NEW RELEASES
Funkstorung
On!Air!Library!
Patrick Wolf
DJ/Rupture Vs. Mutamassik

ALSO AVAILABLE:
Vladislav Delay
Mogollar (Reissue)
Gene Estribou & Jean-Paul Pickens

Born Heller
Dead Moon
Dilated Peoples

"Sleeping Beauty"

"Moon Addicted"

After four years and 15 remixes, the duo known as Funkstorung return with their new full-length, Disconnected. This time around they've expanded their palette inviting tons of collaborators which include trumpeter Nils Petter Molvaer, vocalists Erik, Lou Rhodes (Lamb) and Sarah Jay (Massive Attack), as well as rappers Tes and Rob Sonic, and essentially a live band (piano, electric and acoustic bass, cello, acoustic drums, guitar, DJ). Tired of making purely instrumental music, on Disconnected they showcase their producer skills turning themselves into a downtempo soul/electronic pop/hip-hop collective a la Massive Attack, Telefon Tel Aviv, Lamb, DJ Krush, Vadim, or Scott Herren. Not just simply tracks, this one has 'songs' which blend their trademark snap-crackle-pop rhythms, and cut-up, time-stretched snares and cymbals that made them a name to mention. But there is also a newfound taste for the classic feel of vocal music, be it rapped or sung. Overall, this one is more for the beach rather than the dancefloor with enough bite to keep you out of the chill-out lounge. Full of warm, spring infused vibes and varied moods, Disconnected is urban, digital, soulful and tropical, tastefully crafted with if you will, a gritty beautifulness. [DG]

"Faultered Ego"

"User28"

A beautiful new full-length from lovely locals On!Air!Library!, this record's haunting atmospherics and druggy pop should launch them to a much wider audience. Their label's bio boldly positions O!A!L! as a band with no precedent, ignoring the retro fads so many NYC bands are caught up in and looking boldly to the future. But our ears hear strong traces of the dark early period of the Cocteau Twins, the Pale Saints and the like, albeit updated a bit (a la Ulrich Schnauss). Hazy, hallucinatory and truly disorienting at times, these sound experiments are anchored by the edgy harmonies of the Deheza sisters, as they precariously keep one foot in the pop world and one in the drone. And when you think you've pinned them down, the album turns to a more intimate, quieter acoustic approach, creating spidery song outlines that contrast the earlier dense soundscapes, but evoke a similar moodiness. Appealing to fans of dreamy pop, pop-ambience and shoegazey electronica, this is an original and confident album well worth a listen. [JM]

"Don't Say No"

"Wolf Song"

Named after the delusional condition in which a human assumes the characteristics of a wolf, the debut album from this 20-year old begins with a full-mooned howl. Literally. But what could easily be a painfully precocious collection of songs is in fact a delightfully strange pop record. Patrick Wolf has been playing music since he first picked up the viola and violin at the age of six; by age 11 he was writing songs and recording them to his four-track. Though there are a few guest musicians, including a small chamber orchestra, Wolf usually accompanies himself with tracks of accordion, finger-picked guitar, clarinet and even a baritone ukulele, often filtered through a laptop. Manipulating the natural sounds of traditional instruments is certainly not in short demand these days, however this Irish whiz kid is not experimenting with glitchy, organic audio pastiches in the same way as the Books.

Throughout Lycanthropy, Wolf seems to be some sort of new millennium troubadour, the songs often taking on a 19th century Dickens quality by way of his dramatic flair and colorful imagery. In a storytelling sense, he fits in perfectly with the new, imaginative breed of songwriters like Sufjan Stevens sans the religious overtones; and though both utilize open arrangements and often use minimal layers to set the mood, Wolf's expertise is at juxtaposing sounds and styles.

Beginning with a pretty finger-picked guitar introduction, "Don't Say No" turns into catchy slice of bouncy synth pop that, if not for the accordion, would sound perfectly at home on a Postal Service album. "Wolf Song" is straight-up chamber pop while the theatrical, elastic-voiced delivery of "The Childcatcher" reminds me of Xiu Xiu, right down to the electronic clanks and overtly sexual lyrics. But Wolf's best example of style juggling can be heard in "A Boy Like Me," where multiple layers of digital doo-wop vocals are sung over hyper, Alec Empire-like beats.

Lycanthropy was written and recorded over an eight-year period, so by album's end you've witnessed a songwriter's emergence from adolescence. It's impossible not to be curious about what Wolf's future songs, post teenage misanthropy, will be like; I'm certain they will continue to be bizarre, ambitious, and good. [GH]

"Qandile M'Daoui"

"A'Aish El Shaab"

All right now, say it with me: BOOMBASTIC! Good. That's the only word to describe the split mix CD from DJ/Rupture and Mutamassik. Dancehall, Middle Eastern rhythms, Moroccan drums, hip-hop, IDM, it's all here, in a shredded, chopped up, reassembled and layered collage. She, Mutamassik, is an Egyptian and Italian born DJ/producer who also works with Burnt Sugar and produces her own brand of multi-culti beats. He, Rupture, originally from Boston and now a resident of Barcelona, has been slicing and dicing hip-hop, dancehall and North African beats to great effect for his alias Nettle, and labels Tigetbeat6, Agriculture and his own Soot. It gets no rougher: Elephant Man, Busta Rhymes, Dabyre, Timbaland, Wu-Tang Clan, Hecker, Kelis, Ove-Naxx, Ray Keith, Jungle Brothers, Sizzla, Anti-pop, as well as original material from both respective selectors. An urban/cross-cultural mash-up if you will. This first in a series entitled Shotgun Wedding compiles mixes recorded for live performances in conjunction with the collective Bidoun in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Hold up your lighter and get lifted. Recommended. [DG]

"Mountain Song"

"First Kiss"

Locust Music seems to be establishing a pattern this year with folky offerings from Espers, Cyann + Ben, Gene Estribou & Jean-Paul Pickens, and now this debut from Chicago duo Born Heller. The sticker on the CD namedrops Shirley Collins, but I think the female vocals on here are a little more over-the-top baroque, sort of like Elizabeth Fraser of the Cocteau Twins singing folk music. The instrumentation is damn sparse, just a voice, upright bass, and a guitar or ukulele here and there. Every once in a while things slowly come apart and get a bit dissonant and weird, but for the most part this is quite a tuneful record. An interesting and playful modern reinterpretation of decades-old folk traditions from the US and the UK. [RH]

"This Way"

"Who's Who"

Straight outta Cali, Dilated Peoples return with Neighborhood Watch. The trio of Evidence, Rakaa and DJ Babu (also of the Beat Junkies) gathers another funk-filled collection of street tales. Their style is harder than contemps Jurassic 5 or the Quannum crew, having improved on the lyrical side, along with minimal tracks from two producers -- man of the moment Kanye West, and mainstay Alchemist. With big bass, hard drums and trademark Cali synth lines, they paint a dark, caddy-bouncing picture of urban life: "Born in L.A., so it's hard to get star struck." Guests include Devin the Dude, Defari, Planet Asia, and Agony. [DG]