The Budos Band - III (2010)

Staten Island-based 11-piece ensemble Budos Band first met in 2004 during jamsessions in Brooklyn, organized by Afro-Funk legends Antibalas. The lineup of the group is constantly changing, including various drummers and trumpet players, as well as a wide range of guest musicians. On "III", they fuse Afro-Jazz and pulsating Deep Funk, with a strong emphasis on the wind section as well as improvisation. The vibe of their music is generally very dark and psychedelic, with most of their tracks being gloomy jams rather than songs. Altogether, "III" is a fascinating and hypnotic creative effort, reminiscent of 60's/70's Spaghetti Western and Blaxploitation soundtracks.  

1.) Rite of the Ancients

2.) Black Venom

3.) River Serpentine

4.) Unbroken, Unshaven

5.) Nature's Wrath

6.) Golden Dunes

7.) Budos Dirge

8.) Raja Haje

9.) Crimson Skies

10.) Mark of the Unnamed

11.) Reppirt Yad

                                          

Seu Jorge - The Life Aquatic Studio Sessions (2005)

  

The story of Brazilian singer/songwriter Seu Jorge's life sounds like something out of a Hollywood movie. Born in the slums of Rio de Janeiro, he spent his youth making ends meet, selling drugs and serving in the military. After his 16 year old brother was killed during a police raid, he taught himself to play the guitar and started writing songs. In 2001 Jorge had his breakthrough with his solo debut "Samba Esporte Fino"; one year later he started acting, playing the role of Mané Galinha in the Fernando Mereilles blockbuster "City of God". The idea for the "Life Aquatic Sessions" -an album on which Jorge plays Samba and Bossa Nova cover versions of David Bowie songs in Portuguese- came to him, when he accepted a supporting role in Wes Anderson's movie of the same name. The 13 interpretations featured on the record are of stunning magic and beauty, or how Bowie himself put it:"Had Seu Jorge not recorded my songs acoustically in Portuguese I would never had heard this new level of beauty which he has imbued them with.".

1.) Rebel Rebel

2.) Life On Mars?

3.) Starman

4.) Ziggy Stardust

5.) Lady Stardust

6.) Changes

7.) Oh! You Pretty Things

8.) Rock n' Roll Suicide

9.) Suffragette City

10.) Five Years

11.) Queen Bitch

12.) When I Live My Dream

13.) Quicksand

14.) Team Zissou

                                       

                            

Tom Vek - Leisure Seizure (2011)

Coming from a family of musicians, East London-centered artist Tom Vek started his musical journey playing drums and bass in his parents garage. On his 14th birthday his father gave him his first tape recorder, the rest is history. Vek became increasingly interested in the recording process and began to experiment with sounds as well as equipment -especially electronica-, teaching himself a wide range of production techniques. Therefore his music is best described as a homogenic fusion of classic rock instrumentation and effects/programming coined by his laconic, almost spoken-word like vocals. Even though most of "Leisure Seizure" was created with Cubase and Pro Tools, Vek's garage rock roots clearly shine through the production, giving the songs a raw, authentic edge.

1.) Hold Your Hand

2.) Aroused

3.) A Chore

4.) We Do Nothing

5.) World of Doubt

6.) Seizemic

7.) A.P.O.L.O.G.Y.

8.) Someone Loves You

9.) Close Mic'ed

10.) On A Plate

11.) You Need To Work Your Heart Out

12.) Too Bad

                                          

And So I Watch You From Afar - And So I Watch You From Afar (2009)

Explosive, threatening, hypnotic; there are many words to describe the sound of "And So I Watch You From Afar ", but predictable certainly is not one of them. On their self-titled debut album the Northern Irish instrumental rock quartet delivers pure creative genius. Somewhere between slow-grinding viciousness and manic outbursts, they manage to build impressive walls of sound. Though clearly inspired by 80's punk and hardcore as well as classic stadium rock and metal, their music is so diverse and playful that it hardly fits into any common idea of genre. Exciting with a capital E!

1.) Set Guitars To Kill

2.) A Little Bit Of Solidarity Goes Along The Way

3.) Clench Fists, Grit Teeth...Go!

4.) I Capture Castles

5.) Start A Band

6.) Tip Of The Hat, Punch In The Face

7.) If It Ain't Broke, Break It!

8.) TheseRiotsAreJustTheBeginning

9.) Don't Waste Time Doing Things You Hate

10.) The Voiceless

11.) Eat The City, Eat It Whole

 

Pony Bravo - Si Bajo de Espalda No Me Da Miedo (2008)

Krautrock, Blues, Flamenco, Reggae, 70's Rock, Afro-Beat...the list of Andalusian band Pony Bravo's musical influences is virtually endless. Their music resembles a dark and psychedelic mosaic of styles and eras, which knows no boundaries whatsoever. Mostly, the band plays percussive, rhythm-centered offbeats while lead singer Daniel Alonso hypnotizes the listener with his "Jim-Morrison-on-the-verge-of-a-nervous-breakdown"  like vocal delivery. Records like these are the reason why people take acid, and I mean that in a good way! 

1.) El Pony Bravo

2.) El Rayo

3.) I Can See

4.) Lolita

5.) Trinchera

6.) El Guarda Forestal

7.) El Baile

8.) Fingers

9.) Arcanul

10.) El Piloto Automático

11.) Sunset

12.) El Sudor

                                           

Pete Philly & Perquisite - Mind.State (2005)

Dutch duo Pete Philly & Perqusite's debut album takes you back to the good old days of hip-hop, a time when rap was about telling stories instead of pimpin', drive-by-shootings and bling bling. De La Soul and A Tribe Called Quest are two acts that will come to your mind immediately while listening to Perquisite's jazzy, laid-back instumentals and Pete Phillie's mellow, oldschool-ish rhymes. But Mind.State goes way beyond just being a  hommage to the "Golden Age" of hip-hop; it is a cleverly structured concept album, with each song describing a particular human emotion, a certain type of Mind.State.

1.) Intro

2.) Relieved

3.) Insomnia

4.) Motivated

5.) Eager

6.) Lazy

7.) Respect

8.) Cocksure

9.) Conflicted

10.) Grateful

11.) Mindstate

12.) Mellow

13.) Paranoid

14.) Cheeky

15.) Grateful II

16.) Hope

17.) Amazed

Yakuza - Way of the Dead (2002)

Yakuza's 2002 debut sounds like something Mike Patton and the Dillinger Escape Plan might record during a crystal meth binge. Vicious thrashing and grinding parts alternate with free jazz saxophone (!) solos and calm,  ambient moments. On top of it all floats vocalist Bruce Lamont's incredible voice. Lamont hums, sings, and goes ballistic, while the band takes its time to built complex, almost mathematical structures, just to finally collapse into raw chaos and apocalyptic breakdowns.  

1.) Vergasso

2.) Miami Device

3.) Yama

4.) Signal 2.42

5.) T.M.S.

6.) Chicago Typewriter

7.) Obscurity

8.) 01000011110011

                                          

Radiohead - In Rainbows Special Edition + Bonus Disc (2007)

 

After a mediocre live album and the rather weak "Hail To The Thief", Radiohead came back with a blast in 2007. "In Rainbows"  is their most songwriting-oriented album since "The Bends" and makes less use of electronic gimmicks than its predecessors, resulting in a very warm and organic sound. Radiohead's main achievement on "In Rainbows" is consistency; where some of their recent efforts lack substance or sound lost, there is great cohesion in these songs. Altogether this might be the most underrated Radiohead album, featuring some great b-sides on the bonus disc, most of all the mindblowing  Down Is the New Up.

1.) 15 Step

2.) Body Snatchers

3.) Nude

4.) Weird Fishes/Arpeggi

5.) All I Need

6.) Faust Arp

7.) Reckoner

8.) House of Cards

9.) Jigsaw Falling Into Place

10.) Videotape

+  8 Bonus Tracks on Disc 2

                                                                                                                                 

Le Tigre - Le Tigre (1999)

Formed in 1999 by ex-Bikini Kill frontwoman and riot grrrl Kathleen Hanna, magazine publisher J. Fateman and avant-garde video artist Sadie Benning, the NYC-based trio's music is as vivid and diverse as the band's  members themselves. Le Tigre stir half a dozen musical genres, such as hip hop and punk, till they get short easy-going pop songs  . From simple punk rock riffs, over retro wave hooks, to bizarre Star Wars samples,  this album delivers good clean fun!

1.) Deceptacon

2.) Hot Topic

3.) What Yr Take On Cassavetes

4.) The Empty

5.) Phanta

6.) Eau'd Bedroom Dancing

7.) Let's Run

8.) My My Metrocard

9.) Friendship Station

10.) Slideshow at Free University

11.) Dude, Yr So Crazy!

12.) Les and Ray

Boys Noize - Oi Oi Oi (2007)

Boys Noize is a house project by German electro producer Alexander Ridha, who made a name for himself remixing Bloc Party and Justice songs. The sound of his 2007 debut, however,  is hugely influenced by Daft Punk and old Chemical Brothers records. Oi Oi Oi is dominated by kick-ass breaks, heavily distorted french house beats and Ridha's trademark chainsaw synthesizers, that sound about as evil as if satan himself had played them.

1.) & Down

2.) Lava

3.) The Battery

4.) Oh!

5.) Let's Buy Happiness

6.) Arcade Robot

7.) Deny Selected

8.) Shine Shine

9.) Vergiftet

10.) Superfresh

11.) Wu-Tang

12.) Don't Believe the Hype

13.) Frau

14.) My Moon My Man