October 1, 2008

Reviews

10/01/08

Calexico—Carried to Dust

Flying Lotus—Los Angeles Flying Lotus is the pseudonym of Steven Ellison, Alice Coltrane's great nephew and a young producer who first came to prominence making beats for the Cartoon Network. Despite being born into a family that's spiritual jazz royalty, his music is exploratory in a far less ethereal way than you might expect. In many ways, his music sounds like the electronic music response to other eccentric hip hop producers such as J Dilla or Madlib. But where those guys always had a sound with one foot in the past, Flying Lotus makes enough lazer noises and expensive synth sounds to let you know that he is always looking forward.

Shugo Tokumaru—Exit We've always wondered where J-pop and tuneful indie rock would meet. Apparently it's on this album, the third for 28-year-old Japanese singer-songwriter Shugo Tokumaru and his first album widely available in the U.S. Exit incorporates all the odd little noises that bedroom studio wizards are so fond of these days—xylophones, cheap keyboards, and layered vocals. There's a little bit of a John Lennon thing going on here that we're really digging.

Calexico—Carried to Dust Another great release from Calexico, a band that sounds exactly like the Southwest while entirely unique. This album finds them relying on their trademark country/rock/spaghetti Western sound, with the result being a strong album rather than a tired rehash. The songwriting is great, the musicianship is stellar, and the band sounds as tight as any band would after touring constantly since the 90's. Bonus: Don't miss their appearance with Jim James from My Morning Jacket on the "I'm Not There" soundtrack.

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