This month we review CDs from Meat Beat Manifesto, Seth Knappen, Boyd Tinsley, Bad Boys II -- The Soundtrack, The Flaming Lips, Seksu Roba and Global Indie Clubpop! Par Avion.
Artist: Meat Beat Manifesto
Title: Storm The Studio R.M.X.S.
Label: Tino Corp.
Rating: 4
Meat Beat Manifesto's debut LP, Storm the Studio, was a milestone for electronic dance music. Part industrial, part hip-hop, and part noise, it helped set the tone for a generation to follow. Many of those influenced by MBM's annihilating rhythms come together on this remix full-length to pay homage. Thankfully, most of the artists -- DJ Spooky, DJ Swamp, Jonah Sharp -- keep the freaky noise intact, adding to the original, rather than merely wiping away and starting over. The result is a challenging and funky mix of tributes and re-interpretations. --Douglas Adams
Artist: Seth Knappen
Title: Leaving Sound
Label: Future Appletree
Rating: 4 1/2
For an album in which not very much happens -- synth drones move woozily along, a guitar is slowly strummed, a man sings almost somnambulistically -- Seth Knappen's Leaving Sound is a sweeping arc of emotion. Recorded with Low's Alan Sparhawk, Leaving Sound is the kind of record that grabs you immediately and just takes you away. "Tumbling" is delicate like a newborn baby, its piano flourishes tentative and unsure, while the extended "Out of Sight" is a slow-motion journey through the dreamtime. Although you could place references to '70s German drone merchants Popol Vuh as well as This Mortal Coil and perhaps Tim Buckley, this is an utterly unique album, out of time and living in its own little space. Beautiful and essential. --Douglas Adams
Artist: Boyd Tinsley
Title: True Reflections
Label: Bama Rags/RCA/BMG
Rating: 2 1/2
Fiddlin' around for years with Dave Matthews Band, Boyd Tinsley must have made a lot of friends. I say this because True Reflections isn't the type of album that would normally draw so many talented studio musicians and even a few household names like Doyle Bramhall II and Dave Matthews. Laid back, melodic and downright dreamy, Tinsley's band hardly breaks a sweat from track to track and doesn't come anywhere near the fusion-funk-fury of DMB. Still, Tinsley's debut solo album is musically solid if just a little repetitive. "It's Alright" and "Listen" are the standout tracks, with hooks aplenty and decent dynamics. I just kept wishing that Tinsley would stretch and get out of his mellow comfort zone. A cover of Neil Young's "Cinnamon Girl" could have been a great opportunity to remake this classic tune into a folksy, violin-soaked stomper but instead we get a karaoke-copy of the original. The title song was the only time I heard Doyle Bramhall's Les Paul really wind up. Bottom line: Boyd Tinsley has made a harmless "chick movie" for your ears. --Jute Wilson
Artist: Various Artists
Title: Bad Boys II -- The Soundtrack
Label: Bad Boy Records
Rating: 1 1/2
You have to wonder if P. Diddy was chosen to executive produce this soundtrack because his label shares names with the film title. You also have to wonder why a compilation album has almost as many executive producers as it does artists. For the most part, this album is indicative of why (to paraphrase DJ Shadow) hip-hop sucks in 2003. Soundalike beats, boring flow, and the occasional R&B chanteuse keep this strictly radio. Even heavyweights like Jay-Z and Beyonce fall flat. And while radio hip-hop ain't all bad -- Timbaland can still make a mean beat -- most of the stuff here wouldn't even make a Clear Channel playlist. --Douglas Adams
Artist: The Flaming Lips
Title: Fight Test
Label: Warner Bros.
Rating: 4
For those of you who just can't get enough of The Flaming Lips, Fight Test, the follow-up to the band's smash Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots, makes a nice extension. The seven-song CD has a new version of the fun and poppy (but strangely mellow) track "Fight Test," along with an awesome, newly remixed dance version of "Do You Realize?" Ignore the Kylie Minogue cover, "Can't Get You Out of My Head," and skip straight to the whimsical "Thank You Jack White." Good, decent ear candy. Not the best intro CD for a Lips virgin, but essential for any long-time Lips fan's collection. --Ella Ngo
Artist: Seksu Roba
Title: Pleasure Vibrations
Label: Eenie Meenie Records
Rating: 3
Artist:Various Artists
Title:Global Indie Clubpop! Par Avion
Label:Eenie Meenie Records
Rating:4
The world is getting smaller. Just ask Par Avion, the jet-setting club night that travels the world in search of delicious, sweet-as-candy pop. Twelve of its favorites are gathered on the Global Indie Clubpop! Par Avion CD, and it's all pretty happening. From Hong Kong to Madrid, lounge-exotica to indie rock, it's all here and it's all good. Seksu Roba, an LA-based electronca duo, is featured on the comp, and also has its own album out, Pleasure Vibrations. This is the kind of music that we'll all be listening to when the future promised by anime like Cowboy Bebop comes to pass: sexy, slinky, and a little android-dirty. --Douglas Adams