Jay Reatard
Blood Visions
(In The Red Records)
Originally released in 2006, ‘Blood Visions’ marks the first LP from Jay Reatard in solo form. Since then, Jay Reatard has released no less than 9 EPs and an uncountable number of recordings previously in other projects, his prolific nature only rivalled by the intensity of his live show.
While Jay Reatard finds himself just below the surface of the underground, the sometimes violent high school drop-out has started to garner increased attention. Recent signing to Matador records will guarantee it through the release of 6 separate singles. So the time for a retrospective is nigh.
‘Blood Visions’ is impressive, strangely made all the more spectacular by the tracks not included on the record. The knowledge that there are so many great tracks littered throughout the other recordings makes it even more exciting, an opportunity to enter into a music collection journey.
Like a thirst for punk that will so tantalisingly come short of being quenched, ‘Blood Visions’ is the perfect aperitif to Jay Reatard’s wider and more varied works.
From Ramones style opener and title track Blood Visions, to album highlight the moody yet pushy post-punker My Shadow, the album carries the momentum of a murderous tank through the desert, before running out of fuel around track 11 (it takes true punk genius to go short, fast and loud beyond 10 songs).
Touching on genres from garage, post-punk and power pop, Jay Reatard disguises a great skill for melody amongst a cess pool of sweat, grime and bitterness, culminating in remarkably up front garage punk that actually grows. Just don’t piss him off.. (see youtube for reason why).
Listen: myspace.com/jayreatard, free MP3
words by dan.
Alopecia by Why?
('anticon' records)
White kids make an album of faux rhymes over dark pop tones … a combination that could only ever equal total disaster. Californian native Jonathon ‘Yoni’ Wolf, together with his brother and co, form Why?
Despite this potentially awful combination, there can only be one word that encapsulates this record. Cool. It sounds cliché and lame, but what sounds like a mangled train wreck in theory emerges as a package that is just oh so slick.
Repeatedly this experimental band is labelled as ‘indie hip-hop’ from the musical fraternity the world over. This is by no means accurate, but from the first tones of Alopecia you realise just how difficult it is to place any sort of definitive genre over Why?
This record is sophisticated yet simultaneously catchy. Playful commentaries take on an eerie feel as they are submerged in a dark and almost aggressive aura. There are various references to pop culture and few of them are positive. Just listen to the first lines of album highlight Good Friday to get a sense of this. But greater than the lyrics, the expert production on Alopecia allows the audience to be entirely engulfed. The combination of lush keyboards with haunting organs, curious sound bites and Wolf’s thick tones needs to be heard to be understood.
Alopecia is not extensive, though to listen to the album form start to finish, it was exhausting. There isn’t a bad song on Alopecia. It’s filled with great segments of individual excellence. And a forty-five minute album should not really do this. So why does Why? have this effect? Simply the themes are heavy and the mood is not cheerful even in the most ‘pop’ and harmonious moments (see Fatalist Palmistry and Simeon’s Dilemma). And rather than this being a negative really it is testament to Wolf’s songwriting that he can convey this to the listener and evoke such strong emotions.
Despite this, Alopecia cannot be recommended enough. Depressing but enlightening, fearful and at the same time powerful, each track from Wolf is total brilliance.
Listen: media.imeem.com/m/wYTONL_3sh
Words by Nick
DJ jumbo/Alistair Cookies
5 Jams for May
1. Jamie Liddell - Little Bit of Feel Good (Mr Oizo Remix) Warp Records
A soulful little number by the british Stevie Wonder reincarnate gets the remix treatment by French electro master Mr Oizo and becomes a bouncy electro pop tune for the floor.
2. M.I.A - Paper Planes (DFA Remix) XL/DFA
The original was huge over summer for me and this remix will be copping a hammering all winter. The gunshots are gone and a tight as fuck DFA groove locks you in from second one and doesn't let up til the death. DJ's - play this a 10pm or 4am.
3. Cut Copy - Nobody Lost, Nobody Found - Modular Records
This sounds like The Hoodoo Gurus trying to sound like themselves 20 years after their peak....and I fucking love it.
4. Kelly Rowland - Work - Sony/BMG
My guilty pleasure for the year, modern disco for ethnic people, the song bangs, I don't care how many times nova play it.
5. Santogold - Shove it - Downtown US
The M.I.A of the developed world. This girl has been hanging around the NYC/Baltimore/Philly scene for ages and has finally released some material. This tune is a dubbed-out slow burner with a verse from MC Spank Rock. One of a heap of good tunes on her self titled new album.
All these tunes can be found online at either turntable lab or Juno records so get on board and pay for an mp3.
If you'd like to hear this shit live come to Rocket on a Friday or Sugar on a Saturday, I play midnight at both. Next edition i'll have a link to the new Rocket Bar mixtape i'm doing currently. Hit me up at facebook for extra info on gigs/tunes, my name is James Williams. |
