Forum Klix.ba

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This re-release was praised by the likes of Rolling Stone, Spin, URB, Blender, and more as "...utterly beyond anything heard to date." Playful, twisted, psychedelic, sampledelic, delirious, and infectious, it's the sound of six men who spent most of adolescence rummaging through bargain bins in Melbourne's record shops, constructing their own post-modern disco-pop amalgam from rubbish 50's rejects and saccharine 60's pap. Also available domestically for the first time on 180 gram double vinyl. 

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After the pastoral pop of Finally We Are No One, Múm returned with Summer Make Good, which continues the more organic-sounding trend of the group's previous album, but with a darker and more theatrical feel than any of their other work. "Hu Hviss - a Ship" lasts scarcely more than a minute, but it signals the rest of the album's spooky beauty with a soundscape of wind, creaking wood, and what might as well be whale songs. The album has a sense of drama that is a welcome addition to Múm's sound, especially on "Weeping Rock, Rock," a slow-building epic that makes the most of the electronic-meets-symphonic sound that the band has forged since Yesterday Was Dramatic - Today Is OK. The song's brass, powerful but intricate drums, and focus on Kristín Anna Valtýsdóttir's distinctive, childlike voice won't diminish the comparisons between Múm and Björk, especially since Múm have made vocals a bigger part of their music with each release. However, Múm's music is more organic and delicate than Björk's is, and Valtýsdóttir's voice is far more ethereal and diffuse. Indeed, her singing is so delicate that the group's decision to emphasize it doesn't always lead to immediately compelling results. That's not to say tracks such as "The Ghosts You Draw on My Back" aren't lovely, but instrumental pieces like the Broadcast-esque "Away" and "Stir," which sounds like eddies of wind chasing each other, tend to be more arresting on first listen. The songs that use Valtýsdóttir's voice as another instrument, including the return to Yesterday Was Dramatic - Today Is OK-style electronica of "Sing Me Out the Window," also work well. Summer Make Good's melancholy lifts a bit in the middle of the album on the angel-spun "Island of Children's Children," a gorgeous song that takes the joyful feeling of Finally We Are No One and multiplies it by ten. It makes the song an even sharper contrast to the rest of the album's gentle sadness, which peaks on "Oh, How the Boat Drifts" and the eerily lovely "Will the Summer Make Good for All of Sins?." Summer Make Good may be Múm's quietest and most impressionistic album yet; what they're able to do with silence and near-silence is impressive, particularly on the serene, softly rounded "Nightly Cares" and "Abandoned Ship Bells," which drifts the album to a close. Its quietness and moodiness make Summer Make Good Múm's most demanding album, but also, fortunately, a rewarding one too.

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 If one needs a compelling introduction to the emotional gravitas that too often gets overlooked in fashion-obsessed indie and modern rock circles, this largely introspective song-score compilation may be just the ticket. Like its spiritual '04 twin, Garden State, it's a collection that eschews attitude for mature reflection via expected contributors like The Shins, Stereophonics and Mazzy Star, an oblique, obligatory cover or two (Postal Service's seductive reworking of Phil Collins' "Against All Odds"; Jackson Browne's "These Days" in an alt.pretty take by Mates of State) yet achieves other compelling moments from newcomers (the straightforward torchiness of Jaime Wyatt's "Light Switch") and veterans (Johnette Napolitano and Danny Lohner's stark, gritty acoustic reworking of Coldplay's "Scientist") alike. Other standouts range from the hip, hypno-spacey murk of "We Have a Map of the Piano" by Mum to the crafty, Beatle-esque pop of Lifehouse's "Everybody is Someone."

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Not content with the unprecedented international success of their last remix project, the team behind "Always Outsiders, Never Outdone", the unofficial Prodigy Remixed album, have only gone and done it again. This time the Chemical Brothers latest album "Push the Button" gets the remix treatment.

The DJs behind "Flip the Switch" see the remix album as a natural part of the evolution of UK dance music. In a recent interview, Ed was quoted as saying "We used to make cut-ups or DJ mixes for ourselves to play. Bootleg culture isn't a new thing. It's something people do - take snatches from other people's records and make a DJ mix."

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Musicologists looking for evidence of Neil Young's connection with the avant-garde likes of Sonic Youth need look no further than this uncompromising soundtrack to Jim Jarmusch's film Dead Man--the first post-punk western to make any sense at all. The music here is scattered and fragmentary, and performed mainly on electric guitar. Though Young's instrumental musings work well in the film, this soundtrack album will be of interest mostly to hardcore Young fanatics (for whom the feedback epic of "Weld" was too brief). The film's most accessible piece of music came during the opening credits, with Young blending acoustic and electric guitars to great dramatic effect. Unfortunately, it's not on this CD. 

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Robert Cray adds a bit more soul to the mix on this album, which features the Memphis Horns most prominently. Most of the songs are Cray doing what Cray does best--slow, soulful, done-me-wrong (or, alternatively, I-done-wrong) songs chock full of great guitar. No complaints there, and when he adds a bit of vocal growl here and there, as on the album opener "The Forecast (Calls for Pain)" (also featuring some excellent bass from Richard Cousins), and the slow shuffle "Holdin' Court," it keeps things interesting. This album indicates a slight shift in Cray's direction; although he's always included a touch of soul in his blues, here it's more pronounced than before, a tendency he continued in subsequent recordings.
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This album was honed by months on the road. By now the Memphis Horns receive star billing and achieve a perfect marriage with Cray's sound. Original members Peter Boe and David Olson are gone, and new keyboardist Jimmy Pugh favors a Hammond B-3 organ over synthesizers, a welcome move. Second guitarist Tim Kahaitsu offers interesting interplay with Cray. Also, Cray finally pushes his vocals over the edge. Highlights are "Bouncin' Back" and "Consequences."

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At the time of this Chicago performance in late 1966, King's popularity among blacks had ebbed and white rock 'n' roll fans were beginning to notice him. Still, his long-faithful fans in the club spur him on, even during a few tunes not worth his examination (notably "Tired of Your Jive" and "Night Life"). The house sound system and mid-1960s engineering let him 

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The reissue of this 1990 live set by B.B. King represents a virtual best hits set for the pleasure of a very captive audience. The universal appeal of King and his seven piece band is clearly evident as he plys his way through a set that contains nothing but the incredible playing he is known for. The San Quentin set represents one of his best live recordings, and this even contains an added studio take on "Peace To The World". 
Putting his spin to covers from Fats Domino and others and a couple of his own , B.B., as always, gives up the lead vocal and guitar. His stinging, stacattoed notation keeps Lucille working hard. This is a very lively, high-paced set that pushes right through the tunes (with obvious editing). Eugene Carrier is the keyboardist heard throughout, and Walter King is the music director and sax man. Bassist Michael Doster and drummer Calep Emphrey keep the engine running, while Leon Warren applies the rhythm guitar action. The other horn men are trumpeter James Bolden and Edgar Synigal at the other saxophone post. 

For the fans of King, this is great material for the archives; for new listeners, too, this is a bomb collection of B.B.'s typical live show material; grand taste for sure. There is a noticeable rock slant to this set that reflects that era of B.B.'s touring; songs like "Let The Good Times Roll", "Rock Me Baby", Fats' "Whole Lotta Loving", and "Sweet Sixteen" pace forward with quick tempos. Blues slide slower on tender tunes like "Sweet Little Angel", "The Thrill Is Gone", and "Ain't Nobody's Bizness". Lesser known numbers like "Into The Night" and Peace To The World" make an added bonus to this classic collection. This is a fine reissue reflecting premium B.B. King guitar and vocals. Don't miss out! 

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With a regular American deal in place for the first time ever, thanks to 4AD's linkup with the WEA conglomerate, Dead Can Dance made a splash on commercial alternative radio with "The Ubiquitous Mr. Lovegrove," the first single from Into the Labyrinth. Raga drones, a strange clattering beat, a haunting wind instrument, orchestral shading, and Perry's ever-grand voice make it one of the more unlikely things to be heard on the airwaves in a while. It all begins with yet another jaw-dropper from Gerrard, "Yulunga (Spirit Dance)," with keyboards and her octave-defying voice at such a deep, rich level that it sweeps all before it. Wordless as always but never without emotional heft, the song slowly slides into a slow but heavy percussion piece that sounds a bit like "Bird" from A Passage in Time, but with greater impact and memorability. As the album slowly unwinds over an hour's length, the two again create a series of often astounding numbers that sound like they should be millennia old, mixing and matching styles to create new fusions. Perhaps even more impressive is that everything was performed solely by Perry and Gerrard — no outside guests here, and yet everything is as detailed, lush, and multifaceted as many of their past albums. New classics from the band appear almost track for track: Gerrard's a cappella work on "The Wind That Shakes the Barley," the gentle beauty of "Ariadne," the rhythmic drive and chants of the title song. The conclusion is a slightly surprising but quite successful cover — "How Fortunate the Man With None," an adaptation of a classic Bertolt Brecht tune about the turn of fortune's wheel. Given a restrained arrangement and Perry's singing, it brings Labyrinth to a satisfying end. 

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1. Suite pee
2. Know
3. Sugar
4. Suggestions
5. Spiders
6. Devil
7. Soil
8. War
9. Mind
10. Peephole
11. Cubert
12. Darts
13. P.L.U.C.K 

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Though it's a bit less intentionally noisy than previous Neubaten material, ½ Mensch is, in a way, the group's masterpiece. The inspired use of such "traditional" instruments as a grand piano alongside the band's characteristic blazing percussion make for a record similar more to their compositional influences like Stockhausen than their nearest contemporaries, Throbbing Gristle or Cabaret Voltaire. The record that showed Einstürzende Neubaten could rise above the concept of noise for its own sake to reach another level of noise-oriented post-punk music, ½ Mensch is an excellent feat of industrial music. 

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The Decemberists are, collectively, the gift that just keeps on giving. After spending the better part of 2004 on tour, these hardworking Oregonians are heading out on a mission to conquer Europe (it couldn't possibly be that hard)-- and, perhaps more importantly, have finalized the release date for their third full-length in as many years, now titled Picaresque (an adjective meaning, "of or involving clever rogues or adventurers"). That release date is March 22nd via Kill Rock Stars. Frontman Colin Meloy was kind enough to give Pitchfork the down and dirty.

Decemberists fans are no strangers to the wide-ranging cast of characters in Meloy's songs-- previous albums have featured extended tales of, for example, Chinese trapeze artists, lonely legionarres, masturbatory voyeurs, and chimney (or is it chimbley?) sweeps. The new album would seem to continue the tradition, as Meloy says, "The record is more ambitious and dynamic than anything we've done to date; subject matter includes, but is not limited to, Portland male prostitutes, Spanish child princesses, Cold War spies, joint suicides, injured soccer players, the ghost of a dead barrow boy, a mourning sea-widow, politico celebrities and cannibals." And that's not all! "A shining moment of the record will no doubt be the 8½ minute long 'Mariner's Revenge Song', which is, in essence, the monologue of a man who has been swallowed by a whale and has there met his arch-nemesis. Hi-jinx ensue."

In addition, it would seem that-- at least for the front cover of Picaresque-- The Decemberists are forgoing the Carson Ellis illustrations that have decorated all of their releases thus far: "Even though the advent of digitized music has eroded the place of album art in contemporary pop, we're spending two days at a theater in Portland doing a photo shoot for the record cover which will involve Chris Funk in a foam tree costume."

For those of you not living in Europe, you should really consider moving: It's fucking beautiful. However, if you're stuck stateside, you'll still get the chance to catch the band on tour, as they're planning an extensive national trek through March, April, and May of 2005. Meloy says he's also planning a solo tour of the west coast in January, which should see him hitting Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. For now, Euro dates:

11-03 Amsterdam, Netherlands - Paradiso *
11-04 Paris, France - Elysee Montmarte *
11-05 Santander, Spain - Tanned Tin Festival
11-06 Santander, Spain - Tanned Tin Festival
11-08 Berlin, Germany - Kesselhaus *
11-09 Cologne, Germany - Kantine *
11-10 Hamburg, Germany - Grosse Freiheit 36 *
11-12 London, England - Shepherd's Bush Empire *
11-13 Cambridge, England - Legends
11-14 Manchester, England - Night and Day
11-15 London, England - London School of Economics
11-18 Rome, Italy - Circolo degli Artisti
11-19 Bologna, Italy - Covo Club
11-20 Florence, Italy - Auditorium Flog
11-22 Rotterdam, Netherlands - Rotown
11-23 Utrecht, Netherlands - Ekko