Overlooked Alternatives: new releases for May 31, 2005

I've always had this sneaking suspicion that Tuesday releases following a major Monday US holiday tend to be the things the labels were thinking wouldn't cause much of a ruckus if they didn't reach shelves that day, perhaps due to shipping delays, lazy music-store staff, etc. It seems like these days are when a bunch of smaller things get released that might be so overshadowed by a normal week's release that they're given a much better chance of attracting attention on weeks like this. Maybe in Britain that new Oasis album is a big deal, but here in the US it seems to register as a pretty minor release this week - but it is, by far, the biggest name on the roster. However, there's a few really choice, but much more minor ones as well:

New Releases:

Better Than Ezra: Before the Robots - I guess it's not cool to enjoy BTE, but they've been putting out consistently solid albums of N'awlins-tinged pop-rock for the better part of a decade now, and they put on one heck of a good live show. I know pretty much nothing of this new release - my wife is the big Ezra fan in the house - but they make mention of robots, and robots automatically score you a few extra points in my book. I do know that they've rerecorded "A Lifetime" from their previous album, Closer, apparently because they thought it deserved the exposure it wasn't afforded when their previous label folded.

Four Tet: Everything Ecstatic - On the past Four Tet albums, Keiran Hebden explored folktronica, which is an intriguing genre based around using samples of live instruments to create electronic music. The techniques Hebden employs result in a highly organic sound - something much more emotional than typical electronic music. The hip-hop beats and cut-up acoustic guitars, pianos, and percussion, among other distinctive traits, identified his sound but these hallmarks of the style have become more commonplace lately as aural backdrops for commercials and movies. This time around, however, Hebden forgoes the emphasis on organic sources and instead relies on his formidable talent and hopes his natural sound comes to the surface, as Everything Ecstatic is awash more with sounds and styles that Aphex Twin fans may already be too familiar with. For someone with such an innovative style and sound, it seems a step backwards to embrace something that had already been done before - and so well. But perhaps that's the brilliance behind his effort this time around - by treading well-worn ground, Hebden may just find fertile ground somewhere between the tracks to start something new.

Article Author: Tom Johnson

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