Xiu Xiu - Remixed & Covered

Rating: 7.5/10
Modern Music Review
So magical, and so relaxing, this is new album by experimental indie band Xiu Xiu. Mostly it gives prominence to delightful pieces, starting slowly with superb lo-fi dynamics and the recording goes with emotional tasty music. Many standout Xiu Xiu works are being sung by guest singers, bands. One of the most beautiful sides of "Remixed & Covered" is surprising atmosphere of combinations through their experimentalist music.

Great new cover version of "Apistat Commander" with Sunset Rubdown definitely expresses why these are covered and remixed. Beautiful violins star in "Sad Pony Guerilla Girl"
and the song becomes a brooding instrumental effort. Moreover a notable Her Space Holiday collaboration appears. Another gentle indie rock piece from The Air Forse, "The Wig Master" kisses and smells brilliantly. Despite covered and remixed versions, Xiu Xiu's music has its own character, and this never disappears on this once again. Even, it gets stronger while covering sweet songs like "I Luv the Valley OH!". Aha!, i heard voice of Devendra Banhart, you sweet tremulous dude! You make all of us singing on your new recreated Xiu Xiu song, "Support Our Troops". Very Cute!

On second disc the atmosphere changes slightly, getting a higher tempo, and featuring more noises. And all those crazy indie rock elasticities offers high textured songs. But excepted wonderful version of song "Suha" (with Warbucks) reminds unbelievable anxious vocals of Mark Hollis from dreamy legend band Talk Talk.

A cover or remix record seldom does well, but this is magical! Street Date: Apr 10, 2007
MM picks: Apistat Commander (with Sunset Rubdown), Clowne Towne , Suha
mp3: Her Space Holiday - I Luv the Valley OH!

Adam And The Ants

Ant Music
Adam is making a bubbly, babbling pop music that’s actually less obvious and ordinary than when Adam fancied himself as a different sort of rebel/devil. The surprise of seeing Adam on TOTP was one of the year’s most refreshings jolts. ‘Antmusic’ is about seven times better than ‘Dog Eat Dog’: a Glitterbilly, Skids-swirl, tribal celebration. “Unplug the jukebox/And do us all a favour/That music’s lost its taste/So try another flavour”. Adam’s turned himself into a pop event: rejoice at its corniness and liveliness.
mp3: Adam And The Ants - Ant Music

Stand & Deliver
Who is that young chap riding the fiery charger into the night capturing all the ladies’ jewellery and hearts? Musket in hand and gleam in his eye – why Tommy Steele in Columbia’s 1968 clinker Where’s Jack? But who comes up in the slipstream? Aloft a pantomime nag with training wheels, here comes the man of the hour! Adam Ant! ‘Stand & Deliver’ stretches the joke thinner and as he gallops by we shout off into the night after this unstoppable rapscallion. “Take heed, Adam Ant! We’ll see you dance at the end of a yardarm yet!”
mp3: Adam And The Ants - Stand Deliver

Leonard Cohen - Songs From A Room

MM classics
Like his first album, Leonard Cohen’s second, "Songs From A Room", is notable more for the songs than the singing. Cohen has a superb sense of lyrics and this new album makes compelling listening. The atmosphere throughout is subdued, the songs simply arranged and presented so that the focal point is the word. Cohen, in fact, seems to have taken over from Dylan somewhat in this area of songwriting. Hard to pick out notable tracks as they are all good but ‘Story Of Isaac’, ‘The Old Revolution’, ‘Bird On A Wire’, and ‘Lady Midnight’ are worth mentioning as tracks to listen for.
mp3: Leonard Cohen - The Partisan
mp3: Leonard Cohen - Seems So Long Ago, Nancy

Nico - The Frozen Borderline: 1968-1970

Rating: 10/10
Modern Music Review
Two great album by stellar rock legendary Nico; "The Marble Index", "Desertshore" are both being remastered in a 2CD collection, The Frozen Borderline: 1968-1970 (2007). I must admit that this is one of the best remastered and important record for me, it reminds you a picture of complicated feelings, and your eyes get wet. As a beautiful rock figure herself, she never released a commercial work in her admirable musical career. They're all theatrical and beautiful records, and The Frozen Borderline offers two Nico masterpiece in which songs only sound as Nico and her style. After listening thousand times, you can consider that her works such as "No One Is There", "Facing The Wind", "Janitor Of Lunacy" are quite arty, perfect, striking work of art. Especially on "Facing The Wind" your ears stuck on Nico's deep, brooding vocals which appear on every song. Gloomy and dark soundscapes, disordered violin surprisingly fascinate you throughout. How a deadpan vocal could be so impressive? But she was Nico, and during her individualistic career she was recording her dark folk-rock-flavored amazing debut "Chealsea Girl", after followed by a dramatic Nico classic "The Marble Index", but the real melancholy came on 1970. "Desertshore" produced and arranged by John Cale, and Nico gave the soul of record by providing her extra impenetrable lyrics and unforgettable vocals.

This compilation features a lot of alternate and Demo version of the songs. You really want tell feelings on her songs, but after awhile you realize that it's not possible. After "Chelsea Girl", Nico's influential works are all contained in The Frozen Borderline, two drop of tear have never been so bitter, completely atypical and mind blowing.
mp3: Nico - Roses In The Snow (Outtake) (Alternate Version)
You may also like:
John Cale - Paris 1919 Remastered Edition

Portishead - Dummy

MM classics
I love misery, and oppositely to most people it's not antonym of peace. They greet each other and saying ' Thank you, if you hadn't existed i wouldn't have exist too'. If you want to understand value of your wealth, somebody should take it from you. If you want to taste peace , you have to experienced with misery. Not Portishead only writes couple of gloomy words, they also provide a perfect record which features everything harmoniously with each other-- well-matched dark vocal and learned songwriting by Beth Orton, Geoff Barrow's extremely good beats from wide category of music, dark elements from jazz music, driving atmosphere without stopping, also the taste of a striking movie scene.

Ohh, can't anybody see
We've got a war to fight
Never found our way
Regardless of what they say
How can it feel, this wrong
From this moment
How can it feel, this wrong
Storm.. in the morning light I feel
No more can I say
I got nobody on my side
Frozen to myself
And surely that ain't right
And surely that ain't right
We've got a war to fight
Never found our way
Regardless of what they say

This is completely distinctive record from mid-90. And with "Dummy", Portishead means a lot to our modern life's soundtrack -- when you're in a car -- it'll help you to see that emotions are so tight together, love all of them. Like various flowers, this record offers quite beautiful music. It's so modern, so drowned in sound.

From this time, unchained
We're all looking at a different picture
Thru this new frame of mind
A thousand flowers could bloom
Move over, and give us some room
Give me a reason to love you
Give me a reason to be a woman
I just wanna be a woman

mp3: Portishead - Roads

New Singles & New Music

Rock Singles
1. Bonnie Prince Billy - Strange Form Of Life
2. mp3: Manic Street Preachers – Underdogs (7”)
3. Scott Matthews - Passing Stranger
4. mp3: Maximo Park – Our Velocity
5. mp3: The Bird And The Bee – My F***ing Boyfriend (7”)
6. Laura Veirs – Don’t Lose Yourself
7. Magenta - Speechless
8. New Young Pony Club – The Bomb
9. Razorlight – I Can't Stop This Feeling I've Got
10. Rumble Strips – Alarm Clock

'A strange form of life, kicking through windows, rolling on yards'. It was a rare good song that i'm still loving from last year and i'd fallen in love with the song on first listen.

Well well well, we've a new The Manics track here, i'm very excited about their upcoming record. And new song "Underdogs" included with classic punk guitar chords, rhythmic drum beats, i'm feeling the energy of it. Hey it's a punk revivalist work, again Manics are on a mission. Go on Manics!...and did you listen album "Passing Stranger" by Scott mathews, his new single is title track, love it.
Videos
Feist - My Moon My Man
Manics - Your Love Alone Is Not Enough

Soulsavers - It's Not How Far You Fall

Rating: 8.7/10
Modern Music Review
The Soulsavers follow up their critically acclaimed debut, 'Tough Guys Don't Dance' with 'It's Not How Far You Fall, It's The Way You Land'.

Three years in the making, this time we see naughty boy Mark Lenegan on this project in which he provides vocals on 8 of the albums 12 tracks. Mostly this coloured blue work is a mix of hip-hop, rock, country, soul and gospel. It's an eclectic recording and sounds quite slowcore at the end of it. Lenegan's depressing and charismatic voice, beautiful selected organ pressing during his vocals makes results adorable. Emotionally like Nick Cave, romantically dark like Joy Division or like Velvet Underground who are keystones of the arty noises rock, it's rooting on you slowly using creative dark noises. Also garage rock desired song "Ghosts Of You And Me" takes Soulsavers' music to cold, bolted, dirty streets. And one of the best works on this record, "Paper Money" deserves a high volume listen. These are duly noted, remember that this music recalls to us a lot of good records.

Hey we're coming, get out of the way!. We've got soul, rock, country and you. This is the impressions on a person who loves to dig the music. It's dramatical, now more and more sorrowful. "Ask The Dust" is the first instrumental work that builds a bridge between experimental-rock-trip hop music. Similarly, thin-skinned piano keys will cry on shoulder of song, on "Arizona Bay". The album also features cameo appearances by Will Oldham, PW Long & Jimi Goodwin(Doves). Despite too many diversified pieces, it somehow shows the right path and provides a really delicious music. That mellow voice, and those great harmonies of varied instruments are coming with every breath you take. Whisky or Wine?

Expect two or three faint song, it's essential for a dirty boy/girl in his/her dirty night. Wow.
MM picks: Ghosts Of You And Me, Paper Money, Arizona Bay
mp3: Soulsavers - Jesus Of Nothing
You can listen four tracks on Soulsavers Myspace