Rjinn

Requesting to join please? (with selecting albums too.)

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Trollheart

More than welcome to hop aboard. Shoot me a rec when you have the time and I'll add it to the queue.

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Rjinn

^ I'll pick Choose Your Weapon by Hiatus Kaiyote.

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Trollheart

OK, added.

I'm going to throttle membership (not literally) here. If anyone else wants to join they can, but they won't be able to select an album yet. We're now looking at going halfway through the year before the original members get to choose a second album, and I don't want that to drag on and on as others join. So anyone new joining, after Rjinn, can take part but won't be able to suggest an album until we've completed this round and started on the next. If that seems unfair, then you should have taken the chance to join earlier.

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Anteater

N.A.S.A. - The Spirit Of Apollo

So weird to see that Pitchfork only gave this 1.6/10 considering the talent involved, but I guess there's no accounting for taste. As far as an overall listening experience goes, things are a bit disorganized...but the production job is quite succint and when just the right mix of ideas come together on tracks like 'O Pato' and 'Way Down' you have a winning formula. Gorillaz meets The Thevery Corporation were my initial impressions overall, but there were too many disposable cuts (Money, Gifted, etc.) that weaken the big picture a bit for me.

5 out of 10

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Pet_Sounds

I don't expect to choose an album, as I've been away so long. Additionally, I'll only be active for a couple of weeks, then I'm off again. But if the rules allow me to, then by all means I will.

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OccultHawk

Anteater and ISP- both of whom mentioned the Pitchfork review- I have to say I think the reviewer was trying to make a point or something. It's not THAT bad.

Trollheart

I got to be honest, when I saw the album title I was thinking another Bootsy. That's not necessarily bad, but what I ended up with was a superb, engaging and interesting album that really has no bad tracks. I mean, I've listened to it seven times now and every time I just want to hit repeat when I get to the end.

1. What were your VERY FIRST impressions on listening to the album, say from the first five minutes in?
Hey this is instrumental. Not so much funk, more world music I'd say, but I love it.

2. What did you think of the opening track?
Sounded very Indian, or maybe Arabic, not sure. The percussion was great. Really hypnotic.

3. What did you think of the next track?
This has vocals and is, if possible, better than the opener.

4. Did you like the vocalist? Hate him/her? Any impressions?*(see note 1)
There were several, but I liked them all.

5. Did the music (only) generally appeal to you, or not?*(see note 2)
Goddamn, yes.

6. Did the album get better or worse as you listened to it (first time)?
Just kept getting better. Great as the opening tracks are I think it really hits its stride about halfway, from “Nanny Jee” on.

7. What did you think of the lyrical content?
I kind of concentrated on the music more. Not sure what the lyrics were to be honest but that didn't detract from my enjoyment of the album.

8. Did you like the instrumental parts?*(see note 3)
Oh yeah. Fantastic.

9. What did you think of the production?
Seems clean ?

10. Did you know of this artiste prior to listening to the album, and if so, did that foreknowledge colour your perception of this album?
Never 'eard of him.

11. Is this, generally, the kind of music you listen to or not?
Usually, no, but I'd certainly be prepared to hear more of this.

12. Assuming you listened to the album more than once, on repeated listens, did you find you liked the album more, or less?
I loved it more with each listen. The first album here, I think, that I may listen to AFTER the review is done, just for pleasure.

13. What would you class as your favourite track(s), if you have any?
Everything, but especially “Nanny Jee”, “Iceberg”, “Booja”, “The mighty Atlas”

14. And the one(s) you liked least?
Not a single one

15. If the album in question is a debut, did that fact allow it, in your mind, any leeway, and if so, was that decision justified or vindicated?*(see note 4)
n/a

16. Are you now looking forward to hearing more from this artiste, if you have not heard any of their other material?
Very much so

17. Were you surprised by your reaction - positive or negative - to the album?
I was, but I'm beginning to trust Psy more on his recs.

18. Did the album end well?
Two short instrumentals ended it very well. Okay, the last wasn't exactly an instrumental, more a chant, but still great.

19. Do you see any way the album could have been improved?
Impossible

20. Do you think the album hung together well, ie was a fully cohesive unit, or was it a bit hit-and-miss?
I found it hung together very well.

Happy to give this my first 10/10

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innerspaceboy

Shawn Lee’s Ping Pong Orchestra - World of Funk (2011)

World of Funk is a highly-engaging triumph of world-infused funk. From the opening seconds of the record, the instrumentation is instantly intriguing. Shawn Lee holds nothing back with an impressively vast array of instruments here, and assisting musicians aside, Lee is quite a one-man show. Elliot Bergman plays kalimba, Stuart Bogie on alto clarinet, Andy Ross is on flute and saxophone, Michael Leonhart plays cornet, trumpet, mellophone, and vibraphone and Dom Glover is on trumpet. But Lee steals the show playing sitar, ektar, balaphone, tanpura, kalimba, steel drum, castanets, cithara, vibraphone, xylophone, bulbul tarang, charango, bouzoki, talking drum, and udu all over this record, giving it a rich, dimensional worldly flavor. The five vocalists further contribute to its brilliance with echo-laden eastern-influenced crooning and a sprinkling of funky tropicalia.

The album offers a lush textural soundscape which classies up any space it occupies - a rich sonic wallpaper deserving of the attention of any aspiring bohemian.

“Nao Vacila” is a powerfully funky track, with Bardo Martinez on the organ and bluesy guitar from Clutchy Hopkins, and Michael Leonhart firing off shots on the trumpet. And the fun low-fi retro-Latin stylings of “La Eterna Felicidad” would be perfectly at home on a record by A Band of Bees. The organ really locks in this track as a slow-groover.

From start to finish, this is a tour-de-force of heady, fat-bottomed funk with enough going on to keep you tuned in and jiving for the entirety of its nearly hour-long span. This is definitely an album worth picking up.

9/10

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OccultHawk

World of Funk - Shawn Lee's Ping-Pong Orchestra

This album bites off more than it can chew and ends up pretty boring. It's like Yma Sumac trying to create a James Bond Soundtrack (except that would be cool)

3/10