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Hey everyone. I love the Avian forums, and although I do post elsewhere I feel like people actually care about each other here. So I want to give back a little. I am not a crafting guru like Aeric or an Excel wizard like cyrus, but I CAN come to this General Forum and give you folks something you can't read anywhere else.
So I am doing a Monthly Music Review! Huzzah! My greatest challenge is to review the music I think a lot of you would appreciate without pushing my likes and dislikes at the same time. So my goals are to review those albums emphasizing:
-Ecclecticism
-Melodic quality
-Likeability
-Obscurity
I say obscurity because I never want to review something anyone here has previously heard. I know there are some music sharks among you, so I will try to be as frrrrrresh as possible. And obscure doesn't always mean esoteric or hard-to-approach, take my first selection as proof of that.
Enjoy and I promise to keep it up or even ramp it up to weekly if there is interest. All links will direct you to Amazon.com or the safest link possible.
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I had previously enjoyed The Avalanches, an Australian act, after the release of their critically acclaimed LP
"Since I Left You." It is an unbelievably good and fresh album constructed, like a collage, from over 650 samples. Don't worry all you luddites! It doesn't even sound remotely "electronic." It all goes together like it was meant to be. It is wonderfully upbeat, unique, and humorous. I suggest you all watch the video for the single
"Frontier Psychiatrist." It is very funny and original. But I am not reviewing "Since I Left You." I am reviewing its gem-like predeccesor, the El Producto EP...
Artist: The Avalanches
Album:
El Producto EP
Time: April 30, 1999
1. "Opening" (00:26)
This little vintage-sounding electro intro gets you into a Voltron state of mind, great intro.
2. "Rolling High" ( 2:58 )
Discordant sounding piano mutates into a old school hip hop beat and our hero introduces his vocal style. Many of the songs have a hip hop feel due to the rapping and carefully used scratching, but don't mix this up with Puff Daddy. This is some Australian futuristic white-boy rap. His flow is great and always complements the beat, rather than competing with it. When the chorus kicks in, you get your first real taste of their musical style, which is sample heavy, always dynamic, and melodic. I just can't find words to describe the way the keyboard sounds during the chorus, it's an example of their great "ears." A super-fly flute loop leads you out of the track...
3. "Rap fever" (4:13)
Light scratching and a minimal bassline intro the rapper. But in typical Avs style a wicked violin sample and a new funky bassline kick in making you groove. Later on we get some great rythmic stratching. The lyrics are not political, they are not angry, they are there for the rythym, humor, and context they provide. I mean, who can seriously rap "robots with ocotpus legs-is that your chemistry I'm feelin-maybe so."
4. "Rock City" (3:43)
As usual the light guiter and flute intro quickly crescendos into a beat that sounds like a 1890s One Man Band from England doing a Dr. Dre impersonation. Its just awesome. The Avalanche's heavy use of samples and unpredictable intrumentation create a very "visual" experience where one might imagine said "One Man Band." Later on they juxatpose a funny waling female voice, a banjo, and a mouth harp.
5. "Under Inspection" (3:44)
The intro continues the "western theme" developed by the last track but once again, quickly changes. A chorus of scracthy female voices repeat over some low-key beats, and then the bass drops with a Count Chocula synth meoldy on top. The rapper's flow is best here, he has GREAT cadence (think cypress hill). The Halloween vibe continues and later warps together with some sick sick Eastern-feeling zither beats cut in by the DJ. This track is slower, creepy, and downright cool.
6. "Run DNA" (3:06)
An electric organ plays a melody as a simple beat and the MC start work on the album's most straightforward track (if that can be said of any of them). During the chorus a clarinet has a solo and we hear some female vocals. I really love this song for the lyrics, which are truly about DNA. "Style's in my jeans?" No, says, the Avalanches, "It's in your backpack."
7. "Closing" (1:25)
A distorted orchestral track and a melancholy keyboard lead us out of this fantastic EP.
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Well there it is! All of you go out there and get a hold of this EP's tracks somehow. It will brighten up 20 minutes of any day. Well there we go for my first music review! Please leave responses to my writing format, but please no album suggestons! I want to make it a suprise each time.
When I first heard this album, I was shocked that the songs appeared to not only be all good, but incresingly better as it went on!
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