The Lonely Goatherd Blog And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats - Matthew 25:32
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November 20, 2007
New Album Releases, 11-20-2007: Koop, U2, the Residents, Alvin and the Chipmunks Soundtrack This week the star of our new albums pile is a Swedish duo+ called Koop. Koop Islands is the second album by Oscar Simonsson and Magnus Zingmark.
I hadn't heard of them before getting this CD, but looking at the press that's a wonder. Atlantic is definitely pushing this act, and they've gotten these songs into multiple tv series and ad campaigns. Notably "Come to Me" was in last spring's season finale of Grey's Anatomy.
In any case, this is an outstanding album. I don't know if it's an all time classic to share hall of fame honors with Elvis and Prince, but I know I haven't been able to stay away from these beautiful hypnotic grooves and memorable melodies. There's enough thoughtful musical detail and depth and nuance of emotion in Koop Islands that it sounds better to me after 15 or 20 listens than it did the first time. I also note that it's pretty consistently good. I'm taken with the whole album, not just one good song.
A fair part of my fascination with this is in parsing out the unique sound of this record. It's not really weird or avant in any fakey way. It sounds a little familiar stylistically in spots, but damned if I can figure out exactly what it sounds like.
Before hearing them, I saw the band described as "trip hop." There is a bit of that kind of moodiness to some of this, but this album has minimal heavy handed electronic manipulation, if that's where the "trip" in "trip hop" comes from. Plus, most things I've heard that are described as "trip hop" are pretty much concentrated on fancy production textures of sound, but this Koop Islands record is all about real honest to G-d songs.
The duo actually comes out like a full small orchestra, including recurring guest vocalists of special note Yukimi Nagano and Earl Zinger. I particularly dig Mr Zinger's narration of "Beyond the Son." Most particularly, there's one part of this letter that seems like a really cute gentle parody of a kind of world weary Euro-club dissipation. The narrator responds to his correspondent's complaint that there are no records left to collect. "Brolin and an unknown tennis trainer released something recently. No doubt your contacts in the Stockholm underworld can source that gem."
I'm surprised to note now reviewing their press kit that they claim that most of these orchestrations are actually sampled. That kind of freaks my monkey a bit, cause the whole album sounds very much like a band in a room together playing. This has got to be the most organic sounding sampling I've ever heard.
Koop is a modern European dance band, but they really are more classic jazz of a Sinatraesque range. The emotional tenor of this reminds me (on a somewhat less exalted level) of prime 50s Sinatra, with eloquent soliloquies of disillusion under a lonely city street lamp - though mostly a little lighter in spirit. This kind of Frank Sinatra cool despair seems similar to what much trip hop aspires to emotionally. Beyond that, this Koop album definitely swings far more than it hops. Mr Simonsson himself describes their music as jazz.
Then there is the island part of Koop Islands. This corner of Imaginationland is somewhere in the Caribbean, judging by the drums and marimba. Press material invokes Jamaica of the 1940s. My first thought was Cuba - which I note comes up in the lyrics of "Beyond the Son."
So then, the best way I can describe Koop Islands is that it sounds like a holy union of Frank Sinatra, Portishead and Desi Arnaz. If that sounds at all interesting to you, you'd probably really dig this fine CD - as might your mother or grandmother.
The Residents have their approximately 666th album this week, The Voice of Midnight. This avant garde outfit made a few somewhat interesting albums in the late 70s/early 80s. In their dotage, they've been more notable for a totally unearned sense of superiority to pop culture, including even Hank and Elvis.
In the world of soundtracks, there's a particularly dismal sounding all-Chipmunks album for their new live-action film. It does, however, include the original classic recording of their Christmas song, and the original "Witch Doctor." The new Disney live action princess movie Enchanted has a soundtrack featuring a couple of tracks by Carrie Underwood, if that trips your trigger.
Re-issue of the week certainly goes to U2, for the Joshua Tree: 20th Anniversary. If you get the full version with two CDs and a DVD, you get a full 1987 U2 concert and a documentary on the album. Along with iPod and Superbowl and general full bore marketing raises the question, who is the bigger corporate music tool - Bruce Springsteen or Bono?
Here's the complete list of this week's major new releases, courtesy AMG:
Koop Koop Islands Atlantic Trip Hop, Cuban Jazz, Avant Dance
Sebastian Bach Angel Down Get Off My Bach/MRV/Caroline Heavy Metal, Hard Rock
Freeway Free at Last Roc-A-Fella Hardcore Rap, East Coast Rap
Jordin Sparks Jordin Sparks J-Records Teen Pop, Urban, Dance-Pop
U2 Joshua Tree: 20th Anniversary [2 CD/DVD] Island College Rock, Album Rock, Pop/Rock, Alternative Pop/Rock, Post-Punk
Various Artists The Brit Box: U.K. Indie, Shoegaze, and Brit-Pop Gems of the Last Millennium Rhino Dance-Rock, Madchester, Dream Pop, Britpop, Shoegaze, Alternative Pop/Rock
Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers Hard Bop [Bonus Tracks] Mosaic Hard Bop
Boris/Merzbow Rock Dream Southern Lord Noise-Rock, Post-Rock/Experimental
David Buchbinder Odessa/Havana Tzadik Jewish Music, Cuban Jazz, Jewish Folk, Son, Afro-Cuban Jazz, Klezmer, Mambo, Latin Jazz, Salsa, World Fusion
Scott Dunn Vernon Duke: Piano Concerto; Cello Concerto; Homage to Boston Naxos Modern Concertos & Piano Music
Melissa Etheridge The Awakening Live Island Contemporary Singer/Songwriter, Adult Alternative Pop/Rock
Donald Fagen The Nightfly Trilogy Warner Bros Jazz-Rock, Pop/Rock, Soft Rock
Genesis 1983-1998 [5CD/5DVD] Rhino Pop/Rock, Soft Rock, Adult Contemporary, Album Rock
Gorillaz D-Sides Virgin Alternative Rap, Britpop, Alternative Pop/Rock
Ed Harcourt Until Tomorrow Then: The Best of Ed Harcourt EMI/Heavenly Alternative Singer/Songwriter, Adult Alternative Pop/Rock, Alternative Pop/Rock
Bobby Hutcherson Mosaic Select: Bobby Hutcherson Mosaic Post-Bop
Philippe Jaroussky Carestini - The Story of a Castrato Virgin Classics Baroque & Classical Opera Arias
Mike Jones The American Dream Ice Age/Swishahouse/Asylum/Wa Southern Rap, Hardcore Rap
Eyvind Kang Eyvind Kang: The Yelm Sessions Tzadik Contemporary Chamber Music
Kool Keith Dr. Octagon, Pt. 2 Real Talk Underground Rap, Hip-Hop
La Nef The Battle of Killiecrankie ATMA Classique Scottish Songs & Chamber Works
Joe Lally Nothing Is Underrated Dischord Indie Rock
Led Zeppelin The Song Remains the Same [Bonus Tracks] Atlantic/Swan Song Hard Rock, Album Rock, British Metal, British Blues, Arena Rock, Heavy Metal
Nils Lofgren Nils Lofgren Hip-O Select Heartland Rock, Roots Rock, Rock & Roll
James Murphy & Pat Mahoney Fabriclive.36 Fabric Club/Dance, Disco, Post-Disco, Left-Field House, House
Nine Inch Nails Y34R Z3R0 R3MIX3D [CD/DVD] Interscope Industrial Metal, Alternative Metal, Industrial
OneRepublic Dreaming Out Loud Interscope Alternative Pop/Rock
Original Soundtrack Alvin and the Chipmunks [Original Soundtrack] Razor & Tie Holiday, Film Music, Soundtracks, Christmas, Sing-Along, Novelty
Original Soundtrack Enchanted [Disney Soundtrack] Disney Teen Pop, Original Score, Soundtracks
Original Soundtrack High School Musical: Hits Collection [Box Set] Disney Teen Pop, TV Soundtracks
The Residents The Voice of Midnight Mute Fantasy, Drama, Experimental, Avant-Garde, Electronic
Six Organs of Admittance Shelter from the Ash Drag City Experimental, Post-Rock/Experimental
Southside Johnny & the Asbury Jukes The Jukes 2007 11 20 Bar Band, Rock & Roll, Album Rock
Keith Sweat A Christmas of Love Sweat Shop/Rhino Holiday, Contemporary R&B, Christmas, Adult Contemporary
Taking Back Sunday Louder Now: Part Two [CD/DVD] Warner Bros. Emo, Post-Hardcore
Keith Urban Greatest Hits Capitol Contemporary Country
Randy VanWarmer Beat of Love/Things That You Dream Collectors' Choice Music Soft Rock
Randy VanWarmer Warmer/Terraform Collectors' Choice Music Soft Rock
Various Artists Black Mirror: Reflections in Global Musics 1918-1955 Dust to Digital Traditional Chinese, International Folk, Indian Pop, Rhumba, Gamelan, Oratories, Opera
Various Artists The Complete Motown Singles, Vol. 8: 1968 Motown/Hip-O Select Pop-Soul, Motown, Soul
Various Artists Discovered: As Sampled by Daft Punk Rapster Disco
Amy Winehouse Frank [US] Universal Republic Contemporary R&B, Vocal Jazz, Crossover Jazz, Contemporary Jazz
This week the star of our new albums pile is a Swedish duo+ called Koop. 
U2
