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Underworld / Beaucoup Fish / V2 (CD)
Underworld's music has always aspired to epic proportions, and their
music has a human warmth that's all too rare within their subset of the
electronic music pantheon. Messrs. Emerson, Hyde and Smith have
even realized that it's okay to add new elements to their techno soundscapes
after the first 120 seconds; as a result, Underworld's music rarely makes dull listening, even at its most linear. Beaucoup Fish pushes the envelope a bit, offering several mellower, chillout-styled tracks as well as a sort of futuristic
hip-hop experiment ("Bruce Lee"), Still, what wins the day is the epic-length
dance tracks -- in particular "Shudder/King of Snake", which borrows the
indelible keyboard line from Donna Summer's "I Feel Love" and gives it enough deep house flavor and beatbox-driven energy to dominate a club floor for nearly ten minutes. -- gz
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Like a quick jaunt through 90's alternative radio, the second release
by this teenage Kentucky quintet emanates Pearl Jam-style crooning ("Wreckuiem for the Legatines"), Metallica's hard/soft metal-riffing ("Gone Forever Never Coming Back") and an occasional hyper-aggressive moment a la Tool. While weighted more towards a distinct
metal sound, Wreckuiem... also has its melodic moments, which save it from
lapsing into another banal high-school band recording. C.O. Jones may
not be the most unique band, but its members definitely display songwriting
complexity and capable music skills that make for a promising, hard-rock future. -- am
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Various Artists / Traveler '99 / Six Degrees (CD)
The pursuit of intriguing samples has already led most dance
music creators to incorporate world music sounds and rhythms
in their compositions. While this often results in creative and
exciting music, it has also brought a frightening number of beatbox/
didgeridoo/sitar atrocities into the world. Traveler '99 wisely
concentrates on obvious (and largely unheard) successes, including
DJ Cheb i Sabbah's post-raga "Ganga Dev", Wally Brill's densely
evocative "A Loop in Time" and Banco de Gaia's enveloping "I Love
Baby Cheesy (Skippy Mix)". Celtic Cross' "Darshannon" combines
(not too surprisingly) Celtic fiddle and throbbing techno beats; given
the predominantly Eastern/African bias of the rest of the disc, it winds
up being the most memorable track. If you've had a decent exposure
to World music and its electronica applications, nothing on Traveler
'99 will leave you open-mouthed and drooling, but the quality remains high
throughout. -- gz
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I imagine Mr. Brown25 flinches every time he hears the "B" word. No, the other "B" word, the one that rhymes with "schmeck" (hint for the slow: four letters, begins with "B", ends in "eck" -- ed). That's okay though, because he does the many instruments (guitar, kazoo, fife, sitar, etc.)/phat beats/filtered vocals thing quite well. While some of the tunes are so "B"-like that they're distracting to listen to ("Stool Sample", for instance), most sport a nice mix of bleeps, buzzes, beats and silly lyrics. -- ib
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Various Artists / Passion Planet: Songs of Love From Around the World / Juna (CD)
If you go into your local record shop, you'll probably find a few
compilations of so-called "Love Songs". Most of them -- especially
the newer ones -- are painfully saccharine affairs dominated by the
Whitneys, Mariahs and Glorias our Culture Industry has worked so hard
to promote. Passion Planet is the remedy for such rubbish: a
globe-spin worth of sincere, honest songs of love, passion and devotion.
Unless you mostly purchase the wares of the aforementioned prefab
divas, you've probably heard of a few of the artists represented here -- Loreena
McKennitt, Ravi Shankar or perhaps even S.E. Rogie. The other artists
run the global gamut from South America to India, Africa, China and the
Carribean, offering a wide variety of songs and languages. Brief but
thorough liner notes help you climb the inevitable language barrier and
open your ears to, quite literally, a world of passion. -- gz
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Sally Anthony / One Word Poetry Contest / Elsie (CD)
Sally Anthony's One Word Poetry Contest is a five-track Christian
pop affair. Unfortunately, Anthony's musical sensibilities are too
derivative of Alannis Morissette, etc. for me to get into it much. Also,
the coyly seductive cover art doesn't quite fit the disc's less-than-seductive Christian leanings. Oh well, better luck next time! -- nw
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Funki Porcini / Ultimately Empty Million Pounds / Ninja Tune (CD)
Mr. Porcini should be a bit more careful with his titles -- this one is just
begging critics to let slip the dogs of negative word-play. And the disc
itself, which seems at times to be a send-up/indictment of media culture
and consumerism, contains some clever samples and good moments, but
as a whole slips past my radar in a blur of generic electronica. Even the best tracks
here seem only 75% finished, missing some crucial element that will give
them personality and uniqueness. Sans these intangibles, the
album sounds unfinished. And that's a shame, because it forces me to tell
you that despite Funki Porcini's best efforts and intentions, Ultimately
Empty Million Pounds is...well, ultimately pretty empty. -- gz
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Platypus / Ninja Monster / Weird Dreams (7")
With band member credits including "human interest," "martian (sic)
arts" and "cable guy," this fearsome Finnish foursome lets loose a
volley of noisy electronic experiments. Hyperactive keyboards,
screeching guitars and incomprehensible, distorted vocals are all part
of the mix, and you're sure to experience a pleasant aural overload!
Platypus scorns the conventional "avant-noise" approach, offering a
hypnotic, slightly offensive listening experience that's not entirely
inaccessible, but tainted just enough to tweak your curiosity. -- am
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