Jarboe - 2005 - The Men Album (2CD)

Disc 1

1 This Is Life Jarboe 6:01
2 Found DeSouza, Jarboe 3:21
3 To Forget DeSouza, Jarboe 4:17
4 Reason to Live Child, Stanley 5:09
5 Redeemer (Lion) Jarboe 1:33
6 A Woman's Dreams Jarboe 7:42
7 Into Feral Jarboe 1:54
8 Feral Blixa Jarboe 2:07
9 Feral Jarboe 8:37
10 Your Virgin Martyr LeBan 7:15

Disc 2

1 This Is Life, Meridien Howard, Jarboe, Ross 5:54
2 Angel David Jarboe 4:04
3 Dark Strong Sauce Jarboe 0:44
4 Bass Force/Angel Jim [Low Rider Mix] Jarboe 8:36
5 Torn Kiss Torn 2:17
6 Penance Izzo, Jarboe 8:41
7 Subtraction Jarboe 4:53
8 Jarboe Feral (Durga) Jarboe 1:08
9 When the Sun Rises Jarboe 2:56
10 Edward Life Jarboe 12:52

¡Aquí!

Jurassic 5 - 2002 - Power In Numbers

Like a few other notable sophomore records from hip-hop acts (De La Soul Is Dead, The Low End Theory), Jurassic 5's Power in Numbers is darker than their first full-length; not as fresh and exuberant, but much more mature and intelligent. Granted, fans may not be happy to hear they've changed the formula so soon, or that the production doesn't play a starring role as it did on Quality Control. Instead, DJ Nu-Mark and Cut Chemist play it close to the vest, setting off the rhymes with a few well-placed beats and split-second samples (as well as the usual flute loops). Of course, allowing more room to hear four of the best rappers in hip-hop twisting tongues and telling tales has to be welcomed, and Jurassic 5 prove up to the added responsibility. Displaying a focus and intensity basically unseen in rap music during the past decade, the group practically bursts with message tracks; the skeletal first single "Freedom" finds Chali 2na and Akil delving into the concept as it relates to everything from Third World poverty to the American penitentiary system. "Remember His Name" and "Thin Line" (the latter with Nelly Furtado) are dark tales of urban passions, and they're a step forward in that it's not just the raps that are intricate, but the storytelling also requires a few listens to understand. The group still has plenty of time for a few old-school anthems like "What's Golden" and "A Day at the Races," with Big Daddy Kane bringing his alliterative ammo to the track. And the instrumental jam "Acetate Prophets" shows DJ Nu-Mark and Cut Chemist refining their skill for merging turntablism and excellent productions. Perhaps the best statement of Jurassic 5's purpose comes from the group itself, on "If You Only Knew": "What we do is try to give you what you ain't used to."

1 This Is Givens, Henderson, Macfadden, Potsic… 0:53
2 Freedom Givens, Henderson, Macfadden, Potsic… 3:19
3 If You Only Knew Givens, Henderson, Macfadden, Potsic… 3:51
4 Break Burt, Givens, Henderson, Macfadden… 3:16
5 React Givens, Henderson, Macfadden, Potsic… 0:56
6 A Day at the Races Givens, Hardy, Henderson, Macfadden… 4:02
7 Remember His Name Givens, Henderson, Macfadden, Potsic… 3:44
8 What's Golden Akil , Chali Twona, Givens, Henderson… 3:08
9 Thin Line Furtado, Givens, Henderson, Macfadden… 4:45
10 After School Special Givens, Henderson, Macfadden, Potsic… 2:41
11 High Fidelity Givens, Henderson, Macfadden, Potsic… 3:07
12 Sum of Us Givens, Henderson, Macfadden, Potsic… 3:28
13 DDT Kool Keith 0:42
14 One of Them Givens, Henderson, Macfadden, Potsic… 3:18
15 Hey Givens, Henderson, Husayn, Macfadden… 4:25
16 I Am Somebody Gamble, Givens, Henderson, Macfadden… 4:05
17 Acetate Prophets Givens, Henderson, Macfadden, Potsic… 6:31

¡Aquí!

Joy Division - 1979 - Unknown Pleasures

It even looks like something classic, beyond its time or place of origin even as it was a clear product of both — one of Peter Saville's earliest and best designs, a transcription of a signal showing a star going nova, on a black embossed sleeve. If that were all Unknown Pleasures was, it wouldn't be discussed so much, but the ten songs inside, quite simply, are stone-cold landmarks, the whole album a monument to passion, energy, and cathartic despair. The quantum leap from the earliest thrashy singles to Unknown Pleasures can be heard through every note, with Martin Hannett's deservedly famous production — emphasizing space in the most revelatory way since the dawn of dub — as much a hallmark as the music itself. Songs fade in behind furtive noises of motion and activity, glass breaks with the force and clarity of doom, minimal keyboard lines add to an air of looming disaster — something, somehow, seems to wait or lurk beyond the edge of hearing. But even though this is Hannett's album as much as anyone's, the songs and performances are the true key. Bernard Sumner redefined heavy metal sludge as chilling feedback fear and explosive energy, Peter Hook's instantly recognizable bass work at once warm and forbidding, Stephen Morris' drumming smacking through the speakers above all else. Ian Curtis synthesizes and purifies every last impulse, his voice shot through with the desire first and foremost to connect, only connect — as "Candidate" plaintively states, "I tried to get to you/You treat me like this." Pick any song: the nervous death dance of "She's Lost Control"; the harrowing call for release "New Dawn Fades," all four members in perfect sync; the romance in hell of "Shadowplay"; "Insight" and its nervous drive toward some sort of apocalypse. All visceral, all emotional, all theatrical, all perfect — one of the best albums ever.

		1		Disorder	Curtis, Hook, Morris, Sumner	3:36
		2		Day of the Lords	Curtis, Hook, Morris, Sumner	4:43
		3		Candidate	Curtis, Hook, Morris, Sumner	3:00
		4		Insight	Curtis, Hook, Morris, Sumner	4:00
		5		New Dawn Fades	Curtis, Hook, Morris, Sumner	4:47
		6		She's Lost Control	Curtis, Hook, Morris, Sumner	3:40
		7		Shadowplay	Curtis, Hook, Morris, Sumner	3:50
		8		Wilderness	Curtis, Hook, Morris, Sumner	2:35
		9		Interzone	Curtis, Hook, Morris, Sumner	2:10
		10		I Remember Nothing	Curtis, Hook, Morris, Sumner	6:00

¡Aquí!

Joplin, Janis - 1980 - Anthology (2CD)

Anthology is an adequate double-disc retrospective of Janis Joplin's years with Big Brother & the Holding Company and her solo career, containing most of her best-known songs and a selection of forgotten gems. It's a fine set, but the single-disc Greatest Hits is better suited for casual fans, and the box set Janis serves the needs of collectors much better than this, so the 1997 reissue of this double album is a little puzzling and unnecessary, even if it is an enjoyable listen.

		1		Piece of My Heart	Berns, Ragovoy	4:17
		2		Summertime	Gershwin, Heyward	4:01
		3		Maybe	Barrett	3:43
		4		Try (Just a Little Bit Harder)	Ragovoy, Taylor	4:01
		5		To Love Somebody	Gibb, Gibb	5:22
		6		Kozmic Blues	Joplin	4:22
		7		Turtle Blues	Joplin	4:25
		8		Oh, Sweet Mary	Joplin	4:19
		9		Little Girl Blue	Hart, Rodgers	3:51
		10		Trust Me	Womack	3:07
		11		Move Over	Joplin	3:43
		12		Half Moon	Hall	3:55
		13		Cry Baby	Berns, Ragovoy	4:00
		14		Me and Bobby McGee	Foster, Kristofferson	4:35
		15		Mercedes Benz	Joplin, McClure	1:49
		16		Down on Me		3:02
		17		Bye Bye Baby	St.John	3:47
		18		Get It While You Can	Ragovoy, Shuman	7:15
		19		Ball and Chain	Thornton	8:00

¡Aquí!

Jandek - 2005 - Glasgow Sunday

Satan donned his winter coat on October 17, 2004 when the mysterious Jandek made his first known public appearance at the Glasgow club the Arches -- appearing in conjunction with Scotland's Instal Festival, billed simply as a "representative from Corwood Industries." On that day, and backed by Richard Youngs on bass and Alex Nielson on drums, Jandek crossed the threshold from myth to reality, proving that the gaunt, enigmatic image that graced his record covers for over a quarter century was indeed the selfsame figure behind this vast body of strange, powerfully affecting music. For Jandek devotees, it's virtually impossible to separate what Glasgow Sunday is from what it represents -- not just a document of his landmark coming-out performance, it's also irrefutable proof of the man's existence, which both complements and complicates all that has come before it. On the one hand, the live Jandek experience is remarkable -- the music thrashes and soars like the flying pig it is, sharpening the visceral edge of his best recordings to achieve something vaguely approximating a recognizable form of rock & roll. But on the other hand, there's an inescapable sense of loss -- the Loch Ness Monster had been captured, Deep Throat unmasked, and the riddle of the pyramids solved. Of course, that leaves the tantalizing question of where Jandek goes from here, which may be more than enough to keep his devotees on their toes; after all, answers don't merely solve mysteries, they also create new ones.

		1		Not Even Water		10:29
		2		Where I Stay		7:34
		3		Darkness You Give		9:42
		4		Sea of Red		7:55
		5		Real Wild		6:30
		6		Don't Want to Be		6:01
		7		Blue Blue World		6:47
		8		The Other Side		6:49

¡Aquí!

Joy Division - 2000 - The Complete BBC Recordings

When Ian Curtis committed suicide by hanging himself in the kitchen of his ex-wife's home in 1980, he left behind a masterfully talented band and only two legitimate studio albums (if one ignores the aborted first attempt "ruined" by an overzealous engineer and some synthesizers). As with other influential acts, the subsequent years have been filled with releases of miscellaneous records, bootlegs, posthumous videos, and other collections. Two recorded performances of note were Joy Division's appearances on the John Peel show in January and November of 1979. These sessions were issued later as two four-song EPs on the Strange Fruit label. In 2000, the BBC released several of its recordings to the Fuel 2000 label, including everything on tape by Joy Division; hence the name of this collection -- The Complete BBC Recordings. Both Peel Sessions EPs are here, as well as two songs performed live on the Something Else television show on September 1, 1979. The Something Else recording is significant -- it is some of the band's most heavily bootlegged material, featuring Curtis in the last year of his life performing in full spazzed-out, epileptic glory. A three-minute interview of Curtis and Stephen Morris with Richard Skinner on BBC Radio 1 is also included, providing a valuable look at the human side of one-half of the band. Surprisingly enough, Curtis and Morris come across as quite cheerful fellows, despite the dark songs they produced. Jokes are even cracked about Gary Numan's then-recent comments about "machine rock" being the wave of the future, and Joy Division's shrugging off of that title. Of course, after Curtis' death, the remaining bandmembers formed New Order, a group known for its synthesizer-laden dance-pop sound. Funny how that turned out. The recorded performances themselves are of exceptional quality, and the two extra songs help dispel the myth that Joy Division wasn't particularly good in a live setting. The second versions of "Transmission" and "She's Lost Control" even take on a much more aggressive quality than what was originally put to tape. The production of the drums alone reveals a difference from Martin Hannett's methods; instead of the cold beating of the studio albums, a thicker, slightly more distorted impact exists. Curtis' vocals alternate between the "very bored Brit" style that Stephin Merritt would later perfect, and a style much more feisty and energetic than Curtis had been known for. The Complete BBC Recordings is a fine collection of Joy Division's broadcast performances, especially for the band's fans who do not want to hunt down the Strange Fruit releases. [Also available as a United Kingdom import.]

		1		Exercise One	Curtis, Hook, Morris, Sumner	2:32
		2		Insight	Curtis, Hook, Morris, Sumner	3:53
		3		She's Lost Control	Curtis, Hook, Morris, Sumner	4:11
		4		Transmission	Curtis, Hook, Morris, Sumner	3:58
		5		Love Will Tear Us Apart	Curtis, Hook, Morris, Sumner	3:25
		6		24 Hours	Curtis, Hook, Morris, Sumner	4:10
		7		Colony	Curtis, Hook, Morris, Sumner	4:05
		8		Sound of Music	Curtis, Hook, Morris, Sumner	4:27
		9		Transmission	Curtis, Hook, Morris, Sumner	3:18
		10		She's Lost Control	Curtis, Hook, Morris, Sumner	3:44
		11		Ian Curtis & Stephen Morris Interviewed by Richard Skinner		3:32

¡Aquí!