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SOULIVE
Break Out
(Toshiba-EMI)
Following their return
to a stripped-down jazz organ trio, Soulive again ramp up
the energy with a cast of star contributors. Break Out quickly
finds its groove with a New Orleans shuffle on “Reverb”
before loosening things up with “Got Soul.” The
trio then open up the throttle with the deep-throated wailing
of “Back Again” and a steaming cover of the Hendrix
classic “Crosstown Traffic.” If anyone thought the
organ trio had ended with the death of innovator Jimmie Smith,
Soulive and Medeski, Martin & Wood are proving there’s
plenty of territory to explore. Soulive are confirmed for
this year’s Fuji Rock Festival. DG
RIP’N’EIJI
Tengu Moon
(Psy-Harmonics/Panorama)
Trance music has been around for long enough in Japan to
have seen the emergence of a post-trance scene. Veteran producer
Geoffrey Hales (aka Rip Van Hippy) of Aussie label Psy-Harmonics
and Japanese guitarist/programmer Eiji Shibata combine forces
in a debut album that brings an experimental esthetic to the
beats of psychedelic dance music. Tengu Moon launches with
the easygoing, reverb-drenched chime-melodies of “Arigataya”
and eases further in with the absurdist vocal samples of “Ghost
Dancers” before letting things “rip” with the
more dancefloor-oriented “Morning Song.” Look for
Rip’n’Eiji’s live sets as Japan’s outdoor
rave season gets underway. DG
STEREO-PHONICS
Language. Sex. Violence. Other?
(V2)
Remaining relevant or interesting five albums into your career
is something that few Britpop acts have achieved, ten years
after the peak of the movement. The ’Phonics, now with
a new lineup, are one of the unlikely survivors, and their
continued development is anchored by the song-craft of Kelly
Jones. LSVO, though, is a powerhouse of a record, a turn away
from the soulful direction of the last album and back to dirty,
edgy, timeless rock‘n’roll, “Dakota” and
“Rewind” standing out. Laden with formulaic elevator
pop, the UK music scene could do with a kick in the ass—and
with this swagger, Jones and co. are ready to give it. Robert
Poole
BRENDAN BENSON
The Alternative To Love
(V2)
Brendan Benson may not be lucky in love, but he has no difficulties
penning radio-friendly pop songs that don’t get played
on the radio. Alternative To Love has 12 of them. The Phil
Spector Wall of Sound pop rush of “The Pledge,”
the surprising counter harmonies at the end of the title track,
and “Flesh and Bone,” which starts reflective before
easing into a lovely, winsome chorus, are highlights—and
might yet edge Benson out of cultdom. While the singer is
reportedly finished recording a Deep Purple-meets-Cat Stevens-inspired
album with the White Stripes’ Jack White (!), for now
be content with this. Brendan Benson just soundtracked your
summer. David Hickey
Would you like to comment on this article? Send a letter
to the editor at letters@metropolis.co.jp.
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