New Music: Tortoise, Adem, Junior Boys, Frequency

Tortoise - Madison Area - A Lazarus Taxon (Thrill Jockey 2006)


Adem - Something's Going to Come - Love and Other Planets (Domino 2006)


Junior Boys - Count Souvenirs - So This is Goodbye (Domino 2006)


Frequency - Take Refuge - Frequency (Thrill Jockey 2006)




Tortoise – A Lazarus Taxon / Thrill Jockey

In the late 60s, Miles Davis bravely crossed a clearly defined line infusing his wailing free-jazz with rock into the then unthinkable genre we now call fusion; in the early 90s (the heyday of pure grunge remember), Tortoise once again stepped across this line blending their textural post-rock with free jazz (not to mention drum n bass, Brazilian music of all kinds, ambient, dub, IDM, etc etc) into a genre dubbed fringe-rock. Evoking a similar wave as Miles, Tortoise somewhat reluctantly led the new breed of rock musicians specializing in a textural, challenging and hypnotic clash of rhythm and melody; a much needed cerebral escape from the predictable cock rock of the day. A Lazarus Taxon (the paleontological term for a reappearing species) is not an anthology, but more of an ode to the band’s ideal of never concluding with a finished product, that there were always more possibilities to be realized. Made up of rarities, remixes and compilation tracks, it is a 3-disc (and 1 DVD) ark of ambition, experimentation and wonderful creativity.



Adem – Love and Other Planets / Domino

Love and Other Planets is an immensely sexy album. Not the well-endowed, stage-pole performing sexy, but the lightly kissing the full length of the female body sexy, the lying close with your significant other on a brisk, complacent fall night with windows open and covers pulled way up sexy. Adem Ilhan has an amazing talent of patch working endearing and meandering folk songs with unconventional percussive patterns, burbling glockenspiels, teasing acoustic, textured synths and cooing samples. Co-mixed with Fridge bandmate Kieran Hebden (Four Tet), a welcomed, like-minded and frequent collaborator, Love picks up where Homesongs left off while letting Adem take another step closer to perfecting his pastoral, lovesick folk. His unobtrusive and instantly warming voice is still center-stage with lyrics dripping in optimistic humanism, but I constantly find myself losing his voice in the mix and embracing the song as a whole thanks to the inventive musical palette provided. Love is a wonderful and intimate record that is undeniably sexy, in the sensual sense.



Junior Boys – So This is Goodbye / Domino

The amazing electro-synth-pop of 2004’s ‘Last Exit’ from Ontario’s Junior Boys took a lot of people by surprise, including me. Owing as much to Sctritti Politti as it does Timbaland, Johnny Greenspan’s infectious dance-pop is as sexual as it is vulnerable… basically the antithesis of The Postal Service using the same set of materials. Picking up right where ‘Last Exit’ left off matching minimal techno with arty synth-pop and Greenspan’s endearing croon, the Junior Boys, now with sound engineer Matthew Didemus replacing former rhythmic architect Johnny Dark, evoke the best components of the 80s synth-pop hysteria all while laying down just enough cheese to make it endearing rather than embarrassing. The arrangements in rhythm and melody are top tier, especially the syths which bring back the same feeling that inspired neon lights, and Greenspan’s vocals are quickly become a force. This is an album that forces you to fall in love with it.



Frequency – Frequency / Thrill Jockey

Proving once again that the modern jazz scene is centered in the heart of Chicago is Frequency, a quartet of local jazz luminaries harking back to the late 60s/early 70s Impulse “spritiual jazz” releases of Pharoah Sanders, Alice Coltrane and Albert Ayler. Featuring the AACM co-president and flutist Nicole Mitchell (who is also the daughter of the Art Ensemble’s Roscoe Mitchell), percussionist and AACM alumnus Avreeayl Ra and 8 Bold Souls members Edward Wilkerson on tenor sax and contra bassist Harrison Bankhead, Frequency does not as much make atmospheric as environmental jazz (if you will) specializing in earthy tones and natural improvisation. Most fascinating, the quartet continually heads into the cacophonous realms of avant-garde, but always seems to pull back at the very last second, opting for a more contemplative affair. The musicianship and interaction is astonishing and, for a debut, Frequency sounds supremely aged and refined.