top 6 albums of the moment
Happy Thursday! I thought it was Friday, but I was wrong, dammit. A quick rundown of what I'm jammin on the one to. Some of this is new stuff and some of it's from last year.
1. Dr. Octagon "The Return of Dr. Octagon"—Classic underground hip-hop. The smart lyrics alone will keep this album as far from radio play or critical acclaim. How does Dr. O (formerly Kool Keith) make rapping about environmentalism cool? Nothing's impossible.
2. Juana Molina “Son”-- Everytime I put this album on, I smile. Soft vocals with some xylophones, strings, synth, and an adequate serving of harmonies. It's Argentinean folk: smooth, romantic, it's sweet summertime music. And I can't understand a goddamn word she's saying.
3. Finest Dearest "Pacemaker"—I saw this band based on a review I read on Art is the New Religion, and I was blown away. They have an electric cello! Self-described as "dark indie pop," which is a pretty accurate way to describe the combo of beautiful vocals, abstract lyrics and edgy guitars. So far, they only have an EP released, but it's worth getting.
4. Scissors for Lefty-- Cream of the crop indie rock. Sure there's a lot of good "indie rock" out there now, but it doesn't all sound exactly the same. These boys are from San Francisco, and they are blowing up. We saw them a while back at the Elbow Room and it was jampacked-crowded. The songs are rockin' and danceable at the same time. The singer uses a special mic for vocal effect about half the time, which seems like he's trying to hide something, but he's got the vocal range to back it up. It takes Mr. T sized balls to sing falsetto and pull it off.
5. Walter Meego-- I am soooooOOoooo addicted to these guys. Can't stop listening to "Through a Keyhole ." Can't stop, won't stop. Layered trippy sounds, funky beats, and oh yes....experimental. Is it dance music? Is it rock? Fuck if I know, but I am loving it.
6. Roisin Murphy "Ruby Blue"--This album mystifies me---sometimes rock, sometimes jazzy, sometimes funky. One minute is possessed, moody, and somewhat frantic. The next minute, you feel like you've tuned into a soothing adult contemporary R&B station. So much so that I was convinced the lead singer was a black woman in her 40s. Man, was I shocked to learn that Roisin is the Dublin-born former lead singer from Moloko (another great band!). Shirley Manson meets Busta Rhymes meets Brand New Heavies. Who does that!?!
Honarable Mention: Gnarls Barkley "St. Elsewhere"--yes, believe the hype. This album is crazy creative, energetic, orignal and will make the whitest white man feel like he's got some soul just for owning it. I would have included it in my top 5, but really, I've heard enough about it for months now, so I'm trying to preserve the last morsel of enjoyment before it joins the discarded pile of played out party hits like "Hey Ya" by Outkast. This one will keep the white teens in the suburbs dancin' come Labor Day.
1. Dr. Octagon "The Return of Dr. Octagon"—Classic underground hip-hop. The smart lyrics alone will keep this album as far from radio play or critical acclaim. How does Dr. O (formerly Kool Keith) make rapping about environmentalism cool? Nothing's impossible.
2. Juana Molina “Son”-- Everytime I put this album on, I smile. Soft vocals with some xylophones, strings, synth, and an adequate serving of harmonies. It's Argentinean folk: smooth, romantic, it's sweet summertime music. And I can't understand a goddamn word she's saying.
3. Finest Dearest "Pacemaker"—I saw this band based on a review I read on Art is the New Religion, and I was blown away. They have an electric cello! Self-described as "dark indie pop," which is a pretty accurate way to describe the combo of beautiful vocals, abstract lyrics and edgy guitars. So far, they only have an EP released, but it's worth getting.
4. Scissors for Lefty-- Cream of the crop indie rock. Sure there's a lot of good "indie rock" out there now, but it doesn't all sound exactly the same. These boys are from San Francisco, and they are blowing up. We saw them a while back at the Elbow Room and it was jampacked-crowded. The songs are rockin' and danceable at the same time. The singer uses a special mic for vocal effect about half the time, which seems like he's trying to hide something, but he's got the vocal range to back it up. It takes Mr. T sized balls to sing falsetto and pull it off.
5. Walter Meego-- I am soooooOOoooo addicted to these guys. Can't stop listening to "Through a Keyhole ." Can't stop, won't stop. Layered trippy sounds, funky beats, and oh yes....experimental. Is it dance music? Is it rock? Fuck if I know, but I am loving it.
6. Roisin Murphy "Ruby Blue"--This album mystifies me---sometimes rock, sometimes jazzy, sometimes funky. One minute is possessed, moody, and somewhat frantic. The next minute, you feel like you've tuned into a soothing adult contemporary R&B station. So much so that I was convinced the lead singer was a black woman in her 40s. Man, was I shocked to learn that Roisin is the Dublin-born former lead singer from Moloko (another great band!). Shirley Manson meets Busta Rhymes meets Brand New Heavies. Who does that!?!
Honarable Mention: Gnarls Barkley "St. Elsewhere"--yes, believe the hype. This album is crazy creative, energetic, orignal and will make the whitest white man feel like he's got some soul just for owning it. I would have included it in my top 5, but really, I've heard enough about it for months now, so I'm trying to preserve the last morsel of enjoyment before it joins the discarded pile of played out party hits like "Hey Ya" by Outkast. This one will keep the white teens in the suburbs dancin' come Labor Day.
posted by Freewendy @ 12:27 PM
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