Amoeba Music

For the past 10 years, DJ Might Mi (The High & Mighty) has worked with the likes of Eminem, Mos Def, Mary J. Blige, Ghostface Killah, M.O.P., Kool G Rap, Mobb Deep, Cage and more.  Whether it was remixing Mobb Deep's "G.O.D. III" or creating the classic "Crooklyn Dodgers" mash-up, Mighty Mi has always shown good taste in blending hip-hop's various genres. That brings us to his brand new solo debut "Me Vs. the Gods".  DJ Mighty Mi takes us on a 90-minute ride of pure hip-hop fusing together some of the best emcees in the world over endless breaks and beats.  His beats are raw and tough and this shows why he's one of the most sought-after hip-hop producers working today.  If you are a true fan of all hip-hop, old and new, this one has a little something for everyone. More

They're back! A mere 23 years after the release of their understatedly powerful self-titled debut, the Invite The Spirit trio return with another view of South Korean shamanic music tradition as viewed through the prism of Western (& Eastern) improvisational methods and techniques. And if that sounds a trifle dry, the music that leaps forth from this remarkable album is not.  The trio is comprised of veteran master instrumentalists whose collective experience encompasses the vast expanse of sonic possibility:  The seemingly reclusive NYC percussionist, Charles K. Noyes, whose CV includes work with Material, John Zorn, Elliott Sharp, early Golden Palominos, Fred Frith, Bob Ostertag, and the legendary Toykillers, as well as innovative solo work which betrays a keen pan-global aesthetic. Hopefully more will be heard from him in the near future. Sang Won Park , whose apparently mild-mannered occupation as a florist masks his extensive career as a performer and educator in numerous traditional ensembles and music schools in his native South Korea and in the U.S. It also does little to reveal his work with such varied artists as Ryuichi Sakamoto, Laurie Anderson, Bill Laswell, and The Far East Side Band co-led with violinist Jason Kao Hwang. Park is also the ne plus ultra of the kayagüm, a 12 silk stringed plucked zither, and the ajaeng, a 7-stringed zither that is bowed with a wooden stick, whose varied time-honored techniques he has adapted and introduced to modern free improvisation. In the liner notes of the original Invite The Spirit album, Oakland , CA   guitar explorer Henry Kaiser is said to have played on more than 30 albums. That number has easily quadrupled since that time. His skills as guitarist, producer, improvisor, engineer and sometimes even scientist have taken him around the world touching down (among other places) in Madagascar , Norway , Japan , even Antarctica . Musical encounters are too numerous to mention in full, but the names with which to conjure include: Derek Bailey, Sonny Sharrock, Fred Frith, Richard Thompson, John Abercrombie, Jerry Garcia, Nels Cline, Elliott Sharp, Davey Williams, Bill Frisell, Joe Morris, Amos Garrett, Eugene Chadbourne, Jim O'Rourke, Bruce Anderson, and those are just some of the guitar players!   Amazingly, the current set begins in a very similar manner to their debut album: the quavering lower pitched tambura-like drone of Kaiser's guitar punctuated by the solemn vibrato of the kayagüm and mediated by the precisely erratic drums rolls of Noyes. A doleful melody is intoned by Park vocally (which is not too far removed from an Appalachian yowl) while simultaneously echoed and elaborated upon on his instrument. It should come as no surprise to ITS fans that the piece, "Hurum II", is a sequel, of sorts, to the piece that greets the listener as the opening track of their inaugural release. It creates an ideal context for both novice and buff to encounter the group's sound and thus be more easily led on an unique auditory adventure. While this ensemble can be viewed and listened to as a gifted, multi-textured, forward thinking experimental group, it should be noted that their actions are guided, in part, by a Korean traditional form known as sinawi. It is an improvisation-based form that is performed by a musical ensemble that general accompanies shamanic rites. Thus whether one adheres to the philosophy or not, there is a powerful spiritual component inherent in the work of this grouping that many other experimental ensembles either eschew or eliminate. Hence the name...... It is not a musical spirituality that encourages numbness, plushness and dead-eyed arpeggios. Nay verily, it finds a home in meditative austerity and jagged unruliness. In other words, it lives life, even as it commemorates death.   This is particularly evident on "Derek Bailey Salpuri". A salpuri is a dance performed with a white scarf at the end of shaman rituals that is meant to wash away evil spirits. In this case, it is a valedictory to the memory and genius of the late great musical revolutionary. Over an entrancingly churning background guest p'ansori vocalist/percussionist Ok Joo Moon tells the story of a "hero of the age of improvisation" who has departed forever but "left behind all the sounds". Mr. Bailey, who enjoyed numerous fruitful relationships with players from China , Japan and Korea would certainly have been pleased by this unique and heartfelt tribute. The empathy between Kaiser, Park & Noyes and their sensitivity to each other's contributions is especially evident on tracks that feature the guest vocalists. That such seemingly rigorous traditional elements can be so seamlessly blended into an extemporaneous group whole is listening and playing virtuosity of a very high order.  The Western musicians bend and extend the palette of their relatively conventional instruments to incorporate the breath-driven rhythms and micro-tonal centers of Korean music, while Park pushes the resonant capabilities of his zithers beyond their millenniums-old constraints. Such interracial, cross-cultural cooperation is something everyone can learn from, particularly those in a position of power.   Admittedly, listeners with a background in East Asian and/or non-idiomatic free improvisational music will immediately find much to feast upon. But, those with jazz and folk leanings should not be dissuaded from sampling its sumptuous wares.  Hell, anyone with a hungry ear is welcome.   More

On Director's Cut , Kate revisits a selection of tracks from her albums The Sensual World and The Red Shoes . She has re-recorded some elements while keeping the best musical performances of each song - making it something of a director's cut but in sound, not vision. All the lead vocals and drums are new performances, some of the tracks feature guests including Steve Gadd, Danny Thompson and, on backing vocals, Mica Paris. Three songs have been completely re-recorded, one of which is "This Woman's Work." More

Those who fell in love with Bon Iver's brilliant debut For Emma, Forever Ago have been waiting four years for a followup, and Justin Verson & co. do not disappoint -- it's as grand, forlorn, and heartbreaking as anyone could hope. Vernon felt too overwhelmed by the pressure to go it alone, so he enlisted a raft of contributors to help inspire him, from pedal steel master Greg Leisz to Arcade Fire sax sideman Colin Stetson to a children's choir. His recent detours with Gayngs and Kanye West have lighted new musical directions for him as well. Each of the 10 songs is named for a different place, and each casts a different mood -- from Civil War-era melancholy to magical forest-wandering to a stoney natural high by album's end. Bon Iver forever!More

Senegalese superstar takes us on another masterful globe-trotting marathon with his latest, this time centered on Kingston, Jamaica and the classic sound of Bob Marley's Tuff Gong studio. With Wailer keyboardist Tyrone Downie at the controls, and help from legendary guitarist Earl "Chinna" Smith and spoken-word poet Mutabaruka, N'Dour fuses brisk highlife and mbalax with smokey ragga sounds, skank, and dancehall. Delivering soaring soul, catchy choruses, and plainspoken directness, he conjures the spirit of Bob Marley himself, adding a healthy dose of international groove to the heavy roots. More

Few bands today have the unselfconsciousness to knock off as joyfully silly a jingle as anything yakked out by Art Brut's delightful frontman Eddie Argos. Taking laddishness, one-liners, and pint-fueled Britpop to a level of high art, Brilliant! Tragic! joins the company of Shaun Ryder, the Modern Lovers, and Black Randy & the Metrosquad for sheer uninhibited bash & pop goofiness. Having Black Francis at the controls seems to focus the geezers and stoke their ambition -- the songs are more developed and complex than previous, and Argos doesn't just rant, at times he truly wails. Not exactly brilliant, nor tragic, but most definitely a gas. More

Since winning the Mercury Prize with their 1998 debut, Gomez has crafted a gruff, lovely, workmanlike series of albums that, like Wilco's, find inspiration in Americana and '70s freedom rock, but let in a little postmodern anxiety and doubt. Their newest is as warm and easy as their first, with even more uplift and inspiration than usual. The odd synth riff and dancefloor workout, nods to current sounds, are blended in nicely with their trademark vintage rock & soul. More

Not too many young bands can channel the sound and spirit of Neil Young, Crosby Stills & Nash, and The Band like Dawes, so fortunately they're back with more of what you love. The success of their debut, North Hills , let them season their sound with plenty of roadwork and touring, and Nothing is Wrong shows that musical maturity. Taylor Goldsmith's singing is rougher and tougher and the band rollicks & rolls with a simple, assured grace. Robbie Robertson may have used them as his backing band for some recent shows, but it sounds like the students are catching up to the teacher. Is nothing wrong? Not when Dawes is on. Also available on LP . More

Ebullient energy and shimmering, multilayered singalong pop are what Givers give. These music-schooled bunch of Lafayette, LA friends channel the percussive ensemble spirit of zydeco and cajun music into a jangly, joyful postpunk stomp that tips an intellectual hat to David Byrne and Paul Simon too. Touring with Dirty Projectors helped refine their sound into an artier style that only fuels the ecstatic, gospelly drive of their infectious tunes. These are the Givers that keep on giving!More

Leading the legacy of his revolutionary Afro-funk father Fela, as well as many of the surviving members of Fela's last band, Egypt 80, Seun Kuti is a true and funky vessel for the righteous fury that is finally finding its voice in the North African rebellions. After meeting Brian Eno backstage at one of Egypt 80's epic live shows, Seun and the band travelled with Eno to Copacabana, Brazil to record this sizzling set of Afrobeat anthems. Songs like "Rise" express the anger of Africa's common people at their corrupt leaders, and their desire to overcome and give their children a better life. Seun invests those feelings with fierce aggression and purpose, and so do the wailing horns and menacing percussion. His father would be proud. More

Dave King formed Flogging Molly in L.A. four albums ago, but has recently been living with his wife Bridget Regan in her hometown of Detroit. The collapse and burnout of that once-great city in the face of the Great Recession inspired King to focus his new album on the struggles and hardship of all the working-class folks kicked in the teeth by tough economic times. With raw Celtic-punk power and fiery determination, Flogging Molly lament the plight of the jobless and foreclosed-upon, and rage against the dying of the light on a scrappy, inspiring set of songs that will hopefully keep their fans holding on til better days return. Nothing like a little Irish courage to get you through an American meltdown. More

Louisville’s quirky psych-jam band My Morning Jacket has kept the line of indie rock pretty open for years, and as such have maintained an earned darling status in critical circles while carving out a place in the hearts of their earliest fans (forevermore, particularly for their lives shows). Their sixth long player Circuital is a return to their geographical roots as well as a clinging to their mental bearings, as it was recorded in a church gymnasium in their hometown that seems to bring things full circle for the band in various ways. Jim James never strays from earnest (he’s incapable of it), and the seven-minute title track has the kind of musical duplicity that can only be MMJ’s. Also available on LP . Free download of "Circuital" by My Morning Jacket . More

Joan Wasser—a.k.a. Joan as Police Woman—has never been afraid to plumb emotional depths, as her 2009 album To Survive made clear with its Virginia Woolf references. She returns with her third overall studio album with shimmering rays of light to be found everywhere. Her indie-pop/Quirk&B song “The Magic” hits a lot of simultaneous notes in betraying her current headspace, and you can’t but feel a kindred spirit to Xanadu -era Olivia Newton John. Joan doesn’t fall into any real proximities though; she can be euphoric, funereal, soulful and brooding, sometimes in the same song (“I Was Everyone”). More

Unbelievably, it’s been nearly 30 years since the sludge metal kingpins Melvins came together in Montesano, Washington, playing Cream covers and sped-up punk. In the time since they’ve evolved/devolved most happily through subgenres of grunge, stoner stock, and drone, with the lone constants being Dale Crover (drums, 1984 on), vocalist Buzz “King Buzzo” Osbourne (founding member, 1983). What does Sugar Daddy Live contain? A raucous hodge-podge of songs from Senile Animal (“Civilized Worm”) and Nude With Boots (the feedback-heavy “Dog Island”) and a few stragglers. It’s a great starting point for the Melvins curious out there.More

Austin’s White Denim have been pumping out radically innovative records each of the last four years, and their fourth LP— D —has its signature psychedelic foundation with loose frayed wires of acid dub, soul, boogie, and jam-band interplay. Is it that their antennae is picking up too much static? Maybe, but the quartet are masters of everything they touch, and deftly move from hard blues to exultant hooky rock to something like music transcendence. The ten songs clock in at 37 minutes, with standouts “At The Farm” and “Street Joy.” More

Imagine being alternately called the next Beatles and the current Indie It Band, having a blitzkrieg of darling press with crazy enviable record sales, and doing this barely out of your teenage years. That’s what British post-punk revivalists Arctic Monkeys have already done. Now older (mid-twenties!), they return with their fourth album Suck It And See , which goes in for the vintage feel of their smash initial album Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not . Another item of note, this latest LP has the catchiness that seemed to drift away with 2009’s Humbug —look no further than “Piledriver Waltz” and the single “The Hellcat Spangled Shalalala” for audio evidence of the fact.More

Where would the world be without Peter Murphy? Not everybody can wear suntans and khaki colors, and that’s why the “Godfather of Goth” reps the disenchanted, nocturnal, dark-leaning factions who aren’t afraid to overdo black eyeliner. The ex-Bauhaus singer returns after seven years with his aptly titled Nint h album (his ninth as a solo artist) on the heels of doing collab work with Trent Reznor and a cameo appearance in Eclipse (this last thing he’s gets a mulligan on since his stock is untouchable high in older circles). Standout tracks: “Uneven and Brittle” and “I Spit Roses.” Close the drapes and enjoy this one. More

There are those intimate bands that fans who got in on the ground floor feel a little jilted by with when they swell to indie stardom—and Death Cab For Cutie is one. Their seventh album, Codes and Keys was recorded at various studios up and down the West Coast, and splits a spiritual time-share with Brian Eno’s mid-1970s album Another Green World , but the Chris Walla signature on this one is stronger still. Check out “Home is a Fire” and the title track for verification. Also available on LP . More

City and Colour—the alias for Alexisonfire’s singer Dallas Green’s solo project—centers again on his acoustic guitar and sweet uncoiled alt-countryish thoughts, but it’s also so much more. Those fingers are hitting the “right” notes up and down the neck; they are tuned to the deeper thing the Ontario native is trying communicate. Standout tracks are “Silver and Gold,” with its deadened profound sense, and “O’ Sister” which is a cross between Jeff Buckley and Dan Auerbach, with Green’s cold soaring vocal making the most of the dire questions he’s putting out there. This is his best album to date. More

The electronic duo of Ontario-natives Jeremy Greenspan and Matt Didemus have been dabbling in a little bit of this (electro-pop) and a little bit of that (indietronica) for nearly a decade, but on their fourth album It’s All True Greenspan’s patented rueful vocals have been given a shot of uplift. The track “You’ll Improve Me” has some ’80s synth popping in it, with Greenspan’s apparition-like voice almost giddily materializing from afar. Better still, the sproingy nine-minute dance number “Banana Ripple” gets down with falsettos and shakers. More