DJ Spooky That Subliminal Kid - "The Secret Song" CD

Suffice to say this is possibly DJ Spooky (aka Paul D. Miller)'s most fully realized and wide-reaching release in his already deep and extensive catalog. He's got collaborators from nearly every continent (and genre) at hand. The list alone is impressive: Thurston Moore, Jungle Brothers, Rob Swift, The Coup, Mike Ladd, Sussan Deyhim, Abdul Smooth, Vijay Iyer, Zimbabwe Legit, and more. But the star of the show is unquestionably DJ Spooky himself, who takes the material from these disparate sources and creates a worldly, wise, and hopeful travelogue that traverses the fringes of culture(s). "Dazed And Confused Dub" is a massive rock symphony. "Where I'm At" is forward-thinking hip-hop. "Heliocentric" is funky electro-jazz, and "Azadi" is full of smooth, sensual, Middle Eastern chants. And that's just a few of the 20 cuts here. DJ Spooky masterfully fuses the sounds of urban hip-hop, academic electronica, gritty rock, futuristic classical, musique concrete, and out-jazz, and in effect creates as close to a comprehensive modern-day pop music/sound collage as you're likely to hear this year. Or this century. Stunning and essential. (Thirsty Ear)

DJ Spooky's home

Shadowfost - "Essence // Mindscape" CD

From Italy comes this quartet who have a sound noticeably founded on black metal, but with an added technologically-curious thrash element. Like early Fear Factory, Shadowfost harness breakneck tempos, but add their own contemporary spin on the tired and overplayed death/thrash genre. Stellar production and dense layering of sounds (are those samples?) make this one a definite bass-bin boomer with a good amount of sound depth. "Fear Shaped World" is a winner, with a super-huge guitar and scathing vocals that remind me of Carcass (which several other tracks do, too). The drum sound is also notably huge and pummeling, and "Essence // Mindscape" is a fast and furious album of inhuman speed, intense drums, and hellish vocal torment. My complaint here is that the band so rarely change up tempos during the album's 30+ minutes. It's a strong showing for a debut, but without at least some book-ended ambient or atmospheric flourishes, this one's positively numbing, and ultimately forgettable. (ATMF)

Shadowfost website

Clifford Brown - "Sonny Rollins / Max Roach Quintet - "Complete Studio Recordings- The Master Takes" CD

This all-time great set of progressive jazz dates back to 1956, and collects all the tracks of this superlative quintet, as originally released on the "Clifford Brown And Max Roach At Basin Street" and "Sonny Rollins Plus Four" LPs. It all opens with the hopeful tones of "Gertrude's Bounce" -- an apt title as it does seem to have a "spring in it's step". Later tracks, like the more complex and contemplative "I'll Remember April", swings high at points, then wind down to a reflective post-bop tempo. "Time" is a late-night in a smoky club, nursing a hangover and wondering just what happened. "The Scene Is Clean" is a bold statement, and a sober track that stays close to home, never going out late or challenging too much. "Love Is A Many Splendored Thing" is certainly another highlight -- showing the particular intensity and cohesiveness of this group, all the while maintaining their sense of improvisation and melody. Masterful. "Vaise Hot" is a cool slice of swinging waltz subtlety from Rollins. No doubt about it, this one's a classic recording by some of the genre's heavyweights, and a once-in-a-lifetime recording.

(Essential Jazz Classics)

Whiplash - "Unborn Again" CD

Their 8th album, and first in 10 years shows this New Jersey-based old-school thrash metal band hasn't lost it's touch. Led by Tony Portaro's dual attack of screeching vocals and fiery guitarwork, Whiplash don't attempt to "fit in" to present-day metal trends. They stick to their guns and unleash a torrent of fast but melodic metal that should find favor with fans of stuff like prime Megadeth. "Firewater" is a classic metal anthem that brings to mind Judas Priest, even. But it's back to the speed-riffage on "Float Face Down", a rip-roaring rocker that finds the band hitting their stride in style. This one is probably smoking to see live, and I'd be surprised if these guys don't tear it up in front of a live audience. Solid work. (Pulverised)

Whiplash bio page

Whiplashspace

Absentia Lunae - "Historia Nobis Assentietvr" CD

An Italian black metal act, Absentia Lunae's second full-length (which translates from Latin as "History Will Prove Us Right") begins promising enough, with the experimental, wartime soundscapes of "Neuropa Calling". From there, these boys successfully fuse some unusual elements to their scaldingly fast and nihilistic metal. "Senteza Al Criterio" is a rollercoaster of highs and lows, from the generic blastbeats it opens with, to the almost Morricone-like Western vibe (with martial drumming) it ends up with. Nice work there, combining black metal with some different tempos and moods. "Nel Gelido..." also has this wise variance and plenty of shifts. "l'immutabile Richiamo.." even breaks with the Cookie-Monster vocals for a chorus that reminds almost of Fear Factory's Burton Bell, full of swooning gothic melody. The deep, spooky atmospheres of the closing cut, "Il Sole Ritrovato.." are fine enough to stand alone. Tie it all up with some nicely clear recording and mixing, and you have an album with plenty of power, proving that Absentia Lunae are striving for more than simply "black metal". Solid work, and a band that has much to offer for extreme/metal listeners. (ATMF)

Absentia Lunaespace

The Snake The Cross The Crown - "On A Carousel Of Sound, We Go Round" DVD/CD

Great news for fans of underrated indie rock act The Snake The Cross The Crown (like me)...Seriously, I love these guys' music, thanks to Chris Tracey for bringing them to my attention! It seems the band are releasing a DVD documentary, packaged with a CD of unreleased and B-side recordings...the film is directed by Nicholas Kleczewski, and is available for preorder through the Snake The Cross's website, though the UPS shipping of $9.00 minimum outright sucks, and prevents me from ordering immediately. Anyway, the trailer is now available, and here it is. These guys are so very good, and receive so little attention. Check out their CDs on Equal Vision, "Mander Salis" and "Cotton Teeth", which assimilate both Dylan and Radiohead, so if either of those artists appeal to your way of thinking, you should look at this. Pronto. Great guys, too. Saw them play a tiny bar in Eville (Indiana) to almost NO crowd, shamefully, a few years back. Support music like this...really!

The Snake The Cross website

The Snake Crossspace

The Black - "Alongside Death" CD

These Swedish lads have no qualms about opening their latest with a pair of blasting, buzzing, trebly black metal xeroxes. I had tuned them out after a few minutes, even. No dynamics, no diversity, and in other words, utterly forgettable. The third cut, "A Contract Written In Ashes" finally slows things down, and basically shows a more developed direction with varying tempos and their classic metal roots showing. The rest of the LP, save for the refreshingly bleak, moody, and ambient instrumental "The Wrath From Beneath", further embraces the stereotypes and limitations of the black metal scene. I think The Black have some better material waiting to be released, as this one's pretty well another blur of black metal redundancy. (Pulverised)

The Blackspace