FCS North
FCS North
(Pacifico Recordings)
***

Creating space for mood-building is second nature for Seattle's daring instrumental trio FCS North. It is what distinguishes them from the Chicago post-rock scene that they could be lazily lumped in with. FCS North's expansiveness explores motion. Their self-titled album opens with a field recording of the ocean's lapping waves, establishing the sense of movement and travel that courses through their work. The sprawl of "1222" begins with birds chirping and ethereal keyboards before the drums enter, stately at first, and then playful. Drummer Andy Sells is a focal point throughout the album, stuttering and shadowboxing with Joshua Warren's slithering bass and liquid samples. They manage to draw on the cursive of free jazz, the bed of ambient, and the serpentine flow of groove, marrying them all to their unique vision. FCS North furrow deeply into the melodies and ideas between rhythms, creating trancelike grooves that cross illbient shadings with the magisterial beauty of Art Ensemble of Chicago's soaring dirges, before spinning off into energized fusion. Their ebb-tide mood allows a healthy looseness within the complex interplay. "Police Laughter" opens with an ominous polyrhythm reminiscent of David Byrnes' score for The Catherine Wheel, and then launches into more arresting reconfigurations. Sells' polyrhythms move from restraint to soulful expressionism across a single composition. Warren's bass strolls as he simultaneously triggers samples--briskly engaging snippets with a haunting fever-dream quality. Keyboardist Chad States' samples evince a beautiful, delicately evanescent collection of sounds. The layering and arresting combinations conjure juxtapositions and intersubjectivity, and then they simply groove. As the album concludes with "Blue White Blue," the sense of time and space travel has moved the listener and re-angled that person's perception. FCS North see the future by looking back on the present, as if it were the past. NATE LIPPENS

RICKY MARTIN
Sound Loaded
(Sony/Columbia)
**

A few years back I decided to give up trying to exorcise my inner trashy-music-lover. It was a liberating experience to come out as a Top 40 aficionado. I know there are more of you like me, and I'm here to say it's okay. I know you love Ricky Martin as much as I do. His latest CD is an improvement on his first U.S. release. The ballads need to go, though; they are too cheesy even for me. Ricky's strength is his stage presence. If he could somehow transfer this je ne sais quoi into a record, he might be able to come up with something good. The highlights on this album are definitely the up-tempo songs, especially the ones in Spanish. This way, you avoid lyrics such as "Ay mama, you're my sweet mamacita, you've gone to my head like too many margaritas." Isn't it great to finally be free? XUI LOVE

JANE SIBERRY
Hush
(Sounds True)
***

With her first studio release since 1997's live album, Child, Canadian singer/songwriter Jane Siberry interprets American spirituals and traditional songs from Scotland and Ireland. Considering the timing of its release, it is perfect holiday music. That in and of itself is a minor miracle. Without the typical holiday musical flourishes of melismatic overdrive, fussy arrangements, or enforced good cheer, Hush manages to convey a shadowed sense of spirituality through its use of traditional material, treated with love but without stultifying reverence. Its gentle, unforced arrangements highlight Siberry's idiosyncratic flair and beautiful, yet quirky voice. The opener, "Jacob's Ladder," is an album highlight, with Siberry displaying the airy heights and simultaneous nuances she can imprint on a well-worn song. "The Water Is Wide" also demonstrates her light touch with potentially treacly material, conveying a well of deep emotion without throwing the listener down it. For a singer whose career began in the early '80s with a sometimes off-putting whimsy and pretension (never a good combination), Siberry has developed into an incredibly versatile and impressive song interpreter. NATE LIPPENS

HUNGRY GHOSTS
Alone, Alone
(Smells Like Records)
***

Upon hearing instrumental trio Hungry Ghosts in Melbourne, Sonic Youth's Steve Shelley signed them to his label, brought them to America, and recorded (as well as played on) Alone, Alone. With more clarity than their 1997 self-titled debut produced by ex-Birthday Party guitarist Rowland S. Howard, Alone, Alone demonstrates Hungry Ghosts' sturdy foundation of violin, guitar, and drums to great effect. While comparisons to fellow Australian instrumental three-piece the Dirty Three seem inevitable, Hungry Ghosts light out for their own territory. It is a subtle, beautiful trajectory. Hungry Ghosts tend toward more melodic set pieces than the Dirty Three, and play acoustic and electric instruments, varying the texture of their album with a Calexico-like soundtrack feel. Like a whittled-down companion to Chicago indie all-star project Dutch Harbor, Hungry Ghosts have a penchant for shimmering, scenic songs that are spiked with propulsive moments that recall labelmates Two Dollar Guitar on 1998's Train Songs. NATE LIPPENS

BRATMOBILE
Ladies, Women and Girls
(Lookout!)
**1/2

After exploding six years ago on a New York stage, Bratmobile seemed destined to riot grrrl footnote status. They have reconvened and recorded a new album on indie-punk label Lookout! that shows their muscularity and maturity. It seems the refinement of guitarist Erin Smith, drummer Molly Neuman, and singer Alison Wolfe is both a blessing and a curse. On the one hand, their maturity adds lyrical depth and shows them wiser and stronger. On the other hand, it's a loss of that high-octane volatility that made Bratmobile originally exciting. For latecomers, this Bratmobile record may prove to be an exciting listen, but for those who knew them in their prime, it will prove disappointing. NATE LIPPENS