July 2nd, 2009 |
Posted in Album Reviews by saucy
Progress, a natural part of the creative process, allows composer and listener to undergo ever-changing journeys. However, this progress is often a double-edged sword. As artists continue to evolve they run the risk of alienating their audience. If their album has been preceded by singles, people waiting for the debut album will be looking for more of the same, while people new to the group will be far more open to different sounds and styles.
Nosaj Thing’s debut full-length, Drift, is an album of well-produced electronica that blends ambient and atmospheric timbres with an obvious love for Dubstep. For the uninitiated, Dubstep is a soundscape grown from U.K. Drum & Bass, Grime, and R&B. The heavily compressed sounds brought to the masses by artists like Daft Punk & Eric Prydz that create a type of ‘pumping and breathing’ (sounds that fall to the background when the bass drum kicks in) have recently been taken up by most every corner of the dance production world. Dubstep artists have been very quick in adding it to their genre.
Nosaj Thing has not neglected the fine art of production, so every track in his arsenal is dynamic and full of life. The opening track, “Quest”, starts in a gentle manner, reminiscent of his previous Octopus EP (2006). From there he delves into far more specific tastes. If you are a Dubstep fan you will find much to like. Lavish sounds mixed with tight beats lean more on wistful feeling than effervescence, which makes for a lovely change from the usual dance floor fodder. However, for those not already taken by the Dubstep revolution, this might not be an album for you. I would recommend a test drive before you commit to Drift.
One thing that Nosaj Thing showed such promise in previously was his melodies. While Octopus blended both an Aphex Twin- and Boards of Canada-like sound into a truly captivating experience, here the music has taken a back seat to production. While it’s never hard to listen to this album, there is little to get excited about. No one single track ever truly shines. Melodies are underdeveloped and the aforementioned Daft Punk compression technique makes the tracks overbearing. When the processing is pulled back, such as on the track “Us”, Nosaj Thing shows that he is capable of truly outstanding work.
So, while Nosaj Thing has shown progress in his production skills, which some witnessed in his recent Shanghai beat-making workshop, he may have sacrificed accessibility. This is a trade-off which some of his older fans might not be willing to make.
tags: Ambient - Aphex Twin - Boards of Canada - Daft Punk - Dance - Dub - Dubstep - Electronic - Music - Nosaj Thing
July 2nd, 2009 |
Posted in Live Music Reviews by zack
Editor’s Note: Zack Smith is taking his work with him on vacation. He will be checking in periodically this summer to recount his American musical experiences.
Sometimes the best shows are the surprises, the ones you know nothing about, as opposed to the ones that you have built up in your mind for weeks. I found this to be the case Sunday night when I caught the Robert Cray Band at the Boulder Theater in Boulder, Colorado, USA.
First, a note about the venue: The Boulder Theater is an old art deco movie theater that has been converted into a music venue. It has beautiful paintings on the walls and ornate features throughout. The bottom floor has a bar, some tables, and a spacious standing room only area in front of the stage. There is also a balcony up top with seats for people who would like to sit and enjoy the music. The space is comparable to the Shanghai Grand Stage, where I saw James Brown, Al Jarreau and George Benson, and The Roots on separate evenings. I would say the Robert Cray show drew about 500 people, which is great for a Sunday night. Most of the crowd was middle-aged and that explains the 7:30 sharp start time, which surprised me a bit.
Boulder, Colorado is an old town, but also new and exciting, due to the fact that it is home to the largest colleges in Colorado, the University of Colorado. It is a forward-thinking town, with lots of students, older liberals, and those peculiar American animals, hippies. If you like organic food, hybrid cars, beautiful mountains, nag champa incense, and patchouli oil, then this is the place for you. Boulder also boasts a great music scene.
A band called the Delta Sonics started the show. They played traditional blues tracks with good energy and spirit. They had some interesting features to the band, including the tallest bass player I have ever seen (who also looked like Lurch from the Addam’s Family), a left-handed drummer, a bald-headed singer (who also whaled on the chromatic harmonica), and a six year-old who was billed as the world’s youngest blues harmonica player (he joined them for two numbers). Their guitarist rocked on every solo he took and there was a funny moment where the frontman played the chords on the neck while the guitarist strummed. The Sonics’ set was proficient, if not original, but that’s what you get sometimes with the blues. It’s more of a revivalist movement. The frontman tried to stir up some excitement with his fiery harmonica playing and gyrations (he even left the stage to play in the audience), but the crowd was still sparse at this early juncture.
After a short intermission, the Robert Cray Band got right to work. Cray, who has won multiple Grammy awards, is one of the most accomplished and famous blues guitarists working today, carrying on a legacy that stretches back to the work songs and spirituals sung by slaves in the most ignominious portion of American history. He names Albert Collins, Albert King, Freddie King, Jimi Hendrix, and Muddy Waters as his blues heroes and has played with other great musicians, such as Eric Clapton. During this set he was joined by his regular band, which included Jim Pugh on piano and organ, Richard Cousins on bass, and Tony Braunagel on drums. Pugh showed off his skills at many different points of the program, soloing with dexterity and soul. Cousins is your basic lock-down bassist. He lurked in the shadows, writhing spasmodically. He looked an eel engaged in rhythmic dance. The drummer was also steady, if unspectacular, which is what you need for a blues band. The guitar and vocals get pushed to the forefront, bringing us to the star of the show.
Robert Cray is a terrific musician. I first saw him about 10 years ago in the Denver Botanical Gardens and was amazed by the power and tone of his voice. To me, it sounded like a cross between the high-end majesty of Al Green and the soulful growl of B.B. King. On Sunday night, his voice again cut through everything. He also pulled out a competent falsetto, which he was smart enough to keep for special moments. On guitar, he displays amazing phrasing and, again, great tone. The jangle sounded like a bag of quarters being dropped on the subway floor. He played leads, accents, and solos with a silvery twang that swept concert-goers off their tapping feet and took them down South.
Because the set was on Sunday night and the old-timers in the audience had to get to work the next day, Cray set a blistering pace. There was no chitchat between songs, just a genial, “Thank you so very much,” and then away we went again and again. He must have played at least 15 poppy blues/bluesy pop bombs in the span of an hour, one after another. He also busted out a great little reggae tune toward the beginning of the set. After a final couple of encore tracks, with Cousins feeding his bass back for effect, Cray said goodnight and all the folks hit the exits, way past their bedtimes.
Accomplished and traditional blues music is something that Shanghai seems to lack a bit. If you are in the mood for some mourning, check out The House of Jazz and Blues or Beedee’s on Tuesday nights. Or you can hope that Robert Cray will visit sometime soon. I sure do.
Until next time…
tags: Blues - Dance - Folk - House - Jazz - Music - Pop - Reggae - Robert Cray - Rock - Shanghai - Soul
July 2nd, 2009 |
Posted in Articles by mache
Michael Jackson’s influence on the history of music is indisputable. This is something everyone understands and respects. So it follows that the majority of the world stopped to recognize him in the aftermath of his death. And it’s still going on.
The day he died I was awakened by calls telling me what had just occurred. Michael Jackson died. I was not impressed, sad, or sorry about it because Michael Jackson is not the music idol I will cry for when he is dead, but for many people he was. As the day began to move, the reactions from fans all over the world combined into a huge wave of veneration in positive and not so positive ways. I got many more impressions and reactions from friends, family, and even strangers, about MJ’s passing and his legacy.
As noon passed, I began to keep record of all the reactions from people on Facebook. It was impossible to skip this news, as it was all over everywhere. There was a shower of reactions by all possible ways of communication. Some comments were sad, some were impressed, some were laughing, some complaining, some calling for justice, some singing his tunes, some even reflecting about the lightness of being. This is one of those moments in history, like when Elvis died, or Lennon. Generations of fans cried together, and for a day the planet shrank a bit…all because of a pop star. Music.
As the day passed I thought there was so little I could really say about Jackson that would be worth expressing. My life was affected by his music, but not so deeply touched that I could honor him well enough. I’m not the only one feeling in similar way. This strange guy became a huge character of our time, and his path to our hearts and minds was music. It wasn’t because of politics, technology development, or discovering a cure for some disease. Would the world cry like this if Stephen Hawkins or Bill Gates died? Not likely. We love our artists so much more than others. Maybe they give the cynics in us a chance to have more faith in human kind.
The day he died, every place I went to played Jackson’s music- the jazz, hip-hop, electronic, and rock worlds gave a moment of recognition. Probably there were many homes and mp3 players playing his music too. I guess even people on the North and South Poles did their Michael Jackson tribute. From one extreme to the other, the world remembered the life of a man because of his music.
The last thing I heard that day about his dead was it was impossible he was dead. He could never died, he was too big to died, so this must be a plan of him, a whole act just to run away to live his 30 last years of life on tranquility on some beautiful spot of the planet. Yeah, right on the same neighborhood where Elvis is living too. Kiki, who told me that, was being real, she was not playing when she said it, and she almost convinced me it was possible.
During that fateful day Layabozi collected comments on Facebook about Michael Jackson the day he died. We present them here as a way to pay our final respects to the King of Pop, to show a small part of his kingdom reacting to his death. Cheers, Michael. Thanks for your music, your dance moves, your creativity. Strangely, through you, we learned more about the world.
Dave Kollection “Gone Too Soon” Like A Comet Blazing ‘Cross The Evening Sky Gone Too Soon Like A Rainbow Fading In The Twinkling Of An Eye Gone Too Soon Shiny And Sparkly And Splendidly Bright Here One Day Gone One Night Like The Loss Of Sunlight On A Cloudy Afternoon Gone Too Soon Like A Castle Built Upon A Sandy Beach Gone Too Soon Like A Perfect Flower That Is Just Beyond Your Reach Gone Too Soon KING OF POP
Lisa Moi going to watch MJ’s video tonite. suddenly wanna see moon walk again… sigh, my school days idol is gone
Ryan Trix moonwalk for michael at midnight??
Matthew Murphy-Dyson I’m moon walking all day instead of just walking as a gift to the true god MJ.
Cynthia Fdz BLACK or WHITE?
Stella Booze hey man, Michael Jackson died! I’ll miss his dance moves..
James Danderfer Here’s to MJ… I’ll never forget listening to BAD as a kid!
Charles Didjelirium Perez wonders if Michael Jackson will be buried in a black or white coffin…
Reggie Laxatives and another one gone…
Gary Wang MJ!
Clément Pony RIP
Anthony Fitzgerald Caw Memories of Michael anyone?…. For me, driving down to Liverpool in my first car to see Liverpool vs. Celtic pissing myself laughing with Pol Corrigan at the McCartney and Jackson duet (on cassette!) – and who is the third voice in that song who also claims that “the girl is mine” ? R.I.P Jacko! x
Kevin Forslund When I was about 4 I had a MJ shirt with him doing the moon walk across my chest with glittery fluorescent silhouettes of him fading into eternity…. Also, more recently, Hough and Tommy pulled off a wicked rendition of the Black and White closing scene where the faces change to the music, only using those shiny new professional EF pics of ours. Nothing like seeing Lawrence turn into Claudia.
Vijya Bhardwaj Mine is I used to imitate him in old family videos and my sisters would always laugh at how serious I would learn the dance..intense concentration on my face when I would do the moonwalk…I’m really gutted abt it..I had tickets 2 c him in 02 arena 2.
Michael Hicks without “thriller” the 80s would have still been the 70s (musically). or maybe even worse, the 90s. “beat it” is my favorite; the guitar solo by eddie van halen is probably one of my top 3 favorite
Jaime Andres Garcia. …”el rock no te necesita”…
Di Wu We’ll remember you
Mickey Napalm still thinks Michael Jackson is an idiot
Darryl Snow aat least he only produced one Bad album… i suppose at the end of the day his heart just couldn’t Beat it!
Paul Collins Farrah Fawcett chose the wrong day to go, like Mother Theresa 6 days after Diana, and Maria Callas a week after Elvis. It’s all in the timing!
Fissal Oubida MUSIC THAT LAST FOREVER. ALL MY LOVE AND RESPECT TO YOU MJ
Lihongnina Rossi Wang is shocked by the news, Michael Jackson is dead?! ÄÄÄÄÄÄHHH?
Juan Pablo wanna rock with you tonight!!
Jim Chiu We all want u back Mike – RIP
Theo Croker It’s called BLACK MANS disease ya’ll and Michael (even though he turned very light-skinned) was from that generation………Lets not forget he was a GREAT AFRICAN AMERICAN Music Icon!!!!
Becca Smith And the whole world has to answer right now just to tell you once again, Who’s bad…
Andy Best Jacko is gone. But I don’t like pop … errr, thanks for the jokes? At least you’ll get a bit of peace now.
Leo de B bye bye michael
Aaron Duckworth i stunned that elizabeth nor diana has said anything yet…….and where’s Tito?
Kaine Lv rip michael j.
Cristian Guary Opazo ’cause this is thriller, thriller night
Abraham Pilcer Michael Jackson was very inspiring for his kindness and love!
Mark Pummell we want you back… RIP
Juan Pablo is missing the King of Pop…I’m shocked still
Spaace Maan Special Tribute to the king Michael Jackson on Saturday. We will play his bests songs at the Japanese Elecktronics Party from original recordings (Vinyls). May he rest in Peace.
Giling Yu Don’t Stop ’til you get enough…..Woooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!
Patrick Mitchell Sad day….the King of Pop has passed away………
Theo Croker Michael Jackson……..WHAT THE HELL? Look’s like even if you turn your skin white & become a gazillionaire…..you can still die from black mans disease……
Coté Riquelme The Jackson Four…
Angelina Chen shocking news: Michael Jackson dies http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_obit_michael_jackson
Henri D. Hsen RIP…MJ
Christine Ekki is shocked. Michael Jackson?! no way!! R.I.P…
Lindsay Hermanson noooooo…michael!
Alguien Rock MICHAEL JACKSON IS DEAD…pta q triste.
Raquel Gacet The king of Pop! will live in our hearts forever & ever!! WE LOVE U!!!!!!
Ashleyann Donohue 250,000 people died today. Some of them were fathers, mothers, daughters and sons. Some were children. Some were soldiers, some were hippies, some communist and some mentally challenged. Some rich, some poor, some middle class. Don’t ask me to be sad about one death of someone who decided to molest children. Allegedly. He died. Save your pity for those close to YOU. Not those close to the world
Logan Smith U HAD THE BEST SONG!!!! Miss u!!!!
Okan Gormezoglu comon man !i know you did nt die ,u cant die bro after to do many thing get up bro…..
Angela Lewis R.I.P. Michael. You are now free.
Kevin Allen its elvis all over again doctors in the USA …….R.I.P…
Zeljko Pera Arambasic prokleti pedofil sad su djeca napokon sigurna od toga ludaka!!!!!!!!!
Antti Rautavaara freaking kidraper
Susan Dixon the pop world will be the same without you in it .we will miss you so much michael jackson ripEhab
Talon Bridgmon darn i really wanted lessons from him
Olivia Askholm i think it´s pretty scaring that he´s dead, but we can stil hear his voice and his messages in his songs… i can´t say anything but, he is living forever!!!
Michael Jarvis We have many Michael Jackson pre printed signed photographs on our ebay store, only £4 a pop, i know alot are after some way to remember him, well heres your way without having to be rich. http://shop.ebay.co.uk/merchant/mj_autographs
Tyson James you are the reason i started dancing michael, you will always be the king of pop.
Micke Sjödén Nää, nu fan räcker det med R.I.P om honom…..
Susan Palin omg it’s so sad, i just got a MJ ringtone at www.freemichaeljacksonringtones.com so he’ll always be with me!
Ceeryl Chardonnay RIP Michael Jackson !!!
Quentin Belvedere Steinmetz RIP le roi de la POP
Stanley Chai R.I.P Michael Jackson
Pablo Castro Germaine Jackson está vivo!
Troy Johnston wonders how biodegradable Michael Jackson will be with all that plastic!
Megan Saia love you MJ! Rest in Peace!!!
Giling Yu Don’t Stop ’til you get enough…..Woooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!
Casie Lane Millhouse goodbye michael
Yan Jonathan Boodhoo His body left but his spirit and his music will always be in our heart…R I P
Alicia Fierce will drink jesus juice tonight.
Sword Li MR.MOON WALKER
Camila Capra Ma meilleure perfo de Beat it !!! Mise en scéne incroyable et choré mouch normalllllllllllllllllllllllllllll!!! Michael you’re the kiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing
E.J. Parker R.I.P. MJ!
Patana Ph.D Desde que vi “La muerte le sienta bien”, este tipo de decesos me parecen -cuanto menos – un pelín sospechosos…
Craig McIntosh Celebs always die in 3s. Farrah Fawcet, Michael Jackson … who’s the next to go? You decide!
Michael Michael PAUSE Party tonight @ Shelter, Shanghai — Michael Jackson homage + Yen’s CD release…
Peter Buckley saw Micheal Jackson on his Dangerous Tour and, following the Brit Awards incident, rallied some of his little schoolfriends around to produce posters denouncing the actions of the lead singer of Pulp. So that’s how I completely missed the point of Britpop at the time
Mattia Settimelli in lutto per il Re Michael, il re del pop, colui che ha creato un genere e ha venduto più dischi nella storia della musica con “Thriller”. We’ll miss you, Jacko!
Damien Banzigou Like A Comet Blazing ‘Cross The Evening Sky Gone Too Soon.. It’s a sad day for all those you’ve touch through your music! Thank you very much MJ!! R.I.P
Anna Jacysyzn It’s weird that two of my 80’s icons are dead. I’ve always wanted to have farrah’s hair and michael’s writing skills.
Stephanie Chalmers is all cut up right now. How could I have slept through this? Michael, I love you. You’ve got great shoes.
Alexander Torres don’t stop till you get enough !!!!!!!!!RIP JACKSON!!!! RESPECT.
Emma Loebelson sniff, poor MJ
Carlos Navarrete MJk forever!!!!
tags: Michael Jackson - Music - Pop
