Some music that's reverberating around the editorial office ... or at least in my headphones.
The Slits -- Trapped Animal (Narnack)
Although I could do with the fake Jamaican accents that crop up now and again, the long-awaited return of The Slits -- in full-length form -- is a satisfying update of one of the best bands in the British punk movement. If the Sex Pistols were the wallet and The Clash the heart of punk, The Slits were its innocent soul; an unabashed celebration of reggae and self-expression that morphed into some of post-punk's most infectious avant-garde music. After decades of working with the On-U Sound collective, Ari Up reformed the group, which released an EP a few years ago and now this full-length, which mixes modern reggae, dance and other sounds with Ari Up's blend of sometimes dissonant vocals -- often more spoken than sung -- and direct lyrics. At times (notably, "Partner From Hell" and "Be It") the record sounds more like the New Age Steppers -- Ari's On-U band -- than The Slits and that's OK, too.
Fool's Gold (I Am Sound)
If it's true that Vampire Weekend made AfroPop cool again with the hipsters, those listeners oughta check out Fool's Gold, the self-titled debut by an L.A. collective that loves The Smiths as much as it loves reverb-laden, interwoven guitar lines of Congolese music and the frenetic rhythms of Ethiopian music. Members of the collective have also been in bands like The Fall, We Are Scientists and Foreign Born. "There is definitely an element to our songs that makes people want to dance, but there is also something deeper and more purposeful going on, maybe even akin to the early spirit of The Smiths -- kind of like as if Congotronics were fronted by Morrissey," says guitarist Lewis Pesacov. For once a musician successfully describes his own sound! The music is danceable, genre-blurring and most definitely infectious.
Orenda Fink -- Ask the Night (Saddle Creek)
One half of the band Azure Ray, and also a member of Art in Manila and O+S, Fink released her solo debut in 2005 and this is the follow-up to that critically acclaimed outing. "Ask the Night" -- with a handful of songwriting collaborations with Alabama poet and artist Chris Lawson -- is a sometimes stark slice of modern folk that weds Fink's love for Southern gothic lit with traditional American folk music. The arrangements are basic -- guitar, mandolin and accordion on "Sister," just guitar and voice on the dark "Why the Night Is Sad," a little banjo added for "Half-Light." Fink isn't breaking any ground here, but she's mining some earthy music with engaging results.
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he lived until he was 17, Bobby received his BA-Mass Communications from UWM in 1989 and has lived in Walker's Point, Bay View, Enderis Park, South Milwaukee and on the East Side.
He has published three non-fiction books in Italy – including one about an event in Milwaukee history, which was published in the U.S. in autumn 2010. Four more books, all about Milwaukee, have been published by The History Press.
With his most recent band, The Yell Leaders, Bobby released four LPs and had a songs featured in episodes of TV's "Party of Five" and "Dawson's Creek," and films in Japan, South America and the U.S. The Yell Leaders were named the best unsigned band in their region by VH-1 as part of its Rock Across America 1998 Tour. Most recently, the band contributed tracks to a UK vinyl/CD tribute to the Redskins and collaborated on a track with Italian novelist Enrico Remmert.
He's produced three installments of the "OMCD" series of local music compilations for OnMilwaukee.com and in 2007 produced a CD of Italian music and poetry.
In 2005, he was awarded the City of Asti's (Italy) Journalism Prize for his work focusing on that area. He has also won awards from the Milwaukee Press Club.
He has be heard on 88Nine Radio Milwaukee talking about his "Urban Spelunking" series of stories, in that station's most popular podcast.
