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Various, SoleSides Greatest Bumps (Ninja Tune): To celebrate their newfound union with London label Ninja Tune, the Bay Area's Quannum collective — Blackalicious, Latyrx, and DJ Shadow — dig back in the vaults of their first record label, Solesides, to deliver two CDs of fine hip-hopmanship. Aside from the label's most well-known tunes, e.g. Shadow's "Entropy" and Latyrx's "Lady Don't Tek No," the compilation includes a slew of rarities. One of them, "Freestyle Rapping" — a straight-to-tape jam complete with school-project introduction — features Lateef, Gift Of Gab and Lyrics Born working it over beats cut up by Shadow. — AC
Marilyn Manson, Holy Wood (in the shadow of the valley of death) (Nothing/Interscope): From where I sit, Manson's Ziggy/glam turn, Mechanical Animals, was brilliant rock 'n' roll. Here Manson gets heavier and harder, once again making a statement that should drive the adults crazy. One song's titled "Disposable Teens," and another "President Dead." Some Manson lyrics are pure poetry, 1984-style: "This is for the people/ Getting high on violence, baby/ President Dead is clueless/ And he's caught in a headlight, police-state god…" Just in time for a Bush presidency? — MG Coldplay, Parachute (Nettwerk): Calling England's Coldplay the new U2 or the new Radiohead would be easy (and has already been done), but also like calling Springsteen the new Dylan back in '71, when, obviously, he was always his own man, with his own sound. And so it is with Coldplay. Sometimes singer Chris Martin sounds a bit like the late Jeff Buckley and at others echoes the young John Martyn — but mostly he ends up sounding like a soulful young folk-rocker who hasn't turned cynical yet, and who can hit a high falsetto when he wants. Guitarist Jon Buckland knows when to stay in the background, and when to kick in with chiming notes that, yes, occasionally reference The Edge. You'll find the great, hooky pop-rock "Yellow" irresistible as I did — it's already been a top-5 hit in England. Once you fall for "Yellow," the rest of the album will kick in, and fast. — MG Add N To (X), Add Insult To Injury (Mute): Most left-field pop combos use old analog synths to sound warm, worn and cuddly. London trio Add N To (X) use an array of old analog synths to sound cold, bizarre and scary — at times positively medieval. Their fourth album finds the ever-evocative black-clad cadets at their most direct yet, employing their wired-up wares to charismatic effect, banging out a collection of suitably warped, disturbingly sexy post-punk anthems. — AC Grandaddy, The Sophtware Slump (V2): I know it's been out a while — so what? This quirky soundtrack to a version of the future is still on my Top 10 Albums of Year 2000 list, months after I started listening to the advance. Singer/writer/producer Jason Lytle has a little bit of Neil Young in his voice and Radiohead in his production style. I bet he's read both "Snow Crash" and "Neuromancer," too. And the band comes from Modesto — definitely a plus. — MG Guru's Jazzmatazz, Streetsoul (Virgin): First thing you gotta know is I'm a major Gang Starr fan. While I probably prefer the grittier sound of Gang Starr albums, any lover of modern (or classic) soul will trip on Streetsoul, which features such vocalists as Macy Gray and Erykah Badu. Standout track at the moment is Kelis' groovin' "Supa Love," with production by The Neptunes. Put this on and you'll be dancing around your place, turning a down day into a party and picking up some "mad wisdom" along the way. — MG Jess Klein, Draw Them Near (Ryko): Greil Marcus, my favorite critic, wrote in his Interview magazine column that Jess Klein's voice is "too thin, too reedy, too small." Still, Marcus finds himself pulled into Klein's music, particularly one song, "I Sure Would"; he can't seem to put his finger on what it is he likes about Klein's album, but he does like it. And so do I. A lot. I think Klein has a great voice for singing alterna-country kind of songs — vulnerable, sensitive, but sure of herself. She expresses feelings many of us have felt in songs that really stick. Pick one at random — "I Tried," "Little White Dove" or, say, "Cloud Song." You won't be disappointed. — MG Kim Gordon, DJ Olive, Ikue Mori, SYR5 (SYR): After releasing four challenging, experimental albums on their own indie label, SYR, Sonic Youth have begun issuing offshoot projects, the first of which is a collaboration between SY singer/bassist/guitarist Kim Gordon, DJ Olive and Ikue Mori, mixed by Jim O'Rourke. "International Spy" features Gordon improvising lyrics — "I spy into your ear" — over an audio collage that is somehow soothing, while "Neu Adult" feels like a beat poetry reading over the sounds of a beehive. Actually, this is exactly what you'd expect, and then some. It feels very New York/Village/late-night/modern/Jackson Pollock/let's go somewhere new/let's have fun while we go there. I love it! — MG Mark Kozelek, Rock 'N' Roll Singer (Badman): Mark Kozelek led the Red House Painters, and under his strong hand, the band released a series of amazing recordings on the 4AD label during the early-to-mid-'90s. Some people compare the group to the mysterious and legendary Nick Drake, and, listening to Kozelek's first solo effort, Rock 'N' Roll Singer, it's easy to see why. But it's also easy to hear what's special about this dreamy romantic. He includes three (!) AC/DC songs here, but unless you read the credits you'd think these were Kozelek originals, so distinctive are his interpretations. "Rock 'N' Roll Singer," done as a ballad of course, is rightfully the title track. The Neil Youngish electric guitar will give you a rush, as will Kozelek when he sings, "I had the devil in my blood/ Telling me what to do.../Gonna be a rock 'n' roll singer/ Gonna be a rock 'n' roll star." Simultaneously inspiring and heartbreaking. — MG The Dandy Warhols, Thirteen Tales from Urban Bohemia (Capitol): Once again, the Dandys' Brit-pop, by way of Portland, Oregon (and a touch of early Pink Floydian psychedelia), is on the mark, big time. One-upping their previous masterwork, 1997's The Dandy Warhols Come Down, Thirteen Tales... will trip you out, especially when listened to on headphones in the post-midnight hours. With its repeated chorus, "If I could sleep forever," "Sleep" is as hauntingly beautiful as it is hypnotic. — MG De La Soul, Art Official Intelligence: Mosaic Thump (Tommy Boy): This long-awaited album solidifies the return of De La Soul. Plenty of guests — Black Thought, Chaka Khan, Beastie Boy Mike D, Pharaohe Monch, Busta Rhymes, Redman — keep things lively, but the bottom line is all about the badder-than-ever De La Soul trio. The grooves are righteous and the vibe is right. Check out soulful "All Good?" and "U Can Do (Life)." — MG |