Sound Bites

Album causes manic depression

Joi is Haroon Shamsher and Farook. Haroon and Farook are two Anglo-Bengalis who live in the UK. They make Asian techno.
Scratch that. They make Asian techno blistering with western dance rhythms, breakbeat fusion, sensual Asian musical overtones and seductive samples overlaid with sitars, guitars and percussion that will leave the listener in a completely helpless state of wanting more.
The debut album from the duo, One and One is One, which refers to a metaphysical mathematics equation dealing with love, explores Joi's musical web of finely woven sounds that incorporate the duo's cultural heritage with the newest adventures in electronica.
Joi has been around since the early '90s, making itself known in the UK dance scene as part of the pioneering Joi Bangla Sound System. However, One and One is One is the first release that will hit the mainstream tastes of the States.
On the same label as big-beat enthusiasts the Chemical Brothers, Joi is on its way to musical stardom. However, being on the right label is just a part of the equation.
It is Joi's music on One and One is One, which can vary from trance to dance, that will put Joi alongside other revered Asian techno acts such as Talvin Singh and Asian Dub Foundation.
The strongest track on the album, which is also the first single off One and One is One, is the sensual "Asian Vibes," which features the talented chanting vocals of Susheela Raman. Her Indian singing soars as the sound of the guitar-driven dance beats mixes with Raman's emotional outpour. Other stellar tracks include "Everybody say Yeah," "Oh My People" and the opening track "Fingers."
One and One is One will not disappoint with its diverse electronic styles and precise rhythm crafting. Joi has taken all the right steps so far, and it doesn't look like much can get between the duo and musical fame.
- Ian Young | Staff Writer
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Short attention span

If you don't make it through this review, Short Music For Short People is for you.
The brainchild of NOFX's Fat Mike, Short Music features 101 tracks by 101 different punk artists, each lasting no more than 30 seconds. The record's lineup, a virtual who's who of important punk acts of the past couple of decades, offers a great mix of old (Misfits, 7 Seconds, Black Flag), new (The Living End, Limp), East Coast (Sick Of It All), West Coast (almost everyone else), Northern California (A.F.I., Bracket), southern California (Unwritten Law, Blink-182), major-label acts (The Offspring, Bad Religion) and virtual unknowns (Poison Idea, Bodyjar).
And, if an hour's worth of straight-up punk sounds undesirable, Short Music offers a variety of styles, including ska (Dance Hall Crashers, Less Than Jake), rock (GWAR) and even a few acoustic numbers (Green Day, the Muffs, Swingin' Utters).
Outweighing the few poor songs (by Spazz, Lunachicks and an ancient contribution from the Descendents), not to mention the curious omission of well-known acts like The Dead Kennedys and MxPx, are many more outstanding tracks, the best of which are by Sick Of It All, Chixdiggit, Unwritten Law, The Mr. T Experience and Bracket.
If it doesn't tire you out the first time around, keep Short Music in your CD player for a long time.
- Mark Carpowich | Staff Writer
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Gimme a break

Me First and the Gimme Gimmes, the all-covers side project of members of NOFX, Lagwagon, No Use for a Name and Swingin' Utters, entertained audiences with their first release, Have a Ball, an homage to 1970s adult contemporary pop.
On Are a Drag, the boys reach back even further into their musical lexicon, producing an album of Broadway showtunes for the punk rock crowd.
Are a Drag aims solely at humor and amusement, a goal best realized on its most familiar songs. It features such popular numbers as "Over the Rainbow" and "My Favorite Things," as well as lesser known tracks like "Science Fiction Double Feature" from Arthur C. Clarke's "Mysterious World."
Singer Spike Slawson's snarling intro to "Favorite Things," When the dog bites / When the bee stings / I don't feel so fucking bad, aptly reflects this very punk, very tongue-in-cheek interpretation at its best.
Me First and the Gimme Gimmes also energizes many Broadway ballads such as "Don'tCry For Me Argentina" to punk rock pace for entertaining effect. However, it seems as if these humorous elements may be lost on a listener unfamiliar with showtunes.
The average punk fan - not exactly part of the Broadway crowd - will most likely miss out on the value of many of these tracks. Even so, Me First and the Gimme Gimmes' latest remains an enjoyable diversion for those affiliated with either punk or Broadway music, and is certainly not a drag.
- Kara Kalenius | Staff Writer