AUDIO ALCHEMY
Various Artists (Ubiquity)
I was ready to dismiss the whole trip-hop/dub whatever thing as a waste of time until I heard this stuff. You can tell there's people out there who have been listening to Byrne and Eno's ...Bush of Ghosts and Sly and Robbie's old dub experiments (check out Reggae Greats). Hell, I even heard some Pink Floyd samples from The Wall at one point. None of these artists have made a huge name for themselves yet, and somehow the songs flow together well like a real album, so check this stuff out for some amazing work.
BETTIE SERVEERT
Dust Bunnies (Matador)
The third album from this fine Amsterdam combo finds them in the Bearsville Studios of Woodstock, NY, with Bryce Goggin behind the board. Now, I really, really like the first two Bettie albums, and I listened to them a lot and turned folks onto them, but I got real tired of that voice-through-the-flanger trick. I don't know if it was the producer or the band but Jesus, turn the damn thing off! Bryce is an excellent engineer, check out those recent Pavement records that he "engineered" for proof. (How come no one ever produces a Pavement record? Look for the answer in a future issue of Tape Op.) Anyway, he helps give the Serveert family the best recorded sound yet with clearer dynamics and more distinct instruments sounds...not to mention no damn flanger on the vocals. Yeah, I've been listening to this a lot, too.
THE REVELERS