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Air, Le Voyage Dans La Lune

2012 | Label: Astralwerks

Georges Méliès’s newly restored, 14-minute 1902 sci-fi silent film A Trip to the Moon is widely considered a treasure of the silent film age. It’s a surrealist tale of a lunar landing and outer space camping trip which very quickly builds to a battle with spear-wielding moon-people, the assassination of their king, and a quick and chaotic escape. This makes for an engrossing narrative even today, and even the primitive imagery comes across as stylized rather than outdated. Now it’s finally being rendered in color on the film-festival circuit after the recent discovery of a long-lost print, and so also has a new soundtrack, wisely commissioned from the same guys who so aptly handled the music for Sofia Coppola’s 1999… more »

Busdriver, Beaus$Eros

2012 | Label: Fake Four / Alpha Pup

In more than a decade’s worth of work, Busdriver has exhibited amazing poise while balancing himself on some perilous margins. His delivery, singing or rapping, pushes harmonies close to the edge of deliberate dissonance. His subject matter careens between monomaniacal ego-tripping and self-aware humility. And his lyrics conflate abstract depth and arch comedy in ways that defy irony. Beaus$Eros maintains his singular personality-crisis voice, dials his flow back a bit and reflects on a series of personal troubles, disillusioning relationships with significant others (“Utilitarian Uses of Love”) and indie-rap scenester orthodoxy (“Here’s to Us”) and the whole othering-fueled social framework (“No Blacks No Jews No Asians”). Belgian producer Loden boosts Busdriver’s mania by reconfiguring funk, electro and synth-prog into something… more »

Pontiak, Echo Ono

2012 | Label: Thrill Jockey

It’d be hard not to have high hopes for Pontiak’s new record — the band is comprised of three brothers who have been incredibly prolific in a short time, refining their potent rock sound while exploring the dark corners of psychedelia. Still, it’s surprising when an album lives up to expectations the way that Echo Ono, Pontiak’s seventh effort for the diverse Thrill Jockey label in roughly four years, does: This is a monster record, a vibrant display of riffery that could unite fans of Blacks Sabbath, Keys and Mountain. “Lions of Least” leads off in an eruption of MC5-gone-dirtbag fury, with Van Carney’s vocals cresting above the band’s roar. “Across the Steppe” matches its title’s galloping imagery; when the… more »

Colleen Green, Milo Goes to Compton

2012 | Label: Art Fag Recordings / Revolver

Milo Goes to Compton, which, let’s be honest, is an awesome album title starts by showcasing Colleen Green as a cool, quiet singer with an electric guitar. She practically whispers her sensual lyrics in a detached tone beneath muted power chords on opener “Good Good Things.” In fact, “quiet” is her go-to vocal setting throughout, which could easily get frustrating since she’s often singing over a prominent thudding drum machine. Thankfully, she ramps up the tempo, and Johnny Ramone chord progressions, on subsequent track “I Wanna Be Degraded,” and while her voice stays soft, her instrumental aggression more than counterbalances any trepidation. (Green is a closet garage punk — she covered Nobunny on a previous EP.) That punk streak… more »

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By J. Edward Keyes , Editor-in-Chief

Looking for the newest and best on eMusic? Look no further than Freshly Ripped Radio. Every week, our editorial team combs through the crates and pulls out the best of the best, all the better…

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