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Album Reviews
By all means a phenomenal pop album that hit number nine on the black albums chart and crossed over to penetrate the pop charts at number 32, Nightclubbing saw Grace Jones working once again with Sly Dunbar, Robbie Shakespeare, and the remainder of the Compass Point team. Nightclubbing also continues Jones' tradition of picking excellent songs to reinterpret. This time out, the Police's "Demolition Man," Bill Withers' "Use Me," and Iggy Pop's "Nightclubbing" receive radical reinterpretations; "Nightclubbing" is glacial in both tempo and lack of warmth, while both "Use Me" and "Demolition Man" fit perfectly into Jones' lyrical scheme. Speaking of a lyrical scheme, "Pull Up to the Bumper" (number five black singles, number two club play) is so riddled with naughty double entendres -- or is it just about parallel parking? -- that it renders Musique's "In the Bush" as daring as Paul Anka's "Puppy Love." Drive it in between what, Grace? It's not just lyrics that make the song stick out; jingling spirals of rhythm guitar and a simplistic, squelching, mid-tempo rhythm make the song effective, even without considering Jones' presence. Sly & Robbie provide ideal backdrops for Jones yet again, casting a brisk but not bristly sheen over buoyant structures. Never before and never since has a precisely chipped block of ore been so seductive. ~ Andy Kellman, All Music Guide
Track Listing
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Dear Science TV On The Radio |
| On the way to be established as the best American band of the decade, TV on the Radio's third album has arrived surrounded by five star reviews. Good news is the music totally justifies this level of hype. The Brooklyn-based combo has not abandoned their experimental nature; albeit "Dear Science" sounds deliberately shinier, funkier and more accessible than its, already polished, precursor "Return to Cookie Mountain." Lyrically, though, is quite a darker proposition. Many see on its tone a suitable metaphor to describe their country's collective mood, demoralized and confused, right at the end of Bush's presidency. The band's eclecticism is on full display: electro hooks next to D&B touches; shoegaze's atmospheric layers mixed with post-rock's bass lines via P-funk, often all in the same song. This sonic fusion can be as impressive as disorientating; rich and dense, but also the key that makes TV on the Radio's work improve with repeated listening. Main vocalist Tunde Adebimpe, often helped by guitar player Kyp Malone on second vocals, appears as a sort of missing link between Peter Gabriel and Prince; whereas David Sitek recently turned into producer du jour, applies his multi-instrument playing skills. Members of Antibalas guest on horns, highlighting the romance a new generation of US bands is having with African music. Celebration's Katrina Ford also helps in the mighty single "Golden Age" and the ballad "Family Tree", another of the album's many standout moments. . | |
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