4Play: R.E.M., Rhythums del Mundo, Jack Johnson, Air

Nov. 8, 2009

4Play: R.E.M., Rhythums del Mundo, Jack Johnson, Air
Kristi Kates 11/9/09
R.E.M. - Live at the Olympia - Warner Bros.
Vincent Moon previously worked with R.E.M. on one of their other music and video projects, and they’ve tapped his talents again for the visual portion of this special edition 2 CD set with bonus DVD, as featured a couple of weeks ago on NPR. The discs feature a whopping 39 songs from R.E.M.’s 2007 working rehearsals in Dublin, Ireland, and their live shows at the Olympia Theater in that same city, where they tested new songs over a five-night run. On audio duties is standby producer Jacknife Lee, who brings his sharp sounds to such tracks as “Cuyahoga,” “Drive,” “Auctioneer,” and other classic R.E.M. tracks.



Rhythms del Mundo - Classics - UMTV
Rhythms del Mundo are a Cuban collective that teams up with hipster bands to craft impossibly cool Spanish-influenced versions of various songs, whether the songs are the bands’ own or cover versions. This set is primarily covers, executed impressively by a wide range of artists; “Hotel California,” performed with just the right amount of suspense by The Killers, opens the set, which also includes Keane’s vocally-pretty version of Queen/Bowie’s “Under Pressure,” KT Tunstall’s take on “Because the Night,” and Kaiser Chiefs rollicking through Motown hit “I Heard It Through the Grapevine.” Cool, indeed.


Jack Johnson - En Concert - Brushfire Records
Jack Johnson’s 2008 tour was a great one for him - it saw the chill singer-songwriter performing everywhere from Red Rocks to Paris, jamming with Eddie Vedder, and wowing the crowds with a plethora of singalongs. This CD captures some of those moments, as does a separate CD/DVD version that includes film footage and a 60-page booklet of tour photos. Included here are plenty of Johnson’s fan favorite songs, from “Better Together” to “Bubble Toes,” as well as clips of some of Johnson’s own versions of fave cover tunes, from Paul Simon to Charles Wright and Jimi Hendrix.



Air - Love 2 - Astralwerks
It seems strange that French duo Air’s been around for a dozen years, given their suspended-in-time Euro-fashion and singular brand of futuristic dance-jazz. Air aren’t really pinpointable to any particular time period, which serves their music well; they can draw on any modern era’s sounds in order to craft their own. Their fifth studio album, Love 2 welcomes in drummer/percussionist Joey Waronker, who adds a little extra punch to typically bubbly Air treats like the super-catchy “Sing Sang Sung,” the chill beat of “So Light is Her Footfall,” and the pensive and spacy “Tropical Disease.”