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20 June 2006

Paik, Monster of the Absolute (Strange Attractors)
Detroit's transcendent psyche threesome -- Rob Smith, Ali Clegg and Ryan Pritts -- hammer repeated patterns into distorted mandalas, in this fifth full-length's obliteratingly loud, murkily beautiful soundscapes. "Phantoms" slips in and out of rock conventions, its wickedly spiked guitar line running in clockwork-precise away from the drums and bass, then ducking precipitously earthward in a two-note nose-dive. Drums push to the foreground late in the cut, every beat making space for ponderous fills and ritual crashes. Dense, wall-to-wall textures billow through "Snakeface" where eighth-note shifting guitar patterns emerge from a resonant MBV-ish dirge. This disc, which will appeal to fans of Bright, Kinski, Bardo Pond, Yume Bitsu and other deafening but beauty-enraptured psychedelicists, peaks with the title cut. This nearly 10-minute meditation pits the transparently gorgeous guitar notes against the murky howl of feed-back. It is indeed a monster, and indeed a statement of absolutes. [Insound]
      — Jennifer Kelly
"Phantoms": [MP3]
Rock / Space Rock  

Chop Chop, Chop Chop (Archenemy)
Chop Chop is Catherine Cavanagh and Christy Chang (enough c's for ya?), electro-pop nerds of the highest order. Their debut, self-titled album is melodic, quirky and highly likeable. Over an accompaniment of a wide variety of electronic effects, Cavanagh's voice spouts venom with the petite inflexion of a smoother PJ Harvey. The lyrics, which are violent or lovelorn in a cartoonish way, occasionally give the same thrill of the swear in Amiel's "Lovesong": "I think you used to love me / But not since you killed my boy" on "Blood Bath", or "I ate him for breakfast / But he was kinda gamey" on "Motherfucker Been Pissing Me Off". Occarionally, loops of guitar noise recall the Avalanches' recent remix of Wolfmother, but there's really no malicious intent in any of these songs, just sweetness. Other experimentations, such as the wobbly "My Excuses, My Emily", don't work so well, as Cavanagh's pretty voice is covered in a voice-altering effect making her sound like a choir of goblins. [Insound]
      — Dan Raper
multiple songs: [MySpace]
Indie / Pop  

DJ Drama & Yo Gotti, I Told You So [mixtape] (self-released)
Sometimes I wonder why CDs like this ever even get sent to PopMatters for review. I Told U So, the latest mixtape (and "a Gangsta Grillz extra" -- prestigious indeed) from rapper Yo Gotti with DJ Drama, has a few very specific goals which it sets out to achieve. And by those standards, it is most undeniably a success. Does it help to build Yo Gotti's rep and keep his name out there for his new album? Yes, it does. In fact, if you believe everything he says, this mixtape cements Yo Gotti's status as the "New King of Memphis". Musically, though, does it achieve its goals? Yet again, unequivocally, yes. Yo Gotti comes across as menacing, threatening, and intimidating, and he mutters various gangsta-isms involving cash, drug sales, and heavy use of the word "nigga" just as well as most other aspiring kingpins putting out mixtapes. Gotti's fanbase will move to these "street"-tough bangers, thrill to his Three 6 Mafia disses, and admire his killer ice on the album cover, but the problem for the rest of us nevertheless remains: artistically, I Told U So is entirely unexceptional. Some of the tracks are somewhat memorable: "25 Years to Life" has some nice sped-up sampling, and the beat on "Industry Niggas" is a wonderfully ominous, chaotic rush of dystopian-future confusion. Even so, they're few and far between on this sprawling 80-minute 23-tracker. Then again, I doubt Yo Gotti will care: he'll get his money, he'll buy his jewelry, and he'll put out another disc. That's all that matters, right? [Insound]
      — Michael Frauenhofer
multiple songs: [MySpace]
Hip-hop  

Quietdrive, When All That's Left Is You (Epic)
Cited as one of the up and comers for 2006, Quietdrive seem to have some things going for it with "Rise from the Ashes", but it's a criminally slick and massively produced song that manages to work thanks to the urgency found within. The guitar work of Matt Kirby and Justin Bonhiver are fine and it's a great start. "Get Up" though is a winding, mid-tempo ditty that sounds like a paltry Jimmy Eat World or Blink 182. It's the simple, melodic power pop of "Take a Drink With Me" that could be a late summer gem with a rather mammoth chorus. The lone drawback is how it leaves you wanting more. Fortunately "Let Me Go In" shines, even if it more of the mellow, mid-tempo Hoobastank-ish fodder. "Rush Together" is a power pop-by-numbers tune that takes forever to get going. The album's second half is a hit and miss string of mediocrity though, with "I Lie Awake" being quite sappy and blasé. The lone highlight of "Side B" is "The Seasons" which packs some nice punch and pizzazz. The lowlight? Without question a cover of Cyndi Lauper's "Time After Time". It's not meant to be power pop, my good men! [Insound]
      — Jason MacNeil
multiple songs: [MySpace]
Rock / Alternative Pop  

.: posted by Editor 8:40 AM