Oracle Online

It would seem that Beck is attempting to rekindle the manic collage of surrealist funk, space cadet hip-hop and hallucinatory honky-tonk twang that typified his standout LP Odelay. Hence the return of the unstoppable producing duo responsible for “Where It’s At” (not to mention Paul’s Boutique), the Dust Brothers. Mark your calendars.

For all the verbose backpackers out there, Aesop Rock is returning to the fore with a new record. No, not a full-length, but more than a single. The Fast Cars, Danger, Fire, and Knives EP finally brings Ian Bavitz back to the mic after a yearlong absence, on Feb. 22. With production by Blockhead, Rob Sonic and Bavitz, the EP should be more focused than the material on Bazooka Tooth.“If I had to describe it, I guess I’d say it was a bit more contained than Bazooka Tooth. I thought Bazooka was easy listening till it started getting reviewed,” said Rock in a recent interview. Too bad the subsequent tour won’t come through these parts.

Our generation’s malevolent master of bombast, distortion and infectious pop sensibilities č Weezer č is also preparing to regale us once more.

After reports that sessions recorded with bearded guru Rick Rubin were shelved, resulting in the removal of Rubin from the producer’s chair, the band claims to be “97 percent” confident on the album’s track list.

The as-yet-untitled album will apparently include some material from the 2003 Rubin sessions, but remixing will be put on hold for a time, as Weezer’s horn-rimmed mastermind Rivers Cuomo is currently back at Harvard. The album is expected to see the light of day sometime in May.

As usual, there’s also a glut of remasters, reissues and other customary milkings of popular music’s sacred cows. Just to be clear: The following is a warning, not a recommendation.

R.E.M., like U2, ceased long ago to be anything more than a willing Quisling to the regime of corporate rock. As a reward, Warner Brothers is repackaging their output for the label with bonus tracks and assorted goodies. This is understandable for records like Green, Out of Time and Automatic for the
People, but who needs to hear the outtakes from the Monster sessions? Sweet Jesus, why not just put out another Elvis compilation and stop embarrassing R.E.M. any more than they do themselves.

Fear not, ardent music fan, for there are indeed even more exciting records on the horizon: Elvis Costello and the Impostors, They Might Be Giants, the Adverts, Wild Man Fischer and oh, so many more.
What a time to be alive.