Cibo Matto
Stereo*Type A (Warner Bros.)
If you're a Cibo fan, you'll likely feel you've heard this all before - on their other discs. But they've heightened their textured production on tracks such as "Working for Vacation." And even if the element of surprise is gone, who cares? Cibo's hyperactive grab bag of hip hop/jazz with bossanova sounds veers from kooky raps to near-haiku dreaminess.
Moby
Play (V2)
I'm a sucker for a lush soundtrack: strings, driving breakbeats, and all the other goods that electronic music has to offer. But add in samples from some old Deep South spiritual-style recordings and I turn inside out. Moby recognizes the power of such devices: "Honey" builds on a sample taken from a 1930s recording by folk historian Alan Lomax and comes alive within this futuristic medium. The best part is that Play sounds timeless, like you should have been listening to this music for years. Never mind the sounds born from so much silicon, I'm talking acoustic pianos and guitars. That, and Moby's desperately beautiful melodies.
Randy Newman
Bad Love (DreamWorks)
Just about every one of these 12 songs is a winner, which makes Bad Love the best Randy Newman album in more than two decades.That's an occasion for noisy public celebration. This disc is a triumphant return to the sardonic splendors of Sail Away and Good Old Boys, except it's emotionally more complex and musically richer (Newman's orchestra arrangements are lovely, a dividend of all that movie scoring he's been doing). Tin Pan Alley's greatest - perhaps only - descendant, Randy Newman shows he's still going strong as a writer of bril-liant, moving, troubling, funny songs.
Ministry
Dark Side of the Spoon (Warner Bros.)
Al Jourgensen and Paul Barker open their latest with "Supermanic Soul" - vintage Ministryland. There's no mistaking the band's heavily distorted guitars, processed vocals, and sporadic samples. "Whip or the Chain" features Jourgensen's (mostly unprocessed) voice, which is a rare treat. Unsurprisingly, this album is not for the faint of heart. It's loud, distorted, and worth every minute. For my money, this is better than the more subdued Filth Pig. File under "anti-Celine Dion."
Malavoi
Marronnage (Tinder)
Malavoi, one of Guadeloupe's top dance bands, has become wildly successful by playing a gently swinging music based on the older, more genteel styles of the mazurka and the beguine; they are not unlike the current crop of American swing bands that are also updating arcane music for a modern audience. Malavoi's acoustic sound combines dazzling musicianship with their island's African-influenced drumming tradition.
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band
Grow Fins: Rarities (1965-1982) (Revenant)
Don Van Vliet, aka Captain Beefheart, has used his unique grasp of blues, boogie, avant-garde jazz, and arcane field hollers to inform his identity both onstage and in the studio. This five-disc collection of live performances, unreleased demos, and other obscurities highlights a career littered with numerous still-misunderstood classics. Complete with harmonica hoedowns, distended guitar solos, and blues mutterings, the Beefheart universe is a strange and beautiful place. With enhanced-CD footage of Beefheart and his band in concert, Grow Fins captures the spirit and alchemy of an essential American artist.
Various Artists
Return of the Grievous Angel: A Tribute to Gram Parsons (Almo Sounds)
It's been 25 years since Gram Parsons died of a heroin overdose at age 26, but his legacy has only grown. On this benefit album, co-executive producer Emmylou Harris gathers artists indebted to Parsons, such as Wilco and Whiskeytown, along with less obvious fans like the Pretenders and Elvis Costello. Return's many standouts - including Beck and Harris on "Sin City" and Lucinda Williams and David Crosby on the title track - prove the durability of Parsons' songs. It's a rare tribute that encourages a visit with the originals while standing alone as a great listen.
Diana Krall
When I Look in Your Eyes (Verve)
Diana Krall is exceedingly popular, in spite of her nearly glib, laissez-faire delivery. If cool is contagious, this vocalist is the bubonic plague, but her talents are enormous. With her Nat King Cole-inspired trio of piano, guitar, and bass, she's complemented here by subtle, full orchestrations. From the sultry "I've Got You Under My Skin" to the swinging "Let's Fall in Love," Krall shows her latest to be her greatest.
STREET CRED
Basement Area Network
Hacking the Vacuum Tube
Free of Attachments
Polaroid's Sticky Portal
Burnt Rubber, Chicago Style
Booting Up Beelzebub
Out of the Celluloid Closet
ReadMe
Music
Saar-Sighted
The Transreal Thing
I, Nicklaus
American History f/x
Just Outta Beta
Little Big Screen
"It Was Just the Law of Large Numbers at Work"
Contributors
