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While many underground hip hop heads find themselves content with backpacks stuffed with demos of verbose MCs over abstract beats and the latest Def Jux and Rawkus releases, some of the best underground rappers are overlooked for taking their cues from the grimy tales of street hustling and the kings of contemporary radio. Cormega probably couldn't care less what some white kid in an El-P visor thinks of him, because he's been through more bullshit that any of those backpackers can imagine.Legal Hustle
Raised in and educated by the infamous Queensbridge projects, Cormega was on the knife's edge of popularity with a contract on Def Jam, a seemingly tight bond with Nas and inclusion in the potential rap supergroup, but ultimately a commercial failure, The Firm. Depending on who you talk to, the story changes, but either way thanks to shady major label bullshit and betrayal from his former allies Cormega fell from grace. The streets, however, still embrace the talented MC, and his latest gem 'The True Meaning' is no exception to their love. With solid production from the likes of Hi-Tek and Alchemist supporting his high-caliber rhymes, the formerly incarcerated rapper (almost a redundancy these days) embodies the hardened ghetto child trying to make sense of it all while trying to keep his own head above water. The most apparent single on here has to be "Live Ya Life" with a soulful female vocal hook compatible with those on Ja Rule's latest radio anthems. Tracks like "Take These Jewels" and "A Thin Line" highlight the value of honor among thieves and emphasizes the universal disgust for snitches. Called out publicly on Nas' 'Stillmatic' banger "Destroy And Rebuild," Cormega avoids the diss track response route (which is surprising considering the multitude of insults slung on his debut 'The Realness') with the honest "Love In Love Out." Easily one of the best rap albums of 2002, 'The True Meaning' is definitely the best indie label rap release of the year. Show love.
 
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Ms John Soda is the duo of Stefanie Böhm (Couch) and Micha Acher (The Notwist, Tied + Tickled Trio) in a most agreeable and expansive pop environment. The diversity of the four songs on this EP (featuring Böhm's vocals on three of them) makes for an interesting yet all too brief listen, especially when there's a full length release just around the corner.
The rhythmically-solid "Go Check" is a pop song of distorted congas, fuzzy quasi-surf guitar lines and droning keyboards under Böhm's melodic vocals. The warm sounding "Done Twice" floats along as a multi-layered keyboard based tune with breathy vocals that overall makes for a nice lullaby. The tranquil "Solid Ground (Piano Version)" is, as the title suggests, a solo piano version of "Solid Ground" on the forthcoming album, which moves gracefully throughout the composition. The eight-minute plus "Elusive (Remix)" is a remix of the album track by the duo Jersey. Here, it's vocally, a gloomy retrospect that builds from a percolating keyboard, layered with bass and Rhodes, with a nice break that introduces the acoustic guitar and laid back drums. The song makes for that great, repetitive, pop-ish closer. Now I'm interested to hear the original version having heard the remix first.
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This debut full-length from Rob Tubb, who must surely be Chichester's premier retro-electro crooner, follows his recent "Remote Control" single, also on Lo Recordings. While the electroclash cultural blip has made me wary of contemporary musicians who pay overt homage to the 1980s, I've plenty of time for those working in a more underground, principled, fashion (for example Gerhard Potuznik). Cursor Miner is definitely to be counted amongst the most interesting of such musicians, fabricating something original and fun from the lighter side of 1980s English synth-pop and the geeky, meticulous side of modern electronica.Instead of just dropping a ponderous vocal on to a club-friendly beat, he deftly merges the electro-pop basics of warm, resonant keyboard riffs and fey vocals with up-to-the-minute production work that's manic and crisp. The package is completed by a nice line in retro-futuristic lyrics, most notably on the single "Remote Control" itself, which ironically feigns both wonder at, and fear of, modern technology.
Cursor Miner's music is a forward-looking form of nostalgia. The fact that he doesn't take the easy route of pure 1980s revivalism means probably won't get the following it deserves, but on the other hand, he won't end up eviscerated and embarrassed on the altar of mass whim like, say, Fischerspooner. Quite simply, this is an excellent album for fans of interesting electro-pop and one which brings something new to the game.
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Yes, Virginia, there is a place for pedestrian electronica, but no one likes to listen to that much. Repetitive beats, the same thumping bass, the cheesiest of house girl singers - the time for the unoriginal concepts of third generation beat stylers isn't gone, it just never was. The best electronic music mixes recorded instruments in, improving on the concepts and hopes of both genres. Originality is improved, the sound is fuller and more genuine, and you can still dance to it. Plusses abound. "Melody For Sleep" is the first full-length Phobos 3 recording, a group that was created out of the consequences of theft. Steve Jones and Richard Pushong had all of their equipment stolen, but still had a strong desire to make new music, so they went back to basics on bass and guitar. Then they brought in beatman Martin Stovey to add some hip hop magic. The results are part My Bloody Valentine, part dance party. Everything takes on an ominous tone due to the low bass and squelched guitar, and there are creepy manipulated vocal tracks present in areas to raise the fear factor. Strangely, though, there's also a great deal of hope present, even in the ramblings of 'Crazy Reenie'. Phobos 3 aren't trying to change the face of music or anything. They just want to make music that leaves a good taste in your mouth after you've brushed your teeth, and that isn't too hard to swallow. They accomplish this for the most part, even though some of the basslines sound reminiscent of Fun Loving Criminals or Talking Heads, and the beats sometimes sound like Happy Mondays. But the instrumentation and arrangements aren't too heady, and the melodies are actually quite lovely in places. Worth sampling, for sure.
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The poppy first single from this album "Know My Name" (reviewed in Brain Volume 5, Issue 29) served as fair warning to Nightmares On Wax fans about the direction that George Evelyn was taking his long-running project. Although 'Mind Elevation' serves up a good deal of dubby smoker's delights, it appears N.O.W. has moved into the arena currently occupied by Moby and his big fat vegan ego. Fortunately, this soulful album is far stronger than Baldy's multi-platinum samplefest. While some extreme N.O.W. purists might cringe over their glass-blown pipes at some of the more vocal radio-ready cuts, most of their old fans and music lovers everywhere can appreciate this more accessible sound mixed in with the instrumental groove-ology. Motorola, Volkswagen and other "hip, young-minded" companies are probably eager (checkbooks firmly in hand) to license such tracks as the lush, summery "Date With Destiny" and the aforementioned "Know My Name". True to form, "Environment" wastes little time praising the ganja with blunt (no pun intended) lyrics like "I don't know if I can carry on / Without my roots and bong," so even those bitching about all those damned divas can have a good chortle while skinning up over the latest issue of High Times. N.O.W. have always been one of Warp's finest gems, as well as one of their most reliable staples, and 'Mind Elevation' may very well be the best album released on the label so far this year (Yes, I have heard 'Geogaddi' and no, I did not find it "hauntingly evocative" so shut your trap). Trip hop may be long dead, and "chillout" compilations may fill the Virgin MegaSuperChain cutout bins and Wal-Mart Superstores, but Nightmares On Wax has successfully managed to dodge these tricky genre bullets.
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Noisy, loud, and sprawling guitar rock is really reaching its apex these days with some accomplished bands putting out fantastic records. Add another possibility to the pile, but closer to the top, please. Stella Luna's first release, "Stargazer" is a four song EP meant as a teaser for their full-length due later this year. Their sound is primarily space rock, with breathy male and female vocals teasing each other over the distortion-drenched guitars, meaty bass, extraterrestrial synths and echoed eerie drumming. This music is horribly affecting, stirring, and compelling. I once read an article that postulated on the idea that the goal of movie trailers was actually to make you not want to see the film in question. Therefore, if a trailer succeeds, you should want to stay away at all costs. If that's the goal of an EP like this one - to make me want to avoid the full-length - it fails miserably. If you resist, Stella Luna attacks you at your brain stem, attaching and living there for a time until you relent. 'Change' opens the EP quietly, building noise until the wall of sound floods the speakers, then haunts with the repeating chorus ("Funny how some things never change/chaaaange/chaaaange"). The melody then feeds right into the EP's title track, featuring swirls and wooshes of sound with Susan Hanson's faded vocals. On 'Antares', the synths are more prevalent, at least until the chorus, with a chiming guitar line that just kills. 'A Bridge to Nowhere', the EP's closer, is not as strong a song, as it strikes with its pure noise, but it adds some diversity to the overall composition. A fine debut from a promising band to expect greater things from.
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Oren Ambarchi is one of the busiest new composers around. Sadly, his work on this 7" does not stand up to his reputation. Compared to a number of his more theoretical releases, the songs here sound somewhat shallow and unimpressive. Produced with analog equipment (or trying to mimic such gear) "Der kleine König" consists mainly of a slightly distorted naive melody line. On "Links!," he pushes the frequency range into more uncomfortable regions at first, but lets it fade away in a repetitious wave which ends abruptly in some pitch bending. Both of these tracks could easily be excerpts of a recording session from years ago that just marginally escaped the eraser button. Experimental electronic recordings like this are both average and overdone these days.
samples:
- Oren Ambarchi - Der Kleine Koenig
- Oren Ambarchi - Links
The simultaneously-released Keith Fullerton Whitman 7" features two edited parts of a concert from March, 2001. "Part One" sounds surprisingly reminiscent of a soundtrack (like the Sonic Youth score to 'Made In USA'). Guitar and loads of processing provide a moody setting which, to me, could go on much longer without ever getting boring. "Part Two" takes off with electronically-altered layers of sound until the guitar resurfaces in the middle part, only to be buried again in an effects-assault conclusion. This one's indeed a pleasure to listen to. Whitman shows a clear concept in composition which puts this release up with the best that 2002 has had to offer yet. Get it while you can.
Both singles are (as all Tonschacht releases) limited to about 500 copies and come with an info sheet.
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Drekka has been releasing music since 1995, though not in the traditional fashion, it seems. Songs were released on cassettes, CD-Rs, or the odd 7", and in such limited numbers of copies that it must have been nearly impossible to hear any of them. So now BlueSanct releases Drekka's debut full-length, which contains some new tracks as well as some previously released in limited engagements. Michael Anderson, for all intents and purposes, is Drekka, with occasional guests. Anderson creates "home-fi" music: atmospheric music on four-track recorder with very little substance and yet a lot of weight. Songs are very minimalist, with just a simple guitar or vocal. Sometimes there are no instruments at all, just low voices or clicks. Anderson seems to be possessed by the demons of low quality production for a reason, though: these songs are much more successful because of the limitations of the recording. Every song has its own precious idiosyncrasies, from the movie playing the background of 'An End of Silence (Night Dancing)' to the misplayed guitar part on 'Untitled Filmshoot'. Fourteen tracks in forty-seven minutes makes it a quick listen to, with real disparity in the track lengths (a four second thirteenth track leads into the eight-and-a-half minute album closer). Spooky music to be sure, with strange sounds to raise the hairs on your neck. Will it stand the test of time, though?
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And the winner of the Worst Warp Album Ever prize? Why Vincent Gallo's 'Recordings of Music for Film' of course! Beating out the former champion (Gallo's previous Warp release 'When'), this entirely unnecessary release compiles material that recorded since the late 1970s all the way through the late 1990s for various film projects, including his classic film Buffalo '66. Please don't misunderstand me. I enjoy Vincent Gallo somwhat as an actor, and his role in the sex meets cannibalism indie "Trouble Every Day" will probably stand out in my mind as his finest hour, but musically he's the pits. It troubles me that a label with such a strong history as Warp would even bother to put this album out on the market, as it is comprised of 29 tracks of pointless atmospheric noodling and forgettable vocal takes. "Lonely Boy" is a great example of this, with tonedeaf singing over minimal instrumentation. Nothing stands out here. Nothing moves me. Is this supposed to be artistic? Am I missing something? It can't just be me. Some people may think that I've just been hard on Warp lately, but that's because I know they can do better than this garbage (as their recent singles from Sote and S omething J/DJ Maximus have proven). They cannot rely on the famous names in their roster like Aphex Twin and Squarepusher to redeem them forever. It's time to break ground again, and Vincent Gallo is not going to be that innovator—not by a longshot.
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Oren Ambarchi is one of the busiest new composers around. Sadly, his work on this 7" does not stand up to his reputation. Compared to a number of his more theoretical releases, the songs here sound somewhat shallow and unimpressive. Produced with analog equipment (or trying to mimic such gear) "Der kleine König" consists mainly of a slightly distorted naive melody line. On "Links!," he pushes the frequency range into more uncomfortable regions at first, but lets it fade away in a repetitious wave which ends abruptly in some pitch bending. Both of these tracks could easily be excerpts of a recording session from years ago that just marginally escaped the eraser button. Experimental electronic recordings like this are both average and overdone these days.
samples:
- Oren Ambarchi - Der Kleine Koenig
- Oren Ambarchi - Links
The simultaneously-released Keith Fullerton Whitman 7" features two edited parts of a concert from March, 2001. "Part One" sounds surprisingly reminiscent of a soundtrack (like the Sonic Youth score to 'Made In USA'). Guitar and loads of processing provide a moody setting which, to me, could go on much longer without ever getting boring. "Part Two" takes off with electronically-altered layers of sound until the guitar resurfaces in the middle part, only to be buried again in an effects-assault conclusion. This one's indeed a pleasure to listen to. Whitman shows a clear concept in composition which puts this release up with the best that 2002 has had to offer yet. Get it while you can.
Both singles are (as all Tonschacht releases) limited to about 500 copies and come with an info sheet.
samples:
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It's only natural that a gallery filled with the visual art of David Tibet and Steven Stapleton be filled with their audio art as well. This limited edition (1000) set served as the soundtrack for their April 8 - May 4, 2002 exhibition at London's Horse Hospital gallery. Initially it was only available there and through Durtro's online store but it has since filtered down to the usual outlets (though the price point of roughly $45 will undoubtedly dissuade casual fans).
The packaging is a four panel fold-up with dark, white crested ocean waves on the outside and illegible chalk on blackboard writings inside. A six panel insert hides the discs and a Tibet painting underneath. Keeping in mind the background intent of this music helps to appreciate it, but of the two, Current 93 is the most rewarding for attentive listening. Here c93 includes past collaborators Joolie Wood and Maja Elliot as well as Julia Kent of Antony and the Johnsons. Between a spoken "alpha" and "omega", Tibet lays the foundation with a short ebb and flow loop of (presumably harmonium) drone while the three women crest his wave with piano and strings. Despite its nearly 41 minutes, it remains hypnotically tranquil and enthralling. Nurse With Wound, here just Stapleton and Colin Potter (as on the recent 'The Man With the Woman Face'), craft a longer but more minimal piece. It takes several minutes for their dulled roar to fully surface and massage like c93's piece. Change is perceptible - a slowing down, a temporal lengthening of the waves - but it's so gradual and so minute, it might go undetected while perusing the paintings (or anything else).
 
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- Current 93 - Archealephtelos
- Nurse with Wound - SALT
 
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