CD Reviews: Whisper Not, Tour de France and Fred Karlin
Whisper Not *** 1/2
OSI LEWIN
LML Music
12 tracks - 41:44
Though this debut album from cabaret singer Osi Lewin (who at times
sounds a bit like the great Annie Ross) doesn't have any tangible
filmic connections, it stands as a fine, though brief, collection of
those upscale lounge pieces that allow fine chanteuses to display their
vocal theatrics. The collection covers a number of less popular but no
less good songs with a heavy leaning towards Jobim and similar Latin
stylings. The multilingual aspects of the album are ample examples of
Osi's linguistic skills, though things sometimes seem to be to exacting
in their diction (and that from a person who often screams for better
enunciation!).
There are some harsh edges to overcome, but this is after all a "debut"
album, and if Osi is given more opportunities to record and develop her
voice and art, she can only move from great to remarkable. The
standards like "Lullaby of Birdland" and the Rodgers and Hammerstein's
"Love Look Away" are nicely balanced by Jobim selections such as
"Fotografia" and "Chega de Saudade." The great Edith Piaf is also
mimicked in the classic "Rien de Rien." In all, Whisper Not is a great
album for fans of cabaret singing. Available from LML Music at
www.LMLmusic.com -- Steven A. Kennedy
Tour de France Soundtracks ****
KRAFTWERK
EMI EMI KW3 CD
12 tracks - 59:59
Kraftwerk released their first album in 12 years in August of 2003: a
shinning modern neon TV soundtrack to celebrate the centenary running
of the legendry French cycle race that takes place in July every year
over three weeks and covering over 2000 miles of French scenery. The
album itself divides roughly into two parts, the first of which is an
extended suite taking the listener through three stages of the race,
while the second part leans into a more abstract study of the dynamic
interaction between human and machine performances. From the rubbery
oscillations of "Vitamin" to the restless metallic ripples of "Aero
Dynamic," from the bio mechanical pulses of "Elektro Kardiogamm" to the
glistening vistas of "La Forme," this is emphatically the sound of
Kraftwerk in 2003. Sensual, playful, simple, profound and quite
beautiful.
Tour de France Soundtracks
reaffirms Kraftwerk's intoxication with the transcendent joys of motion
and emotion. In their seminal 1974 composition Autobahn, cars hummed in hypnotic
harmony. In 1977's Trans Euro Express,
a groundbreaking track often sampled by the early pioneers of hip-hop,
trains sang and rocked in rhythmic regularity. In Tour de France Soundtracks, high
tech racing machines glide through speed-blurred soundscapes, pedals
and chains exchanging rhythmic chatter, riders panting in metronomic
union. Essentially the music examines the relationships between extreme
physical endurance and technology, between individual participation and
its representation through media networks. Considering that the lyrical
content of the entire album comprises little more than an impassive
listings of nouns and adjectives, with hardly a verb in evidence, it's
remarkable how much is conveyed. It is the engineering and manipulation
of the hypnotic, polite surreal robot voices that does much to convey
the messages of the words. "Tour de France, camera video et photo"
provides as close to a chorus on the title track while "Minimum Maximum
Beats per Minute" lends all the power that the vocals need to deliver.
Throughout the overall sound is economic, never over cluttered but
bursting with subdued carefully calculated energy.
In a career spanning more than 33 years, the Dusseldorf quartet have
been endlessly saluted and mimicked by each new generation of
inventors. Few though have paid as much attention to detail as the
original self contained purity and class that Kraftwerk strives as hard
as ever to attain. Long may their journey run and long may they stay at
the front of the pack. -- Simon Duff
Fred Karlin Vol. 3 Electronic
Chronicle ** 1/2
FRED KARLIN
RMDU 2
24 tracks - 68:31
Do not be alarmed, fellow soundtrack geeks! You will not be subjected
to the dreaded bleeps and bloops, nor the incessant droning and
drumming of a dreaded electronic score! Instead, this disc features
Fred Karlin's multi-layered sound world for a quartet of mid- to-late
'80s telefilms, all suspense or action oriented, and not the typical
"heart warming true tale of courage and a mother's love" that dominates
the plot of most T.V. movies.
The best track is from Hostage Flight,
which is non-stop action and excitement for over three minutes. Murder C.O.D., with its
interpolated trumpet solos (performed by Karlin) carries an air of
grittiness and suggests the criminal element often associated with said
trumpet. Suspense and portent are also conjured up by the violin chords
and slow but steady drumbeat. Final
Jeopardy has the most typical sounding '80s synthesizer action
score, and therefore is likely to appeal to many on a nostalgic level
-- it reminded me of The Terminator.
Karlin uses high quality synthesizers capable of reproducing acoustic
orchestral sounds very well, much like Doldinger's Das Boot, and he also seems to be a
brilliant engineer and sound designer, creating complex multi-track
cues from several electronic sources. The trouble is, the music isn't
all that fresh sounding, and lacks any catchy melodies or thematic
hooks. The ethnic touches for Dadah
is Death were fine, but not enough to sustain interest over the
course of a 30-minute suite.
If you're into electronic scores, you'll find some well-crafted music,
but this CD will not appeal to most. For Fred Karlin and synthesizer
fans only. -- Darren MacDonald
MailBag@filmscoremonthly.com
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