On the open-source road: Interview with Melbourne’s Bankai
Melbourne electro artist Bankai’s music comes on like a cartoon freight train, chaotically careening around sharp corners and constantly threatening to derail itself. Between the stuttering, glitch-laden rhythms, video-game samples and vocals that are the aural equivalent of a Tex Avery cartoon, the man behind the evocatively titled Teen Slut Pimp Strut EP doesn’t seem … Continue reading
Bonus post: A handful of 50-word CD reviews
All reviews based entirely on first impressions, and not to be construed as particularly informed: Brasstronaut – Mt. Chimera (Unfamiliar): A hell of an improvement from the Old World Lies EP, which was alright but not noteworthy. Elements of jazz, laid-back electronica, dixieland and indie rock, but all in an unabashedly pop framework. Think P:Ano … Continue reading
Oh goodness, he’s talking about music
Lest I forget, this blog is about more than just movies. And right now, I’m more obsessed with the new Gil Scott-Heron album than with any movie, so let’s roll with that. At the back of the liner notes for the album, this is what it says: There is a proper procedure for taking advantage … Continue reading
CD Review – Pantha Du Prince
Pantha Du Prince – Black Noise Rough Trade Minimal electronica isn’t the first thing to come to mind when talking about Rough Trade records, but if that’s the direction the label wants to take, it’s taken a hell of a first step in signing Pantha du Prince. Black Noise, the third album from the German … Continue reading
Dawn Landes – Sweetheart Rodeo (Cooking Vinyl)
Dawn Landes has perfected the art of the small song. Sweetheart Rodeo, her second release on Cooking Vinyl, is one of those albums that steadfastly refuses to push boundaries, but it’s so solidly constructed that it still feels progressive. Like an American answer to Julie Doiron, Landes anchors her songs with her crisp voice, which … Continue reading
For what it’s worth: Top 10 albums of 2009
In particular order: 1. The Flaming Lips – Embryonic (Warner): My car stereo is broken at the moment. It still plays albums, but there is no skipping of tracks, and the volume can’t be changed. This means that the default volume for Embryonic in particular is “piercing.” After two albums of bliss and one (underrated) … Continue reading
Charlotte Gainsbourg – IRM (Because Music)
A recent post on the Fast Forward Weekly blog talked about the pointlessness of discussing an artist’s authenticity, and Charlotte Gainsbourg’s latest, IRM, is a perfect example. For the less than charitable, it’d be easy to dwell on Gainsbourg’s seemingly minimal contribution to the third album to bear her name, co-writing one of the songs … Continue reading
Catching up: More consumption
Personal life made it tricky to post in the last week or so, so here’s a bit of catch-up: CONCERT: Billy Bragg with Ron Hawkins and Kris Demeanor at Jack Singer: Uptown (Winnipeg’s alt.weekly) called Ron Hawkins one of the most underappreciated singer-songwriters in Canada, and if his opening set’s any indication, chalk me up … Continue reading
Tom Waits: Glitter and Doom Live review
Official review ended up a touch more positive than the first impression… The last time Tom Waits went live, it was on the stone classic Big Time, which brought even more bark to the gravel-voiced singer’s tunes. That was back in 1988, only three albums into Waits’s transformation from off-kilter piano crooner to carnival barker … Continue reading
The Consumption: Nov. 23
CONCERT: Vic Chesnutt: Opener Liz Durrett held the crowd’s attention with just a classical guitar, a well-used distortion pedal and a lovely, expressive voice (which reminded me somehow of both Sarah McLaughlin and Feist). Apparently her album is more fully orchestrated, but the sparse setting suits her, and the distortion was more than enough to … Continue reading
The Consumption 