On Peaking Lights, from the Rhapsody review of their album, 936: In a parallel universe, one where dub icon Lee "Scratch" Perry, and not ABBA, dominated the pop charts in the late '70s, Peaking Lights are the Mr. and Mrs. Lady Gaga of the modern age. If you're not cranking 936 right this second, then that sounds like nothing but crazy talk. So go ahead and explore this wondrous platter; it's gooey mutant disco at its most luxuriant and spellbinding. Even when the Wisconsin-based duo ventures far out, as on "Marshmellow Yellow," your body will still demand a glistening parquet floor and softly strobing light patterns. Oh, and crank the bass, too.
Try Birds of Paradise Dub Version and Tiger Eyes (Laid Back). On Hanggai, from the Rhapsody review of their album, He Who Travels Far: Like an Appalachian opium den or a rollicking Irish bar in the middle of Mongolia, Travels pulses with intense, incongruous and, yes, intoxicating energy. On album two, the Beijing-Mongolian folk-punk outfit expands their experiment to folk-rock realms around the world, yet still manage to make all their far-flung influences sound like drinking buddies. Ominous electric guitars throw down with galloping acoustic strings, mournful dirges like "Hairan Hairan" alternate with Central Asian hoedowns like "Zhang Dan," and everywhere you'll find the rockingest throat singing this side of Yat-Kha.
Try "Yuan Ding Cap" and "Drinking Song". |
