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Record Reviews Music
Alex Smoke
their efforts. Dead or American have fashion for some years now
Ursula Minors Kraftwerk tronica on the ‘Laudaunum‘
Zoom!
Kinch.
less posh. Woozy indie pop
0.” which is a fantastic thing.
The Notwist and ‘Where i Slang) oooo
movie, and the result is odd good things should be. It is
Non. An inspired tirade agai
of genius. (Mark Robertson)
SINGLES & DOWNLOADS
It may be happy coincidence, or just a refusal to write about the new Rascals single. but there's only good stuff left in the pile this issue. meaning everyone deserves a big sloppy one on the lips for
run at right angles to and their fractious
post-hardcore demon is the kind of nasty. but incredibly incisive. death march that sh0uld soundtrack all children’s parties. Throw in plenty of lime jelly. turkey twizzlers and lrn Bru. stick this on and watch the wee buggers go. And it's free goddammit! Download the mighty ‘Shiboleth’ (Predestination Records) “.0. if you dare from www.winningspermparty.com.
meets Loop kraut- EP (The Foreign
Office) 0000 . Their experiments are familiar. it effective. and utilise every trippy oil lamp trick in the book in one gigantic. defocused headrush.
Bringing the proceedings bruisineg back into focus is Sonnnyjim. whose bouncy but grim Brit hip hop is pretty near the knuckle. The Soul Trader EP (Dented Records) oooo might be lyrically roughneck. but there's some Quality beats on show with even a cameo from jazzer Soweto
Take a gentle left turn to Land of Talk's ‘Young Bridge’ (One Little Indian) ooooo which is the dreamy shimmer pop the Cardigans would have made had they been a bit more drunk and a bit
to wink at boys to.
Glasgow duo Doghouse Roses do the melancholy country folk ballad with guile and grace. 'Greener the Grass' (Yellow Room Music) is unashamedly Sandy Denny-tastic
n This World' (City
is Tortoise backing Erland Oye, filtered through the soundtrack to a Hitchcock
and beautiful, like all pipped for Single of
the Fortnight however, by something equally odd: ‘Drama' (Hum+Haw) ooooo is one of the first releases from the new Glasgow label by Fool, which is Alex Smoke's collaboration with sensationally grumpy Shadowhuntaz rapper MC
nst domestic grind set
to a disjointed skeletal drumbeat and sinister. burbling electronics. it is a dark and twisted work
HIP HOP
JAE P
Unsigned & Hungry Vol. 1
(Souljawn) 0...
Perhaps it's the clamour to be heard or a yearning to be taken seriously. a hangover from the UK's sell- conscious beginnings. but British rappers frequently setind exasperated.
predisposed to moan.
Ghanian-born, London bred Glasgow resident Jae P's Unsigned 8
Hungry demonstrates a more modest self- aSSurance. Having supported a string of today's big US players. some of these artists' effortless eminence seems to have rubbed off on his choppy productions. leaving his Winning but unasswning raps intact and hinting at genuine local hero potential. Brrap!
(Mark Edmundson)
COUNTRY SILVER JEWS Lookout Mountain, Lookout Sea
(Drag City) 00000 .4.» .in '
During a recent enCOunter with David Berman. the frontinan of this legendary. Cult Nashville-based outfit let slip that this could be his last musical offering. If the notoriously mischievous interviewee is to be believed. then this addictive sixth record is the perfect way to wrap up the Silver Jews' 19-year career as it's not only their finest work to date but a bona fide modern classic. Each song is packed full of complex metaphors. clever references and compelling storytelling all delivered in Berman's warm and husky tones and finished off With shimmering instrtimentation. woo/y harmonies and catchy melodies.
Once you've given Loo/(Out Mei/main. Lookout Sea one spin you won't be able to stop. (Camilla Pia)
ELECTRONICA JAMES PANTS
Welcome (Stones Throw) 0...
First things first. this guy isn't pants. anything but. He is. however. an artist With the ability to cross live and electronics in a very cool way. Welcome draws influence frOm the likes of Pharrell. Egyptian Lover and even Ll//\/ MerCier Descioux. giving yOu an idea of the album's depth.
Choice cuts include
‘Crystal Lite'. a quality psychedelic synth groove with a spun-out soul vocal. There's the ultra catchy new wave cut 'We're Through'. all deranged and static- filled. plus the ultra moody 'My Girl‘, filled with dirty drums. synth tweaks and droning vocal post-punk madness. This guy is good. and well worth a listen. (Steve Glencrossi
INDlE
VARIOUS Chamber Music: James Joyce (1907) (Fire Records) 000
As it says on the double-CD. this is a collection of 36 James Joyce love poems from 1907 interpreted by underground rock artists. some familiar —
Mercury Rev. Mike Watt.
Ed HarcOurt or Willy Mason — others still on the fringes. Disc one gets the thumbs up Via highlights from ex- Thrum chanteuse Monica Oueen backed by what sounds like Cra/y Horse. the Swans-esque War Against Sleep and the Scritti Politti-ish Mary Lorson. one—time leader of Madder Rose.
You'll recognise at least one track here: Venture Lift's update of Syd Barrett's psychedelic reading of JJ's ‘Golden Hair'. Top marks also go to the sparse and effervescent Califone. Ian Kearey (very Cohen-meets- Thackeray) and retro- folker Owen Tromans.
Disc two is a tad too delicate. featuring as it does Gravenhurst. Christian Kiefer. Lovetones and Peter Buck‘s Minus 5. while the pSychedelic Bardo Pond. Green Pajamas
and Scots poet Gerry Mitchell are all worthy of mention.
You feel Joyce might well have approved of such modern readings of his verses.
(Martin C Strong)
COUNTRY ACID HOUSE ALABAMA 3
Hits And Exit Wounds (One Little Indian) O...
Most people when thinking of Alabama 3 will come up with one song: 'Woke Up This Morning'. the theme tune to The Sopranos. This thorough retrospective of their ensemble's six-album career will hopefully put the record straight as to the breadth of their skills. showcasing 18 fun-fuelled. drug- induced dirges.
Messrs Larry Love and Scots-born The Very Reverend Dr D Wayne Love somehow successfully fuse those unlikely bedfellows techno country. all from their back porch in. er. Brixton! The self- explanatory 'Hello . . . l'm Johnny Cash' is a hoot. while echoes of early Alex Harvey come courtesy of Jerry Reed's old nugget. 'Amos Moses'. And if 'U Don't Danse to Tekno Anymore' (another gem cut) then they'll happily sort you out.
(Martin C Strong) téézvm MACKENZIE Chiasmus
(Laundry Room Music) 00”
Guitarist KeVin MacKen/ie's first set of original compositions since he recorded his nine-piece Creative Scotland Award project in 2004 features a fine
quartet with saxophonist Julian Argt'ielles. bassist Aidan O'Donnell and drummer Alyn Cosker. MacKenzie has been a conspicuous presence in Scottish folk music in recent years. but this disc focuses squarely on his jazz credentials. not only as a conspicuously inventive sol0ist. but also as a composer.
The guitarist weaves his characteristically fluent melodic lines through the spacious textures of the music in intricate and imaginative fashion. while Argi'ielles is an ideal foil on both tenor and soprano saxophones. underpinned by Cosker's supple. propulsive drumming. The elegant contemj)oraniety and oblique IWISIS and turns of MacKen/ie's tunes (supplied With equally qurrky titles) finds a visual analogue in artist Toby Paterson's coolly abstract artwork on the CD sleeve. created in direct response to the music.
(Kenny Mathieson) ROCK
MOGWAI
Mogwai Young Team
(Chemikal UndergrOLind) 0....
ITIDQLIJBI goung team
This louder. longer edition of Mogwai's debut is a powerful reminder of what music can do for the soul: on release in ‘97 it was a real shock. Their mostly instrumental. blistering sound re-energised Scottish music and was a landmark release for Chemikal Underground too. helping finance later key records by The Delgados and Arab Strap.
Ten years later the album still stands up. especially the dirty romance of ‘RU Still In 2 It'. or the angry lurch of ‘Like Herod'. And from the live version here it's obVIous why 'Mogwai Fear Satan' is still a signature a decade on.
(Rodge Glass)
L’l) Mai, 5: Jun 9-.)(18 THE LIST 69