Shawn Lee’s Ping Pong Orchestra: Reel to Reel (Ubiquity, 7/17/12)
“BoomWack”
What would a month be without another release from über-instrumentalist Shawn Lee? Okay — his releases aren’t quite monthly, but with his Tabla Rock release in January, this “cine-funk” installment, and next week’s self-evidently themed Synthesizers in Space — not to mention another upcoming album with AM — 2012 is shaping up to be the year of the (guy in the) tiger (mask).
Various artists: Moonrise Kingdom Original Soundtrack (ABKCO, 5/22/12)
Alexandre Desplat: “The Heroic Weather-Conditions of the Universe, Part 1: A Veiled Mist”
Alexandre Desplat: “The Heroic Weather-Conditions of the Universe, Part 1: A Veiled Mist”
Classical and country/western, as genres of music, are about as polar opposite as they get. For director Wes Anderson and music supervisor Randall Poster, though, they make perfect sense to combine in a film. In Moonrise Kingdom, Anderon’s first film since Fantastic Mr. Fox, the director who’s so obsessed with the eccentric and eclectic situates the work of classical composer Benjamin Britten side by side with Hank Williams, with the addition of Alexandre Desplat’s subtle suite.
Enabler: All Hail the Void (Southern Lord, 7/17/12)
“Speechless”
Enabler may be a relatively “new” name in metalcore, but it’s full of proven parts, including two ex-members of Shai Hulud as well as ex-members of Trap Them, Today is the Day, Harlots, and more. Unfamiliar listeners may raise an eyebrow upon seeing Andy Hurley’s name listed, but the Fall Out Boy / The Damned Things drummer has long roots in hardcore, including a number of Midwest bands and a touring stint in Earth Crisis.
“Loco-Motive” f. Large Professor
Despite getting the highly successful collaboration with Damian Marley in 2010, fans have waited a good bit for a new solo album from Nasir Jones. Life is Good, a personal album with overt references to his split with Kelis, may or may not continue his platinum-selling streak — but it’s a return to form either way.
With Lions: Equipo (6/12/12)
Last month, vocalists and film/TV-score producers Christian Celaya and Woody Ranere — together as the cine-pop duo With Lions — delivered the second installment of an ambitious four-EPs-in-a-year cycle. And though the seven-song installment is an arty and orchestrated affair, make no mistake: Equipo is pop in its purest form.
In 1998, Swedish hardcore outfit Refused addressed a letter to its fans, proclaiming, “Refused are fucking dead.” Most were left longing for a reunion, particularly without seeing the band get its due for its ahead-of-its-time swansong, The Shape of Punk to Come: A Chimerical Bombination in 12 Bursts. Now, after nearly 15 years, those fans finally got their wish, and a bunch of grateful Americans are seeing the band live this week and next.
Napalm Death: Utilitarian (Century Media, 2/28/12)
After surviving more than 20 years together, Napalm Death still is going strong. Earlier this year, the English extreme-metal outfit released its latest acclaimed effort, Utilitarian — its 15th to date.
For its latest video, the band teamed up with director Tim Fox (Tesseract, Skindread) to fulfill its vision for “The Wolf I Feed.” Incorporating apocalyptic, sci-fi visuals, it explores the song’s themes about exploitation of power, propaganda, and religious dogma.
