CD SELECTIONS
by Neil Atherton

The Cinematic Orchestra
“Every Day”
(Ninja Tune/Pias)

Where would we be without musicians like Jason Swinscoe? Lost in a manufactured world of saccharine pop stars most likely, but that’s another story… A former London pirate-radio DJ, Swinscoe sounds far from his roots with this band, a veritable orchestra encapsulating a shimmering cinematic quality that needs to be heard to be believed. But his polished method of production involves more than meets the ear. Firstly, he’ll play the band some samples, get them to jam around with them, then record that and re-sample and sequence the results, meaning that the impossible becomes possible, the beautiful becomes reality. A magical feeling reigns over the entirety of this album, from the opening notes of Rhodri Davis’ harp to the closing snatches of Patrick Carpenter’s fuzzy electronics. In between there is the sublime voice of Chicago soul diva Fontella Bass on “All That You Giv”’ and the wordsmith Roots Manuva’s elegantly rhymed flow on “All Things To All Men.” The impetus behind the album originates in “Man With The Movie Camera,” a track commissioned for Dziga Vertov’s Russian avant-garde film of the same name. “Evolution,” again featuring the vocals of Fontella Bass, is also linked to the movie. The Cinematic’s 1999 debut “Motion” was described as one of the most innovative and brilliant albums ever released by Ninja Tune. “Every Day” is guaranteed equal, if not higher praise. Out May 13


Seelenluft
“Out of the Woods”
(Klein/M10)

When your surname’s Solèr and you name your son Beat, you’re probably already penning the press release of your offspring’s musical career before his first diaper change. But apparently Beat is a popular name in Zurich, from where Mr Solèr, aka Seelenluft hails. Signed to Vienna’s Klein Records, Seelenluft is an off-beat “compositor,” using his laptop's Sampler-ROM-Player to construct his songs instead of sampling old records. That means he can travel the world making music as he goes along — a bit like a mobile disco. When he went to Compton in South Central LA, Solèr met up with 12-year-old boy wonder Michael Smith, who lays down a quirky set of lyrics on “Manila.” As one of the stand-out tracks on the record, its funky, cheeky meter and slapped-out double-bass lines extol the wacky antics of his alter-ego, the imaginary trumpet player, Silvercity-Bob. Imaginary musicians aside, Seelenluft has established a rich, organic sound, despite conducting, as he puts it, a “hard-disk freeform orchestra.” Out May 21


The Strawberry Smell
“Odorama”
(Spirit/Mosaic)

The Strawberry Smell are endowed with all the qualities of a band that could make it big in Japan: they’ve got a terrible name, they’re unknown in Europe and they play the kind of mod-pop that would, in retrospect, embarrass Blur. But scratch the surface of the comical, space-kitsch cover art and you’ll discover an album that borrows as much from the ’60s psychedelia of the Kinks, as the sunny West Coast sound of The Beach Boys. In other words, The Strawberry Smell are actually quite good. And they’re French. Opening track “Zensong#9” fuses retro-futurist guitars, long groovy bass lines and vintage organ harmonics, making it an instant sing-along hit. “Friends of Da Teenage” is equally charismatic, with the horn arrangement at the end reminiscent of something off the Beatles’ “Sgt. Pepper.” Then there is “Balthazar,” a swaggering rock’n’roll number with more attitude than a Gallagher brother playing “I am the Walrus.” In fact, every track has something to it — you’ve just got to look past the obsession with smell to hear it. Out now


Waldeck
“The Night Garden — Reflowered”
(Dope Noir/BMG)

Last year, Viennese producer Klaus Waldeck released “The Night Garden” in time with several other similar sounding albums from the likes of Jori Hulkkonen, Royksopp etc. The common factor was their coldness and sense of isolation, which, considering their Scandinavian/Austrian backgrounds, was quite normal. Looking to redefine the melancholy of those previous records, the premise of this album is a “what if” scenario, where Waldeck asks himself what would have happened if, instead of recording the original tracks during the long, dark Austrian winter, he had invited a bunch of friends over to jam at his place on a warm summer’s day. The result is inevitably a more joyous cast of upbeat, mid-tempo remixes, with reinterpretations coming from a host of Waldeck’s invites. Matthew Herbert’s mix of “Tears Running Dry” is a perfect example of the latter’s up-sampling technique, cutting up digital snippets of Joy Malcolm’s vocal and layering them on a backdrop of beats manufactured using the same method. A majestic version of “I Talk to the Wind” by French porno-folk producer Kid Loco, retains the original’s mellow atmosphere, adding a sultry trumpet and glockenspiel combination to a slow chugging backbeat. So, “Reflowered” — not so much a withered bouquet of “what-could-have-beens,” but a fertile blossoming of “what was into what is.” Out May 22

Plus…

Chill Out in Miami
(George V/Wagram)
With the Miami Winter Music Conference behind us and the summer looming on the horizon, what better way to warm up than with a splash of Miami sunshine? “Give Me The Sunshine” by Leo’s Sunshipp is a funk track made with this in mind, as is Jazzanova’s “Bohemian Sunset” or Afterlife’s “Breather 2000,” a tune almost as slick as the pink thong on the cover.

Brazil 70s Vol. 3
(Superclasse)
Think bossa nova, samba, Latin-jazz. Think Pelé! Brazil circa 1970… a riot of carnivals, fiestas and parties. This compilation from the Parisian Superclasse label, is the soundtrack to that era, albeit with some of the lesser-known artists of the day. But that’s not a bad thing — spot the samples borrowed by contemporary musicians on Luiz Enrique’s “Mas Que Nada,” or Joao Donato’s piano, a contributor to the music of Joao Gilberto.

Delly’s Bar French Rock Sessions
(M/Next)
While Paris’ designer-clad barflies and lounge lizards sink into their white leather sofas at the Hôtel Costes or get lost in the ethnic head music at the Buddha Bar, bearded devotees of “La Nouvelle Scène du Rock Français” are busy stubbing out another roll-up on the floor at the bar of Le Dellys, next to the Gare du Nord. For this is where the accordeon-rockers of Debout sur le Zinc, Les Hurlements d’Leo and Padam strut their stuff, proving that Paris isn’t all about looking cool and sounding international.