HIGH BIAS -- April 8, 2001 -- Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Rahat Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, John Cale, Joe Maphis, Charlie Rich, Cosmic Rough Riders, Electric Frankenstein, Gravy Boat, Ice Age, Idlewild, Malkum Gibson, Chris Kleeman, Jennifer Marks, Paved Country, Turbonegro

Album reviews of new music by:

Cosmic Rough Riders: Despite the album packaging and the band's name, there's little overt psychedelia present; the blokes seem less concerned with altering your consciousness than with getting you to sing along. (more)
Electric Frankenstein: They've exchanged lead guitarist Jim Foster for Carl Porcaro, but otherwise it's business as usual for this prolific Jersey rock 'n' roll quintet. (more)
Gravy Boat: An outgrowth of Austin's best punk band Jesus Christ Superfly, Gravy Boat—guitarists/singers Rick Carney and Jerry Renshaw, bassist Ron Williams and drummer Brian DiFrank—plays pumped-up roots rock that sounds like Buck Owens after being roughed up in a biker bar. (more)
Ice Age: A couple of years ago, New York's Ice Age released their debut album The Great Divide, a fairly pedestrian progressive metal album that nonetheless contained sparks of something greater. If Liberation is any indication, the band has been fanning those sparks into flames . . . (more)
Idlewild: Catchy melodies bump up against punk fury, atmospheric layers of guitar and organ alternate with frenzied six-string squalls, lush vocal harmonies share space with buzzing feedback, and, most importantly, youthful angst is tempered with wry humor. (more)
Malkum and Chris: Malkum Gibson and Chris Kleeman present an interesting conundrum by performing likable versions of songs that could have been on their set list back when they were working with [BB] King (more)
Jennifer Marks: NYC's Jennifer Marks plays a superior brand of folk pop. (more)
Paved Country: Hailing from Boston, Paved Country are a slick, twangy country-pop band built around the voices and lyrics of Marjie Alonso and Sarah Mendelsohn. (more)
Turbonegro: Considered by many to be the godfathers of the currently vital Scandinavian rock 'n' roll scene, Oslo's self-described deathpunk/denim rock sextet Turbonegro disintegrated in late '98, but not before recording their final concert for Darkness Forever! (more)

Aural Fixations

NUSRAT FATEH ALI KHAN
The Final Recordings
RAHAT NUSRAT FATEH ALI KHAN
Rahat Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan
Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan was the leading proponent of qawwali, the ancient music of Sufism, a mystical tradition of Islam. Nusrat died in 1997 at the age of 49, having singlehandedly delivered his music from Pakistan to the world. Along the way he also collaborated with westerners such as Eddie Vedder and Peter Gabriel. Rahat is his nephew, schooled by his uncle since the age of three. (more)

Tripping Through the Past

JOHN CALE
Vintage Violence
Fresh from his stint in the Velvet Underground and landmark productions for Nico and the Stooges, John Cale did something unexpected for an artist with serious avant-garde credentials. For his first solo project, he made a singer/songwriter pop record, and a damn good one at that. (more)

JOE MAPHIS
Fire On the Strings
Originally released in 1956, Fire On the Strings had a huge influence on American roots guitarists. One of the first to pick 'n' grin old-time fiddle tunes on the electric six-string, Maphis blazed a trail of broken strings, worn fretboards and stolen spotlights for nearly 15 years before recording this landmark album. (more)

CHARLIE RICH
Behind Closed Doors
Behind Closed Doors, now containing four bonus tracks drawn from lesser albums, is that rare record whose commercial fortunes matched its artistic ones. Charlie Rich had beaucoup soul, and it always showed. (more)

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