This month I'm going to change things around a little bit. The vast majority of the music coming across my desk is from the United Kingdom. To be fair to the rest of the world of World Music, I have decided to split this column into two seperate entities. New World Records will continue to be the place for honest, straightforward reviews of music from around the world. Beginning this month however, a new feature called U.K. invasion will showcase music from the United Kingdom. Splitting the columns will give me the opportunity to expose you, the reader, to even more great music from around the globe.
For this month's NWR I have only one offering. K's choice is burning up the charts in Europe and beginning to break into the American airwaves as well. I'll give you a rundown of their latest disc, "Paradise in Me".  |
Belgium's K's Choice is already a big hit in Europe. Their disc, "Paradise in Me" has already gone Platinum in Belgium and Holland and has hit the top spot on the record charts in both countries as well. Here in America their first single, "Not an Addict" is getting some serious air play on alternative rock stations nationwide. The band's tour is speckling the whole country, so K's Choice may be coming soon to a venue near you.
Personally, I found "Paradise in Me" disappointingly boring at the start, but I'm happy to say it got better as the tracks progressed. The first song was the current single, "Not an Addict". While While I found the lyrics, depicting a drug user's denial, were intelligent and fresh, I thought the song itself was way too mechanical and almost downright monotonous. The next couple tracks weren't much better -- more or less a straightforward base line and an uninspired melody to accompany the lyrics, but I persevered. Both the songs "Paradise in Me" and "To this Day" are very interesting and set this album a notch above mediocre. Intelligent lyrics really save K's Choice:
The band is made up of Brother/Sister Sarah and Gert Bettens, Jan Van Sichem, Jr. and Bart Van Der Zeeuw.They were "discovered" last year by Alanis Morissette and opened for her on part of her U.S. tour. Over all, I would place "Paradise in Me" on a par with the the average Alternative band around today. This makes K's Choice, in this incarnation anyway, just a bit higher than dime-a-dozen on the rock band food chain. I do see something in this band however that many of the so-called run of the mill bands don't have and that is a real spark of potential. If K's choice inherits some stronger melodic direction, I believe they have the potential to become a very big, popular act."Breathe it in and breathe it out and pass it on, it's almost out We're so creative, so much more we're high above, but on the floor"
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When I hear the word 'eclectic' applied to music, I usually roll my eyes
and make an attempt to run away. A country group with a rock-n-roll sensibilities
is considered eclectic. A heavy metal band that features a canned violin
solo in the middle of an otherwise frighteningly violent song are considered
eclectic. It seems nobody knows what the word means anymore. Enter Faithless.
This foursome, made up of DJ's Rollo and DJ Sister Bliss, rapper Maxi Jazz
and songwriter Jamie Catto, have managed to put a totally new and different
spin on dance music. These folks really know how to rock the house and they
come by the label 'eclectic' honestly!
Interwoven into this ten-song offering is a Enigma-like ethereal music
that segues one song (and musical styling) into another with elegance and
an interesting flare. Hip Hop grooves are common throughout, but there is
a twist to the rhymes Maxi Jazz lays down. While the band doesn't come out
and promote themselves as "Christian" artists per-se, there is
a clear message of morality here, another facet of "Reverence"
that makes it so original.
I personally found "If Loving You is Wrong", a bluesy, sensual
track that screams for big-market air play, to be the best of the best on
"Reverence". I also liked "Baseball Cap", even though
the refrain sounds kind of childish and silly, the anti-gang, anti-violence
message in this song that starts with a boy losing his baseball cap to a
bunch of urban thugs, is uplifting. Tracks like this show that there is
room in the genre of Rap for more than the Gangsta lyrics we here with just
about every act out there today.
Sister Bliss and Rollo's resumes read like a musical Who's who. From
Pet Shop Boys to U2 to Roxy Music, these folks have been around the block
a few times and their maturity shows in the maturity of the music they create.
Diversity is the name of the game in this album (there's even an operatic
interlude!), but in this case the diversity does not dilute the final product,
it makes it even stronger. I recommend this disc highly to anyone who wants
to find the true meaning of eclectic and to anybody else who's looking for
something fun, interesting and high-quality.
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Marillion fans have been sharply divided since the band's original front
man (known simply as 'Fish') quit several years ago. Some purists believe
that the band has never been able to live up to its former glory since Fish's
departure. Others see the new front man, Steve Hogarth, as the catalyst
that has metamorphosed the band into something completely new and different.
I tend to side with the latter argument. With the addition of Hogarth the
band took off in a new and very different direction. "This Strange
Engine" is their fifth post-Fish studio release and it's every bit
as close to a masterpiece as any band will ever come.
"This Strange Engine" contains over an hour of new music, eight
songs in all. From start to finish this disc showcases a streamlined, more
mature Marillion than we have ever heard to date. The band's exceptional
musicianship is topped only by the commanding lyrics borne once again of
the mind-meld of Steve Hogarth and John Helmer. As usual, Mark Kelly's piano
and synth mastery creates rock-solid and totally unique soundscapes that
are more than a little refreshing in the rock environment which is all too
often bereft of keyboards any more. But just because Marillion isn't on
the cover of Kerrang magazine any more doesn't mean they've lost their edge,
it's just that the edge has been tempered into something a bit softer, but
no less stirring -- no less worth every penny you pay for this disc!
Though I can't find a punky song in the lot, three tunes really stand
out and make this disc the best thing I've heard in a long, long time. "Estonia"
is an emotional tribute to the scores who lost their lives in 1994 when
a ferry, crossing between the countries of Sweden and Estonia sank on rough
seas. Hogarth's lyrics shine on this track:
Marillion is currently touring the U.K. and Europe and rumors of a U.S. go-round later this summer abound. If the boys do return to the states, you won't want to miss their show. No matter if you're a fan or just looking for a casual night of music, you can't help but be drawn in by Marillion's stage presence. As the tours have wound their way around the world they have become much more comfortable with the homey atmosphere of the small clubs they play in the states. While in South America they may sell tens of thousands of tickets per gig, in New York City they might play to a club of a few hundred rabid fans. It's a great way to see a great band play some really great music!
