Choice Cuts: November 2004

of serving a greater theme (and, often times, the theme ain't that provocative). Instead of going for the one-off approach, Manchester-bred electronic whizzes Fingathing are taking a concept and spreading it out over their entire catalog, using each song as a building soundtrack for an imaginary sci-fi series. In this episode, Fingathing's Peter Parker and Sneaky-having been launched into space in metal coffins on a prior album-find themselves in a new space-time continuum, where they navigate through (and sometimes against) the many secret wonders of space and hook up with The Big Red Nebula Band, who are like a much cooler cousin of the Max Rebo Band. Fortunately, it's not necessary to know any of this to enjoy And The Big Red Nebula Band, a unique serving of dressed-up funk, big hip-hop beats and skittering electronics. It's one of the most consistently inventive instrumental albums of the year. The U.S. edition also contains a bonus Time Capsule disc, featuring five cuts from their two previous LPs.

Highlight Tracks: "Cluster Buster" and "Walk In Space"

For More Info: Check out http://www.fingathing.com

Artist: WILLIAM LAZARUS

Album: Like Trees We Grow Up To Be Satellites (The Backwards America)

The Scoop: Since he staked out on his own after time with atmospheric instrumentalists Tarentel, William Trevor Montgomery (or Lazarus, or William Lazarus) has been making music so achingly intimate that some reviews read more like psychological profiles. Indeed, Like Trees... is an album so frank and intimate that listeners may come away feeling that they've actually had a conversation with the artist. The intimacy extends from the production approach to the truth-serum lyrics. But this isn't quite a one-man show. One notable improvement from last year's Songs for an Unborn Sun is that croak-voiced Marty Anderson-who was a unique but overused background vocalist-has been replaced by the more polished Wendy Allen. Some may think that this comes at the expense of a signature sound, but Allen simply makes for a more enjoyable and less creepy listening experience ("Fashion/Murder," "Croslin St (MCMSM)". Lazarus incorporates an array of live instruments to give his songs a depth that many so-called DIY songwriters are lacking; this isn't an album produced by a guy holed up in his room with a computer. And maybe the live instruments help keep the lyrical wounds open, because this is an album that-if given time to get inside-can break hearts, or drive a man to

Go To Page: 1 2 3 4 5

Articles in this Topic    Discussions in this Topic