silence is a rhythm too

Saturday 10/5
dZIHAN & KAMIEN's Gran Riserva is a very funky new album from these downtempo dudes.They get a lot of comparisons with Kruder & Dorfmeister,and while it's true to a degree,IMO they've surpassed 'em.The reason I like this stuff is the major Middle Eastern flavor that they infuse into the mix.There are spacy downtempo tracks,funky house-y numbers,and some jazzy stuff too.Highly recommended.
SWAYZAK's Dirty Dancing is a great collection of electro tunes,and sees the band going in more of an 80's flavored direction (I Dance Alone & In The Car Crash are titles that belong on a Gary Numan record!) that fits in nicely with the electroclash thing thats happening right now.Killer grooves,icy synths,and a bit of glitch in the mix make this a contender for electro album of the year.Play this back to back with Ladytron's new one and feel the last 20 years fade away!

Q magazine has listed the 10 most influential people in rock right now.Bono is #1,and Thom Yorke makes the list!HERE is a link to more of the story.


Thursday 10/3
THIS is a link to a VERY amusing series of diary-like posts from a sound engineer guy calling himself Mixerman,who is working on a record with an un-named band & producer.He's basically detailing the ups and downs of the process.Too damn funny!


Monday 9/30
There are details HERE about the much anticipated PORTISHEAD record.No actual release date yet,but it is good to see some confirmation that it will happen sometime in the near future.

*Tomorrow's new releases...Thievery Corporation,DJ Vadim,Squarepusher,Cassius,and Blue States.Happy shopping!

Sunday 9/29
PETER GABRIEL's new album Up is out now.His first new album in 10 years sees a return to the more introspective style of his earliest solo records.An album of songs about birth & death,this is largely compelling stuff,sounding like classic Gabriel.There are some uptempo tracks,and some very dark ambient stuff too.I don't see any pop hits the size of Sledgehammer on here,but that's OK with me.My only real complaint about the record is the length of the songs,with many of them clocking in at 6 or 7 minutes or more.
SOUL JAZZ RECORDS has been one of my favourite labels this year,with some great reissues.IN THE BEGINNING THERE WAS RHYTHM is a cool compilation of pioneering post-punk-funk tracks from seminal Brit bands like A Certain Ratio,23Skidoo,HumanLeague,CabaretVoltaire and the Gang Of Four.
They've also just put out a new album from ESG,who were part of the NYC version of that same movement.Step Off shows no departure from the taut funk of their '80's classics.My only complaint about this record is that it's too short!


Thursday 9/26
UNDERWORLD's A Hundred Days Off is a BIG record.The loss of a band member has had no real impact on their sound.The 9 minute pounding monster of a track is alive and well here,but there are some new and subtle things happening too(-the slinky shuffle of Sola Sistim).Karl sings in a more conventional style,and there are some beautiful bits of guitar scattered about.I'm repeating myself here,but Two Months Off is a corker of a tune...what a great riff!
BECK's new album Sea Change is also getting a fair amount of play.It's a return to the mellow,introspective folky rock style that was last seen on Mutations.Producer Nigel Godrich crafts a warm,spacy vibe with a touch of Nick Drake,some Floyd,a bit of Neil Young.On the track Paper Tiger the spirit of Serge Gainsbourg reigns,with a chunky bass riff,and strings reminiscent of Histoire de Melody Nelson.It reminds me of AIR on occasion too.I like it.


Saturday 9/21
Can I tell you about how much I HATE Ticketmaster?Yesterday Beck/Flaming Lips tickets went on sale at 5:00PM.I'm holding on the phone for 10 minutes.The ticket guy starts taking my order.I tell him which location I want.Somehow,he disconnects me. ¡*#@?#! I dial again,wait another 10 minutes on hold,and when I finally get through the girl says sorry,it's sold out. ¡#@$&*!Unbelievable.Oh well,at least I won't be paying that extra 20 bucks of fees they tack onto ticket prices.Wankers.


Friday 9/20
BLUR are in the process of putting their new album together,and apparently there are some questions as to whether Graham Coxon(guitar) is in the band anymore.The NME has all kinds of news items on this.Apparently FatBoySlim is producing,and William Orbit and The Chemical Brothers are also involved.Sounds like a bit of a mess!


Thursday 9/19
Next week sees the arrival of UNDERWORLD v3.0's new record A Hundred Days Off.I picked up the new single Two Months Off last week,and have been caning it ever since.It's a giant track,full of all the trademarks you love...the big buildups,the huge breakdowns,the blissful melody,and Karl sounds like he's really singing.On the basis of this track I'd guess that the record will be big,and that they aren't missing Darren Emerson!


Tuesday 9/17
A couple of today's purchases...LADYTRON's Light & Magic is a tasty slab of straight up '80's electro pop.It's all there,the chilly synths,catchy melodies,clattering beats,with a big dollop of droll monotone vocals.These Brits speak to me because they remind me so much of the bands I love from that era,especially The Human League.
MANU CHAO has released a live recording called Radio Bemba Sound System,and live is where Manu excels.If you're not familiar with him,he and his former band [Mano Negra] have been described as the French Clash.It's punk,pop,ska,tribal rhythms and folk all mixed up in Spanish & French & English.This set is solo stuff and Mano Negra songs,fleshed out by a full horns-and-all band.This guy is truly unique and worth investigating!


Saturday 9/14
The NME has an item of interest today regarding The Stone Roses,and it seems there's a chance they will reform.I'd be curious to hear it...
The downloads page is up and running again this weekend.Also,I've added some links to past Super Tasty Joints at the bottom of this page,and also on the home page.


Thursday 9/12
TUMMY TOUCH is the record label started by Tim'Love'Lee a few years ago.Their early roster included Groove Armada,Mescalito,Los Chicharrons,and Tim himself.Over the years they've put out 3 compilations,and all of them have been good,filled with the left field dance sounds the label has always excelled at.The fourth compilation is is out now,and is called TOUCH TONES.This is the next wave of signings,and is a cool set of tunes.The songs range from jazzy to psychedelic,hitting on squelchy electro,tribal beats,garage rock,funk and house and dreamy downtempo.Truly diverse,and a fun listen.


Wednesday 9/11
I spent about 15 minutes trolling the used bins at my local today,and the big score was an original pressing of SPLIT ENZ' True Colours album from 1980.It's a great new wave record,featuring the big hit I Got You.The cool thing about it tho' is the record itself,which has the cover's 'angular shapes' design etched holographically onto the platter.Pretty cool.Music geek signing off...


Tuesday 9/10
Today's cool new releases...LAYO & BUSHWACKA!'s Night Works,IVY's Guestroom & FAULTLINE's Your Love Means Everything.I've liked everything I've heard so far,with IVY getting extra bonus points for the fab set of covers,with tunes from The Cure,Nick Heyward,Steely Dan & a bunch more.Instant fave?The version of The Go Betweens' Streets Of Your Town.

THE RUB is a mostly music related blog that I like.

Monday 9/9
It occurs to me that I've been listening to the music of BARRY ADAMSON for about 20 years now,first in Magazine,then Visage,then he was in The Bad Seeds,and now as a solo artist for the last decade or so.His new album The King Of Nothing Hill sees him continuing to sing over his dense and dark tracks,moving away from the mostly instrumental tracks of the earlier records.In the past I've been unconvinced about those singing abilities,but I think it's actually starting to work.The music is the usual blend of cinematic funk/rock/jazz/spy themes,with big strings and funky beats.Black Amour is pure BARRY WHITE,but with a touch of evil.A much under-rated talent.


Thursday 9/5
RALPH MYERS and his combo The Jack Herren Band are a group that I first heard on the compilation Wall Of Sound Presents Telle a year or 2 ago.Part of the ultra cool Telle Records posse,they've signed with Emperor Norton in the US and have put out a nice 4 track EP called A Special EP.It's lush and melodic downtempo with some major 70's Italian filmscore flavor.Included is a nice retake of the track Nikita,and this is one of those catchy numbers that I can see being used in an ad some day.Anyway,I love it,and you should too.

I'm also really liking the Trevor Jackson PLAYGROUP / DJ Kicks compilation.It's very 80's flavored,but also full of new stuff too.FYI,the Playgroup website is really a fun interactive design,and is a good way to kill some time!


Wedensday 9/4
The new NIGHTMARES ON WAX album Mind Elevation is out now.I'd read some early reviews from people who had advance copies,and it seemed as if folks weren't feeling the "new direction".It does veer from the usual formula by adding vocals to some tracks,and it does have more of a r'n'b feel to it too.My feeling is that it was time for some change any way,and in my opininon the new record sounds pretty sweet.The album still has all of the trademarks of a NOW record,but isn't just re-treading old ground.One of my [little] beefs with NOW has been the sameness of the albums,right down to all 3 previous albums starting off with a version of Les Nuits.Thankfully,this one starts differently!Also of note,there is a nice 2CD package available with the second disc being a E.A.S.E. mix of classic NOW tracks(which was priced a buck cheaper than the single disc at my local!!).


Sunday 9/1
There are a couple of cool free mp3's to download at DJ CAM's label site.One is a remix of Serge Gainsbourg,the other a Michael Jackson tune.