Woolfy is top dog this week with an album full of Ibiza sunset music. Alternative outfit Deerhoof and ageless chanteuse Grace Jones round off the selection of albums this week.

If you buy all three, you’d bring home a pretty eclectic booty. Surprises guaranteed, but you’d also cover pretty much any kind of mood you might find yourself in over the next week or so.

Grace Jones’ new album ‘Hurricane’ was Number One last week, so it’s actually not in the race. But we ran a full review of ‘Hurricane’ this week, so here it is again, outside the competition.

Album Of The Week: Woolfy vs Projections ‘The Astral Projections Of Twilight’

Unless you are a die-hard crate digger, you would stear well clear of any album with that title, by a band with that name or with that cover. But read on, this is top chill-out music hideously packaged.

Crate diggers are people, mainly blokes, who dig through crates of dusty old vinyl records in the hope there’s the odd drum break or instrumental nugget among them. After a while you develop a 6th sense for which type of hideous cover spells ‘potential hit’ and which type simply spells ‘yukk’.

‘The Astral Projections’ boast a truly atrocious cover. In fact, it looks like the kind of album that Hare Krishna disciples used to flog in pedestrian zones across Europe not so long ago. But as Norman Cook, aka Fatboy Slim and crate digger extraordinaire, once said: ‘I always buy records by guys with beards, it’s usually a good sign’. Simon ‘Woolfy’ James and his sidekick Dan Hastie sure have beards.

So, listen up, because the unpromising packaging hides two top Balearic Disco grooves and a lot of ace chill-out material.

Let’s look at the two Balearic nuggets first. ‘Neeve’ is the hit here, a moody mid tempo groove with loads of atmospheric synthesiser noises and a killer rhythm guitar. It’s Pink Floyd’s ‘Another Brick In The Wall’, all discofied and dangerous. ‘This Space’ goes for that mid-70’s Disco Funk sound. The funky rhythm guitar and the brass section are undeniably 2008, but the ‘feel’ is just right.

What’s more, these tracks sound fat, not like some cheap sample edits on a laptop. I’m sure Hastie’s experience playing with Westcoast live acts like Breakestra and Orgone has contributed to this. ‘The Astral Projections’ is a very rich and incredibly lush album.

This particularly benefits the more downtempo tracks like ‘Absynth’, ‘Carry On’, ‘Return Of The Starlight’ and ‘The Chase’. Theres a splash of Soul, a hint of Jazz Fusion and a good deal of film music in the mix. Tasteful, mellow chill-out stuff for sunsets, sunrises and anytime in between.

Watch The Underwater Video For ‘Absynth’

Londoner James came to Los Angeles more than a decade ago, liked the Westcoast lifestyle and stayed. He’s been recording under the Woolfy moniker for a while, but ‘The Astral Projections’ is definitely his most interesting slab of wax so far.

Woolfy is one of these US-based artists who are a bigger draw in Europe than in the States. Outside a few hip pockets, his brand of Balearic Disco is just not going to find too many open ears at home. So his drinking buddies in LA will have to pick up the album on import. Woolfy’s record label is German.

To cut to the chase: Ignore the artwork and the rather silly name, just give it a listen. Whether you’re a bar DJ looking for more obscure warm up tracks or whether you just want a mellow album to kick back to at home, you might find what you’re after on ‘The Astral Projections Of Twilight’.

You can listen to ‘The Astral Projections Of Twilight’ here and download the album from iTunes UK.

US Readers - Buy Woolfy’s New Album On CD Here!

UK And Ireland Readers - Buy Woolfy On CD Or Vinyl Here!

#2: Deerhoof ‘Offend Maggie’
The opener ‘The Tears And Music Of Love’ is pure genius: Imagine a deranged garage band in deepest Newfoundland trying (and failing) to cover the AC/DC hard rock classic ‘Highway To Hell’.

This track has to be heard to be believed. The rest of the album by San Francisco band Deerhoof is largely made up of vaguely folky rock jams with a whiff of psychedelia keeping everybody on their toes. ‘Offend Maggie’ is no sit-back-and-relax album, rather an uneasy trip down to where the mushrooms grow.

Watch Deerhoof Perform ‘The Tears And Music Of Love’

This is really as straightforward and melodic as it gets. The title track, ‘Offend Maggie’, and ‘Family Of Others’ are played pretty tight and with strong folky overtones. At other times, Deerhoof freak out and, depending on how straight or skewed you like your rock, loose the plot a bit.

On the punchy side we have ‘Snoopy Waves’ and ‘Fresh Born’, demented blues rock jams that stutter to a halt, start again, stop… garage rock fans, there are more treats on the album for you apart from ‘The Tears’!

A track blessed with a particularly high ‘weird factor’ is ‘Basketball Get Your Groove Back’: A nursery rhyme set to scratchy pop punk. If you are a New Wave collector and have heard of ace 70’s Belgian combo the Honeymoon Killers, well, than this is the closest you’ll get to their particular brand of theatrics.

Listen here to ‘Offend Maggie’
US readers can download DRM-Free tracks directly from the player below.

Deerhoof are holding one big, sprawling car boot sale of musical influences on this album. Full of ideas and just slightly scruffy around the edges, this is an album for all of you who like their music raw but gentle at the same time.

US Readers - Buy Deerhoof’s New Album On CD Or Vinyl Here!

UK And Ireland Readers - Buy ‘Offend Maggie’ On CD Or Vinyl Here!

Out Of Competition: Grace Jones ‘Hurricane’
This is Jones first new album in almost 20 years. The choice of musicians and material suggests that she is trying to re-connect with her New Wave period circa ‘Nightclubbing’.

Jones re-invented herself a few times from 70’s Disco queen to icy New Wave icon and mainstream pop diva. ‘Hurricane’, Jones first new material in almost 20 years makes a concious nod to the cool, detached New Wave classics ‘Warm Leatherette’ (1980) and ‘Nightclubbing’ (1981).

All the key musicians that shaped her sound back in 80/81 are back on board: Reggae’s top rhythm section Sly Dunbar on drums and Robbie Shakespeare on bass, Funk keyboarder par excellence Wally Badarou and guiarist Mikey Chung.

As you would expect with such an all-star cast, ‘Hurricane’ has a rich, creamy sound. Listening to the rhythm section is the aural equivalent of slicing a warm knife through a pound bar of butter. Guitars and keys add a frosted edge and Jones largely spoken vocals add an air of detached coolness.

After she broke with the Disco scene, Jones groomed her own timeless take on the then fashionable Reggae music in the early 80’s. On ‘Hurricane’, Jones and her musicians pick up where ‘Nightclubbing’ ended. Thankfully, both the band and their Diva show an open mind, taking in newer influences such as elements of Dubstep, Balearic Disco and digital Dancehall.

And the catch? Jones has always delivered her most striking performances singing songs penned by and for other artists. She always seemed to make these covers more ‘her own’ than any of the song she actually wrote or co-wrote herself. For some truly great Jones performances check ‘La Vie En Rose’ (Edith Piaf), ‘Use Me’ (Bill Withers), ‘Private Life’ (Chrissie Hynde) and ‘Nightclubbing’ (Iggy Pop).

There are simply not enough strong songs on ‘Hurricane’. Sure, the album sounds great and the general quality of tracks here is high. But where are the songs you’re going to hum in the shower or whistle on the way to work?

As soon as I slap the album on, it sounds instantly familiar. Once it’s over, I can remember bass lines, a shard of guitar here and a percussion pattern there, but I couldn’t hum you one chorus.

Take the first single, ‘Corporate Cannibal’, probably the one song on the album that’s closest to contemporary R&B styles. Jones tries to make it her own, but I just don’t think this is her kind of material. Nobody else could get away with these vocals, though.

Watch The Video For Corporate Cannibal

‘Well Well Well’ is Jones doing this polished Reggae groove that nobody else ever nailed down quite like her. On ‘Love You To Life’ there’s more of the same but with the addition of a Trancey chorus.

‘Sunset Sunrise’ is a Balearic Disco classic in the making. The Glockenspiel and deep, spoken word vocals make this a perfect sunset/sunrise tune with a definite Ibiza touch.

‘I’m Crying Mother’s Tears’ is a light-handed ballad with a touch of Jazz fusion, think Sade here. ‘This Is’ creates a stark, almost menacing atmosphere with its ominoius spoken word vocals and sub-Dancehall beats.

‘William’s Bones’ and ‘The Devil In Me’ wouldn’t be out of place on a discofied movie soundtrack.

‘Hurricane’ is an album that works best in its entirety. I’m curious now if it will stand the test of time. After all, ‘Nightclubbing’ lasted months and months on home HiFis and club turntables because you just got hooked on one song and then moved on to the next - From ‘I’ve Seen That Face Before’ to ‘Pull Up To The Bumper’ to ‘Use Me’ to…

’nuff said. Sit back, relax, pour yourself a drink and listen to ‘Hurricane’ on Jones’ MySpace page.

We say:

US Readers - Buy Grace Jones New Album On CD Here!

UK And Ireland Readers - Buy ‘Hurricane’ On CD And Vinyl Here!