Music RECORDS JAZZ & WORLD
JAZZ ROLLER TRIO Roller : Trio (F-IRE) ●●●●● This year’s token jazz nominee for the perennially boring Mercury Music Prize, Roller Trio’s debut is a leaner, edgier affair than such middlebrow recognition might suggest. Hailing from the same Leeds scene as the thrashier Trio VD, RT offer a taut fusion of jazz, rock and electronica that is both accessible and inventive. Fans of tricksy time signatures and dub fx, they
avoid being too clever for their own good thanks to drummer Luke Reddin-Williams’ superbly controlled and funky playing. Saxophonist James Mainwaring is adept at clipped, punchy phrasing and lyrical balladry, while forays into John Zorn-like skronk rub pleasingly against the grain of Luke Wynter’s spacey art-rock guitar. (Stewart Smith)
JAZZ SEAN CONLY, ALEX HARDING, DARIUS JONES, CHAD TAYLOR Grass Roots (Aum Fidelity) ●●●●● Brap! There are few sounds as satisfying as the brassy belch of a baritone sax. Like The Thing’s Mats Gustafsson, Alex Harding treats his baritone as an extension of the rhythm section, anchoring the pieces with fat, stomping riffs. But he also uses it as a lead instrument, coaxing lyrical phrases and
atavistic howls from its valves, around which the brilliant altoist Darius Jones ducks and weaves. Taking in bluesy free-bop, exotic Ethio-jazz, and avant-garde abstractions, Grass Roots remains remarkably cohesive, distinguished by its taught and muscular post-hip hop sound, and the group’s highly sensitive use of space. (Stewart Smith)
WORLD THE TOURE-RAICHEL COLLECTIVE The Tel Aviv Session (Cumbancha) ●●●●● A collaboration between Israeli pianist Idan Raichel and Malian guitarist Vieux Farka Touré, The Tel Aviv Session brings together African, European and American traditions. Best known as an electric player, VFT switches to acoustic guitar, using his fleet-fingered virtuosity to expand on his father Ali Farka Touré’s desert blues style. His quicksilver runs
and haunting chordal patterns are ably supported by the superb Yossi Fine. Raichel’s adaptation of the kora’s rippling harmonics to the piano is ingenious, but he has a tendency to slip into trite call-and-response routines, while his insipid Keith Jarrett- inspired tinkling adds a too-tasteful sheen to the others’ knotty magic. (Stewart Smith)
WORLD THE SOULJAZZ ORCHESTRA Solidarity (Strut) ●●●●● Following 2010’s all-acoustic Rising, Canada’s Souljazz Orchestra have rediscovered their electric muse, peppering their African, Caribbean and pan-American sounds with grainy keyboards and guitar. For all its vintage flavours, Solidarity avoids being a purely retro affair, thanks to its wit and energy. ‘Conquering Lion’ deftly lays Jamaican-inspired horns over a
seriously tasty funk-break, while ‘Kingpin’, featuring Slim Moore, adds a dancehall edge to its classic reggae sound. The highlights are the covers of Senegal’s great Orchestra Baobab. Inspired by James Brown’s 1975 visit to Dakar, ‘Kelen Ati Leen’ is a sinuous Afro-funk lope, while ‘Nijaay’ is a gorgeous, melancholy ballad. (Stewart Smith)
ALSO RELEASED
SINGLES & DOWNLOADS
We’re not just here for the nasty things in life, like reporting that vapid-folk yawn-patrol Mumford and Sons return with ‘I Will Wait’ (I wish they had) (●●●●●, Gentlemen of the Road/Island Records). We’re here for the sexy pop goods too, such as RM
Hubbert’s tryst avec Emma Pollock – all mercurial nylon axe- mastery and candle-lit indie-blues – on ‘Split Tour EP’ (●●●●●, Chemikal Underground). Taking it up a notch are alt-rock propagators Frightened Rabbit, whose ‘State Hospital’ EP (●●●●●, Atlantic) features an exceptional doom-disco orgy, ‘Wedding Gloves’, wherein Scott Hutchison plays the trilling Kiki Dee to Aidan Moffat’s dank-chambered Elton John. It is grubby, absurd and gorgeous, and offers gripping reassurance that the Frabbits’ leap from indie to major has not diminished their rampant charms. The East-West Coast rap axis (Scotland branch) delivers two stellar hip-hop salvos via lavish funk on Stanley Odd’s ‘Killergram’ (●●●●●, Circular) and Hector Bizerk’s minimalist, rapid-fire, ‘Bury The Hatchet’ (●●●●●, self-release). Beat-boxer and art-pop idol Adam Stafford joins Sweethearts of the Prison Rodeo for a typically enthralling ‘Split EP’ (●●●●●, Wiseblood Industries), while Jo Mango will floor you with sublime hymn ‘Cordelia’ (●●●●●, Olive Grove). Jessie Ware smoulders on moonstruck-swoon ‘Night Light’ (●●●●●, Island); 2:54 seduce on the Cure-fuelled downer-pop of ‘Sugar’ (●●●●●, Fiction). Miaoux Miaoux’s ‘Autopilot EP’ (Chemikal Underground,
●●●●●) brims with delirious Auntie Flo and Discopolis remixes, Withered Hand trashes and brightens hearts with his exquisite ‘Inbetweens EP’ (●●●●●, Brother+Dad), The Pictish Trail thrills with dreamy, psychedelic pop on ‘The Summer Is Empty of Idiots EP’ (●●●●●, Fence) and Malcolm Middleton’s Human Don’t Be Angry allies deep-humanoid beats with new-pop licks on the glorious ‘Dreamer’ (●●●●●, Chemikal Underground).
By virtue of its throbbing, kosmische wonder, Single of the Month goes to the increasingly almighty Errors, for the extra- celestial ‘Ammaboa Glass’ (●●●●●, Rock Action). You’ll notice that they’ve got the world in their hands in its mind-melding video. That is no accident. (Nicola Meighan)
imamiwhoami Kin (Cooperative ) ●●●●● Gorgeous, slo-mo and power-beat electronic pop from the once-incog- nito artist now known to be Jonna Lee. Echoing Bjork, the Knife and Fever Ray, her YouTube channel features the entire album (her first) in a string of videos. Band of Horses Mirage Rock (Brown/Columbia) ●●●●● Album four from the Seattle rockers, before a Glasgow date in November. No wheel reinventing here; expect their business as usual good-timey, down-home, 70s-sounding country- rock.
Biffy Clyro Infinity Land (Beggars Banquet) ●●●●● Fans of the Biffy rejoice. The third (and final) expanded release from Biffy’s collection (the one where they went a bit experimental) – with six bonus B-sides, plus remastered album tracks. The Mountain Goats Transcendental Youth (Tomlab) ●●●●● John Darnielle’s been called ‘America’s best non-hip-hop lyricist’ and he’s back with eloquent outsider-rock, covering the usual barrel of laughs fare: ‘outcasts, recluses, the mentally ill’. And yet, it’s still darkly warming.
The Sea and Cake Runner (Thrill Jockey) ●●●●● Driving, sophisticated pop from the Chicago rockers – 18 years into their career. Singer Sam Prekop’s vocal is as honey-smooth and woozy as ever, but extra synths add a caffeine- boost of energy.
Moon Duo Circles (Souterrain Transmissions) ●●●●● Heat-haze rock, and driving krautrock grooves from Wooden Shijps guitarist Ripley Johnson and girlfriend Sanae Yamada. A bouncier and poppier version of their first record, Mazes.
82 THE LIST 20 Sep–18 Oct 2012