Shed – Shedding the Past

This could have been dull soulless dance music. It wasn’t, or at least not completely. Although you really need to be in the mood for it. I’m not most of the time. I think that I might have been when I listened to this record for the first time.

Shedding the Past is a collection of eleven Detroit-style techno tunes by German techno engineer Shed. It is a record in the mold of Aphex Twin with a powerful skipping beat that is the trademark of this German hotshot.

[From Shed: Shedding the Past < Music | PopMatters]

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Monkey – Journey to the West

I wasn’t terribly impressed with this “soundtrack” of a stage show. There are a few good tracks but it is only worthwhile if you just want a souvenir of a show that you have been to. Still each to their own…

Those Gorillaz have returned in the guise of a completely different primate. This one comes complete with a tale and a fully furred opera in tow. Who would have thought that Damon Albarn had an opera in him? In fairness, it is not strictly speaking an opera. It is a spectacle theatre piece that has more in common with Cirque du Soleil than Glyndebourne. Albarn and fellow gorilla Jamie Hewlett have created a nine-scene show that is a mixture of acrobatics, kung fu, lush sets, and the music contained on this recording. This stage production has proved to be quite popular in the United Kingdom. The dear old BBC adapted a track, complete with a specially made Jamie Hewlett animation, to promote their coverage of the Beijing Olympics. Furthermore, tickets soon go on sale for a special run at the O2 “Millennium” Dome, just like Prince. Things are looking good.

[From Monkey: Journey to the West < Music | PopMatters]

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The Amazing World of Arthur Brown – The Voice of Love

The world of Arthur Brown is no longer Crazy, it is Amazing. It is kind of amazing that the man is still making records and is not a painter and decorator in Eastbourne or something. This album is a solid collection of tune with wonderfully over-the-top vocal performances from Mr Brown. I’m guessing he had a lot of fun making it. The cover tunes are really worth a listen and those that are nostalgic might like this. On the strength of this record I’d like to see him live. Although his crazy New Age ramblings as a hidden track did put me off somewhat. Still, if you can avoid that this record is worth a punt.

What can be said about Arthur Brown that hasn’t been said a million times already? He is the archetype of the one-hit wonder. He is the rocker with wild onstage antics that have almost got him and others maimed and ultimately had him kicked off a tour with Jimi Hendrix. For the last 40 years he has been known as the man that screamed at the top of his voice, “I am the god of hellfire”, at the beginning of the only song he is known for.

[From The Amazing World of Arthur Brown: The Voice of Love < Music | PopMatters]

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With track titles such as “Misunderstood”, “Here I Am”, and “Looking for Love” CIAM are pushing the right buttons for the disaffected youth. Jeff Shapiro’s vocals are a predictable baritone on most of the tracks, sounding not unlike a young Wayne Hussey at times. Furthermore, a spotty teenager with no friends probably wrote the lyrics. Not a great start.

[From CIAM: Anonymous < Music | PopMatters]

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DJ Yoda – Fabric Live 39

This was a lot of fun and I did use the CD for a party. It went down a storm with only a few people asking “what the hell is this?” …but there are always such muppets at a party. It was my party and I’ll play what I like.

The Fabric nightclub in London is one of the capital’s hottest venues. Many international DJs hit this club, which prides itself on its very broad music policy. The range of music played inside can be sampled by perusing the FabricLive Mix Series selection of releases, of which this is the 39th episode. DJ Yoda is in the house this time, and he takes full advantage of the huge palette afforded him.

[From DJ Yoda: FabricLive 39 < Music | PopMatters]

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The cover of Bloodlines looks like it was lifted from an episode of the X-Files. It draws you in with its mystery, two people running into the light. They are running into the unknown, running from something equally unknown and unknowable.

[From Lowlight: Bloodline < Music | PopMatters]

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Death Set – Worldwide

Sometimes records come along that blow away all cobwebs and preconceptions of what music should be like. This one just make you think damned hard. It is a school bully of a record that duffs you up until you like it. It is lots of fun but you really have to stick with it.

As usual here is an excerpt. The full review is on PM.

Eighteen songs, 26 minutes. You just know that with statistics like that, the CD that you have put into you player is going to be out of the ordinary. The longest song on this album is two minutes and 24 seconds. To be honest if the songs were any longer your head might just cease to be in a fit of pique.

[From The Death Set: Worldwide < Music | PopMatters]

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Worlds Collide

I’ve been finishing a lot of homework lately. This Apocalyptica album had been lying around for months. If I had written the review immediately after receipt it would have been a lot different. The album grew on me after a while. I was very disappointed when I first heard it. The resulting review was something that was somewhere between the two. I couldn’t make up my mind whether I loved it or was bored by it. What was certain was that I did not like it as much as their debut.

When Apocalyptica appeared on the music scene in 1996 with Plays Metallica by Four Cellos, they were busting the lid off a new can. Their unique blend of heavy metal and cellos was something really remarkable and daring. What was hard to fathom was their target audience. Those that liked classical music would have shunned the recording as sacrilege, and fans of Metallica were a little bemused. Their debut highlighted all of the similarities between classical music and the brand of metal made popular by Metallica. The idea was simple, unconventional, and brilliant. Just take four cellos and some classical arrangements of Metallica tunes, record them, and release to the general public.

Read the rest here: Apocalyptica: Worlds Collide < Music | PopMatters

Links:
Official Site
Yahoo Audio Search

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Whitesnake – Good to be Bad

I had a lot of fun with this review. OK I sound a little disparaging in places but I quite enjoyed the album in a funny sort of way. It reminded me of my youth. There is also a certain irony in the fact that I noticed Amazon is packaging this album and the new Asia album together. Isn’t nostalgia a wonderful thing?

“It’s very butch. Very muscular…” says David Coverdale about the first Whitesnake album in 11 years. Pause for a while and take that in.

The endless 25th anniversary reunion of the masters of hairspray metal is into its sixth year and has spawned Good To Be Bad.

Whitesnake: Good To Be Bad < Music | PopMatters

Links:
Official Site: http://www.whitesnake.com/
Label: http://www.spv.de/whitesnake/default.html (In German)
Amazon.com download
iTunes

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Asia – Phoenix

So this review was a long time coming. I have been so busy of late I let a lot of these PopMatters reviews pile up. I kind of wish that I hadn’t bothered with this one. It was pretty painful to write and even more so to listen to. What can I say, ASIA just don’t float my boat like they used to.

Saying that though there was a time when I would have been delighted to receive this in the post.

It is 25 years since Asia released the follow up to their successful eponymous debut album. Their sophomore effort Alpha didn’t especially set cash registers singing and was largely considered to be a disappointment. Soon after that release, original guitarist Steve Howe (of Yes fame) left and the band went through twenty-something years of line-up changes and lukewarm receptions to increasingly similar sounding (and similar titled) albums.

Asia: Phoenix < Music | PopMatters

And this would be the guys performing a cover of the ELP cover of Copeland’s “Fanfare for the Common Man”

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