New Music: The Black Keys, Steffen Basho-Junghans, A.G.

The Black Keys - The Flame - Magic Potion (Nonesuch 2006)


The Black Keys – Magic Potion / Nonesuch

I don’t think The Black Keys will ever top Thickfreakness. It’s not that they’re losing grip on the backwoods blues-rock that seems to come so naturally to the drum-and-guitar duo, but the head-turning urgency of their breakout sophomore release will be near impossible to ever recreate. Saying that, Rubber Factory was pretty damn good, but with Magic Potion, their 4th album in as many years, the Akron boys just seem too comfortable, too predictable. With the move to Nonesuch, singer/guitarist Dan Auerbach and drummer Patrick Carney can no doubt approach recording with more patience and more time to sweeten their sound, but is that what you necessarily want in a riff-heavy blues album? And as predicted, Magic Potion is finely recorded with a nice middle punch and a warm room sound, but when Auerbach gets really riled up I want to hear his classic croon over-modulate as he tries to out sing his blaring guitar, not lay flat in the mix. Now all complaints aside, The Black Keys are still playing the best contemporary blues and perhaps classic rock on either side of the Mississippi. So as long as your are not expecting anything more than what they’ve already shown you, Magic Potion will not disappoint.




Steffen Basho-Junghans - Azure No. 3 - Late Summer Morning (Strange Attractors 2006)


Steffen Basho-Junghans – Late Summer Morning / Strange Attractors

In a musical world devoted to riffs, power chords and devil-horn inducing guitar stances, it’s extremely important to carry on the tradition set by experimental guitar players from Django Reinhardt to Sandy Bull of pushing the boundaries of the instrument as far as humanly possible. The Berlin-born Steffen Basho-Junghans, a direct descendent of the Takoma label trio (John Fahey, Leo Kottke and Robbie Basho), carries on these ideals with his insanely technically-proficient style influenced by American folk, classical, Indian ragga and Eastern modal methods. Using the languid calmness of late summer as a theme, Junghans wields his acoustic steel 6-string guitar with elegance and bravado, letting earthy tones flutter and twinkle with his unorthodox picking and swirling rhythms. Being described as “minimalist trance-folk,” Late Summer Morning captures the same hypnotic vibe as a Steve Reich composition, but within the beautiful confines of a shimmering guitar. It’s a shame that Junghans wasn’t a contemporary of the Takoma trio, because he would have absolutely been grouped in with the cream of the guitar experimenters’ elite.




A.G. - Take a Ride feat. Party Arty and Aloe Blacc (produced by Madlib) - Get Dirty Radio (Look 2006)


A.G. – Get Dirty Radio / Look

At the turn of the 90s, the first wave of rap was down spiraling into the depths of party-oriented redundancy and commercialism, but with the crucial help of Bronx hip-hop crew D.I.T.C. (Diggin’ in the Crates) an underground was formed that laid emphasis on potent rhymes, creative production and a cold-as-ice swagger. Lyricist A.G. aka Andre the Giant was an original member of that crew and now more than 15 years later (7 years since his last solo outing) teamed with both classic (Showbiz, Lord Finesse) and new school (Madlib, Oh No) producers, Andre Barnes sounds as fresh as ever. In fact, while listening to the “Bronx’s punchline rapper” you can clearly hear the influence he has had over modern streetwise rappers, especially the Shady/Aftermath crews, with his slightly-humorous, self-promoting hook-heavy vocal styling. Concurrently, A.G. retains his freshness by being open to the youthful influences that surround him, whether it’s the unconventional lo-fi quirk of the Oh No produced Love or the Def Jux ripped synthy dancehall bump of Say Yeah. But no matter who is influencing who, Get Dirty Radio is a solid album that is traditional enough for mainstream rap fans but features the inventive production the underground craves… so everybody wins.