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Scott
H. Biram
Graveyard Shift
Bloodshot Records
Scott H. Biram is a one-man band (in which he provides, among other
things, lead and harmony vocals, CB radio, loudspeaker, breathing, harmonica,
gut-all acoustic & electric guitars, Hammond B3 organ, homemade
foot stomp board, hi-hat, tambourine, claps, hambone, bible thump, special
effects and…random noises), and a very bad one-man band at that.
Now, when this critic, welding truly awesome musical industry power,
says, “bad” that means it’s good. In fact that means,
REAL good, so G-damn good that this stuff makes you want to hug your
drinkin’ buddies, or perhaps punch them in the face and then buy
them a shot of something that truly deserves to be called “Rot-gut.”
This music is a rusty black ‘54 Ford covered in road-dust stirred
up by chicken scratchin, sitting on cinder blocks, kept by an old hard-workin
(and drinkin’) blue-collar salt of the earth type only because
the back seat can hold an apparently endless number of empty PBR cans
and the radio still works…sometimes.
There are truckers (18-Wheeler Fever), bad preachers (Church Babies),
and most of all, drinkin’, smokin’, country wives, long
roads and an attitude that is more true to what was once the real American
man’s beliefs than anything you hear on the top 40 radio stations
and their fancy-pants loud mouthed loser DJs.
No matter what time of night Mr. Biram works, this is some of the funkiest,
most original and enjoyable music you can find…and you don’t
even need to bring a shovel —Brandon Whitehead (posted
09/22/06)
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Maya
Arulpragasam
M.I.A. ARULAR
Interscope
A social scientist recently released a study that said after the age
of 35 a person’s receptivity to new musical styles ends. Maybe
that's why I have trouble with hip-hop; maybe that's why I’ve
avoided reviewing Maya Arulpragasam’s M.I.A. ARULAR release
for so long. Yet, I’ve been periodically listening to it after
its release back in February 2005, when it soon acquired wide critical
praise.
Here’s my belated boomer praise: It’s true, M.I.A.
ARULAR is a remarkable CD. Forget the preachiness of a typical
anti-war rally. Play this CD. Its beats and lyrics lack the pretentiousness
of the usual hip-hop posturing and wordplay, and it will stir the want
to “do something.”
Arulpragasam’s primary weapon is a Roland MC-505 drum machine.
She couples that with a lyrical talent unquestionably original in its
ability to level anger at all manner of brutality. In her art, Arulpragasam
revolts against our savagery remarkably devoid of political beliefs
or jingoistic trademarks. Be it CIA rendition, Shi’a kidnappings,
Darfar genocide or child prostitution and white slavery, Arulpragasam
is a world citizen, egalitarian in her reaction — specifics are
secondary. Her Sri Lankan birth amid a swirling and deadly civil war,
and her London ghetto childhood give Arulpragasam a street cred most
hip-hop artists can’t touch.
From the cut “Amazon:” Painted nails, sunsets on horizons/palm
tree silhouette smells amazing/blindfolds under home made lanterns/somewhere
in the Amazon/They’re holding me ransom
Reportedly, Arulpragasam was in Memphis at Andent Studios earlier this
month recording a new CD with the help of Juicy J and DJ Paul of Three
6 Mafia. Here’s hoping her sophomore effort is as raw and compelling
as M.I.A. ARULAR —Bruce Rodgers (posted 09/22/06)
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Feist
Open Season (Remixes and Collabs)
Arts & Crafts
Magic happened when Canadian born Feist agreed to let friends, musicians,
and producers strip down songs from her phenomenal debut Let It
Die and recreate the music with a few new tricks.
Her voice remained aching and pensive where needed. "Inside and
Out" shed its skin as a slinky piano and come hither bass romp
to reveal a naked composition of voice and acoustic guitar with Apostle
of Hustle's live unmix. Four versions of the catchy "Mushaboom"
transformed the song into a snowy, airy serenade (Mocky mix); a chunky
B-boy beat fest with handclaps and scratching (k-os mix), a shimmery
electro ditty (Postal Service mix), and twitchy video game loop fit
for the club (VV mix). "One Evening" interpreted in VV's mix
has a jaunty bounce with R2-D2 chirps over the sexy piano and bass lines.
"Lonely Lonely" shifted into a bliss-out, dreamy confection
by Ungodly Hours worth savoring for more than six minutes.
None of the fifteen tracks on this remix album took anything away from
the original compositions. If anything, the artists on this collaboration
treated the songs with reverence, putting their distinctive stamps on
a work without destroying the intrinsic and essential elements that
made it superb from the start. For fans of Feist, Open Season
will endure as an enhancement on her original compositions that merit
consideration for their well-crafted innovations. —Pete Dulin
(posted 09/15/06)
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