NEW RELEASES
Marissa Nadler
Spoon
33Hz
Ryan Teague
Scout Niblett
John Simon
Platinum Pied Pipers
Electrelane

Travis Biggs
Hannibal & the Sunrise Orchestra
Mahogany (compilation)
William Basinski
Headphones

ALSO AVAILABLE:
Quasimoto (vinyl pressing)

"Calico"

"Under an Old Umbrella"

The beautiful, sad love songs on Marissa Nadler's tremendous sophomore effort The Saga of Mayflower May are surprisingly even better than those on last year's widely acclaimed Ballads of Living and Dying. She's a singer-songwriter of a talent far beyond her young years. Her mysterious voice, which many critics have compared to Hope Sandoval's, is gorgeous and evocative, especially when it's layered in multi-tracked harmony. In the wake of last year's new folk explosion, I expected Nadler to have been picked up by a much larger label at this point, but she's still with the relatively obscure Eclipse imprint, run out of tiny Bullhead City, Arizona. Perhaps it's a display of Nadler's musical integrity. She may be a contemporary folkie, but she seems somewhat removed from the current trends. She doesn't have the "weird" voice of Joanna Newsom, or Devendra Banhart's eccentricity, or the experimentalism of Six Organs of Admittance. Instead, there's something a lot more classic and old-fashioned about her approach, which makes The Saga Of Mayflower May seem quite a bit more timeless than many of the other records that have been coming out of this genre. [RH]

"My Mathematical Mind"

"Sister Jack"

After 10 years of good records and their fair share of "next-big-thing" hype, all the pieces have finally come together and Spoon have delivered a truly great pop album. Britt Daniel's singing and songwriting are, of course, the centerpiece of this band--he IS the band in many respects. Daniel has a good head start on the pop game, with a dynamic, soulful and expressive voice that can hold its own with some of the greats--Faces-era Rod Stewart and Ray Davies both come to mind--and he shows a vulnerability, as well as a swagger that can almost put him in league with such names. There's a slightly darker turn at songwriting than Daniel has taken on previous records, smart, interesting lyrics, catchy and thrilling choruses, and an unabashed joy in a good hook. Add a lovely production, with rocking, immediate guitars, overloaded drums, swinging piano and string flourishes, and a classic album is born. This one will be on the stereo not just all summer, but for many years to come. [JM]

"Digital Lover"

"Crazy All the Time"

One of the more pleasant things I've been able to witness in the last few months has been the rising popularity of this NYC band. This four-piece bucked certain trends and dared to create and perfect a type of electro-pop R&B not heard since Kajagoogoo, Culture Club and Cameo ruled the airwaves. Tossing the formulaic scratchy guitars, emo yelps and pouty lips to the wayside, 33Hz revel in solid blue-eyed R&B crooning (think Daryl Hall not Justin Timberlake), live 4/4 drums and talk-box keyboards. There's no irony here folks, they mean it. I guess the closest thing you can compare them to would be Phoenix or Les Rhythmes Digitales, but, as Gerald pointed out in last week's update, 33Hz aren't taking their inspiration from the house-based artists; this band is going directly to the source. If anything, their debut album sounds like a return to the NYC roller boogie sound of old. Any fan of the aforementioned artists would do well to pick up this record. I personally can't stop listening to it. My pick for the summer! [DH]

"I"

"IV"

Ryan Teague, a producer/composer residing in Cambridge, UK, may come from a classically trained background but he is equally interested in electronic and experimental music. His contribution to Type's TY:EP series doesn't follow the delicate ambient cues of Deaf Center's Neon City, the first installment of the series. Instead, the pieces that make up Six Preludes are much more dense and often haunting, with Teague manipulating acoustic instruments into shrill, metallic textures. The EP begins with a layer of processed strings and digital purrs; a distant choir of voices reverberate behind a shimmering cloud of bells and violin melodies. It's a unique marriage of electronics and operatics, one that's filled with intense, melodic emotion but never artificially dramatic. "Prelude "IV" is much more challenging and full of dark sci-fi atmosphere; violins are stretched into ear-piercing crystalline textures and play under the eerie melody of a discarded music box, that finally fades into a hypnotic, machine-pulse whir. Far from clinical, Six Preludes is a compelling blend of modern classical and electronic music, icy yet bristling with warm human emotion. If this is any indication, I expect to soon hear Ryan Teague's name mentioned alongside contemporaries like Johann Johannsson and Arve Henriksen. [GH]

"Kidnapped by Neptune"

"Relax"

I first discovered the mythical Scout Niblett last year when I heard that she had done a cover of Althea and Donna's reggae classic "Uptown Top Ranking" (unfortunately not included here). With a guitar in hand, and stripped of the Caribbean-weather-drenched rhythm of the original, Scout's small English voice cried, "I got no style, I'm strictly roots." Picture your 13-year-old sister singing with a wig on, broom in hand, strumming it like a guitar, or sitting in front of upturned garbage cans banging her heart out. At times that's what she sounds like, but then the presumably innocent singing morphs into a trembling voice of a scorned woman.

Her new album for Too Pure, Kidnapped by Neptune, finds Scout on the cover, wig on, back turned, facing a dark body of water. The camera's flash causes the reflective stripes on her orange safety jacket to appear electric. That pretty much describes the music: removed, reflective, striking yet distant, and with waves of sound. Both silent and sinister, the stark accompaniment of drums, bass, guitar and piano is handled by Scout (real name Emma) with the occasional help from guest musicians Chris Saligo and Pete Schreiner. She could be described as a softer PJ Harvey (circa Dry and Rid of Me), Cat Power's little sister, or a raw, introverted Joanna Newsom, minus the harp. Recorded in Chicago, producer Steve Albini applies the perfect mix of silence and distortion where needed. Scout's skeletal songs--often just her voice accompanied by her heavy drumming--are intimate, bleak, brittle and intriguing. [DG]

"The Song of the Elves"

"Tannenbaum"

John Simon produced Leonard Cohen's debut album, Red Rubber Ball by the Cyrkle, Cheap Thrills by Big Brother and the Holding Company, and parts of Simon and Garfunkel's Bookends. He also, and perhaps most notably, produced and performed on two of the greatest albums of the 1960s: the Band's self-titled album and Music from Big Pink. Three members of the Band--Garth Hudson, Rick Danko, and Richard Manuel--also play on his 1970 Warner Brothers LP, John Simon's Album. Robbie Robertson co-wrote one of the songs with Simon, and Leon Russell and Delaney Bramlett make appearances too.

If you're wondering whether this record sounds a lot like the Band, well, it does... in a way. Simon utilized an incredibly thorough vocabulary of early American popular music forms, and his sound fell somewhere between the rootsy, down-home Americana of the Band, and the more Tin Pan Alley influenced old-time feel of Van Dyke Parks' classic Song Cycle. This is the first time John Simon's Album has been reissued on CD outside of Japan, where he has apparently developed a rather fanatical following. It's unlikely that he'll find the same cult celebrity stateside, but those who hear this album will undoubtedly be surprised at how unique and wonderful it is. There have been so many great reissues already this year, but this one really sticks out for me as one that is particularly special. [RH]

"Your Day is Done" (Featuring Georgia)

"Act Like You Know"

Quoting Other Music's J Dennis, the debut album from the Platinum Pied Pipers is "better than Sade." The tight collective is in fact the duo of Saadiq and former Slum Village member Waajeed. Triple P features 17 tracks (including a Paul Simon cover and a bonus reworking of a Lenny Kravitz song) that give us a taste of the now-sound of Detroit. PPP produce a sort of urban/soul hybrid that merges underground sensibilities with mainstream accessibility. Is it hip-hop, nu-soul or R&B? Who cares, this album is great. Referencing the past ('70s and '80s) and the present with ease and quality, these tracks could hold up against anything on today's R&B charts (Jill Scott, Roots, Kanye West, Alicia Keys) as well as anything coming out of Philly and Atlanta. While Triple P features guest vocals from Jay Dee, Steve Spacek and Sa-Ra Creative Partners, the best songs come from the two female vocalists, Tiombe Lockhart and Georgia. Has it been a while since you listened to a new R&B record and enjoyed it? Well, PPP are from the home of Motown so they know soul music and don't disappoint. Think Foreign Exchange, Spacek, and of course Slum Village with vocals instead of MCs. [DG]

"Bells"

"I Keep Losing Heart"

Judging from the din of amplifier hum and feedback that kicks off Electrelane's new full-length, the album title Axes could very well be a reference to the loud guitars that grace much of the record. No, I don't think any of these ladies picked up that recent Blood Farmers reissue, but the guitars are just a little more upfront and jagged, and if there's any shredding to be found, chances are it's going to come pounding out of a piano. With Verity Susman's vocals only appearing on a couple of tracks, Axes appears to be the perfect meeting point between their mostly-instrumental debut Rock It to the Moon and 2004's The Power Out.

Once again produced by Steve Albini, Electrelane's sprawling tunes have a slightly more improvisational feel than their last album. Their songs often start from almost nothing, hit a two-chord stride and then anti-climatically dissolve back to their starting point. But it's what happens in the middle that differentiates them from bands like Stereolab, who set the standard for Krautrock-influenced drone pop during the early-to-mid '90s. Electrelane are much more conscious of intensity, the tempo being wrenched up a notch every time a new layer of guitar, pipe organ or vocal enters into the song until the track reaches its anthemic frenzy.

Then there are the little detours that happen in between. On "Gone Darker," a recording of a passing train and a squawking free jazz-styled saxophone cuts through the ominous guitar and bass riff. Electrelane transform Leonard Cohen's "The Partisan" into an angry, politically-charged two-and-a-half minute punk assault and then right after get all pretty on us with "I Keep Losing Heart," a rural chamber pop song which features a choir and invokes the similar mood of The Power Out's "The Valleys." There aren't any real radical surprises this time, but the band sounds great, newly energized and unmistakably Electrelane. [GH]

"Ven A. Bailar Conmigo"

"Tibetan Serenity"

HANNIBAL & THE SUNRISE ORCHESTRA
Children of the Fire
(Soul Jazz / Universal Sound)

"Song of Life"

"The Ascending of the Soul"

Coinciding with the release of the New Thing compilation, Soul Jazz promised to reissue a trio of lost, classic albums from three of the artists featured on that collection. A few weeks after the release of the lone recording from saxophonist Maulawi comes the final two LPs in this trilogy.

Once the musical director for the Supremes, and also an associate of Bohannon and Isaac Hayes, Travis Biggs recorded Challenge in 1975, in a limited pressing that would be passed around Detroit as his demo. Kicking off with a funk-infused version of Stevie Wonder's "I Wish," you immediately get the sense that this isn't exactly a free jazz record. By track three, a cover of "Fly Like an Eagle," you can start to feel the same pulse that Biggs was feeling in the mid-'70s. Blending strings, synths and tight guitar work with a chorus of vocals (on a few songs) and that proto disco-funk backbeat, the album features several tracks that would be right at home on a compilation of Loft classics, or coming out of the speakers at APT's monthly Negroclash party. If you think Out Hud stumbled onto something, you should hear the deep roots offered here. This is a lost jam for that late night dance.

Hannibal Peterson has worked with Archie Shepp, Pharoah Sanders and Gil Evans (who also mixed part of this album) among many others; in fact, his Sunrise Orchestra has been around for over 30 years. This super-rare classic, Children of Fire, was recorded in '74 and was originally released in an extremely limited quantity. Featuring a complete orchestra, you can only guess that the listening experience is going to be very full, as operatic vocals, horns, strings, harp and standard jazz instruments weave together--it's all tension, then release. "Song of Life" is a wonderfully breezy number where piano swirls, bass thumps and strings dance in a whirlwind of sound and melody. "The Bombing" features chimes, upright bass, strings and piano, as well as what sounds like an eight-year-old singing--together these elements form an open plea of mood and beauty. Children of Fire is a strong, flowing deep jazz record that perfectly fits within the lineage of Phillip Cohran, Art Ensemble of Chicago and Alice Coltrane.

Thanks again to Soul Jazz, these two long-forgotten and nearly unheard gems are now available for all of us to experience and enjoy. [DG]

"Mindful Contradiction"

"L'ephemere Est Eternel"

When a band releases a collection of singles, EPs and compilation tracks, the result usually ends up being pretty hodgepodge, with no flow and lots of throwaways. That's definitely not the case here. The two CDs in this set show a concise and deliberate evolution from the spacey drone of Mahogany's early Michigan origins, to a completely tangible, experimental pop ensemble. Cello flows in and out, as well as analog synths, programmed and live percussion, and the deeply reverb effected guitars, creating a precise backdrop for the angelic, ethereal voices. Drawing from such diverse influences as Glenn Branca, Cocteau Twins, OMD and Factory Records (especially in the production and beautiful archival packaging), this collection just might be the perfect modernist pop manifesto. [RS]

It's great to see the aptly titled Melancholia resurfacing as a remastered and repackaged CD, after previously being available only in an extremely limited CD-R edition. Originally recorded in the early-'80s, the 14 tape-loop compositions included on the album flutter and wilt with a beautiful and somehow uplifting sadness. Somewhat reminiscent to Gavin Bryars' classic "Jesus' Blood Never Failed Me Yet," Melancholia achieves its unique and haunting quality by manipulating tape loops of what sounds like distant piano, string quartets and other less specific aural ephemeralities. While the source material is quite similar to many other fine works in the Basinski catalog, the 14 miniatures on Melancholia stand out as some of the most intriguing representations of Basinski's singular aesthetic.

Also widely available for the first time are two Basinski releases dating back to 2003, Water Music and Water Music II. Two lengthy streams of warm Eno-esque ambience gradually unfold over the course of each CD. [KH]

"Hot Girls"

"Shit Talker"

Wanting to try his hand at synthesizers and other digital sounds, Pedro the Lion's David Bazan has joined forces with fellow PTL member T.W. Walsh and Starflyer 59's Frank Lenz. Using the Headphones moniker, the new project is not too dissimilar from Ben Gibbard's collaboration with Jimmy Tamborello as the Postal Service. Headphones' arrangements may show a strong departure from the more familiar Pedro the Lion sound, but the dark moodiness that Bazan usually incorporates into his lyrics and voice has prevailed the digital switch: his voice is still soft and solemn as he sings about betrayal and pretense. In "Hot Girls," Bazan displays his qualms with commercial music, bitterly singing, "I called to beg you not to write that stupid song / But as it happens now it's burning up the charts / And breaking hot girls' hearts as it masquerades as art." On "Shit Talker," Bazan expresses remorse for being born in the '70s, his shame supported by a few lethargically heavy synth chords. It is always a risk when a band decides to try on a new style, but as the Headphones album proves, Pedro the Lion finds themselves capable of, and talented at, such a chameleon-like transformation. [CP]

"Closer" Featuring Madvillain

"Bus Ride"

"Raw Addict Pt. 2"

Now available on vinyl. Madlib's mysterious alter ego Quasimoto returns, and is out to break all of hip-hop's rules with his most ambitious, challenging and enjoyable work to date. Weirder than anything you could have dreamt of. If you like Edan's psychedelics, you don't know the half of it. Features guest appearances from MF Doom, M.E.D. (of the Lootpack crew) and filmmaker Melvin Van Peebles.

THIS WEEK'S CONTRIBUTORS

[DG] Daniel Givens
[GH] Gerald Hammill
[RH] Rob Hatch-Miller
[DH] Duane Harriott
[KH] Koen Holtkamp
[AK] Andreas Knutsen
[JM] Josh Madell
[CP] Carrie Pierce
[RS] Roy Styles



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