March 12 2003

The global success of Les Nubians' 1998 debut, Les princesses nubiennes, caught nearly everyone off guard: here were two lovely singing sisters, Hélène and Célia Faussart, of French and Cameroonian heritage, who grew up in Bordeaux and Chad, cruising through a pleasing selection of jazzy hip-hop and smooth R&B tunes sung in French. They don't have diva voices, but they do have that mysterious "sister blend," as well as a certain cool that made the album such a breezy and appealing turn-on. The CD sold close to 400,000 copies in the United States alone and nearly 1 million worldwide.

The second album, One Step Forward, has been a long time coming and shows that the first one was no fluke. Not content to merely regurgitate the musical ideas that made them stars, the Faussarts have broadened their palette considerably, adding a dash of reggae, more R&B, a couple of moody, string-laden ballads, and – for the first time – a song that has clear roots in West African pop; it's quite an international smorgasbord. Most of the lyrics are in French, but this time out they dabble in English and Spanish, too. If you've listened to French radio in recent years, you know that popular music there has become a wild mix of languages and influences, so we can't just accuse Les Nubians of pandering to the large U.S. market. Personally, I find singing in French much more sensual and mysterious.

There are tracks here that suffer from overproduction – too many layers of vocals, an oversaturation of instrumentation – but most of the experimentation works. The interesting roster of guests includes Manu Dibango, Talib Kweli (fast-rappin' in French on the title cut), U.K. electronic music maven I.G. Culture, and several others; it's a group as diverse as the music. All in all, a rich and soulful outing. Les Nubians perform March 19, Bimbo's 365 Club, S.F. (415) 474-0365. (Blair Jackson)

Adam F
Drum and Bass Warfare (System Recordings)

Drum 'n' bass and hip-hop have always been uneasy bedfellows – surprising, since both are rooted in the same basic breakbeats and both contain a compellingly macho sensibility. The fact is, hip-hop has never been comfortable with the music recontextualizing its culture as British, electronic, and supersonically paced, while the emphasis drum 'n' bass places on DJs and dance floors hasn't left room for rappers who need to be the star of the show.

That said, Adam F's new album, Drum and Bass Warfare, is the best representation yet of how drum 'n' bass and hip-hop can fit together. The two-disc set is devised as a series of drum 'n' bass remixes of Adam F-produced hip-hop tracks, coupled with songs mixed by scratch champion-cum-junglist DJ Craze. The first thing that catches the eye are Adam's collaborators, who run the gamut from dancehall superstar Beenie Man to Betty Boop-voiced singer-rapper Lil' Mo to hip-hop legend Guru. On the remix duty are the cream of the crop of the U.K. d'n'b scene, including artists Dillinja, Ray Keith, and Hype, who are primarily known for the hard stuff.

The album starts off with the apocalyptic roll of "Smash Sumthin'," on which a taunting Redman sits over sampler explosions and bombastic future jazz created by Roni Size. It travels through catastrophically hard war-drum tracks backed by equally gruff proclamations from M.O.P. and Capone 'n' Noreaga before breaking into more overtly techno and trance-influenced bits from John B., High Contrast, and J. Majik that sound ready for a rave. Drum and Bass Warfare is an apt title for this collection, since it often seems like the prominent vocals and blistering beats are continually battling with each other for attention. There are no subtle hints or smoothed-out touches to be found here, so those who relish drum 'n' bass as cocktail-hour background music are advised to steer clear. For those who love the genre's sheer aggressive power, the interesting tricks and techniques of the accompanying Craze mix present the most compelling case for why these two musical styles were made for each other. (Vivian Host)

Grand Ulena
Gateway to Dignity (Family Vineyard)

Here's a band to file alongside Orthrelm, Hella, and the Flying Luttenbachers in the ranks of elite brainiacs patrolling the current landscape of stripped-down, post-Ruins instrumental rock. However, Grand Ulena aren't a new band – rumor has it they rehearsed together for close to three years before even playing their first show last October, opening for Wilco, of all people. And since they're only just now setting out on tour, Gateway to Dignity will be the first thing most people will hear from this St. Louis trio.

The best advice for your first encounter with this recording is to sit down in front of the stereo and stop whatever you're doing, because it will do funny things to your brain. This is strictly foreground music that, on first listen, feels like it's mocking you and your quaint expectations of what a guitar-bass-drum trio is supposed to deliver. There is some kind of hidden logic at work here, though, buried amid the barrage of guitar-bass dissonance, hiccuping rhythmic interplay, and grindcore-strength blast-beats. There has to be, otherwise these songs wouldn't start making sense – much less start sticking in your head – after only the third or fourth time around.

Gateway works aggressively on two levels: physical and cerebral. Not emotional. What saves it from the realm of overcomplicated egghead rock, though, is the incredible energy and intensity of the performances. This is highlighted by the great live-in-the-studio sound, which has the same kind of hot, strategically overdriven quality you'd normally expect from a no wave/noise rock label such as Load or Skin Graft, and not from Family Vineyard, which also puts out albums by the wistful Loren MazzaCane Connors. (For the record, Skin Graft was once home to bassist Darin Gray's old band, influential prog hardcore act Dazzling Killmen.)

Sure, this will drive certain people crazy. Garage rock purists, for one, will hate it, and a lot of those unsuspecting Wilco fans apparently did, too, but any band that can produce music this screwy and convoluted and yet still have it sound good blaring out of a cheap boom box deserves some serious props. (Will York)

Electric Six
Danger! High Voltage (XL/Beggars Group)

Given the U.K.'s obsession with all things white-striped, it's not surprising that the re-release of Electric Six's Danger! High Voltage – now featuring fellow Detroiter Jack White on guest vocals – recently debuted at no. 2 on their pop charts. What is shocking is that, while a welcome foil to singer Dick Valentine's gruff growl, White's panicked, sexy-sleazy howl may be the least noteworthy thing about this gloriously catchy, disco rock title track. "Fire in the disco!" Valentine warns as a sax solo blares like a siren. "Don't you wanna know how we keep starting fires? It's my desire!" White clarifies. Quite simply, it may be the hot 'n' heaviest 3:36 of dance floor liberation you'll hear this side of the Motor City's garage rock-electronic divide all year.