Mini-Reviews: Peter Murphy, Holy Other, Ford & Lopatin, and Planningtorock

Peter Murphy
Ninth
Rating: Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It

Ninth is a nice return to form for the ex-Bauhaus singer. While it is no Deep, it is his most consistent record in years. His lovely baritone is still what draws you in to this set of guitar heavy tracks. Less experimental than his most recent work, Ninth finds him putting forth rich melodies and catchy hooks, like the driving "Seasaw Sway," the stately "The Prince & Old Lady Shade," and the industrial grind of "Uneven & Brittle." He only falters on some overly melodramatic numbers like "Secret Silk Society," "Velocity Bird," and "Peace to Each." Aside from these missteps, it is a very solid record, and easily fits alongside his best work.

Holy Other
With U EP
Rating: Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It

Mining similar territory as artists like Burial and Desolate, Manchester producer Holy Other releases his first EP of stark, haunting post-dubstep. The 5 tracks each unfold slowly, usually over a deliberate percussive bed and minimal synth washes, vocal samples pitch-shifted and heavily reverbed. After the first couple of tracks, it almost feels like he has shown his cards and that you are listening to a one track pony, but by the time "Touch" appears, the gradual evolution of his sound unfolds. The songs get more aggressive and bold, featuring skittering percussion and lots of low end bass rumbles. Title track "With U" builds forcefully like a Fuck Buttons song, with the vocal samples and string synths merging into a lovely coda. "Feel Something" rounds out the EP with clanging, industrial percussion over heavily edited vocal samples. With U is a nice introduction to a new electronic artist that reminds me of the early work of James Blake and Mount Kimbie, who showed their range and experimentation on their first EPs.

Ford & Lopatin
Channel Pressure
Rating: Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It

Formerly known as Games, Ford & Lopatin is Joel Ford of Tigercity, and Daniel Lopatin, the drone artist known as Oneohtrix Point Never. As Ford & Lopatin, they focus heavily on technicolor synthpop and R&B, almost sounding like a cross between Prince, Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam, and the soundtrack from Weird Science. Channel Pressure is one weird trip, full of synthetic percussion, goofy synth lines, and slap bass, moving so fast through genres it gives you whiplash. The album is so infectious it is difficult not to crack a smile when certain tracks pop up, like the Thomas Dolby aping track "Emergency Room," the disco synth funk of "Too Much MIDI (Please Forgive Me)," or the fizzy dance track "World of Regret." The album is so bubblegum sweet, it can get cloying at times, but overall, you couldn't ask for a better summer party album.

Planningtorock
W
Rating: Tragicistani

I was very excited when I heard about Planningtorock, as performance artist/musician Janine Rostron frequently works with The Knife, and Rostron and The Knife's Karin Dreijer Andersson both enjoy creating moody, atmospheric pop with heavy use of pitch-shifted vocals. With W, all the right elements are there, minimal, slightly Asian percussion, creepy synths and keyboards, horns and woodwinds, and bizarre vocals and lyrical conceits. Unlike the work of Fever Ray, however, nothing really gels into something interesting or compelling. All you get are elements, with no connection. Not a single song on this record moved me or stayed with me. In fact, I haven't heard a record this unlistenable in a long while (this was before I heard the new John Maus album). Save your money, or be prepared to get carpal tunnel syndrome from hitting the skip button.



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 releases 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 polished, trimmed, or re-thought.

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.