Ozomatli
Embrace the Chaos ... (Interscope)
Ten regular members and a slew of guests - such as Medusa from the Black Eyed Peas and Pos and TruGoy from De La Soul - renew their call for social change through celebration on this second Ozomatli release. The multicultural crew blends straight-up rap, fierce Afro-Latin accents, and New Orleans requiescence to produce a disc that reflects the diverse subcultures of hip hop. Embrace this melodious chaos.
New Order
Get Ready (Reprise)
Throughout the Reagan era, New Order whipped dance crowds into a frenzy with sinister lyrics and high-energy synth sequences. On this long-awaited return, the band replaces its once fashionably desperate new wave with upbeat rock. There's still tension between Bernard Sumner's expectant, weatherworn vocals and his musical backing, but decidedly optimistic arrangements - as on "Turn My Way" and "Close Range" - temper any smoldering embers. Though nostalgic digital gurgles pop up on "Vicious Streak," New Order has clearly shed its old synthetic skin for new musical flesh.
James Blood Ulmer
Memphis Blood: The Sun Sessions (Label M)
In the past, James Blood Ulmer's albums centered on his schizo-jazz guitar style. This is the first to spotlight the ax handler's equally idiosyncratic vocals and passion for the blues. Ulmer tackles standards by Howlin' Wolf and Willie Dixon with a coarse delivery as intimidating as the original versions. Producer Vernon Reid had to beg him to record this libido-heavy menu; Ulmer had sour memories of being scolded for listening to nasty classics as a kid. Memphis Blood will probably bring him more attention than anything he's done in his 30 years as a fringe player.
Quasi
Sword of God (Touch and Go)
Duo Sam Coomes and Janet Weiss continue to rail against the unexamined life. Coomes juggles scads of instruments to create the duo's familiar backdrop of deranged, game-show theme music. Organs contort, drums pulse, and the guitar plays duck-duck-goose while Quasi exacts its revenge on all things bourgeois. Fans will undoubtedly purr with delight at the album's sustained beauty and originality.
Bis
Return to Central (SpinART)
Bis has finally given in to its Euro roots by infusing that patented blend of raucous instrumentation with breathy vocal musings. The Glaswegian trio trades in its "teen power" anthems for a vintage '80s sound reminiscent of Molly Ringwald on the dance floor in a John Hughes film. Although the members of Bis were mere tots way back when, Return to Central forks over a formidable taste of nostalgia.
Mofro
Blackwater (Fog City)
Singer-songwriter JJ Grey's got roots in Blackwater, a northern Florida region where fried catfish and turnip greens reign supreme - his grandpa was a "swamp cracka" who lived off the land until progress brought in subdivisions and superhighways. As new high-rises dot the skyline, Grey's heart remains in Blackwater's history - a culture he and his band, Mofro, celebrate on this debut. The record is full of "front-porch soul and all-live jookhouse funk" from the band and guests like Robert Walter on clavinet and electric piano. Blackwater serves upbeat slabs of lazy riffs steeped in juicy details of Southern cuisine and the good ol' days.
Garbage
beautifulgarbage (Almo)
Pretty and trashy, this appropriately titled album is the band's most accessible release yet. Sidestepping much of the rawness that permeated 1998's Version 2.0, beautifulgarbage ups the ante on hook-laden pop. Pop, that is, with a 21st-century sheen. Producer-drummer Butch Vig and the gang toss off everything from the urban funk-jam of "Shut Your Mouth" to the film-noirish melancholy of "Cup of Coffee" to the '60s girl-group lushness of "Can't Cry These Tears." Throughout the bevy of love-gone-wrong tunes, Shirley Manson channels a disparate range of female influences that includes Ronnie Spector, TLC, and Karen Carpenter.
Spiritualized
Let it come down (Spaceman/Arista)
More than 100 symphonic musicians contributed to the dense gospel-flavored psychedelica on Let it come down. But the trip is over for singer-lyricist Jason Pierce, whose passion for getting high has been replaced with self-reflection. The eager, Beach Boys-inspired "Don't Just Do Something" and the uplifting "Stop Your Crying" offer enough pop flavor to complement the deeply personal themes of this quiet masterpiece.
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