R.E.M.: Reckoning [Deluxe Edition] CD review (Shockhound)

All too often with contemporary “remasters,” some bozo at the mastering studio thinks that “louder” equals “better” and does little with the album in his or her charge beyond simply spiking the levels. And although this remastered reissue of RECKONING provides a vast improvement in heft and volume over most previous editions, it’s almost shocking how much more spacious and warm this new digital iteration of the album is. Maybe it’s the rustic experimentalism of Don Dixon’s original production job coming through, or the fact that one can finally hear the deceptively intricate drumming of Bill Berry locked in with Mike Mills’ resonant bass lines (rather than just Stipe mumbling and Buck jangling), but this version of RECKONING finally gives R.E.M. circa 1984 sufficient breathing room. Even overplayed “hits” like “So. Central Rain (I’m Sorry)” and “(Don’t Go Back To) Rockville” reveal new dimensions, while album favorites like the haunting “Camera” and the still-inscrutable “7 Chinese Bros.” once again demand their share of attention. It goes without saying that this was the album that positioned R.E.M. for their launch out of the alternative underworld, with the band’s unique personality finally grafting itself onto 10 rock-solid songs, but it’s the bonus live album appended to this edition – recorded in Chicago on the RECKONING tour for a radio broadcast – that will blow your door off its hinges. From the first notes of “Femme Fatale” (who else could get away with starting a set with a Velvet Underground cover?) which explodes into a forceful take on “Radio Free Europe,” R.E.M. is just on fire; despite a bit of Stipe-being-Stipe here and there, the 17 tracks – evenly split between RECKONING and MURMUR – are relentless and raw, serving as a brisk reminder as to just how great this band once was.

First appeared June 23, 2009 at Shockhound.com.

Foreign Born: Person to Person CD review (Shockhound)

Much in the same way that Blitzen Trapper has managed to inject an indie sensibility into some rollicking roots-rock, L.A. combo Foreign Born evokes a unique vibe that involves grandiose arrangements, jittery melodrama and a folky, upbeat vibe. The 10 tunes on PERSON TO PERSON have a jaunty energy and warm joy that borders on rustic; Foreign Born, however, are clearly more enamored with bold arrangements and theatrical flourishes than with foot-stomping singalongs. Thus, PERSON TO PERSON emerges as a complex and compelling album that should appeal to beardos and weirdos alike. While a cut like “Winter Games” is propelled by circular guitar lines and rambunctious, clanging percussion, and the organic dynamism of “Blood Oranges” exposes Foreign Born’s more majestic tendencies (as well as vocalist Matt Popieluch’s clear admiration for Richard Ashcroft’s vocal work), other, more gentle numbers like “See Us Home” provide ample evidence of the group’s strength as songwriters. It’s on a track like “Vacationing People” where it all comes together, though; on that number, Foreign Born is both expansive and muted, using an array of instruments and atmospheres to put forth a delightfully straightforward and emotionally engaging tune that succeeds thanks to its innovation as well as its simple strengths.

First appeared June 23, 2009 at Shockhound.com.

God Help the Girl CD review (Shockhound)

The makings of GOD HELP THE GIRL were somewhat complex. Belle and Sebastian singer/songwriter Stuart Murdoch had a song – the title track – come to him one day while on a run. But as that particular song didn’t fit too tidily into the B&S oeuvre, he decided to build an album around it; not a solo album, per se, but more of a Brill Buildling best-singer-for-the-song sort of project. One song grew to several, and before he knew it, Murdoch not only had a clutch of songs, but also a connective storyline and the beginnings of a movie. While the film is still a work in progress, a full, conceptually-linked album has emerged, sung by female vocalists that Murdoch discovered while holding open auditions for the project. In other words, it is not a new Belle and Sebastian record, despite the fact that several B&S members – and two B&S songs – show up here. And though its origins were a bit convoluted, the sound on GOD HELP THE GIRL is beautifully straightforward. Managing to evoke both the frothiness of ’60s girl groups as well as lush, Sandie Shaw-style pop, Murdoch and his motley group of vocalists still somehow keep the material on GOD HELP THE GIRL from sounding like an historical homage and more like a modern take on breezy elegance.

First appeared June 23, 2009 at Shockhound.com.

Chali 2na: Fish Outta Water CD review (Shockhound)

The first track on FISH OUTTA WATER is called “Get Focused.” It’s not much more than a brief and funky, beats-and-rhymes intro to the album, but hearing it, one almost wonders how often Chali told himself those very words while getting this album ready. As he says in one verse, “It’s been a long time coming,” and indeed, FISH OUTTA WATER has finally emerged from its years-long status as hip-hop vaporware. Between the demise of Jurassic 5, a renewed alliance with Ozomatli and collaborations with everyone from Galactic and Roots Manuva to Linkin Park, it’s sometimes seemed like Chali’s spent the last few years working on everyone’s material but his own. But now, more than three years since the disc’s first single (“Don’t Stop,” with Anthony Hamilton) dropped, FISH OUTTA WATER miraculously manages to not only avoid sounding dated, but also stands up to the anticipation and hype that’s surrounded it. Thick with bouncing, funk-dripping and off-kilter West Coast beats (courtesy of Prince Paul, Cut Chemist, Scott Storch and others), FISH is equally heaving with guest spots from Talib Kweli, Damian & Stephen Marley, Beenie Man, and more; still, it’s nearly impossible to lose focus on Chali’s baritone rap style, which is as resonant as it is nimble. There are few rappers with voices as authoritative as Chali 2na’s, and with him shining from a platform of his very own, FISH turns out to have been more than worth the wait.

First appeared June 23, 2009 at Shockhound.com.

Occidental Brothers Dance Band International feature (Seattle Weekly)

The smooth and melodious groove on the Occidental Brothers Dance Band International’s debut album, Odo Sanbra, gives off a vintage vibe that belies the group’s true origins. While the sounds on the album are distinctly West African, Ghanaian to be exact, the band actually formed playing the clubs of modern-day Chicago. However, talking with the group’s founding member, guitarist Nathaniel Braddock, you don’t sense they’re trying to achieve any sort of NPR-ready version of authenticity.

Instead, the relaxed ease with which he and his bandmates peel off everything from traditional highlife songs like “Yaa Amponsah” and their own original compositions to a surprisingly intuitive (and irony-free) cover of New Order’s “Bizarre Love Triangle” is a testament to how much fun they’re having.

“I started the group as kind of a smallish combo that would play in clubs in more of a jazzy vein,” says Braddock. “We were going to play the old African songs and improvise on them; we weren’t going to play jazz, but we were going to take the style and improvise, and maybe some people would dance to it.

“The group started to be successful, and we played a show with a couple of African bands, and those guys were getting really excited by the repertoire we were playing. So we began to get more African musicians joining our group, starting with Kofi [Cromwell, singer and trumpet player]. It was really that early relationship with Kofi that sort of determined the direction that we went.”

Odo Sanbra, released this past April, does a great job of capturing the Occidental Brothers’ sound, but they’re constantly expanding the parameters of their music onstage. Plus, any group with “Dance Band” in their name better be ready to bring it live.

“Improvisation is definitely still a big part of [the live show]; we don’t get much of a chance to rehearse, so we’re always making up our arrangements,” Braddock says. “We’ll get a basic structure together, but we’ll make up the arrangements night to night. There’s a lot of stuff that we surprise each other with, and I think that keeps it exciting. We’re excited because there are always surprises and it’s very joyous in that way, and I think that comes through.”

First appeared June 23, 2009 in Seattle Weekly.