Los de Abajo - Cybertropic Chilango Power - Luaka Bop 72438-11135-2-3

Enough of the wistful, the woebegone, and the electro-noodlers. Thought we should have something from someone angry. Los de Abajo are a Mexican group and their name translates as “Those from Below” which is the title of a classic of that country’s revolutionary literature. The group support the Zapatista movement which fights for equality and legal rights for the Mexico’s indigenous people.

That’s the politics. The music is based on Mexican folk rhythms blended with just about every modern style of music you care to mention, with the rap-like lyrics rasped out with an energy and sincerity you don’t often find in that genre. I don’t usually like these concoctions of world and other styles because they sound strained and self-serving but this really works for me. The tracks are interspersed with wild-track recorded on the streets of Mexico City, the sounds of street vendors, traffic, and circus performers, all of which adds up to a lively, atmospheric and heart-felt album.

Rufus Wainwright - Poses - Dreamworks 4502372

I found Rufus via his Bizet Pearl Fishers duet with David Byrne on D.B.'s Grown Backwards CD. Was Rufus, son of Loudon Wainwright III and Kate
McGarrigle, struggling a bit with the French? I thought so, and liked him for that. Also his voice seems to have three timbres going at once, which means you can effectively accompany him, whether you're feeling Lee Marvin, Leo Sayer or Kathleen Ferrier.

On Poses he appears to squander his rich,heartbreaking voice on his poppy songs, enunciating lazily enough to have your mother tutting. But the tunes and elegant lyrical drawling will get you in the end- I hope you too may soon be caught trilling "Don't sew beelines to anybody's hide - save your poison for a lover who is on your side" as your lift doors open.

Poses is my dirty secret for vacuuming, knitting socks and bathing. Still recommended if you do none of these - AC

YMO - High-tech/no crime - Internal Records - TRULP1 (TRUCD1)

This is potentially at somewhat of a tangent to the intentions here, but... Some time last week a participant on the Severed Heads mail-list (Severed Heads? Pioneering Australian avant-garde/electronic band. I shall rave about them at another juncture) alleged that the Yellow Magic Orchestra were the true innovators and Kraftwerk merely a 'joke that got out of hand'. This was a, um, remarkable position, and since I vaguely recalled buying a YMO record in 1992, I thought I'd dig it out and have a listen.

Given that it's a collection of remixes (808 State, Altern-8 and the Shamen date it completely, I fear) I'm not sure how much of the original flavour makes its way through the murk of four-on-the-floor - or cartoon breakbeats in the case of Altern-8, but there's interesting stuff there that I intend to follow up. I firmly dispute blokey's claim in re. Kraftwerk, though. The stand-out track has to be the Orbital remix of Behind the mask. Now, you can cheerfully call me a clueless neophyte, but I had no idea the Clapton item was a cover. This version jumps on his like a happy smiley clockwork robot that just happens to be the size of a medium-large dole office. It also seems to have no concept of 'too loud', which through the strange and splendid mechanisms of righteous techno, is also true of Orbital's storming remix of Kinetic found on the CND-sponsored (sponsoring?) 'Give peace a dance III' compilation. The original is good (to be found on Fluxtrax 02), but Orbital give it something extra which still makes me grin like an idiot thirteen years after first hearing it.

Rambling as I am about remixes, I feel I should also mention the 'Overclocked remix' website - dedicated to reworking the in-game music from old hardware. As a for-instance, the remix of Fear factory from Donkey Kong Country on the SNES (Yes, I am fully aware that this sounds utterly ludicrous) is a cracking wedge of anthemic euro-trance. Not usually the sort of thing I care for, but it's done remarkably well.


Various - Give peace a dance vol 3, psychotic reactions - CND Communications - DISARM 5LP
Various - Fluxtrax 02 - EXP - EXPCD003
Overclocked remix

David Byrne - Grown Backwards - Nonesuch 7559-79826-2

This album has the same light, lilting feel of Look Into The Eyeball but he's developed the sound with string arrangements. In other hands, these might have slowed the songs down and made them seem ponderous but he's wisely limited the number of instruments and the sound is fresh and jaunty and sits well with his voice. However, the inclusion of two arias, one with Rufus Wainwright, was a big mistake. Presumably he was led into it by having a few classical musicians knocking around after they finished recording the other songs, but neither he nor Rufus have got the voice for opera. I'm afraid I skip those two tracks. Also on this album is a remix - with strings, of course - of his dance track Lazy, issued a while ago with X-press2/Muzikium. He gets away with that.

Review websites

After a cracking start we seem to have hit the wall rather early (anyone would think we had lives to lead). So here are some sites where you might find inspiration.

www.jazzreview.com
Does what it says on the tin

www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews
I can exclusively reveal that the BBC is setting out to make Music one of the things it is most renowned for ....

http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/
Focused on new music...

www.spiderbytes.com/ambientrance
For ambient, electronic and experimental...
(Tho it seems to stop a year ago)

And of course...
www.rollingstone.com
Great archive and search....

The Mountain Goats - We Shall All Be Healed - CAD 2401

John Darnielle is The Mountain Goats and he reminds me of post-protest Bob Dylan. His songs are mostly acoustic, more rock than folk, and his lyrics are almost as opaque, though you always feel you can grasp just enough of what is going on and then fall back on his sense of poetry and enjoy the imagery. Some of the songs on this album are straight forward and affecting. Your Belgian Things is about the possessions of a former lover being removed from his flat (I think) and is beautifully observed. He does inhabit some grim territory - like an intensive care ward on Mole - but you sense that the album title isn’t ironic and he may even mean it. For Darnielle at his most visceral, try No Children on his previous album, Tallahassee, also recommended.

More Websites

CD Baby A record retailer based in Seattle. The firm specialises in two things: records made on their own labels by bands/musicians, so they have stuff you literally can't get anywhere else; and the most over-the-top and amusing line in acknowledgements of orders and other business communications.

I've only dealt with them once, so far, and got an album called ESPM: The Reunion (ESPM being Earland,Sparks, Person and Muhammad). I'm saving up an order for the Christmas album made by the fabulous Plas Johnson, the most widely heard jazz musician of all time -AM


KCRW This is a radio station run out of Santa Monica College, California, which broadcasts music and news. You'll find both a simulcast and a music stream on the site. The music stream re-runs all their music programmes and they're varied and informed, covering everything except classical. I think the best programme is Morning Becomes Eclectic which has stunning range of new music and a succession of guests that any UK station would give its back teeth for. If you're in the UK, you can listen to it live at supper-time -RL

There Will be a Light - Ben Harper and the Blind Boys of Alabama - Virgin 893309

"When The Blind Boys of Alabama open their mouths to sing, what comes out is older than salvation, older than redemption. It is the sound of oppression and struggle. It is the sound of revelation and liberation. It is a sound as old as time. The Blind Boys of Alabama are the pyramids of gospel music; the birthplace of sacred soul. " So says Ben Harper, blues-soul singer and guitarist who recorded this album with them in eight days. The "boys" - all in their late seventies and all blind - sing harmony to die for. (In fact, they know they may. In an earlier recording of The Last Time, they add "This may be the last time - we ever sing together...") Ben spices them up with electric guitar and perfectly balanced production. I prefer them raw, but any album of theirs is worth a listen - while you can.

Various - Rephlexions. An album of braindance - Rephlex CAT1000CD

This is, oddly enough, a compilation of odd electronic music from the Rephlex label. Some of it falls squarely into the camp of interesting but unproductive laptop-powered noodle, other bits are sort of Trip-down-the-stairs-and-Hop-about-swearing, and still other parts could be the soundtrack of an award-winning animation from Czechoslovakia. However, I am warming a great deal to the works of Cylob, since he seems to be able to take a pile of noise and throw away all the bits that are a bit too obviously music, which leaves a tottering stack of unidentifiable brass components that collapse in on themselves and emit pleasing 'grark' noises. DMX Krew meanwhile, are Electro-funk time travellers from a slightly cleaner 80s. Utterly splendid and not even slightly out of place on the more synthpoppy/EBM dancefloor. 'Flex' by JP Buckle just blats along for two-and-a-bit-minutes of rocking drum loop and earthmoving bass that reminds me worryingly of Ted Chippington. It's just a damn fine thing and I can't stop listening to it. I'd recommend buying this CD on the strength of that track alone.

Ray Charles - Genius Loves Company - Concord - CCD 22482

I bought this in New York in a moment of weakness after hearing his version of "Fever" sung with Nathalie Cole. It's a posthumous release and one of those albums where there are guest artists on every track. I was first aware of the "guest artist" phenomenon with John Lee Hooker's The Healer - still a fantastic album not least for Carlos Santana's contribution. But since then everyone - and especially Jools Holland -- is at it. The nadir for me was Tom Jones and Cerys from Catalonia murdering "Baby It's Cold Outside". However, I digress. Ray's voice is clearly past its best but the man had soul until the very end which is what saves this album. Duets with Norah Jones, Bonnie Raitt, Van Morrison, Willie Nelson, BB King and more. One or two great performances (Fever, Crazy Love) make the rest forgiveable. If anyone wants to be picky and download track by track (from a legal source like iTunes, obviously) I'll tell you what to go for and which ones to avoid....

Natalie Merchant - Tigerlily - Elektra 7559-61745-2

Natalie Merchant was, of course, the very distinctive vocalist with 10,000 Maniacs and this is what I thought was her latest solo album. However it turns out it was recorded in 1995 and only released in 2002....Regardless of such anomalies it's a beguiling, beautifully produced acoustic album. She sings of all the usual stuff (love, loss, bereavement, fame, jealousy, earthquakes - you know, your life and mine) but her voice is unique and wonderful. I bought this on impulse in my local CD store in Cobham Surrey (Threshold Records, established by a Moody Blue) which has a really eclectic selection coupled with a very expensive sound system. SO I nearly always buy whatever they happen to be playing as it sounds so great. This one, unlike many others, also sounds great at home. Favourite track - "Where I go" with the refrain "Well I will go to the River from time to time, wander over these crazy days in my mind, watch the river flow". And after the year I've had, I know what she means.
Richard L, my critical faculties will improve with practise - but I'm not sure my eyesight will always be able to pick out the disc number on the spine. I hope you will forgive me.

Cowboy Junkies - One Soul Now - COOKCD296

Far less soporific than previous offerings, with nice driving bass lines and percussion, and some rocky guitar work and choruses. I'm glad to say they retain that dream-like quality on many of the songs and Stars of Our Stars and No Long Journey Home could even make radio singles.

One review I read complained that although they'd clearly developed their sound, they still sounded like the Cowboy Junkies. I rather thought that was the point of every band, to sound like themselves, rather than someone else?

One warning: When Margo Timmins sings "irony, oh, irony" on Simon Keeper, I'm convinced she's saying "Arnie, oh, Arnie" which has rather spoilt it for me. But mustn't carp. Mine came with a free EP of covers of songs by Neil Young, Springsteen, The Cure et al. That's good too - RL

Useful Websites

I've either sent these to, or been sent these, by other members and they're all worth a dabble:

Alien8 Recordings Want to know what God Speed You Black Emperor do in their spare time? You'll find out here and there's a lot more weird and wonderful stuff besides.

Epitonic Good biogs and free, legal downloads of a whole range of music, all usefully cross-referenced.

Hydrogendukebox This is where to go for your House, Downtempo, Garage and Drum n Bass.

A Largehearted Boy, A Girl and His Radio A staggeringly comprehensive music blog with links to downloads, reviews, interviews. Mentions books as well. Must be a full-time job.

Last Plane to Jakarta The site of John Darnielle aka The Mountain Goats. Makes about as much sense as his song titles. Particularly liked his list of things you could compare Interpol to, apart from Joy Division, which I took to be his adverse reaction to the state of music criticism.

Luaka Bop David Byrne's eclectic record label. Lots of streamed music, mostly modern World.

Calabash Music Strictly World music, both traditional and fusion. Loads of paid-for downloads of both individual tracks and albums. One free download a day -RL

Houston Person - To Etta With Love - Highnote 7127

Etta Jones was one of the greatest Soul Jazz singers.
Houston Person is one of the greatest Soul Jazz tenor
players. They worked together for over thirty years,
until she died in 2001.

That's a lot of history. After a gig, you knew you'd
been sung to; played for; smiled at. That's how this
album feels. It's not sad; it's a celebration of the
good times Houston and Etta shared on the bandstand.
Printing the songs' words on the sleeve underlines
their importance; in this case doubly so, because of
the songs' association with Etta. This is a very good
album, almost one of Houston's best half-dozen.

I'm pleased to say that the idea of printing the
words, which Houston has adopted on the last two of
his albums in which he played mainly songs, came from
a letter I wrote to him, pointing out that most people
don't know the words, because the songs aren't on the
radio much any more - AM