Sound Bites

The Minus 5 and Wilco “Down With Wilco” Yep
Roc Records

It’d be a mistake to label Jeff Tweedy of Tweedy’s
Wilco as the new forebear of post-millennial solemnity. Though he
released one of the most poignant records of last year, the former
alt-country forefather has made a career of donning masks, and even
singing about the very act of doing so. But if you dig deep enough
you may just find a restless kid within. That voice of willful
disaffectation is both parts morose and playful. Plus it really is
hard to take seriously some one who looks so much like a cat. Songs
about the “ashes of American flags” and of murdering
lovers aside, slap a jester’s hat and tutu on the guy and
he’d probably keep you entertained all night. That said, it
should be of no surprise that the most famous backing band right
now (Tweedy’s Wilco) would take the time to lend the Minus 5
a hand and release the best feel-good album of 2003. The closest
sisters to “Down With Wilco” ““ the historic and
histrionic “Mermaid Avenues””“ evoke the same kind
of restless spirit that reinforces their roots ““ rock roots.
But Young Fresh Fellow/unofficial 4th or 5th R.E.M. member Scott
McCaughey (the man behind Minus 5) is no Woody Guthrie, he’s
no Jay Farrar, he isn’t even a Ryan Adams. A wannabe jester
by trade, McCaughey is just about as witty as a can of beans.
McCaughey turns the laff-track down to bearable levels on this one,
settling for a restrained carnivalesque soundscape with nods to the
Beatles and the Beach Boys, but steeped very much in ’70s
garage rock psychedelia. Wilco returns to the summery aesthetic,
notably with the synth effects and harmonies in “Retrieval of
You.” This is hardly essential listening, neither is it a
particular progression in McCaughey’s career. But it’s
a nice reminder that his feline friend still knows how to have some
fun. Rather, he never forgot. -Andrew Lee

DJ Krush “The Message at the Depth” Red Ink
Records

I wanted to love this album. Or at least, hate it. It’s
just I’m so tired of entirely unoffensive, forgettably
scratchtastic outings that ultimately sound the same. So with this
in mind I dove into this, the latest offering from Japanese
turntablist/producer DJ Krush. And for awhile I thought I might be
in luck. The first song, “Trihedron” opens the album
with a skittering beat, a sort of junglized version of
mid-’90s Aphex Twin. Later, the beat normalizes to more
traditional trip-hop/turntable fare, but is laid against a
fantastically dark, minimalist soundscape that simultaneously
recalls the best of DJ Shadow and Twin’s fellow IDM pioneers
mu-Ziq. Sadly, on the second track, Krush falls into the trap that
has lured countless other talented producers with equally ruinous
results. That trap, of course, is the dreaded guest vocalist. The
song “Taki No Tabiji 9 (Journey of Time)” sets 6 1/2
minutes of rhyming that never changes feel against a repetitive
beat that also never changes. The remainder of the record moves
between brilliant production and derivative repetition. The vocals
are similarly uneven. Notable tracks include “Supreme
Team” featuring Anti-Pop Consortium. This is where Krush is
at his productive best, creating interesting beat environments that
do a good job complementing the vocalists with him. If only the
whole album was this good. -Dan Crossen