Inc.
3
(4AD)
The debut EP by brothers Daniel and Andrew Aged (formerly of Teen Inc.) is a teaser for a possible forthcoming album. Despite coming in at three tracks, the record does little to stir anticipation for a full-length release. Opening number “Swear” uses heavy bass beats over keyboard flourishes and falsetto vocals, but moves around too much rhythmically to establish a danceable groove. Elsewhere, “Millionairess” brings in cello and piano, but saves its most interesting moments for a contra bass clarinet that weaves in and out of the mix. Lyrically, the two craft repeated odes to sex and love, but more often than not their words are lost amid unneeded studio tricks. “I feel like we’re throwing things out there in a way that confuses in the right way and maybe offers a different look,” says Andrew. Let’s hope future attempts focus less on confusion and more on musical refinement. —Michael Cimaomo
Poly Styrene
Generation Indigo
(Future Noise Music)
Poly Styrene, one of rock’s most indelible vocalists, was lead singer and mastermind behind X-Ray Spex, among the greatest bands of the British punk scene. It’s a shame Generation Indigo is only her second solo disc. Belatedly following up 1980’s charming and underrated Translucence, this album also engages the pop music of the moment with cheeky humor, deceptively simple melodies and idiosyncratic songwriting. Its up-to-the-second sonics could appeal to Lily Allen fans, from the robot skank of “Code Pink Dub” to the propulsively catchy electro of “I Luv Ur Sneakers,” the mechanized raga of “Colour Blind” and the grinding rock of “Thrash City.” Sadly, Styrene passed away from cancer just as the album was released. But the music’s joyful spirit is a testament to her ability both to critique consumer society and pop disposability and to find transcendence in its most plastic grooves. —Jeff Jackson
Nikki Lane
Walk of Shame
Iamsound
Nikki Lane’s Walk of Shame is more like a “walk of pride” for the high school dropout turned country singer/songwriter. The second album released by the Greenville, South Carolina native harks back to female country idols like Loretta Lynn, Patsy Cline and Dolly Parton. Lane may not have Loretta’s voice or Dolly’s, well, assets, but she holds her own with a series of ballads about love and life in lower class America, heartache, leaving and longing. What’s most appealing about Lane’s music is her bold vocal style and her personality, which are both strongly represented on tracks like “Gone, Gone, Gone,” and the title song “Walk of Shame.” Her story-songs are drawn from her own experiences growing up in a small Southern town, and from different hardships and heartaches which seem to have resulted from later life in Los Angeles. —Rachel Dougherty
