Rekkids
Jon Spencer Blues Explosion “Acme”
Cema/Capitol
What the fuck is this? Lo-fi punk with blues riffs? Rockabilly-glam
jazz? R&B for junkies? Something like that. It’s something more too.
Something dirty. Something with a lot of libido. Something blatantly
about sex and drugs and Jon Spencer himself. Maybe it shouldn’t be
called the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, maybe it should be called, The
Jon Spencer Ego Band. On “Acme” the latest release by the self
proclaimed, “Greatest Fucking Band in the World,” Jon Spencer does it
again, he mixes up rock and blues and r&b into a sloppy and
self-proclaiming mix of funk. Like the dark side of G-Love, blues
explosion mixes slow hip-hop beats with blues hooks and gospel intensity
bin their own particularly crusty style. It’s a more polished album
than past efforts, but it’s not over-produced or cute. All I can say is
Jon Spencer is the funkiest white guy alive, and that might not being
saying much, but the new album speaks for itself, and will tell you the
same thing.-Kevin Peckham
BUY THIS
NOW!!! (seriously, if you buy it (or anything else) through here, we make
money)
Beck “Mutations”
Uni/Geffen/DGC
This might not be exactly what you expect from Beck if you only know
him from MTV. It lacks all those funky beats of a lot of his hits, and
while the songs on the new album are a little goofy they aren’t “funny
ha-ha” or “funny strange.” They’re straight up acoustic indy-rock.
Disappointing, if you’re looking for something different than other
acoustic indy performances. Impressive, if you consider how well
written and produced they are. But they are slow and moody and you’re
not going to play this album at a party,and you’re not going to play it
with friends around, unless you’re trying to come off as a sensitive
guy, in which case you better get sex out of it. Regardless, this is a
really fucking great album, and when no one’s around I’m going to
listen to it and get really depressed and write angst poetry. That’s
the way goes.-Kevin Peckham
UNKLE "Psyence Fiction"
Pgd/Full Frequency Range Records
Fortunately for us all, genius is not easily clouded. On "Psyence Fiction," a
collaboration between the truly amazing DJ Shadow and James Lavelle*, weak pop artists,
including Mike D., Money Mark, and various pieces of the Dust Brothers and Metallica
attempt to go cumulus on the sublime beats of DJ Shadow. Try as they might, however, The
Shadow always prevails. Highlights of this album, apart from Shadow, appear in the form of
a rare, cooperative unity, achieved on tracks "Rabbit In Your Headlights,"
featuring Radiohead's Thom Yorke, and "Lonely Soul," featuring The Verve's
Richard Ashcroft. On "Rabbit in Your Headlights," Psyence Fiction's only track
dominated by talent other than Shadow's, Yorke works independent magic. And I truly
commend him for this. His mellow vocals, synthesizer play, and bass notes form a rich and
solid foreground for DJ Shadow's subtle drum and bass beats to adorn, totaling in
perfection. On "Lonely Soul," Shadow's usual array of supernatural beats, here
displayed in a perfect drum and string combination, successfully envelop Ashcroft's less
than impressive voice, ultimately resulting in an amazing, celestial flow reached by the
sixth minute of the track. Unfortunately for the rest of the "Psyence Fiction'"
alliance, no additional tracks on the album are at all impressive for any other reason
than Shadow's magnificence. And I do have fantasies of removing everyone else's work from
the album. Even so, Psyence Fiction is worth purchasing because on it DJ Shadow, the
backbone and plasma of every track, yet again proves himself to be a genius, managing to
shine brightly through the substantial mediocrity supplied by the album's other
artists.-Rachel Cotton
BUY THIS
NOW!!!
* Lavelle is Mo' Wax's cheeky founder. Mo' Wax is a DOPE label out of England, spewing a
brilliant fusion of jazz, hip hop, techno, and drum and bass, which is manifested in the
work of DJ Krush, Attica Blues, and the truly SPLENDID Dr. Octagon and DJ Shadow. Support
it.