Album: Solex vs. Cristina Martinez & Jon Spencer, Amsterdam Showdown, King Street Throwdown! (Bronzerat)

Andy Gill
Friday 26 February 2010 01:00 GMT
Comments

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

What I particularly like about Amsterdam Showdown, King Street Throwdown! is the way it defies simple categorisation, shifting shape and direction with virtually every track, and constructing weird, contradictory combinations of sounds which balance, as the poet once said, like a mattress balances on a bottle of wine.

This is partly due to the convoluted nature of its creation, with Amsterdam-based sample-splicer Elisabeth Esselink, aka Solex, sending part-finished recordings over to New York for the Boss Hog partnership of Jon Spencer and Cristina Martinez to add their punk-blues touches. Ranging from the mad funk-jazz organ of "Eat Here" to the itchy guitar and morse-code synth groove of "Uppercut". The opener "Bob Bob" is typically eclectic, a sinuous funk groove with Spencer's strangulated outbursts punctuating cute girl-group vocals. "Dog Hit" is similarly uncategorisable, while "Aapie" adds R&B horn interjections to the mad bricolage of distorted guitar funk. "There's no sense in getting primitive," sings Esselink, "I like the way you walk upright!". A searing blast of perverse individuality in an all-too-ordered pop scene.

Download this Bob Bob; Dog Hit; Aapie; Dirty

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in