Music RECORDS JAZZ & WORLD
JAZZ MATANA ROBERTS Live In London (Central Control) ●●●●●
American saxophonist Matana Roberts is something of a standard bearer for the 60s avant garde (as befits someone introduced to the music of Albert Ayler as a five-year-old), but with a contemporary twist. This concert set from London’s Vortex jazz club bursts with freewheeling but tightly focused energy and invention, moving fluently from unbridled free jazz to more lyrical and considered approaches. The saxophonist is a powerful force, and she is matched by the exuberant pianism of Robert Mitchell, leading her London-based trio with Tom Mason on bass and Chris Vatalaro on drums. (Kenny Mathieson)
JAZZ TWELVES The Adding Machine (Babel) ●●●●●
Bassist Riaan Vosloo’s band have expanded to a quartet from their first incarnation as the Twelves Trio and switched, for this second album, to Babel, a well-established and significant outlet for experimental jazz in the UK. It has allowed the group to move in intriguing directions. The addition of guitarist Rob Updegraff has injected a more overt rock influence into an ensemble sound that already blurred the boundaries between genres, and between composition and improvisation, on their varied material. Mark Hanslip’s inventive tenor saxophone and the restless and imaginative drumming of Tim Giles complete a productive new line-up. (Kenny Mathieson)
˚˚WORLD SERGENT GARCIA Una y Otra Vez (Cumbancha) ●●●●●
Whether Sergent Garcia is a stylist extraordinaire or king of pastiche, he has delivered an irresistible batch of 14 original songs after a five-year wait. The fertile Colombian scene is springboard for ‘Time and Time Again’, fuelled by post-Manu Chao energy, as befits a musician with a similar French indie- punk pedigree and Basque/French parentage. Exhilarating fusions of ska, reggae, cumbia, rap and Afro-Cuban rumba sit alongside some blissful folky moments’. They’re underpinned by a playfulness that does not diminish messages concerning ideals, trickster politicians, the power of dance and of course love. (Jan Fairley)
WORLD BOUBACAR TRAORÉ Mali Denhou (Lusafrica) ●●●●●
Back in 1990, Malian singer and guitarist Boubacar Traoré recorded Mariama, a debut that captured the bittersweet yearnings of love. Most who heard it became instant fans and those who saw him play in a tiny club in Newcastle (the closest he’s ever got to Scotland) were blown away. Traoré retains that power, scoring points over others delivering comparative Saharan sounds because of the shapely way his songs mine emotions, digging into feelings to create a peculiarly wise African style of soul. Gentler than Ali Farka Touré, the sheer beauty of his spare guitar work here with thrilling harmonica riffs from Vincent Bucher make this an ace recording. (Jan Fairley)
ALSO RELEASED
SINGLES & DOWNLOADS
You join The List in a proper strop. Blame Aaron Wright’s ‘Trampoline’ (Dset) ●●●●● and ‘Interrupt’ (Albino) ●●●●● by Toy Horses; the latter all timid-boy vocals and Turin Brakes- isms; the former reminding us that we hate the bloody Kooks. We also hate the bloody Pigeon Detectives and, oh look, what a surprise, they’re back with some more over-produced plodding indie. The track? ‘Done In Secret’ (Dance to the Radio) ●●●●● – remember to never ever, EVER, listen to it.
Ears bleeding, we administer some ‘Santiago’ (White Label) ●●●●● by the increasingly dull The Kabeedies and it makes us howl. As does the going nowhere ‘3,4,5’ (Counter) ●●●●● by Spokes which calls to mind those depressingly un-heady days of Athlete and Starsailor. Strawberry Ocean Sea are good for a laugh at least, their dreary, wannabe-anthem ‘Today’s the Day’ (White Noise) ●●●●● comes complete with a lyric sheet – as if we needed printed proof of how cringeworthy their teenage poetry is.
Things fare slightly better, but not much, with ‘Nova’ (Geffen) ●●●●● by The Sound of Arrows, which is Pet Shop Boys- ish electropop without the brains, before the thrill-less art punk of The Death Set’s ‘We Are Going Anywhere Man’ (Counter) ●●●●● threatens to finish us off completely.
But wait, what’s this? Ahhh talent; the majestic ‘Memory Boy’ (4AD) ●●●●● by Deerhunter giving way to some brilliantly unsettling electronica courtesy of Emika’s ‘Count Backwards’ (Ninja Tune) ●●●●●. And the good stuff is trickling in thick and fast now as Nevada Base’s brooding ‘Love In My Mind’ (Flowers In The Dustbin) ●●●●● is flanked by the infectiously stroppy ‘If Only Bear Grylls Could See Me Now’ (Survivalist) ●●●●● by Pinky Suavo. Whipped into a joyful frenzy after a decidedly rocky start, we decide to doff our cap to not one but two standout tracks for Single of the Month this issue: ‘New Harmony’ (Angular) ●●●●● by Gyratory System (pictured) – a playful mix of heavily treated wind instruments, synths and processed percussion – and ‘Angel Sized’ (Armellodie) ●●●●● by the sweetly spiky Something Beginning With L. Love on first listen. (Camilla Pia)
Autechre EPs 1991– 2002 (Warp) ●●●●● Either a five-disc boxset or a 47-track download, this rich collection traces the non-album development of the influential IDM legends from the playful, techno/hip hop-inflected early years to their more experimental later work. A must for fans.
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart Belong (Play It Again Sam) ●●●●● These New Yorkers ruthlessly exploit every indie pop angle since the year dot (1986), so if your Pastels, MBV or even, yes, U2 albums are worn out, this should have you back dancing in no time.
Rival Schools Pedals (Photo Finish Records) ●●●●● Rival Schools missed the boat when they split in 2002. Then their ‘post-hardcore’ sound had some currency, but this reunion album describes the point post-hardcore segues into humdrum, uninspired college rock.
Times New Viking Dancer Equired (Wichita) ●●●●● Less and less lo-fi with every release, Times New Viking offer the usual cacophony of clattering, competing guitars and overlapping vocals with studied disregard for production finesse. Hard to fault but also tricky to celebrate.
The Goldberg Sisters The Goldberg Sisters (Play It Again Sam) ●●●●● Crazy Eddie from Friends (aka Adam Goldberg) is another indie actor turned indie musician. His keening vocals remind you why Chandler chucked him and there’s not so much as a ‘See ya, pals!’
Cass McCombs Wit’s End (Domino) ●●●●● More introverted melancholia from the over-praised American singer-songwriter. Song titles such as ‘Buried Alive’ and ‘Hermit’s Cave’ are an indicator of the dourness of this repetitive and leaden record. (Sean Welsh)
84 THE LIST 31 Mar–28 Apr 2011