Tip does cut in with "one love, one love", it sounds surreal, disembodied: a floating echo in a foreign landscape of quiet. In a fair world, this disc would be entirely legal, and Dert would be fully recognized for his accomplishments: namely, through the oft-belittled art of the mash-up, changing the way that hip-hop can sound. [Insound]
      — Michael Frauenhofer
multiple songs: [MySpace]
Hip-hop  

women in docs, Under a Different Sky (Baria)
Like k.d. lang and bell hooks, women in docs eschew capitalization in their name. But a much closer reference point is the Indigo Girls, with whom this Australian folk duo shares a propensity for lovely vocal harmonizing over subtle melodies. Sometimes the melodies are bit too subtle, however, drifting into blandness, and these women also share with the Girls a tendency for lyrical triteness. At times this can prove useful; the sweetly uncynical "Supermarket" contemplates "falling for someone who'd like my mum and dad" and even "drink my soy milk with me." The earnest cuteness can only go so far, though; the world was just fine without a song about The Ricky Lake Show, thanks. The album actually picks up as it goes, with most of the best songs on the second half: the radio-ready "Fade Away", the upbeat new-wavery of "Noise Pollution", and closer "The Lovey Song", which pulls off the unlikely feat of retaining listener attention for seven minutes with dreamy "la da de da da da" vocals warmly sung by a choir. [Insound]
      — Whitney Strub
song samples": [CD Baby]
Country / folk  

Eden's Fall, Harmony of Lies (Nothingheart)
These days, it seems the American metal bands who attract the most attention are the extreme-oriented innovators, the sludgy doom bands, and the scores of metalcore sound-alikes, while more unfashionable acts are left to pursue their careers below the radar of the trend-hoppers. Old school thrash and power metal couldn't be more uncool these days (just ask Nevermore, who never get their due), but they carry on, including Chicago's Eden's Fall, whose new album is a fine amalgam of the late '80s melodic thrash of Metal Church and Testament, and the more aggressive modern sound of Nevermore and Arch Enemy. Guitars alternate between crushing, crunching riffs and more dexterous, melodic movements, while vocalist John Barr shows he can bark like Phil Anselmo and deliver melodies like Warrell Dane. Produced by Swedish producer extraordinaire Dan Swanö, it's the kind of melodic aggression that goes over huge in Scandinavia, best exemplified by the first-rate, politically fueled "Blur the Lines" and "Bleed", a taut exercise in modern power metal dynamics. [Insound]
      — Adrien Begrand
"Blur the Lines": [MP3]
multiple songs: [MySpace]
Metal / Thrash  

Amalea Tshilds, Painted Tiles (Fall Fan)
Amalea Tshilds has a very haunting, precious vocal that seems to mix the best of Grey DeLisle and Emmylou Harris on the slow, gorgeous, dirge-ish opener "Distant Town". From there, the album takes a slightly different, upbeat tone with the jangle-y and somewhat trippy "Parachute", but "To the Ground" is another slow, old-school country tune that is quite pleasing and soothing, sounding a bit like Caitlin Cary in some respects. "Your Arms" however veers into a lush, lullaby area best suited for Juliana Hatfield as does the tender "Same Still Things" with its subtle guitar licks accenting the tune. The album throws a curve ball initially, making one think it is alt.country, but it's far more pop influenced judging by a light, airy jazz-tinted ditty like "Blue". Then she throws another gem entitled "Flood" that recalls the likes of Dolly Parton and Porter Wagoner or The Handsome Family. [Insound]
      — Jason MacNeil
multiple songs: [MySpace]
Singer-Songwriter / Folk  

.: posted by Editor 8:27 AM