Mini-Reviews

Again, I have a stockpile of cd reviews waiting on me to finish, so I thought I would do myself a favor and hit a bunch of them in one jolt. So many new cds are coming up and most will be getting bigger attention from me, so I wanted to clear the decks. So here is the latest batch of releases I have been listening to. These are going to be short and sweet.



M.I.A.
/\/\ /\ Y /\
Rating: Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It

Nowhere near as bad as many of the reviews led me to believe. Apparently, her ex-boyfriend and producer Diplo felt his three tracks were the best and everything else sounded like Skinny Puppy. Well, that would have been an interesting sound, however, I would say that the cd is noisier than her others, and far less cohesive, but that doesn't necessarily make it bad. I think there is a half brilliant and half meh cd here, and that is why I cannot pan it, but I cannot also give it a rave. It definitely has some interesting components, especially her work with Rusko.

I particularly love this song:





Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti
Before Today
Rating: Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It

This cd is the opposite of the M.I.A. cd in that it is critically lauded and yet I can't understand why. Again, there is half a brilliant cd here, but the rest is so ramshackle and off the wall, I have no idea what they were thinking. Most of this cd reminds me of a good 80s alternative rock album.







Autechre
Move Of Ten
Rating: Grrrr

The Yin to earlier this year's Oversteps Yang, Move Of Ten finds Autechre in a more playful mode, and dare I say a dancier mode. Of course, if you attempted to dance to this record you would likely break a hip. I really loved Oversteps, however, it remained that chilly, icy Autechre that is more appreciated than loved. Move Of Ten is warmer and more inviting. It doesn't herald a new age of experimentation like Tri Repeatae+++ or Confield, but it does show a refining of their strengths without the closed door policy on what made them popular in the past.







Actress
Splazsh
Rating: Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It

Obtuse and obscure, Actress never quite gives you the payoff you want in a track. Songs seem like they are going to drive home intense beats, stop and change direction and fade into space, some tracks inch along with barely a tonal shift throughout, others grab you and won't let go. It is almost an undefinable album, in that it doesn't fit nicely within a pigeonhole. It is not IDM, Dubstep, Garage, House, or anything else specifically. I can't say I love this cd, but it certainly keeps you on edge, wanting to know what comes up next.






Rating Guide

Chilfos: masterpiece; coolest thing I've heard in ages.

Woof Daddy: excellent; just a hair away from being a masterpiece.

Grrrr: very good; will definitely be considered for my top albums of the year.

Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It: good; definitely invites further listens and peaks one's interest for more material.

Meh: not horrible, but certainly not good; could have either been trimmed or polished.

Jeez Lady: what the hell happened? Just plain bad. They should hang their heads in shame and be forced to listen to Lady Gaga ad nauseam as penance.

Tragicistani: so bad, armed villagers with pitchforks and torches should run the artist out of the country for inflicting this abomination on the human race.