| | IQU Sun Q CD IQU Discography of CDs
Includes a cover of Minnie Ripperton's "Loving You" on theremin.
Four years on from their last release and nearly six years after their debut album Chotto Matte a Moment! arrived, IQU returns with their second full-length Sun Q. When most bands go on such an extended hiatus it's a red flag that all is not well, but Sun Q is in fact IQU's best work yet. They've traded some of the more overtly experimental and drum 'n' bass leanings of their earlier work for pretty, Asian flavored synth pop that's equally shiny and smart: the irrepressible "9th Line" sounds like Daft Punk gone Shibuya-kei, with electro beats, fuzz bass and tight, tinny guitars jostling for position. Though the sardonic vocals on the verses help keep the song from becoming too cutesy, the track's overall vibe conjures up images of toys and robots getting their groove on (the song also takes a bathroom break, one of the first songs to do so since Björk's "There's More to Life Than This"). This mix of style, wit, and just a slight bit of geekiness informs the rest of Sun Q, particularly on "Dirty Boy" -- which also recalls Bis' first forays into synth pop, albeit with a slightly funkier edge -- as well as on the fun, sushi-referencing "Hamachi" and a cheeky cover of Minnie Riperton's "Loving You," on which the band's theremins strain to reach some of the impossibly high notes the soul diva hit on the original. "Dirty Boy"'s ringtone and vocoder-laden funk-pop and the sweetly mischievous pizzicato strings and breathy vocals on "Crazy" show off IQU's range within their sound and also recall the late-'90s heyday of Shibuya-kei artists like Buffalo Daughter and Takako Minekawa. However, the album doesn't sound dated; indeed, its somewhat more recent retro stylings feel fresher than the '80s synth pop revival of the early 2000s. Sun Q isn't perfect: more than a few of the songs go on longer than they should, and occasionally IQU sound stuck between the indie leanings of their previous releases and the bigger, poppier sound they seem to be heading towards. But when the band is capable of songs like the soft rock meets dance-pop hybrid of the title track -- which could've appeared in an alternate version of Lost in Translation with a more obviously happy ending -- it's easy to overlook Sun Q's minor failings in favor of its immense appeal. ~ Heather Phares
Iqu: Michiko Swiggs (vocals, organ, synthesizer, programming); Kento Oiwa.
Personnel: Michiko Swiggs (vocals, organ, synthesizer); Brian Weber (E-bow, piano, Fender Rhodes piano, Clavinet, Wurlitzer organ, scratches, background vocals).
Audio Mixer: Tony Lash.
Liner Note Author: Dave Segal.
Additional personnel: K.O. (vocals, guitar, piano, Fender Rhodes piano, organ, Theremin, turntables); Brian Weber (Wurlitzer piano); DJ Suspence (scratches).Magnet (p.110) - "SUN Q is undeniably a pop record; a sturdy thump and steady twitch replace the swervy noodling of yore..." IQU Sun Q Songs | 1. | Under the Cherry Blossom |
| 2. | 9th Line, The |
| 3. | Dirty Boy |
| 4. | Hamachi |
| 5. | Crazy |
| 6. | Dr. Caligari |
| 7. | Loving You |
| 8. | Sun Q |
| 9. | Puka |
| 10. | Pile of Cherries, A |
|
Sun Q Review
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Purchase Sun Q CD To buy, Click on price to add to cart | Dannii Minogue Neon Nights CD (2003) (Import) Bonus Tracks; Japan
Sun Q
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This is the Japanese import edition of Dannii Minogue's NEON NIGHTS featuring 16 tracks including two bonus recordings.
There's something about those Minogue sisters. No matter how many times they seem to be down for the count, a surprise comeback hit is always just around the corner. Dannii has never quite achieved the level of superstardom that sister Kylie has attained, but she has shown equal tenacity. Released in 1997, Girl may have been a commercial failure, but it succeeded in repositioning her as a sophisticated club artist rather than a B-list pop singer. That album caught on in the burgeoning trance scene of the mid-'90s, and Neon Nights partially follows that trend into the 2000s on tracks such as "Who Do You Love Now?," the out-of-nowhere comeback collaboration with Riva that gave Dannii the biggest hit of her career. However, Neon Nights is a more varied collection, a veritable pick and mix of the European dance scene at the turn of the century. Songs such as the sleazy "Put the Needle on It" and the pulsating "A Piece of Time" are pure electroclash, whereas the bouncy "For the Record" and "Mystified" caught on at the beginning of the major '80s revival that took off in a big way over the next few years. Despite the variety of influences, the album flows better than any of Dannii's albums have before, with only ...
| | Low Lifetime Of Temporary Relief (10 Years Of B-Sides And Rarities) CDs (2004)
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This release includes a 32-page booklet and a bonus DVD featuring music videos, live footage, and a series of documentaries by Marc Gartman.
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The master of suspense, Alfred Hitchcock, weaves a knotty yarn of intrigue in this early outing. Young, beautiful, and spoiled Iris Henderson (Margaret Lockwood) is wrapping up a ski vacation before unenthusiastically returning to London to be married. In the hotel, she meets an elderly governess en route to home, Miss Froy (Dame May Witty), as well as an unbearably rude music scholar named Gilbert (Michael Redgrave). Then, just before boarding the train, Iris receives a blow to the ...
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With her mind-blowing mix of heavy metal guitar prowess and bluesy, soulful vocals, Orianthi will draw some justifiably well-earned comparisons to such giants of rock guitar as Jimi Hendrix and, her own idol, Carlos Santana. On her 2009 sophomore album, BELIEVE, her style hews closer to the finger-frenetic pyrotechnics of such '70s and '80s icons as Eddie Van Halen and Steve Vai. Throw in her ability to sell a lyric and carry a strong melodic vocal phrase while also throwing down some devastating slabs of heavy metal riffage, and she starts to look a lot like the fantasy love child of Prince and Lita Ford. What's even more delicious is how, at face value, BELIEVE fits nicely next to studio-crafted--albeit stylistically successful--albums by Disney teen rock acts like Ashley Tisdale, Demi Lovato, and Miley Cyrus, the difference being that while those pretend-rock teen divas get backed by ...
| | Gov't Mule By A Thread CD (2009)
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BY A THREAD is Gov't Mule's first studio album since HIGH & MIGHTY was issued in 2006. Since that time, bassist Andy Hess has been replaced by Jorgen Carlsson, though Hess appears on two tracks at the end of the album. Carlsson's playing style is much more aggressive than Hess', and is therefore closer - in spirit anyway - to Gov't Mule's original bassist, the late Allen Woody, though he possesses an adventurous sense of time and is harmonically more colorful than either Woody or Hess. Carlsson and drummer Matt Abst are a solid match, since Abst is a drummer used to shifting time signatures and allowing the unexpected in while still driving a band. The band's keyboardist and rhythm guitarist, Danny Louis, is a shape-shifter, playing to whatever is needed in a given track. His manner of coloring sounds inside and around a particular tune's framework is a large part of what makes Gov't Mule's sound so fresh here - despite the fact that they don't stray far from what they do best. Warren Haynes and his guitar are, as usual, front and center, his guitar screaming, his big throaty growl hammering down lyrics like a Southern fire-and-brimstone preacher with earthshaking soul. The material on this set is tight; there is less jamming but Gordie Johnson's production and mixing equalize everything at ten, making it feel like the disc is recorded ...
| | Ani Difranco Swing Set CD (2000)
Sun Q
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| | Pat Johnson October Moon CD (2005)
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There's a brooding, heavy quality to Pat Johnson's musing at the beginning of October Moon, a mood, no doubt, that matches the reflections of a moon-filled fall night. Johnson's folk-style vocals deliver his lyrics without pretense while small-band arrangements, with a mix of acoustic and electric instruments, provide a full but uncomplicated backdrop appropriate for each song's mood. Unlike too many singer/songwriters, Johnson mixes things up enough to keep everything from running together. The electric guitar work, gentle and melodic, on "Catamaran," strikes a jazzy chord, separating the song from the folk-based "The Clouds in the Sky" and the title cut. "Four Wings," on the other hand, adds a gentle rocking beat, lightening up the mood. This mood continues to lift as the album progresses with Johnson even adding a soulful ...
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