JOHN CALE - "WORDS FOR the DYING" (All Saints)
This is John Cale's tribute to the works of Dylan Thomas with a full orchestra set to John's score and Brian Eno producing. I wasn't quite sure what to expect but was delighted to find a restrained, emotive and engrossing album that never once descends into melodrama or pomp. Cale sings the poetry of Dylan Thomas with power in his lungs but softness in his voice. The arrangements are intelligent, melodic and immediate. You don't have to be a John Cale fan to appreciate this, all you need is a love of the poetry of Dylan Thomas and good composition.
 Can's 4th album is a funny little thing. After getting
so extreme on "Tago Mago", they calmed down a little
bit here for this one. Well, when I say calmed it down, I
mean by their standards not by anyone else's. The albums'
opener "Pinch" has a kind of jazzy feel to it, "Sing
Swan Song" is a bit of a whacked-out waltz and the album's
closing track "Spoon" was even a big hit in Germany,
despite sounding like it's just landed from a deep space
discothèque. It's still experimental and rhythmic,
but the album has a kind of mellower, less spiky feel to it.
That said "Vitamin C" features the kind of pounding
drums you'd associate with break beat. It's another
classic album and gives some indication of the ambient experiments
that they were about to tap into in the follow up. The sound
quality is great and it just leaves you hungry for the next
set of Can remasters. Bring it on!
 CAN - "FUTURE DAYS - REMASTERED EDITION" (Spoon Records/Mute)
 Can's fifth album was their last one with singer Damo Suzuki. The album catches the band in a particularly relaxed mood, having just come back from holiday and with a studio's heating system malfunctioning and gassing the band as they played. The album sees them experimenting with slightly funkier grooves for the first time, as well as jamming into analogue ambience at times. It may have only 4 tracks, but still weighs in at over 40 minutes. It's sunny, spacey, funky and yet still thoroughly Can. Whilst some would say than Can's peak had past by the time Future Days came out, it still remains a classic album and in this excellently remastered edition, it really jumps out of the speakers at you. If you haven't heard "Future Days" on vinyl or on this remastered edition, then you've never really heard it.
CAN - "LANDED - REMASTERED EDITION" (Spoon Records/Mute)
 "Landed", Can's 7th album, was their first multi-track recording and for many it's seen as a cut-off point between the exciting Can of old and the lack lustre final days. However, what many forget is that it's only the last 2 Can albums that aren't any good. Certainly "Landed" still sounds great and with it being a multitrack recording, the surround remastering is so much better on this one. Though the band themselves have jokingly objected to the 'rock' in 'krautrock', this album opens on a full-on singalong stomper called "Full Moon On the Highway" (as heard over the end credits of their free concert film). From then on it's the mad psychedlic pop of "Half Past One", the dark nonsense of "Hunters And Collectors" and the Roxy Music play "Mother Sky" sound of "Vernal Equinox". Of course, it's easy to forget that this was recorded in 1975. That's the same year I was born in and I wish I could tell you I'd aged as wonderfully as this album. "Landed" still does the full business
 At long last, Can have begun the eagerly awaited
process of remastering their albums. The vinyl versions have
always sounded great but the previous CD issues lacked a certain
punch that the music really cried out for. Now, at last, a
proper remastering has been done presenting the albums in
superb quality sound. Once again, Can sound like the future
of music we're all still waiting for. The remasters are released
as hybrid SACD, compatible with both normal CD players and
Super Audio CD players (and SACD compatible DVD players). There's loads of extra photos and some nice sleeve notes from
David Stubbs.
Can were amazing. Their drummer had played free jazz and
studied world music, the keyboard player'n'bassist were
students of the avant garde composer Stockhausen, the guitarist
was into Hendrix and could match him for skill, innovation
and avoiding indulgence despite his immeasurable skill.
1969 saw the birth of "Monster Movie", the first
Can album and lays down the blueprint for their pioneering
avant-garde yet rhythmic rock sound. It's already very clear
that the rhythm section are pretty damn unique and tight,
whilst Michael Karoli's guitar playing is also unabashedly
inspired. At first glance, the album looks a little lean with
only 4 tracks, but as the mighty "Yoo Doo Right"
clocks in at over 20 minutes, while the other 3 tracks are
over 6 minutes, it all begins to make more sense. For this
album, the band are fronted by American Malcolm Mooney, who's
singing style is somewhere between the soft tones of Jimi
Hendrix and the emotive, vulnerable qualities of Bjork. This
is an essential album, a piece of rock history
and the birth of something thrilling.
CAN - "SOON OVER BABALUMA - REMASTERED" (Spoon Records/Mute)
 For Can's 6th album, they found themselves without a singer after the departure of Damo Sazuki. You can't keep a good band down, however, and when the album's opener "Dizzy Dizzy" kicks off with guitarist Michael Karoli on vocals, you're immediately struck by how confident they sound. "Soon Over Babaluma" slays the myth that Can were lost after the departure of Damo Sazuki. The album seems to have a very strong Latin vibe, both in the rhythms and sometimes the keyboards, whilst still remaining wholeheartedly Can. Michael's guitar work is as extraordinary as ever and he literally adds more strings to his bow with some excellent violin work too. Jaki again shows why he is one of the finest drummers ever, bringing in African and Latin sounds to his arsenal yet never forgetting that he is part of a group and not here to play solos. "Soon Over Babaluma" is another unashamed classic and has been excellently remastered.
 With classically trained members, a rock edge and a cult following,
it was not surprising that Can got offered lots of soundtrack
work. The films they sound tracked have long been forgotten. The soundtracks have not. Finally available in a remastered
edition (you have to remaster an old record when you put it
onto CD, otherwise it's going to sound very weak) and souped
up to first rate sound quality, this is a fantastic compilation
that was released as the second Can album.
It features both their first vocalist, Malcolm Mooney, and
his replacement, Damo Suzuki, so it's a kind of stepping stone
between the first 2 line-ups of Can. There's their haunting
theme from "Deadlock", the almost poppy sound of
"Tango Whiskeyman" and the scorching "Soul
Dessert" ( the last thing Malcolm recorded with the band,
until the reformation). However, for me the pinnacles of the
album are the wildly contrasting "Mother Sky" and
"She Brings the Rain". "Mother Sky" is
nearly 15 minutes of wigged out guitars and tribal but mechanical
drumming. "She Brings the Rain" is a gentle ballad
with jazz touches and some wild rock guitar solos towards
the end. Indespensible.
 Here it is, in proper sonic glory at last, the album
generally acknowledged as Can's finest. Can's third album
given top notch sound, sleeve notes from a journo, a tribute
written by Bobby Gillespie, extra pictures - it's all good. The remastering process was supervised by the band's Holger
Czukay and Irmin Schmidt, along with Irmin's collaborator,
technical advisor and son-in-law Jono Podmore.
"Tago Mago" is a game of 2 halves (it's a double
album if you get the vinyl and the 2 discs are markedly different).
For the first half, you get the Can familiar from "Monster
Movie" and "Soundtracks", only wilder than
ever. Opening track "Paperhouse" is rhythmic psychedelia
which suddenly roars into a different gear half way through.
"Oh Yeah" is pretty much live techno music, which
is pretty ****ing impressive for a record made in 1971."Halleluhwah"
is nearly 19 minutes of Can at their peak - danceable, spacey,
heavy and exactly like nothing else. It's the kind of stuff
that makes you want to erect 50-foot Hollywood-style letters
on the highest hill saying "Can were absolute genius,
buy Tago Mago or you are a pleb".
The second half on the album is where Can really start to
let rip. Veering from ambient dub to stuttering electro with
gibbering vocals, it can go from peaceful to violent in minutes.
Perhaps too extreme on this side for popular tastes, it's
food & drink to anyone who enjoys a little extremity in
their music. It can cause flatmates to question
CAN - "UNLIMITED EDITION - REMASTERED" (Spoon Records/Mute)
 Whoah! Can's 8th album is a collection of out-takes by Can from 1968 to 1975. All beautifully arranged to flow like an album, yet more eclectic than any DJ mix compilation. Psychedelia, rock 'n' roll, New Orleans jazz, Japanese music, dub, bouzouki, avante garde classical, etcetera. This is probably Can's wildest album and, let's face it, even Can's least wild album is ten times wilder than any other wild album. There are 19 tracks here but it sounds like the work of 11 bands. Of course, this is helped partially by the fact that in the period these tracks were recorded, Can started out with an African/American singer who was replaced by a Japanese singer who was replaced by the guitarist. So you've got 3 continents on the microphone and the whole damn world in the music. It should sound like a complete mess, it should be disjointed but somehow it manages to make sense as an album. I have no idea how and it eludes me as a journalist to explain why but it does. Again, it's been beautifully remastered and lovingly packaged, making this a real object of desire that defeats the point of downloading. A delight!
 Detroit is forever associated with techno (well,
at least by us Europeans) and one of the names forever associated
with both is Carl Craig. Here, he puts together the sixth
in the 'Abstract Funk theory' series. The idea is simple -
take someone well respected in leftfield yet dancefloor music,
and ask them to put together a compilation (a compilation
NOT a mix album). With it not being a mix album, they are
free to pick anything and not having to worry about whe ther
or not it will gel, and just let it flow. Unsurprisingly,
the series works pretty bloody well. Carl picks out such gems
as Prince 'Erotic City' and George Clinton's 'Atomic Dog',
as reworked by Snoop into 'Snoop Doggy Dog'. Alongside these
easy singalong pleasers with attitude, there's the more obvious
folk like Rhythm Is Rhythm and Carl himself. With Mr.Craig
at the helm, you can't go wrong, and this album brings together
a fine pack of tunes which you are unlikely to have.
A real treat. This album sees the band develop a richer and
deeper sound that goes beyond their initial hits. There are
no fillers on this album that covers everything from wild
punk ("Storm the Palace") to a beautiful harp-led ballad ("Bullimic
Beats"). A natural and stunning progression. Buy it on vinyl
for a free 7" featuring a jaw-dropping live rendition of "Nothing
Hurts"
This is a recording of a live gig
by Cherry Bomb (aka Richard Brown, formerly
Rhythm Invention on Warp) at Remedy in Sheffield.
It was never originally intended for release
but a copy of the performance found its way
to Music Man head honcho Stefaan who thought
it was too good not to be released. It's a
nice blend of techno, house and electro styles
that would work equally well on the dancefloor
or as home listening. It's quite pleasing to
know that what you hear on this record is what
was heard on the night, there have been no
crafty edits, in Richard's own words "All
mistakes included for no additional charge!". This is a worthy release
which bodes well for Cherry Bomb's forthcoming studio album.
Chib is a 30-something lady from the outskirts of Tokyo and this mini-album is
her debut release. The album has been recorded using old equipment and a lot
of her samples come from natural sounds like cello, piano, bird chatter or
music boxes. She works these samples into a sequenced world of minimalist electronic
compositions. When you describe it like that, it all sounds pretty basic but
Chib uses such simple methods to create something very special and unique. There is no pointless 'noodling' just warm, melodic soundscapes that absorb
the listener. Chib doesn't let the technology overwhelm her and manages to
create a very 'human sounding' form of electronic music. It may be very downbeat
and gentle but it's still alive and vibrant with emotion, inspiration and imagination.
Sometimes it seems like the world & his dog are releasing
mix albums. Every record store is filled with cash-in compilations
of flash-in- the-pan tunes. It"s always a genuine treat, then,
when a mix album pops up that seems like a labour of love,
rather than a quick buck. Sheffield"s Choo Choo have been
making some serious waves with their single releases and the time was ripe
for them to unleash a compilation on us. Their sound is tricky to pin down
but usually gets shoved into the "Progressive House" pigeonhole. Sheer
dancefloor delirium would be a healthier tag. The sound can be as deep
as it is funky, but some darker moods creep in as do nods to psychedelic
electronica, all over some serious beats and bass. All their finest moments
are here, providing an instant fix for anyone wondering what Choo Choo
are all about. Those who already know and love these songs will still find
this a top buy as Anthony Pappa has done a sterling job of fusing all the
tracks together. There"s no excuse now.
With this album, Choo Choo have left the realm of trainspotter"s
secret. Choo Choo is now for everyone.
 Chris Cowie's name may not be massively well
known but he has over 200 records and 500 productions
under his belt, has DJ'd around the world, and has fans
in a wide range of DJs from Jeff Mills to Laurent Garnier
to Seb Fontaine and the legendary Danny Tenaglia. So
why isn't his name better recognised? Well, a large part
of it is probably to do with his propensity to work under
a vast array of pseudonyms; Vegas Soul, X-Cabs, F2, Scan
Carriers and Stonemaker amongst others are all Chris
Cowie aliases. 'Best Behaviour' is a collection of Cowie's
work, much of it originally released under one of his
many pseudonyms. It's available as a generous 22 track
CD or a somewhat leaner 8 track double vinyl pack. The album is a fine collection of techno, electro and house grooves showcasing
a man with an obviously ample studio talent. Many of the tracks here would be
perfectly suited to a club environment but there's enough melody, deep, warm
bass and general versatility of production here to ensure that 'Best Behaviour'
is also a rewarding home listening record. Highlights are his remix of Frankie
Bones' 'Black & White', the lush, melodic techno of 'Engage', the more downtempo
'Hold the Day' with it's rolling break, dark strings and orchestral stabs and
recent single 'Frisky', a tough, dancefloor affair with a jacking beat and urgent,
driving hi-hats. Shouldn't be too long before Chris Cowie's name becomes a lot
more familiar.
 "London Calling" was the defining moment of one
of the defining bands of the punk era. It features 19 tracks
of a band at the peak of their prowess, bringing a whole range
of sounds into the mix. To call it a punk album would be to
sorely mislabel it. The sounds of blues, classic rock 'n'
roll and Jamaican sounds are
all on here, along with a sing along sensibility that never
descends in the moronic chanting of pub punk bands like Sham
69. For the 25th Anniversary,
this album has been turned into a real object of desire. 2
CD's and a DVD plus a big booklet.
The 1st CD contains the original album in perfect sound quality,
beautifully remastered with plenty of punch. 25 years on and
you just can't fault this album. From the opening call to
arms of the title track to the closing lament of "Train
In Vain", it's winners all the way. It would be just
plain rude to review this album and not mention the classic
dub meets punk skank of “Guns Of Brixton” or the
haunting pianos of “ the Card Cheat”. There's
cheekier stuff like “Rudy Can't Fail” and
“Jimmy Jazz” and dark, political-edged tracks
like “Spanish Bombs” and “Clampdown”.
Make no mistake, this is an essential album.
CD 2 is the Vanilla Tapes, which Mick Jones only discovered
in the March of this year. They were previously believed lost
and have never even turned up on a bootleg. These are sessions
that the band themselves recorded, featuring many of the songs
that were to be recorded for "London Calling", as
well as 5 new songs. Some of the tracks are instrumentals,
some have alternative lyrics and a stripped-down sound. It's
a fascinating historical artefact and if it had turned up
in the wrong place it could have ended up costing you an arm
and a leg. It's more for obsessives but if there was
ever an album worth getting obsessed about, this is it. The
DVD features a little 30 minute documentary that's both
informative & hilarious with some great live footage and
the promo videos. Even if you already have the album it's
worth investing in this little package.
OK. Imagine you were on an aeroplane with Placebo, the late
Augustus Pablo (Jamaican dub legend), the United States Of
America (that"s the legendary experimental band NOT the country)
and Spacemen 3. Right? the plane crashes into snowy mountains
and it takes rescue teams two months to get to the sight.
With me so far? You are the only survivor and you have eaten
all the other passengers. Now according to ancient legend,
when you eat someone, you gain their abilities. If that were
true, and they put you in a recording studio after the ordeal,
then you would probably record something like this album.
It might sound bizarre, but that should put you in the right
frame of mind for Clinic. Every now and then there comes a
band that just come across as subliminally unwholesome. Not
in a "I killed your mom and I am scary-type Slipknot way but
subtly. Sometimes this album shimmers into delicate beauty
like on the awesome single "Distortions". In other places
it rocks out. This is one of those albums that makes you think
"Was that really on?" when it"s finished. It"s healthy to
hear such off-kilter and enjoyable music.
Finally, someone has got round to giving this
aptly titled album a UK release. All 36 tracks
of it. Cody Chestnut is such a genius that his
debut album is a double CD set, all written,
arranged, composed, performed and engineered
by the man himself. Cody may already be known
to you from his re-recording of ' the Seed' (original version on here) that he did with the Roots, which
became a single from their last album 'Phrenology'. The album is quite raw
in places, in fact, it sound like demos in a lot of places, but the songs and
the talent are so strong, it doesn't matter. It even seems to complement it.
As the saying goes, 'Necessity is the mother of invention'. Funnily
enough, this particular invention is a necessity. Cody has a sweet,
soulful voice and is just as at home playing blues guitar, as he
is with gentle ballads and experimental numbers. There are so many
reference points, it's unbelievable. Think of Lenny Kravitz, early
Badly Drawn Boy, Prince, Hendrix, Curtis Mayfield and the White
Stripes. The second time you listen to it, it sounds like you've
always owned this album. Utterly essential.
It
looks like Coldplay are this years" big thing. After months of
good reviews and praise from the music media, they finally
hit the public response with their classic single "Yellow".
Parachutes is the number 1 album that consolidates their
position as the band of 2000. A whole album of beautiful
melancholia that, while not highly innovative, is deeply
soulful and moving.
the opening track "Don"t Panic" gives a good
indicator of how the album starts and means to carry on. The
singles that marked their ascendancy, "Shiver" and "Yellow" still
have the power to affect, despite their familiarity. This is
not a party album, probably not the music that the Samaritans
will put you on hold to but anything as wonderful as the piano-led "Trouble" needs
to be heard.
COLDPLAY - "X & Y" (Parlophone)
 It's a strange feeling. To find oneself sitting down with the year's biggest album (in terms of sales), an album eagerly awaited all around the globe, an album by a British act that even the US are desperate to hear. The strangest part of it is to find the album is absolutely brilliant, innovative, intelligent and glowing with a kind, gentle soulfulness.
Album number 3 was where the magic of Oasis turned to dross. However, it was album number 3 that cemented Radiohead's position as the single most important rock band of the 90s. "X & Y" quite possibly does it for Coldplay. They have broadened their sound and reached out for some more avant-garde influences, melding them with their gorgeous song writing capabilities. They have Brian Eno come along as a guest performer and even make a nod towards Kraftwerk on "Talk".
Listening to "What If", you can already imagine a whole fleet of point-missing, inferior cover versions from every genre in the world. "Fix You" manages to be even more heart-stopping than "The Scientist".
One of the most endearing things about Coldplay is their refusal to bow down to the lowest common denominators of their genre. No overblown epics. No excessive string sections. No "Hey Jude" style meaningless sing-a-longs. I know they have put blood and sweat and tears into making this record, but half the beauty is that it doesn't sound like they're trying too hard. It sounds natural, organic and considered. It's not a pop album, it does take time to access the full pleasures of this record, but with every listen the album seems to unfold in your conscious. It is their best album to date.
Following up the classic album 'Like Water For Chocolate'
was never going to be easy, but Common has managed not
only to make another classic, he's also managed to push
the sound of hip-hop forward. The album's heavy reliance
on a full backing group, rather than sampling, gives more of an opportunity
to carve a new niche, which is what happens here. ?uestlove of the Roots
plays drums on most of the tracks and top Philly producer (although Sheffield-born)
James Poyser also plays the keyboards for a lot of the album. Also coming
in to join the fun are Erykah Badu, Mary J Blige, Prince, Jill Scott, the
Neptunes and most surprisingly Sonny of rock band P.O.D. and Laetitia Sadier
of Stereolab. The presence of Laetitia may sound odd until you hear the
album's mellow psychedelic vibe, although ?uestloves drumming
keeps the rhythm tough.
Common's rhymes are as deep as ever and his flow is as fast
and devastating as Ali's punches at his best. Tracks like 'Heaven
Somewhere' and 'Between Me, You & Liberation' show that
hip-hop is not just for kids. Coming hot on the heels of the
Roots' equally amazing album 'Phrenology', this just shows
hip hop can run and run without running out of steam. Whatever
next? I doubt anyone can guess.
The rise of Common continues. With no major airplay, his
following grows. This album features guest appearances
from Mos Def, D"Angelo, the Roots, Femi Kuti
(son of Fela Kuti) and Slum Village. Naturally, it is brilliant. Common has
serious word skills. His rapping is intelligent, funky and smooth. The music
follows a similar pattern. The finest jazzy hip-hop with a live feel. His rhymes
run from serious, thoughtful and moving on "A song for Ass Ata" to outright
funny and funky on "A film called (pimp)". This is how hip-hop should be.
All the weak, commercial money-grabbers and no-marks must feel hollow when
they hear something as good as this.
 Brief
history lesson, Cranes first came to prominence in 1990 with
their debut release for Dedicated the "Inescapable" EP. They had the misfortune to find themselves suddenly hyped hystericaly,
lumped in with the shoegazing scene by some lazy music journos
and then, to top it all off, even got labelled as goths by
some of the even duller hacks. All of which was pretty outrageous
stuff. Cranes were a breath of fresh air in the stodgy early
90's music scene. Innovative and atmospheric, their unique
sound fused classical influences and some very obscure rock
ones. It was music to loose yourself in, with Alison's indecipherable
lyrics leaving the mind free to imagine and more often than
not conjured images of faded grandeur, like Shelley's "Ozymandias".
So, 14 years on from their emergence, where are Cranes now?
their influence can be felt all over the leftfield from bands
like Mum, Sigur Ros and many more. However, the band themselves
continue to chart new sonic territories and continue to unnerve
and delight in equal measure. Nowadays, they're as comfortable
using their guitars as they are electronics and the sound now
covers a broader range than before. Gentle electronics, acoustic
strummings, big dubby sounds, haunting pianos, spacey guitars
and
Alison's haunting voice all fuse beautifuly. "Particles & Waves" is
classic Cranes - intelligent, moving, surprising and original.
 At first glance, this looks like a compilation album but a closer glance reveals it to be an artist album of all new music from Monsieur De Cracy, with some guest appearances from the likes of Alex Gopher and Boom Bass. The first "Super Discount" album was viewed by many as the first breakthrough of French dance music and entitling this album as a sequel is a bold statement. Luckily, it's one that De Crecy manages to deliver on. He goes for a slightly retro kind of feel with classic dance music sounds of the halcyon days sneaking into his modern, funky sound. Another interesting feature of this album is that every track on here seems to have been named after a method of online music sharing (well, at least 6 are and the other tracks sound like they might be named after other file sharing programmes, I'm not THAT geeky!). A nice, topical touch. This album is packed to the gills with very large, very funky tracks and delivers all the oomph that you'd expect from a huge heralded album of French funky dance. Electro funk doesn't get much better.
Does exactly what it says
on the tin. This is a CD, mixed by rising heroes MYNC Project of club hits
released on the Credence label. In a world over-saturated with dance music
compilations, who gives a damn? Well, anyone who knows anything about which
record label has released some of the finest and most interesting house
tracks of recent years should do. You see Credence have
managed to knock up quite a back catalogue.
Remember Par-T-One's INXS sampling 'I'm So Crazy'? Credence.
Remember the madness of Green Velvet's 'La La Land'? Credence
snapped that one up. What about 'All That Mattered (Love You
Down)' by De Nuit? them again. What was the British club track
that cracked America via a car advert and award? It was Dirty
Vegas with 'Days Go By'. Guess where that one came from? Bel
Amour with a track called 'Bel Amour'? I thought I'd never
heard of it till I spun this CD and it dawned on me, "Oh, it's
that track". What about Queen-sampling space funk stormer ' the
Real Life' by Raven Maize? How about 'Fix My Sink' by DJ Sneak?
the list goes on. They've all been on the radio, they've all
rocked dancefloors and they're all on here. It looks as though
with this album Credence have made a bold statement of intent.
Dance music dead? What a load of rubbish and here's conclusive
proof.
Carrying on the mighty momentum generated by Midfield General,
Skint"s latest
release lives up to it"s title. Although he is one of Skints original artists,
this is Cut La Rocs" debut album. rather than wallowing in past glories, he
lets rip with a batch of (nearly-all) fresh material. When an album starts
off with a reworking of the Halloween theme, you know it means business. Recent
single "Freeze" still roars like a monster with it"s dark bass attack. Cut
La Roc"s early psycho-surf an them "Post Punk Progression" is reworked with
the band Snow Patrol into something heavier. Elsewhere, there is the mellow
psychedelia of "Fallen", some guest MCs and plenty of dance-floor madness.
It"s fair to say that Cut La Roc has risen to the occasion and created an album
that takes it to another level, that is suitable for both home listening and
dancefloor arson. Tough yet interesting. Cheers. |
