Mini-Reviews

Adele
21
Rating: Meh

Let me get this out of the way first: I love Adele's voice. It's supple, strong, and very expressive. I only wish she would find a way to showcase it better. 21 is a lot more varied than her debut 19, that for me was only notable for the amazing single "Chasing Pavements." 19 feel off the rails with too many songs following the same traditional structure and using the same instrumentation. 21 starts off very strong with the meaty first single "Rolling In The Deep," the rollicking "Rumor Has It," and standout ballad "Turning Tables," that highlights her amazing range. Then the album just derails again for me, with stretch of indistinguishable songs all in the same tempo, and a completely misbegotten cover of The Cure's "Lovesong." She salvages the downward spiral with another stunning song, "Someone Like You," but by then it is just too late. I am not giving up on Adele, as I think her voice is an amazing instrument; she just needs to find a producer/collaborator that will take her out of the rut she is finding herself mired in.

Toro Y Moi
Underneath The Pines
Rating: Meh

Toro Y Moi rode high on the chillwave band wagon last year with his debut cd Causers of This. I enjoyed that album's beats and smooth vibe, but noted that the majority of songs kept to the same template and needed to be varied a little more. As the chillwave genre begins to fade into the background, Toro Y Moi releases his second album Underneath The Pine, that takes an almost completely different approach. Instead of the hazy, gauzy chillwave of the last record, he begins to mine sounds and ideas from the 70s disco and light rock era. Is this change successful? In some ways yes; first single "New Beat," is a blast of liquidy disco. "Go With You," slinks, slides, and moves effortlessly. "Divina" is a gorgeous instrumental, refreshing the light electronica of Air. But the same problems remain. A lot of the tracks feel like sketches that are not fully formed. And Chaz' voice is just too weak to hold interest over an entire album. He would do better to remain more in the background and have guest vocalists.

Dark Party
Light Years
Rating: Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It

Producers Eliot Lipp and Leo 123 make up the electro-duo Dark Party. Their debut album Light Years is a frothy mix of slinky beats, old-school synths and bass, and whole lot of fun. From the Daft Punk-isms of "Patrol Patrol," the Nu Shooz aping synth cut-up "Flats," and the icy tech beats of "Fifth," Dark Party keeps things moving swiftly. There is nothing very innovative about Light Years, but sometimes all that's needed is a good album you can put on and bob your head to.

Salva
Complex Housing
Rating: Grrrr

West Coast producer Paul Salva certainly knows his way around a production studio. His debut cd Complex Housing runs the gamut in styles from standard hip-hop, electro-house, LA beat obsessives, Dirty South, to dubstep, barely letting the listener catch their breath. Even with so many different genres, each track still flows together seamlessly. Standout tracks are the hyper-programmed "Issey Miyake," glitchy throbbing bass-heavy "Blue," and the re-imagining of Robert Owen's Chicago house classic "I'll Be Your Friend." Complex Housing is constantly morphing itself, new sounds and textures emerge and disappear, all floating in a perfect mix; it is definitely worth taking a listen.



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 great; 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.