Kanye West
Late Registration
In his continuing quest to be “everything to everybody”, rapper/producer Kanye West barely avoids replicating the formula that spawned his 2004 breakthrough debut The College Dropout.
His celebrated inaugural release was essentially a guest-ridden, skit-laden, sample-coated, Grammy-scooping affair that somehow became one of the most epochal crossover hip-hop records of this young millennium. The man behind it all was a self-effacing beat junkie from the ‘burbs of Chicago with a perpetually contradictory persona and musical template that made us all love to hate him.
On his sophomore offering, Late Registration (Universal/Roc-a-Fella), West treads similar ground, albeit slightly more refined. Pop iconoclast and film-score wizard Jon Brion has been enlisted to add some musicality to the proceedings, which is apparent throughout, beginning with the soulful Heard ‘Em Say, featuring Maroon 5’s Adam Levine.
Even when West makes some questionable decisions, like seeking the attention of the increasingly irrelevant Brandy (Bring Me Down), it is Brion who saves the day with some tight stewardship, directing a 20-odd member orchestra to add some elegance to an otherwise inconsequential affair. In the best of times, too — like in the lilting, Otis Redding-sampling farewell Gone (featuring Consequence and Camron) — Brion is still present, overseeing the off-the-wall theatrics.
So, when Kanye declares: “I’m ahead of my time, sometimes years out / So the powers that be won’t let me get my ideas out”, you almost believe him, until you realise that this is one guy with his tongue forever in his cheek.
Thankfully, in his overly cautious attempt to reinvent himself, West lost the RZA-style fast-pitch samples so that for once, the interpolations seem to be an organic part of the music. Knowing his demanding bosses at Roc-a-Fella, we won’t have to wait too long for some more pranks from hip-hop’s favourite mama’s boy.
ALSO ON THE SHELF
Capsolys
Things as They Are (David Gresham)
Capsolys is a hugely talented young man; it’s just that he hasn’t reached his potential yet. His debut album, Things as They Are, is indicative of this vast, largely untapped promise. Almost entirely self-crafted, the album is relentlessly energetic, showcasing Capsolys’s mule-like work ethic, which will bode him well in the future. The problem is that his lyrical style is still underdeveloped, which means that the listener has to sit through song after song built on decent (if not predictable) production work fleshed out with simplistic, annoying hooks and similarly flimsy lyrics.
Take Secrets as an example: “If u tell me but you tell me don’t tell anybody / Then don’t tell cause if you do I’ll tell everybody / And I’ll tell them not to tell anybody.” If that won’t do, try the especially awful Good Bad Guy: “Why do girls love being treated so bad / Y do they smile when Michael Jackson asks them: ‘Who’s bad?’ / N bad fellas come first and good ones come last / I’m a good bad guy I’m a be the first to last.”
It generally doesn’t improve from that. The surprising thing is that Calypsos somehow managed the gall and the wasted effort to print the lyrics on his sleeve, as if we needed the torture and he the embarrassment. The really low point: when Tumi (of The Volume fame) steps to the mic on If It’s Not and shows him how it’s done. I just hope young blood was taking notes. — Kwanele Sosibo
Deluxe
This is Deluxe (Independent)
Beautiful. Everything about this album is beautiful, from the exquisite cover design to the immaculate hairstyles of the band members. It’s all about love on this, the Durban band’s debut — making it and breaking it. On this 11-track album, vocalist Torsten Fehsenfeld (yes, that’s his real name) croons oh-so-gently about the ups and downs of it all. There are more than just strains of Travis and Coldplay here as Fehsenfeld and his band relive past heartaches and hope for future love interests. Next to the songs, perhaps the best part of the album is the excellent production by former Squeal front man Dave Birch. — Nadia Neophytou
Flipsyde
We the People (Universal)
Flipsyde proves how easily rapping transcends genres. We the People seamlessly melds rock and acoustic Spanish guitars with politically flavoured rhymes. It is mildly reminiscent of the Eight Mile soundtrack in that the tracks, lyrically, are an extension of the members’ opinions and their belief in positive outcomes. The catchy hooks, poignant social commentary and memorable choruses ensure that Flipsyde’s debut has all the elements of a successful album. And just when you think you’ve got them pegged, they slow down the tempo and deliver the compulsory “ballads”, No More and Train. A sure sign, along with the slick sound, that producer (and Smash Mouth drummer) Michael Urbano has been around the musical block and knows what sells. This foursome stands up well, although on a milder note, to bands such as Linkin Park who have successfully morphed rock into hip-hop. — Kelly Fletcher
Jack Hammer
The Pilgrim (Bowline)
The apocalyptic guitar riffs and maudlin lyrics of Jack Hammer’s The Pilgrim draw on the blues-rock roots of the collective, going beyond into almost-gothic darker tones. In this sense only, one could say that the music is part of the current Eighties revival. This album marks the 20th year of the group and the packaging stylishly celebrates their career in bronze duotones. The interior gives lyrics on the back of postcards that fold out in a string; the images record a desolate South African landscape. It is this emotional barrenness that fuels the sinister tones of nostalgia in the roaring rock guitar-driven music. — Nadine Botha
Metro FM
Move Volume 1 (David Gresham)
The thing I hate about listening to the radio for the purposes of musical stimulation is that, at any given moment, you’re going to have to sit through music you either can barely tolerate or, at worst, absolutely hate. Listening to Metro Fm’s CD/DVD combo compilation Move Volume 1 gave me that distinct discomfort at times. However, provided you have the patience, radio can be the most accessible means of discovering new artists and keeping up with old favourites.
With 18 tracks and eight videos (supposedly culled from Metro’s current playlist) to choose from, I certainly had my fun, albeit with the aid of a remote control. Soon enough, I finally got to hear the indispensable prog-soul of Detroit’s Platinum Pied Pipers; fully appreciate Slikour’s lackadaisical, issues-driven cadence; incredulously replay Sun & Soul Shades’ Blueskies over and over; gasp in amazement at Amp Fiddler’s effortless finesse; and finally see the video to my favourite jam of last summer, Foreign Exchange’s Sincere. I can’t really complain, I guess, except to say that the DVD section had, regrettably, only one South African video, the rather derivative Lil Mo by Khalil. Hezekiah’s bouncy Soul Music, however, made the pain quite bearable. — Kwanele Sosibo
RóisÃn Murphy
Ruby Blue (Echo)
The lead singer of Moloko, RóisÃn Murphy, goes solo. When listening to Ruby Blue, this seems like a superfluous distinction, as Moloko was largely driven by Murphy’s distinctive vocals. Murphy doesn’t shrug the broken electronic chords and rumbling bass that completed the sound of Moloko. However, the music is richer and more layered, drawing on more elements than just Moloko’s synthesiser. Also, Murphy concentrates her bewitching vocals on a more singer-songwriter aesthetic rather than Moloko’s tendency towards party songs. — Nadine Botha
João Orecchia
Motherless Brooklyn (Blankrecords)
Co-owner of Melville’s newest lounge, Berlin, João Orecchia also boasts his own Germany-based electronic music label, blank005, and his own album, Motherless Brooklyn. Orecchia is also the other half of the Siya Makuzeni Band and has collaborated with Carlo Mombelli. Motherless Brooklyn is driven by the carefully plucked sounds of his signature guitar and mouth-piano, which are then increasingly electronically filtered and distorted to reach a sweeping, abstract landscape. At times, he recalls Fennesz’s acoustic electronic tracks and at other times the digital collage of The Books. — Nadine Botha
Télépopmusik
Angel Milk (EMI)
Drawing on classical, jazz, trip-hop and glam-rock influences, Télépopmusik’s Angel Milk is an aurally thrilling experience. It evokes a similarly romantic digital sublime mood to Goldfrapp’s Felt Mountain. However, Télépopmusik employ old-school music generators — a jazz big band, choir and orchestra, fusing this with digital distortion and looping to create a reflective, romantic tone. While the beauty sits in your throat on first listen, it quickly devolves into a rococo delicatessen too sweet for repeated indulgences. — Nadine Botha
Various
Mode of Obscurity: A tribute to Depeche Mode (Alter-Ego)
Twenty South African bands come together on this album to pay tribute to one of contemporary music’s most-loved and well-recognised bands. Vocalists from bands such as Fokofpolisiekar and The Narrow give their own interpretation of Martin Gore’s distinctive voice, while not losing the essence of their own bands’ sound — like F … Etc giving Enjoy the Silence a skanking makeover, or newcomers Tiger Lily putting a feminine stamp on Strange Love. A tender version of Somebody by The Parlotones contrasts with the dangerously sinister I Feel Loved by the Diesel Whores. A fine tribute by some fine bands. — Nadia Neophytou