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Swingin’ Utters
“Swingin’ Utters”
Fat Wreck Chords
If Willie Nelson, the Sex Pistols and the Offspring had a baby,
that freaky child could very well grow up to be the Swingin’
Utters. The new album from Fat Wreck Chords, “Swingin’
Utters” fills punk’s quota for easy amusement. Void of
any real biting social commentary, the Utters deals mainly in the
grief born from dead-end jobs and the dangers of success, and the
band does it in a way that is inherently rockable. The self-titled
album offers an easy-to-digest lack of pretense with its
predictable drum and guitar and its less-predictable organ and
viola. The use of a cowbell on the track “The Note” is
enough to do Blue Oyster Cult proud and the sporadic rockabilly
influence is just plain catchy. Lead vocalist Johnny Bonnel has
cultivated enough gravel in his voice to deliver sexy
“singing” that is by turns bored and vaguely wistful.
The album, as a whole, is an utterly fun and casual listen, with
lyrics clear and festive enough for a decent sing-along.
Kelsey McConnell Â
Money Mark
“Change Is Coming”
Emperor Norton Records
Known for his keyboard contributions to the Beastie Boys, Money
Mark releases yet another assortment of rhythmic grooves with
“Change is Coming.” Unlike his previous releases,
loaded with raspy vocals, monotonous bass lines and synthesized
grasshopper-like chirps, Money Mark puts out a progressive mix that
could be labeled smooth-intergalactic-funk. Not that there’s
anything wrong with grasshoppers chirping on an album, but the
music on “Change is Coming” is more evolved and almost
too cool for its own good. Money Mark takes funk to its weirdest
levels. The album features Beastie Boys soundman Mario C along with
bassist Sean Lennon, but even without these collaborations the
music ranges from cool-Mars-jazz to flamenco funk. Each song on the
album has a flavor all its own, and each one grooves as hard as
your favorite jam band, but in half the time. This is an album put
out for people who love new and evolved music. Not only does Money
Mark set the right mood, but he basically weds Mystery Science
Theater to John Coltrane.
Ruvin Spivak Â
Mixmaster Mike
“Spin Psycle”
Moonshine Records
A successful hip-hop mix features superior MCing with banging
beats to capture the subtleties each has to offer. Mixmaster
Mike’s latest mix, “Spin Psycle,” does just that.
Think of this album as a concerto in two movements, the first being
a recapitulation of intergalactic elements from Mixmaster
Mike’s 1998 “Anti-Theft Device.” Instead of
sounding solely like R2D2 rapping though, Spin Psycle has another
agenda that sounds more like an underground mix tape. The
album’s success lies in the stitching of these elements woven
with expert scratching and cutting. Mixmaster Mike sets out to grab
back fans that copped “Anti-Theft Device,” but got lost
between the warp-speed of bass and breaks. Even though he revisits
his Invisibl Skratch Piklz style alongside DJ Q-Bert, sampling
cartoon jingles is not the only focus of this album. Fans get a
tasty dose of Beastie Boys flavor with BS2000’s “N.Y.
is Good” along with another version of “Three MCs and
One DJ.” There are also elements of old school hip-hop
from KRS-ONE and Gang Starr, plus New School artists like Deltron
3030, Encore, and K-Otix. What separates this DJ mix from others is
Mixmaster Mike’s commitment to reinventing the turntables as
a musical instrument- creating sound instead of recreating it while
representing the West Coast underground to the fullest (a nice
change from the usual DMX and Nas). Play this one loud because it
is high-quality head-bobbing bliss without the repetitive
mainstream radio garbage.
Ruvin Spivak Â
Stereolab
“Sound ““Dust”
Elektra Entertainment Group
The problem with Stereolab is they’re just too damn
creative. The group’s blend of electronica, jazz, pop and
singing French chicks is almost passé on their latest album.
Granted, there is nothing else out there right now that sounds
remotely close to the catchy concoction of sound that Stereolab has
created. However, the average listener can only take so much French
bumbling and ethereal racket before the music becomes boring.
“Sound-Dust” has its moments, especially the second
half of “Space Moth” where French words flutter
throughout the track rising to a liberating crescendo, only to
later vanish into an ocean of dissonance. Also, “Captain
Easychord” is easily one of Stereolab’s more ambitious
recordings to date. For nearly a decade, Stereolab has released
immaculate music that has defied categorization. Though
“Sound-Dust” sounds like nothing else being played on
the radio, it can be easily categorized. It’s the
stereotypical Stereolab sound.
Antero Garcia
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Ozomatli
“Embrace the Chaos”
Almo Sounds
Looks like the god of dance, Ozomatli, knows how to get crazy.
On Ozomatli’s sophomore effort, “Embrace the
Chaos,” the Los Angeles-based band doesn’t really stray
from their obnoxiously vibrant sound ““ don’t worry,
that’s a good thing. Songs like “1234” and
“Lo Que Dice” capture the groups blend of Norteno and
hip-hop music, that helped make Ozomatli such a popular live act.
Despite the uplifting music Ozomatli presents, they are definitely
missing something on “Embrace the Chaos.” Two things,
actually: Chali 2na and Cut Chemist, a rapper and DJ respectively
for the Los Angeles posse Jurassic 5. Though Jurassic 5 is thanked
in the CD booklet, the rap group has seemingly become too big for
two of its members to be involved with Ozomatli. While rapping
duties have been taken over by Ozo’s own Kanetic Source as
well as guest appearances by Common and De La Soul, the deep
ferocity of Chali 2na hasn’t been matched. In addition, where
2na seemed poised on strictly rhythmical political and social
commentary, new rap verses seem to take a less focused approach.
With the absence of two founding Ozomatli members, the group has
lost a bit of its energy. However, it’s still got enough
shout-outs and yelps to captivate the dancer inside any Bruin.
Antero Garcia Â
Norm Stockton
“Pondering the Sushi”
Stocktones Music
Who knew that “The Star Spangled Banner” could be so
funky? Bass extraordinaire Norm Stockton tastefully flaunts riffs
so groovy that even Sly and the Family Stone’s bassist, Larry
Graham, would be proud. The album’s opener “The
Race” is a prime example of the spicy funk that is tastefully
sprinkled throughout “Pondering the Sushi.” The song
has got the funky muted horn, the tight, laid-out drums, calm
piano, and of course the ever-so-phat bass line. As acknowledged in
the CD booklet, the track’s bass line is a fitting tribute to
one of the Bass world’s living legends ““ Marcus Miller.
While nearly all songs on the album are strong funk tracks. The
album’s highlight is Stockton’s cover of “The
Star Spangled Banner.” Basically, the song strays little from
the original and is immediately identifiable. Despite the
traditional rendition, Stockton’s slight nuances and extra
fills, “The Star Spangled Banner” seems to feel a
little bit more patriotic than most other renditions out there –
much like Marvin Gaye’s version of the same song did nearly
15 years ago at the NBA Finals. With “Pondering the
Sushi,” Stockton has given jazz afficionados something to
chew on as they wonder what the bassist is going to do next.
Antero Garcia