Zubz
Headphone Music (Outrageous Records)
Having played Zubz’s debut album Listener’s Digest until I could play it no more, I awaited his follow-up with anticipation — and I was not disappointed. Zubz uses Headphone Music to showcase his formidable talent for wordplay and flexes his skills throughout. There isn’t a single guest rapper on it; every rhyme is delivered by the man himself. The presence of his band The Originz as well as a host of singers help keep things musically interesting, as do the beats, courtesy of Nyambs, Danone, Mizi, Anti-hero and more. My Distress, in which Zubz ambitiously takes on the character of Nelson Mandela, telling his story, is the album’s stand-out track, aided by gorgeous vocals from Pebbles floating on top of some tasty double bass. The one diss I always hear directed at Zubz is that he sounds too American. It’s true that you can hear strong US influences loud and clearly in his flow (he even lists his top five rappers of all time on another great track, The Interview — 2Pac, Nas, Black Thought, Jay Z and Rakim), but he raps in his own accent and his lyrics reflect the fact that he is African. Besides, if he were to start rapping in Zulu it would be a bit fake, since the guy was born in Zambia and grew up in Zimbabwe. I do miss the humour of tracks like Superstar, Imagery and Agony Haggz. This is Zubz in serious mode, and with a new-found militant political edge that seems to be inspired as much by the rhymes of Talib Kweli, Dead Prez and Chuck D than by his African reality. Irregardless of his influences, though, Zubz remains one of the most articulate and focused MCs in South Africa, and with Headphone Music he has delivered another product of consistent quality. — Daniel Friedman
Outkast
Idlewild (Universal Music Group)
Outkast have been holding up the banner for Southern hip-hop since their 1995 debut Southern-playalisti-caddilakmusik. Since then, they’ve never really been held down by geography or the prevailing trends in rap music, crafting an outlandish, timeless discography with undeniable crossover appeal. With age and diversifying income streams, the duo’s personalities have become ever more distinct, to the point where hitting the studio or the road together has become impossible. Idlewild, a musical interpretation of their prohibition-era movie of the same name, follows the diamond-selling double album Speakerboxxx/The Love Below, and yet still manages to be unyieldingly unique. It plays out like a cabaret show, with an expansive take on the African-American musical tradition. There are many cameos but the main stars, while appearing separately, create a tight, inventive and truly conceptual sixth album. — Kwanele Sosibo
Lupe Fiasco
Food and Liquor (Warner Music Group)
Chicago native Lupe Fiasco set the bar high for his debut solo album with his single Kick, Push, a nostalgia-inducing metaphoric, skate-referencing tale about going against the grain. Thankfully, the Muslim MC mostly lives up to the hype, with appealing, operatic beats, nuanced lyricism and a contradictory persona, and a flow reminiscent of Kanye West. Although not as self-obsessed as West, Lupe has a youthful naivety that is mostly endearing but sometimes renders him generic, like someone wearing his influences on his sleeve. Still, Lupe, who turned down a Def Jam deal to kickstart his own in-house production company 1st & 15th, is refreshingly conscientious, and has a deceptive allegorical style that could see incendiary songs such as American Terrorist end up on the radio. Charismatic and catchy, Fiasco might just be the tipping point in mainstream hip-hop. — Kwanele Sosibo
The Roots
Game Theory (Universal Music Group)
The seventh studio album from “the Foundation” is the first for the Jay Z-helmed Def Jam Recordings. A piece of social commentary largely inspired by post-9/11 America, the album is layered and jarring, continuing the group’s foray into revisionist old-school hip-hop and rock territory. Lead MC Black Thought is still ice cold, though predictable, while Questlove’s production aesthetic is becoming more abrasive and ominous. Standout songs include the melancholic Clock With No Hands, featuring sublime vocals from Jazzyfatnastees member Mercedes Martinez and the groove-heavy rock tune Long Time, featuring Peedi Peedi, a Jay-Z protégé tipped to be Black Thought’s new sidekick. Overall, it’s a return to form for Philadelphia’s finest, but this one ain’t for the faint-hearted. — Kwanele Sosibo
Missy Elliott
Respect M.E. (Warner Music Group)
Singer, producer, songwriter, Missy Elliott, is one of planet hip-hop’s most prolific citizens. Despite her size, Elliott has the confidence and sass to come off raunchy without being cheap. She has parlayed her cartoonish persona into platinum albums and has also spread her influence, crafting hits together with Timbaland for the likes of SWV, Aaliyah, Total, Tweet and 702. Respect M.E. is her first retrospective collection and it samples from all her six albums, giving us a fairly complete overview of the artist’s seminal tracks. While I do acknowledge Missy’s influence in pop culture, I’m only a peripheral fan. This album, therefore, serves my occasional needs just fine. — Kwanele Sosibo
JAZZ
Feya Faku
The Colours They Bring (Sheer )
Feya Faku is a personification of the fact that we sometimes use under-reported and under-appreciated as synonyms when clearly they are not. So, just because the Port Elizabeth-based jazz trumpeter does not get mentioned as often as he should, one should not think that he is not one of South Africa’s greatest trumpeters. Faku is among the best in his trade, and South Africa has no shortage of gifted jazz trumpeters. Faku continues to impress each time he blows air into that melodious horn — it is as if he couldn’t play a bad note even if he tried. The Colours They Bring is one of the best jazz contributions of the past year. Accompanied by Buddy Wells on tenor, suprano and flute; Andre Petersen on piano; Bongani Sokhela on acoustic bass; and with the multitalented Siya Makuzeni adding vocals, each musician is given space and time to showcase his brilliance (Keeper of the Spirit being one track in particular). The production ensures that things are kept in control and no undue overzealousness spills over. Buggs No More, a ballad showcasing Faku’s gentle yet controlled style, comes highly recommended. Faku continues to stamp his authority on the jazz scene. If I were him, I would go to bed each night knowing that I have been true to my art and talents and that those who know their stuff would have heard it. Such, after all, is the life of a jazz musician in South Africa. As for me, I cannot wait for the next release. — Fikile-Ntsikelelo Moya
Ngwako Manamela
Ramelodi (Chisa)
It will help if you thought of Ngwako Manamela’s Ramelodi in the same way that you think of a triangle. On the one endis the musicology that has its roots in the Sepedi folk music, on the other, the marabi-infused sounds that dominated the townships in the 30 to 40 years when the 52-year-old Manamela was growing up in Mamelodi. The last point of the triangle belongs to the classic jazz made famous by the likes of the Modern Jazz Quartet and Oscar Peterson. What you then get is a rarity that is a Bo Manamela. It is one of those pieces that are kind to the ear; one could call it dinner table music. — Fikile-Ntsikelelo Moya
Jason Moran
Artist in residence (EMI)
Contemporary jazz pianist and composer Jason Moran loves fusing disparate elements in his recordings. A recorded speech extract from an earnest-sounding Adrian Piper is spliced into two of the tracks, recording Moran’s interest in visual art and the interface of art and society. The sound of a pencil scribbling on paper accompanies Cradle Song, in honour of Moran’s mother. Similarly, footsteps shuffling in a Swiss bank helped inspire Rain, based on a ring dance from African-American slave culture. And all this is grounded with the kind of lazy Sunday-afternoon mood and composition we usually refer to when we say “jazz”. Moran’s piano oozes lyricism from every perfect ivory key, illustrating why the artist has garnered a string of jazz awards in recent years. — Jocelyn Newmarch
ELECTRONIC
Mtkidu
mtkidu loves you (tftd 0.5)
Mtkidu (pronounced em-tee-kid-yoo) are two visual and musical artists who have released their debut through their own label, Team Uncool. They make experimental, glitchy electronica with tons of Commodore 64 sounds and odd vocal samples. The disc is meant to be watched as much as listened to, with its distinctive flash animations and interactive comic book. One gets the sense that these are a couple of graphic designers who have discovered electronic music. Which is not to say the music doesn’t hold up on its own — at times it’s brilliant, and has a lightness of touch and sense of humour not often present in experimental beats. But it does function better as a whole, with the music and visuals working together. The disc has 0.5 tacked on to the end, suggesting that this is only an early version of what Mtkidu can do — they are evolving and, with only six tracks, it’s clearly just a step towards a final musical destination. It’s lots of fun, though, and well worth buying while one waits to find out what this intriguing duo will do next. — Daniel Friedman
Four Tet
Remixes (David Gresham)
Four Tet is folk-tronica pioneer Kieren Hebden. Aside from making his own music, he is one of the most prolific remixers around and has handpicked his own 12 best overhauls to make up this collection. Artists such as Radiohead, Bloc Party and Rothko are among those who have made the final cut. The remixes of tracks that were experimental in the first place, such as his treatments of Aphex Twin, Bonobo and Pole, are exquisitely crafted and showcase Four Tet’s distinctive style of stuttering, broken beats. But it is where Four Tet takes on styles far removed from his own that he gets his best results — his remixes of abstract hip-hoppers Madvillian go off on fantastic tangents, which is what good remixes should do. And his take on two folk-pop songs, Beth Orton’s Carmella and Sia’s Breathe (which is the song Claire rides off into the sunset to at the end of TV show Six Feet Under), are two highlights — particularly the latter, which I have found myself playing over and over and over — and I ain’t sick of it yet. Four Tet is one of those rare electronic artists whose music is as warm and human as anything acoustic. Fans of experimental electronica should add this one to their collection immediately. — Daniel Friedman
Hello Everything
Squarepusher(Sheer)
Tom Jenkinson aka Squarepusher makes music for chin-strokers who can dance. The playfully quirky Hello Everything is this drum’n’bass, electro-experimentalist, jazzbo’s 10th album and one of his finest. It isn’t as manic as some drum’n’bass, but still has moments where you wish you had more limbs so as to dance properly. Andre 3000 of Outkast said this of Squarepusher: “He’s totally amazing to me and I’m trying to figure out what he’s doing.” Part of his secret is his virtuoso bass playing, which reminds me of Stanley Clarke and Jaco Pastorius, especially on the tracks Theme from Sprite and Bubble Life. So, unlike many other drum’n’bass artists, he is also a proficient player, without going over people’s heads. “I try to be as technically proficient yet make it accessible,” he told the Observer. “Not everybody at my gigs has a beard and a notebook so I must be doing something right.” — Charles Leonard
Junior Boys
So This is Goodbye (David Gresham)
The Junior Boys make house music for the headphones rather than for the club. With mournful, weary and hungover vocals courtesy of their main man Jeremy Greenspan, they took the elements of dance music and crafted them into something far more introspective on their debut album Last Exit. So This is Goodbye begins where Last Exit left off. It lacks the glitchy, stuttering beats of its predecessor and is happy to lay down a simple groove, with arpeggiated synths and mellow, four-to-the-floor rhythms. The album is structured the way albums used to be; it has a progression and is best listened to from start to finish. It is ideal music for open roads on long distance journeys. So This is Goodbye can lay claim to being the most coherent electronic release of the year. And the cover of Frank Sinatra’s When No One Cares is worth the price of the CD alone. — Daniel Friedman
Short and Root
The Soul Food Sessions (Independent)
Markus Root and Eliot Short are a couple of Jo’burg-based, open-minded multi-instrumentalists, who I first saw playing a St Germaine-ish instrumental set of jazzy beats on a Sunday afternoon at Betty’s Tearoom. I was surprised, when I first gave this disc a spin, to find that it was mostly full of well-structured verse-chorus-verse style tracks with Short on vocals, far removed from the downtempo jam session I expected. These guys possess a versatility that is bound to confuse local listeners who like knowing where they stand with a band. Short has left the country since the CD’s release, meaning you won’t be able to see the duo live for the foreseeable future, though whether this is because of a lack of local recognition is pure speculation. It’s a pity he isn’t around to watch Soul Food Sessions slowly catch on, as I’m hoping it will. It’s a well-produced and diverse cocktail of reggae, funk, soul, jazz, rock, electronica and blues deserving of the attention of discerning local music fans. — Daniel Friedman
INDIE
Electrelane
Singles, B-sides & Live (Just)
Brighton’s all-girl four-piece, Electrelane, are one of the best-kept secrets of the decade. Combining influences as diverse as Joy Division, Sonic Youth, Mogwai, Can and Neu!, this band is on the cutting edge of art rock. This compilation collects the bands early independent singles, their b-sides and a bunch of live tracks. It starts with their first single, Film Music, released in 2000 on Indenial. The album is a bolt from the blue, a grooving post-rock song driven by blistering organ and flashes off angular guitar that erupt into a volcanic concoction of sound that has all the style of Portishead and the energy of Sonic Youth. I Want to be President is a skuzzy little dance number that changes the album’s pace nicely, sounding like a disinterested Ladytron. Add to that a jet propelled punk cover of Bruce Springsteen’s I’m on Fire and live covers of Brian Ferry’s More Than This and Leonard Cohen’s The Partisan and I was sold hook, line and sinker. I am off to buy everything else they have ever released. I suggest you do too. — Lloyd Gedye
Yo la Tengo
I am not afraid of you and I will beat your ass (Just)
Stop the vote counting now: the undisputed winner for best album title of the year is New Jersey’s Yo la Tengo. Luckily, the songs on this album are so great that it’s not the only thing it has to offer. Starting an album with a 10-minute song is either incredibly brave or very stupid, but Yo la Tengo don’t give a shit what you think and if you are not careful they will beat your ass. If you are expecting a sublime little sunny record à la Summer Sun, then you may be disappointed. As a colleague said, “this album has teeth”, and what a great set they are too. Album highlights include The Room Got Heavy, a fuzzy organ freak-out propelled by some fantastic percussion work — imagine Ray Manzarek jamming with Fela Kuti — while Watch Out For Me Ronnie is a little garage rocker and Sometimes I Don’t Get You is a blissful breezy affair that sold me. Yo la Tengo have outdone themselves again. — Lloyd Gedye
Sons & daughters
The Repulsion Box (David Gresham Records)
Sons & Daughters formed in Glasgow in 2002 among the post-rock movement that was sweeping the land, led by the likes of Mogwai. Naturally, a band formed over a shared love of Johnny Cash (who wanted to write short songs with strong melodies) didn’t go down too well. Taking their name from a lyric in Bob Dylan’s Times They Are a Changing, Sons & Daughters fused American folk and roots with new wave. Their debut offering, The Repulsion Box, is a great little rock’n’roll record that owes a lot to the maverick works of Nick Cave and PJ Harvey and it is produced by Victor van Vugt who has worked with both artists. It’s a stripped back rock record that is all about the punk guitar and the rollicking choruses, smothered in violence, melancholy and the seedier side of life. — Lloyd Gedye
The Killers
Sam’s Town (Universal)
Hot Fuss, The Killers’ debut album, consists of 11 singles. That’s how brilliant it is. The downside of brilliance, however, is upkeep. The high standard of their debut album set The Killers up for a potentially disastrous response to the follow-up. Fortunately, they have averted disaster and pulled off an equally outstanding ensemble on Sam’s Town. It takes a certain dedication and perhaps some ruthlessness to produce an album of this calibre, and it seems the band members have it in buckets. So tight are these tracks, they have number one written all over them. And, unlike those who’ve gone over to the Timbaland side, The Killers remain true to their sound. It has garnered them fame and fortune and a fan base that expands every time somebody else takes a listen. — Kelly Fletcher
PUNK
Martin Rocka and the Sick Shop
Through Sick and Sin (Sheer)
The main selling point for this band is their live show, so if you are a fan of swamp rockabilly and you haven’t caught their set yet, then shame on you. Their B-movie aesthetic and proto-punk/garage-rock sound will result in them being compared to Californian rockers The Cramps, but this is no imitation; these guys play like they live the music. To begin with, Martin Rocka is a killer guitarist and with James Flames on double bass and upright drummer Boy McLoud behind him, he delivers some demented, dirty rockabilly. This, their third album, is littered with guest artists including Boo’s Ampie Omo, Wonderboom’s Danny de Wet, Karen Zoid and Paul Riekert aka Graveyard Jerry. Do yourself a favour and get this album so you too can join the band in celebrating a little bit of filth and fury with a side portion of sin. — Lloyd Gedye
Fokofpolisiekar
Swanesang (Rhythm Records)
When listening to a Fokofpolisiekar album, it is essential to be proficient in Afrikaans. Otherwise you miss half of the fun of the band and the little truths about South Africa that lie hidden in their albums. Ever since their first album As Jy Met Vuur Speel Sal Jy Brand in 2003, they have been challenging the status quo in their songs, going against authority, and causing tannies to ban their albums. But Fokofpolisiekar have also aged. Swanesang is their fourth album and, while the rumblings of the raw punk band of 2003 is still there, a much more at ease band that still makes damn good music is to be found. This is world-class rock and it makes you proud that a bunch of scourings from Durbanville can produce such a refined album. Favourites on the album include Swanesang, the Beatle-like Vasbeslote Korporasie (deel 2) and the angry Heiden Heiland. — Yolandi Groenewald
Left Alone
Dead American Radio (Alter-Ego)
Signed to Epitaph offshoot Hellcat Records by Tim Armstrong of Rancid, Californian punk band Left Alone are back with their third full-length album. A true DIY punk band, Left Alone is famed for starting its own label, booking its own tours and manufacturing its own merchandise. Dead American Radio is filled with great songs, especially Every Night, which features some rollicking work by organ player Noe. The country-punk Done Wrong and Waiting for You are also highlights but the real pearl is the ska-tinged City to City, which features Armstrong. If you’re into punk bands that write great songs then Left Alone is for you, besides who can resist a band that has a song called I Hate Emo. — Lloyd Gedye
BLUES & ROOTS
Paul Simon
Surprise (Sony/BMG)
If there were a producer’s hall of fame, Brian Eno would get my vote for the first inductee. Eno was integral to the Berlin-era albums of David Bowie (1977-1979) and the Talking Heads albums between 1978 and 1980, which means that he reigned over four of the most vital years of music. I mean, we’re talking about the guy who managed to make U2 sound less crap than they really were. With all this said, I was rather excited when I heard that Eno was producing the new Paul Simon album and was not disappointed. It has been a long time since Simon sounded so fresh and rejuvenated and what a treat it is. Surprise is a very mature album that finds Simon reflecting on where he finds himself, an aging male living in volatile times. He addresses the current United States political climate in a personal way, with little lyrical stabs that are part of a grander personal exploration. “I registered to vote today/ / felt like a fool / had to do it anyway / down at the high school,” he sings on Sure Don’t Feel Like Love, while on the very spiritual War Time Prayers he goads America’s religious right with “People hungry for the voice of God / hear lunatics and liars.” Simon singing intimate songs backed by beautiful electronic soundscapes courtesy of Eno gets my vote any day of the week. — Lloyd Gedye
All the Roadrunning
Mark Knopfler and Emmylou Harris (Universal)
Ever since I heard Gram Parsons’s early work, I have been a captivated by the voice of Emmylou Harris. What’s even better is she just keeps popping up on all the right albums: Bob Dylan’s Desire, Steve Earle’s The Revolution Starts Now, Bright Eyes’s I’m Wide Awake It’s Morning and Neil Young’s Prairie Wind. Mark Knopfler, on the other hand, is a distant memory of childhood. The songwriting is a little slice of country, where a deeper booming Knopfler and the stunning Harris combine for some beautiful duets. Not every track on the album is a winner but when the two strike gold, you want to make sure you’re around. — Lloyd Gedye
Lambchop
Damaged (Just)
On Lambchop’s eighth full-length album, Kurt Wagner sounds frail. Not surprising then that he suffered a major cancer scare between 2004’s double offering Aw Cmon / No You Cmon and his new album Damaged is littered with melancholic songs driven by rolling piano and Wagner’s hushed, half-whispered, half-sung vocals. At times you feel you are sitting on the piano stool right next to him as he contemplates life, love and death. On Short he sings, “Here’s a little story about regret / doesn’t have an ending, it’s not finished yet / But from what I know this far it’s just a peep at who we are / and an incomplete sentence you said.” As good as Wagner’s high-water mark, Nixon this is not, but a welcome addition to the work of a consistent performer it definitely is. — Lloyd Gedye