quick audio picks: 12
In 1982, Arthur Russell, Francois K and William Socolov formed Voltron and released the now-classic disco/no wave half-breed "Go Bang." Now, almost 15 years later, DJ Language takes a stab at the re-edit. (Sorry, I ain't callin' anyone "Prince" unless they come...
expand review from Minnesota and wear eyeliner.) "Thank You Arthur(1)" flips the script, taking healthy chunks from the seldom heard LP version of "Bang" and forming them into a precision dancefloor missile. Watch out for that wild guitar breakdown toward the end, too. On the other side, Atlanta's Kai Alce re-edits the mysterious "Lollipop(2)" – and I say "mysterious" because nobody knows who the original artist is, including Kai! With just some space, some Rhodes organ and an insistent 4/4 kick, Alce edits this to perfection, giving it a definite Detroit vibe. Fans of Theo Parrish and Moodymann are gonna want to hear this one. These Editions Disco volumes just keep getting better, and they're getting major play from everybody – Carl Craig, James Murphy (DFA), Gilles Peterson, etc. Jump on das bandwagon. -Chris Lemon-Red
quick audio picks: 1234
Best Franz release since their first single! This thing has been delayed a few times, but it's finally out and it's real solid. Justice's remix of "The Fallen(1)" was previously heard on the limited edition 7", and as advertised, it's "ruined by...
expand review Justice" in a really nice way - chopped up vocals, heavy heavy breaks, etc. Lindstrom comes strong with his Italo-disco flavored remix of "I'm Your Villain(2)," and rock remixer of the moment Erol Alkan drops a bomb with his hype instrumental re-edit of Franz's biggest hit off the album, "Do You Want To(3)." Less bombastic but no less successful is Isolee's mellow reworking of "Outsiders(4)." 4 tracks total in a handsome pic sleeve. -Chris Lemon-Red
quick audio picks: 12345
Thank God, the hipster-hater's most eagerly anticipated album to hate on is here! We have waded through a million singles' and magazine articles' worth of hype to hear what the fuss is about, and SURPRISE!, the album is really, really good. All...
expand review this time, while the Rapture disappeared off the face of the earth (I think they died of oldness) and countless shitty disco-punk digi-funk imitators have materialized to cover "To Hell With Poverty," Death From Awesome guru James Murphy has been producing the end-all of hipster music manifestos, uniting people of all cultures, from Fader readers to 'Sup readers alike. How is this possible? For one thing, unlike other "now sounds" like Rio Booty Garbage and Grime, the LCD full-length can actually be listened to in the privacy of your home or iPod and be enjoyed as music (as opposed to shrieking noise). Consider: "Daft Punk Is Playing At My House(1), Tribulations(2), Movement(3), Never As Tired As When I'm Waking Up(4) (which I have to include because every review of this album has to include it to show the record's "range"), Disco Infiltrator(5)." Yes, Murphy is kind of paunch and old, and yes, this album is produced and packaged to be EXACTLY what someone my age wants to hear, but fuck it! So is "Kung Fu Hustle" and I'm seeing that shit the day it comes out! 9 tracks total, all brilliant. -the woodman.
quick audio picks: 12
"I'm Losing My Edge. To the kids from France and London. But I was there, I was there in 1968, I was there at the first Can show in Cologne." "Losing My Edge(1)" is self-deprecation over banging lo-fi electro from DFA founding...
expand review member James Murphy. This has got to be one of the most entertaining and enlightening tracks I've heard in a while. Anyone who's been in the game for an extended period will definitely appreciate it, as Murphy's dead pan lyrics capture the moment that cool kid geezers start to wonder what the game is all about, and start noticing the younger breed of cool kids breathing down their necks. It's a strange and painful phenomenon, a mid life crisis of sorts. A masterful work of sarcasm and self analysis, it ironically has become an underground club hit of sorts. I've even heard it's become a Williamsburg party favorite. How avant po-mo. Newbies stick to the b-side "Beat Connection(2)," but will of course quickly migrate to the flip. Recommended. -the mgmnt
quick audio picks: 12
Having released one of last year's best singles (Losing My Edge), James Murphy is back with another brilliant extension of his LCD Soundsystem. LCD records seem to speak to those kids sick of the scene, who want their 12" to retain interest...
expand review longer than the next trend, but without sacrificing up to the minute relevance. An impossible feat, but listening to tracks like "Yeah (Crass Version)(1)" will make you a believer. The song writing and composition are the foundations that the track is built on, with enough rock pretentiousness and sleazy analog to keep you interested. It takes a little more to keep our jaded ears interested these days, and this is it. "Yeah (Pretentious Version)(2)" is a completely alternate version, offering a cleaner instrumental take on the track. One listen, and you'll understand why you'll see these 12"s on the wall at Sound Library one day. Also includes the "Clap-a-Pella." Recommended. -the mgmnt
quick audio picks: 12
Tigersushi is the label behind this new imprint, and for Pandamaki's first release, they've dug up a rare as hell version that I've never even heard before. Considering that My Bloody Valentine's Loveless in my top 10 albums of all time, I...
expand review was pretty amazed to hear this Andrew Weatherhall remix of MBV's "Soon," disguised here as "Later(1)" by Your Lovely Eglantine (for legal issues). This version was originally released on the super-rare Glider Remixes EP from 1990, and has been reissued here for the first time. It loves up to all the hype as well as we finally have another missing dj link: a shoegazer classic that you can play out in the clubs! Flipside features a glitchy track(2) from Krikor that gets outshined by the brilliance of the a-side. -the mgmnt
quick audio picks: 12
Nightmares On Wax continually aim to satisfy the record collectors. Following his excellent In A Space album, NOW released a limited run 7" and now this 3 color vinyl remix single. "African Pirates" is another standout from the album, here it gets...
expand review remixed by Troubleman(1) (my pick) and JD73(2). Limited edition. -the mgmnt
quick audio picks: 123
After catching 2 shows of the recent Pixies NYC date, I'm motherfuckin Pixies crazzzeeee! They're definitely the best rock band I've seen live (and I've seen Ted Nugent in his reunion tour, cat scratch feva!!!). It's ridiculous how humble and anti-glam they...
expand review are, the set is just relentless (they play 90% of Dolittle, "Tame" is freaking ridiculous) and Frank Black is the king of War Pigs (and Kim Deal is the kindergarten teacher that did too many drugs)! They even played both versions of "Wave of Mutilation" in the same set, take that! Anyway, this is their debut mini-album from 1987, drawn from the "legendary" Pixies' demos and includes, "Caribou(1), Levitate Me(2)", and "I've Been Tired(3)". Reader tip: search "Pixies Coachella" on your favorite file sharing program for a taste of that live stuff. 8 tracks in all. -the mgmnt
quick audio picks: 123456
The Pixies' Doolittle is a tantalizing pop masterpiece that wasn't just the best record in the Pixies brief catalog, but also one of the best rock records of the last 20 years. Reissued here on heavyweight vinyl to coincide with the revitalization...
expand review of an everlasting legacy, Doolittle is the band's third album, released just when their strands of eccentricity, misshaped songwriting and caustic volume had deliciously coalesced. On the opening "Debaser(1)," lead singer Black Francis' confounding poetry pays homage to surrealist film, buoyed by a shuffling drum beat and Joey Santiago's screechy guitar. Pixies' songs often alternated between conversational quiet and big blasts of noise (what would be dubbed "post-punk"), and songs like "Tame(2)" and "Crackity Jones(3)," were the poster-children for that sound. "Hey(4)," though, proved the Pixies could also spool out a unique indie-rock ballad. In any other context, Francis' animated singing style would sound like an annoying whine, but tethered to the other members' idiosyncrasies, for example- bassist Kim Deal's child-like coos on songs like "I Bleed(5)," - it gave the band its pop thrust (like on "Here Comes Your Man(6)") and, most importantly, its character. If the group's recent reunion tour proves anything, it's that their music has endured, thriving with new generations of loyal fans. Doolittle is a major reason why. -Jazzbo
quick audio picks: 12345
You could talk about this album for hours, so let's try to keep it simple. In 1988, a year when "Don't Worry Be Happy" dominated the airwaves, the Pixies released their first official LP, Surfer Rosa. Produced by Steve Albini, the album...
expand review has since become a blueprint for indie music and pretty much invented the genre "Alternative Rock." The biggest and most recognizable song is "Where Is My Mind(1)," and it presents all the trademark Pixies elements that give this LP its legendary status. Here, Frank Black's vocal delivery alternates between an exhausted, "been through it all and still don't know" vindictiveness and a desperate, stuck-pig squeal, while his lyrical fascination with drowning and being taken away by an uncaring wave feels right at home in David Lovering's stark drumming. Meanwhile, Joey Santiago's jagged wall-of-spikes lead guitar and Kim Deal's ethereal back-up vocals make you realize that you have never heard anything as relentless and uncategorizable as this before. Bands like Nirvana, Modest Mouse, and Pavement have long since aped the noise-as-melody wailing sounds of "Bone Machine(2)," "Broken Face(3)," and "Brick is Red(4)," while "Gigantic(5)" is as close as you'll get to Kim Deal without being a syringe (ZING!). The entire LP is alien, immediately arresting, and absolutely brilliant, which is why every important rock band of the last 15 years has name-checked the Pixies. Lots of people like Doolittle better cause it's more accessible (me included), but screw em cause Surfer Rosa came first. -the Woodman
quick audio picks: 1234
Last copies, this single is now out of print. Who knows if the SA-RA hype will ever result in something concrete (word is that they've been busy in their Hollywood studio), but there's no doubt that these guys have put an original...
expand review mark on the last couple years. Here's our original review that we wrote at early days of the SA-RA craze: SA-RA is a bi-coastal, 3-man production team who have somehow managed to blend the raw un-quantized feel of Jay Dee production with the freak appeal of Funkadelic for a sound that is entirely their own. If you missed some of their previous vinyl outings (Monch's "Agent Orange" and J5's "Yeah" among others), take notice now cause you will soon be hearing their work on joints from everyone from Dre to Common, N.E.R.D. and even a possible full length on Kanye West's label. The first taste, "Double Dutch(1)," plays alongside stuff from The Neptunes or Dipset just as comfortably as the most advanced offerings from MIA, Ciara or Bounty Killer. Flip the record for "Death of a Star(2)," a 120 bouncer that would make R. James take notice. Instrumentals for both tracks are included, but the vocals sung by SA-RA and one of their homegirls complete the package. This 12" borders on EP status by also including "SA-RA Space Theme(3)" which almost sounds like YNQ playing at Jabba's Cantina, and the off-beat/on-beat "Hanging By A String(4)." Ubiquity outdid themselves with the packaging on this one too (glossy full color insert on a 12"?), which means they must feel like I do- that this is some real significant shit. -jms
quick audio picks: 1
The Spank Rock onslaught from Big Dada continues, this time with the most recent single, "Sweet Talk(1)," getting the limited 7" treatment. Supposedly there's only about 1000 of these (one time pressing), but with the 12" already out and about, the...
expand review reason you need this is for the otherwise-unavailable B-side. XXXchange's take(2) is more like a brand new song than a re-edit, completely eliminating all vocals and replacing 'em with mo' sax and mo' flute, courtesy of the Youngblood Brass Band's Anthony Barba. The resulting track sounds more like an electro version of something from the Daptone roster than anything Spank Rock's done. And that's not a bad thing. -Chris Lemon-Red
quick audio picks: 12
True story: in a blindfolded taste test, 9 out of 10 Labrats couldn't tell this joint (from Carl Craig's "Tres Demented" alias) from the new Detroit Grand Pubahs track. On "She'z Satan(1)" the Detroit godfather goes in hard with some wildly distorted...
expand review vocals over a dark, dark beat, tellin' tales of how women are evil and will take your money. On the flip, something a little more straightforward and, you know, Carl Craig-y with the lazer-synthy "Brainfreeze(2)." Also includes instrumental and bonus beats for "Satan." -Chris Lemon-Red
quick audio picks: 12345
When you've exhausted the New Order and OMD back catalogs, and want to get deeper into darker new wave sounds, Wire is a band you should checkout. This is a new repress of the once pricey import album, the last in series...
expand review of three Wire 1970s albums that are unofficially referred to as the "classic triplet." This is also the most popular of three, probably because it most resembled a new wave album (although it is still fractured with weirdness). The track to listen for is "The 15th(1)" which recently gained recognition from the Fischerspooner cover version. Incredible song. "Blessed State(2)" and "Map Ref(3)" also stand out as two of the cleaner songs, almost achieving a pop-like sheen. But be warned, this shit gets weird. Check the goth meets no-wave sounds of "I Should Have Known Better(4)" and the dark hole that is "A Touching Display." This is definitely not for the casual music fan, but rather those who thirst for more. 13 tracks. -the mgmnt
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