KIKO NAVARRO FT. MARCEL “M.U.S.I.C.” (Bubble Soul Re-Edits Volume 1.) = (Jay-J/Marquez/David Gomez/DJ Pippi) Bubble Soul Records Pachas’ very own Kiko Navarro, doing it again. Featuring the words of Marcel, “Music” is by far one of the choicest spoken-word tracks to date! Varying from each mix, this 3-tracker carries organ stabs and synth sweeps
Joey Negro In The House Defected Records What does Joey Negro, Akabu, Raven Maize, Sessomato, and the well-known Jakatta (Remixer of “American Dream” from movie American Beauty) have in common? These diverse dance-floor anthem originators share the same mind—Dave Lee. Releasing more hits than any other UK producer and remixer, Dave Lee (JN) is
Kasabian Self-Titled RCA Kasabian have been a guilty pleasure of mine since hearing the opening of “Club Foot.” Granted, they aren’t completely original. You can pinpoint various points in Manchester’s history of music that pop up in abundance throughout the album, fitting in somewhere post-Happy Mondays and the Charlatan’s happier days with a dash of
Currently on a roll heading up MN2S 10th anniversary celebrations, New York-based Jon Cutler delivers another killer vocal gem showcasing Michael Watford. … read more
Justice = Michael Jackson + Sebastián … read more
Kait Lawson = Woody Guthrie + Nanci Griffith … read more
Behind the ghostly voice of Jose Gonzales lie the subtle psychedelics that define Junip’s new album. Gonzales’ voice never soars, but is more of a “killing them softly” approach, with light reverb. … read more
John Cale
Shifty Adventures in Nookie Wood
Double Six
Street: 10.01.12
John Cale = Bauhaus + The Velvet Underground x Brian Eno
Stand back, kids … at 70, sporting pink dye in his white hair, legend John Cale (The Velvet Underground and too many others to name) is rockin’, and not in a rockin’ chair, son. This album is chockful of his smooth and unmistakable voice––like the voice Jim Morrison might have grown into––his standard drone and his louche lyrics that rival Leonard Cohen’s for their depth. You don’t so much listen to Nookie Woods as you get grabbed and bodily hauled in for some very shifty adventures, indeed. The opener, “I Wanna Talk 2 U,” a collaboration with hip-hop producer Danger Mouse, explodes out of your speakers. The masterful “Hemmingway” rattles you with its building intensity, while “Face to the Sky” is a gorgeous melding of electronic and organic elements, a swooping, woozy nod to Dali’s Car and Bowie. But lest all this ancient name-dropping makes you think the album is a throwback, worry not: there’s nothing old-fashioned about it. Cale seems committed to moving forward with music, playing around with over-processed autotune on “December Rain,” but he’s not afraid of organic acoustic sounds, as on “Mary.” If you don’t already know Cale, it’s time you met him, and a trip to the Nookie Woods is a fine place to start. –Madelyn Boudreaux … read more
A comparison to Bjork is not the way to my heart; her music is like listening to a fax machine have a nervous breakdown. … read more
Johnny Manak and the Depressives = The Von Bondies + The Dead Boys + The Ventures
Before the first track of I Am Not A Bum… I’m A Jerk ended, I held the vinyl’s cover next to the DVD case of Steve Martin’s The Jerk to confirm their visual likeness. … read more
Not masculine enough for gangsta rap, and not clever enough for backpack rap, Kid Cudi is akin to the middle school kid who discovered schwag, constantly reminding you that he loves weed. He removes all of the self-destructive wonder from drug use that rap, as a construct, has worked so hard to instill. … read more
Peter Frey is the main man behind the adventurous chamber-pop band, Kazyak. The gentle finger-picking intro on “Pieces of My Map” immediately recalls the talents of Andrew Bird. … read more
