Mariah Gets The Boot

In a sign that taste can prevail at a mass scale, Hong Kong seems to have balked at meeting the vacuous demands of low-ticket selling wretch Mariah Carey. Given that she exemplifies tasteless and classless but thinks that by giving the appearance of surface charm (read: expensive but otherwise gaudi wardrobe and utterly lacking in tact but great at pronounced posturing) she can be something other than what she is; another sexually underwhelming and aurually overbearing pop wench.

Scritti Politti - Early

Scritti Politti
Early
Rough Trade 2006

Mention Scritti Politti to most folks and they will recall the mid-80s slick and sly arty pop machine, if they remember them at all. Few seem to recall they started as a post-punk outfit in a similar vein to Public Image Limited and Joy Division, except less angry and more emphatically political leftists. Green Gartside is a man who loved the philosophy of Derrida, and the being as D.I.Y. as anyone.

Given his now legendary reclusiveness (he has made only two albums in as many decades), and his penchant for not really showing any interest in this period of his output, one has to be gleefully surprised that all these early EPs have been collected for reevaluation by the masses. Apparently, it is partially due to him being sick of being asked about it, if you read the liner notes he provides.

It is dirty, quirky, and very much a product of that period in time in England, with a very busy and earnest sound; kind of like a hummable The Pop Group. Some of the cuts could be on radio today, and fit right between Bloc Party and whatever bands cheaply imitating the Gang of Four and Joy Division are popular these days.

Skank Bloc Bologna, Is and Ought the Western World and Bibbly-O-Tek are indicative of the clanging, drunken, sputtering fun of those early years, with two cuts harkening ever so faintly to the future of the group in the now classic Lions After Slumber and The Sweetest Girl.

If you are thinking of looking into the early 80s post-punk movement, put this on your shopping list right along with all the other classics.

Of note: this album has nothing to do with their current release White Bread Black Beer (nominated for a Mercury Prize this year).

Level 42 - Retroglide

Level 42
Retroglide
2006

A dozen years since the last true studio album and almost twenty since the classic lineup recorded together, Mark King and Mike Lindup are back as Level 42, with Boon Gould having contributed writing and Phil Gould having rumoured to have done unattributed arrangements on a least one cut. While this falls short of a true reunion, the sound is a welcome --if incomplete-- return.

Level 42 left a wake of not only commercial pop success throughout the 1980s, but influential cred with what would become the jazz-funk and acid jazz movements that followed. Originally a quartet of King, Lindup and the Gould brothers, they married Return to Forever jazz fusion chops to white-soul and New Wave. Differences over the direction of the band caused the Gould brothers to vacate in 1987, with Gary Husband (Bill Cobham, Allan Holdsworth) filling the drum chair, and a rotating cast in the guitar seat (including Jakko Jacyzyk, Holdsworth and the late Alan Murphy). They struggled to find an identity from 88-92, and eventually ended on a high note with Phil Gould returning to the studio with Lindup and King for the very underrated Forever Now album.

From there King took the name and basically toured the band into semi-obscurity as basically a nostalgia act (complete with steady releases of live material of questionable quality) with session players in tow (including Husband and King's sibling), until events seemed to finally bring things somewhat full circle. Apparently this album idea started with all four original members working, as well as unofficial 5th man Wally Badarou (Talking Heads, Grace Jones, Da Lata). It broke down to what we have now.

So what do we have?

This is not the best album they could have probably made, as the lack of Phil Gould is truly lacking. While Husband is a more than capable drummer, his feel is radically different, and it is Gould's deceptively simple trap kit slink I miss the most. That being said, this album is a King and Boon Gould collaboration in the composition department, and that has kept King's cheesy tendencies at bay. There are lots of solid hooks and melodies, and while not as many full bore tracks as I would like, the album is not the ballad-laden mess of King's last solo album, One Man.

But when the group goes for broke, it really succeeds, especially on the lead of cut Dive into the Sun; punchy synths, layered vocals and the kind of bass work that shows you why King is nicknamed "thunder thumb." Rooted is a thick slice of anthemic pop-fusion that works extremely well, as does the neo-soul informed All Around and . Where the album falters is in most of the slower tracks, like the dull UK bonus track All I Need and Clouds. Where it succeeds, is in the very laid back Ship.

As the title implies, this album does go very retro to the period and style that made Level 42 multi-million selling chart toppers, but I don't think making the cover of the NME was the goal, as much as just capitulating to being shameless uncool and just having a damn good time.

Which is why this album is one of the better releases of 2006.

Babs is a Boob

...yes, I know, she has two of them. I am saying she is one. The self-absorbed, guile filled, pop fluff y and irony-free ditz diva apparently values herself as a political target.

So much so that she has security requirements that most federal political figures are not entitled to, and that would probably be the envy of a drug cartel overlord.

The only bombs her security complement is ever likely to find is extra copies of her albums laying around.

What an imbecilic crone.

Bernie Worrell - All the WOO in the World

Bernie Worrell
All the Woo in the World
1978

When I was a little boy, I would go to the library and borrow records and tapes to listen. One record I was fascinated by was this one, but mostly because of the risque cover (you are young, impressionable, and have no idea what to make of anything on a P-Funk or related album sleeve), and the use of the word WOO the same way my younger brother approximated the word "Smurf." Too weird for a mind just getting into ELO and Rush.

So I missed out back in the mid 80s, and by the time I had fully wrapped my mind around the connection to the P-Funk mothership and the brilliance of Bernie Worrell, I could not find the album, as it was then long out of print. However, sometimes in your most unfunky moments, a gem will appear in the record store to save you.

For those that are truly living under a rock (be it a punk, hard or emo one), Bernie is an American institution. A child prodigy who was composing complete classical and jazz style works before adolescence, and whose technical proficiency puts him well beyond almost anyone else in modern popular music (and yes, I include folks like Stevie Wonder and Keith Emerson in that class). Following his genre-bending trajectory will take you from all of George Clinton's best efforts, through extended stints with the Talking Heads, Les Claypool, and Bill Laswell. His session resume also includes Fela Kuti, Keith Richards, Mike Watt, Jon Spencer Blues Explosion and Mos Def.

All the Woo in the World was Bernie's debut solo release, and was clearly an extension of his efforts as a core of the Parliament-Funkadelic core offensive line. It is uneven in that is seems to have no real common theme or style (which seems to be a regular criticism of this album), but all the cuts are completely listenable, fun, and often make it impossible to not want to have a party. Numerous P-Funk colleagues make appearances, and the P-Funk tendency towards head-knodding mayhem is very much in attendance; many tracks move with a kind of casual jam-riot given the big lineups. Of special note is the dual guitar onslaught of Funkateers Michael Hampton and the woofully underappreciated Eddie Hazel. They lay down slinky grooves and burning leads, with a gold star to Hazel on the 12 minute thumping opus, Insurance Man for the Funk.

I'd by a policy.

Radiocrunk

So someone has done eight crunked out instrumental covers of Radiohead tunes. Thom Yorke never sounded so street.

Whodini - Freaks Come Out At Night

One of the biggest hip hop jams of the 80s, and one I heard repeatedly. Apparently, Mr. Janet Jackson (aka Jermaine Dupri) was a dancer for these guys way back in the day.

The video was not broadcast too much, as MTV really did not cater to what would become called urban radio much, but Ecstacy's flat-rimmed Zorro hat is still well remembered by those of the period.

King Leopold was never this Funky

There is a deeply wonky reference in that title, but today's random recommendation goes to Congo by former Groove Theory frontwoman Amel Larrieux. A tight, loping pulse with layered vocals has a measured bustle to it, and is on her sophomore release, Bravebird.

I have not had the chance to pick up her latest, Morning, but it is on the checklist.

The Freesound Project

Really simple. Free sound samples/loops.

Hair Metal Quiz

So, here is the quiz. I got 12 of 16 right. I am not sure if that is worth admitting to or not.

Davis Bowie Top 10

My own peronal top 10 songs by David Bowie (yes, this is a bit of a filler post):

1. The Heart's Filthy Lesson
2. Golden Years
3. I'm Afriad of American
4. Heroes
5. Fame
6. Time Will Crawl
7. Let's Dance
8. Jump They Say
9. Black Tie White Noise
10. Young Americans

The Nazz

This is the first video and song by the Nazz I experienced way back in the early 80s (although the song is from the 60s), and still enjoy it to this day. Nazz member Todd Rundgren has since had the band Utopia, various solo projects, numerous production credits (including Bourgeois Tagg and XTC) and currently singing in a revamped version of the Cars.

But here is the start of it all:

On U Sound Returns (maybe)

On U Sound, that venerable --if not always well administered-- label led by sonic auteur Adrian Sherwood, seems to be going through a resurrection of sorts, and the future looks interesting.

While ther are still some of the lingering problems from the last iteration of the site (odd typos, too many sections yet to be built out), the redesign looks good and what is there looks promising, especially since many members of the On U Sound universe appear to be in ascending phases of activity.

Fight Club.

Every once in a while I am reminded that simple concepts can lead to wonderfully novel things. In this case, someone answered the question:

What if all your old 12" vinyl album art came to life and engaged in guerilla warfare upon itself.

And therein lies the Rub....

...specifically, Itstherub.

More mash-up, remix goodness.

Sur la Mash-Ups

What happens when you get the French and mash-ups? You get this. Never did I think Justin Timberlake and Siouxie together would be so oddly fun.

Allan Holdsworth @ Yoshi's

Allan Holdsworth, Alan Pasqua, Chad Wackerman, Jimmy Haslip @ Yoshi's of Oakland.

Holdsworth is one of those guys destined to be loved by musicians and ignored otherwise. This is partially because his music is very idiocyncratic, and also because the long known rumor is that his business and promotional sense is next to nil. In person he seems very shy, almost to the point of Forrest Gumpism. On stage, this carries over to his demeanor (he barely moves at all save his fingers), but usually one is so transfixed by what he does on a fretboard, you really do not notice much else.

His resume is a little bit all over the map; he played with Bill Bruford in both Bruford, and in the first iteration of prog-rock supergroup U.K., played solos with both Level 42 and Heavy Machinery, and as it relates to this show, did an early stint with jazz juggernaut Tony Williams.
This show was supposed to be a tribute of sorts to both he and Pasqua's time with Williams. In a way it was, as you could hear some of the vamps and transitions from thatperiod, but it was all engulfed in what was really a showcase for Holdsworth and Wackerman. This is not a bad thing mind you, but if you came for a mimicry of early Lifetime! you were in for a sore disappointment.

Pasqua is an able player, and had some firey solos, and even Haslip was given a spot or two to deliver some chops, but cut after cut, it was Holdsworth and Wackerman firing on all cyninders. And not everything is just soloing fusion madness, but this is where tasty composition actually comes into play. This is not Chick Corea Elektric Band, or Najee. This is original sounding jazz fusion with a lot of energy but not a wankfest. It was a great show.

Also, this is the second time we have been to Yoshi's where it has been recorded for later release. The first was for a Bill Bruford's Earthworks show ironically that turned into a live album. In this case, it was being videotaped in HD for DVD release early next year.

The prelude to this show was dinner at Yoshi's which is covered in detail here.

Avril is Awvull

So, I have never thought particularly highly of Miss Lavigne, given that her voice is shrill, her music dull, and her entire public appearance a combination of utterly daft blithering and posed marketable rebellion for people that barely graduated the Disney Channel for edginess.

Now the snot-nosed little glamor-puss shows that its not about what is outside, but whats inside. And whats inside is phlegm, that erupts from her talent-deficient maw when the "punk" princess is not given her proper respects. Case in point here.

What a trollop.