Music

African Head Charge | Vision Of Psychedelic Africa

On U Sound (2010)
UK dub guru Adrian Sherwood and adventurous percussionist Bonjo I have been releasing their sonic experiments as African Head Charge since the early 1980s.

By GUSTAVO TURNER | February 09, 2010

Fela Kuti | The ’69 L.A. Sessions

Knitting Factory (2010)
Amiri Baraka put it best in his poem "In the Funk World": "If Elvis Presley is King/Who is James Brown, God?" So, by that logic, is Fela Anikulapo Kuti higher than or equal to God?

By ZETH LUNDY | February 09, 2010

Local Natives | Gorilla Manor

Frenchkiss (2010)
Afropoppy, orchestral and baroque, driven by catchy three-part harmonies, Fleet Foxes/Andrew Bird–inspired, yadda-yadda-yadda.

By CARRIE BATTAN | February 09, 2010

Midlake | The Courage Of Others

Bella Union (2010)
On this lovingly crafted follow-up, the men of Midlake have moved on to emulating the late-'60s/early-'70s British folk-rock scene.

By MIKAEL WOOD | February 09, 2010

Tom Caruana Presents: Enter The Magical Mystery Chambers | Wu-Tang Vs. The Beatles

Tea Sea (2010)
There were mash-ups before The Grey Album . (They were called "hip-hop songs.") And there will be mash-ups in the future.

By CHRIS FARAONE | February 09, 2010

Yeasayer | Odd Blood

Secretly Canadian (2010)
Yeasayer have created a decadent, densely produced mess of a second album.

By JONATHAN DONALDSON | February 09, 2010

Prince Rama of Ayodhya + Theodore Treehouse

Music Seen
At SPACE Gallery, February 1

By BRIDGET M. BURNS | February 03, 2010

Spose, radio star

Apparently, smoking it all can be beneficial
Who knew? The era of the radio hit isn't completely over. Maybe five times recently, someone's asked, "Dude, have you heard that Spose song?"

By SAM PFEIFLE | February 03, 2010

Dilly Dilly dalliance comes to an end

Sibilance
Dilly Dilly may not be done with music, but she is apparently done with Portland.

By PORTLAND PHOENIX MUSIC STAFF | February 03, 2010

Myra Melford’s Be Bread | The Whole Tree Gone

Firehouse 12 (2010)
Few jazz players and composers can bring as broad a vocabulary to a single piece as pianist Myra Melford.

By JON GARELICK | February 02, 2010

Four Tet | There Is Love In You

Domino (2010)
In the five years since Kieran Hebden a/k/a Four Tet last dropped a full-length, the playing field has been seriously leveled for sample-based electronic music.

By DANIEL BROCKMAN | February 02, 2010

Original Soundtrack | Kamasutra: Vollendung Der Liebe

Crippled Dick Hot Wax (2009)
The good news: Kamasutra is, in fact, a very early Can recording, credited to "Irmin Schmidt Inner Space Production."

By GUSTAVO TURNER | February 02, 2010

The Soft Pack | The Soft Pack

Kemado (2010)
This Los Angeles foursome first emerged in 2008 as the Muslims, a name they elected to change after they grew disgusted with and exhausted by all the ignorant — and often racist — bullshit that came out of people's mouths during shows/interviews/conversations.

By MIKAEL WOOD | February 03, 2010