WFHB Music - Bloomington Community Radio

Monday, October 24

int'l genre adds (10/24)

here are new int'l discs coming in this evening....ryan should be posting a review of the ANOTHER WORLD compilation....right ryan???

--bj

artist: v / a
title: The Rough Guide to Latin Music for Children
label: WMN
file under: Int’l / Latin
grade: A / A-
Hot on the heels of last month’s African compilation, this RG sampler culls top Latin tracks as voted by a gaggle of UK kiddies. Your typical 4th grader from Norwich appears to be a bit more MOR in terms of her salsa, et al. Nothing bad, but not as many fireworks as the African set. Big names here include Chango Spasiuk (06), Plena Libre (10), Sierra Maestra (11), and Africando (04). Nice finds include upbeat Merengada (07), the salsa swagger of Herencía (09), the tango flair of Sandra Luna (14), and the funky Pancho Quinto (08). Plenty to work with: seek out your set-stealer!
top tunes: 07, 11, 14, 09, 06, 12, 08, 05
reviewer: “pablo” ingvoldstad

artist: Hapa
title: Maui
Label: Hapa
file under: Int’l
grade: A
Hapa is a duo that sings in both Hawaiian and Tahitian, and doesn’t shy away from the occasional instrumental to boot. Lead track “Haleakalā” (01) deserves to be a big single—shiny guitars, and a fine vocal harmony demand a spin. The version of “Redemption Song” (07) is just sweet…until the polyglot bridge. The acid jazzy “Kealoha Bebop” (11) is a blur-blast manifesto for 21st Century Hawaii. I also liked the bass noodlings on “Twinkletoes” (02). Hapa have chops to spare—they’d be a great act to get into town, but until then spin this with confidence.
Vocal Tracks: 01, 07, 10, 11, 03, 12
Instrumentals: 02, 04, 09
reviewer: bjorn ingvoldstad

artist: v / a
title: Rolas de Aztlán: Songs of the Chicano Movement
Label: Smithsonian Folkways
file under: int’l / Latin
grade: A
Much-welcomed archival set of songs of the Chicano movement of the 1960s and 70s. The disc includes several field recordings, as well as a wealth of studio tracks, with a too-brief, previously unreleased track from Los Lobos (14) headlining. Generous booklet gives background and translation for each track—worth flipping through before pressing play!
Choice Cuts: 14, 10, 07, 19, 15, 17, 11, 18
reviewer: “pablo” ingvoldstad

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Tuesday, October 18

Blues CD Reviews--Norton & Kissel

Bob Kissel Reviews:

1. Buddy Guy (Silvertone) "Bring 'Em In" -- Recommended. Guy manages to restrain himself and turn in a good collection of tunes. Mostly uptempo (not too many good for morning mix).

2. Buckwheat Zydeco (Shout Factory) "100% Fortified Zydeco" -- Average production, nothing special, but definitely Zydeco.

3. Mel Melton (LRHR) "Papa Mojo's Roadhouse" -- Uninspiring.

Cathi Norton Reviews:

4. Bobby Rush (Deep Rush) "Night Fishin'" -- B
An album for the funkafied, chitlin circuit blues lover. Typical Bobby Rush funky with suggestive lyrics and story tunes that lean on late-night, bar-scene experiences. Several talkin'-to-your-baby tunes with spoken lyrics a la Barry White and funky. Not my particular cup of tea, but what do I know? I'm a white chick.

5. Delta Moon (Delta Moon) "Howlin'" -- B+
Pretty cool musicianship though not strictly blues. Fluid female vocals with gruff (songwriter/male) lead vocalist who plays fine slide guitar. ZZ Top-ish -- rough blues beats with silky vocals on top. Not much for morning fare.

6. Cool John Ferguson (Music Maker) "Cool Yule" - B
What can I say? This is a guitar instrumental album of Christmas tunes. Nice playing,
Kinda velveeta. Pa rumpa dum dum.

7. Tab Benoit (Voice of the Wetlands) "Voice of the Wetlands" - A-
Dr. John, Cyril Neville, the Meters' rhythm section, and Tab Benoit (etc.) get together to put out a disc to benefit are wetlands. Done in early 2005, it seems ironic that since then Katrina has driven home the point. Nevertheless, this is a really nice CD with some great musicianship. Recognizable guests and great playing. Some nice morning mix offerings and only one "bitchin" reference to awaken the censors.

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Friday, October 14

proclaimers + int'l adds coming 10/14

hi all,

here are reviews of the new proclaimers (alt/indie) + several int'l adds....in addition to these, nortec collective is new in the addpool, and ali farka toure's disc was reviewed by g-man earlier this week. spin! spin! spin the black circle!

--bjorn

artist: The Proclaimers
title: Restless Soul
label: Persevere
file under: alt / indie
grade: B+
On their second release for their own Persevere imprint, the Reid brothers have crafted another lopsided collection of willfully earnest tunes about love, sex, God, and whiskey. The spirited opener, "When Love Struck You Down" (01) with its infectious melody and biting refrain, is a highlight. "I'm Gone" (04) is as simple a drinking song as anything the Pogues ever raised a glass to. The jazzy sex romp "That's Better Now" (05) proves that the brothers must need extra-large kilts, and the fiery closer, "One More Down" (14) revels in the frantic, overdriven, and ballsy delivery that won the boys from Leith a devoted following in the first place. Come to think of it, that about sums up every Proclaimers record. Their utter lack of pretension always trumps the negative—they may be inconsistent, they're still the best Buddy Holly-kissed honky tonk/R&B/roots rock sibling duo to ever come out of the U.K. (3 stars)

reviewer: James Christopher Monger, All Music Guide

artist: v / a
title: Celtic Crossroads
Label: Putumayo
file under: Int’l
grade: B / B+
What the world does not need right now is another Putumayo celtic compilation. And yet—oh never mind. Solas main-man Mick McAuley offers up the most pleasing cut, an atmospheric acoustic number in English called “The House Carpenter” (06). Sinèad O’Connor offers up “Her Mantle So Green” (09) from her pre-reggae period. Other notable cuts go a little off the beaten path: MacIsaac & Lamond (11) offer up the nicest fusion on the disc, with vocal-instrumental interplay working disarmingly well; Keltik Elektrik (03) vaguely sounds a Scottish Beck; and Michael McGoldrick (04) has a bit of Morcheeba in him.

reviewer: bjorn ingvoldstad

artist: Bush Chemists
title: Raw Raw Dub
Label: ROIR
file under: Reggae / Dub
grade: A
I do not claim to be a dub connoisseur, but I know what I like. And I like this. Plenty of mind-space to swim in, if you know what I mean and I think you do. UK dub is alive and well. West side!

reviewer: bjorn ingvoldstad

artist: Plena Libre
title: Evolución
Label: Times Square
file under: int’l / latin
grade: A-
I missed Plena Libre at Lotus 2005, but all reports were positive—new material they played last month can now be tapped here! Evolución isn’t going in any new direction for the Puerto Rican combo, but that’s not a bad thing. Upbeat and swinging, Plena Libre delivers again.

reviewer: bjorn ingvoldstad

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Tuesday, October 11

Latest WFHB Addpool CD Reviews

DATE: 10/3/05
ARTIST: Rogue Wave
TITLE: Descended Like Vultures (Sub Pop)
GENRE: ROCK/ALTERNATIVE
GRADE: A+
REVIEW:The album works on all the levels that it could rightfully be asked to. It’s a complete work, with thoughtful, poetic lyrics that ring with integrity. It features a delicate instrumentalism, with melodies that owe their primitive roots to such influential bands as the Zombies and XTC. But nothing Rogue does has any real tie to the sounds that came before him. He works with matters of the heart and head in a truly original fashion. Rogue is as upbeat and positive as they come off-the-record, and he’s never sounded as if he was milking all he could from love and its frailties. As the follow-up to Out of the Shadow, an album that Rogue wrote and recorded (mostly) solo after getting canned from a job, Vultures is an apt second chapter. It comes off as less fragmented because it includes the output of a full band.
LOCAL NOTE: That full band features Pat Spurgeon and Evan Ferrell, former Bloomington musicians.
RECOMMENDED TRACKS:1,2,5,6,11
REVIEWER: excerpts from playbackstl.com

DATE: 10/3/05
ARTIST: Various Artists
TITLE: Stubbs the Zombie (Shout Factory)
GENRE: ROCK/ALTERNATIVE
GRADE: B+
REVIEW: It feels odd to put a video game soundtrack on the WFHB addlist, but this isn't your standard game soundtrack of synth presets and sound effects. This is a cool collection of exceptional covers by a surprising roster of bands. Have you ever wanted to hear Flaming Lips do “If I Only Had A Brain”, Clem Snide do “Tears On My Pillow”, Rougue Wave do “Everday” or Death Cab do “Earth Angel”? Well now you can. All that and more. Have fun!
RECOMMENDED TRACKS: 1,2,3,7,8,10,11
REVIEWER: Jim Manion/WFHB

DATE: 10/3/05
ARTIST: David Gray
TITLE: Life in Slow Motion (ATO)
GENRE: FOLK/SS
GRADE: A-
REVIEW:David Gray's underdog status used to part of the reason why people liked him so much. So now that he's made for life and owns his own studio, can he still make records as charming and intimate as White Ladder? On the basis of Life in Slow Motion, the answer is: absolutely. The production may be a bit glossier than before, but otherwise it's business as usual: big-hearted, emotional folk-rock songs that brilliantly transcend the limitations of the one-bloke-and-his-guitar genre. He claims that the lyrics this time are about other people's lives, but in fact one of Gray's biggest strengths is that you always believe he's really lived through the traumatic events that he communicates in that unmistakable bark of a voice. A really fine album.

RECOMMENDED TRACKS:1,2,3,5,6,8,9
REVIEWER: Andrew Lynch entertainmentirelend.ie

DATE: 10/3/05
ARTIST:Brian Eno
TITLE: Another Day on Earth (Opal)
GENRE: ROCK/ALTERNATIVE
GRADE: A
REVIEW: Latterly best known as an ambient composer, Eno's never been that far from the song, either as a collaborator, or producer with the likes of Talking Heads and U2. But given that he's helped developed generative music software that plays itself ad infinitum, one would think that the ancient art of songwriting would seem about as relevant to him as basket weaving. Not so. Ever provocative, he recently distanced himself from the contemporary obsession with hardware by proclaiming that the greatest challenge facing today's musician is to write songs. He's picked up his own gauntlet in some style here. Although his songs have never been particularly melodically developed, here their simplicity is their strength. "How Many Worlds" blossoms from primitive staccato piano lines into a gorgeous, string-driven instrumental chorus.There's a seductive spaciousness in this soundworld. On "Caught Between", Eno's voice croons from the distance over slow shimmering beats, and minimal piano and guitar lines. The ultra-sparse "Passing Over" showcases another fine Eno vocal performance, harmonising with himself, before switching on the vocoder for a crunchy, Darth Vader-like effect.In the 70s, Eno was intent on subverting rock lyric clichés, relishing the absurdities he came up with in the process. On Another Day On Earth he plays with language in a more considered, reflective way. This peaks on the last song, ''Bone Bomb'', sung by Aylie Cooke. "My body, so thin/So tired/Beaten for years," she intones in a haunting voice that is dramatically snuffed out into silence.
RECOMMENDED TRACKS:1,3,4,6,7,9,11
REVIEWER: excerpts from Mike Barnes bbc.co.uk/music

DATE: 10/3/05
ARTIST:Echo and the Bunnymen
TITLE: Siberia (Cooking Vinyl)
GENRE: ROCK/ALTERNATIVE
GRADE: A
REVIEW:The songs sound fresh, as if the duo have recognized their strengths and aren't afraid to use them. Album opener "Stormy Weather" sounds classic and modern at the same time, combining the melodic guitar of Sergeant with the tender brooding of McCulloch's voice. More importantly, the song signals a return to classic Bunnymen: romantic lyrics, majestic crescendos, and dreamy swagger. Other songs capture the frenetic energy of the early Bunnymen. "Of a Life" begins with a searing guitar lead and repeatedly explodes. Moreover, one listen to this song and it's evident why many have claimed that U2 lifted their sound from the Bunnymen. Sergeant alternates between melodic leads and repetitive textures, not so much playing the guitar as painting with it, carefully juxtaposing deliberate strokes with seemingly random flourishes. Just who influenced who is open to debate, but one thing is not: Sergeant is horribly underrated. In other songs, such as "Parthenon Drive" and "Sideways Eight", his distinctive style simply bewilders.
RECOMMENDED TRACKS:1,3,5,8,10
REVIEWER: excerpts from popmatters.com

DATE: 10/3/05
ARTIST:Neil Young
TITLE: Prarie Wind (Reprise)
GENRE: ROCK/MAINSTREAM
GRADE: A+
REVIEW:Prairie Wind is being pushed as the third in a trilogy of classic Neil Young acoustic albums, after Harvest and Harvest Moon. They do sound eerily similar. The tracks were written as Young suffered a brain aneurysm, and initially it feels as if he had simply dug out his most beautiful old songs and written new words. However, the familiarity reveals itself to be a clever ploy, as Prairie Wind contrasts simpler days with post-9/11 global panic. The songs grow darker, richer and more haunting with each listen. It's a Dream compares the false dawns offered by the utopian hippie vision and technology. Others brilliantly capture the ordinary person's feeling of crushed hopes and impotence as the world spins out of control. In the autumn of his career, this is one of Shaky's best.
RECOMMENDED TRACKS: 1,3,4,6,8,9
REVIEWER: Dave Simpson guardian.co.uk

ARTIST: Nortec Collective
TITLE: Tijuana Sessions Vol. 3
GENRE: ELECTRONIC/WORLD FUSION
GRADE: A
REVIEW:Comprised of several DJs, graphic artists, filmmakers, and fashion designers, the Nortec Collective hail from North America's definitive meltin' pot, the U.S.-Mexico border. Nortec’s follow up to Tijuana Sessions Vol. 1 (disregard the title, nothing is as it seems in T.J.) infuses traditional norteña, ranchera and banda sinaloense music of Mexico’s tassel-sleeved urban cowboy population. DJs Fusible, Bostitch, Panóptica, Clorofila and Hiperboreal harness the frenetic pulse and sinsations akin to T.J.’s infamous Revolución street by sampling honking tubas, bass drum booms, and brassy trombones served to us on a vintage techno-platter. There’s even a lil’ vocals this time, as on the first single “Tijuana Makes Me Happy”, with hilarious lyrics backed by an irresistible auto-pilot party groove from Fusible. When in Tijuana, beware the painted mule. They gotta a nasty kick, and so does this record. Viva Nortec, la nueva frontera de la música.
REVIEWER: Micah Lashbrook underground.com
RECOMMENDED TRACKS: 1,2,3,5,6,9,10,13

OTHER CDS NEW TO THE ADDPOOL:
Minus Story No Rest for Ghosts
Precious Bryant My Name is Precious
B.B. King & Friends 80
Kingsbury Manx The Fast Rise and Fall of the South

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Friday, October 7

Int'l adds coming 09 Oct

artist: Emmanuel Jal & Abdel Gadir Salim
title: Ceasefire
label: Riverboat
file under: int’l – THE worldmuzik buzz disc of the fall
grade: A
At approximately the age of seven Emmanuel Jal was pressed into service as a soldier in the Sudanese civil war, fighting for a number of years before meeting and being adopted by a British aid worker who smuggled him into Kenya. He now serves as the spokesman for the Campaign to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers. On this album he is joined by singer, composer, and oud player Abdel Gadir Salim—their Christian/Muslim collaboration is symbolically moving, but is also musically fascinating; Salim's songs are steeped in both the urban and folk music of his region, whereas Jal is a rapper with roots in American and British hip-hop. They don't blend their styles as much as counterpose them, switching within the same song between Salim's powerful singing and Jal's promising (but not yet fully developed) flow. Highlight tracks include the spare and funky "Nyambol" (04), the strutting "Baai" (08), and an elegant number entitled "Hadiya" (07) in which the rhythm shifts subtly but completely about halfway through into a completely different pattern. It's an especially exciting moment on a generally thrilling album. (4 stars)
note: “Gua” (06) is a re-recording of a massive single for Jal—the original is on The Rough Guide to the Music of Sudan, which also has another cut from Salim.
reviewer: Rick Anderson, All Music Guide

artist: Freddy Fender & Flaco Jimenez
title: Dos Amigos
Label: Back Porch
file under: int’l – Tornadoes reunion!
grade: A
Jimenez and Fender spent their formative years scuffling in the cantinas on the Texas/Mexico border, playing the old songs, singing and laughing, and no doubt sometimes crying for chump change before they got breaks, hit the big time, laid down hits, won Grammy awards, and played with superstars. Dos Amigos is the joyous result of this pair going back to the first steps on the long bumpy road that made them living legends. These 14 songs are the old songs, the popular hits of the day nearly 50 years ago, and they are the ancient songs, the traditional polkas, corridos, and sons that every entertainer cut his teeth on. Recorded live in the studio, Fender and Jimenez are accompanied only by Max Baca on bajo sexto and percussionist Gabriel Zavala. The tape is rolling — there is discussion, much laughter, and above all the free-flowing passion of men in close camaraderie having a fine time. But this isn't a record that merely evokes nostalgia. Hardly. In fact, it is the sound of love: love for the music, love for the tradition, and the sheer love of playing together. The music is raw, genuine, effortless, and also loose, free-flowing, alive. The sheer joy of the performance is here in abundance, full of passion, pathos, happiness, and that bittersweet twinge in the heart that comes from reliving the art of memory. (4 stars)
Note: don’t miss the bleeped-clean intros (2/3 & 9/10)!
reviewer: Thom Jurek, All Music Guide

artist: Dengue Fever
title: Escape from Dragon House
Label: M80
file under: int’l – Cambodia-meets-LA
grade: A-
For their sophomore album, Dengue Fever switch away from their nearly all-covers repertoire to try something a little more bold — writing originals while still developing their rock-music-into-Cambodian-pop-and-back-again approach. Chhon Nimol's singing is again top-notch, even slipping in a bit of hip-hop flow on "Sui Bong" (02), while her greater fluency in English also creates more of a truly unique sound for the band. The Holtzman brothers again provide the musical core, with Ethan's work on organ providing the kind of smoky funk appropriate to the proceedings. Zac's guitar adds good crunch, but it's the strength of the overall arrangements that truly matters the most, as songs slip from bass/drum breakdowns to horn-driven explosions of joy. (3 ½ stars)
Choice Cuts: 02, 05, 01, 10, 03
reviewer: Ned Raggett, All Music Guide

artist: Baden Powell
title: Baden Live a Bruxelles
Label: Sunnyside
file under: Int’l / Brazilian acoustic
grade: A
Baden Powell died in September 2000 at the age of 63—this October 1999 concert, then, is something of a posthumous curtain call. Powell’s first hit in Brazil was penned back in the mid-1950s, so there’s nearly a half-century of material to draw on. Powell’s solo guitar compositions are mixed with others’ material, from Bonfá to Bach. Near the end are four vocal tracks co-written by Powell and Vinicius de Moraes. Some tracks are of extended length, while others have an accompanying intro track (e.g., 5/6, 8/9) preceding them. A beautiful solo acoustic set.
Instrumentals: 05/06, 03, 13, 01
Vocal tracks: 11, 15, 12
reviewer: bjorn ingvoldstad

artist: v / a
title: Diva Brazil
Label: StreetBeat
file under: int’l
grade: A / A-
I admit that the cover art does not bode well, but if you can get beyond it, this is a pleasant enough collection of Brazilian female vocal work with an electronica fizz. There are several familiar names: Jazzhino (01), Rosalia de Souza (03), Mosquitos (06), Arsenal (10), and Bebel Gilberto (13). Of the newbies, I particularly liked the bounce of the Swedish-Brazilian collective A Bossa Eletrica (08), who nail it down 30 seconds in and don’t look back. Ive Mendes (05) offers a pleasing English-language chugger. The hanging curveball of the set is “Domingo de Chuva” (12), featuring W holding forth on the economy.
Choice Cuts: 03, 08, 05, 01, 07
reviewer: bjorn ingvoldstad

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