Bernhard Günter
Monochrome White (LINE)
The arrival of digital audio not only extended a recording's time and frequency range, but also allowed for silence. Bernhard Günter's work combines glacial pacing with sounds that live at the edge of audible (headphones required). This release finds him at the quiet peak of his provocative game, offering two 45-minute pieces whose clicks and high-pitched echoes are the equivalent of heat shimmer or an absent lover's perfume.
David Byrne
Look Into the Eyeball (Virgin)
Nearly 25 years after the Talking Heads burst onto the scene, David Byrne continues to make vital music. His ninth solo project overflows with slinky grooves and evokes the softer side of '70s funk blended with a hefty dose of Philly soul. Gone is the cut-and-paste aesthetic of 1997's irony-laden Feelings. Byrne takes it slow here, employing strings and flute as frequently as bass, guitar, and drums. Aided by producer Mike Mangini (Digable Planets) and arrangers Jacques Morelenbaum (Caetano Veloso) and Thom Bell (The O'Jays), Eyeball zigzags from the gentle "Neighborhood" to the rowdy rock of "Desconcido Soy," en español.
Red House Painters
Old Ramon (Sub Pop)
Trapped in label-merger purgatory since 1998, this album almost didn't see the light of day. Following a dispute over a relentless electric guitar solo on their 1996 masterpiece, Songs for a Blue Guitar, the Red House Painters were dumped by 4AD. Outraged fans waged an online campaign for Old Ramon's release. It was worth the wait. Like Joni Mitchell and John Cale, front man Mark Kozelek understands the seductive power of a good drone. Sincere without posing as a folk naïf, Kozelek drills into love's obsessions (including his devotion to his cat) and drives meditative chord changes toward distortion-drenched catharsis.
Lo'Jo
Bohême de Cristal (World Village)
Lo'Jo singer-songwriter Denis Péan's voice is like a gravelly version of French provocateur Serge Gainsbourg. But he's just one element of the Gallic band's vibe. Two female Algerian singers, a fiery gypsy violin, and a Malian kora chime in over a rhythm section that knows dub from djembe. The result makes for a heady mix, especially when a wild African brass band marches on to the epic "Señor Calice." Intoxicating? Mais oui!
All Natural
Second Nature (Thrill Jockey/Fatbeats)
This second offering from Chicago's All Natural furthers its mission as self-appointed hip hop puritan, which isn't nearly as boring as it might seem. Potentially trite anthems about the pratfalls of selling out ("Mr. Sexy") and growing up hard ("Chatham") are anything but, thanks to David "capital D" Kelly's dense poetic rhymes. And producer Tone b. Nimble's uniformly melancholy backdrops seal the deal.
Turin Brakes
The Optimist Lp (Astralwerks)
You've heard it before: Two guys with acoustic guitars singing pop. (Think the Everly Brothers - yet totally fresh.) But what Turin Brakes lacks in innovation, they make up for with sheer, straightforward brilliance. Heartfelt and deceptively simple, this young London duo creates Americana the way someone who's only dreamed of America would. Driven by wry balladry and sweet mandolins, The Optimist gets bonus points for referencing the film The Cruise ("Feeling Oblivion") and a gold star for "Save Me," which makes you wonder if maybe the Eagles weren't so bad after all.
Pat Martino
Live at Yoshi's (Blue Note)
Despite being on the scene for four decades, strummer Pat Martino remains relatively obscure. Live at Yoshi's is a great place to start listening. On this rare club set, recorded in December in Oakland, California, sparks fly from Martino's fingers. Like a bluesy Oscar Wilde on amphetamines, Martino's sophisticated improvising at Road Runner speed has long classified him as "whudhesay jazz," or someone requiring repeated listening. Even over the predictable lope of Miles Davis' "All Blues," the shy Martino, with organist Joey DeFrancesco, bests all those showy post-metal guitarists in the pursuit of playing with as much vision as velocity.
Bardo Pond
Dilate (Matador)
Bardo Pond once again turns up the amps and tears through the strings. Experimentation is what these guys are all about; you'll find little trace of traditional tunings and song structures. Rogue frequencies and free-form, howling feedback are left to burn out, while drums, a harmonica, sporadic vocals, and even a banjo fight to keep up. Forget the Sonic Youth comparisons, Dilate proves that Bardo Pond is ready for its close-up.
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