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les rita mitsouko
cool frenesie |
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With their 5th original album, vocalist Catherine Ringer and multi-instrumentalist Fred Chichin have slotted back into the niche the crazy combo carved for themselves in the pop business back in 1984 with the latinophile party hit ‘Marcia Baila.’ Les Rita Mitsouko’s Conny Plank-produced debut, followed by their new wave masterpiece “The No Comprendo” with good old Tony Visconti on the console, and their streamlined, Sparks-flavored “Marc & Robert,” demonstrated that neither good taste nor a cutting-edge sound were necessary to become pop stars. |
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Instead the French Eurythmics/Pizzicato Five caricatures continue to live in a world of provocation — Catherine Ringer was one of the first artists ever to perform “unplugged” when she got rid of her tampon by throwing it into the audience — a world shored up by the rather unique concept that it pays to be a step behind and one note out of tune. If this just sounds like perverse Parisian arrogance, give the new album by the revitalized Rita Mitsouko 2000 (the Japanese part of the name coming from a Guerlain perfume) a try. Melodramatic chansons, electro-pop that would have been hip in the mid-eighties — let’s call it “French J-Pop” — and kitschy, catchy sing-along melodies that grow out of the anything-goes, multicultural blend the band name hints at, make Cool Frenesie a release packed with high-level pop tunes without a single boring moment. |
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heaven
sound of sequence |
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Kiyoshi Miyaura is not a rare name in Japan, but the man behind Heaven recognized its international potential to go transcendental by dropping the ‘i’ and changing it to “My Aura.” His beautiful, minimalist compositions have recently been heavily featured on J-Wave’s ambient music program, “Still Life — Night Sequence.” Like the solo Brian Eno on the international stage, My Aura is now recognized as Japan’s missing link between contemporary electronic music and so-called ‘new age/healing’ music. |
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Although the low-tech sleeve art might mislead you into expecting some minimal techno blubber, you’d do better to use the above-mentioned master, the instrumental half of David Sylvian’s “Gone to Earth” album (“Kool Emotion”), or quieter pieces by Autechre for reference. “Sound of Sequence” is no wall-of-sound shower but a collection of percussion-less chill-out soundscapes that hit the nail on the head. In a few pieces My Aura employs his trademark electronically tuned flute, enhancing the overall relaxing touch. Critics might say nothing really happens throughout the album, however the deftly managed patterns of sound waves and melodies manage to keep expectations high and even fulfill them in the last piece, the relatively aggressive “Web Jam.” |
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joseph arthur
come to where i’m from |
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Peter Gabriel’s Real World sound factory is one of those places with an automatic guarantee stamped on all its products. Waving the American flag for the label is Joseph Arthur, who, although now resident in London, delivers his second full album of modern US-style alternative folk rock — rough cut diamonds the sound god was wise enough not to polish with a Real-World-sheen. |
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As on 1997’s debut “Big City Secrets,” on “Come To Where I’m From” Joseph Arthur presents the comedies and tragedies of modern day life in 12 pieces (1 bonus track for Japan), sung and played over tastefully programmed sounds livened up with the occasional guest musician. The music is so deep and dark that, despite titles like “In The Sun,” it puts Beck’s comparatively fluffy universe in the shade. Mr. Hansen can stay cool about his place in the sun and leave the hard stuff to Joseph Arthur (The opening number In The Sun was actually recorded by Peter Gabriel for the Princess Diana tribute album). Like on the EP “Vacancy,” which was Grammy nominated last year for Best Recording Package, this CD again features Arthur’s own original cover artwork. |
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More CD Reviews:
shéna ringo - shoso strip
alboth! - ecco la fiera
rovo - pyramid
frank zappa -everything is healing nicely |
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