Michael Rother
Sterntaler
(Water)
For all their influence, Michael Rother's Krautrock outfits Neu! and Harmonia have made little dent in the U.S. It's a welcome surprise his first four solo albums received deluxe reissues. These classic instrumental albums are collaborations with Can drummer Jaki Liebzeit and producer Conny Plank. Sterntaler is the pick of the litter for its perfect mix of propulsion and texture, but all the albums deliver blissful tunes built from insistent minimalist grooves and layers of chiming guitar melodies. They highlight Rother's prodigious talent for marrying pillowy guitar textures and biting twang. None of the solo work quite scales the heights of his previous bands, but anyone interested in the collision of rock, ambient and electronica will find them effortlessly enchanting.
—Jeff Jackson
John McKinstry
Goliath Falling
(Mojo Brand Music)
Upon hearing the first track ("Devil I Know") on John McKinstry's debut solo album, I was first reminded of our own Valley native Ray Mason. His vocals have also been compared to Roger Daltrey's. That's definitely apparent; but it's weird to hear a voice you could swear was the same one that sang "Who the fuck are you!?" doing mostly a bizarre combination of Canadian pop-rock, Euro-ska and Van Morrison-style, horn-laced Americana, with a little Bob Marley, Jimmy Buffet and CCR thrown in. Imagine Hank Williams, Jr. singing with The Specials. Still, nearly every song on this album has a totally different feel from the next.
—Tom Sturm
Portishead
Third
(Mercury)
Portishead's first studio album in over a decade impressively retools their sound without jettisoning what made them memorable. They've added abrasive edge to the soulful brand of trip-hop embraced by caf?s the world over. The percussive swells of "Silence," brutal electro-shocks of "Machine Gun," and unnerving glitch soundscapes of "Plastic" are ingenious touches. Beth Gibbon's haunting vocals remain the trio's anchor, but also its Achilles heel. Her miserablist lyrics and dour delivery occasionally become one-dimensional, though most often her voice is simply another piece of an intricate sonic puzzle that balances simplicity and maniacal attention to detail. Third delivers cafe music for after the customers have left, leaving the staff to contemplate dreams in the dark.
—Jeff Jackson
Kallet, Epstein & Cicone
Heartwalk
(Overall Music)
In time for the spring flowers comes the year's most gorgeous album. Cindy Kallet, Ellen Epstein and Michael Cicone have delighted audiences since 1981, but this collection of close harmonies takes entertainment to ethereal levels. Songs such as "Farthest Field" and "Holy Now" are religion-free spirituals; "My Heart is Ready" could have come from the South African townships; and even silly songs like "When the Traffic Light's Red" are works of sublime grace. The trio is unique in that the lowest voice is Kallet's and the sweetest is Cicone's, with Epstein often filling the middle ranges. Cicone's lead on "Frobisher Bay" has the dulcet quality of a Broadway lead. The instrumentation is mostly sparse or altogether absent. Label this one sheer beauty, sheer joy.
—Rob Weir
