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Bis “Return to Central” SpinART
Records
Forced to crawl out from under the Beastie Boys’ broken
Grand Royal label, musical crown jewel Bis has used its new album
to fervidly celebrate the fusion of punk and electronica. To get
the flavor of “Return to Central,” one need go no
further than the back of the jewel case. Track titles like
“We’re Complicated” and “What You’re
Afraid Of” are fair warning to that the album is going to
take sounds in the vein of Orbital, Bikini Kill and The Cardigans
and mix them together until the listeners’ ears don’t
know where one musical style starts and another one ends. The first
track is snappy. No really, Bis is snapping — and when that gives
way to a repetitive Moby-ish percussion and vocalist Manda’s
breathy delivery, it’s clear that the listener is going to
make it to track two. The rest of the album is filled with good
hooks, staccato lyrics about lost love and a darkness to the rhythm
that makes you feel a little dirty for liking it so much. Even if
“Return to Central” is more like a good combination
plate than an original entree, it makes for a tasty listen.
Kelsey McConnell Â
Bubba Sparxxx “Dark Days, Bright Nights”
Beat Club Records
“Dark Days, Bright Nights,” the first offering from
Timbaland’s Beat Club Records, brings a new twist in Georgia
native Bubba Sparxxx (aka Warren Anderson Mathis). Timbaland, known
for his collaborations with Aaliyah and Missy Elliott, brings his
knack for hip-hop to the album. He knows how to create a
multi-layered sound in this example, including requisite rapid
highs against deep thumping bass (Ã la “Get Ur Freak
On”) and black spirituals in the background for some southern
flavor. The debut track and its accompanying video,
“Ugly,” features Bubba in a pigpen with a group of
southern folk from his hometown attempting bestiality. And
that’s what this album brings to the table. The southern
angle, a distinction lamented by Sparxxx in his song “Bubba
Talk,” is a major source of the buzz surrounding this record.
When prompted by MTV interviewers, Sparxxx described “Bubba
Talk,” saying, “That’s a stab back to this
“˜redneck rapper,’ “˜outhouse MC’ stuff
(people are saying about me). It’s like, “˜Y’all
don’t know me. I say the same things that you say. I just say
it the way I say it.'” This guy suxxx as a speaker, but
his rapping ain’t too bad.
Robert Esposito Â
Goapele “Closer”
It is a rarity for a singer/songwriter to blend intense
emotions, personal lyrics, and soulful singing into one track.
Goapele’s debut album “Closer” does this several
times throughout her album, in the end leaving the listener in a
state of stagnation. Goapele Mohlabane compels the listener with
her soulful songwriting abilities enhanced by the combinations of
the many elements of jazz, R&B and urban soul. Yet the album
stays constantly mellow with few mood changes, falling short of
what this singer is capable of. Born and raised in California,
Goapele received her vocal training through the Oakland Youth
Chorus and at the Berklee College of Music. She is also the
executive producer of her album and co-wrote all of her songs.
Tracks like “Childhood Drama” tell an all too-familiar
tale of troubled childhood events and “Romantic”
reminds the listener of the thin line between love and hate.
“It Takes More” presses on a domestic social issue, but
there is not anything new that hasn’t been heard before. Her
voice catches the listener, but does not keep them yearning for
more. The album has very few changes in tempo and the
instrumentation does not do her voice justice. Low-key mellow soul
and too-personal lyrics leave few rungs for the listener to latch
on to.
Michelle V. Gonzales