MUSIC
Dynasty - Dynasty
Dynasty are a rather interesting new girl group produced by San Francisco techno-rap whiteboy Gold Chains. This CD ends up sounding like Le Tigre versus Gold Chains, and is pretty decent, but not as good as either of the aforementioned groups. They too often let songwriting fall to the wayside, replacing it with cheap, flashy gimmickry. This group shows tremendous potential on a few tracks, where a strange, angry, stiff, robo-punk sound — a la early Devo — emerges. Unfortunately, those high points are bogged down by what can seem like hours of hokey riot grrrl schlock.
Chris Shively KJHK Host of "Supercryptogalactica" 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Fridays Grade: B-
Josh Powers - Scene Booster
Sound System: Volume 1
"I think the production is fairly intricate. It's better than what people are putting out right now. There are no samples, only keyboards. It's against the ethics of hip-hop." - Josh Powers.
These are words of a true hip-hip connoisseur. This doesn't mean that he's a hip-hop elitist, it just means he knows hip-hop. You may recognize his name from the Replay Lounge or the Taproom on Saturday nights, or from his KJHK show, Obscured by Beats. But if you don't, you may see the name Josh Powers in the future. KJHK's own recently released his first album, Scene Booster Sound System: Volume 1, a cocktail of hip-hip beats featuring other local and Kansas City DJs.
Only 500 copies have been released and it features Lawrence artists Approach and Johnny Quest. It features a few instrumental tracks as well as the basic hip-hop voice-over, but this does not make the album basic.
Powers considers himself a purist when it comes to hip-hop. He says he prefers the hip-hop from the South and West Coast because there are more samples and not just the keyboards characteristic of East Coast and New York hiphop. With more than 5,000 records in his collection, he says he tries to pick the most obscure, cut-up beats to make something unique.
The sound of the album is laid-back; sometimes jazzy, sometimes underground, but it's a crowd pleaser. Every track on the album is equally good, but unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be one stand-out track, which is probably the only flaw, if it can be considered a flaw. If you're still not convinced, you can check out Powers at the Taproom every Saturday night, and his show, Obscured by Beats on Saturday, 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. on 90.7 KJHK.
—Collin LaJoie
KJHK DJ
a. to 6 a.m. Wednesdays
4 a.m. to 6 a.m. Wednesdays
Mark Ronson -- Here Comes
the Fuzz
Known for remixes for Jay-Z, Outkast, Moby and Nelly Fertado, Mark Ronson's debut comes loaded with guest artists but few satisfying pairings. While the album sports appearances from four of hiphop's most gifted lyricists - Mos Def, Ghostface Killah and Lil' Fame and Billy Danze of M.O.P - the production is so obviously aimed at top-40 success that listeners are hard pressed to overlook such pedestrian musicality. Given the tepid jacking of Lenny Kravitz for "On the Run" and the obligatory reggae feel for the Sean Paul/Tweet vehicle "International Affair," listeners are well advised to seek out the guest artists' own
work.
—josh Powers
KJHK Host of "Obscured by Beats"
7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Saturdays
Grade: C-
Josh Powers
Noonday Underground Surface Noise
Surface Noise, the latest from Noonday Underground, is a swanky "retro night" affair at the hottest uptown nightclub brought down from the summit of cool in the form of 14 unapologetically hip tracks. Drawing from jazz, rock, R&B, hip-hop and dance, this album is post-soul hybridism at its finest. Fundamentally, it is the best of a lot of different things. As a whole, Surface Noise succeeds well at being its own thing - timelessly stylish. Straightforward yet experimental, familiar but inventive, this album is a celebration of organic unity and sonic contrast crammed into 35 blissful but regrettably short minutes of listening. Surface Noise, simply put, is coolness on a completely new level.
—Cornelius Minor, II KJHK Host of "Voice Activated" 9 p.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesdays Grade: B-
Stereolab - Instant O in
the Universe
In Judaism, our prayer for the dead is not a lament but rather a celebration of life and the time we share with loved ones. Stereolab's Mary Hansen died in 2002, and this five-track release is the group's first since her passing. It is a joyful collection of songs that Hansen probably would have dug, but there are no overt references to the loss. Tracks like "Good Is Me" are bubbly but intelligent and will induce dancing. Look for a full-length release from Stereolab this February.
—Sam Hopkins
KJHK Host of "Transglobal
Undergroud"
9 p.m. to 12 a.m. Fridays
Grade: B+
KJHK TOP 30 ALBUMS
1. MOUNTAINEERS, Messy Century
2. KID KOALA, Some Of My Best Friends Are DJs
4. GHISLAIN POIRIER, Beats As Politics
3. SHINS, Chutes Too Narrow
5. STROKES, Room On Fire
6. ELBOW, Cast Of Thousands
7. MIDWEST PRODUCT, World Series Of Love
8. PROCUSSIONS, As Iron Sharpens Iron
9. DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE,
Transatlanticism
10. MATES OF STATE, Team Boo
12. LFO, Sheath
11. B0OKS, The Lemon Of Pink
14. DENALI, The Instinct
15. JESSICA FLETCHERS, What Happened To The?
13. TED LEO AND THE PHARMACISTS, Tell Balgeary,Balgury Is Dead
16. RACHEL'S, Systems/Layers
17. KINGSBURY MANX, Aztec Discipline
18. CLEM SNIDE, A Beautiful EP
19. AESOP ROCK, Bazooka Tooth
20. SOILED DOVES, Soiled Life
21. MURDER BY DEATH, Who Will Survive And What Will Be Left Of Them?
22. FITNESS, Call Me for Together
23. BASEMENT JAXX, Kish Kash
24. C-RAYZ WALZ, Ravipops (The Essence)
25. THRILLS, So Much For The City
26. MARSHMALLOW COAST, Antistar
27. SOUNDS, Living In America
28. MY FAVORITE, The Happiest Days Of Our Lives
29. BREAKESTRA, Remember Who You Are
30. TRAVIS, 12 Memories
30 jayplay
thursday. december 11, 2003
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