Nouvelle Vague
Bande a Part
Peacefrog
Nouvelle Vague is a novel concept. The first album was largely acoustic bossa nova covers of often obscure new wave (get it? "Nouvelle Vague" means New Wave in French) tunes, sung by a selection of women who had never heard the original versions. While this made for an interesting experiment, the album lacked that thing that makes covers so wonderful: a feeling of familiarity. On Bande a Part, the songs are closer to their originals, so that Echo and the Bunnymen's "The Killing Moon" is instantly recognizable, as is "Dancing With Myself" (Billy Idol) and "Heart of Glass" (Blondie). The songs that work the best are, oddly enough, the songs that were originally all electronic. New Order's dance floor workout "Confusion" and Heaven 17's histrionic "Let Me Go" sound perfect when recast as Parisian cafe laments. But the real gem is Bauhaus' "Bela Lugosi's Dead," which manages to keep all the dread and still sound sexy. -Douglas Adams
Phoenix
It's Never Been Like That
Astralwerks
Every couple of years the French band Phoenix tosses out a great album full of catchy, inventive pop songs. Each time I think to myself, now's the time when the world will realize what a grand band Phoenix is. And then: nothing. Well, if the world's not willing to listen, I guess that's the world's loss, because this band just keeps getting better and better. It's Never Been Like That is Phoenix's "rock" record, with a much more self-consciously garage sound than their last studio album, the blue-eyed soul-heavy Alphabetical. "Napoleon Says" kicks things off right, with a pounding, Doves-like drumbeat. Guitars are front and center like never before, especially on "Consolation Prizes" and "Sometimes in the Fall," but it's all unmistakably Phoenix. And catchy. In a better world, "Rally" and first single "Long Distance Call" would be blasting from every car window from here to Tokyo. But alas.-Douglas Adams
Various Artists
Perfect Playlist Workout Vol. 1
Robbins Entertainment
The iPod and iTunes are great. No arguments there. But what's with that annoying pause between tracks? Did the geniuses at Apple figure that no one would ever want to digitize a DJ mix? Necessity is the mother of invention, so instead of a decent DJ mix hack we get the Perfect Playlist series, non-mixed compilations of club hits marketed specifically to the iPod generation (the distinctive white headphones on the cover art are a dead giveaway). Perfect Playlist Workout is a vocal-heavy affair, kicking off with Narcotic Thrust's "I Like It" and touching on DJ Sammy's Bryan Adams-covering "Heaven" and Cascada's "Miracle." If you can't already tell, the CD is chock full of pop trance, but there's the occasional house track as well. Even Jaydee's perennial "Plastic Dreams" makes an appearance. If what you want is a good workout selection, look no further, but if you've already got a few dance comps like this, you may end up with multiple copies of the same song. But that's what playlists are for, right? -Douglas Adams
Darc Mind
Symptomatic of a Greater Ill
Anticon
Press play and a wide, unadorned beatscape pulls you back to 1995, a time when DJ Premier and Pete Rock ruled from the mountaintop. Their presence here looms large, but this is no retro lovefest. Originally recorded between '95-'97, this forgotten gem of NYC hip-hop now surfaces thanks to Oakland's Anticon label. At first glance, Symptomatic swings with moody confidence. Producer X-Ray's competence with an MPC and James Brown hook is unquestioned. But in context, it's a new work that further illuminates that time when Public Enemy and Rakim made way for the Biggie/Jigga era. -Dan Frio
DJ Logic
Zen of Logic
Rope-A-Dope
It'll be shame if Zen's follow-up to 2002's The Anamoly falls only on the ears of a small but rabid turntablist audience. Logic's musical depth and sensitivity leaps years ahead of most wikky-wikky craftsmen, no doubt a factor in landing contributions from serious musos like John Medeski and Charlie Hunter. On my Fantasy DJ Softball team, Logic bats third, behind Shadow and ahead of Krush. Opening with a burst of frenetic live drums recalling the Chemical Brothers, Zen quickly drops into sixth-gear open highway speeds. "Afro Beat" (with Antibalas horns) is an electric slice of cut/fade/scratch, while "Something Distant" chills with Middle Eastern spice. -Dan Frio
Various Artists
Lagos All Routes
Honest Jon's
So you got curious about Afrobeat music, checked out a little Fela Kuti and liked it, did ya? You could continue (and we advise) building up your Fela stock, but for a deeper look, try this record and/or its companion set, Lagos Chop Up. The 15 tracks here graze on the Afrobeat sound popularized by Kuti, but also pull in earlier African pop forms - juju, highlife, apala - to illustrate just how mega Nigeria's influence has been on African music. Ebenezer Obey's 11-minute opening jam unfurls a map that includes everything from scratchy tribal exhortations to the honey-sweet singing guitar lines that underpin the South African sound. -Dan Frio