Joe Meek & the Blue Men - I Hear a New World (1991)

Freak-out concept album about life in outer-space from freaked-out genius/psychopath Joe Meek. Uses instruments 'of this world' to create otherworldly soundscapes/vibes and so it's Chipmunks in space or Hawaiian jams in space or music from your lounge in space. It freaks me the fuck out. Whether that's because Meek was a freak (rhyme!) and this shit is a straight vision of his insanity, or because it's actually pretty awesome in places (Love Dance of the Saroos) as it blends instantly recognizable retro sounds with the anxiety/alienation of the unknown, I have no idea. All I know is I will never play it at night.

C+

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Antônio Carlos Jobim - Wave (1967)

1. Wave 2:50

2. The Red Blouse 5:00

3. Look to the Sky 2:15

4. Batidinha 3:12

5. Triste 2:02

6. Mojave 2:20

7. Dialogo 2:48

8. Lamento 2:41

9. Antigua 3:05

10. Captain Bacardi 4:27

Happy long weekend. Sit back and chill out in the sun and watch a giraffe running off into the pink/purple/orange distance. It's Jobim's best.

A+

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Kruder & Dorfmeister - The K&D Sessions (1998)

1.1 Roni Size - Heroes (Kruder's Long Loose Bossa) 6:30

1.2 Alex Reece - Jazz Master (K&D Session) 8:20

1.3 Count Basic - Speechless (Drum 'n' Bass) 6:37

1.4 Rockers Hi-Fi - Going Under (Main Version) (K&D Session) 8:37

1.5 Bomb the Bass - Bug Powder Dust (K&D Session) 7:20

1.6 Aphrodelics - Rollin' on Chrome (Wild Motherfucker Dub) 5:39

1.7 Depeche Mode - Useless (K&D Session) 6:13

1.8 Count Basic - Gotta Jazz 5:32

1.9 Trüby Trio - Donaueschingen (Peter Kruder's Donaudampfschifffahrtsgesellschaftskapitänskajütenremix) 6:55

1.10 Lamb - Trans Fatty Acid (K&D Session) 8:33

2.1 David Holmes - Gone (K&D Session) 8:29

2.2 Sofa Surfers - Sofa Rockers (Richard Dorfmeister Remix) 4:30

2.3 Mama Oliver - Eastwest (Stoned Together) 5:11

2.4 Bomb the Bass - Bug Powder Dust (Dub) 6:20

2.5 Boogie Woogie 3:20

2.6 Sin - Where Shall I Turn (K&D Session) 5:53

2.7 Bone Thugs-N-Harmony - 1st of tha Month (K&D Session) 5:49

2.8 Lexicon 1:06

2.9 Knowtoryous - Bomberclaad Joint (K&D Session) 3:47

2.10 Rockers Hi-Fi - Going Under (Evil Love and Insanity Dub) 4:30

2.11 Strange Cargo - Million Town (K&D Session) 7:32

While Kruder & Dorfmeister remained unwilling to release a "proper" album even several years after their breakout, The K&D Sessions is proof positive they're still doing what they do best -- making the most blissfully blunted music the world has ever heard. The two-disc set is first and foremost a K&D mix album, to add to the two they'd already released. It's also a remix collection, though; each of the 21 tracks are reworkings (by Kruder, Dorfmeister, or both) for artists including Roni Size, Lamb, David Holmes, Bomb the Bass, Depeche Mode, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, Sofa Surfers, and Count Basic. As could be expected, The K&D Sessions is earthy, downtempo and acid-based, even moreso than previous mix albums by the pair. The pinging vocal samples that echo through the duo's remix of "Bug Powder Dust" by Bomb the Bass prove amply that Kruder & Dorfmeister have a better handle on 21st-century dub techniques than any other producers out there, and the impossibly deep beats on almost every track simply couldn't have been recorded by any other act. Yes, it's a bit of a shame that the pair still hadn't released an album of own-productions, but with (re)mix albums this stunning and accomplished, Kruder & Dorfmeister hardly needed one to gain respect.
-AMG

B