ShareThis"THE CAMEL'S BACK," Psapp (Domino)
Of course a playful act like Psapp would prank listeners.
The London-based duo teases at a strikingly different direction on its new "The Camel's Back." Carim Clasmann and Galia Durant are known for an effervescent sound built on quirky percussion, fizzy electro and Durant's detached singing. But opening track "I Want That" taps into a funk/jazz sensibility keyed to saxophone and Durant's warm delivery, while subsequent cut "Part Like Waves" has a vivacious, tropical tone and a string quartet.
What happened to the act that created its offbeat music from found sounds, skittering synthetic rhythms and coolly deadpanned vocals? The Psapp that came up with the "Grey's Anatomy" theme and subsequent semi-breakout 2006 release, "The Only Thing I Ever Wanted"?
Well, that Psapp eventually resurfaces on its new project as track after track hustles, rustles and shuffles down a music assembly line befitting Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory, with its mirthful nature and eccentric flourishes like the plunging-beat backdrop for Durant's sweet vocals on "Fix It" and tribal-rhythm explosion on "Mister Ant." Then there's the irrepressible charm of "The Monster Song" that's chunky, but light and tart, like aural pineapple.
Considering the inorganic foundation of so many of its arrangements, Psapp impresses with the depth of humanity it imbues in "The Camel's Back" -- so much so that the lackluster piano ballad "Screws" sounds forced and extraneous.
Meanwhile, the duo signs off with the jumping and jiving about-face "Parker," because the best way to be fresh is to be unpredictable.
Rating (five possible): 3-1/2
"INSURGENTES," Steven Wilson (K-Scope)
Steven Wilson didn't have to branch out with a solo side project from Porcupine Tree to make a point. Yet the founder and songwriter of the English prog-rock band did so all the same on "Insurgentes."
Not surprisingly, there are elements of Porcupine Tree throughout the solo release. But there are also traces of everything from old Pink Floyd and King Crimson to Nine Inch Nails and Radiohead.
"Insurgentes" is ponderous and dark, rife with textured ambience of all stripes, be they the shrill stabs of electric guitar on the track "No Twilight" or the faint elements (keyboards, vocals and fill noise) on a "Get All You Deserve" that eventually blooms with fuzz.
Wilson certainly knows his way around cinematic sound architecture. He methodically constructs a Gothic base for "Only Child" with a brooding slow burn, and the acoustic guitar that stretches over the syncopated rhythm of "Abandoner" is the perfect nuance for the song's ghostly march.
Although he leans toward a downcast atmosphere of narcotic dreaminess or psychedelic surrealism, Wilson plays his metallic hand with fits of industrialism, shaking off any overdose of trance.
Also, in keeping with Porcupine Tree, Wilson tends to overdo, using more drama than some tracks call for and wringing every note when subtler touches would be more effective. He also engages in false fades and gratuitous resurrections.
Ultimately, "Insurgentes" is derivative and a tad overlong, but evocative and skillfully executed.
Rating: 3-1/2
"HERE AND NOW," Taxi Doll (Antidote Media)
If Taxi Doll sounds familiar, perhaps you've heard the Los Angeles band's music on TV shows ("The Hills," "Laguna Beach," "CSI: NYC") and movies ("John Tucker Must Die," "Firewall"). Or perhaps it's simply because the group's sound is so obvious.
That's not condemnation. The indie, but well-connected, pop/electronic group is accessible in all the right ways on its new "Here and Now." The arrangements are clean and hook-oriented, and lead singer Dhana (pronounced "Donna") has a timeless pop voice -- girlish and tuneful, but not grandiose.
"Here and Now" isn't the most adventurous artistic statement, but it's broadly appealing.
The sparkling melody of "A Little More Love," the snappy, up-tempo encouragement of "Follow Lead," the low-key sensuality of "Give You More" and the old-school sass of the slapping "Come to Me" are all enticements to the addictive, dance-friendly mix. These cuts are high-tech revamps of classic pop-music structure.
Even lesser tracks are executed with finesse -- the prettiness of "Notice Me" shimmers through the over-processed treatment, for example, and the exotic darkness of "Strange Rush" emanates from its underdeveloped base.
A few other songs, including the cosmic-reggae title track and the light-funk "Soft Kill," are serviceable filler, and only one, the enervating (and apparently requisite) slow track "Winter," is an outright clunker.
This isn't one for the ages, but it'll do for the here and now.
Rating: 3-1/2
(E-mail Chuck Campbell of The Knoxville News-Sentinel in Tennessee at Campbell(at)knews.com.)
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