Get Your Fix: Album Reviews by the CoolJunkie Staff

November 18, 2008 4:32 PM
by The CoolJunkie Staff

The Rapture - Tapes
by: Marcos Colón

The New York quartet that got all the kids who wear Chucks and tattered clothes moving on the dance floor when they thought they couldn’t back in 2001 are at it again. The Rapture have recently released a compilation album of what their DJ sets sounds like, just in case the band don’t make it after all, God forbid, they always have a plan B. On Tapes, the boys mix in a nice array of rowdy tracks that will definitely be getting everyone’s foot tapping. For those of you who haven’t caught a set by the boys, it’s definitely a party and a half as most of the influences on their music are definitely heard through their track selection.

A unique touch, but extremely important nevertheless, is always a dash of funk in your DJ set. Who doesn’t like funk? It’s like saying, ‘Nah man, I don’t dig Bob Marley.’ When they throw in songs from The Bar-Kays (if you haven’t heard of these guys, get on iTunes right now and start listening) and Richie Haven’s early house hit, Going Back to My Roots, the Rapture are essentially doing just that. It’s a fresh breath of air when an indie-dance rock such as The Rapture have a DJ set that doesn’t feature a lot of the electro garbage that’s finally beginning to die out. The guys went back to the sound that influenced their own, and because of this compilation, they’ll probably be seeing a lot more DJ bookings. Word on the street is that they’ll be in Miami for New Years supplying one of these stellar sets…but I think I have to keep my lips sealed tight until the actual confirmation. If it doesn’t end up happening, I’d suggest to go out and get a copy of Tapes.

Click here to hear more from The Rapture.

Belle and Sebastian - The BBC Sessions
by: Marcos Colón

If you’re a fan of the indie-pop Scots, Belle and Sebastian, you’ll be quite pleased to hear that their new double CD compilation of 26 intimate BBC sessions, The BBC Sessions, is quite possibly the best release that they’ve had in their 12 year career. The first time I ran across Belle and Sebastian, thoughts of Dylan, The Smiths and Love quickly came to mind. Their eclectic mix of nerdy melody driven pop, accompanied with the sweetness of Sesame Street sing-along tunes give them the right amount of pop, yet sweet quirkiness that makes them such an attractive listen.

On The BBC Sessions fans will get to hear favorites from Me and the Major, The Wrong Girl and Dirty Dream #2. The first disc, title (The Radio Sessions), takes the best-unreleased recordings between 1996 and 2001 and serves as a nice surprise for fans. Not a new album, but definitely fresh and unheard material. The title track on Radio Sessions has to be Like Dylan in the Movies, a beautifully written up-tempo song that has Stuart Murdoch’s whisper of a voice crooning ’It’s not the money that they’re after, it’s you.’ Disc two, title (Live in Belfast), is a completely live recording from a concert they performed at in Belfast in 2001. Here some rare gems and covers such as The Boys are Back in Town and I’m Waiting for the Man can be heard, as well as other fan favorites.

Although the band is currently hiatus and no new plans have been set as to whether they’ll be recording any time soon, this album serves as the perfect platter to keep the starving fans at bay while the group decides what their next move will be. If you’re new to Belle and Sebastian, this is a great collection to add to the iTunes library.

Click here to hear more from Belle and Sebastian.

Honey Claws - Honey Claws
by: Damon Dewitt Boardman

Yet another creative force making it happen in Austin is a quartet known as Honey Claws. The electronically driven hip-hop company created 14 funky tracks for a self-titled debut. Honey Claws has quality written all over it, but what it’s lacking, and not necessarily looking, for is focus. It’s tough to pin down exactly what genre Honey Claws falls into. In essence this effort is of a hip hop background; an MC raps over electronic beats. The hip hop theme remains consistent throughout the album but finds a way to break free from the form on almost every track, diving more toward an electro experimental force. The biggest costume change comes from lead singer/MC Jon von Letsher. He’ll rap, he’ll sing, he’ll scream, talk in trance, all mouthy enough however to convince you this effort is worth your ear.

If you were to mix Q Tip, Trent Reznor, and Beck put them on Intergalactic Planetarium, you would get one eclectic sound and 95% of the Honey Claws album. Track four, Giant Town, a downtempo melodic effort, and track 14, Animalssss, purly electronic with loops a plenty, are the true odd balls on the album. Honey Claws songbird style over electro beats could be classified as frontier music. But this sound is rising fast. Music as a whole is always susceptible and mostly accepting to genre bending. With hip hop spreading to Europe over the last two decades and electronic music dominating Europe but gaining popularity in the states this is a style I can foresee gaining more ground in the future.

Click here to hear more from Honey Claws.