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Saturday, February 26, 2005

Ray LaMontagne should have no "trouble" finding his way into your music collection...

Posted by El Keter ben Tzadik

RAY LAMONTAGNE

'Trouble'

RCA

I first heard Ray LaMontagne while sitting in a traffic jam with Emeyesi one night on the West Side Highway in New York City. There we were, staring at stationary tail-lights, an activity so boring that the usually useless exercise of surveying the Big Apple's air-waves actually seemed a a viable respite from the tedium. Flipping through the stations we stopped on a song that defyed our perception. Comprised of shuffly southern soul inflected instrumentation, a soaring string arrangement, and the voice of a tortured soul confessing about how he'd been "saved by woman" who "won't let (him) go," the track left us both awestruck. For the duration of the song neither of us spoke, and when it was over we both let loose with exclamaitions of it's brilliance, and wonderances about who it was and when it was recorded. Was it some lost old-school recording found and remastered for our modern ears? Some artist from back in the day who never garnered much attention returning with a new recording made in the old tradition? Or just some brand spankin' new record from a modern-day artist that actually knows how to write, sing, produce and arrange a song that will touch people deep down in their very souls?

It turned out to be the latter.

And that soul-toucher turned out to be Ray LaMontagne.

The song in question was "Trouble," the lead single and title track off what we discovered was singer-songwriter Ray LaMontagne's debut album. It is without a doubt the artistic and emotional centerpiece of the record and the clear highlight of the collection of songs found on it. And that's saying a lot, because 'Trouble' is a tight collection of songs steeped in the history of American popular music. Embracing the folk, country, blues, rock, rhythm & blues and soul traditions of great artists like Otis Redding, Sam Cooke, Crosby Stills and Nash, Neil Young, Jim Croce and Van Morrison, this is an album of American classical music, and "Trouble" just happens to be the most classic of the bunch.

With emotionally stirring, often heart-wrenching songwriting, a voice dripping with earthy ache & angst, and an almost entirely acoustic soundscape of twang, thump and swirling symphonic bliss, Ray LaMontagne's 'Trouble' should appeal to any listener yearning for the days when the musicians mentioned above were at their artistic peak, virtually creating what we know now as popular music. And it certainly deserves a place in the halls of music history next to the realeses of any of them. Just as certainly as it deserves a place next to more recent releases from Beth Gibbons, Beck and Kings Of Convenience. And hopefully one in your own collection as well.

Posted at 10:55 PM
Filed under — Music Reviews

Wednesday, February 23, 2005

It's the Disco Infiltrator For Sure

Posted by Cereffusion

LCD SOUNDSYSTEM

'LCD Soundsystem'

DFA

I was pretty anxious for this CD.

"Gee, Cereffusion," you might say, "you coulda downloaded that thing a month ago!"

Yeah?

Well I'm not a buster like you.

I wanted to wait till James Murphy said it was ok to listen. And I did. February 15, 2005 - sometime around 9:30pm est.

By the time the synths kick off track 3, "Tribulations," you'll be calling your Moms to tell her you finally found a reason to go on living. I'm serious. Buy her a copy for Mother's Day because I know you only got her a card last year. Asshole.

Every track on this gem of an album is classic LCD Soundsystem material - and that's exactly why it's such a great a album. It's what you want. There's no country-ballard dedicated to Johnny Cash on here, we'll leave that to the rap guys. It's track after track of that Soundsystem sound we all love and secretly want to marry. Drums. Synths. Guitars. This guy kinda singing.

But unlike your wife on your wedding night, this CD was definitely worth the wait.

And as if 9 tracks of new material wasn't enough, the fellows and DFA were kind enough to throw in a bonus disc with all the LCD Soundsystem singles. Being as hip as I am, I already had them all. But you don't, so it's your lucky day.

It's like a fat guy in a t-shirt doing all the singing!

Posted at 10:16 PM
Filed under — Music Reviews

Friday, February 11, 2005

Cereffusion's First Review!

Posted by Cereffusion

FRANZ FERDINAND

"Michael" & "Dark of the Matinee (Headman remix)" b/w "This Fire (Playgroup remix)" & "Michael (Thomas Eriksen remix)"

Domino

Contrary to Keter's imagination, I do not have a Franz Ferdinand t-shirt, and thus cannot cry into it. Yet, my instant infatuation with the Franz Ferdinand CD is well documented. I hyped the album incessantly, but everyones thanking ME NOW!

The highlight of this 12" is the three new remixes of different Franz songs. "Michael" is a great song, and not just because it shares the name of everyone's favorite scarved hero, but the Thomas Eriksen remix of the song is on some club-friendly Missy/Timbaland heavy-kicks, handclaps, and whistle ish. I like it. You will too. And so will your girlfriend.

"This Fire" was another standout track, and Playgroup's remix features the same guitars of the original track while building into a dance-frenzy complete with those funny electronic sounds everyone likes so much. And fuzzy synths. And bouncey bass.

The other remix is by some guy I never heard of - and the original song isn't as good as the base material of the other remixes. Maybe you'll like it. I hope you like it.

It's great that Franz was able to come out with a remix ep type thing and that it doesn't suck. Because a lotta the time, rock-remixes-into-dancey-songs sucks. This time it doesn't.

This is what I am, I am a man so come and dance with me Michael...beautiful boys on a beautiful dancefloor...

Posted at 11:38 PM
Filed under — Music Reviews

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