Harmonic 33 - "Extraordinary People"

Extraordinary People is a very welcome cd compilation of tracks that were released on two twelve-inch singles, Extraordinary People and Kaleidoscopic Sounds, and resequenced into a full-length album. Harmonic 33 rejoins Global Communications Mark Pritchard with his co-conspirator in the drum and bass unit Use of Weapons, Dave Brinkworth. Their previous collaboration was deep-rooted in drum n bass, but here they meld hip-hop beats with the trappings of easy-listening exotic lounge. "The Rain Song" and "The Holy Track" are the highlights of the album, featuring choral vocals, tinkling pianos and groovy percussion. "The Woodblock" showcases more of the hip-hop side of the pairing, with some furious vinyl scratching and sampled cut-up rap vocals. Chanteuse Kirsty Hawkshaw also makes an appearance, adding wordless yet moving vocals to the lounge-tronica "Underwater Lady". Very different from the library music that the two collaborators would go on to produce on Music For Film, Television, and Radio Volume One, Extraordinary People is a feather in the cap of Mark Pritchard's towering discography, comparable to Troubleman's excellent Time Out of Mind.

4 stars

Bohren Und Der Club of Gore - "Sunset Mission"

The music that Bohren makes has fallen under the heavy metal/doom rubric, but this is both inaccurate and unfair to the band and its music. While the former members of hardcore legends 7 Inch Boots, Chronical Diarrhea, and Macabre Farmhouse may have once played fast and heavy, on Sunset Mission they completely drop the metal overtones that appeared on Gore Motel and stand resolutely in the late-night jazz-noir camp. The cover of the album shows night descending on the wet streets of a residential/industrial landscape. The music included within is for a couple of hours later, when there is only darkness and the breath of a saxophone to keep you company. Reminiscent of Trevor Jones (Angel Heart) or Angelo Badalamenti's soundtrack work (especially for Mulholland Drive), BUDCOG relies on understated Fender Rhodes, piano, double bass, gentle brushwork on drums and a lilting tenor saxophone. Sounding like a long suite collectively improvised and not a collection of individually composed songs, Sunset Mission showcases the contributions of each member equally. Morten Gass stunning keyboard work is balanced by Christoph Closer's emotional tenor sax. Underlining each track are Thorsten Benning's subtle kit work and the slow-motion groove of Robin Rodenberg's double bass. And while it is easy to fall into hyperbole when describing Bohren's music, they themselves are masters of the restraint necessary for this type of jazz to work and be compelling. This is slow, dark, and especially lush jazz, perfect for a booth at the back of a narcoleptic lounge, with a cigarette slowly burning down past the filter, watching secret lies being passed between one-night lovers.

3.5 stars

Ether Aura - "Crash"

From the ashes of Detroit gothic rockers Caelum Bliss and the electro-tinged Deathgirl.com comes Ether Aura. Crash, their debut, is a stunning piece of neo-shoegaze dream-pop, an invigorating if slightly derivative mixture of Curve and Cocteau Twins. Opener "All Doves Grey" sets the table for the feast to come: Tony Hamera's soaring, fuzz-drenched guitar couples with Bret Haupt s equally distorted bass, William King's nimble kit work underlines and punctuates the vibe, and Kate Hinote's emotion-drenched vocals top everything off, evoking the blissed-out sound of early-period Lush. Over the course of eleven tracks, this would get perhaps a little tiring, but Ether Aura mix it up enough to keep the listener on their toes. "6 Days Yesterday" is a straight-up pop song that would have been huge if My Bloody Valentine had kept making records and paved the way for bands like this to become popular. "Falling" sounds like what Cocteau Twins should sound like, had they continued their sound past Milk and Kisses. Fans of the bands mentioned as comparators here will be pleased. This is well-executed shoegaze, and there s not much of that going around anymore.

3 stars