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.

Mini-Reviews Part Deux

Belle and Sebastian
Belle and Sebastian Write About Love
Rating: Woof Daddy

I tend to forget how amazing Stuart Murdoch and co. are.  Unlike most of my favorite bands, when I hear of a new Belle and Sebastian album coming out I don't get excited and thrilled and anxious to hear it.  I usually say to myself, "oh, there is a new B&S album, I'll get it sometime."  Then I hear it, and I have to ask why I waited so long.  Of course, the trend continued with Belle and Sebastian Write About Love.  I waited until the last couple of weeks to listen to it, and now, predictably, I can't stop playing it.  I will actually venture to say this is one of their strongest albums, even better than The Life Pursuit, which was almost flawless.  Full of charming and wry lyrics, and some of their sunniest, most agile melodies, this album is the perfect antidote to a grey day.

 

Deftones
Diamond Eyes
Rating: Grrrr

Deftones have always been one of the more interesting metal acts to me, not so much for their harder edged material, but for their willingness to expand their boundaries to encompass more alternative-type music, such as shoegaze, electronic, and even pop music. Diamond Eyes doesn't stray much from their usual template of heavy material interspersed with more textural sounds, like the gorgeously gauzy "Beauty School" and "Sextape." But this is hardly a criticism, as why fix something that is not broken. However, the downside to such an approach is that if you are not already a fan of Deftones, this album will not likely change your opinion of them. If are a convert, it is another strong release in their catalog.

Lone
Emerald Fantasy Tracks
Rating: Grrrr

This album is a total guilty pleasure for me. It is not forward thinking dance music, it is pure unadulterated house/techno that borrows liberally from all of my electronic music touchstones (808 State acid house, Chemical Brothers big beat, Prodigy rave) but makes it all about having fun and getting your ass on the dancefloor.

Toro Y Moi
Causers of This
Rating: Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It

Toro Y Moi (aka Chazwick Bundick) is lumped into the genre known as chillwave (though no band that I know of wants to be known as such) with other acts such as Washed Out, Memory Tapes and Neon Indian.  The music is reliant on heavily processed vocals, guitars, and gauzy keyboards, creating a sound that seems nostalgic but can't be pinpointed to one era.  Causers of This, the debut from Toro Y Moi, is a strong album, owing to his playfulness with the sounds and melodies, seemingly taking an almost Flying Lotus approach to his music and adding a more pop bent to the songs.  However, this is also the downfall of the record, in that every song pretty much adheres to the same template of silly, crazy, processed sounds and beats with a hazy vocal overlay.  After awhile, the sugary-sweetness becomes too much.  With a little polishing and more variety in their sound, I can definitely see him put together a classic record.



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.