Hooverphonic-A New Stereophonic Sound Spectacular
When I first heard "2wicky," my atheist ass did a double take. Was this a godsend? Trip hop combined with Isaac Hayes' laid-back, old school funk? And it's by a band named "Hoover"phonic? A tingling chill went down my spine. Here they were: The ideal band that I would have formed if I had an inkling of talent or enough money to buy one.
This promising Belgian quartet jam packs a streamline of melancholy melodies and downtempo beats beset by wistful vocals of Liesje Sadonius that peculiarly reminds me of Portishead's Beth Gibbons. Don't "walk on by" this one.
Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott-Supa Dupa Fly
The New Yorker dubbed her the "New Negro"; Spin, Rollingstone and Vibe all call her a genre bridger and businesswoman extraordinaire. Well, Missy Elliott is all that and a Supa-sized Value Meal.
The new reigning queen of hip hop is so damn clever and ubiquitous that she makes Puff Daddy look like what he truly is-a talentless bum on a free ride. Ousting the fem-rap contingent preoccupied with sex appeal, the lyrical delinquent rivals the best of the industry's egotistical male icons with just as hard and self-aggrandizing ditties, but punctuated with feminine grace. The woman socked it to me so well she made me dance on bar tops-sober. And that's no easy task, missy.
MC Solaar-Paradisiaque
Gliding words, meandering rhythmic schemes-French was made for prose. The heir of Rimbaud, Verlaine and Mallarmé, MC Solaar unfurls taut verses with vacillating inflections, culturally literate allusions and fluid finesse. Paradisiaque loses the cheesy, mock early-'80s samples that plagued his previous release, Prose Combat, and replaces them with breakbeats and synthlines that could easily battle the big boys across the Atlantic.
Wu-tang Clan-Wu-tang Forever
The New Jersey co-op's interactive double CD set a new standard for not only rap but the entire music industry as well. The orchestral arrangements armed with formidably hard-hitting and sensibly ecumenical rhymes give the pseudo-Shaolin masters some solid class. Even though each of the seven members take turns at the center stage, no one stands out more than the raspy-voiced Method Man. And the saga continues...
Stereolab-Loops and Dots
Stereolab's sound goes down like a bottle of Miller Light with the filling taste that never lets you down. The richness of jazz and sparkling sass of French pop are brewed to perfection, but Seaya Sadier's Siren-like vocals is what gives this concoction that deep, amber hue.
Jane's Addiction-Kettle Whistle
I never thought I'd live to see the day: The resurrection of my all-time favorite band. How many nights have I cried myself to sleep because of their breakup? How much money on therapy? O.K. Maybe not that extreme, but you get the picture. Along with four new tracks, Kettle Whistle features live cuts, demos, studio out-takes of Jane's classics. A must have for all fans.
Pavement-Brighten the Corners
Well, I'm one of the critics who kiss Pavement's "derrière." Despite what hypocrite Devin (who owns their albums too) said about them, Pavement still has what made them indie-faves. How can you not like Stephen Malkmus' screechy, prepubescent sounding voice that utters his profound, seemingly nonsensical, Zen riddle-like lyrics?
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