Sebastien Tellier, 'Sexuality' (Record Makers)
Bearded French libertine in pas de deux with android countryman.
By Barry Walters 10.14.08 7:19 PM
Bolstering his eclectic, avant-pop provocations with cinematic compositional prowess, electronic music's own Serge Gainsbourg designs a neo-R&B concept album about sex.
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Dan Le Sac vs. Scroobius Pip, 'Angles' (Strange Famous)
Brit duo bluntly address the world's (and hip-hop's) ills.
By Jon Young 10.14.08 7:07 PM
Audacious yet modest, MC Scroobius Pip has no fear of big topics, from the worship of false pop idols ("Thou Shalt Always Kill") to the meaning of life ("Waiting for the Beat to Kick In").
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Kasai Allstars, 'In the 7th Moon, the Chief Turned Into a Swimming Fish and Ate the Head of His Enemy by Magic' (Crammed Discs)
Noisy collective pushes concept of old school to the limit.
By Jon Young 10.14.08 6:53 PM
Adapting ritual African music once used by bushmen and women in pagan trance ceremonies (considered satanic by Europeans), this sprawling, 25-member Kinshasa ensemble jump-starts the third installment in the Congotronics series.
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Zach Hill, 'Astrological Straits' (Ipecac)
If you like your punk jazzy, noisy, and kooky, settle in.
By Jason Gross 10.14.08 6:44 PM
On his solo half of Hella's 2005 double album, Church Gone Wild/Chirpin' Hard, drummer Zach Hill further explored the Mars Volta metal prog that Hella itself was slavishly pursuing. But the first album under his own name is stranger and more varied, a psychedelic/psychotic kaleidoscope worthy of early Animal Collective.
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GZA/Genius, 'Pro Tools' (Babygrande)
Once again, a Wu Mc drifts into irrelevant lyrics and weak beats.
By Thomas Golianopoulos 10.14.08 6:42 PM
The GZA's G-Unit dis "Paper Plate" on his fifth solo album confirms that he's behind the times: Beefing with 50 Cent to promote yourself is so 2005. Then again, the legendary Wu-Tang Clan MC also name-drops Ivan Koloff (Who? Professional wrestler from the 1970s) and Vinnie Johnson (Who?
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Neil Halstead, 'Oh! Mighty Engine' (Brushfire)
Brit folk-pop vet deploys understatement to sharp effect.
By Jon Young 10.14.08 6:41 PM
On Halstead's second solo outing, the Slowdive and Mojave 3 founder is content to spotlight his hushed singing and acoustic guitar, adding miniscule dashes of piano, steel guitar, etc., for color.
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