John McLaughlin - Remember Shakti: The Believer + BONUS

When Eastern classical musicians and Western jazz or pop musicians get together to jam, the result are always heartwarming; two wildly disparate traditions coming together to make music is such an irresistible gesture of human unity and cross-cultural cooperation. What's not to love? Frankly, what's not to love is often the music itself, which all too frequently is long on multicultural good intentions and short on things like coherence, interest, and hooks. The intermittently mystical jazz guitarist John McLaughlin, who has been nursing an India jones for decades now, is hardly innocent of such offenses. But onThe Believer, a live set featuring McLaughlin, electric mandolinist U. Shrinivas, kanjira and ghatam player V. Slevaganesh, and legendary tabla player Zakir Hussain, he delivers a gloriously tight, rhythmically thrilling program of original compositions (as well as one contribution each from Shrinivas and Hussain). The group is called Remember Shakti in reference to Shakti, the similarly configured band that McLaughlin co-led in the mid-'70s. If anything, his playing has grown more exciting than it was then; listening to him negotiate the thorny rhythmic changes of this music in unison with Shrinivas and to both of them bouncing off the complexly woven rhythmic patterns laid out by Hussain and Slevaganesh is not only impressive, but uplifting as well. Highlights include the downright funky "Anna" andShrinivas' composition "Maya." Very highly recommended.

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BONUS VIDEO ( not related to shakti)

Dennis Chambers- The Divide ( John Mc Laughlin,Matthew Garrison)

RocknRolla - OST

I have to admit that I have a soft spot for Guy Ritchie's mockney gangster films. I don't know what it is. I know that they're not very profound and have nothing to say, I know that they're a pure fantasy vision of British crime and I know that if you've seen Lock Stock, you've pretty much seen them all. And yet, as Ritchie returns for a third iteration of the only formula with which he's tasted success , I still find myself walking out of the cinema massively entertained.

RocknRolla does absolutely nothing new. A quick list of things it shares with Lock Stock and Snatch would read thus: fast paced, witty dialogue; complex, interwoven plot threads; central McGuffin driving the mayhem (#1 antique shotguns, #2 huge diamond, #3 a lucky painting); smart, rapid editing; a mountain of Cockney crime stereotypes. Even things such as hard-as-nails Russian henchmen return. It completes the upward curve of scale in Ritchie's crime films: from a rigged card game to a rigged boxing circuit to rigged property development. The crime lords get larger in stature, the sums of money owed have more zeros on the end and the capers required to resolve the situation more grand, but it's still the same concept.

You'd think this was a list of criticisms, and if you found Snatch wearingly familiar you shouldn't need it spelling out that this film won't impress you. Looking for originality? Look elsewhere. RocknRolla may be pushing the formula a little bit, but if you accept that it's still enormous fun. Ritchie's directing is as proficient as ever, it moves at a merry old pace and the plot just about stays on the rails. The characters are endearing and there's plenty of laughs to be had. Other than its dearth of invention, the only real flaw with the film lies in the opening fifteen minutes, where Ritchie sets up the plot strands which will then unravel. Whereas previous films did this in a smooth, unforced way, here Ritchie lathers it with a liberal helping of voice-over narration so there's absolutely no confusion possible as to who is who and what they're after, which on many occasions extends to pointing out the bleeding obvious. Show don't tell- it's the first rule in the book Ritchie! It may be getting to the point where RocknRolla must go down as a guilty pleasure, but guilty pleasures are often the most fulfilling kind. And so it is here.

JACK MOSS IMDB

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Ozomatli - Ozomatli

Like many late '90s outfits, the Los Angeles-based Ozomatli is an eclectic conglomeration, fusing a wild variety of music. At its core, the group is a dance band, blending funk, hip-hop, Latin rhythms, jazz, salsa, reggae, Tejano, and worldbeat into its sound. It's a busy, heady mix and occasionally there's simply too much going on in the mix for it to be easy to digest. Nevertheless, it's easy to admire a group that challenges the listeners, and Ozomatli certainly do that with their eponymous debut album. Not only is the music dense and exciting, but the lyrics are politically charged and daring, adding substance to the infectious music. The result is an album that is both entertaining and rewarding -- not a bad achievement for a debut.

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Ozomatli - Embrace the Chaos

Not many people heard Ozomatli's 1998 debut, but those who did loved its fearless blend of hip-hop, Latin rhythms, jazz, and rock. There was a long wait between that record and its 2001 successor, Embrace the Chaos, and while that prolonged gestation period may have not resulted in a radical new direction for the collective, it did give them time to grow. They're still working from the same basic template, but their results are richer and fuller than before, as their various influences come together seamlessly. In other words, they sound more themselves then ever, and while that still might bring them to a larger audience, those who do bother to seek this out -- especially those who find classic Latin jazz as intoxicating as alternative hip-hop -- will find this to be a thoroughly engaging, distinctive listen.

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Ozomatli - Fire Away

On first glance, it might seem odd that Los Angeles-based Ozomatli chose Tony Berg as its producer for Fire Away. Berg is usually associated with more laid-back artists from Ted Hawkins, and Aimee Mann to Bruce Hornsby and Animal Logic. Closer examination, however, also reveals he’s helmed sessions by X, Public Image, and Squeeze. Ozomatli chose Berg for one important reason: they’ve never been able to capture their live sound in a studio, and he's great at it. Berg and Ozomatli have teamed with Downtown Music/Mercer Street Records for Fire Away, and if ever there were a title that summed up a recording, this is it. Ozomatli play the most unique meld of rock, salsa, soul, hip-hop, merengue, son, rhumba, cumbia, and funk in the business. Now a septet, Ozomatli are tighter than ever.Berg manages to keep the grit and dirt in the band’s live sound while adding just enough studio ambience to make the album jump hard. The opener, “Are You Ready” is a galloping norteño-cum-mariachi meld of rock and funk in overdrive. Horns bleat, basslines pop, drums double-time, and pianos and keyboards push and shove the mix forward. That nasty, distorted bassline is the only thing that keeps it on the ground. The set shifts to the uptempo Latin soul groover “45,” with double-time rhythms, breaks by drummer Mario Calire, and some tasty Curtis Mayfield-styled guitar by Raul Pacheco. “Elysian Fields” is a mad, funky hip-hop jam with chant-and-response vocals and a chorus that’s as infectious as smallpox. “Gay Vatos in Love” marries old-school Latin soul, street corner doo wop, and early rock & roll with punchy horns, cracking snares, and five-part harmony to make a social statement that sounds like a party anthem. “Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah” gets the whole band into the vocal mix in a stomping Latin boogaloo jumper with plenty of early Motown chorus breaks. “Nadas por Free” marries boogaloo to hip-hop à la De La Soul, with big organic beats and killer vocals. “Cabalito” is a popping polka to close the set with a salsa-cum-cha-cha horn section. This team worked beautifully together here; let’s hope they do it again soon.

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Laura Veirs - CARBON GLACIER

Laura Veirs' Seattle is not a city plagued by rain and enormous bowls of coffee; rather, it's a metropolitan snow globe trapped in a solid sheet of ice. The 13 songs that make up her fourth album (and Nonesuch debut), Carbon Glacier, rely on Veirs' free associating motor-mouth imagery to dig them out the tundra, and it's a testament to her skills as an interpreter that the majority of them break through. That's also thanks in part to the intricate arrangements and superb musicianship from her "Tortured Souls," Steve Moore, Karl Blau, and producer/drummer Tucker Martine (Modest Mouse). Martine allows the experimentation to bloom in all the right places, resulting in a record that never overworks itself, despite being packed to the gills with ghostly glockenspiels, organs, random percussion, and trombone. Veirs' hypnotic voice cuts through it all with deadpan sincerity — she's equally capable of pitch-perfect beauty ("Lonely Angel Dust") or tightrope uneasiness ("Icebound Stream") — that comes off somewhere between Nina Nastasia and Jolie Holland. Her ability to sound as comfortable singing over grungy and compressed drum loops as she does on simple folk tunes is admirable, and it makes all of the genre-hopping exceptionally fluid. Even at her warmest, she exudes a certain collegiate coolness, and when Carbon Glacier begins to drag — and it does near the end — Veirs manages to retain and command a level of anticipation/fascination that's the mark of a true artist.

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FRANCESCO de GREGORI - RIMMEL

Born in 1951 in Rome, singer/songwriter Francesco De Gregori grew up listening to and being inspired by American musicians Bob Dylanand Leonard Cohen as well as Italian artist Fabrizio De André. It was the latter who heard De Gregori recording songs at a famous studio in Rome, and was impressed enough to began helping the young singer. In 1972, after De Gregori signed to IT, Theorius Campus, an LP with Antonello Venditti, was released. Unfortunately, critics were unimpressed with the album, a sentiment that continued through De Gregori's 1973 solo debut, Alice Non Lo Sa, and its 1974 self-titled follow-up. Success finally came with the next year's Rimmel, which showed off the musician's maturing, reflective, and intelligent lyrics over musical help from Lucio Dalla, among others.

In 1976 Bufalo Bill was released, but while touring in Milan in 1977, De Gregori was verbally attacked by a group of extreme left-wingers who accused the artist of encouraging capitalism and selling out. Leaving the stage in tears, he stopped recording, choosing to work instead as a bookseller, but in 1978 he returned to the Italian music world with De Gregori, an album that included "Generale," a track that would become among his most beloved and one which the composer felt was too good to not present to the public. A tour withDalla and a then-unknown Ron produced the 1979 album Banana Republic. The next 15 years saw the release of a handful of new studio records, including the 1982 masterpiece Titanic and 1992'sCanzoni d'Amore.

After spending the next few years as a journalist for the newspaper L'Unità, De Gregori, who was nicknamed "Il Principe," or "The Prince," for his introverted, sometimes haughty manner of dealing with the press, came back to music with Prendere e Lasciare in 1996 and the critically acclaimed Amore Nel Pomeriggio in 2001. In 2002 he participated in a tour with Pino Daniele, Ron, and Fiorella Mannoia and also collaborated with folksinger Giovanna Marini on Il Fischio del Vapore, a collection of old Italian popular and protest songs. Three years later the rock-oriented Pezzi was released, andCalypsos came in 2006.

RIMMEL

Francesco De Gregori's first three records, as brilliant as they often were, went largely unnoticed. Everything changed with Rimmel, the 1975 release that made him into a pop superstar, and second only to Fabrizio De André as the greatest of Italian cantautori. With a little help from friends such as Lucio Dalla, De Gregori expanded his singer/songwriter compositions into full-blown pop songs. Accordingly, the spare acoustic guitar that dominated his previous albums is replaced by band arrangements, with the central role given over to piano and organ. Certainly, the addition of keyboards, drums, backing vocals, electric bass, and studio effects made the record much more radio- and concert-friendly, but the secret of Rimmel's triumph lies in its concise yet uniformly brilliant set of songs. Every De Gregori greatest-hits collection includes at least half of this album's nine tracks. In fact, it is hard to think of any other album by any Italian artist that brings together so many songs destined to become standards of modern Italian pop music. It is also this record that started the accusations leveled at De Gregori of selling out his left-wing beliefs for commercial success, by committing the ultimate sin of writing love songs. While in retrospect this appears as utter insanity, it is testimony to the charged climate of 1970s Italy, as well as to the key role played by politics in the music and public persona of Italian songwriters. More importantly, such accusations manage to ignore the blatant fact thatRimmel has its fair share of remarkable "political" songs, such as the classics "Il Signor Hood" and "Pablo," both subject to much debate as to who were the real-life personalities that inspired them, as well as the gorgeous "Le Storie di Ieri," about the childhood of the son of a political opposition figure. Furthermore, De Gregori's love songs are a far cry from the trite offerings of, say, the San Remo Festival. In fact, a song like the stunning "Pezzi di Vetro" is full of the same surrealist imagery and enigmatic characters that populate the songwriter's universe, as it stubbornly refuses any easy interpretation while managing to suggest a myriad of complex emotions. Lastly, separate mention is due to the extraordinary title track, which juxtaposes an elegant, lilting piano melody with a subdued vocal; they gradually mount together into a crescendo, to ultimately settle for resignation. As the verses go by, De Gregori shapes contrasting yet coexistent waves of bitterness, dejection, gratitude, and lingering affection into a farewell thank-you/curse-you note to an ex-lover; to many, it is one of the finest Italian songs ever written. "Rimmel" became De Gregori's signature song, and it is only fitting that one of the most important Italian albums of the 1970s should be named after it.

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LUCIO BATTISTI - All the Best

Italian singer/songwriter Lucio Battisti was born on March 5, 1943, in the small town of Poggio Bustone, in Rieti, Italy. His family relocated to Rome in 1950, and by the mid-'60s, Battisti was performing in local bands, one of which was named Campioni. Interested in pursuing a career in music, Battisti relocated to Milan (Italy's musical headquarters), where he sought the aid of a French talent scout, Christine Leroux. Leroux took Battisti under her wing, as he penned three sizeable hits in 1966 for other artists ("Per Una Lira" for Ribelli, "Dolce di Giorno" for Dik Dik, and "Uno in Più" forRiki Maiocchi). Battisti continued to write tunes for others in the late '60s, as well as issuing his inaugural solo singles (during this time, the U.S. rock group the Grass Roots scored a hit stateside with one of Battisti's compositions, "Balla Linda"). 1969 saw another one of Battisti's compositions, "Il Paradiso (If Paradise Is Half As Nice)," become a hit in the U.K. when covered by the group Amen Corner, hitting the number one spot on the singles chart. The same year, Battisti issued his self-titled debut full-length, which spawned such Italian hits as "Acqua Azzurra, Acqua Chiara" and "Mi Ritorni in Mente." Battisti continued to issue solo albums on a regular basis throughout the '70s, as he relocated to Los Angeles in 1977, and even issued an album that featured some of his biggest hits re-recorded in English (1978's Images). On September 9, 1998, Battisti passed away in a Milan hospital at the age of 55. Since Battisti's death, several compilations of his best tracks have surfaced, including 2000's Battisti and 2001's Canzoni D'Amore. In 2006 Water reissued 1971's Amore e Non Amore for American audiences.

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CAT POWER POR DOS

Cat Power was the alias of Chan Marshall, a Southern-bred singer/songwriter whose father, Charlie, was an itinerant pianist. After dropping out of high school, Marshall found herself in New York; performing under the name Cat Power, she was booked as the opening act for Liz Phair, where she met Sonic Youth drummer Steve Shelley and Two Dollar Guitar's Tim Foljahn, who agreed to become her backing band. Following the release of 1995's Dear Sir and 1996's Myra Lee — both recorded on the same day — Cat Power signed to Matador for 1996's What Would the Community Think?, which won acclaim for Marshall's unsettling, emotional songs and cathartic vocals.

The superb Moon Pix followed two years later, and in the spring of 2000 Cat Power resurfaced with The Covers Record. Released in 2003, You Are Free featured a lusher, more polished sound as well as cameos by Dave Grohl and Eddie Vedder; 2006's The Greatest was recorded in Memphis, TN, with legendary soul players including guitarist/songwriter Mabon "Teenie" Hodges, bassist Leroy "Flick" Hodges, and drummer Steve Potts. Another set of covers, Jukebox, was released two years later.
y va a estar el 28 de mayo en MVD



JUKEBOX (WITH BONUS)
Eight years is a long time in almost any artist's career, but in Cat Power's case, it's an even more sizable gulf, as Chan Marshall's collections of other people's songs reflect. Released in 2000, The Covers Record found her becoming an ever more nuanced performer, tempering the rawness and intensity of her earlier albums with a lighter approach. Arriving in 2008, Jukebox reaffirms what a polished artist she's become, especially since her Memphis soul homage The Greatest. But where The Greatest sometimes bordered on slick, Jukebox's blend of country, soul, blues, and jazz feels lived-in and natural. Marshall recorded this set with her touring act, the Dirty Delta Blues Band, featuring some of indie rock's finest players, including her longtime drummer, the Dirty Three's Jim White — who gives even the quietest moments vitality — as well as Jon Spencer Blues Explosion's Judah Bauer and Chavez's Matt Sweeney, so it's not surprising that the album often plays like an especially well-recorded concert. However, some of the session legends she worked with on The Greatest make guest appearances, including Teenie Hodges and Spooner Oldham. Oldham's song for Janis Joplin, "A Woman Left Lonely," appears here, and the original's sophisticated yet earthy sound is one of the album's biggest influences.

As on The Covers Record, Marshall makes bold choices. She citifies Hank Williams' "Ramblin' Man" (switched to "Ramblin' [Wo]Man" here), turning it slinky and smoky with spacious drums and rippling Rhodes; despite the very different surroundings, the song's desperate loneliness remains. Joni Mitchell's icily beautiful "Blue" gets a thaw and a late-night feel that are completely different but just as compelling. Not all of Jukebox's transformations are this successful: Marshall's penchant for turning formerly brash songs brooding (like The Covers Record's "Satisfaction") sounds too predictable on Frank Sinatra's "New York." And, while the choice to change James Brown's "I Lost Someone" from searing and pleading to languid was brave, the results fall flat. One of the most drastic remakes is Marshall's own Moon Pix track "Metal Heart," which adds more drama and dynamics to one of her prettiest melodies. While the way this version swings from aching verses to cathartic choruses works, the subtlety and simplicity of the original are missed. Indeed, many of Jukebox's best moments are the simplest. Marshall's reworking of the Highwaymen's 1990 hit "Silver Stallion" frees the song from its dated production, replacing it with acoustic guitar and pedal steel that impart a timeless, restless beauty. She pays Bob Dylan homage with a gritty, defiant, yet reverent take on "I Believe in You" from his 1978 Christian album Slow Train Coming and "Song to Bobby," Jukebox's lone new track, dedicated to and inspired by Dylan so thoroughly that she borrows his trademark cadences without sounding like an impersonation. Uneven as it may be, Jukebox is still a worthwhile portrait of Chan Marshall's artistry
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THE GREATEST

The Greatest (no, it's not a hits collection) makes it clear just how much Chan Marshall grows with each album she releases. Three years on from You Are Free, she sounds reinvented yet again: Marshall returned to Memphis, TN — where she recorded What Would the Community Think nearly a decade earlier — to make an homage to the Southern soul and pop she listened to as a young girl. Working with great Memphis soul musicians such as Mabon "Teenie" Hodges, Leroy "Flick" Hodges, and Dave Smith, she crafted an album that is even more focused and accessible than You Are Free was, and pushes her even closer toward straightforward singer/songwriter territory. The title track is a subtle but powerful statement of purpose: with its lush, "Moon River" strings and lyrics about a young boy who wanted to become a boxer, the song is as moving as her earlier work but also a big step away from the angst-ridden diary-rock that her music is sometimes categorized as. Likewise, on the gospel-tinged "Living Proof" and the charming "Could We," Marshall is sexy, strong, and playful, and far from the stereotype of her as a frail, howling waif. But the truth is, sweet Southern songs like these have been in her repertoire since What Would the Community Think's "They Tell Me" and "Taking People" (You Are Free's "Good Woman" and "Half of You" are also touchstones for this album); The Greatest is just a more polished, palatable version of this side of her music. This is the most listenable Cat Power album Marshall has made, and one that could easily win her lots of new fans. It's also far from a sell-out — The Greatest sounds like the album Marshall wanted to make, without any specific (or larger) audience in mind. And yet, the very things about The Greatest that make it appealing to a larger audience also make it less singular and sublime than, say, Moon Pix or You Are Free. The productions and arrangements on songs like "Lived in Bars" and "Empty Shell" are so immaculate and intricate that they threaten to overwhelm Marshall's gorgeous voice. And, occasionally, the album's warm, soulful, laid-back vibe goes from mellow to sleepy, particularly on "Willie" and "The Moon." Two of The Greatest's best songs show that she doesn't need to be edgy and tortured or gussied up with elaborate productions to sound amazing: "Where Is My Love" reaffirms that all Marshall needs is a piano and that voice to make absolutely spellbinding music. On the other hand, "Love & Communication"'s modern, complicated take on love gains a quiet intensity with judiciously used strings and keyboards. For what it is, The Greatest is exceedingly well done, and people who have never heard of Cat Power before could very well love this album immediately. However, it might take a little more work for those who have loved her music from the beginning.
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por segunda vez AUDIOTRANSPARENT

Ya viene siendo hora de que sean famosos worldwide.
aportamos un granito
dos discos distintos, uno es la lánguida perfección. el otro , más energético, pero ambos con la misma capacidad de brindar placer al oyente.
son, quizás, discos para escuchar enteros, aunque hay temas que pegan más que otros, en fin, la biografía (no están en allmusic) y los links
salute


audiotransparent made their debut in 2003 with a self titled CD en they were immediately asked by their heroes Tindersticks to join hem on tour. On ‘Nevland’ (2005) the group perfected their melancholic post-rock-pop and received laudatory reviews for it. Shows were played in Canada, Germany and Scandinavia. The late great John Peel picked them up and through new media like last.fm the Dutchies found their way to thousands of music lovers. audiotransparent made memorable impressions as an emotional circus act on the dutch theatre festival Noorderzon and the on the new ‘Into the great wide open’ festival; “audiotransparent superior” – de Volkskrant. (daily newspaper)

What would it sound like if we’d push over our record shelves and then glue the pieces back together? Chekhov Guns is the result of this puzzle; the third audiotransparent record.
Together with producer Corno Zwetsloot the band took two years inside a fully analog studio (no computers used for recording!) to assemble the thirteen songs. During this process more then only record shelves toppled over. Band members got acquainted with grown up issues. Singer Bart saw his own life fall to pieces. The theme for the record can therefore be described as ‘Bits and pieces’, lyrically as well as musically. The question is whether the old Dutch saying “Shards bring luck” is really true…

Chekhov Guns
The group let go of the quiet, slow and melancholic spheres of the first records to work on a true, raw indiepop record. References shifted from Sparklehorse and Low to Wilco, Neutral Milk Hotel and the more electronic groups like Notwist and Animal Collective. A NOW Indie-pop-record.

In the studio all habits and rules were thrown overboard. The only argument was “what works best for the song”. Even within a group of pacifistic northeners this lead to physically violent arguments. “If the 50 days in the studio weren’t expensive it was the bill for cleaning the mixing desk after a bleeding nose”. Band member and producer fired eachother more then once. “But the urge to complete the jigsaw puzzle of a vague musical picture in their heads brought everybody back around the taperecorder. Canadian friends Great Lake Swimmers joined to work together on the first single “you are a movie”. (also available as an old fashioned 7” split vinyl)



Together with bands such as LPG, Awkward I and Kim Janssen – audiotransparent shows that there’s an intersting field of high quality indie music underneath the guitarsolos and rockposes of the Dutch rock tradition.


nevland

chekhov guns