parades his solo outfit Recoil, and there are some seriously filmic qualities at play here and if this was a soundtrack, the film would be very troubling indeed. This effect is achieved by a seamless fusion of chilling soundscapes overlaid with eerie narration and interspersed with some remarkable experiments in industrial and breakbeat cross-breeding. Diamanda Galas and Nicole Blackman provide some truly insane vocal overlay to the strains of chunky industrial breakbeat on the subject of which the inspired ’Jezebel’, a funky jazzfindustrial freakout with a gospel swing vocal, has to be heard to be believed. (CB)
DJ Q
twentyfour7even (filter) 1% * it
Much talk of a change in direction accompanies the release of this second album from a man once heralded as the saviour of British house. Although twentyfour7even does indeed show Glasgow’s Q (aka Paul Flynn) take on funk, disco and Detroit techno, the results are disappointing. Where you would expect a melting pot of beats, you find instead a succession of tracks providing hollow homage to single styles. Despite some interesting basic ideas and neat keyboard noodling on ’Way Back When' and last year’s single 'Optimum Thinking’, the whole thing lacks any real rhythmic imagination.
(TA)
Bowery Electric Lushlife (Beggars Banquet) at it a:
For about five minutes a few years ago, New York’s Bowery Electric were the gimpy choice of every up-and- coming post-rocker. Since then they’ve narrowed their fanbase further by making the sadly inevitable move into electro-beat territory. They still boast some deep late-night haze but the beats and embarrassingly limp scratching sounds so grafted on that it's hard to believe that they were actually present when all of these corny zeitgeist-grabbing trimmings were added. Surely someone must’ve noticed? (Dke)
JAZZ Doop Troop
Don't Tell Me (Columbia) «kirk Anyone who remembers trombonist Joe Bowie's band Defunkt will know where Doop Troop are coming from. Bowie (brother of the late, much lamented Lester Bowie) co-Ieads this outfit with Austrian saxophonist and keyboard player Sigi Finkel, with Kelvyn Bell throwing in his trademark guitar licks, Robert Riegler on bass, and Tobias Ralph in the drum seat. The music builds on classic Defunkt strategies, throwing together hard- nosed funk and rock grooves with jazz- influenced blowing. Despite attempts to create a more contemporary sound, it comes off as a little retro at times, although not unattractively so, and there is plenty going on to maintain interest. (KM)
Hip Bop Essence All
Stars
Afrocubano Chant Two (Hip Bop Essence) i: it it
If you heard the first disc in this series, you know pretty much what to expect,
although there are some changes in the personnel (both from disc to disc and track to track). Newcomers will find some smooth, beautifully played Latin jazz, featuring musicians like saxophonist Gato Barbieri (not the force of old, alas), pianists Bob James and Michael Camilo in a duet, saxophonist Dave McMurray, guitarist Chuck Loeb, and, less conventionally, Tony Cedras on accordion. Lithe grooves and meaty but melodic solos predominate on a disc which includes three sections from Chico O'Farrill’s ’Afro Cuban Suite’ alongside classics by Sonny Rollins and Ernest Lecuona and new tunes by Gato and McMurray. (KM)
WORLD Various Artists
Voices Of The Real World (Real World
Records) ink A clash of cultures doesn’t always
create good music. On 'Voices’ Peter Gabriel and his cohorts may have discovered some inspirational music from around the globe but they have turned it into a travesty of itself thanks to over-production. Only Das Baul and Mills’ santanungle blend shows that quality can be achieved by honestly marrying folk music with modern studio boffinery. Elsewhere though, the voices of artists as diverse as Toto La Momposina, Papa Wemba and the late Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan are lost in echo effects and all end up sounding disconcertineg like Clannad. (TA)
Dirty Three
Whatever You Love, You Are (bella union) air air it *
If you were three raggedy rawney musicians — violinist, guitarist and drummer — waylaid in a deserted railway storage depot in Paris, what kind of music would you make? Well, you might allow your surroundings to inspire some hauntingly romantic, restless, rumbling tunes. The Dirty Three have for their fifth album, Whatever You Love, You Are.
From lullaby to low level wall of sound, these six instrumentals bare the influence of the dark moods of Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds (whom violinist Warren Ellis is a member of), along with gypsy folk laments and spiralling classical excesses. One to lose yourself in when the sun’s gone down. (MF)
Scouse grouse: Mel C and Left- ye from Tl.
FOLKNVORLD Altan Another Sky (Virgin) k i *
Whether it’s the move to the global record label, or a conscious decision to make the band appeal to a different audience, this album, the latest offering from what used to be arguably Ireland’s finest traditional band, is lacklustre. Not exactly dreich - the instrumentalists are all great players - but the choice of material is unimaginative. Do we really want to hear another watery version of what should be a great song in Green Grow The Rashes? Or Dylan’s Girl From The North Country? Even that beautiful rural love song The Verdant Braes Of Screen is here uninvolving - not helped by guest Bonnie Raitt on slide guitar. Other guests including Steve Cooney, Jerry Douglas, and Donal Lunny pepper the album tracks, but don't spice it up much. (NC)
Various Artists
Celtic Voices (Music Club) **** Roots, Reels And Rhythms (Nascente) ‘* ii A A
Two value-for-money compilations that paint the music of Ireland and Scotland in the new hews of tradfolkfusion. The sleeve notes to both are written by the irritating English (not PC, is it?) hack Colin Irwin, whose perspective and perception of things Scots and Irish is based on anything but cultural insight. But ignore the blurb and the awful notion of 'celtic‘ and listen to ten of Ireland’s great female voices like Dolores Keane, Padraigin Ni Uallachain or Aoire Ni Fhearraigh in the former, and the churning instrumental crossover that underpins the sixteen bands like Shooglenifty, the Peatbog Faeries or Mouth Music in the latter, where the music moves from the complexities of Paul Mounsey, to the jazz of John Rae’s Celtic Feet, the smooth folk/pop of Capercaillie, to Macumba‘s uproarious bagpipes and samba. (NC)
REVIEWERS THIS ISSUE:
Tim Abrahams, Simone Baird, Catherine Bromley, Norman Chalmers, Miles Fielder, Doug Johnstone, David Keenan, Dawn Kofie, Kenny Mathieson, Mark Robertson.
C
record reviews MUSIG Singles Round-Up
Queen Adrena is (cast your minds back now) actually two folks from that god awful mess from the early 90$ Daisy Chainsaw. The only problem is that their debut single ’I Adore You’ (Blanco Y Negro *tit) is Killing Joke fronted by Tori Amos. And strangely enough it’s gorgeous. Why can’t these people just be shite all the time, then at least you’d feel your short-sighted abuse all those years ago wasn't for nothing.
The Vugs however, are from a whole other planet. Monster Zero is an EP (No-Fl **~k**) of superlative, satanic analogue squelches and juddering breaks. Chuck in someone's obsession with trashy 60$ B-movies and you have a tasty sci-fi scrambled eggs sandwich you can actually dance to. Mail to the_vugs@hotmail.com for more info.
Richard Grey continues the 'dancing' theme with his Young Baby EP (Subliminal *****) which, while distinctly down to earth in comparison to The Vugs, provides the impetus for the most ham-footed of Ali shuffles. His four minimal filter/funky house tracks are beauty and simplicity itself.
Jamelia teams up with Beenie Man for a classy slice of Regency- influenced Brit R&B entitled ’Money' (Parlophone tit) which is, in stark contrast to hip hop punk funk kids Brassy, led by the wonderfully m'onikered Muffin Spencer (for she is Jon's ickle sis). ‘Work It Out’ (Wiiija *ti‘k) is spunkier than anything by Luscious Jackson with more attitude than anything by Janet Jackson. Rockin'.
In the continuing battle for solo Spice supremacy, Geri wins round 2,218 with ’Bag It Up' (EMI *t) over the scouse nouse Mel C's ’Never Be The Same Again’ (Virgin *) only for having a sense of humour — not a good tune though you understand. Unlike the Chemical Brothers, Soulwax and Sneakster (Virgin *tt, PlAS ****, Bella Union *tt) whose 'Music: Response’, ’Conversation lntercom’ and ’Fifty- fifty’, all get a handle on a catchy tune and wring a different idea from it, be it electro pop, electro rock or electro ambient.
Glad we got that out of the way. In an attempt to sneak past the one hit wonder police, ATB have adapted Seal's 'Killer’ (Sound Of Ministry *) as a trancepop anthem. This, along with Taysha's contemptible electrofied version of ’These Boots Were Made For Walkin' (Square Biz t), should be consigned to the fiery pits of hell where they rightfully belong.
We close reminding ourselves that if we’re ever on the look out for songs about Japanese computer games then we needn't look too far. ‘Tamogotchi’ by The Gents is a home-grown taste sensation (Lithium think). They might not be in control of all their faculties but they know a good tune or two. (Mark Robertson)
STAR RATINGS bu * 1k Unmissable Mu * Very ood * *'* Wort a shot it i Below average * You've been warned
2—16 Mar 2000 THE U8T45