Download the podcast for This Week’s Best Albums: February 1, 2011 and subscribe to This Week’s Best Albums for free with iTunes.

Stream the podcast for This Week's Best Albums: February 1, 2011.
This Week\'s Best Albums: February 1, 2011

Carla Kihlstedt & Matthias Bossi: Still You Lay Dreaming – Tales for the Stage, II

Carla Kihlstedt & Matthias Bossi: "The Gyre"

Carla Kihlstedt & Matthias Bossi: "Wandering Secret"

Carla Kihlstedt and Matthias Bossi are two adventurous members of avant-metal band Sleepytime Gorilla Museum; each is involved in a plethora of projects, including Tin Hat (Trio), The Book of Knots, 2 Foot Yard, and Skeleton Key.  With Sleepytime bandmate Dan Rathbun, the two released an album a few years ago called Ravish, consisting of scores for dance and theater companies, and now the couple has self-released a sequel of sorts, called Still You Lay Dreaming — a download-only collection of tracks that were written for the Deborah Slater Dance Theater’s production of Men Think They Are Better Than Grass.

The music, though not as massively far-reaching as each musician’s career, is an eclectic assortment of unorthodox instruments, unusual melodies, and dynamic vocals.  Kihlstedt’s usual vocal power leads the way on half of the tracks, but her superlative violin skills take a back seat to duo’s “closet arsenal” of bass harmonica, pump organ, bathtub percussion, flour sifter, and other oddities.

A general compositional diversity – in addition to distorted, pitch-shifted, and reverberated instruments and vocals – makes the collection a wonderful listen from start to finish.  Fans of the duo’s previous work won’t want to miss it either, as there’s little that resembles what has come before.

V/A: Generation Bass Presents Transnational Dubstep (Six Degrees)

Fleck & Fish Finger: “Rude Profile” (Pan Agnostix flamenco-step version)

Featuring 15 world-infused dubstep tunes, Generation Bass Presents Transnational Dubstep is a journey around the globe as filtered through the pulsing beats and whirring, mechanical sounds of a dance subgenre that continues to flourish.  Compiled by the co-founders and editors of the dance-music blog Generation Bass, in conjunction with Six Degrees Records, it’s a continent-hopping collection of thumping grooves alongside sounds from India, the Middle East, Asia, Europe, South America, and more.

The majority of the tracks, at some point, adhere to the key dubstep directive – blown-out bass lines in triplets – but they often begin or build in very un-dubstep ways.  This is best experienced on tracks such as “Kaliyuga,” which takes a sweeping string melody – possibly from a sarangi – and coalesces it around, sitar, veena, tabla, and a dirty synth line before a wobbling bass line and hip-hop beats break it down.  It’s one of the comp’s best tracks and a great fusion between East and West.

Jono El Grande: Phantom Stimulance (Rune Grammofon)

Jono El Grande: "Borrelia Boogie"

Known musically as Jono El Grande, Norwegian guitarist/composer Jon Andreas Håtun uses his nom de plume to combine theatrical, progressive, classical, jazz, and absurdist styles for performance-art and dada-inspired live shows.  Though you’ll find this on his Wikipedia entry, his music might be best described as a mix between his confessed influences: Frank Zappa, Captain Beefheart, King Crimson, and Igor Stravinsky.

Following his outstanding and eclectic release Neo Dada in 2009, Jono has now released a collection of re-recorded stage songs and unreleased material.  It picks up where Neo Dada left oft, with fanciful, melodic meanderings that can sound like an acid-soaked version of countrymen Jaga Jazzist – only with strange, often nonsensical vocals in the mix.  Named Phantom Stimulance, the collection is a synchronized mélange of guitar, xylophone, harpsichord, organ, synthesizer, horns, singing saw, and more.

Buck 65: 20 Odd Years (Warner Music Canada)

Buck 65: "Who By Fire"

Last year, Canadian hip-hop artist Buck 65 released a series of digital mini-albums to commemorate 20 years of creating music.  Despite his recent connection to Warner Music, he’s always had an unusual and avant-garde style of rapping and lyricism, collaborating with a host of great artists with independent roots that include Sage Francis, Feist, Tanya Tagaq, Boom Bip, John Herndon of Tortoise, and more.

20 Odd Years is made in that daring, collaborative spirit, with a number of vocal and instrumental guests who take the music in copious directions.  Over the course of 13 tracks – four unreleased and the rest from the mini-albums – it moves through acoustic folk hop, piano-laced trip hop, synth rock, western cinematics, French pop, Eastern-tinged string melodies, and vocal balladry.  It’s often both dramatic and delicate – usually thanks the dynamic guest vocalists – but it also has a little fun, notably with a song about zombies. Ultimately, 20 Odd Years might be the best and most adventurous collection that Buck 65 has created.

Honorable Mentions

Abysmal Dawn: Leveling the Plane of Existence (Relapse)

Arthur's Landing: s/t (Strut)

Tommy Guerrero: Lifeboats and Follies (Galaxia)

Kotchy: Two (Done Right)

Fela Kuti: Vinyl Box Set 1, Compiled by ?uestlove of The Roots (Knitting Factory)

Noisear: Subvert the Dominant Paradigm (Relapse)

Rot in Hell: As Pearls Before Swine (Deathwish)

Seefeel: s/t (Warp)

Various artists: Generation Bass Presents Transnational Dubstep (Six Degrees Records, 2/1/11)

Fleck & Fish Finger: "Rude Profile" (Pan Agnostix flamenco-step remix) [bonus cut, not available on album]

Originating in East London at the turn of the century, dubstep loosely teeters between the electronic styles of garage, dub, and drum-and-bass.  Distinct in its aggressive, bass-heavy qualities, it’s a fascinating genre that has blown subwoofers on both sides of the Atlantic.  Though the music’s meditation on complex rhythms and cerebral twists make it all the more attractive, it is dubstep’s grimy, low-frequency synths and wobbly, soul-shaking bass riffs that have made it a movement.

Transnational Dubstep, a compilation by Generation Bass blog co-founders / editors DJ UMB and Vincent Koreman in conjunction with Six Degrees Records, is one of the first major releases to document the fusion of dubstep and global roots music.  As something of an infant genre, a surge of electronic producers and DJs from all over the world are taking it in all kinds of different directions.  From Latin American to Balkan, Chinese to Indian, and Middle Eastern to Japanese — the sounds are extremely diverse, giving first-time listeners an amazing introduction and long-time fans a mine full of new gems.

Though not particularly long, the compilation comes off quite dense.  Whittling 300 tracks down to 30, with only 15 tracks making the final cut, DJ UMB had a mighty task in curating Transnational Dubstep.  The UK-based DJ, however, is well versed in the field, authoring the underground Calling mixtape series, which explored dubstep with traces of Indian, Chinese, Sufi, and Middle Eastern vibes.

The compilation opens with Russian producer Mars fusing the musical traditions of India with dubstep on “India Sleeping.”  The track is dark and down-tempo; the Hindustani vocal styling lends a haunting contrast to the deafening bass.  Sitars give it a mild melodic fix, staying sparse enough for the double- and triple-bass kicks to come loud and clear.

Though instruments from all over the world are present, the dubstep style stays distinct and constant.  As a musical template, dubstep works well.  Some tracks are mysterious, falling in a hybrid category so amorphous that it becomes difficult to connote cultural influences.  Fleck & Fish Finger’s “Rude Profile” has an Eastern European feel; a string-based hook carries the song along, while a mimicking jungle-bass part splices the song into sections.

At other times, however, the influences are more obvious.  “Cumbia Dub,” from Know Knowone, derives from the Latin American style of cumbia, a music largely based in Peru and Colombia’s Caribbean region.  The kick is tighter here than on most tracks, leaving the reverb for the reggae-influenced percussion.  South American flutes keep the track accessible, but also make for some of the track’s weirder moments. When doubled with shaky synth lines, the chaos induces involuntary head nodding.

Stand-out track “Kamikaze” by Dysphemic can only be described as kung-fu dubstep.  Using what sounds like a distorted gong as its major draw, the Australian producer decorates the heavy groove with kung-fu movie samples: flying nunchuks and voice-overs that act as fills.  With a twangy synth hook, the track has an infectious flow that takes heavy cues from the Land of the Rising Sun.

But it’s difficult to give Transnational Dubstep justice on paper; each track is rich in its own inventive offering.  The compilation is remarkable in its many instances of non-exclusivity between the artists and the cultural influences they use: a Russian producer using Indian traditions or an Australian DJ delving into Asian-influenced sounds.  Not only does this reflect the doors that dubstep has opened as a global sound, but Transnational Dubstep reveals a slew of creative DJs and producers who are rethinking the way “world” music is perceived — all in the name of bass.

Download the podcast for This Week’s Best Albums: January 11, 2011 and subscribe to This Week’s Best Albums for free with iTunes.

Stream the podcast for This Week's Best Albums: January 11, 2011.

The Glitch Mob: Drink the Sea – The Remixes, Vol. 1 & 2 (Download to Donate)

The Glitch Mob: "Fistful of Silence" (Eskmo remix)

Formerly a four-piece of electronic musicians, The Glitch Mob is now a trio of artists who each have released music individually.  Despite only self-releasing one full-length album together, which came in 2010, the group has achieved remarkable success and visibility thanks to digital mixtapes and high-profile remixes, including some for TV on the Radio, Coheed and Cambria, and Linkin Park.

Now, to remember and help the victims of the earthquake in Haiti one year ago, The Glitch Mob is releasing two volumes of remixes of Drink the Sea, the group’s full-length debut.  The first volume will be available on January 12, exactly one year after the earthquake, and the second will be released one month later, on February 12.

The group’s own material isn’t as “glitched” as you might expect from the band’s name, but it covers a few different electronic bases, from heavy drum-and-bass to dubstep grooves to sultry electronica.  There’s a focus on gritty synthesizers, squiggly effects, and big, thunderous beats, and a lot of it flirts with electro-rock, sort of akin to The Qemists but without the straight-up dance elements.

The remixes are a unique batch of variations from King Britt, DJ Vadim, Eskmo, Deru, and nearly 20 more established electronic artists.   Some of the best moments are the extra instrumental inclusions, from Jogger’s distorted and possibly African-inspired guitar on “Between Two Points” to Salva’s faux tablas on “How to Be Eaten by a Woman.”

If you love remixes or just great electronic music with hooks, buy both of these volumes to benefit a great cause, and then go back and buy the original version of Drink the Sea.  Both volumes are available from the Download to Donate campaign of non-profit organization Music for Relief.

X-Ray Press: UVB-76

X-Ray Press: "Holy Ghost"

A ’90s-style alt/math-rock band from the Pacific Northwest, X-Ray Press uses its sophomore release to combines melody and harmony with powerful rock beats, noisy effects, and challenging, circling rhythms.  The music is built around the dual vocals and instrumental interplay of guitarist Paurl Walsh and bassist Michael Pasuit, but explosive drumming as well as distorted keyboards and Rhodes piano are just as vital to the album’s success.

That Rhodes, which was “prepared” using felt stoppers and felt scraps, provides great breaks in style throughout the album in the form of neoclassical interludes.  The rest of the music has a lot of harmonizing, progressive, post-hardcore riffs akin to Volta Do Mar or Don Caballero, but it also has a definite Shudder to Think vibe, particularly with vocal elements that are reminiscent of Craig Wedren's quirkiness.  At other times, the vocals even recall a raspy Dave Grohl, but they always achieve an original balance.

Ballaké Sissoko & Vincent Ségal: Chamber Music (Six Degrees)

Ballaké Sissoko & Vincent Ségal: "Histoire de Molly"

Combining traditional West African music with Western classical, Malian kora virtuoso Ballaké Sissoko and French cellist Vincent Ségal have just released their first collaboration, a beautiful and striking collection mostly of instrumental duets.  Sikssoko has released more collaborative albums than solo works, proving his instrument’s modern adaptability, and though this release doesn’t push too many boundaries, it’s an excellent fusion of sounds.

The harp-like sounds of the kora are a warm complement to the deep, vibrating strikes of the cello, which frequently shifts from bowed to plucked passages.  Chamber Music also features a handful of guest vocal and string parts as well as some light percussion, but at its heart is the interplay between these two dynamic musicians.

Kayo Dot: Stained Glass EP (Hydra Head)

Kayo Dot: "Stained Glass" excerpt

Since its formation in 2003, avant-rock outfit Kayo Dot has undergone frequent lineup changes and stylistic shifts, but uniting it all has been the adventurous, long-form compositions of multi-instrumentalist Toby Driver.  The band’s wandering creations vary from savage to beautiful to noisy and ambient, and its newest release, the 20-minute Stained Glass EP, is one long piece that embraces all of those characteristics, albeit without much of its previously established heaviness.

Sadly, Stained Glass comes after the passing of Yuko Sueta, a close friend of the band who also wrote the story and text that accompanied the band’s last album, Coyote.

Musically, Stained Glass uses the vibraphone of Russell Greenberg to provide a calming, unifying element to a long track that presents distorted bass, horns, woodblocks, soft vocals, and assorted keyboards.  There’s an unassuming, atmosphere-building guitar cameo by Trey Spruance, the mastermind behind Secret Chiefs 3, but Stained Glass doesn’t have firm segments to latch onto.  Fans of Kayo Dot, however, have generally come to expect that, and they should love Stained Glass all the same.

Matt Ulery’s Loom: Flora. Fauna. Fervor. (482 Music)

Matt Ulery's Loom: "Great Full"

With diverse influences and an ear for melody, bassist Matt Ulery has been a standout in Chicago's jazz and improv scenes, performing in the classically inspired Eastern Blok and penning his own compositions for solo material and for the multifaceted jazz band Loom.  Now Loom is releasing its second album, Flora. Fauna. Fervor., with the goal of balancing its composer’s creations with the performances of its players.

The material does a great job of balancing those strengths, never allowing wild performances to take over and yet never getting too staid.  It flows from folksy chamber-jazz elegance to playful three-note grooves and to more traditional jazz structures.  Ulery never forces his bass lines to the fore, instead using them as melodic foundations for the additions of trumpet and sax, Wurlitzer electric piano, violin, and vibraphone.

Honorable Mentions

Abigail Washburn: City of Refuge (Rounder)

British Sea Power: Valhalla Dancehall (Rough Trade)

Basil Kirchin: Primitive London soundtrack (Trunk)

Lemuria: Pebble (Bridge Nine)

Tapes ‘N Tapes: Outside (Ibid)

Verbal Kent: Save Yourself

Wire: Red Barked Tree (Pink Flag)

Perhaps the poster group for its genre, Sunn has spent the past 10 years experimenting in epic, doomy sound and noise.

Now, with Monoliths & Dimensions, the core duo of Stephen O'Malley and Greg Anderson teams with guests galore to create, in the words of the group, "the most musical piece we've done."  Guest musicians Eyvind Kang (John Zorn, Bill Frisell), Jessika Kenney (Eyvind Kang, Asva), Oren Ambarchi (Burial Chamber Trio), Dylan Carlson (Earth), Julian Priester (Sun Ra, John Coltrane) and others help make that so, while retaining the creeping, end-of-the-world vibe that persists thoughout Sunn's work.

Khanate: Clean Hands Go Foul (Hydra Head)

As the belated swan song for the super-group collaboration between Stephen O'Malley (Sunn O)))), James Plotkin (Phantomsmasher), Alan Dubin (OLD), and Tim Wyskida (Blind Idiot God), Clean Hands Go Foul is a fitting endgame for Khanate's aural presentation of desolation and despair.  Evil ambience crests and falls, working with ominous chords and soul-shredding screams; naturally, fans of O'Malley's other work will love this.

Khanate: "Wings from Spine" (excerpt)
Khanate: \"Wings from Spine\" (excerpt)

Grizzly Bear: Veckatimest (Warp)

Unconventional indie darlings Grizzly Bear have pushed three years since their last full-length release, and the passage of time hasn't diminished the band's creative stroke.

On Veckatimest, Grizzly Bear's trademark vocal harmonies and layered orchestrations are still present, but the album features a slightly heavier touch of electronics and chamber elements.  By and large, however, this is the same Grizzly Bear, and preexisting fans won't feel alienated by this disc.

Sir Richard Bishop: The Freak of Araby (Drag City)

In his solo creations and many collaborative endeavors, ex-Sun City Girls guitarist Richard Bishop weaves through Arabic, Indian, flamenco, African, and Gypsy influences in both composed and improvised settings.

With his new album, he employs a clean, reverberated electric guitar in place of his usual acoustic sound, and he adds a bit of percussive assistance. For spring and summer tour dates, Bishop will perform with a full ensemble, which should make his ethnic creations even more compelling.

Master Musicians of Bukkake: Totem One (Conspiracy)

Milky and Don McGreevy of Earth, producer extraordinaire Randall Dunn (Secret Chiefs 3, Sunn O)))), Bill Horist of Ghidra, and other noted Northwest musicians comprise this collective that designs psychedelic, ethnically inspired folk freak-outs.

With Totem One, the group begins a musical trilogy while expanding and maturing its expansive sound.  The album's guests include Alan Bishop of Sun City Girls and Timb Harris of Estradasphere and Secret Chiefs 3.

Vieux Farka Touré: Fondo (Six Degrees)

The son of musical Malian icon Ali Farka Touré, guitarist/singer Vieux Farka Touré has garnered international distinction since the release of his self-titled debut album, issued the year after his famous father’s death.

That disc, which was remixed later in the same year, featured kora virtuoso Toumani Diabate on a pair of tracks and combined Mande and Sonrai folk styles with pop and a touch of reggae.  Diabate is back to help with Fondo, which finds Vieux taking more of a distinctive direction while improving his songwriting chops.