The Streets, Could Well Be In, Radio edit
The Residents, Commercial Album
Jimmy Edgar, Bounce Make Model
6 track mini album, Warp
Mstation Pop etc Commentary, Reviews
pre Dec 04 reviews are here
Mon, 20 Dec 2004
6 track LP, 30 mins-ish, Warp
Nick Talbot is from Bristol, UK, and his likes include Flying
Saucer Attack and Neil Young. Right now (Sept, October, Nov, 04)
he/they are touring with Juana Molina.
Here, on the record, we have a soft voice, and lots of fingerpicked
guitar. It's a low-key, somewhat sad world but with interesting,
subtle textures to it.
(Mr Snerk)
6 track EP, Fat Cat
Looking at the charts, you could be forgiven for thinking that
all that was happening was fakey pretty-pretties with fake
attitudes and fake music, but there is an alternative world out
there where guitar bands roam and somehow feed and clothe
themselves -- which reminds of one of my favourite guitarist
jokes from times past. What do you call a guitarist without a
girlfriend? Homeless!
So, anyway, here we have The Mutts who do some fairly rock-a-long
stuff with some nice breaks and changes and some good riffs as
well. I think they hail from Brighton, UK, and can be seen around
London quite regularly.
(thunderfinger)
Single, Warner Bros
I don't know much about this. There's a single, and on the cover is
a Mexican-looking couple flying through the sky (I think) on a
huge vibrator sex toy. Hmmm.
So maybe we would expect a Mariachi band crooning about contraception,
or just about the joys of sex in general. Well, no. What we get is
a fairly straightahead rock track with guitar and a dodgy-pub conversational
singing style. Not that it's bad at all. It's a fun track.
(thunderfinger)
Single, 679 Recordings
We have a simple piano background, some spoken word
in a kind-of hip-hop way, and some soft singing voice.
Mike Skinner takes us through the anxiety of a
first date in a track from his second album.
It's quite nice really but won't set the tribal
brothas alight. It's from and to a different place.
(Dr Boots)
25th Anniversary DVD and CD, Mute
The Residents
There are two items here: first, the CD. This come packaged in a
colorful booklet with lots of information about why this thing
exists. Those of you who store in racks will ask when graphic
designers will get a clue and make these offerings the same size
as a standard jewel box case. That aside there are some nicely
weird illustrations and, of course, the music, and it's worth
saying "thanks" to the record label for actually giving us a bit
more than the usual bare minimum.
In effect these are "easy" tracks which came about as a result
of the very demanding Eskimo which took them four years to
record. Though Eskimo was critically acclaimed it seems fair
to say that the whole thing gave a few people headaches.
Anyway, if you're now expecting pre-digested pap set to a dance
beat ... no! Here we have a mildly eccentric and highly
creative series of quite short songs.
Now the DVD; and this is really what this project is about.
There are a series of one minute videos which, up to now,
were too expensive to collect together and make something of.
The same technology that is allowing a kid with a Mac to experiment
with video editing also allows people of the critical stature of
The Residents (and critical stature oftentimes suggest "small
market") to get things together for a commercial release.
The DVD has a game-like interface where you travel a maze of rooms
to discover the fifty-six, very different videos.
(thunderfinger)
From Detroit we have Jimmy Edgar's tomorrowland R and B, super-swift
programming, and funked-up electro.
The moods range from dance-floor to late night to thoughtful
introspection but the general feel is a funk-driven electro
fun time.
Purple prose aside, this is where you might go when you're tired
of straight four to the floor. It's good too!
(Dr Boots)
