WRUV Reviews

Debut album of The Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger, duo consisting of Sean Lennon and Charlotte Kemp Muhl. Acoustic Sessions is a nice collection of songs featuring a sound that resembles whimsical psychedelia. Lennon’s voice hits moments reminiscent of his father’s and at times the sound is close to his father’s Beatles. What stands out is the collection of instruments that are used and the wordplay used. Lyrically this album is very complex which at times hinders the listener more than anything. Some of the concepts sung about are a little to ridiculous to take serious.

Check: 3,4,5

RIYL: Circulatory System, Andrew Bird, Sunshine Fix

3/5

The second album from J+J+J is High Voltage Feast Is Almost Here.  The album is high energy Electro-Dance madness.  It’s like the B-52’s were turned into robots or maybe something from Yo Gabba Gabba.  Heavy synths with goofy effects dominate this album.  It’s like a couple of 8 year-olds snuck into the recording studio and this is the result.  The music is a little too frenetic, too much going on in each track and a little bit cutsie as well.  If you need a soundtrack to go with the three Red Bulls and the giant cinnamon bun you just ate, here it is.

Tracks:1,5,6

Debut album from Filmi is Xenith Anon.  The album is a mix of New Wave Electro Synth-Pop with an Indian flair threaded through the tracks.  In theory this could be a good combo, but here it feels forced and trite.  The lyrics are cheesy when they’re supposed to be rough neck and edgy.  There are some hints of a decent sound here like on the track “Sonny Gun” but again, lame lyrics and fake bravado ruins the vibe.  The potential is here, but it has too much of an amateurish sound.  Skip it.

Tracks: 4

Chico Mann’s latest work is Analog Drift.  Mann does an excellent job mixing an Afro-beat/Afro-Cuban sound with a synth heavy dance beat.  The result does feel like an “analog drift”.  The music has an older feel to it, like it should be heard on a record instead of the modern technologies of today.  He covers Talking Heads “Once In A Lifetime” with his Afro-Dance style giving it a new twist that doesn’t feel forced or recycled.  The album is definitely upbeat but it has a certain casualness to it and is something you could either chill out to or have on during a dinner party.  At the same time, the tracks could also fill the dance floor with it’s perfect Afro-Dance fusion.

Tracks: 1,3,6,9,10

Gilles Peterson:Worldwide is a collection of tracks celebrating a visionary radio show and personality.  Peterson, a DJ, has been very influential in the club world and these are a selection of tracks that are both his favorites and ones that have been debuted on his worldwide show.  The first disc of this two disc set contains mostly Jazz and Hip Hop tracks.  Some artists featured are Roots Manuva, Q-Tip, Erykah Badu, and Amy Winehouse.  Towards the end of the disc it seems to shift a bit to a more Lounge/Dance sound but still containing a Hip Hop vibe.  Disc two continues with Sa-Ra and Steve Spacek and the Hip Hop vibe continues but with more of a R&B feel.  Towards the middle of the disc, things get more funky and there’s more of an international feel going on with artists Seun Kuti, Fela’s Egypt 80 and RSL.  The disc wraps up with some Electronica from Theo Parrish, Benga, and Darkstar.  Overall, this two disc set represents a wide range of music spanning several genres.  The album as a whole has been well built with the tracks moving from genre to genre seamlessly, creating a high caliber “mix tape” from a high caliber DJ.  Excellent for parties.

Tracks: Disc 1: 2,5,7,14/Disc 2: 5,12,13

Apparat’s latest venture in the world of Electronica is a dj mix titled DJ-Kicks.  Joking that his selections reflects his style to “not really have a style” is true for this album.  With 24 tracks totaling over an hour of music, there is quite a span of artists on display.  Telephon Tel Aviv, Martyn, Thom Yorke as well as Apparat’s own tracks appear.  There is also the fabled track “Moth” by Burial and Four Tet.  The music itself is a mix of Dance, Minimal Techno, House and some Ambient House.  The album has a good flow to it and keeps you moving from start to finish.  An excellent dj mix from an excellent dj.

Tracks: All Tracks Good.

Newest album from one of the creators of dub music. Live instruments were recorded in the studio to give this release a different feel than past works. Even though Perry remains unpredictable his songs still range from silly (Freaky Michael) and playful (Used to Drive A Tractor in Negrille, Fire Power), to serious (album opener/title cut) with everything in between.

Noteworthy guests are George Clinton, who reworked the track “Psalm” into the spooky space funk that is “Scary Politician” and Keith Richards put his touch on “Book of Moses” (find the original “Moses Moses” on I-Tunes). With less dub and more experimenting going on this reviewer has no complaints. Overall a different album from The Upsetter that still brings the reggae but also has guitar taking more of a central role to the music all with the aforementioned “live” sound. Good stuff, to think if coming to the Burlington Reggae Fest 2010 wasn’t enough now he drops this great album. We should be so lucky.

Highlights: *4,*12,*13, 5, 10, 3, 7    released 8/10/10    FCC clean

Toubab Krewe is well schooled in West African music (band members studied in Guinea, Ivory Coast, & Mali), and is known for being a great jam band that features African instruments and a strong West African influence. Here the band continues in this direction, but draws more modestly from African traditions while the band’s North Carolina southern rock sound shines through more brightly than in the past. The result is a creative and energetic fusion that should appeal to fans of both genres.

Unlisted bonus track #11 is a jam called “Verrassing”.

This Cuban legend called by some “the Frank Sinatra of salsa” resurrects & reinterprets the lesser-known Spanish language Latin music of Nat King Cole, originally released by Cole on three albums recorded in Cuba, Brazil, and Mexico between 1958-1962.  Four of Cole’s North American standards are given new Latin interpretations as well. Tracks vary from sounding old-school to really fresh & lively.

LOCAL:  Emily Lanxner (aka: Camomilla) is a long time steel drum player out of Central Vermont in a mix of original compositions & covers of pop hits.