V/A
War Child Presents: Heroes
Astralwerks

War Child, a group designed to help war-affected children worldwide, has conceived a very unique approach to a cover album with Heroes. They asked 16 different legendary artists (Springsteen, Bowie, McCartney, etc.) to choose a song from their catalogue to be covered, and then also nominate the artist to cover it. Obviously, the results vary dramatically, as does the level of re-interpretation, but the album in general tends to reflect back nicely on the original artists. One might not associate the similarities of Bob Dylan and Beck, or Brian Wilson and Rufus Wainwright, but after Beck’s take on “Leopard Skin Pillbox Hat” and Wainwright’s medley born from Wilson’s Smile, you’d think otherwise. Two of the more provocative remakes though, come from Lily Allen on The Clash’s “Straight to Hell” and Elbow’s emotional outpouring on U2’s “Running to Stand Still.”
Dustin Bennett

The Polyamorous Affair
Bolshevik Disco
Winter Palace/Manimal

How can you name your band the Polyamorous Affair when the band is just you and your wife? I’m pretty sure that if I started a band with my significant other and tried to name it the Fucking Around On You, it would go over like a lead balloon. Anyways, they’re probably trying to sound like Ladytron with spoken female vocals and layers of keyboards, but Polyamorous’ palette of tones is hackneyed and uninspiring. The way keyboard sequencing doesn’t sync up with the drum programming on the second track, “Face Control,” sets the tone as amateurish from the start. Sorry guys, you’re not Animotion; deal with it.
Kirt Lind

I get it. MJ was (is?) essentially the most iconic figure in music ever… I realize he made Thriller. But honestly, attempting suicide over the dude’s death?! I find it so incredibly strange that somewhere on this planet prior to his death, people were sitting in their houses blasting Off The Wall 24/7 while worshiping a hair doll of Jacko. Do these people realize that he hasn’t made a socially relevant record since 95’s History? Do they forget the dude was a drug addict and happened to get into a shit-ton of law suites involving touching little boy’s pee-pees? I understand the man is well above iconic status, but to some degree M.J. died over a decade ago. Ehh, it’s all the same in the end… here’s what E! had to say.

Up to 12 heartbroken followers of the star have taken their lives - including one Brit — said the MJJcommunity website.

The startling claim came as it was revealed a Jackson lookalike in Russia cut his wrists after the star’s death was announced.

Gary Taylor, who runs MJJcommunity.com, said: “I know there has been an increase, I now believe the figure is 12. I believe there may have been one Briton who has taken their life.

“It is a serious situation that these people are going through but Michael Jackson would never want this. He would want them to live.”

Russian fan Pável Talaláyev was found bleeding heavily at his home in Moscow just hours after it was announced that Jackson had died.

But an ambulance crew found him in time on Friday and managed to save his life.

One of the ambulance men said: “He was in a terrible state and kept on saying: ‘It’s all the same to me. I’m going to kill myself. It’s the worst tragedy of my life and I don’t want to live any more. I don’t know why you saved my life, I want to be with him’.”

On brighter news, check out Dead Michael Jackson Jokes to pretty much confirm your ticket to hell… it’s totally worth it.

Tiga
Ciao!
Last Gang

Tiga, the Montreal-based DJ, gives us his second original CD of minimal electro. Ciao! sounds heavily influenced by NYC post-disco, largely due to co-production from Soulwax and LCD Soundsystem’s James Murphy, but is drastically more minimal than either group, with many songs featuring little more than a single synth line and spoken word vocals. The strongest tracks are the most melodic ones, and when Tiga starts to sing it evokes the Pet Shop Boys. The highlight is easily the single, “Shoes,” featuring a dead-pan exchange between Tiga and a girl about taking her shoes off over stuttering keyboards. The simplicity really clicks, and makes for perfect dance- party fodder.
Kirt Lind

Pet Shop Boys
Yes
Astralwerks

Break out your black turtlenecks, pound a case of Red Bull and get ready to fly off the handle because the Pet Shop Boys are still fighting the good fight with their 18th record.  This duo has been a consistent vehicle for electronic English pop since 1984 when they were crooning over tape machines inspiring audiences to cut loose to funky loops and robotic synth leads. The new record, Yes, offers carpet-cutting gems like “Beautiful People,” but still strives to bug you out with down-tempo tunes during the latter half of the effort. Make sure to pre-party with the Pet Shop Boys before you get tore back on the dance floor this Wednesday at Duffy’s. You won’t regret it.
Cameron Ford

Tortoise
Beacons of Ancestorship
Thrill Jockey

Tortoise has always struck me as one of those bands that get off more on the sounds they make than focusing much on song craft. This is not always a band thing necessarily, but I often find myself respecting Tortoise more than I actually enjoy listening to them. Luckily, Beacons of Ancestorship, their first output of original material in five years, harkens back to 2001’s excellent Standards in presenting the best summation of Tortoise’s strengths in some time. All of the band’s trademarks are here in spades—the lounge music meets Herbie Hancock posturing and jazz structures, the shape-shifting time signatures, the cheesy prog-rock synths and the combination of both acoustic and electronic instruments. All of these are implemented well, but it’s the more adventurous choices that really standout. “Yinxianghechengqi” is a mid-album blast of mechanical, chuggy punk-rock done Tortoise style, while the mellow, Spaghetti Western-tinged “The Fall of Seven Diamonds Plus One” sounds like it was pulled from an Ennio Morricone film. With its sparse, spacey guitar lines, jazzy vibraphones and stomping chain whips, “The Fall of Seven Diamonds Plus One” really is one of the few commanding and emotionally resonant moments on an album that can drift into background noise territory just as easily as it can intrigue.

Beacons of Ancestorship might not blow away existing fans and most likely will not win over new ones. Nevertheless, it succeeds in proving Tortoise to remain relevant over 15 years into their career.
Landon Moblad