gullbuy music review

April 16, 2002

  • A Certain Ratio single

    A Certain Ratio

    7inch / Do The Du b-w Skipscada / Soul Jazz

    Do The Du is a vocal track and Skipscala is an instrumental. The guitar on Do The Du is trebly like Malcolm Ross played in Josef K and the bass has a flanged break where it sounds like Definitive Gaze by Magazine (Howard Devoto's post-Buzzcocks band), from the 'Real Life' LP. Skipscala sounds like Afro-Beat. There is tons of percussion (like 23 Skidoo), a whistle, bells, and a wordless vocal.
    ---Carl [read more]

  • Ethiopiques Vol 8

    Ethiopiques Volume 8: Swinging Addis

    CD / various / Buda Musique

    Every once in awhile, here at the Gullbuy we get a wakeup call to just how lucky we are to live in a culture of relative freedom, and I think listening to Volume 8 of Ethiopiques: Swinging Addis is one of those moments. Listening to this collection, is like hearing a bunch of lost soul and funk 45s. The bass playing is tight beat-driven, the guitar work is funky, the arrangements are startling original, and the vocals and melody are varied and memorable.
    ---Patrick [read more]

  • FC Kahuna

    FC Kahuna

    10inch / Hayling b-w Hayling (Instrumental) / City Rockers

    FC Kahuna are Dan Ormondroyd and Jon Norwell. They have been working together for years, with an extensive past in the 'big beat' scene. With the release of the recent 'Futurism' double CD set City Rockers have made a big step towards widespread notoriety as the London equivalent to Berlin's International Deejay Gigolo Records. Hayling is not an electro rocker or dancefloor killer. It is a seven minute smooth post trip-hop track with Hafdis Huld (formerly of Iceland's Gus Gus) singing. The B-side is an instrumental of the same song. Both sides are pretty fine
    ---Carl [read more]

  • Incredible Sound Show Stories

    Incredible Sound Show Stories Vol. 1: The Technicolor Milkshake

    CD / various / Dig The Fuzz

    i must admit, when carl first handed me this cd to review, i was a bit skeptical, since underneath the title was the subheading: 1960's acetates/private pressings/obscurities. i feared i'd be listening to a collection of songs culled from the very bottom of the mid-sixties psychedelic scrapheap. i was pleased to discover that my skepticism was unfounded, as this compilation contains many quality songs that have never been compiled before.
    ---Pip [read more]

  • KO and the Knockouts

    Ko and the Knockouts

    CD / Sympathy for the Record Industry

    Ko and the Knockouts play soul and R&B-influenced pop that at times recalls the early Beatles (remember when their repertoire included lots of Motown and American girl group covers?). Ko has a pleasant voice that takes a bit of the edge of the more rockin' songs -- without wimping them out. The guest musicians on this album are a veritable Who's Who in hot Detroit rock: Steve and Jeff from the Detroit Cobras, Jason from the Von Bondies, and Jim Diamond from the Dirtbombs.
    ---Peter [read more]

  • Northern Lite

    Northern Lite

    12inch / Treat Me Better b-w Treat Me Harder / City Rockers

    The timing of this record couldn't have been more appropriate. Northern Lite (Andreas Kubat and Sebastian Boon Bohn) create music that fits perfectly into the synthcore/electro music scene that's currently so huge in Berlin and Detroit. Call it trendy. Call it retro. But, seriously, this single doesn't sound like it was made twenty years ago.
    ---Teresa [read more]