PRINCE
The rainbow children
The end of a long break? I know it's difficult to listen to any new Prince release without being skeptical. Since "Lovesexy" in 1988 he hasn't released anything that comes close in to past recordings in quality. Moveover, on the release of any record of his in the last decade we have been told that it was the best thing he'd done for years, up there on a par with "Parade" or "Sign of the Times". That made the resulting deception even harder to take. This is why I still don't want to start singing his praises to the four corners of the earth, but it seems that not all is lost just yet. The production is raw and the sound is excellent. "The Rainbow Children" is an exercise in love and admiration for past masters. You can feel the frenetic dancing of the great soul singer James Brown and the rippling energy of Little Richard ooze from the record.
JACK THE RIPPER
The book of lies
Made up of eight members, the group Jack The Ripper have fleshed out their live act in Paris clubs and theatres and have finally released their first record. Their song that shares its name with the group is an automatic reference point when it comes to classifying the type of music they play. Nick Cave springs to mind, but he's not the only one; Leonard Cohen, Goran Bregovic, Luna and The Walkabouts are another few examples of the type of sound on offer here. "A Prayer in Tango" is probably the best song on the record. This song, nestled amid the smoke enveloped strains of an Old European violin, succeeds in bridging the gap between Marlene Dietrich and Grace Jones. They switch to the shiver provoking Tom Waits type voice during other songs. Beautiful songs, a clear sound and carefully chosen esthetics (it seems some ands actually do care about that kind of thing).
FUGAZI
The argument
This Washington based band released their latest studio efforts on two separate discs at the end of last year. First to hit the racks in October was the EP called Furniture. This was followed by the album The Argument in November. Lots of us have always felt a nervous shiver of anticipation on the release of a new record by Fugagzi. Even though we know they won't come up with anything majorly different from what we expect or from what they've done before, we'll always find something that amazes us. This is exactly what happens this time round as well. Fugazi are always Fugazi but there's something new here, even if I can't put my finger on what it actually is. The likes of Epic Problem, The Kill and OH (all three to be found on The Argument) just whet the appetite in expectation of a new chance to see them live. Another quality disc from Fugazi. A great band.
PULP
We love life
Jarvis Cocker leaves the irony used on the previous record "This Is Hardcore" aside on this new record. He seems to want to take a sincere look at nature on "We Love Life". He sings; "Yeah, the trees, those useless trees produce the air that I am breathing. Yeah, the trees, those useless trees; they never said that you were leaving" on the wonderful single "The Trees". They chose Scott Walker as producer and the final result has certainly justified that choice. "We love Life" is an amazing pop album that couldn't but be included in all those "best of..." lists that appeared at the end of last year. It's one of those records that has the gift of making you forget all your troubles as you sink and slide down into the world of Pulp.
