April 23, 2002
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The Best Bootlegs in the World Ever...
CD / various / No Label
The Best bootleg in the World.... An idea that's been floating around at least since the Evolution Control Committee's breakthrough single. I still think this kind of thing is the wave of the future with its shades of the past. Simply put, it's the combination of two songs of different styles of music and meshing them into a new hybrid mix. Things like Destiny's Child combinging with Dead Kennedys.
---Patrick [read more] -
The Clientele
CD / Lost Weekend EP / Acuarela
I miss Galaxie 500. It's not because The Clientele sound like them, but sometimes their sound has that same dreamy feel. When I first heard them a few years ago, I had a similar reaction when I first listened to Galaxie 500. Can they sound that dreamy live? Luckily they do. Alistair's half whispered, half breathed vocals draw you in, especially when he adds his falsetto to their shimmering, impressionistic pop. 'Lost week-end' feels like a circular ep. The tracks seem to go through all four seasons, and that's a good thing.
---Tina Glyptis [read more] -
The Dictators
7inch / Avenue A b-w New York New York / Norton
Avenue A is a 10/10 song. I wish I had the lyrics to print, because they are THAT good. Avenue A is an anthem to the first street in NYC's Lower East Side Alphabet City. On the flip side is a live version of New York, New York., a song which first appeared on the 1990 '...And You?' CD by Manitoba's Wild Kingdom.
---Carl [read more] -
Ethiopiques Volume 9
CD / various / Buda Musique
One word could simply describe this disc: intense. This disc reminds me of what could happen if Tom Waits produced a soul artist from outer space. There's an otherworldly quality to the intenseness on these tracks: the piano, horn and rhythm riffs combine to propel each track exponentially. Add to this mix, the vocal acrobatics of Alèmayèhu Eshèté as he grunts and yowls like an alley cat trapped in the corner, and we're looking at some prime slabs of soul.
---Patrick [read more] -
Andrea Parker
12inch / Freaky Bitches b-w Bounce That Ass & Freaky Bitches (Hoe Get Down Low) / Touchin' Bass
This is the first release on Touchin' Bass, the new label owned and run by Andrea Parker. On this 12 she collaborated with two of the most well known Detroit Ghetto Tech artists, DJ Assault and DJ Godfather. I like this 12 a lot. Freaky Bitches sounds like The Normal's Warm Leatherette from the south side of Detroit. On Bounce That Ass Andrea Parker lights up the night. It has a very menacing sound that makes Miss Kittin sound like she is not trying hard enough, or Peaches like she's trying too hard.
---Carl [read more] -
The Parkinsons
CD / Fierce Panda
The Parkinsons have a somewhat unusual pedigree, despite their straightfoward rocking punk sound. Based in the UK, 3/4 of the band are Portuguese; their drummer is Scottish. The guitarist and bassist were both in the Tedio Boys, a great punk band with numerous late-'90s releases on Elevator Records (also home to Boston's Showcase Showdown).
---Peter [read more]