June 16, 2005
Eno: Another Day On Earth (Hannibal)
Rating: ****
And so, seemingly without warning, poof! Brian Eno returns with his first full pop/vocal record in...27 years. 1978's Before And After Science was the last one, considered the end of his Rock Phase before turning to ambience and production for a long time to come. 1990's Wrong Way Up was a fine duet record with John Cale and is full of exemplary Eno pop - Spinning Away and The River come immediately to mind. That was a treat in itself, Eno singing again. As is this, and like Wrong Way Up, it's great not only because we've wanted one of these for awhile, but also because it's not at all what one would expect. But what can you expect from this guy, besides the unexpected? Expect something like an ambient pop album, but don't try to imagine what it will sound like, because, as often happens with this guy, it sounds quite a bit different from anything you've heard before.
Highlights: "This" starts the record off much where Wrong Way Up left off. A fine odd pop song with a snappy retro beat and streamish of consciousness lyrics. "And Then So Clear" is less scrutible, but reveals more pleasure with each listen. A delicate vocoder pitches Eno's voice up to robot-angel hights while the background reveals some rather discreet and beautiful chords. "Going Unconscious" is a pretty gorgeous hybrid of ambient music and narrative strangeness, with particularly great percussion. "Caught Between" is stunning space-gospel with appropriately selfless lyrics, "Passing Over" is more urgent, nervous and turbulent and features the man's knack for innovative backing vocals and weird borgish vocoder. "How Many Worlds" is the masterpiece, in which just a strumming, synthesized guitar, some chimes and the greatest string arrangement of the decade back up one of Eno's all time best songs. The title track is right up there with it, or just a tiny half notch below it, impossible to describe really. A slow funk groove with galactic sounds and swirls? It's better if I don't try.
The rest is really good too. It's a quiet record, and much less direct than you'd be likely to expect. The effects and instrumentation are so much more subtle than anything you're currently into, and the arrangements ride the line between performance and ambience for much of the album - it's not a record you could make your mind up on after one listen - something that obviously happened with the Pitchfork review. As usual, they get it completely wrong. Mark Richardson makes the mistake of trying to keep Eno's ambient music and his pop music separate. Hi Mark, there's a record Eno did called Another Green World that you're not so familiar with apparently, although it is one of those records that probably changed pop music forever. Though Another Day On Earth isn't trying to recapture that album's feel or songwriting style, it definitely shares a lot of its moods and its ambient slant. Richardson does a good job of letting us know how much he knows about Eno, but he doesn't get the record at all.
The only problems I have with the record is that it's not a little longer and it ends on a rather perfunctory note. And that there's a very Fripp-like solo here done not by Fripp but by someone who can kinda do Fripp. For Brian Eno, you'd think that only Fripp would do. Maybe they were weary of each other's company after recording the Equatorial Stars, which I'll write about hopefully in the next couple days. These are pretty minor quibbles though. This is my favorite record of the year so far.
NOTE: This record also marks the return of Hannibal Records, the great label that brought you Nick Drake, the Incredible String Band, Richard Thompson and the great producer Joe Boyd. Ryko has owned much of its properties for some time, and hopefully the resurrection of this imprint means great things to come.
- DB
Posted by Daniel E. Boen at 11:26 AM | Comments (15121)
February 20, 2005
Chemical Bros. Push The Button
My friend Kate sent me this after hearing the new Chemical Brothers record:
OK, so here's the deal. I've been listening to the new chemical bros
uncontrolably. esp in my car. i've become one of those people with the
thumping bass. what the fuck is up with galvanized? what a
fucking--and i only say this once in a while when the word truly
fits--SICK-- track that is! I get insane listening to it. MAN.
********
That's about right. Easily their best since Dig Your Own Hole. Q-Tip's rap on Galvanized is the best thing ever, and I'm close to a rap Hater.
Posted by Daniel E. Boen at 01:23 PM | Comments (22813)
February 13, 2005
Version City Rockers: Darker Roots
Darker Roots
Version City Rockers
Antifaz records
*****
I grabbed this record because the artwork was genius, scummy and in black and white, and from the list of singers I figured it was all obscure reissue. Nope - all new, all recorded in NYC in the years since 9/11. The Version City Rockers are King Django's extremely accurate roots reggae house revival band. Or something. Information is somewhat cryptic, and tonight I am lacking the patience to do all the necessary research. Released by the ultra cryptic Antifaz label, this NYC-based project has my reggae tongue wagging for more more more. Over the past few years since 9/11 Django has pulled in some bona fide reggae legends into the room for some stunning returns to the mike - some of these people haven't been active for years. Sugar Minott (now enjoys a hot best-of just out on Soul Jazz), Yabby You, Ronny Davis, Sister Nancy, Glen Brown, Cedric Brooks and Congo Ashanti Roy all turn in great performances, and King Django is not fucking around. Most modern reggae is embarassing, digital, stiff and fake, as bad and insincere as anything from Nashville in the 80's. None of that here. The band has the wise restraint of any great Studio One lineup from the 70's, and it's recorded beautifully on vintage gear. As follows, each singer turns in a performance on par with anything else they've ever done. Highlights include Glen Brown's "Let's Live Love", a dramatic, emphatic gem, Sugar Minot's raveup "Nah Boodah Wid It", Skatalite saxophonist Cedric Brooks' moody "It's Up To You", and Congo Ashanti Roy (of the legendary Congos) post 9/11 lament "Why Dem A Galong So", which is one long sad answerless question, like our history since that day.
Posted by Daniel E. Boen at 08:59 PM | Comments (4358)