Feu Therese, “Ca Va Cogner”
If you’re as tired as I am with Montreal bands that don’t even know how to speak French (or at least not without atrocious accents), look no further than Feu Therese’s “Ca Va Cogner.” It’s unfair to call this album an “80s” or “analog” revival, because the band’s ability to interpolate these now antiquated sounds with modern composition makes it easy to forget what year it really is. Dare I call it Neu? With twice the bite?
Christina Kubisch, “Five Electrical Walks”
The sound installation artist Christina Kubisch has finally recorded her famous “electrical walks,” or journeys that let participants use customized headphones to reveal electromagnetic radiation in a myriad of places. Cell phones, neon signs, radar and security gates are just a few of the sources that “Five Electrical Walks” documents from cities including Chicago, New York, London, Madrid, Paris and Tokyo. While the concept is brilliant enough, the auditory results are fascinatingly melodic and an endless impetus for you and your friends to ponder the electrical world we dwell in.
Balroynigress, “Shampoo and Champagne”
My favorite record of 2007, and maybe even one of my all-time top ten, is Balroynigress’ “Shampoo and Champagne.” A shatteringly beautiful brainchild of Swedish visual artist Erik Jeor, this record is original almost to a fault. The listener is at once overcome by a mélange of horn samples, reversed guitar, veiled doo-wop chord progressions and mind-altering vocal harmonies. To top it all off, the masterpiece of nearly every song on the record is enhanced by an overall thematic progression. Repetition and development, even of the strangest sounds, deepen the work with theme and variation.
Von Südenfed, “Tromatic Reflexxions”
Mark E. Smith (of The Fall) uses grimier samples than anything LCD Soundsystem could come close to, and an innate grasp of the subtleties of dance punk production make “Tromatic Reflexxions” one of the most disastrously overlooked albums of 2007. For all of the mixed reactions Smith has received after The Fall’s time in the limelight, this album gets his ass back on track in time for his autobiography, due out in less than a month. If you ever need to unhinge a stagnant dance party, put on “The Rhinohead” and thank me later.
Area C, “Haunt”
“Haunt” is filled with sounds and textures that calmly recall the best work of luminaries from Terry Riley all the way to Godspeed! You Black Emperor. Like any great record, the undeniable quality of “Haunt” is most noticeable in its ability to release new patterns, harmonies and even rhythms after each listen. A product of Providence’s Erik Carlson and Jeff Knoch, this sophomore album is a valuable one for any artist or fan interested in the craft of improvised, sample-based music.
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