Jim Carroll's guide to future sounds
We could fill this column for weeks on end with bands who have lodgings in Brooklyn. Cheaper rents may have been the initial impetus for creative New Yorkers with music on their mind to flee Manhattan, but it’s probably the presence of so many of their peers which now has bands heading there. After all, these days the rents are cheaper and the Cuban food definitely tastier over in Jersey City.
As you might expect from having so many musicians located within the same couple of city blocks, joining the dots between different bands is easy to do. Melissa Livaudaisand Busy Gangnesof Telepathemay stand out from much of the Brooklyn musical grid with their oddball electronic pop, you can still make a couple of connections with their peers.
The one which probably carries the most weight is the TV On The Radio angle. That arises via the borough's most starry indie producer, David Sitek, who found time to produce Telepathe's Dance Mother album inbetween work on Dear Science and that truly awful Scarlett Johansson album. TVOTR vocalist Kyp Malone also turns up on Dance Mother.
Sitek certainly brought a sense of cohesion to the party and Dance Mother is all the better for that, an album which is engaging and daring in equal measure. In return, Telepathe remixed TVOTR's Crying, though we're not sure if they got a discount on the studio bill for that.
Telepathe certainly learned from the experience. “He took our sound and multiplied it by 10,” says Livaudais of working with Sitek. “It sounds bigger than we could have imagined on our own for our first full record. He made room for all of our sounds. He’s really good at creating space, and he’s not afraid to use 100 tracks or more for one song.”
Still, it's interesting to note that the Telepathe sound has morphed and mutated even without the aid of a producer. Earlier releases, such as Farewell Forest EP(2006), were as avant-garde as they come, all fluttering noises, freaky folk fringes and a contrary yearning for discordance. But, as last year's Chrome's On Itsingle shows, Telepathe know when to reel in their worst excesses, add some shiny hooks and really hone that sound.
Livaudais attributes much of this to changes in their listening habits.
“We listen to a lot of hip-hop on the radio. I got really into syncopated rhythms and dance-hall stuff, and heavy-bass disco. We weren’t trying to be hip-hop producers, but being influenced by contemporary music, stuff that’s out in the world right now, feels exciting to me.”
Dance Mother is out now on Co-Op
www.myspace.com/telepathe
Jazmine Sullivan: Philadelphia flier
Jazmine Sullivanwill laugh long and loud at anyone with the cheek to refer to her as an overnight success. The 21-year-old Philly lass already has a whack of stories to tell about how the record industry likes to operate, the sort you're used to hearing from veterans.
Having been signed and dropped and signed again before she ever released a scrap of music, Sullivan is finally getting the fussing she deserves. One listen to Fearless, her debut album, proves that the kid who started out singing in churches when she was five, was a Showtime at the Apollo TV fixture at 11, and part of the Black Lily collective as a teen has the sass and the soul to really make a dash.
Sullivan is already at the top of the new soul queue. Fearless, produced with the help of such heavyweights as Missy Elliottand Salaam Remi, has already grabbed a bunch of Grammy nominations. It's easy to see why the Grammy guardians liked the cut of her jib. Like Lauryn Hill before she lost the plot, Aretha back in the day, or Jill Scott when she first stepped into the limelight, Sullivan has both songs and voice to make you purr with delight. Take a listen to Need U Bador In Love With Another Manand enjoy a blast of soul.
www.jazminesullivanmusic. com
Three more to try
Margaret Healy:
More than seven years on from her debut, the Dublin singer-songwriter finally has album number two (Girls, Boys & Clockwork Toys) ready to go. www.myspace.com/margarethealy
Stórsveit Nix Noltes: Bizarre and beguiling Balkanpunk-psychedelia from 11-strong Icelandic band, with album Royal Family – Divorcecoming soon on Fat Cat. www.myspace.com/storsveitnixnoltes
The Brothers Movement:The band formerly known as Mainline now attracting a ton of industry attention ahead of debut album in April. www.myspace
More band tips, news and views on Jim Carroll's blog :www.irishtimes.com/blogs/ontherecord
