Thursday, November 26, 2015

Review: Caravan Palace /


<I°_°I>

Rating: 4 Stars (Silver)    * * * *

The frontrunners of the electroswing movement over in France include names like Parov Stelar and Caravan Palace.  The latter has released their third studio LP, the first since 2012's "Panic".  "<I°_°I>"  (pronounced phonetically as "Robot") takes a different direction from the group's previous efforts.  Gone are is the gypsy dance style of 'Brotherswing' and the hardstyle grind of 'Clash'.  Instead this might be their most volatile work yet, which is saying a lot with Caravan Palace.  On one hand we have the bounciness and indecipherable lyrics of 'Comics' and the thumping 'Tatoos', and the other we have have the mellow chugging along funk of 'Wonda' and 'Human Leather Shoes for Crocodile Dandies'.

Caravan Palace have been pros of mixing catchy dancable beats with soul catching melodies and it shows on this record.  My favorite moments are the instrumental breakdowns such as the backmasked vintage sounding synth on 'Comics', the beautiful piano chords in the bridge of 'Tattoos', and the chopped and manipulated saxophone on 'Lay Down'.  As always it is difficult to tell whether certain instrumental layers are live playing or electronically sequenced, as well as whether theyre even performed or sampled.  It's one of the groups little fun mysteries.  '<I°_°I>' is also much more pop friendly, with more emphasis on bombastic vocals than Panic or their self titled debut.  While this could easily be offensive to a longtime fan, here it is done rather tactfully and done with restraint, as most of the album is fairly sparse vocally aside from subtle vocal bits that are difficult to make out.

With its highly unconventional name, <I°_°I>  is a fantastic third effort from Caravan Palace.  No complaints here.

Wednesday, November 25, 2015

Review: Kamasi Washington / The Epic

Kamasi Washington The Epic.jpg
The Epic
Rating: 5 Stars (Gold)    * * * * *


Kamasi Washington brings a behemoth of a song collection to the spotlight with "The Epic", a daring triple album of refreshing jazz fusion.  As a massive aficionado of Miles Davis and Herbie Hancock's respective fusion eras, I was stoked to discover this album as a new album in 2015.  What an album it is, being a whopping three hours in length, a feat that almost no musician would dare to throw to their listeners in a single release.  In this case, those three hours are well worth the effort if the listener is willing to digest this monster.

Washington had previously made ripples in the public spotlight appearing as a saxophonist on Kendric Lamar's famous To Pimp a Butterfly.  Thankfully he has been able to use that fame to draw attention to his fantastic work as a solo artist.  I for one welcome the reintroduction of jazz into the present scene, as I strongly believe that it contains an array of beautiful emotions rarely experienced in the current decade.  Jazz classics like Davis' 'In a Silent Way"' and Hancock's 'Chameleon' fill me with a sense of tranquil neutrality, a feeling that can best be described as viewing the darkness as your friend.  I felt this rare beautiful feeling on this album when I first heard the Rhodes piano chords in the outro of 'Miss Understanding', the kick off track of the second disc and then again when hearing the repetive but gripping melody of 'Re Run Home', a song that plays the same role for the third disc.  While I would consider those two moments to be the highlights of the album, the rest of the music has just as much purpose with minimal moments that could be described as filler.  Mighty impressive considering the amount of material being presented.

Vocals caught me by surprise on what I thought was to be a purely instrumental record for the tracks 'The Rhythm Changes', 'Henrietta Our Hero', 'Cherokee', and 'Malcom's Theme', the last of which contains vocal samples of Malcom X himself.  The inclusion of lyrics felt controversial to me at first on a jazz album, but they are a nice addition and add a new dimension on a lengthy collection where no human presence could potentially become weary on the mind in a single sitting.  Another recurring set of vocals are the use of choirs on many of the tracks, which could be the closest thing to a flaw that this album has, as they might come off to some as slightly overused or even pretentious. It is only a small price to pay however.

I am a collector of physical merchandise when it comes to music albums, nothing boosts my opinion of a record quite like having a satisfying package to encase the music.  After hearing this record I went out and purchased the physical product to have a proud spot on my music shelf.  It did not disappoint, The Epic comes in a wonderful 8 panel digipak (I despise jewel cases), with three discs labeled "The Plan", "The Glorious Tale", and "The Historic Repetition".  Albums today should take note of this inspiration and intention of giving a visual concrete element to the soundwaves.

A tiresome yet rewarding three hours, The Epic may well be my favorite album of 2015 thus far, the only other contender being the new release from electroswing titans Caravan Palace.  I hope that the moods conveyed by Washington persevere for sometime in the music industry as a result of this release.

Monday, July 13, 2015

The Twelve Fundamental Laws

I.  An individual shall not harm another individual for reasons other than unquestionable self defense, in a setting of war, or by a trial by peers in a court of justice.

II.  All sexual activity must be completely and absolutely consensual between all parties involved.


III.  A society must not be established and enforced in such a way that favors one religion over others.  


IV.  Individuals shall not be oppressed or judged on the basis of their race, religion, gender, or orientation; only by the nature of their actions,


V.  Property owned by individuals must be respected as the property of the individual, theft is not to be permitted.


VI.  Involuntary ownership of another human being is not acceptable under any circumstances.


VII.  A government must conform to the will of inhabitants of the territory it governs, all possible measures must be taken to put this principle into practice.


VIII.  War should be a last resort and only come to pass if absolutely no other measures of peace are possible.


IX.  Any measures of punishment by the government or law enforcement on citizens must not be in conflict with the will of the majority of society.


X.  Leaders in government should receive their positions based on the merits of their previous actions


XI.  All individuals ought to keep the well being and happiness of both themselves and their fellow individuals in mind in all that they do.


XII.  Individuals should fight for the honor and dignity of other individuals that they feel have been wronged by any other individual or entity.