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Listening to Woven can be extremely annoying, and not just because their lead signer can’t sing (although that plays a large factor in it). Woven is so annoying because each of their records are textbook examples of how to squander potential. They’ve shown promise ever since their 2001 EP debut EPrime to become a great electronic act, maybe even a mainstream version of Aphex Twin. However, instead of embracing their inner glitch, the group continues to try and combine their natural talent for breakbeats and killer loops with generic, utterly boring alt-rock straight out of the late-’90s post-grunge handbook. Much of the blame for the band’s failure to successfully merge the two decidedly very different genres should be placed on singer Ory Hodis. There hasn’t been a signer this bad in a band this good since Einar’s days with Bjork in the Sugarcubes. Hodis seems to have two styles, whisper sing/speak and falsetto yelling/whining, and he can’t pull off either. Songs on Designer Codes are completely ruined by him. “Perception Whore” and “Inhale” are awesome IDM-inspired bits of insanity, kind of like Radiohead’s Kid A with some balls. But the second Hodis opens his mouth and unleashes his inner sensitive alt-rock bitch, the songs are totally ruined. Hodis should shut his mouth and Woven should either recruit a new lead singer or seriously consider reinventing themselves as an instrumental act, since that is one area they need no help in. |
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King Kong vs. Godzilla, Alien vs. Predator, Freddy vs. Jason. These are the eternal battles that have captured the imagination of the American public. Now you can add Computer vs. Banjo to that list of epic duels. The computer half of this musical duel is Johnny Mann of the little-heard Nashville funk band Gran Torino. The banjo is represented by Beau Stapleton, formerly of the slightly successful southern jam band Blue Merle. To be honest though, there isn’t much in the way of “vs” on the duo’s self-titled debut. Much of the album is simply a low-fi electronic album, songs like “Low” and “Outer Space” have nary a country influence in them. On the flip side, country ballads “San Joaquin” and “2Heavy2Hold” don’t have much a computer presence to them. When the two do team up, the result is more like a Grandaddy album than something that you would expect from a name like Computer Vs. Banjo. Where’s the 21st century version of “Dueling Banjos”? What about a hardcore rave anthem with some line dancing influence thrown in for good measure? This is a good album, but there’s a lot of untapped potential here. Hopefully Mann and Stapleton will really embrace their novel concept on their next album and truly give us a battle between the technological majesty of electronic music and the down-home charm of classic country. (Diagram 2008) Filed under: Alternative and Electronica and Country and CD Reviews and CD QuickTakes Comments: None |
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The band’s name is a reference to the many ‘isms’ that they feel are tearing at the fabric of society (racism, terrorism, etc.), but we see the band’s name as an acronym: It’s Sub-par Muse. Lead singer and songwriter Andre Mistier is clearly a big fan of Matthew Bellamy & co – a quick glance at the band’s top friends on their MySpace page confirms this – and the band’s sophomore effort, Urgency, feels like one long mash note to the UK power trio. There is no questioning the band’s talents as musicians, and lead single “Sacred Cows,” with its Morello-esque octave-jumping guitar riff, could pass for a leftover track from the Black Holes and Revelations sessions. The problem is the band’s slavish devotion to replicating Muse’s style. The title track alone is three Muse songs rolled into one, combining the music from “Time Is Running Out” with the lyrics from “Apocalypse Please” and “Butterflies and Hurricanes” (“If you’re wondering what you’re made of, now’s the time to see / Bring on Apocalypse”). Oh, and their bass player uses a lot of effects pedals, just like a certain Muse bassist. These guys could be dangerous once they find their identity, but for now, they’re just a group of highly skilled copycats. (STM Records) Filed under: Rock and Alternative and Electronica and CD Reviews and CD QuickTakes Comments: 6 Comments |
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The most shocking thing about Are We All Forgotten, the perky little EP from the Nashville quartet Paper Route, is the label that’s daring to release it. Apparently, Universal Motown didn’t get the memo that, as Eminem once bluntly put it, nobody listen to techno. Their “mistake,” as it were, is our gain, because this is one nifty collection of ambient electronic pop. The title song is the clear standout, armed with a skittery drum track and more jangly guitar than that entire La’s album. Lead singer Chad Howat’s tenor has a bit of Carl Newman to it at times, notably on “Empty House,” and the band is keen to balance the earnestness of the lyrics with plenty of ‘hoo hoos’ and ‘ha has.’ Gorgeous stuff. Looking forward to the full-length album. (Low Altitude/Universal Motown) |
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Global Noize is collaborative project between turnbalist DJ Logic and Grammy Award-winning jazz composer/keyboardist Jason Miles, and joining them throughout their self-titled debut are about a dozen or so other musicians. Some of the more notable contributors include Living Colour guitarist Vernon Reid, Blues Traveler’s John Popper, singer Me’Shell Ndegeocello and legendary trumpeter Herb Alpert. In addition to those somewhat prominent names, jazz musicians Karl Denson, Billy Martin, Cyro Baptista and Christian Scott show up, as does Parliament/Funkadelic’s Bernie Worrell. That’s a lot of great musicians from a ton of genres; and they bill themselves as “the nexus of jazz, funk, world music and electronica,” so it’s really too bad that they sound like nothing more than a third-rate jazz act experimenting with a turntable and a sampler. This isn’t a record that has one foot in jazz while dabbling in other genres; it has both feet firmly planted in jazz while the occasional pinky toe dips into electronic music or rock for a second before quickly retreating back to the safe, soothing waters of modern jazz. If you’re looking for a successful blend of jazz and electronic music (two genres of music that go surprisingly well together) check out Sqaurepusher’s Ultravisitor or At the Center by Meat Beat Manifesto. This is nothing more than waiting room music with mediocre backbeats tacked on. (Shanachie 2008) |
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It may sound like the ultimate insult to call an album a dance record for people who don’t dance anymore, but let’s face it; most of the people who went club hopping in the late ‘80s simply don’t dance anymore, but they’re going to love Hercules and Love Affair, the collective effort by Andrew Butler and a small army of friends. Ranging from Inner City-style house (“You Belong”) to brooding, Shriekback-ish dark grooves (“Easy”), the album has both Thievery Corporation cool and traditional dance pop sensibilities. “Blind” goes back even further in time, rocking a full-on disco groove, and the sincerity of the performance is as convincing an argument for the awesomeness of early disco as you’ll ever hear. Hercules and Love Affair is, quite literally, groovy stuff. More, please. (Mute) |
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You’d be hard pressed to find a genre with a greater POF (Poseur Overload Factor) than the Nouveaux Wave scene, where the majority of the bands equate squawky synths with detached, ironic hipster cool, as if the world needs more detached, ironic hipster cool. (It doesn’t, by the way.) Huzzah, then, to Chicago duo Walter Meego – neither of whom is named Walter or Meego – for putting the song first and going from there. Their debut, Voyager, takes Daft Punk’s poppiest work to its logical next step, matching the bubbliest of pop songs with “Aerodynamic”-style keytar riffs. “Girls” is the clear standout, which a guitar hook the size of an anchor, while the ode to voyeurism that is “Keyhole” has a tribute of sorts to “Aerodynamic” in the solo. If you’re looking for a frothy, fun summer album, look no further. (Almost Gold) Filed under: Pop and Alternative and Electronica and CD Reviews and CD QuickTakes and Dance Comments: None |
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As the late Ted Knight once said, the world needs ditch diggers too, meaning that not everyone is meant to change the world. The Ting Tings, the Salford duo of drummer Jules De Martino and guitarist/singer Katie White, are ditch diggers of sorts, specializing in club pop that is by and large disposable, but every once in a while, they elevate disposable pop to an art form. Even with a running time just under 38 minutes, there is a fair share of chaff on We Started Nothing, the band’s debut, but the wheat is some of the sweetest wheat you’ll find all year, starting with the instant classic, “Rapture”-esque “Shut Up and Let Me Go.” “Great DJ” is armed with one of those unforgettable – but ultimately annoying – hooks in its chorus, “That’s Not My Name” gets by on sass alone, and “We Walk” works a tad of widescreen pop into the mix. The rest of the album will seem cute enough while it’s playing, but will be forgotten the second it’s over. (Columbia) |
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For all the iiO fans who can’t get enough of the classic dance tune “Rapture,” here’s a two-disc set featuring 18 remixes of the tune. Like any collection of remixes, Rapture Reconstruction is a hit and miss experience, and of course it really all comes down to personal opinion of just which remixes are the best here. The opening “Starkillers Dirty Girl Made Single Edit” is better than “Starkillers Undone Made Single Edit” just two tracks later, for example. Part of the problem is sitting through the whole thing and not going slightly nuts from it trying to pick out the wheat from the chaff. Even the dub versions are split right down the middle of good and irritating (the spacey “Hardware & Orue Electric Dub” is light years better than the “Friscia & Lamboy Dub,” which grates pretty fast). The second disc - the “Classic Enhanced Disk”- fares no differently. The “Armin Van Buuren remix” is a good example of classic hard trance done right, while the “Deep Dish Space Remix” sounds lazy and uninspired, like any generic remix you’d care to name. If you want to get as close to the real thing, though, the “Original Extended Mix” is the very last cut here and it shines through so much of the other versions here. Sometimes sticking to the real thing is the best decision. (Made 2008) |
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He may have DJ in his name, but the Brazilian-based turntablist would probably be at home next to world music compatriots like Balkan Beat Box and later-day stuff by David Byrne. Whatever Dolores is spinning on his third album 1 Real, there aren’t any tracks that are going to get the raver kids bouncing up and down or end up on any Aphex Twin nerd’s playlist. Most of what Dolores is doing here is infusing traditional Brazilian music with his own electronic flavor. One can only imagine that dance houses across Rio are banging to track like “Deixa Falar” and “Cala Cala” but the songs don’t mean nearly as much if you aren’t familiar with what Dolores is sampling and drawing from. Occasionally though, the turntable/electronic influences are brought to the forefront and the traditional South American themes are taken back a bit. “Flying Horse” is built off of a strange vocal sample and even stranger beat; it would fit right in on an U.N.K.L.E. or DJ Shadow record. “Mutant Child (Run, Run, Run),” which according to the liner notes was inspired by a Wolverine comic book story – is a slow groove deep house kind of track, and the haunting “Wakaru” is trance, pure and simple. Dolores is politically active in his native country, and that is reflected in the lyrics of his music. However, since most of the songs on 1 Real are in Portuguese, that really won’t matter much to the American audience. Still, electronic music fans might want to check 1 Real out; it’s intelligent dance music of a different variety. (LABEL: Ziriguiboom/Crammed 2008) |
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Electronic rock is making a comeback of sorts, and Ready Fire Aim is surely hoping that they can catch the crest of that synthesizer wave to celebrity and success. However, while bands like Does It Offend You, Yeah?, MGMT, and the Klaxons are taking the classic synth-pop sound of the ‘80s and infusing it with everything from intelligent dance music, rave-inspired techno and even punk rock, Ready Fire Aim seems content to play it safe and emulate the stars of the past, with predictably boring results. “Wannabe You,” “Welcome Home,” and just about every track on their debut CD features programmed beats lifted straight from the garbage bin of the Violator sessions, and is full of second-rate retreads of something that’s already been done a thousand times over. Most importantly, lead singer Sage Rader’s (if that’s stage name, he’s an asshole, and if that’s his birth name, then his parents are pricks) bland whisper of a voice is obviously trying to come off as sexy, but instead is just incredibly annoying. Some advice for all you kids with computers and a mixing board: If you want to rip off Depeche Mode, or any of the other great electronic acts of the ‘80s, remember that while they often didn’t have any instruments aside from a drum machine and a high-end Casio, they usually did manage to find someone that could sing. This Changes Nothing is instantly forgettable. Talk about a descriptive album title. (LABEL: Expansion Team 2008) |
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Give OMD credit for knowing the limits of their marketplace potential, and serving up a live record that is right in the wheelhouse of the very people (only people?) who would still consider buying an OMD album at this point in time. Live: Architecture & Morality & More, on paper, is a die-hard’s dream come true, a track-by-track performance of the band’s most highly regarded album, fleshed out with various hit singles from the rest of the band’s catalog. The execution, however, is another matter. The mostly down-tempo album doesn’t exactly leap out of the speakers, Paul Humphreys’ keyboard tracks lack the punch of their studio equivalents, and on the two songs where Humphreys sings lead (“Souvenir” and “(Forever) Live and Die),” his voice wavers all over the place. Such a tantalizing idea – how sweet would it be to see ABC do The Lexicon of Love, or the Human League do Dare, in a similar environment – but two more weeks of rehearsal would have done wonders. (Eagle Records) Filed under: Pop and Alternative and Electronica and CD Reviews and CD QuickTakes Comments: 4 Comments |
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Division Day sure is divided. They can’t decide if they want to be a punk rock band that occasionally branches out into electronic soundscapes, or an experimental electronic band that occasionally takes things up a notch with a tune you can actually dance to. Let’s hope they eventually settle on the former. When they kick up the speed, give their guitar player a real riff to play and let their singer yelp and scream for a bit, they stand out as something worth paying attention to. The energetic “Tigers” highlights the band’s ability to really sound unique when they aren’t afraid to plug their instruments in and let loose. Even better is “Ricky,” an amazing, sinister track with a great squealing guitar riff. Too bad the band seems to avoid doing anything like it for most of the album. It’s almost like Division Day don’t know their own strengths, shying away from explosive songs like “Ricky” and instead moping about in shoegaze purgatory. Of course there’s an audience for that (those My Bloody Valentine fans have to buy something) but it’s not nearly as fun. Oh, and their MySpace page has an awesome cover of Roxy Music’s “More Than This,” which is nowhere to be found on the album. Tease. (Eenie Meenie 2007) |
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This is what Duran Duran’s Red Carpet Massacre should have sounded like. For those who don’t know the back story, Duran Duran solicited the help of hip hop overlord Timbaland and his protégé Nate “Danja” Hills to oversee their last album. This idea was sixteen different flavors of bad, because Tim and Nate demand that they be the stars of their work, not the bands singing and playing the songs in question. Duran Duran were reduced to co-stars on their own album. Tragic. The Midnight Juggernauts right every wrong that Duran made. The drum tracks are positively huge, second only to Daft Punk. The bass lines are fluid and rubbery – nothing on Red Carpet Massacre comes close to the bass line on “Shadows” – and the keyboards are layered without smothering everything around them. And here’s the best part: they’re a trio. That’s right, there are only three guys making all this sound, which I guess makes them the equal and opposite reaction to Wolfmother, and the dance doppelganger of Muse. Their album Dystopia doesn’t land on US shores until May 27, but it already has a spot on my Best of ’08 list. I haven’t been this excited about a band since, well, Muse. Make sure and check out the clips for “Tombstone,” “Shadows” and “Into the Galaxy” as well.
Filed under: Rock and Alternative and Electronica and Songs and Artists and Videos and External Music and Seen Your Video Comments: None |
 London’s Hyde Park is the site for the big 90th birthday party bash for former South African president Nelson Mandela. Among the artists scheduled to perform are U2, Paul McCartney, and Queen. Wow, what a lineup and what a tribute to Mandela. Santana is planning a US tour beginning April 4 in Boston. For a full list of dates for the month-long tour, check out www.santana.com In support of their Red Carpet Massacre album, Duran Duran will hit the road in North America beginning April 29 in Vancouver and running through May 31 in New York City. For more information, fans can visit www.duranduran.com. The Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival seems to get bigger every year. The ninth annual event is scheduled to take place April 25-27 in Indio, California and some of the confirmed acts include Goldfrapp, Portishead, Jack Johnson, Death Cab For Cutie, Flogging Molly, Love and Rockets, Fatboy Slim, Tegan and Sara and Rilo Kiley. Soulful singer/songwriter Marc Broussard has added dates to his spring tour in Athens, Georgia and Shreveport, Louisiana. Here is the complete list of shows: Apr. 17 - 40 Watt Club - Athens, GA - For more info click here. For tickets click here. Support Act: Angie Aparo Apr. 18 - Artisphere - Greenville, SC - For more info click here. Apr. 22 - Blue Moon Saloon - Lafayette, LA - For more info click here. For tickets click here. Apr. 24 - House of Blues - Dallas, TX - For more info click here. For tickets click here. Support Act: k.s. rhoads Apr. 25 - Antone’s - Austin, TX - For more info click here. For tickets click here. Support Act: k.s. rhoads Apr. 26 - Warehouse Live - Houston, TX - For more info click here. For tickets click here. Support Act: k.s. rhoads Apr. 27 - The Warehouse - Shreveport, LA - For more info click here. For tickets click here. Support Act: k.s. rhoads May 24 & 25 - Blues, Brews, & BBQ Festival - Avon, CO - For more info click here. Aug. 29 - Strawberry Music Festival - Yosemite, CA - For more info click here. |
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