(Universal) CD
Badu’s 4th World War was an amazing funk/hop/soul fusion record that expertly tapped the production talents of Sa-Ra Creative Partners, Madlib & The Roots. Madlib is on board here, but Badu herself steers the way for the most part, leading a killer cast of live players for a record that acts as a lush, organic counterpart to 4th World War‘s digi-soul beatscapes. One of the few remaining relevant holdovers from the neo-soul boom of the late 90’s, Badu is in fine form on Ankh – socio-politics, matters of the heart & mind, spitritual journeies; Badu is a bold female artist unafraid to tackle some meaty topics, with a grace & vision that is typically lacking in most post-soul. Marvin Gaye, Isaac Hayes, Sharon Jones, Funkadelic, Stevie Wonder – Badu is like all of these proprietors of soul rolled up into one beautifully charged female, but with that extra-terrestrial yearning that keeps her quirky & unique; Ankh bears Badu’s amazing voice & some of her best tunes to date.
(Jagjaguwar) CD & LP
Besnard Lakes Are The Darkhorse was a slow, steady burn that won many hearts in 2007 – its mix of proggy structures with etherial atmospheric & classic rock chops did wonders for those looking for a respite from quippy, thin indie rock. Their follow up, Roaring Night expands upon the sound of Darkhorse, with a little more time spent dwelling in the floating, Lynchian scapes these guys do so well. Of course, things do come to a head with “And This Is What We Call Progress”, an amazing driving tune with soaring vocals from Jace Lasek and a call & response riff arrangement that picks up the “rawk” quotient. One of the year’s strongest rock records so far.
(Warp) CD & 2LP
Sean Booth & Rob Brown are an inscrutable pair; 2008’s Quaristice glanced to the group’s past, connecting with ambient passages, 4/4 rhythms & a sense of cohesion that had eluded Ae fans for a couple of releases. Oversteps gives everyone an even bigger hug, reigning in the textural experiments & abstract structures for chordings & melodic themes that span a wide range of emotions & states. From the opening fade in of “r ess” to the loping, disintegrating arpeggios of “Yuop”, Oversteps is another fine notch on Autechre’s spiffy belt. After emotionally effective dance records from the likes of Four Tet & the great bass music experiments of from the Hyperdub camp, Autechre still resonate within their own idiom. Masters.
My, my – These New Puritans’ sophomore album sure is an astutely sculpted mish-mash of musical worlds. The opening track “Time Xone” plays like the sparse woodwind score to a cinematic epic, before “We Want War” breaks in with a seemingly appropriated crunk anthem. Thankfully, the lyrical considerations are more akin to PiL than Lil’ Wayne, meaning yes: this is a morose and melancholy record. At alternating times, it’s as much Steve Reich as it is M.I.A. as it is Liars. Frequently deconstructed back to the bellow of the bassoon and the re-occuring sword-out-of-the-sheath sample – this is a seriously sterling palette of vision and sound.
The third installment from the band based around the New Zealand-settled, California born, Ryan McPhun. On Fight Softly, the quirkiness is more distilled and the oh-so-ubiquitous Animal Collective pastiche more apparent; but it stands strong with its reputable melodic arc and production – and a vocal grace that doesn’t sound flat – a near anomaly in the world orbiting around “chillwave” (ahem). McPhun coos in styles which periodically allude David Longstreth (Dirty Projectors) and Panda Bear (see the opening half of “Cranberry”!). Meanwhile “Haunted House” is so well tailored with its rollarskate-disco-ball esteem, it sounds like it’s chasing heavy on the tail of an Arthur Russell record, namely: World of Echo. Aces to that.
(Drag City) 3CD & 3LP (!)
Wow. Little murmurs, a few web peeks & then BAM: three pieces of wax like THAT! It goes without saying that Joanna’s Ys quickly ascended the ranks of “modern classics” – it’s quietly grown & maintained an untarnished sense of purity & beauty over the last couple of years. The big question was; where does Joanna go from here? The answer has turned out to be even bigger. Have One On Me is a triple CD/LP affair & while it will take a few weeks to soak in all of its splendor, right off the bat with “Easy”, it’s a relief to hear some new tunes from Ms. Newsom. After a couple of rotations, it’s nice to hear some new arrangement ideas, with full accompaniment along on many tracks (including drums). Song lengths aren’t quite as daunting as Ys (even though they’re still 5 minutes +) & sonically the terrain is very familiar, with harp & other plucked instruments alongside piano & Newsom’s voice which seems to have made the same progressive leap from Ys that it made from The Milk-Eyed Mender. A worth of enjoyment awaits with Have One On Me – what a treat to have someone like Joanna Newsom making music in a time like this.
(Constellation) CD & 2LP
Their legacy might stem from folky ensembles & collective idealism but the remnants of Godspeed! still got some gusto; Thee Silver Mount Zion sound inspired here, at one moment tapping well worn post-rock grandiosity, the next, busting out punked-up Fugazi-esque post-hardcore. Impassioned tunes & great structuring keeps Kollaps Tradixionales from falling under the “another post rock record” category, with riffs alongside the poetic bleakness that TSMZ execute so well. Kollaps Tradixionales‘ emotional arcs mirror the arduous, challenging, yet rewarding path that the Constellation collective has endured over the last 15 years.
(Carpark) CD & LP
Toro Y Moi is producer Chaz Bundick’s solo dreamwave (or chillwave, WHATEVER!) endeavor that adds another quaint little album to the slowly building mountain of shoegaze miniatures that are seamlessly melding 80’s synthpop, post-electro &… well, Boards Of Canada songs (yeah, we said it). Much of Causers Of This sounds like Panda Bear if he went all super synthy & turned down the reverb. Tunes like “Thanks Vision” have that warbly tape vibe of Neon Indian & Washed Out, but still retain the structure of a catchy as hell modern pop tune.
(Rough Trade) CD & 2LP
German Hendrik Weber has a pretty impeccable track record so far when it comes to melancholic, melodic minimal techno. His last full length effort This Bliss was one of 2008’s electronic highlights. Along with Dial label mates Sten & Efdemin, Pantha trolls an eloquent little nook of the minimal techno pantheon that focuses mores on melody & emotional gravity than bass weight & dancefloor propulsion. With Black Noise, Weber has refined the glistening sheen of his beats even more. Weber’s propensity for lilting, chiming bell-toned techno is in brilliant form here, as Black Noise artfully straddles the line separating chill-hour microhouse & sleek minimal dancefloor mastery. Features “Stick To My Side”, a great duet with Panda Bear. A great start to what promises to be a strong year of electronic full lengths.
CD & 2LP (Sub Pop)
A jump from Carpark to SubPop & the third dreamy installment from Victoria LeGrand & co’s Beach House project is here. There’s a slight bit more pep here, although the wisping melancholia is still abound, with LeGrande’s sinking, swooning vox doing that thing that worked so well on Devotion & their debut. A early contender for 2010 critics’ lists.
