Bjorn Olsson: Instrumental Music (Omplatten)
Tagged "instrumental music to submerge in or disappear through", Bjorn Olsson and New Age noodling seem at first take to be bongs-and-bellbottoms brothers in arms. Yet (skinny-)dip further into this warmly mellow collection of sunny-side-up sound-scapes and dubbed-to-the-depth grooves and you'll begin to smile at the audacious masterpiece from Hallekind, Sweden. Tracks like Starry Night and Lullaby For Escapists are just as horizontal in sound and scope as their titles suggest wit Olsson forging a fine sweep of organic noises and moods to keep you in the mix. You may find this hard to come by in Irish record stores so try www.omplatten.com for mail order information.
- Jim Carroll
Soulwax: Much Against Everyone's Advice (PIAS)
The ingenious cover art, featuring a faux collection of vintage 45s, might mislead casual passers-by into thinking that Soulwax are some kind of funk collective, but this Belgian band is closer to alterno-American rock than to Motown or Stax. There's no shortage of soul, however, in this selection of ironic, inventive tunes, which include the communication-breakdown lament, Conversation Intercom, the analytical When Logics Die, and the cleverly-boxing Proverbial Pants. Led by funk soul brothers David and Stephen Dewaele, who also enjoy a parallel career as hip-hop DJs, Soulwax emerge as worthy rivals to that other bunch of Belgian leftfielders, dEUS.
- Kevin Courtney
Aimee Mann/Supertramp: Music from the motion picture Magnolia (Reprise)
Given the dodgy relationship between pop/rock soundtracks and movies (never mind the relevance, feel the hit), it is mighty odd to find a director who sees a bunch of songs as important. But Paul Thomas Anderson, who directed Magnolia, the acclaimed movie coming soon to a cinema near you, is a fan of Aimee Mann, the almost criminally neglected former Til Tuesday singer/ songwriter, and credits her with inspiring the movie. She contributes nine of the 12 tracks here, and though her own new solo album is due soon, still had enough of her inventive pop melodies and intelligent, incisive and unforgiving lyrics to spare for this essential collection. Check out Momentum, the insistent Driving Sideways and her closing offering, Save Me, for conclusive evidence of a remarkable talent in fine form.
- Joe Breen
Various Artists: Music from the Motion Picture Whatever Happened To Harold Smith? (EastWest)
You'll have to watch the movie to find out what happened to Harold, but if you want to know what happens when punk meets disco, you'll find them side by side on this soundtrack, which tosses the two most influential genres of the 1970s into a dance hall, locks the door and stands well clear. The Buzzcocks, The Sex Pistols, The Stranglers and The Clash sneer and slouch at one side of the room, while The Bee Gees, Tina Charles, Heatwave and The Real Thing preen and pose on the other side. Janus Stark attempts to fuse the two styles on a new version of Night Fever, which is like trying to put Johnny Rotten's hairstyle with Maurice Gibb's beard.
- Kevin Courtney