Music RECORDS JAZZ & WORLD
JAZZ PARTIKEL Cohesion (Whirlwind Recordings) ●●●●●
Partikel are a London-based saxophone trio led by Duncan Eagles, with Max Luthert on bass and Eric Ford on drums. Sonny Rollins probably remains the most famous exemplar of the challenges and rewards of the saxophone trio, with its limited tonal palette and degree of exposure for the horn player. Eagles generally rises impressively to that challenge on both tenor and soprano, and the trio’s flexible, responsive interplay – well-honed in regular gigging – maintains both energy and interest in material that can sound a little samey at times. (Kenny Mathieson)
JAZZ ANDRE CANNIERE GROUP Forward Space (Whirlwind Recordings) ●●●●●
There is some good stuff appearing on bassist Michael Janisch’s Whirlwind label (see also Partikel, above), and this outing from London-based American trumpeter Andre Canniere is no exception. He leads a fine band that includes guitarist Hannes Riepler and pianist George Fogel. The music takes off most impressively in the edgier groove-based tunes like ‘Crunch’, ‘Lost in Translation’ and the title track, but they also investigate more gently impressionistic material in a couple of tunes, and Canniere’s concluding dedication to his infant son, ‘Song For J’, on which he plays all the instruments, is very pretty. (Kenny Mathieson)
WORLD VARIOUS ARTISTS World Routes: On The Road (Nascente) ●●●●●
How would we hear diverse world musics without Radio 3? Thank goodness they still have the budget to travel to far-flung places to capture stunning sounds from musicians we’d never know about otherwise. Since 2000 the World Routes team have recorded extraordinary artists like sugar-cane workers in a Brazilian cowshed or Peruvian highlanders in run-down Lima studios. What an unbeatable buzz: this 30-track compilation, featuring Grammy award-winning Toumani Diabaté, Ilham Al Madfai and others is akin to standing on a mountain top and finding 53 countries within sight and earshot. (Jan Fairley)
WORLD DIAGNOSTIC Ibrahím Maalouf (Harmonia Mundi) ●●●●●
Trumpeter Maalouf’s debut with a brace of tremendous musicians blissfully and disconcertingly blows the mind. True, its eclecticism may not be coherent enough for some as it vamps from pied piper sounds (at times emulating Miles Davis and John Coltrane’s saxes), to flash choruses and epic moments. Yet to talk of jazz alone would betray Maalouf’s funky Eastern shamanic presence, meditative piano poetry and sublime cacophonic rallies. Groundbreaking. (Jan Fairley) ■ Ibrahím Maalouf plays with Cuba’s Omar Sosa, Old Fruitmarket, Glasgow, Fri 3 Feb, part of Celtic Connections.
ALSO RELEASED
SINGLES & DOWNLOADS
Come hither and let us imagine a world, a perfect world – a realm in which Kim Wilde is engaged in a goth-disco tryst with The Sisters of Mercy. Think about it. Harder. Got it? Congratulations, you are now playing ‘Lafaye’ (●●●●●, Full Time Hobby), the brilliant new single by School of Seven Bells, in your head.
Since we’re feeling the love for euphoric pop, let’s dodge James Morrison’s latest dribbling Terence Trent D’Arby hoax, ‘Slave to the Music’ (●●●●●, Island), and swerve the thudding electro-bleat of Midnight Lion’s ‘Sleeping in the Woods’ (●●●●●, Island). Infinitely more enticing is the Factory-clad industrial pop of
The Twilight Sad’s ‘Another Bed’ (●●●●●, Fat Cat) – The Sad and ‘anti-producer’ Andrew Weatherall make for gorgeous, deviant bedfellows – while the sunnier end of the twisted pop spectrum reveals Django Django to be masters of psychedelic, cut-up kaleido-pop via ‘Default’ (●●●●●, Because) and Blue Sky Archives as bosses of gilded indie on the lilting, snare-drawn dream-pop of ‘Bitches’ (●●●●●).
February’s ‘Best Title’ accolade goes to Edinburgh rockabilly blues-firebrands Mystery Juice with ‘Song for the Rural Dispossessed of Scotland’ (●●●●●, Red October) – but a tussle betwixt punk-folk and stealth-pop results in a joint Single of the Month for Withered Hand’s (pictured) joyous, Darren Hayman-embellished ‘Heart Heart EP’ (●●●●●, Fence) and King Creosote and Jon Hopkins’ squeezebox greet-fest, ‘Missionary’ (●●●●●, Domino) – basically the most beautiful song about a bad lay you will ever hear. All this and Kim Wilde and the Sisters of Mercy in your head. What a wonderful world. (Nicola Meighan)
Xiu Xiu Always (Bella Union) ●●●●● Quivering vocals, woe-embracing lyrics (‘I Luv Abortion’; ‘Born to Suffer’) and dark, jittery dance beats from Jamie Stewart’s Joy Division-influenced art-rock outfit, moving in a poppier, upbeat direction (but still definitely on a downer).
Goldfrapp The Singles (Parlophone) ●●●●● All the hits (‘Strict Machine’, ‘Black Cherry’, ‘Ride A White Horse’, ‘Believer’ etc) from Alison Goldfrapp and Will Gregory, handily bundled into a glittery, strutting bundle of camp disco-pomp.
Mr Oizo Stade 2 (Ed Banger) ●●●●● Choppy, time shifting and chaotic beats (a computerised lady voice announces ‘a beat for the douches’ on ‘Douche Beat’) from Quentin Dupieux. Enough for a solid EP, but filler tracks (‘Ska’, ‘Edn’) make a full LP feel like a head wrecker.
Those Darlins Screws Get Loose (Oh Wow Dang) ●●●●● Sisters Kelley, Nikki and Jesse Darlin (yep, real name) are sounding a little less country on album two, and more 60s, Spector-ish girlgroup. Like a slightly undercooked Vivian Girls or Best Coast.
Shearwater Animal Joy (Sub Pop) ●●●●● Pastoral rock, on an increasingly grand and epic scale from Jonathan Melberg. Hints of the melancholy drama of The National or Interpol can be heard, thanks no doubt to producer-in-common, Peter Katis.
The Cranberries Roses (Cooking Vinyl) ●●●●● Dolores O’Riordan and co are back, after over a decade. Minus any ‘Linger’ or ‘Zombie’ hits, the overall sound stays stuck in the past; sadly still wearing beige lipliner, a choker, and a velvet waistcoat. (Claire Sawers)
88 THE LIST 2 Feb–1 Mar 2012