Music Record Reviews
HIP HOP ROUNDUP Jay-Z
ROCK MUSE The Resistance (Helium 3/Warner) ●●●●●
It seems like so long ago that Muse were dismissed as Radiohead copyists with their debut Showbiz back in 1999. Now they are probably our most vital rock act.
After 2006’s all conquering Black Holes and Revelations they’re back with more hyperdrive space-rock. As you’d expect The Resistance is a grandiose record teetering on the brink of insanity. Highlights include the satisfying sci-fi funk of opener ‘Uprising’; ‘United States of Eurasia/ Collateral Damage’, which tries to out- Queen Queen with layered vocal harmonies and widdling guitar solos; though perhaps the clarinet on ‘I Belong to You’ (the nearest Muse have ever come to a ballad) is a step too far. Finally the three part ‘Exogenesis Symphony’ is ambitious and epic, falling squarely between classical and classic Muse, and makes for an impressive closer.
For most bands this would be a towering masterpiece, but Muse have set themselves impossibly high standards. (Henry Northmore)
ELECTRONICA CHRIST. Distance Leads to the View (Benbecula) ●●●●●
Electronic music has always been a constant battle between (wo)man and machine, the two wrestling for the upper hand to produce something that sounds unique, unearthly and often ungodly. For his
Given the lightweight folly of his ‘comeback’ album, 2007’s Kingdom Come, the idea of Jay-Z adding a third chapter onto his already substantial Blueprint series promised much, but in reality, The Blueprint 3 (Universal) ●●●●● doesn’t deliver like the title might suggest. This is, frankly, all over the place, and riddled with contradictions – genius battle track ‘DOA: The Death of Autotune’ is rapidly followed with several tracks utilising the digital transmographying powers of, you guessed it . . . Autotune – and for every time he throws down in style (‘What We Talkin’ About’, ‘DOA’, ‘Empire State of Mind’) he runs aground with some mawkish millionaire’s contemplation over some flaccid beats (‘A Star is Born’, ‘Young Forever’). When it works, The Blueprint 3 is big, bold, brash and beautiful but there’s too many points where Jigga just doesn’t sound hungry. With similar ‘don’t call it a comeback’ sentiments, Wu Tang Clan heavy hitter Raekwon finally provides a sequel to his 1994 solo debut (arguably the finest of the myriad of solo Wu Tang albums over the years) with Only Built 4 Cuban Linx Pt II (Icewater) ●●●●● , a slash and burn stomp through New York's seedy underbelly in the company of an unhinged storyteller par excellence. He’s unafraid to draw on those familiar/clichéd traits – kung fu movie mysticism, drug paraphernalia, grimy soul loops – and makes an album just about fit to hold up the lauded title.
Now here's a genuine comeback from Anti-Pop Consortium. Fluorescent Black (Big Dada) ●●●●● is the quartet's first since 2002's Arrhythmia and has them reunited and energised, tossing out verbose missives dipped in liquid funk. They have lost none of their edge, stretching their wilfully obtuse lyrical canvas over an array of taut and tense electronic weirdness. The final player in this quartet of mic abusers is Kid Cudi a rap star in 21st century terms, balancing high concept hip hop with herbal navel gazing that comes out somewhere between Stevie Wonder’s epic early 70s experiments and Kanye’s razor sharp pop nouse but never quite as brilliant as either. The Man on the Moon: The End of Day (Universal Motown) ●●●●● is a real trip that drifts from spaced out lunar pronunciations to rapid fire rap pop tangles. Our hero purports to be some kind of hip hop mystic, but never lets us forget where to find a good hook to step to. (Mark Robertson)
64 THE LIST 24 Sep–8 Oct 2009
latest instalment Christ.’s taking things back to basics, back to the four-track set up that he started out with and he has created something pared down and beautiful. There’s always a broken in, worn feel to his genius grooves, something that is both familiar and comforting while still managing to be fresh and compelling. (Mark Robertson) ELECTRONICA BASEMENT JAXX Scars (XL) ●●●●●
Never ones to shy away from roping in a guest star or two, Felix Buxton and Simon Ratcliffe have given over pretty much the entirety of their fifth studio album to friends with a willingness to come round the studio and muck in. While their tendency towards scratchy ADD electro is still evident, the array of singers makes their genre-mashing even more wildly pronounced than usual. The record features
bouncing ska on Santigold’s ‘Saga’, shiny pop from Sam Sparro on ‘Feelings Gone’ and lazy electro soul on Amp Fiddler’s ‘A Possibility’. Among others featured are Lightspeed Champion, Kelis, Paloma Faith, Yo! Majesty and an impressively diva-ish Yoko Ono, sealing an album that is both wildly different and more of the same all at once. (David Pollock)
JAZZ TOM BANCROFT ORCHESTRO INTERRUPTO The Ballad of Linda & Crawford (Interrupto) ●●●●● Most of the music on this long-awaited disc was originally written for a tour that the drummer made with this 13-piece band and special guest Geri Allen back in 2004. Bancroft then recorded
while the second highlights some of the tunes that became local classics. (Mark Robertson) METAL EVERY TIME I DIE New Junk Aesthetic (Epitaph) ●●●●●
Every Time I Die’s last two albums were aptly entitled Gutter Phenomenon and The Big Dirty, showcasing the American noiseniks’ gruff and salacious sound. Their latest effort is little different. An unpredictable smorgasbord of neck- whipping guitar battery and hardcore drum assaults, it nonetheless manages to maintain a melody. Standout track ‘Wanderlust’ migrates to their southern rock mentality, while ‘Turtles All The Way Down’ is an infectious smothering of swaying metal. And look out for a cameo from friend of the band and Fall Out Boy bassist Pete Wentz – sure to make the more ‘traditional’ fans of this band a little uneasy. (Chris Cope) GRUNGE ALICE IN CHAINS Black Gives Way to Blue (Parlophone) ●●●●●
AC/DC aside, prematurely losing your lead singer is often fatal for bands. Grunge icons Alice in Chains of course lost Layne Staley in 2002 to years of well- documented drug (mis)use, but Black Gives Way to Blue will give them belief that they made the right decision in keeping their heart beating.
‘Check My Brain’ and ‘Last of my Kind’ are plunging nostalgia trips
the music at Castlesound studio shortly afterwards, but with pianist Chick Lyall – who had played on part of the gig anyway – taking over as a more than able deputy for Allen. It has been a long wait
to hear it, but with the band playing the drummer’s music with total commitment to his vision, it remains a powerful piece of work. The four segments of the story of the thinly fictionalised Linda and Crawford reflect a dark time in Bancroft’s life and marriage, and that troubled frame of mind is evident in its appropriate place, but only within the context of highly creative energy expressed as adventurous and iconoclastic music. (Kenny Mathieson)
ACID HOUSE VARIOUS The Haçienda: Acid House Classics (New State Music) ●●●●●
It was the last great musical revolution in British life so it’s no surprise that after years of fondness from those who were there at the time another generation would arrive to adopt the aesthetics, if not the revolutionary zeal of the acid house generation. Who better to guide us through such times than Peter Hook, who was Darth Vader to the Haçienda’s Death Star, a monstrous force revelling in the power and influence of the club and its music.
Here he digs out two discs’ worth of tracks that made the acid era so musically vital. So keen is he to get all the big hitters in there, the first disc plays like a veritable greatest hits,