Brian Eno
LUX
WARP
An hour-and-fifteen-minute-long piece divided into sections of unequal lengths,
Brian Eno’s LUX is well, classic Brian Eno. Seemingly referencing such Eno
landmarks as Music for Films and Music for Airports, LUX is an atmospheric
anti-thriller of echoing tones, spiraling zither-like sounds, and hushed silences so
free of agitation and aggression it positively radiates with Soma-like sweetness.
LUX was borne out of Eno’s work for the Great Gallery of the Palace of Venaria in
Turin, Italy, so be careful not to talk as you observe its hallowed virtual halls.
KEN MICALLEF
Massive Attack
Blue Lines 2012
Remix/Remaster
Virgin
As initially envisioned,
Bristol’s Massive Attack
represented elasticity, a
nexus centered on a trio
of soundsystem veterans
playing with weight and
pace while influenced
by Def Jam Recordings,
Lee “Scratch” Perry
and PiL. This revisiting
of the collective’s 1991
master tapes is brighter,
featuring audibly
heightened separation;
the clarity can briefly
seem less viscous, but
it’s merely less shallow.
The decompressed mix
remains urgent, still
laced with tendrils of dank, condensed bass
and soulful gradients.
TONY WARE
Cold Blue Two
Cold Blue Music
This marvelous CD
assembles 14 works by
contemporary composers,
including James Tenney,
David Rosenboom, Larry
Polansky, Gavin Bryars,
John Luther Adams, and
Daniel Lentz. While many
of the composers here have
roots in the experimental
tradition, the pieces on
this disc are fiercely
consonant and infused
with unique orchestrations
and electronic processing.
Fine moments include
the stacked steel guitars of
Chas Smith, and the pieces
by label veterans Rick
Cox, Read Miller, Michael
Jon Fink, and Jim Fox.
Essential!
GINO ROBAIR
Bill Withers
The Complete
Sussex and
Columbia Albums
Columbia Legacy
Yes, all nine albums,
remastered on analog
equipment from the
original tapes. All those
true, warm, soulful
songs are revealed with
love and reverence for
the artist who made
them. Engineer Mark
Wilder described for the
December issue of our
sister magazine, Mix, the
awe and rush of memory
he felt when he first put
up the master for Still
Bill and heard “Lean on
Me” in all its original
glory. Thanks to him,
you can feel it, too.
BARBARA SCHULTZ
Kreidler
Den
Bureau B
This pioneering German
band’s 12th album
shimmers in certain
1980s territory, from Phil
Collins-sounding drum
stabs to Peter Gabrielworthy
arrangements
to the occasional
Depeche Mode synth
wash. Some may cite
Eno as an obvious
influence, what with
the organic direction of
its assembled blips and
bobs, but Den’s pulsating
figures and varied tones
and textures are more
than ambient decoupage;
they’re like King
Crimson slumming with
Morton Subotnick at a
Kraftwerk afterparty.
KEN MICALLEF
Mogwai
A Wrenched
Virile Lore
Sub Pop
Mogwai’s 2011 full-length,
Hardcore Will Never Die,
But You Will, presented a
pleasingly subtle slate of
chiming/churning guitar
anthems. This companion
piece sublimates some,
condenses others.
Several artists (Cylob,
RM Hubbert, Robert
Hampson) reconvene
wholly disassociated
melodies into treated
electro-acoustic
silhouettes. Others (Tim
Hecker, Klad Hest, The
Soft Moon, Godflesh’s
Justin K. Broadrick) take
liberties with obvious
sources, reshaped into
portamento suspensions,
8-bit drill ‘n’ bass and
psychedelic drones.
TONY WARE
Graham Parker and
the Rumour
Three Chords Good
Primary Wave
It’s not just another
great album from
Graham Parker: It’s the
first one from Parker
with the whole Rumour
in 31 years! This terrific
record is like a gathering
point for Parker’s many
moods and talents.
Check out the sweet love
song “That Moon Was
Low,” or the extra-bitter
“Coathangers.” Parker’s
sharper than ever, and
Three Chords Good
is an unexpected gift
from one of the greatest
singer/songwriters to
survive England’s New
Wave.
BARBARA SCHULTZ