Mike Patton: Music from the Film and Inspired by the Book The Solitude of Prime Numbers (La Solitudine Dei Numeri Primi) (Ipecac)

Mike Patton: "Twin Primes"

Still known first and foremost as a vocal aberration, Mike Patton (Faith No More, Mr. Bungle, Tomahawk, Fantômas) has amassed more and more compositional credits in recent years. The musical Renaissance man already has scored a few films — the schizophrenic alt-metal soundtrack to Crank 2 and the genre-hopping theme-and-variation of A Perfect Place. For the Italian film The Solitude of Prime Numbers, however, Patton has drawn on a much more traditional film aesthetic.

Minimalism carries this material, whether melodic, moody, or dissonant. Accents and flourishes are found throughout, but often as strict atmosphere, building a feel of giallo-esque horror. A track such as “Radius of Convergence” — one of the few with drums — is a rarity, offering a pounding crescendo.

Notably, outside of the first track, vocals are almost completely absent. That’s not a surprise given their secondary roles on Patton’s other scores, but it further cements his transition to being a composer first and a singer second.

- Text by Scott Morrow.

Krisiun: The Great Execution (Century Media)

Krisiun: "The Will to Potency"

Brazilian death-metal trio Krisiun comprises tattooed brethren Alex Carmargo (bass, vocals), Moyses Kolesne (guitar), and Max Kolesne (drums), and with a name that translates from ancient Latin to “the seers of abomination,” the band makes a case for being among the most brutal of its subgenre.

The Great Execution, Krisiun’s third album with prolific German producer Andy Classen and eighth overall, takes the band’s signature speed and tempers it with a string of mid-tempo intervals. These nuances signal sonic progression, as do a handful of interspersed classical-guitar flourishes — making appearances as the album intro and then layered over the full-metal assault in the final few minutes of "The Sword of Orion." A bit of the classical influence spills over into the brutality, as evidenced by the rapid-fire arpeggios on the following track, "Violentia Gladiatore," but by and large, Krisiun is giving listeners exactly what they should expect: searing brutality from those peering into the depths of humanity.

- Text by Kyle Gilkeson and Scott Morrow.

Phantogram: Nightlife EP (Barsuk)

Phantogram: "Don't Move"

- Text by Lauren Zens.

3:33: Live from the Grove (Parallel Thought Ltd.)

3:33: "LFTG-2"

Surfacing in 2011 with a pair of shadowy EPs, 3:33 is a yet-unmasked project that deals in brooding, instrumental hip hop. Tactile yet amorphous — and at times ominous — the music is set apart by a rawness of texture.

For this proper full-length debut — the group’s third release in seven months — much of the source material is a collection of “field/wood” recordings taken from outside the Bohemian Grove. This adds another layer of mystery and foreboding to the 3:33 sound, given the history of the setting — a mysterious, cult-like campground for the Bohemian Club, which has hosted famous guests such as Ronald Reagan and Richard Nixon for pagan-esque rituals. The plodding and pulsating results are a disturbing success, backed again by head-nodding boom-bap beats.

- Text by Kyle Gilkeson and Scott Morrow.

Honorable Mentions

Circle Takes the Square: Decompositions: Volume 1 (Gatepost)

Idle Warship: Habits of the Heart (Element 9)

Locrian: The Clearing (Fan Death)

King Midas Sound: Without You (Hyperdub)

Pianos Become the Teeth: The Lack Long After (Topshelf)

Rapper Big Pooh: Dirty Pretty Things (For Members Only)

Sick of it All: Nonstop (Century Media)

The Soft Moon: Total Decay EP (Captured Tracks)

[Chromatic, our 400-page exploration of musicians and color, is out now. Order here!]

Battles: "Ice Cream"

Everything has changed. Shaken up and stripped down, the three members of experimental post-rock outfit Battles spent the better part of the last year reshaping and restructuring a band that was, up until then, four men strong. With their new record, Gloss Drop, already mostly written and scheduled for release at the time, they faced a grave challenge. This is the story of how one band fought through its darkest moment and emerged from it better than ever.

Battles formed in 2002, in New York City. For five years, the four founding members — guitarists Ian Williams and Dave Konopka, drummer John Stanier, and multi-instrumentalist Tyondai Braxton — established their heady, experimental music. Already considered veterans, Williams had been in Don Caballero, Konopka in Lynx, Stanier in Helmet and Tomahawk, and Braxton his own avant force in music. When the four came together nearly a decade ago, it verged on super-group territory, but the relative underground approach that Battles took in creating and sharing its art kept it out of the spotlight until 2007, when its debut album, Mirrored, heralded the band's arrival to the world at large.

Last year, as the group was recording Gloss Drop, the long-awaited follow-up to Mirrored, Braxton dropped the bomb. He no longer wanted to be a part of Battles, no longer wanted to tour, and no longer wanted to collaborate. It was not a decision made of spite, nor one that caused it. After eight years in the group, it was time for Braxton to strike out on his own as the composer and solo performer that he knew he had to be.

It was the healthy choice for Braxton, but it devastated the rest of the band. Not only was Braxton a gifted performer and artist, but his multi-instrumental ability was one of the defining aspects of the group. For all of the talk of Battles being a prog band or math rock, it was the sounds of Braxton that kept the group from being pigeonholed. He was, of course, just one of four men that crafted this complex and winding narrative of music. But Battles now had to either adapt or die.

Fortunately, death was never an option. Williams, Konopka, and Stanier re-focused and regrouped, determined to deliver a sophomore album as inventive and groundbreaking as their debut. “When we became a trio, everything changed — how we wrote music, how we played," Stanier says. "We went back into the studio and rewrote the entire record. Now you’re writing with three people all on the same page, who all want to be there. It’s a much more unified effort.” Before, Stanier explains, the group worked more like a game of musical Monopoly, with each member trying to get his piece of real estate before it was all eaten up. The songs worked as a musical melting pot at best, according to Stanier, and a “schizophrenic Frankenstein” at worst. Now the three members found themselves with too little time for games and too much pressure to take a breath.
 

“There was this subliminal result from being in a shitty, horrible place mentally, and trying to get out of that.”

“A lot of this record was so down to the wire; at a certain point, we just went on instinct," Stanier says. "There was no time for a new master plan." In any normal situation, when a band has a member leave or a major lineup change, there is usually a "what now?" discussion that leads to the resolution. Battles did not have this. The record was due immediately. The band's contract was on the line. The pressure was on, and Battles used it to its advantage. “We were forced into this position," Stanier says. "And we took this negative situation and turned it into a positive." All in all, the trio rewrote, re-recorded, mixed, and completed Gloss Drop in four months. Stanier regards it as “miraculous.”

And the miracle of Gloss Drop doesn’t end with its completion in the studio. The new record is a shimmering, fascinating detour from Battles' previous output. Forged in darkness and bathed in light, the album soars with ebullience and sheen. It bounces about on dance-y, frenetic beats and ripples in restorative whirlpools. The music retains Battles' signatory edge and cerebral tone, but the band’s instinctual process has brought about a surprising, new result.

Stanier admits that it’s a strange record, and acknowledges the tonal change in Battles' musical dynamic. But looking back, it’s clear that this evolution was spurred by the events of the last year. “There was this subliminal result from being in a shitty, horrible place mentally, and trying to get out of that,” Stanier says. “We were forced to reach deep down inside and pull out ideas and stuff we had experienced, and bring these ideas out into the open.” Those ideas turned Gloss Drop into an upbeat, danceable album, with lively guitar parts and math-rock riffs fused with swirling indie-rock rhythms. Songs like “Futura” incorporate Caribbean percussion, and “Sweetie and Shag,” featuring Kazu Makino of Blonde Redhead, features dazzling melodies over a playful composition. Other guests on the album include DJ Matias Aguayo, Boredoms vocalist Yamantaka Eye, and the one and only Gary Numan. Swirling in color and emotion, Gloss Drop does not sound like the record of a band that was contemplating its own demise while creating it.

“I feel like we’re old war buddies who just got back from a tour of duty or something," Stanier says. “We made it out of the treacherous stuff, came home, got a couple medals, but we’re not done.” Williams, Konopka, and Stanier have always been close friends as well as band mates, and the tireless days and long nights of rebuilding Battles from the ground up has only smoothed away any remaining bumps in the band’s road. “It’s smooth sailing from here," Stanier laughs. "Everything just seems so much easier now, and with us being a trio now, majority rules. I mean, it sucks if you’re outvoted on which kind of beer you want on the rider.”

“To make it out of this alive, I’m still kind of amazed by that,” Stanier continues. “We’re in a much better place, across the board. When the mastering and sequencing was done, and the album was complete, there was literally, and I’m not exaggerating, a feeling of an enormous weight lifted off my back. I feel like a completely different person. I feel that I’ve changed more in the last year than I have in the last 10 years.”

Battles is not a band that needs to reinvent the wheel at every turn, but it knows the dangers of complacency. Gloss Drop is a major change in the band's musical road map, and it is ready to celebrate that with fans and friends alike. Touring, after all, is one of Battles' best features. “There is no way I could be in this band without playing live,” Stanier says. “From day one, that’s been the most important  thing.” Now that the turmoil and hard work is over, the three plan on focusing their live show, starting with an extensive European tour this summer. “Live, we are a souped-up Toyota Celica,” Stanier says. “We roll into town and open the door, and anybody who wants to go on this crazy joyride just piles on in.”

With its sense of humor still in place and an exciting new album on the shelves, Battles remains one of the most dynamic and uniquely adventurous bands around, threading a difficult needle of music that is both challenging and appealing, personal and popular. After the frenzy of the last year, after all of the smoke has cleared and the tallies taken, Gloss Drop will prove to be a turning point unlike any other for the band: the moment when Battles became one.

Mike Patton: "Deep Down" (Ennio Morricone)

In 1994, the musical aberration known as Mike Patton prepared for a pair of life-altering experiences. The anomalous vocalist married Italy native Titi Zuccatosta, and the two purchased a home in Bologna — a city that Patton has since described as the “place where you want to die.”

Putting the personal ties aside, his infatuation with the city is easy to understand. At one time the “second city” of Italy, Bologna holds a rich and deep history. It is home to the oldest university in the West and an abundance of monuments that span the past two millennia. Visitors flock to Piazza Maggiore and the San Petronio Basilica, two symbols of a city renowned for its expansive porticos and the red roofs of its historic center. Its humid climate makes seasonal swings feel more extreme, but given Bologna’s location in Northern Italy, its inhabitants aren’t as hard hit by heat waves as the south of the country. And Bologna is, naturally, a culinary hotspot thanks to its famous Bolognese sauce.

Though the couple separated in 2001, Patton had, by that time, immersed himself in the country and its culture, refusing to speak English while abroad in order to become fluent in Italian. Every day was a learning experience, he says, and his most important education came in linguistics.

“Being ‘invisible’ or in disguise helped me learn the language,” Patton says. “The great thing about Italy [is that] if you just say two words, like ‘ciao bello,’ [they say], ‘Wow, that’s amazing! You sound just like an Italian!’ It really boosts your confidence. The whole attitude [in Italy is] toward acceptance and tolerance. The reason that I learned the language and did it so fast…is because the people were so amazing.”

"In the early stages [of working with the orchestra], I’d fly off the handle and go crazy, and it got me nowhere. Orchestra people don’t want to see that, don’t want to hear that. They already think you’re a freak for doing this."

The thought of Patton concealing himself, however, seems like a non sequitur. His voice, after all, is one of the preeminent and most recognizable in independent music. It has been involved in dozens of personal projects, invited on scores of guest spots, and heard on more than a hundred studio recordings. His malleable voice is known for any combination of dramatic cries, harrowing screams, smooth croons, lilting falsettos, and otherworldly chants.

Patton’s days fronting alt-rock favorites Faith No More were a gateway drug for many, leading first to the mind-altering, genre-demolishing tastes of Mr. Bungle. Then came dalliances with John Zorn, arrangements for Fantômas, time in Tomahawk, pop adventures as Peeping Tom, and copious collaborations. His time on the radio all but ended after Faith No More’s breakup, but his distinct sounds and diverse palette — coupled with a reputation for stage antics and off-the-cuff interviews — cemented his place in modern music lore.

So given these identifiable attributes, the words “Patton” and “incognito” don’t seem to follow each other. But his newest project, Mondo Cane, stems from just such a union — with Patton disguising his American accent and assimilating to a new culture.

“I did have a lot of friends there,” he says of Italy. “Most of them spoke English, but my whole deal was ‘don’t speak to me in English; I have to learn.’ I’m not doing any DVD Rosetta Stone bullshit. Trial by fire, you know?”

Yet Patton learned more than Italian. His interest in Italian counterculture led him to figures like Demetrio Stratos, a 1970s prog-rock revolutionary who explored the limits of the human voice. He later met, befriended, and collaborated with modern musicians, including Zu, a Roman avant-garde trio whose recent sludge-jazz album was released via Patton’s Ipecac Recordings.

But despite his affinity for these kindred artists, Patton found himself drawn to the lavish, layered Italian pop music of the 1960s that he had encountered through friends and the radio. (He is, in the end, an artist whose catalog appeals as much to casual listeners as to ardent experimentalists — an artist as likely to sing with Norah Jones as Melt-Banana.) At some point, it became obvious to him that he’d pay tribute to these expansive orchestrations, and the Mondo Cane project was born.

In the years after World War II, American pop influence began permeating the globe, and the Italian Republic quickly embraced bebop, big band, and rock and roll. By the late 1950s, Italian singer-songwriters — known as cantautori — had come to prominence, at first influenced by Italian folk but then drawing inspiration from traditional American pop singers. As the ’60s progressed, cantautori appropriated bits of rock, psychedelia, and film-score dramatics, culminating in a heavily layered style that just as readily embraced guitars as string sections.

It was this dense, intelligent take on pop that attracted Patton. Legendary composers of the time, both in Europe and the USA, had begun writing and arranging for singer-songwriters, either out of artistic interest or for financial gain (or both). Prominent cantautori such as Gianni Mecca, Gino Paoli, and Luigi Tenco were working with names like Ennio Morricone, Nino Rota, and Tony De Vita.

Others recorded their own Italian-language renditions of famous pieces by American or European composers such as Elmer Bernstein or Bert Kaempfert, who worked with some of the most recognized singers of the time.

One such tune, originally titled “The World We Knew (Over and Over),” exemplifies the cultural difference and the impact that it had on Patton. Renamed “Ore D’Amore,” this selection — which would be appropriated by Mondo Cane — was first sung by a vocal giant.

“Sinatra did that song!” Patton says. “But it’s completely different. It’s much more lush and big bandy and orchestral. For whatever reason, the Italian version was much more fuzzed out and ’70s and psychedelic — totally different words, totally different everything. Somehow, I feel, a lot of these [reinterpreted] tunes were given an Italian soul. They’re much more tragic, much more romantic, and much more exaggerated, and that’s definitely something that interested me.”

With a growing catalog of tunes in mind, Patton contemplated a few one-off cover performances with a quartet. However, when a festival promoter called and offered access to an orchestra for three concerts, he couldn’t say no. He began sifting through hundreds of pop songs — many that perched atop the charts but some with more obscure origins — and the wheels were in motion for Mondo Cane.

Loosely translating to “dog’s world,” Mondo Cane was a massive undertaking, consuming months and months just to prepare for the initial three performances. Patton had his selections transcribed and began working with a 10-piece band, while a conductor was put in charge of a 40-piece orchestra.

There were no initial plans for the dozens of concerts that would follow, nor plans to record an album — but at some point, Patton figured that this effort warranted documentation. Italian producer/composer Daniele Luppi came on board for arrangements, and over three new concerts in 2008, the group took part in live recordings that would be assembled into the first of two Mondo Cane albums, released in May of 2010.

“That led me down, let’s just say, another vortex of getting it perfect,” Patton says. “Hey, it’s a live concert, and I hate live-concert recordings. I just can’t listen to them; I can’t deal with it. It took me a long time to correct all the mistakes and redo the arrangements, maybe the way I really wanted them and heard them in my head from the beginning but didn’t have time to execute for the concerts.”

The performances, many of them in public squares, were a success by all accounts, but the entire process proved overwhelming at times.

”There were times when I wanted to tear my hair out,” Patton says, “because you feel like, ‘Who’s helping me? Who’s got my back?’ I thought of this [project]; Jesus Christ, I guess it’s all my responsibility! It was definitely a huge learning period for me, and you have to learn where to pick your battles, when to be a politician, and all that kind of stuff. In the early stages, I’d fly off the handle and go crazy, and it got me nowhere. Orchestra people don’t want to see that, don’t want to hear that. They already think you’re a freak for doing this.”

A few “offbeat” inclusions made Patton unsure of how the project would be received in Italy, particularly in front of mixed crowds at the piazza performances. But despite the unconventionality of the project, the selections on Mondo Cane are, by and large, approachable, appealing to Patton lovers as well as their parents.

“I remember one sound-checking [when] we were playing one of these gigs in an outdoor square,” Patton says. “We were sound checking between songs, and an old lady comes up toward the stage. [She said], ‘Excuse me; excuse me. You know, you have a fabulous voice, son. Is there anywhere that I can buy your cassette?’ I was just so touched. That was total validation for me.”

1. Subtle: "Nomanisisland" (For Hero: For Fool)

One of the melodically and structurally odd songs from this album, "Nomanisisland" isn't a great starting point for Subtle's idiosyncratic indie hip hop, but it's a great mid-album respite on the group's best album.

2. An Albatross: "Cosmic Gypsy" (Blessphemy [of the Peace-Beast Feastgiver and the Bear Warp Kumite])

Here we have 1:19 of organ-fueled shredding.  An Albatross' newest album, The An Albatross Family Album, is more epic and twists many different ways, but this song's album takes no prisoners with its unadulterated force.

3. Phosphorescent: "Wolves" (Pride)

As the third track on Pride, Phosphorescent's beautiful and minimalist 2007 folk album, "Wolves" has prime sonic real estate.  Though we're not major folk fans, Pride is so pretty that it made ALARM's Top Ten Albums of 2007.

4. Tomahawk: "Sun Dance" (Anonymous)

Wow…another entry from ALARM's Top Ten Albums of 2007.  This song's album, Anonymous, was a spectacular homage to Native American material that was re-imagined by the lineup of Mike Patton, Duane Denison, and John Stanier.  "Sun Dance" is one of the most rock-driven numbers on the album.

5. Genghis Tron: "I Won't Come Back Alive" (Board Up the House)

From melodic new wave to crushing metal breakdowns, "I Won't Come Back Alive" is a great track to experience this trio's musical dichotomy.  The song's album, Board Up the House, is an extremely unique album and one of the best of 2008.

6. Luis Bacalov: "Suspense" (The Italian Western of Luis Bacalov)

First, this piece from the soundtrack of 1972 spaghetti Western film Si Può Fare…Amigo revisits the main melody of "Can Be Done," a preceding piece that features vocalist Rocky Roberts.

Shortly, however, the tune shifts to an upbeat theme that recalls the circus or a cheery old-time saloon.  "Suspense" then fittingly moves to a dramatic string passage before the main melody is revisited once more.

7. Amon Tobin: "Marine Machines" (Supermodified)

The deep sea beckons on "Marine Machines" with countless samples, including dark brass accents and creature-like gurgles.  This song's album, Supermodified, is the best album from this big-beat DJ.

8. Femi Kuti: "Wonder Wonder" (self-titled)

As group vocals join Femi in the song's pensive but sunny chorus, the opening track from his 1995 self-titled album brings a great live feeling to a studio recording.  Following in his idolized father's footsteps, Femi uses his funky Afrobeat to raise political awareness.  Here he asks, "Will Africa ever unite?"

9. Secret Chiefs 3: "Hypostasis of the Archons" (Book of Horizons)

Entirely composed by multi-instrumentalist Trey Spruance, the creations of Secret Chiefs 3 span an incredible range of beautiful, cinematic, and heavy sounds, often working with Indian, surf, and spaghetti Western styles.

This track, however, showcases another of Spruance's loves: rapid-fire, end-of-the-world death metal.  Otherworldly screams, demonic vocals, and quick-twitching strings join to make this unlike anything on the album other than "Exterminating Angel."

10. Matt Ulery: "Would You Remember my Song?" (Themes and Scenes)

The 1:48 closer to this great chamber-score album uses harmonium, toy piano, and whistling to create a quirky, merry romp.  A one-time refrain from the composer gives an Old World feel to the album's final seconds.

(To hear one of his creations, check out my Q&A with Matt Ulery.)

- Scott Morrow

- The London Sinfonietta has announced Sinfonietta Shorts, a series of miniatures by some of the world's leading composers to celebrate the ensemble's 40th anniversary. Contributors include Tom Jenkinson (Squarepusher), Mira Calix, Hans Abrahamsen, Luke Bedford, Harrison Birtwistle, Pierre Boulez, Jonathan Harvey, Anna Meredith and others. The event will be held Saturday, December 13 from 9 PM to 1 AM at Spirit Level of the Royal Festival Hall in London.

- Google is putting together a YouTube Symphony Orchestra that will hit Carnegie Hall in five months to perform — for the first time together — Chinese composer Tan Dun's Internet Symphony No. 1, Eroica. Classical and non-conventional musicians can submit YouTube videos of themselves playing Tan's composition and a piece of standard repertoire in order to get into the orchestra.

- On December 11 at the Brooklyn Masonic Temple, Dan Deacon will unveil his new live set, which features a 15-piece live ensemble performing material from his forthcoming album, Bromst, which will be released on Carpark on March 24, 2009. Deacon plans to tour with an ensemble in 2009 in support of the new record, which promises to be a prominent new chapter in his musical career.

- Bassist Kevin Rutmanis (Cows, Melvins, Tomahawk) will have his first solo art gallery showing of paintings and sculptures from January 7 to February 17 at DIY Gallery in Los Angeles. His latest musical offering, Hepa-Titus, plays at The Smell in LA on February 12.

- For The Ichthyologist, its upcoming album, prog/doom-rock band Giant Squid has announced the appearance of a few guest musicians — Anneke van Giersbergen (ex-Gathering, Agua de Annique), Karyn Crisis (Crisis), and Kris Force (Amber Asylum, Neurosis; no relation to ALARM publisher Chris Force). The album was recently recorded with producer Matt Bayles and will be limited to a few thousand copies, available only through the band.

- The Dead Kenny Gs began a West Coast tour last Thursday that runs through December 13. Led by saxophonist Skerik and percussionist Mike Dillon of Critters Buggin fame, the trio grabs a third member for performances — recently, bassist Brad Houser, also of Critters Buggin — and throws down some wild grooves.

- Fantômas has been added to Australia's Big Day Out festival, performing The Director's Cut in its entirety.

- Kevin Kmetz, the heart of Japanese/metal fusionists God of Shamisen, joins with two additional shamisen masters to perform the Monsters of Shamisen California tour through December 20.

- Chicago saxophonist Charles Gorczynski, one half of Ropeadope ambient jazz/IDM duo Silences (Sumire), has released a pair of solo releases for free download on his personal website, claritymusic.net.

- Rapper Yak Ballz of the Brooklyn hip-hop collective Weathermen has issued the online video premiere of "Dirt Empire," a solo single produced by Aesop Rock.

- Melodic/experimental indie rockers The Appleseed Cast will release Sagarmatha, their follow-up to Peregrine, via The Militia Group in January. A West Coast and Midwest US tour will follow in February.

- Three One G is offering 20% off of everything in its online shop. Holiday deals!

Bad Brains: Build a Nation

With the Beastie Boys’ Adam Yauch on board as producer, these DC hardcore legends returned to the studio, for the first time in over a decade, to recapture their successful punk and reggae blend.

Reminiscent of their seminal early ‘80s records, Build A Nation opens with “Give Thanks and Praises,” which moves back and forth between head-banging and frantic hardcore riffs. “Jah People Make the World Go Round” keeps true to the original hardcore format (which they helped create) with fast verses — made more intimidating with Yauch’s bass-line production — and breakdown choruses. Several relaxed reggae tracks give the album a unique pacing.
Megaforce: www.megaforcerecords.com

Big Business: Here Come the Waterworks

After completing (A) Senile Animal with their other band, the Melvins, and finishing an exhaustive touring schedule including double sets every night, this Los Angeles duo released one of the year’s earliest masterpieces.

Taking cues from Queen, singer/bassist Jared Warren and drummer Coady Willis created a hard-rock epic. The journey begins with the tremendous “Just as the Day Was Dawning,” ends with the sludgey instrumental “Another Beautiful Day in the Pacific Northwest,” and pummels listeners with swampy, energetic bass riffs and explosive drum beats every step of the way.

Produced by Phil Ek (Band of Horses, Built to Spill), Here Come the Waterworks is a heavy hitter.
Hydra Head: www.hydrahead.com

Brother Ali: The Undisputed Truth

A powerfully crafted album, The Undisputed Truth is the year’s best hip-hop release. There were other solid efforts (I’ll Sleep When You’re Dead by El-P) and a plethora of great singles, but The Undisputed Truth deals with, in great balance, the three elements of angst-fueled music: righteous and rebellious lyrics, the inducement of fist pumping, hand throwing, and head banging, and enormous egos that carefully bob from insecure to forcefully inflated.

The album opens with a thumping beat on “Watcha Got,” and the opening lyrics “I came in the door, 1984” are likely to become this generation’s “bring the motherfucking ruckus” as rapped on Wu-Tang Clan’s “Bring Da Ruckus.”
Rhymesayers: www.rhymesayers.com

Exploding Star Orchestra: We Are All from Somewhere Else

The inaugural Exploding Star Orchestra album is the brainchild of Rob Mazurek, a tireless composer/cornetist/collaborator and the man behind Thrill Jockey’s Chicago Underground collective. With a stellar ensemble, his work on We Are All from Somewhere Else is a dense, serpentine concoction of cross-metered jazz.

Looping rhythms, typically played by upright bass, vibraphone, and brass or woodwind instruments, set the foundation for runs and improvisations by Mazurek and the other players on trombone, saxophone, flute, clarinet, and piano. At times, the album is evocative of composer Leonard Bernstein’s work. Its compounded melodies and droning roots make We Are All from Somewhere Else one of the year’s finest albums.
Thrill Jockey: www.thrilljockey.com

Grinderman: s/t

A side project for Nick Cave and Bad Seeds members Warren Ellis, Martyn Casey, and Jim Sclavunos found the foursome embracing rock ’n’ roll at its rawest, resulting in an album akin to The Stooges or Cave’s The Birthday Party without being merely a revival act.

Whether crooning or screaming, even at age fifty, the sound of Cave’s voice is enough to inspire listeners to do naughty things with the one they love, or at least the one they lust. The snarling “No Pussy Blues,” with Ellis’ wild psychedelic guitar fills, is infectious and unforgettable.

Fun and intelligent rockers such as “Honey Bee (Let’s Fly to Mars)” and “Depth Charge Ethel” are balanced by the more subdued “Man in the Moon” and silky “Electric Alice.” Hopefully, the success of Grinderman’s debut will lead to a follow-up in the not-so-distant future.
Anti: www.anti.com