Music
Esthero
CD: Wikked Lil' Grrrls - Wikkid Lil' Grrrls is a sexy, sophisticated blend of hip-hop, jazz,
dance, rock and soul. Add Cee-Lo Green of Goodie Mob, Sean Lennon and a crew of producers
including Dr. Dre cohort Camara Kambon (Eminem, Mary J. Blige) and Wikked Lil' Grrrls is as
wikked cool as Esthero herself. After the release of Esthero's heralded 1998 disc Breath from
Another, the Toronto singer seemed to have an open road of opportunities ahead of her. Breath
soared on people's best-of lists, allowing Esthero the chance to collaborate with everyone from the
Black Eyed Peas and Mos Def to Sugar Ray. Her future seemed filled with long-term opportunity
and promise. Strangely, however, after that bright burst, the singer all but disappeared. Aside from
the occasional guest performance, it was seven years of curious silence. For being such a talented
singer-songwriter--one deeply influenced by Nina Simone, Saul Williams, and Burt Bacharach--her
jazzy, sultry, hip-hop grooves were timely, yet strangely absent. Finally, with Wikked Lil' Girls and its
first single, "We R in Need of a Musical Revolution," the silence wasn't just broken, it was blown
wide open. An acerbic, beat-driven track, the song unapologetically attacks the current state of pop
music ("I'm so sick and tired of the s#@! on the radio") rightfully and righteously. The disc then
shifts from uptempto timeless pop ("Every Day Is a Holiday," featuring Sean Lennon) to sexy
downtempo ("Beautiful Lie") and then to a later section of slow songs and smooth jazz--a fluid
rollercoaster of sound. The final song, "Dragonfly's Outro," is a gorgeous, float-on-clouds track with
horns sampled from '80s soundtrack legend Bill Conti. Mixing up vocal styles, interesting samples,
and great contemporary beats, it shows how great Esthero can be at her best--an amalgamation of
many influences and her own talented, wikked ways. --Denise Sheppard
CD: Wikked Lil' Grrrls - Wikkid Lil' Grrrls is a sexy, sophisticated blend of hip-hop, jazz,
dance, rock and soul. Add Cee-Lo Green of Goodie Mob, Sean Lennon and a crew of producers
including Dr. Dre cohort Camara Kambon (Eminem, Mary J. Blige) and Wikked Lil' Grrrls is as
wikked cool as Esthero herself. After the release of Esthero's heralded 1998 disc Breath from
Another, the Toronto singer seemed to have an open road of opportunities ahead of her. Breath
soared on people's best-of lists, allowing Esthero the chance to collaborate with everyone from the
Black Eyed Peas and Mos Def to Sugar Ray. Her future seemed filled with long-term opportunity
and promise. Strangely, however, after that bright burst, the singer all but disappeared. Aside from
the occasional guest performance, it was seven years of curious silence. For being such a talented
singer-songwriter--one deeply influenced by Nina Simone, Saul Williams, and Burt Bacharach--her
jazzy, sultry, hip-hop grooves were timely, yet strangely absent. Finally, with Wikked Lil' Girls and its
first single, "We R in Need of a Musical Revolution," the silence wasn't just broken, it was blown
wide open. An acerbic, beat-driven track, the song unapologetically attacks the current state of pop
music ("I'm so sick and tired of the s#@! on the radio") rightfully and righteously. The disc then
shifts from uptempto timeless pop ("Every Day Is a Holiday," featuring Sean Lennon) to sexy
downtempo ("Beautiful Lie") and then to a later section of slow songs and smooth jazz--a fluid
rollercoaster of sound. The final song, "Dragonfly's Outro," is a gorgeous, float-on-clouds track with
horns sampled from '80s soundtrack legend Bill Conti. Mixing up vocal styles, interesting samples,
and great contemporary beats, it shows how great Esthero can be at her best--an amalgamation of
many influences and her own talented, wikked ways. --Denise Sheppard
The Faint
CD: Wet From Birth - The follow-up to 2001's "Danse Macabre" is the band's most
feverish and intense work to date. The old saying goes that if you pretend to be something long
enough, you'll eventually become it. If this is true, then the men of the Faint must have spent a lot of
time between their rocking debut album, Media, and their third full-length, Danse Macabre,
practicing their Duran Duran, Cure, and Depeche Mode impressions. In the process, they have
become all that is, was, and probably ever shall be good about new wave music, combining arty
electronics with smart social commentary to create an album that is sublime in its ability to recall
more goth-rock times while still coming across as entirely original. Songs such as "Posed to
Death" and "The Conductor" take on sounds of the band's contemporaries--in these cases, Marilyn
Manson and Daft Punk, respectively--but their doing so seems rooted in clever reclamation of new
wave sounds appropriated by current artists. In making angular, passionate, and hypnotic music,
the Faint are not out to give a history lesson but rather to move a languorous generation of indie
kids. And whether mentally or physically or both, Danse Macabre will do just that. --Sarah A. Sternau
CD: Wet From Birth - The follow-up to 2001's "Danse Macabre" is the band's most
feverish and intense work to date. The old saying goes that if you pretend to be something long
enough, you'll eventually become it. If this is true, then the men of the Faint must have spent a lot of
time between their rocking debut album, Media, and their third full-length, Danse Macabre,
practicing their Duran Duran, Cure, and Depeche Mode impressions. In the process, they have
become all that is, was, and probably ever shall be good about new wave music, combining arty
electronics with smart social commentary to create an album that is sublime in its ability to recall
more goth-rock times while still coming across as entirely original. Songs such as "Posed to
Death" and "The Conductor" take on sounds of the band's contemporaries--in these cases, Marilyn
Manson and Daft Punk, respectively--but their doing so seems rooted in clever reclamation of new
wave sounds appropriated by current artists. In making angular, passionate, and hypnotic music,
the Faint are not out to give a history lesson but rather to move a languorous generation of indie
kids. And whether mentally or physically or both, Danse Macabre will do just that. --Sarah A. Sternau
Flaming Lips
CD: Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots - As these dimpled moptops from
Oklahoma grow pepper-bearded and transform into wizened elder statesmen of sonic adventuring,
the heartfelt candy of their loving bubblegum stretches ever longer into echoing soundscapes. If
Radiohead are halfway to becoming U2, the Flaming Lips are nine-tenths of the way to pop nirvana.
Hardly a song on Yoshimi isn't resonated, echoed, and reverberated--floating the listener higher
until they have the ultimate bird's-eye view of what makes a great band tick. As with any album by
the band, it's hard not to imagine parades and a sky filled with helium balloons while you listen to
any of it--in this case, the party is enhanced brilliantly by digital filters and silver shimmering asides.
The most immediate songs, like "One More Robot (3000-21)," are digital (almost trip-hop) dance
numbers that lift the band out of the cornfields and into the loopy land of Björk. Little surprise, then,
that the band are already following up this majestic splash of gummy bear brilliance by recording a
CD with kids' TV show host Steve from Blue's Clues. It's like Woodstock meets Snoopy! --Ian
Christe
CD: Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots - As these dimpled moptops from
Oklahoma grow pepper-bearded and transform into wizened elder statesmen of sonic adventuring,
the heartfelt candy of their loving bubblegum stretches ever longer into echoing soundscapes. If
Radiohead are halfway to becoming U2, the Flaming Lips are nine-tenths of the way to pop nirvana.
Hardly a song on Yoshimi isn't resonated, echoed, and reverberated--floating the listener higher
until they have the ultimate bird's-eye view of what makes a great band tick. As with any album by
the band, it's hard not to imagine parades and a sky filled with helium balloons while you listen to
any of it--in this case, the party is enhanced brilliantly by digital filters and silver shimmering asides.
The most immediate songs, like "One More Robot (3000-21)," are digital (almost trip-hop) dance
numbers that lift the band out of the cornfields and into the loopy land of Björk. Little surprise, then,
that the band are already following up this majestic splash of gummy bear brilliance by recording a
CD with kids' TV show host Steve from Blue's Clues. It's like Woodstock meets Snoopy! --Ian
Christe
Golden Smog
CD: Another Fine Day - Jeff Tweedy might carry the name recognition, but the rest of
his band-on-the-side carries the mail on the fourth release from this Midwest all-star group.
Though the Wilco leader teams with the Jayhawks' Gary Louris on a pair of nimble pop songs--the
elegantly strummed "Listen Joe" and Kinks cover "Strangers"--it's Louris who's clearly at the head
of the class with self-assured vocals ("Another Fine Day," "Think About Yourself"), lush harmonies
("Long Time Ago") and those unmistakable guitar leads ("Frying Pan Eyes"). Soul Asylum guitarist
Dan Murphy's obligatory rocker "Hurricane" is a high point, as is the album's lead track "You Make It
Easy," which has Kraig Johnson warbling over a thumping piano lead and chunky fuzz guitar. But
most welcome among the 15 songs are two contributions from Louris's fellow Jayhawk Marc
Perlman: the refreshing "Corvette" and "Cure for This," a '60s-speckled pop song sung by Muni
Loco, the wife of producer Paco Loco and the first female to grace a recording by Golden Smog.
--Scott Holter
CD: Another Fine Day - Jeff Tweedy might carry the name recognition, but the rest of
his band-on-the-side carries the mail on the fourth release from this Midwest all-star group.
Though the Wilco leader teams with the Jayhawks' Gary Louris on a pair of nimble pop songs--the
elegantly strummed "Listen Joe" and Kinks cover "Strangers"--it's Louris who's clearly at the head
of the class with self-assured vocals ("Another Fine Day," "Think About Yourself"), lush harmonies
("Long Time Ago") and those unmistakable guitar leads ("Frying Pan Eyes"). Soul Asylum guitarist
Dan Murphy's obligatory rocker "Hurricane" is a high point, as is the album's lead track "You Make It
Easy," which has Kraig Johnson warbling over a thumping piano lead and chunky fuzz guitar. But
most welcome among the 15 songs are two contributions from Louris's fellow Jayhawk Marc
Perlman: the refreshing "Corvette" and "Cure for This," a '60s-speckled pop song sung by Muni
Loco, the wife of producer Paco Loco and the first female to grace a recording by Golden Smog.
--Scott Holter
The Good, The Bad & The Queen
CD: The Good, The Bad & The Queen - Standard UK pressing of the debut
album from Britpop super group. The Good, The Bad And The Queen is a new album featuring
Damon Albarn (Blur/Gorillaz), Paul Simonon (The Clash), Tony Allen (Africa 70/Fela Kuti) and
Simon Tong (The Verve). The Good, The Bad and The Queen began life in the Aphrodisia Studios
in Nigeria in 2004 and traces a journey from the English music hall tradition, over to West Africa for
Afrobeat, zigzagging through the West Indies and its reggae and dub, back to England and
London's punk scene, all the while taking in a strand of British beat music from the '50s right
through to Britpop. Produced by Brian ‘Danger Mouse’ Burton.
CD: The Good, The Bad & The Queen - Standard UK pressing of the debut
album from Britpop super group. The Good, The Bad And The Queen is a new album featuring
Damon Albarn (Blur/Gorillaz), Paul Simonon (The Clash), Tony Allen (Africa 70/Fela Kuti) and
Simon Tong (The Verve). The Good, The Bad and The Queen began life in the Aphrodisia Studios
in Nigeria in 2004 and traces a journey from the English music hall tradition, over to West Africa for
Afrobeat, zigzagging through the West Indies and its reggae and dub, back to England and
London's punk scene, all the while taking in a strand of British beat music from the '50s right
through to Britpop. Produced by Brian ‘Danger Mouse’ Burton.
Hem
CD: Funnel Cloud - It might sound like a backhanded compliment to say Hem makes
lite-rock with a country twist. But before you conjure up images of Phil Collins with a cowboy hat,
let's clarify by saying the New York band essentially picks up where the Cowboy Junkies left
off--crafting intimate southern songs that unfold with quiet dignity over a bed of strings, pedal-steel
guitars and restrained piano flourishes. That's more like it. Besides, in Sally Ellyson, the group has
a singer whose clear, sweet voice can't help but make even the most overcast song sound oddly
beautiful. If only "I'll Dream Of You Tonight" and "Too Late To Turn Back Now" could be the
soundtrack to every waiting room people would actually look forward to that next root canal. --Aidin
Vaziri
CD: Funnel Cloud - It might sound like a backhanded compliment to say Hem makes
lite-rock with a country twist. But before you conjure up images of Phil Collins with a cowboy hat,
let's clarify by saying the New York band essentially picks up where the Cowboy Junkies left
off--crafting intimate southern songs that unfold with quiet dignity over a bed of strings, pedal-steel
guitars and restrained piano flourishes. That's more like it. Besides, in Sally Ellyson, the group has
a singer whose clear, sweet voice can't help but make even the most overcast song sound oddly
beautiful. If only "I'll Dream Of You Tonight" and "Too Late To Turn Back Now" could be the
soundtrack to every waiting room people would actually look forward to that next root canal. --Aidin
Vaziri
Hem
CD: No Word From Tom - Do you like plaintive, moody, smart country-rock with
gorgeous, strong female vocals? Hell, who doesn't? Since the heyday of the Cowboy Junkies or
Mazzy Star, no other artist has plowed this fertile field so thoroughly. Hem's third album in their
five-year career may be an odds and sods collection of rarities and covers, but it has a real, solid
cohesion, thanks to the group's very apt grasp of atmospheric Americana. This is NPR rock at its
best; it's tasteful and smart but never too edgy or weird. Their swell cover of "A Rainy Night in
Georgia," for instance, is just the sort of song you want to have playing in your convertible as you
snake through back roads late at night on an aimless roadtrip. --Mike McGonigal
CD: No Word From Tom - Do you like plaintive, moody, smart country-rock with
gorgeous, strong female vocals? Hell, who doesn't? Since the heyday of the Cowboy Junkies or
Mazzy Star, no other artist has plowed this fertile field so thoroughly. Hem's third album in their
five-year career may be an odds and sods collection of rarities and covers, but it has a real, solid
cohesion, thanks to the group's very apt grasp of atmospheric Americana. This is NPR rock at its
best; it's tasteful and smart but never too edgy or weird. Their swell cover of "A Rainy Night in
Georgia," for instance, is just the sort of song you want to have playing in your convertible as you
snake through back roads late at night on an aimless roadtrip. --Mike McGonigal
Isolée
CD: We are Monster - There are elements of house, blues, rock, jungle, hip-hop,
electro, and disco, but no track ever quite fulfills any of those genres; the only consistent elements
are how dark, stripped-down, and incredibly catchy it all is. You can sit and focus on this music, you
can use it as a background while you're reading, you can use it to get yourself pumped up at the
gym. It's nothing if not versatile. Highly recommended, particularly for Aphex, Amon Tobin, and Luke
Vibert fans.
CD: We are Monster - There are elements of house, blues, rock, jungle, hip-hop,
electro, and disco, but no track ever quite fulfills any of those genres; the only consistent elements
are how dark, stripped-down, and incredibly catchy it all is. You can sit and focus on this music, you
can use it as a background while you're reading, you can use it to get yourself pumped up at the
gym. It's nothing if not versatile. Highly recommended, particularly for Aphex, Amon Tobin, and Luke
Vibert fans.
