Beck – Midnite Vultures

 

Beck is just a little too clever for his own good. If he stuck to writing great American folk tunes with a touch of country, hip hop or electronic then the world would be a much better place. On the evidence of this album however, Beck seriously over-does the side orders and the album as a whole ends up sounding a bit of a mess. There’s too much clever sampling, genre blurring and general old fashioned showing off for this to be anything other than average fair.

It all starts in promising fashion with the jaunty, but at the same time dark, soulfest of ‘Sexx Laws’. The song reminds you why you liked Beck in the first place, whereas the remainder of the album confirms why he also irritates you in equal measure.

‘Mixed Biznes’ is funky but ultimately sounds like the Scissor Sisters, ‘Hollywood Freaks’ is an embarrassing mix of funk and hip hop, and ‘Milk & Honey’ sounds like a progressive rock version of Justin Timberlake. I could continue, but I won’t.

As all great chefs know, too many ingredients makes for cluttered taste sensation. Beck seems to think that less is definitely not more as he proceeds to throw influences and smug trickery into the mix. It’s frustrating because Beck is undoubtedly a talent who can produce odd flashes of genius. Sadly, this is nowhere near his best and save for the opening track would have been a disaster. Listen to the excellent ‘Sexx Laws’ and avoid the rest is the best advice I can offer.

 

Sarah Jaffe – Better than Nothing

Pick of the Week 39 – Sarah Jaffe

Straight out of Denton, Texas comes whimsical folk songstress Sarah Jaffe. She looks lovely and sounds lovely and I bet she is lovely too. Her fashion sense looks great too and she could definitely come on a shopping trip to Primark with me and Evlkeith if she wants some really cheap but snazzy gear. Her voice ranges from husky murmuring, progressing up to full scale yodelling and this song is a well crafted gem that eats into your subconscious and bursts out when you least expect it, a bit like the scene in Alien but less messy. Heartily recommended!

 

Denton, Texas facts for anyone interested:

 

• Denton is the capital of Denton County, Texas.

• Both were named after pioneer and handsome Texas militia captain John B. Denton – the Godfather of Denton.

• Denton is known for its active music life; the North Texas State Fair and Rodeo attracts cowboys from all over the US and the Denton Arts and Jazz Festival attracts over 300,000 people with pointy little beards to the city each year.

• Denton was the seventh-fastest growing city last year with a population over 100,000, as people flocked to this cultural and educational hub.

• The City experiences hot, humid summers with lots of wasps, but relatively few extreme weather events.

The picturesque Denton Courthouse at night.

Eels - Tomorrow Morning

Mark Oliver Everett unleashes another album from his creative cellar and as usual it’s the trademark Eels sound tweaked ever so slightly to provide a unique atmosphere to proceedings. If anything it’s marginally less accessible than standard. The songs still have that DIY feel, the voice is increasingly gravelly, but the instrumentation flirts with electronica and the occasional burst of a drum machine. It reminds me a great deal of REM’s underrated ‘Up’ album with the production and themes applied to Eels Man rather than Stipe.

This is Everett in introspective mood, but with none of the full scale depression. It’s jaunty, upbeat and catchy at times, but the electronic elements are sometimes at odds with his organic snaggle toothed tonsils. Unusually for an Eels album some of the tracks descend into irritating territory with ‘I’m a hummingbird’ and ‘Baby Loves Me’ the guiltiest offenders. Fear not however, this is nothing like MC Honky. It’s more like a cross between the out-takes album Useless Trinkets, Beautiful Freak and Blinking Lights which sounds great in theory, but is ultimately a little underwhelming.

Everyone knows that bonus discs are always rubbish, but in this case it pulls the whole show around. The pick of the tracks are featured on the Bonus EP with ‘Let’s Ruin Julie's Birthday’, ‘Swimming Lesson’ and especially ‘For You’, all absolute crackers. From the main disc, only ‘Spectacular Girl’ will pass the test of time, and if I’m being generous ‘This is where it gets good’.

It’s a step up from Hombre Lobo, but don’t expect a classic Eels album. It’s chirpy, semi-electronic fun and if you’re an Eels fan it does what it says on the tin. If you don’t already love him, (and let’s face it who does?) don’t expect a Road to Damascus moment from ‘Tomorrow Morning’.

 

 

Aioaska - Power Of Ayahuasca

Pick of the Week 37 - Aioaska

 

I’m doubtful that the woman with the blue hair has anything to do with Aioaska, and from the little I can discover about the band, the whole thing has a certain whiff of balding, well muscled Germans about it. In a good way of course. This track is a pulsing, undulating ride into the recesses of your consciousness with the subtle use of vocal samples adding to the atmosphere and interest. It reminds me of Chilled C’quence and although it falls a little short in the elf head massage stakes it’s definitely a relaxing and pleasant workout for any tired brain. Nine minutes of magic.

Rough Trade - Country 1 Compilation

Rough Trade compilations are always a bit hit and miss and this is disappointingly more miss than hit. The Country title is at best misleading, as this collection is less country and western and more punk, dark blues and indie folk. Admittedly every track has a tinge of Country-ness and the whole compilation has a coherence and logic, but it’s definitely not what I expected.

Imagine a genre of music that combines Ministry, The Violent Femmes, The Handsome Family, Michael Stipe, Johnny Cash and Caitlin Rose and you won’t be too far away. Having said this there’s little to write home about even if you love this new hybrid genre.

My personal favourites are the pure Country sounds of Freakwater with ‘South of Cincinati’, the Pixies soundalike of The Gun Club’s ‘Ghost on the Highway’ and the straightforward rush of 28^th Day with ‘This Train’. Head and shoulders above everything else however, is the melancholy ballad of ‘Fancy’ by the Geraldine Fibbers. Where have the Geraldine Fibbers been all my life?

Not a vintage Rough Trade compilation, but if you love the old Country vibe them I’m certain there’ll be something here that takes your fancy. Yeeehah!

 

 

Skazi – I Wish

Pick of the Week 38 – Skazi

Covering an Infected Mushroom classic can only end in disaster. Or so you may have thought, until Israeli Rock-DJ-Punk-Trance crossover duo added some guitars, some strings and some gusto to the Mushroom’s vocal masterpiece. Who would have thought the whole concoction would be so enjoyable? This version keeps the euro-cheese factor, but turns the two minute taster of the original into a fully fledged monster of a song.

It also needs to be noted that the Israeli festival crowds look really healthy, happy, enthusiastic and actually like they are enjoying themselves. Meanwhile in Britain, everyone is either in fear of being hit by a bottle of urine or is sitting on someone’s shoulders flashing their malloomers. It’s an interesting contrast to ponder on so many levels. 

 

 

 

Broken Bells – Broken Bells LP

This is the unlikely collaboration of the Shins frontman James Mercer and electronic producer Danger Mouse. It’s a quality little offering that breaks Mercer out of his comfort zone with different styles, song structures and instrumentation. It’s a strange juxtaposition, but ultimately it works with a quirkiness and grace all of its own.

It’s not quite up there with the Postal Service album, but it’s a brave move from Mercer to attempt something different when he is so comfortable within his Shins persona. It’s doubtful that Mark Oliver Everett, Morrissey or Bob Mould would even think of electronic collaborations, although maybe that’s harsh on Everett with his MC Honky project. Who the hell would you pair up with Morrissey though? Trentmoller would do it for me, but I doubt Mozzer would agree.

The pick of the tracks are the meandering ‘The High Road’, the Shins-like plodding of ‘Vaporize’ and the high pitched Shins meets the Scissor Sisters stomp of ‘The Ghost Inside’. Best by a long way however, is the stylish electronic pulsing anthem of ‘Mongrel Heart’ with a half time homage to Ennio Morricone. Difficult to imagine, but a work of genius.

If you like the Shins you’ll probably like Broken Bells. If you don’t like the Shins this won’t change your mind, but it probably has more chance than Mercer’s more standard offerings. Well worth a spin if you’re ambivalent.

 

 

 

Songlines Top of the World 87 Compilation

Here’s the highlights from the latest Songlines free compilation…

Staff Benda Billilli – ‘LibalaYa Mungwa’

I’ve never managed to work up much enthusiasm for them before but this is a cracking track. Tinkling guitars, pulsing rhythms and weird squeaky instruments combine in a swirling tide of joyous African melodies. Nice work!

Homayun Sakhi – Kataghani

Laidback instrumental out of Central Asia. Quality music for driving at night, bizarrely.

Lo’Jo – Deux Batons

Quirky French action that reminds me of the classic La Bottine Souriante, but with Spanish guitar and female backing vocals. Lovely!

Rokia Traore – Tounka

You wonder what all the fuss is about, then you hear her sing. Rokia can really belt it out, but with a subtlety that never strays into warbling territory. This is powerful, lilting and hypnotic; a festive 50 certainty I would have thought.

Songs for Desert Refugees – A Compilation from Northern Mali

All proceeds from this album go to the refugees of the conflict in Northern Mali. The enclosed booklet tells the tale of this humanitarian tragedy in much more detail and with more passion than I can ever muster in the pages of an Obscure music blog, but needless to say the future of these people relies solely on the next aid handout, while the shadow of draught and famine looms ever larger in the Southern Sahara. The CD aims to support a couple of NGO’s to support the nomads of the area and continue education projects.

Being relatively familiar with the desert blues of Tinariwen, I was looking forward to hearing them but also listening to other styles of music from the region. Don’t get your hopes up – in the Southern Sahara there is only one style of music, and that is desert blues! All the bands on the compilation have somehow purchased electric guitars and amps and decided that rocking is the only way to live.

Tinariwen’s ‘Amous Idraout Assouf d’Alwa’ is the perfect kick off track with the trademark languid riffs and super cool desert chic vocals. The rest is surprisingly agreeable too and in no way a mere copy of Mali’s premium blues combo. Etran Finatawa’s ‘Gourma’, Terakaft’s ‘Nak Essanagh’ and Toumast’s ‘Aitma’ are all high quality examples. Best of all is Nabil Baly Othmani’s ‘Teswa Tenere’; a pumping clap-a-long of pure desert magic.

If you’re looking for an introduction to the desert blues genre, then look no further. This is a comprehensive, rich and enticing mix of bands and stylewhich hopefully will raise much needed funds for those living their lives in such peril.

Faun - Egil Saga

Pick of the Week 36 - Faun

If you every fancy a bit of Germanic pagan folk or medievally tinged darkwave, then Faun will be just up your street. Leading exponents in the art of using unusual and traditional instruments, they also sing in a whole range of ancient languages and provide the perfect soundtrack for any twisted, alternative religious parties you may be throwing. Possibly like the one in ‘Race with the Devil’. It’s peculiarly hypnotic and beautiful flavour of music, so jog down to Stonehenge, turn up your Walkman and get frolicking!