MUSIC ZONE K D Lang — Watershed (NS) Saurabh & Gaurav
After a hiatus
since her 2000 release Invincible Summer, K D Lang is
back with a set of remarkably rich, reflective and complex
original compositions that she also produced herself. Lang wrote
most of this material with some of the same collaborators who
back her in the studio, notably bassist David Piltch, guitarist
Ben Mink and pianist-organist Teddy Borowiecki, who also wrote
the string arrangements. Comin’ Home opens with a
sparse, slightly jaunty pluck of strings, and Lang simply croons
right into them: "Oh, sweet sorrow/ Let's write the book
tomorrow/ For I caught a glimpse/ Been obsessed with it ever
since/ My eyes no longer weak amongst the clarity that you
pronounce in me`85." Flame of the Uninspired covers
much territory in a modest amount of time. The tune begins with
the faint sound of a beating heart and reveals Lang’s acute
insight into her own. Her self-analytical, self-critical lyrics
are among the most poetic in the album. Close Your Eyes
is a delicate lullaby that offers solace and security in the
roomy confines of Lang's sturdy yet restrained voice. Lang’s
voice is the dominant hue in a kaleidoscope of sounds in
Watershed, illustrated to wonderful effect throughout the album.
Best track: Close
Your Eyes
Worst track:
Upstream
Rating: ***
Scarface —
M.A.D.E. (Asylum)
Starting in the
late 1980s with the Geto Boys, Brad Jordan, better known as
Scarface, helped establish a narrative tradition alongside the
club tracks that used to define Southern hip-hop. Linking up
with longtime producers Mike Dean, John Bido, and Tone Capone, M.A.D.E.
incorporates a more traditional southern feel, similar to the
earlier releases. The thick syrupy basslines and robust drum
patterns give freedom to manifest that signature Scarface sound.
He keeps up the steady stream of quality tracks with Who Do
You Believe In — an introspective track. In Big Dog
Status, he preaches the younger generation to stop worrying
about the price tag of their ride and start thinking about what
it takes to stay in the game for life. Boy Meets Girl is
a symbolic narrative about the dangers of drugs. Lastly, The
Suicide Note helps to further root the album in reality.
Scarface scribes his last story in the album with a curious
choice of imagery. Face has developed a unique form, enabling
him to tackle such issues, and flex his muscles in an inspiring
way.
Best track:
Big Dog Status
Worst track: Dollar
Rating: ***
Putumayo
Presents Tango Around The World — Various Artists (World
Music)
Tango music,
which was one of the first great global dance crazes, was born
in Argentina and is inextricably linked with the history and
soul of that country. But, having spread across the planet
nearly a hundred years ago, it has had ample opportunity to
gestate elsewhere, and it is no surprise that a collection of
modern tango music that spans the globe would yield such rich
results. To be sure, Argentina is well represented by artists
such as Hugo Diaz, Federico Aubele and Florencia Bonadeo, but
the sampling of songs from other nations such as Serbia,
Senegal, Norway and Portugal will be both revelatory as well as
rewarding. Finland, one of the great European strongholds of
tango, has its own distinct tango style and is represented here
by the single Kangastus performed by M.A. Numminen and
Sanna Pietiainen, while Brazil, a neighbouring country that
resisted the pull of tango in favour of its own, home-grown
samba, contributes a fine song as well, Tango Ishede, by
Fortuna. The prominent numbers are Dimba by Ousmane Toure,
Pena by Federico Aubele and Estrela Da Tarde by
Liana. Tango fans will enjoy this set, as will newcomers who may
welcome the way these crossovers and variations often dilute the
innate severity of the genre. As with many of Putumayo's best
collections, this is both a fine album as well as a signpost for
deeper exploration of many fine artists who would otherwise be
far from our radar.
Best track:
Kangastus
Misfit:
Gipsy Tango
Rating: **
Album
of the month
The Mars Volta —
The Bedlam In Goliath (Universal)
The
Bedlam in Goliath is the fourth full-length studio release
from The Mars Volta, the eclectic vehicle founded by
vocalist/lyricist Cedric Bixler-Zavala and
guitarist/composer Omar Rodr`EDguez-L`F3pez. The Mars
Volta sets out their stall as the most inventive band
exposed to today’s conventional audience. In the opener,
Aberinkula, no time is wasted in introducing the
scale of what will follow. Sound manipulations, energetic
jazz-metal clusters and elongated vocals peak and trough
in tempo and intensity to create a display of contemporary
progressive-rock madness. Wax Simulacra captures
all the best traits of The Mars Volta in a blinding two
and a half minutes with Ikey Owens’ keyboards spicing it
with mid-eastern flavour, while Juan Alderete’s
inventive bass gives it all the motion it needs to reach
its climax. The musical skills gained from Omar’s
immense personal forays into free-jazz and jazz-rock
fusion certainly shine through, but these have been
prolonged and contextualised into a prog-rock aesthetic,
which is what makes this such a mouth-watering outing.
After a hiatus
since her 2000 release Invincible Summer, K D Lang is
back with a set of remarkably rich, reflective and complex
original compositions that she also produced herself. Lang wrote
most of this material with some of the same collaborators who
back her in the studio, notably bassist David Piltch, guitarist
Ben Mink and pianist-organist Teddy Borowiecki, who also wrote
the string arrangements. Comin’ Home opens with a
sparse, slightly jaunty pluck of strings, and Lang simply croons
right into them: "Oh, sweet sorrow/ Let's write the book
tomorrow/ For I caught a glimpse/ Been obsessed with it ever
since/ My eyes no longer weak amongst the clarity that you
pronounce in me`85." Flame of the Uninspired covers
much territory in a modest amount of time. The tune begins with
the faint sound of a beating heart and reveals Lang’s acute
insight into her own. Her self-analytical, self-critical lyrics
are among the most poetic in the album. Close Your Eyes
is a delicate lullaby that offers solace and security in the
roomy confines of Lang's sturdy yet restrained voice. Lang’s
voice is the dominant hue in a kaleidoscope of sounds in
Watershed, illustrated to wonderful effect throughout the album.
Starting in the
late 1980s with the Geto Boys, Brad Jordan, better known as
Scarface, helped establish a narrative tradition alongside the
club tracks that used to define Southern hip-hop. Linking up
with longtime producers Mike Dean, John Bido, and Tone Capone, M.A.D.E.
incorporates a more traditional southern feel, similar to the
earlier releases. The thick syrupy basslines and robust drum
patterns give freedom to manifest that signature Scarface sound.
He keeps up the steady stream of quality tracks with Who Do
You Believe In — an introspective track. In Big Dog
Status, he preaches the younger generation to stop worrying
about the price tag of their ride and start thinking about what
it takes to stay in the game for life. Boy Meets Girl is
a symbolic narrative about the dangers of drugs. Lastly, The
Suicide Note helps to further root the album in reality.
Scarface scribes his last story in the album with a curious
choice of imagery. Face has developed a unique form, enabling
him to tackle such issues, and flex his muscles in an inspiring
way.
Tango music,
which was one of the first great global dance crazes, was born
in Argentina and is inextricably linked with the history and
soul of that country. But, having spread across the planet
nearly a hundred years ago, it has had ample opportunity to
gestate elsewhere, and it is no surprise that a collection of
modern tango music that spans the globe would yield such rich
results. To be sure, Argentina is well represented by artists
such as Hugo Diaz, Federico Aubele and Florencia Bonadeo, but
the sampling of songs from other nations such as Serbia,
Senegal, Norway and Portugal will be both revelatory as well as
rewarding. Finland, one of the great European strongholds of
tango, has its own distinct tango style and is represented here
by the single Kangastus performed by M.A. Numminen and
Sanna Pietiainen, while Brazil, a neighbouring country that
resisted the pull of tango in favour of its own, home-grown
samba, contributes a fine song as well, Tango Ishede, by
Fortuna. The prominent numbers are Dimba by Ousmane Toure,
Pena by Federico Aubele and Estrela Da Tarde by
Liana. Tango fans will enjoy this set, as will newcomers who may
welcome the way these crossovers and variations often dilute the
innate severity of the genre. As with many of Putumayo's best
collections, this is both a fine album as well as a signpost for
deeper exploration of many fine artists who would otherwise be
far from our radar.
The
Bedlam in Goliath is the fourth full-length studio release
from The Mars Volta, the eclectic vehicle founded by
vocalist/lyricist Cedric Bixler-Zavala and
guitarist/composer Omar Rodr`EDguez-L`F3pez. The Mars
Volta sets out their stall as the most inventive band
exposed to today’s conventional audience. In the opener,
Aberinkula, no time is wasted in introducing the
scale of what will follow. Sound manipulations, energetic
jazz-metal clusters and elongated vocals peak and trough
in tempo and intensity to create a display of contemporary
progressive-rock madness. Wax Simulacra captures
all the best traits of The Mars Volta in a blinding two
and a half minutes with Ikey Owens’ keyboards spicing it
with mid-eastern flavour, while Juan Alderete’s
inventive bass gives it all the motion it needs to reach
its climax. The musical skills gained from Omar’s
immense personal forays into free-jazz and jazz-rock
fusion certainly shine through, but these have been
prolonged and contextualised into a prog-rock aesthetic,
which is what makes this such a mouth-watering outing.
