Ancient Astronauts - Into Bass and Time

That’s a sick beat! What else you got?

Fairly or unfairly, this is a typical reaction when I listen to electronic music. For me, good music is about a number of things, but above all else, it’s about creativity. What are you doing that the guy before you didn’t already do? And when it comes to electronica and hip-hop—much of which is often sampled from other sources—there needs to be an even greater effort put towards not simply mashing together a collection of other people’s work, setting it on loop and calling it original. In other words, when constructing songs using a variety of samples, there needs to be something that not only distinguishes the song as original but also establishes an identity for the artist.

I might feel differently and cut a little more slack if it weren’t for the number of groups that have been incredibly successful at riding that balance between sampling and originality, all while creating a flavor that is distinctively theirs. Fatboy Slim and The Roots come to mind right away, and even lesser known groups like Thievery Corporation and Jurassic 5 have been able to create that unique sound without abandoning the fundamentals. Even more recently, bands like Disco Biscuits and Sound Tribe Sector 9 (STS9) have taken it a step further by, like The Roots, using instruments in addition to electronics and turntables, while also adding a heavy improvisational element.

Which brings us to the matter at hand: Ancient Astronauts and their sophomore release Into Bass and Time. This little-known duo from Cologne, Germany, named after a belief that extraterrestrial beings visited Earth in ancient times to mingle and trade ideas with early human civilizations, has produced a 15-track “journey” that is long on potential but short on execution. While in total the album does offer a diverse song selection, unfortunately each song doesn't offer enough depth on its own. Most songs start with a solid, original base, but by the end that base has been entirely played out and become so repetitive that it’s lost its initial appeal.

Not unlike their contemporaries, the Astronauts incorporate a variety of flavors through assorted samples and guest artists, all of which do add power and texture to the tracks to which they contribute. The dark and ethereal vocals of Phat Old Mamas on “Bitter Hypnotic” and the Arabian sway of Entropik on the aptly named “Peace in the East” are probably the best examples. So, it is not to say that Into Bass and Time is totally devoid of substance—quite to the contrary, in fact. It is full of substance. It’s just a matter of how they work this substance into its final product, and unfortunately, tracks like “Impossible,” “Eternal Searching,” “Rocket Science” and “Nocturne,” while all possessing some redeemable qualities, need a little more development and flavor added before being put on the table.

*sidebar*Can we please stop with the over-the-top, tell-me-how-I-should-feel self-promotion?! Just tell me what it is and let me make up my own mind about whether it takes me to the far reaches of the earth or makes me dance my ass off or blows me away. Take the description of Into Bass and Time for instance: “Prepare for a kaleidoscopic journey into bass and time! The Ancient Astronauts return once again from the far reaches of the musical cosmos with their stellar new sophomore album.” Really? Or how about the “We present something that the world has never heard before” intro to “Give It to You,” which leads right into a song that feels like something I have, in fact, heard quite a few times before. This seems more typical of the genre than specific to Ancient Astronauts, but regardless, how about adding a bit of humility to your work.*end sidebar*

Into Bass and Time is by no means a throw-away album. Ancient Astronauts have something going, but it’s just not yet enough to distinguish themselves from their counterparts in a field where, frankly, anyone with a computer and some sampling software can make an album. While I appreciate the ear it takes to compile this “kaleidoscope” of sound, just having that ear isn’t enough. What are you doing that the guy before you didn’t already do? I mean, that’s a sick beat and all, but what’s next?

Rating
Overall: 2.5/5
Originality: 2/5
Production: 3/5
Listenability: 3/5

Available at ESL Music, Amazon and iTunes

PJ Harvey - Let England Shake

Who is PJ Harvey? Who is the woman who has established herself so strongly as to have received five Grammy nominations and accolades as high as the number one female rock artist, all while still remaining a bit of an unknown? We’re talking about someone who hit the music scene strong in the late 80s and is continuing to demonstrate individuality almost 25 years later.

It is said that Harvey reinvents herself with every album, even going as far as changing her physical appearance to better fit the tone of the pieces on which she’s working. Let England Shake admittedly being my introduction to Harvey, perhaps it takes familiarity with her entire repertoire to fully appreciate the direction she took with this latest effort, to know all that has come to be and all that has influenced the mind and desires of Harvey. That aside, Let England Shake is an up-close, first-hand account of the world that Harvey sees today.

What seemed to grab my attention more than anything else in this album is that it almost seems out of place in 2011. The lyrics and musical style seem more appropriate for a late-60s Vietnam War protest. This is noticeable right away with the opening title track and continues both subtly and overtly throughout the album. But what separates this from the Woodstock rock that literally defined a generation of Americans, Harvey is speaking from an entirely new viewpoint, one analyzing the modern world and as an English(wo)man.

Seeming to be stuck in the middle of a love-hate relationship with her homeland, Harvey follows the reluctant concession of the title track with the reverence of “The Last Living Rose” and her anxiousness to return home to the enemy she knows and loves best. But turning right back around, “The Glorious Land,” complete with a heavy-handed cavalry charge, turns back to questioning the very foundation of England, and America too.

“The Words the Maketh Murder” is probably the most puzzling of all the tracks. Told from the perspective of a soldier returning from war, the graphic violence of the verses is offset by the catchy and yet still miserable chorus, one that you might even find yourself singing aloud to the confused and concerned looks of those around you…“these, these, these are the words…the words that maketh murder…” And it’s all summed up with a take on Eddie Cochran’s classic, “what if I take my problem to the United Nations.” Woah.

But hey, if that didn’t get you in the right mood, perhaps the opening line of “All and Everyone” will help set you right: “Death was everywhere.” Ah, yes. That did it. Harvey’s carrying some serious weight with her. And as if this weight of the present weren’t heavy enough, she insists we go back 80 years to “Battleship Hill” and reflect on the tears of the past.

The cringe-inducing instrumentals and vocals of “England” seem to be no accident as she revisits her torn feelings toward her country. And just to make sure you understand perfectly what the theme is here, “In the Dark Places” and “Bitter Branches” should put any argument to rest.

It’s only in the remaining two tracks that Harvey begins to lighten the mood, but in music only. The lyrics of “Hanging on the Wire” and “Colour of the Earth” are no reprieve from the darkness of its predecessors, but it is now that Harvey allows a glimmer of sunshine to break through with some soft piano and vocals and a Syd Barrett-like guest appearance by Mick Harvey (no relation), respectively.

Harvey’s own thoughts state that Let England Shake is not a political album. She says it’s simply her “looking outward.” While it might be true in that she doesn’t seem to favor one ideal over the other, there is clearly no shortage of political overtones, laments on death and war, and a viewpoint of someone who sees quite a bit wrong with the world. I can’t say as I disagree entirely, but I also can’t say that I want it all crammed into one album. In art, there is a delicate balance when dealing with depressing and morbid realities. Too little and one can seem dismissive. Too much and one can come off as engrossed and even despondent, and unfortunately it is the latter that Harvey accomplishes here. While this may be balanced by her other albums, here it prevents the album from standing on its own. Even more disappointing is that musically, Harvey achieves quite a lot, but the burden of the lyrics proves too much.

Rating
Overall: 3/5
Originality: 4/5
Production: 3.5/5
Listenability: 2/5

Available at Amazon.com and iTunes.