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Boredoms, Vision Creation Newsun (Warner): The iconic Japanoise agitators take a turn into rollicking rhythm, setting their collective controls for the heart of the sun and blasting off. On Vision Creation Newsun. Eye Yamataka's troupe has ascended to some meta-level of supernatural jam-band, evoking misty memories of muscular kraut-rock combos with their tight playing and intuitive changes. With three permanent percussionists now on board, the Boredoms' latest release continues with the sweaty tropical polyrhythms recently introduced on their Super Roots records. — AC
Jurassic 5, QualityControl (Interscope): From the clever cover art — the front shows the five-member crew wearing headsets plugged into a tree stump; the back has a turntable arm with the needle picking up sounds from the tree rings — to the finale, "Swing Set" (track 15!), Jurassic 5 deliver on this, their major-label debut. The samples are clever and not particularly obvious (Sandy Nelson's "Big Noise from Winnetka," Quincy Jones' "The Hot Rock," Blowfly's "One Less Dick"), but it's the message(s) and the vocal performances that knock me out. Just get an earful of "Laused" and tell me this doesn't have plenty of "moments of truth," as the great Gang Starr might put it. — MG Godspeed You Black Emperor!, Levez Vos Skinny Fists Comme Antennas to Heaven (Kranky): Nine-man Canadian combo Godspeed You Black Emperor! up the ante on their second long-player proper, deploying their epic, apocalyptic non-rock rock over two CDs and 90 minutes. Divided into four movements — "Storm," "Static," "Sleep" and "Antennas to Heaven" — Levez Vos Skinny Fists... unwinds slowly, slipping between ghosted noise-and-field-recording passages and the sustained explosions of big, bombastic caterwaul that have become Godspeed's signature sound. When they wind up their guitars, percussion and strings to dramatic climax, it's hard to think of a band straddling "bigger" territories with as much artistry and aplomb. — AC Various, Almost Famous (DreamWorks): I hate oldies tours by the likes of the Rolling Stones and the Who (come on guys, either make some new music that matters, or forget about it). I'm adamantly anti-nostalgia. I should be making fun of this album of music heard in Cameron Crowe's excellent film "Almost Famous," not praising it. But I can't help myself. The songs collected here — Thunderclap Newman's "Something In the Air," Todd Rundgren's "It Wouldn't Have Made Any Difference," The Beach Boys' "Feel Flows," The Seeds' "Mr. Farmer," even Elton John's "Tiny Dancer" — are true classics. The proof is that over a quarter-century after they were recorded, they stand up. If Crowe's movie-making career ever heads south (not likely), he can always get into the compilation biz. — MG The Olivia Tremor Control, Presents: Singles and Beyond (Emperor Norton): Operating in another zone, but one which references the Beach Boys and Beatles by way of Big Star and god knows who else, are The Olivia Tremor Control. Collecting some of their early singles and EPs, this album is the audio equivalent of a day spent reading "Alice In Wonderland" or C. S. Lewis' fantasy tales. The music suggests elegant, Victorian pop — all the more amazing since some of these 20 wonderful tracks were recorded on extremely primitive equipment. Talent and ideas rule! Check out "Fireplace," "Love Athena" and the excellently titled "Beneath the Climb," a pop track that feels a bit like early Who as it races along at a frantic pace. And "Gypsum All Field Fire" is a classic. — MG more reviews |