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VARIOUS ARTISTS Dancehall Roots (Metro Doubles) Th e fi rst hit of the computer-driven era of dancehall was 1985’s “Under Me Sleng Teng” by Wayne Smith and produced by Prince (soon to be dubbed “King”) Jammy who was already respected. Th e digital revolution of the mid-’80s set the stage for ragga as we know it today. Th is excellent compilation pays homage to Jammy’s crew (including Bobby Digital and Steely & Clevie) and the slew of top DJs who made their names riding these tough digi-riddims. Before Jammy, Prince Jazzbo produced some early digi-riddims, but no one looked back after the “Sleng Teng” hit the fl oor. Jammy coaxed some of the big names of the roots days into the studio (such as Johnny Osbourne and Horace Andy), and he also shared some of the biggest DJs of the ‘80s, including Courtney Melody, Tenor Saw, Ninjaman with his unusual freestyle, Shabba Ranks in his early career and Nitty Gritty who was murdered in 1991. Damn, that Casio SK1 is funky! – S.C. JUKEBOXER In the Food Chain (Absolutely Kosher) Th e brainchild of Brooklynite Noah Wall, Jukeboxer creates sophisticated, multi-faceted indie pop for the discerning ear. In the Food Chain, their second album, is a meticulously-crafted extended work of sorts, moving through jaunty synth-pop with female vocals falling off a Magnetic Fields tree, electronically-manipulated “folksy” bits (helped out in part by Tower Recordings/ Wilco associate percussionist Tim Barnes) and melodic ambience that doesn’t sound too far from Th e Books or Four Tet minus the beats. Some tracks come across as casual sub-genre dabbling, but moments of brilliance are frequent. – D.S. JOSEPHINE FOS- TER & THE SUP- POSED All the Leaves Are Gone (Locust Music) Josephine Foster is a psych-folk singer from Chicago who fronts the duo Born Heller, Children’s Hour and this folk-rock-inclined trio Th e Supposed, featuring Brian Goodman on electric guitar and Rusty Peterson on drums. She used to study opera, and that might inform the range and vulnerable quality of her vocals – expressive and moving, somewhere between Sandy Denny and Patti Smith. Th e calmer, more collected parts recall Denny-era Fairport Convention, but they’re just as prone to erupt into controlled freak-outs marked by Goodman’s wild runaway-train fl ailing on his axe (almost sounding like an earthier Sonny Sharrock at times). Real nice. – D.S. PANDA BEAR Young Prayer (Paw Tracks) Th is solo album from Panda Bear of Brooklyn experimentalists Animal Collective is a meditation on the death of his father. All tracks are untitled, recalling the more serene and restrained aspects of acoustic Animal Collective heard on Campfi re Songs and Sung Tongs: fl ighty, almost operatic vocals and graceful Segovia-esque guitar tapestries (coupled with occasional piano and hand claps) add up to a lonesome, moving testament of loss. – D.S. TIM HECKER Mirages (Alien8) Th is is the fourth album by Montreal ambient sound sculptor Tim Hecker under his own name. Hecker’s touch at constructing textural expanses of granular noise with a salient melodic/tender streak is readily comparable to that of Fennesz, but Hecker might have the upper hand at delicately marrying the two (at least over an album-length canvas). Th is, like his previ- 32 IN/AUDIBLE fall 2004 ous releases on Alien8 and Mille Plateaux, is a seamless sequence, episodically weaving in and out of aggressive and majestic modes. Select tracks were manipulated from performances by Fly Pan Am, Christoph Migone and Oren Ambarchi. – D.S. THE FOREIGN EXCHANGE Connected (Barely Breaking Even) Th e Foreign Exchange is a long-distance hip-hop collaboration between Phonte of Durham’s Little Brother and Dutch producer Nicolay. Th ey made this album entirely by swapping fi les on the Internet, without having met in person. Nicolay’s beats are strong and well developed throughout, often edited from his own live playing; they’re infused with neo-R&B/ electronic soul that’s an interesting variation on, say, Ninth Wonder’s usual vintage soullooped beats. Many guest emcees appear, including Big Pooh of Little Brother. It’s certainly a worthy “coming out party” for onethird of Little Brother who hasn’t received as much individual attention as Ninth Wonder. – D.S. THE EX Turn (Touch and Go) Legendary Dutch anarcho-punk polymaths Th e Ex usher in their 25th year of activity with this double album of new material – their fi rst since the departure of long-time bass player Luc Ex and the arrival of classically-trained double bassist Roze Marie Heggen. Her arco lines slicing jaggedly through the tightly-wound guitar duels of Andy and Terrie Ex fondly recalls their albums with Tom Cora. Otherwise, this might be their most varied release in some time, inspired both by their obvious disaff ection for recent U.S. big-stick global politics and their lengthy tours throughout Africa over the past two years (“Getatchew” is dedicated to Ethiopian saxophonist Getatchew Mekurya and “Th eme from Konono” is a cover of a tune by Congolese brass band Konono.) Th e Ex still has much to teach us. – D.S.
L O C A L R E V I E W S Music inspired, created and produced by Chapel Hill, reviewed by music director David Strader. RAZZLE All Those Wasted (Y)ears (Pox World Empire) Local metaloid fourpiece Razzle may have broken up, but they’ve left a mighty testament of their power and facility on this, what is to be their only full-length. Featuring The Torch Marauder Dave Bjorkback on drums, Dave Cantwell (of Cantwell, Gomez and Jordan) on bass, Bob Wall (Hotel Motel, Spacelab) on guitar and Mike Robb (ex-Goatthrower) on another guitar, they’ve got nimble dual-guitar harmonies steeped in vintage Thin Lizzy and Iron Maiden, mammoth drumming and soaring falsetto vocals in spades, with just enough mathy stop-start dynamics to keep your ears on their toes, but never letting the structure impede the rock. NORTH ELEMENARY Lose Your Favorite Things (Sit-N-Spin) This is the second album from the local outfit fronted by ex-Comas drummer John Harrison, further honing their relaxed, cozy and slightly psychedelic pop into something more distinctly their own. Ranging from sparse piano-led brooders to more outward-looking big-hook guitar anthems (such as on the monstrous title track), this is an ideal soundtrack to lazy summer night porch-sitting. ERIE CHOIR Bad Tsars is a Drag EP (self-released) Erie Choir is Sorry About Dresden frontman Eric Roehrig’s side project and occasion for more introspective singer-songwriting than is usually allotted within SAD’s stricter rocking confines. It’s not “solo” proper, as he’s helped out by various friends, who help set out a variety of gentle and very pleasant arrangements (harpsichord, melodica, Fender Rhodes, maybe a hammer dulcimer?) to go along with Roehrig’s gripping tales. Hopefully this can act as a teaser for more Erie Choir to come. AUDUBON PARK* Crookshanks on the Island of Missed Diddles EP (self-released) Audubon Park harnesses the diverse talents of local regulars David Nahm (ex-V. Sirin), Robert Biggers (Cold Sides, The Nein, ex-White Octave), Finn Cohen (The Nein, ex-White Octave), Matt Kalb (Hotel Motel) and Ben Spiker, and channels them into some pretty irresistible old school slacker indie-rock. Loose and off-the-cuff – yet packed with complex instrumental shifts – it maintains a deceptive sophistication, perhaps best heard on the stand-out “Tree Full of Snakes.” They also run through a low-key, almost freeassociative sounding rendition of The Ghost of Rock’s “Old Haunts” which could hardly be more unlike the original. THE GHOST OF ROCK The Ghost of Rock (Demonbeach) High energy, beerflinging, Dead Boysstyle punk doesn’t come finer in these parts than The Ghost of Rock, which annexes half of Pipe – Ron Liberti and Clif Mann – with Jeff Clarke and Rock Forbes in tow to keep time and add muscle. This is their first full-length, reprising the tracks from their Sit-N-Spin 7” from two years ago and adding a clutch of new ones for a quick, red hot burst of punk rock with no frills and all the edges, no fewer than half of which could be considered “instant classics” in my estimation. COLD SIDES* Perpetual Hypeness Machine (FrequeNC) The debut release on new local label FrequeNC – run by DJ duo Mothersbrothers – is also the first foray onto the 12” EP format for everevolving quartet Cold Sides. The group’s final recordings with now-departed drummer Dave Cantwell, the A-side offers a snapshot of their limber, Can-informed rhythms heard in a more rock-like context, marked by frenzied declaimed vocals, manipulated guitar and ample effects. The B-side does away with the live drums, instead using drum machines on alternate versions of two tracks from the A-side. As is per usual with Cold Sides, neither side is a completely accurate reflection of their current activity (which features Crowmeat Bob on saxophone and effects), though an anticipated early 2005 release with the current line-up might help catch us up to date. PYKRETE Over Hylaster (Cirrus Oxide) Pykrete is the latest solo project of local music fixture Chuck Johnson, known to wield his guitar (amongst other stringed instruments) in Shark Quest, Idyll Swords, Micro-East Collective and formerly in Spatula. Named after an ill-fated World War II project to build ships out of ice and sawdust, Pykrete is Johnson’s first overtly beat-oriented endeavor. Over Hylaster finds him sequencing and processing an array of electronics into dense, jagged industrial soundscapes occasionally flecked with distorted, Pan Sonic-y beats and often yielding captivating results. *Artists featured on WXYC’s downloadable compilation, Bandwidth: Celebrating 10 Years of Internet Radio on WXYC-Chapel Hill (see “Webcasting Anniversary Events” on page 22). IN/AUDIBLE fall 2004 33
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