Bob Mould
Modulate
Granary
In an interview that appeared on a complementary CD distributed with his 1998 album, The Last Dog and Pony Show, ex-Husker Du mouthpiece, Bob Mould, told fans that he was quitting the music business for an indefinite period of time. Well, Mould's indefinite vacation came to an end last month, when his fifth solo studio recording, Modulate, hit record store shelves around the globe. Unlike his previous studio outings, on which Mould could maintain listener's attention by blending differing styles and forms of music be they classical, punk or folk into interesting and original compositions, the material on Modulate is all of the electronic ilk. While Mould no doubt enjoys his status as a key player in the shaping and defining of modern US alternative rock, there's certainly no chance of his reaching the same status in the world of techno. Dribbling in with 180 Rain, a tune on which Mould manages to sound like a seasick Peter Gabriel, Modulate is a mish-mash of 14 tunes of very varying degrees of quality and irritability.
Although those unfamiliar with Mould's previous work will get little pleasure from Modulate is not totally void of interesting moments. Tunes such as Semper Fi, The Receipt and Come on Strong will have mosh pit devotees of Husker Du pining for days of yore. Numbers like Trade and Sunset Safety Glass are passable, but far too many tracks fall-flat, making Mould appear like a relative newcomer instead of the experienced and talented musician he is.
The Charlatans
Songs from the Other Side
Beggar's Banquet
No doubt attempting to cash in on the success of The Charlatans' most recent studio album, Wonderland, which was released late last year, the compilation album, Songs from the Other Side, breathes new life into old material by one of Briton's most underestimated bands.
While The Charlatans' passion for dance-orientated rhythms, 1960s-style swirling organ-driven psychedelia and Brit-pop always guaranteed the band a degree of individuality, bad luck has plagued them since forming in 1989.
Hitting the UK music scene at the same time as the acid-soaked jangle of the Stone Roses and the mind-altering weirdness of the Happy Mondays, The Charlatans were long considered "the other Manchester band." Far worse, a car crash in 1996 robbed the band of keyboard player, Rob Collins, who was credited with cultivating the band's unique organ sound.
Packed with tunes dating from 1990 to 1997, the 16-track Songs from the Other Side takes listeners on a no-nonsense tour of The Charlatans' lesser-known B-sides. Early tunes, such as Happen to Die (1992), hum with the dance-friendly swirl of Collins' virtuoso finger-work, while later tunes like Clean Up Kid (1997) show how the band has never strayed far from its alternative roots. Far from yet another "Best of," the collection shows that The Charlatans have always been on par with their more popular Manchester rivals.
Discharge
Discharge
Sanctuary
British punk band Discharge, long credited with playing an influential role in the development -- or underdevelopment if you like -- of thrash-metal, is back with a vengeance after a five-year hiatus. The band's debut EP, Realities of War, which was released long before "hardcore" was part of the popular music press' vocabulary, hit the UK independent charts with a bang in 1980. The face of punk rock would never be the same again. Although leaning heavily toward politico-punk with haiku-esque, it was guitarist, Bones, and his pioneering ability to blend the intensity of Motorhead-styled heavy-metal with the obnoxiousness of "real" punk that was to become band's earsplitting calling card.
Discharge's fiery buzzsaw guitar and snarling vocal-driven sound have been poached by scores of punk and thrash metal bands. Anthrax and Metallica both credit Discharge with influencing their music. While this eponymous release likely won't emulate the success of the band's debut, Hear Nothing, See Nothing, Say Nothing (1982), Discharge should certainly not be dismissed as an album by has-beens.
Various
Verve//Remixed
Verve
Don't be fooled by the brilliant opening number on the latest compilation to appear from the prestigious Verve label, Verve//Remixed, which sees a selection of works by 11 of the jazz label's leading female vocalists remixed by some of today's gurus of electronica.
With a line-up that boasts original works by Willie Bobo, Dinah Washington, Nina Simone, Sarah Vaughan, and Billie Holiday remixed by the likes of Richard Dorfmeister, Tricky, De-Phazz and Thievery Corporation, you'd have thought Verve couldn't go wrong. Sadly, however, shortly after Dorfmeister's superb seven-minute reworking of Bobo's Spanish Grease, listeners might be reaching for the remote control. The problem lies not with the quality of the artists, but in the way the original versions have been asphyxiated by constant house grooves. Even the masterly Thievery Corporation fall flat when the jazz influenced duo attempt to breathe new life into Astrud Gilberto's recording of Who Needs Forever?
To complement the remix album, Verve has also chosen to release Verve//Unmixed, which contains the tunes' original versions. For those who enjoy their standards intact, this is probably a better investment.
Japan is celebrated for its exceptional levels of customer service. But the behavior of a growing number of customers and clients leaves a lot to be desired. The rise of the abusive consumer has prompted authorities in Tokyo to introduce the country’s first ordinance — a locally approved regulation — to protect service industry staff from kasuhara — the Japanese abbreviated form of “customer harassment.” While the Tokyo ordinance, which will go into effect in April, does not carry penalties, experts hope the move will highlight a growing social problem and, perhaps, encourage people to think twice before taking out their frustrations
Two years ago my wife and I went to Orchid Island off Taitung for a few days vacation. We were shocked to realize that for what it cost us, we could have done a bike vacation in Borneo for a week or two, or taken another trip to the Philippines. Indeed, most of the places we could have gone for that vacation in neighboring countries offer a much better experience than Taiwan at a much lower price. Hence, the recent news showing that tourist visits to Pingtung County’s Kenting, long in decline, reached a 27 year low this summer came
From a Brooklyn studio that looks like a cross between a ransacked Toys R Us and a serial killer’s lair, the artist David Henry Nobody Jr is planning the first survey of his career. Held by a headless dummy strung by its heels from the ceiling are a set of photographs from the turn of the century of a then 30-year-old Nobody with the former president of the US. The snapshots are all signed by Donald Trump in gold pen (Nobody supplied the pen). They will be a central piece of the New York artist’s upcoming survey in New York. This
Oct. 7 to Oct. 13 The Great Dragon Flags were so lavish and intricate that it’s said to have exhausted the supplies of three embroidery shops. Others say that the material cost was so high that three shops quit during production and it was finished by a fourth. Using threads with pure gold, the final price to create the twin banners was enough to buy three houses in the 1920s. Weighing 30kg each and measuring 454cm by 535cm by 673cm, the triangular flags were the pride of the Flying Dragons (飛龍團), a dragon dance troupe that performed for Chaotian
RSS