UNKLE, Psyence Fiction
Once upon a time, Mo’ Wax Records boos James Lavelle recruited DJ Shadow into his project, UNKLE, to rejuvenate it and finally put a record out. The two put together a great, moody album, akin to Shadow’s solo work at the time but a little different, and featuring a line-up of guest vocalists including Thom Yorke, Kool G. Rap, Mike D, Richard Ashcroft and more. Shadow was only in for the record, and after some touring, he was gone, and while Lavelle kept bringing the group back over the years, it was clear who the driving force on this record was. Bottom line, Psyence Fiction is a great album. Its moody soundscapes are definitely of their time, but I think it holds up just fine today. A dark, expansive piece of work, peppered with Shadow’s genius for samples and trademark flourishes, it maintains an atmosphere from one track to another, even though the songs themselves can be pretty diverse. I dust it off and take it for a spin every few months.
UNKLE, “Main Title Theme”
The National, The Virginia EP
In the wake of their finest album, Boxer, The National released this collection in conjunction with a documentary about them. The film, frankly, was a disappointment. I watched it for a movie about a band, not seemingly endless black and white footage out the window of a moving bus. But The Virginia EP, an album-length collection of outtakes, demos and live material in spite of its name, didn’t disappoint at all, and actually provided a more interesting look into the band’s songwriting process than the movie. Outtakes “You’ve Done It Again, Virginia” and “Blank Slate” are worthy additions to the band’s catalog, while the demos show a fascinating path to Boxer. Songs from that album began with familiar lyrics but dramatically different music. The “Slow Show” demo is particularly interesting, as it features both lyrics from the final song and lyrics from what became “Blank Slate.” There’s a live version of Springsteen’s “The Mansion On The Hill,” as well as a great rendition of Boxer’s “Fake Empire” and a revelatory take on their older song “About Today.” It doesn’t have the coherence of a proper album, of course, but The Virginia EP is a really strong collection of work.
The National, “Blank Slate”
Brother Ali, The Bite Marked Heart EP
Just in time for Valentine’s Day, Brother Ali released this short, free collection of songs with a romantic theme. Not autobiographical (I’m assuming. The singer does get killed one of the songs, so at least not in that one), but highly engaging, these songs about going to great lengths to talk to a lovely lady, the pitfalls of fame and infatuation, and the sadness of infidelity, among other things, really cement Ali’s turn toward storytelling in his lyrics begun on Us. He really knows how to draw you in and keep you ‘til his story plays out. This free appetizer precedes a full album later this year, and I can’t wait.
Brother Ali with Aby Wolf, “Years”
Mastodon, Crack the Skye
The intensely personal, weird, unpredictable 4th album from Mastodon was a pretty polarizing moments for fans. Predecessor Blood Mountain turned their most fickle so-called fans away by being ever-so-slightly less heavy/more progressive than their older material, but this was really the breaking point. Either you were ready to follow Mastodon into a future where they focus more and more on progressive experimentation, 70s-style groove and searing guitar solos rather than pummeling you into submission, or you weren’t. I was, as it turns out. Crack The Skye completes their cycle of albums based on the elements, but it goes way beyond that. The band’s first true concept album, it details the dizzying tail of a wheelchair bound kid who learns astral projection, gets lost in time, meets a secret society, and can only be returned to his body by the sacrifice of Rasputin, the famous Russian mystic. All of which is a sort of allegory for the death of drummer Brann Dailor’s sister. It is at once absurd and touching, silly and serious. The music rises to the occasion. It may not be as heavy as previous Mastodon albums, but it provides one of their tightest singles to date in opener “Oblivion,” some truly engrossing musical soundscapes, a great guest appearance by Neurosis’ Scott Kelly, and the stunning epic “The Last Baron.” It’s a great listen.
Mastodon, “The Last Baron”
There you go.
--D
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