Voks - Vaks Vanskab Ak 3”
[Dekorder, 2003]
{5.4}


Of all the Dekorder stuff reviewed, this disc probably has the most potential appeal to electronic music fans. While the influences range from krautrock to Herbie Hancock, it all ends up being filtered into what could have been the soundtrack to any number of classic Nintendo games, albeit with a much better sampling rate. If you dig light-hearted, laid-back bleeps and blips and are looking to recall your hours of Zelda, this will probably suit you just fine. To its credit, the disc does break a little from the video game sound towards the end, but by then it’s too late for me.
[Mike Shiflet]


Manitoba - If Assholes Could Fly This Place Would Be An Airport 12"
[Leaf, 2003]
{8.4}


So first Dan Snaith drops in this piece of garage, one step less than three, with some vague vocals he stole and a bicycle bell and a popping synth bass, but he keeps out the guitars only he still can’t resist melting in his fuzzy jazz skronk. Then he winds up his organ and does a smiling Aphex canter on “Air Doom” before he goes all microhouse on our arse (“Ach Who”), dropping the tide out and cutting up snippets of breathing and talking before he lets out his electronic butterfly clarinet for a moment in the calm. Fidgety bugger.
[Nick Southall]


Styles Of Beyond - Mr. Brown/Live Enough Remix
[Ill Boogie Records, 2003]
{7.9}


Taking underground hip-hop clichés like condemning the superthug persona and making it an enjoyable listen is a difficult task these days. By playing the part ridiculously over the top and humorously incorporating some Mobb Deep samples for the chorus over an infectious island rhythm, Styles of Beyond accomplishes just that on "Mr. Brown". As an encore, the edgy guitar-looped "Live Enough Remix", consists of cheeky (yet seriously delivered) lines like "I remember growing in back of the talking heads/You might ask yourself, 'How cool is he?'/It's just my fascination with the human league". Styles of Beyond continues blazing their trail of unapologetic, enjoyable backpacker rap.
[Fredrick Thomas]


Black Dice - Cone Toaster 12"
[DFA, 2003]
{8.8}


A guitar with scoliosis, a guy fiddling with the input jack to his amp, a dub bassline that wants to emerge from the ether- and then we dance- awkwardly, disjointedly, like eighth graders at a school dance after we’ve smoked up behind the soccer fields, knowing there’s going to be poison served by the DJ, but we can get underneath, we can believe, we can be. Steve Reich meets LCD Soundsystem, this. And the remix? A shambling epic complete with Christmas-y bells and smooth jazz-esque drumming making way for the swirling maelstrom. DFA Records is on a winning streak, ride the wave.
[Todd Burns]