CIBO MATTO - 'HOTEL VALENTINE'

Formats

• CHIM24 - LP

  616892177647

• CHIM24CD - CD

  616892177746

Details

From New York via Tokyo, Miho Hatori & Yuka Honda formed one of the most beloved and critically-acclaimed bands of the late 90s. Cibo Matto pioneered post-genre freakout, spiking their wild pop songs with rap, funk, Brazilian, African, Latin, jazz, etc. long before the iPod shuffle arrived. In their short two-record career, they graced 7 magazine covers, and their albums were picked in Spin magazine's Top Albums of the 90s and Time magazine's Best Hip Hop Albums of All Time. Immortalized on an early episode of Buffy The Vampire Slayer and on a Best of Cibo Matto cd on Rhino Records, the two continued to record projects both pop and avant garde. Miho guested on three Beastie Boys songs, and sang the role of Noodle with the Gorillaz, including lead vocals on the worldwide hit "19-2000." Yuka recorded 3 electronic albums for John Zorn's Tzadik Records and collaborated with Yoshimi (Boredoms) and jazz great Dave Douglas. Picking up where they'd left off, the reunited Cibo Matto have made their most impressive and cinematic album, packed with kaleidoscopic grooves, demented horns, crazy synthesizers and funky-but-chic blasts of pure dance-ability. Look for amazing videos of "MFN (Motherfucking Nature)" and "Hotel Valentine." Recommended for fans of Gorillaz, Bjork, Santigold, Janelle Monáe 

Tracks

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Audio & Video

GLENN BRANCA - 'LESSON NO: 1'

Formats

• SV039 - 2x12"

  857176003393

Details

After cutting his teeth in the late ’70s no wave scene with bands Theoretical Girls and The Static, Glenn Branca made his first solo statement, Lesson No. 1, in 1980. The inaugural release on legendary post-punk / dance label 99 Records, Lesson No. 1 unveiled Branca’s visionary guitar concepts with two monstrous, side-long compositions that helped forge NYC’s downtown art-punk sound and acted as a massive influence on countless young groups, including Sonic Youth and Swans. The title track is easily Branca’s most accessible moment; its driving beat and interlocking patterns resemble German pioneers Neu! playing Phillip Glass. Never before (or since) has minimalism sounded so euphoric. “Dissonance” is the A-side’s polar opposite. Dark, skittish and unhinged, Branca leads his band (guitar, keyboard, bass, drums and sledgehammer) through block after block of industrial terror, leaving listeners drained in the process. Soon after the release of Lesson No. 1, Branca began to work on ambitious, long-form symphonies. “Bad Smells,” included here as a single-sided bonus 12-inch, was commissioned in 1982 as a dance piece for choreographer Twyler Tharp and originally released on a split LP with John Giorno. Featuring Sonic Youth guitarists Lee Ranaldo and Thurston Moore, “Bad Smells” is a thrilling multi-section guitar assault that foretells much of Branca, Ranaldo and Moore’s work for the next decade.

Tracks

1. Lesson No. 1 for Electric Guitar
2. Dissonance
3. Bad Smells

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Audio & Video

FRANK FAIRFIELD - 'DUNCAN & BRADY'

Formats

• TMR244 - 7"

Details

Third Man Records’ first Blue Series single of the year (TMR244) is a dark and delirious slice of new American Primitive from the modern master of the form, FRANK FAIRFIELD. For the uninitiated, Frank is a Fresno, California native (and now Los Angeles resident) and a genius on the fiddle, guitar, banjo who possesses a broken soulful voice that perfectly reflects the tragedy and damnation of the subject matter reflected in the timeless American music that he’s made his stock and trade through his albums on Tompkins Square, and through countless tours from coast to coast. On side A Frank delivers his unique take on the traditional murder ballad "Duncan & Brady," which details a barroom shooting of police officer James Brady in St. Louis back in 1890. The song has been interpreted a number of times over the years from a wide range of luminaries, including Leadbelly, Bob Dylan, Dave Van Ronk and Judy Henske. The B side finds Frank switching up from the guitar to the fiddle and being accompanied by Zac Sokolow also on fiddle performing "Devil’s Dream Medley." "Devil’s Dream Medley" blends the duo fiddles with vocal elements from the song June Apple, popularized by Wade Ward and Doc Watson. Lastly, overseas fans can check out Frank’s current tour dates below including UK and Spain with Cass McCombs! 01/08 Bristol, UK Colston Hall w/ Cass McCombs 01/09 Glasgow, UK CCA w/ Cass McCombs 01/10 Manchester, UK Deaf Institute w/ Cass McCombs 01/11 Leeds, UK Howard Assembly Room 01/13 London, UK Queen Elizabeth Hall w/ Cass McCombs 01/14 Cardiff, UK Gwidihw 01/16 Kilkenny, IE Cleere’s 01/17 Dundalk, IE Spirit Store 01/18 Dublin, IE The Grand Social

Tracks

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