Toubab Krewe — Toubab Krewe

Toubab Krewe -- Toubab Krewe

• Artist: Toubab Krewe
• Title: Toubab Krewe
• Year: 2005
• Format: CD
• Rating (1-10): 8
• Owner: Tracy
• Acquired: 2007 – Secondspin.com
• Keeper: Yes

These guys are the business. Toubab Krewe are making music that takes more effort than some dudes getting together and just jamming. They use a lot of African instruments that you probably have never heard of, and probably couldn’t find someone to teach you, at least in this country. And somehow this all came together right here in Asheville, NC. My favorite, I think, is “Devil Woman.” You can hear it and three other songs at ToubabKrewe.com. There’s even more stuff at their MySpace page. (Be sure to check out “Buncombe to Badala”)

This type of instrumental music is not for everybody, but it is for cool people. Think about that. Thanks to another local musician, Andy John, for turning me on to this.

Leftfield — Leftism

• Artist: Leftfield
• Title: Leftism
• Year: 1995
• Format: CD
• Rating (1-10): 8
• Owner: Tracy
• Acquired: 2007 – SecondSpin.com
• Keeper: Yes

More than once I’ve read reviews that called Leftfield’s Leftism “the greatest dance record ever.” To that I say, “OK.” It’s good all right; that’s for sure. Leftism was their debut. I’ve had their second, darker and somewhat minimalist, record Rhythm and Stealth for some years, and it’s one of my favorites. I couldn’t find Leftism easily because it’s now out of print. Then, just recently I discovered SecondSpin.com. I’m sure they’ve been in business for quite a while, but they’re new to me. They have used CDs, DVDs and games, the prices are great, and best of all they have hard to get stuff like this record. You can bet I’m going to be picking up a lot of back catalog stuff from them.

Anyhow, the Leftfield deal is like this: They are two DJs with numerous guest vocalists (no less than John Lydon on this one) and have been described as the finest example of freestyle British club music. Yes.

Read more about Leftfield at Wikipedia.

The Decemberists — The Crane Wife

• Artist: The Decemberists
• Title: The Crane Wife
• Year: 2006
• Format: CD
• Rating (1-10): 8
• Owner: Mary
• Acquired: 2006 – Christmas gift!
• Keeper: Yes

What? What is this? Sometimes The Decemberists remind me of The Zutons, The Shins, and maybe even Cake. Then there’s that second song “The Island: – Come and See – The Landlord’s Daughter – You’ll Not Feel the Drowning.” Yes, that is the title, and it’s befitting since this ditty is over twelve minutes and moves from sounding like a sea shanty to classic progrock a la Yes. What? The Crane Wife opens with a title track, “The Crane Wife, Part 3.” Later in the album there is “The Crane Wife, Parts 1 & 2” which is also Freedbird-esque in its length. In between there are a number of more accessible, normal format songs, and they are all interesting.

I haven’t figured out the album concept entirely. All the not-of-this-time artwork (much more than shown here) and lyrics make it seem mysterious, and that keeps it interesting. Of course, there’s plenty of mystery in the music itself.

Help me figure it out:
Decemeberists.com
The Decemberists at Wikipedia

The Roots — Game Theory

• Artist: The Roots
• Title: Game Theory
• Year: 2006
• Format: CD
• Rating (1-10): 8
• Owner: Tracy
• Acquired: 2006 – Christmas present to myself, Amazon.
• Keeper: Yes

This is one very heavy and dark, but very good album. And an album it is, not just a collection of songs. The Roots’ Game Theory plays like a 47 minute hip-hopera with few pauses and nary a cheerful lyric to be heard. Those lyrics keep me from blasting it in the house when the kids are around, but I’ve managed to hear it enough now to know it’s a great record. My favorites are the high speed, slamming “Here I Come” followed closely by “Don’t Feel Right.”

Nick Cave and Warren Ellis — The Proposition Original Soundtrack

• Artist: Nick Cave and Warren Ellis
• Title: The Proposition Original Soundtrack
• Year: 2005
• Format: CD
• Rating (1-10): 7
• Owner: Mary
• Acquired: 2006 – Christmas gift!

I was shopping around for Mary this Christmas when I stumbled on this. I hadn’t even heard of the movie The Proposition. It turns out, not only did Nick Cave, her favorite music artist, write and perform the soundtrack music, he also wrote the script. Best of all, it seems people really like it, the movie, that is. I don’t know much about his collaborator Warren Ellis, but I do know he is not the comic book author.

This really is movie music, and I would call it a “score” rather than a soundtrack. I don’t think the “songs” here are meant to stand alone; for the most part they are more like music cues. Overall, I dig it, but I like listening to scores/soundtracks probably more than most folks. I really don’t want to use the word “ethereal”, but there, I’ve done it. Of course, it’s ethereal with a very subtle Western movie edge and a not unexpected old man Nick Cave sound. Listen for yourself.

Roots Manuva — Awfully Deep

• Artist: Roots Manuva
• Title: Awfully Deep
• Year: 2005
• Format: CD
• Rating (1-10): 6
• Owner: Tracy
• Acquired: 2006 – Another Christmas gift!
• Keeper: Maybe

The first time I heard Roots Manuva was on Leftfield‘s 1999 album Rhythm and Stealth, one of my top 100 records. Then, he popped up again on the latest Gorillaz record, Demon Days.

It’s taken me a while to get some of his solo music. I’ve had Awfully Deep on my list since came out almost two years ago. I’m not sure what to think about it. Maybe I need to listen to it a few more times. Maybe I should have started with his earlier records. Some of it is really interesting, but some of it just doesn’t seem to flow.

Read more about Roots Manuva at Wikipedia.

Sam and Dave – The Very Best Of

• Artist: Sam and Dave
• Title: The Very Best Of
• Year: 1995
• Format: CD
• Rating (1-10): 9
• Owner: Tracy
• Acquired: 2006 – Christmas gift!
• Keeper: Yes

I love the Stax stuff. When I was teenager I couldn’t get enough early soul music, and spent as much time listening to that as I did punk rock, arty stuff, and metal. Despite that, there are some big holes in my collection. Mary helped correct that by getting this Sam and Dave collection for me. “The Very Best Of” is, of course, excellent. Who in his right mind doesn’t like “Hold On! I’m A Comin'”? Other well-known classics include “Soul Man”, “Wrap It Up”, and my favorite “I Thank You.” ZZ Top also had a hit with “I Thank You.” It’s even one of my favorite ZZ Top songs, but they had to sleaze it up bit by replacing “me” in the lyrics a few times with “it.” For example:

You didn’t have to squeeze me but you did

And so on…

Kinky — Reina

• Artist: Kinky
• Title: Reina
• Year: 2006
• Format: CD
• Rating (1-10): 8
• Owner: Tracy
• Acquired: 2006 – Got it for Christmas!
• Keeper: Yes

Don’t read this yet. First go to the Kinky site, click on “music”, then treat yourself to “I Say Hey” from their new album Reina.

OK, glad you’re back. Just let the whole album play. Kinky has been one of my favorite bands for the last few years, and getting their albums as Christmas presents is becoming a tradition that I hope never ends. The first couple times I played Reina I didn’t like it as much as their other stuff. But now I’m feeling it! I won’t bother to explain their sound, since you’re listening for yourself, but I will say that all of their records make perfect party mixes by themselves. Skip all the work of picking out other music. Mary pointed out that they sound like they’re channeling Devo on “Again And So On.” Bonus!

When I say hey, hey, hey… haaa
When I say hey, hey, hey… haaa
When I say hey, hey,
You better look this way!

Beck — The Information

• Artist: Beck
• Title: The Information
• Year: 2006
• Format: CD
• Rating (1-10): 10
• Owner: Tracy
• Acquired: 2006 – Christmas gift!
• Keeper: Yes

I haven’t read anything about Beck’s new record, The Information. I’m sure there are tons of intelligent and thoughtful reviews out there, but you won’t find that here. This is an excellent Beck record, with a little bit of everything and a whole lotta awesomeness. The moods and styles are typically eclectic, but there’s a certain laid back darkness to it. I like it.

Even the total package is interesting. The “Beck” label is a sticker on the case. The insert is a blank fold of graph paper. Inside, and pictured below, is a large sheet of stickers. And maybe best of all there is another disk: a DVD with a video for every song on the album! I’d say it looks like most of them were made the same day with about 30 friends, a couple hundred costumes, a rented mansion or palace, and some nutty video mixing.

You can download the album of course, and maybe even the videos, but where are you gonna get those cool stickers if you don’t buy the disk?

My favorite songs are “Cellphone’s Dead” and “We Dance Alone.” How can I not give this one a “10”?

Visit Beck.com.

Wolfmother — Wolfmother

Wolfmother -- Wolfmother

• Artist: Wolfmother
• Title: Wolfmother
• Year: 2006
• Format: CD
• Rating (1-10): 8
• Owner: Tracy / Mary
• Acquired: Not sure.
• Keeper: Yes

These guys have been everywhere in the last few months. Letterman, Leno, movie soundtracks, and I even heard their first single “Woman” used in a recap of the women’s tennis competition one evening during the US Open. Cleverrrrr.

When I first heard Wolfmother’s self-titled album I thought it was the rock and roll equivalent of macaroni and cheese. By that I mean at a glance it was cheesy and familiar, but damn tasty! And of course you just want more and more. Now that we’ve had the disc for a while I can say that it’s much more than that. In fact, it’s a well-rounded meal of music with everything from heavy Sabbathy riffs to pretty pop pieces. Despite some obvious old-school influences and sounds, overall it’s still very modern.

I’ve seen a lot of stuff comparing them to the White Stripes, complaining about it even, but I think that is mostly because of singer Andrew Stockdale’s voice. That said, even my 10 year old son said “this sounds like the White Stripes” on hearing the frantic song “Apple Tree.”

This is a great album that I think will appeal to a lot of folks, even those oblivious to the older influences. And that album cover art in pure genius, hilarious. I was just about to call it “Frazetta-style” when I read the liner notes to see that it is in fact the real deal, a Frank Frazetta original.