Label: China / Sire

On maybe the second most anticipated ethereal trip-hip record of the year, the most anticpated being Portishead, Morcheeba has managed to triumphantly exceed some lofty expectations. Unlike Portishead’s self titled sophomore effort which garnered considerably more attention but was forgotten shortly thereafter, Morcheeba’s “Big Calm” stands a chance of actually selling some records and getting some spins on the radio and, God forbid, MTV as well. Not that a mass acceptance has any baring whatsoever on the overall quality of the music, but there is something to be said for how each band decided to approach their respective audiences.

Portishead became even more introspective creating a record even more fragile and quiet than their debut. This is fine I suppose, but I have long since filed that record away and haven’t thought about it all that much since then. Morcheeba, on the other hand, seemed to take all the light Portishead denied us and added it to their own work coming up with a considerably brighter affair.

There still remains the deep textured rhythms, complete with sitar and other East Indian elements, yet Morcheeba seems to have broadened their reach considerably.

Becoming both more psychedelic and occasionally folksy. They have also become and more band oriented, as opposed to merely two DJs spinning behind singer Skye Edwards, “Big Calm” is a sprawling dance-rock record complete with what sounds like a lay-up single in “Shoulder Holster.”

Whether wallowing in a dark deep trip-hop riff or sailing lightly through the bluesy “Part of the Process” Morcheeba will always be about catching a groove and stretching it out as long as they can.

These twelve songs uncover a band greatly more versatile than anyone would have expected. “Friction” bounces along to a true reggae beat, while “Over & Over” is a sparse acoustic folk piece, and “Let Me See,” is a wandering anthem directed by the crisp sexy vocals and a jazz flute. In a age of one hit wonders Morcheeba has created an album- a collection of songs to be listened to one after the other, in their entirety. As “Big Calm” draws to a close it is as if Morcheeba has taken you on a musical tour through miles and miles of trip-hopped styles.

Label: Source/Caroline

Lately all the French indie rock I’ve been hearing is pretty damn good. The lead singers of Stereolab, Semi Gloss and Ivy, as well as both members of Daft Punk, have generously donated their French aesthetic to the world. Now add to this prestigious list the list DJ duo Air. These guys spin incredible richly textured tunes that sound like Starsky & Hutch meets 4AD. Add to the often times instrumental tracks, a few female vocal licks that seem more akin to Morcheeba than say Daft Punk.

On “Moon Safari” the songs usually build a quiet groove mixing a Rhodes piano with a loungier Moog synth. While Air seeks to weave a web of clean lava lamped sound, don’t think this stuff is merely retro rehash – this is mellow dance music with a very strong grasp on what’s happening today.

Label: Merge

My love for indie rock seems to have slowly faltered over the past few months. Its been years since I’ve felt this sort of apathy for the hordes of guitar-obsessed kids paying tribute to the Gods who have come before them. But lately indie rock seems almost insignificant much of the time. Alterna-country, trip-hip and electronica have become more and more preoccupying- that is until Neutral Milk Hotel managed to save indie rock for me.

As a staple member of the musical collective known as Elephant 6 Recording Company, a group which includes Olivia Tremor Control and Apples In Stereo as band and label mates, Neutral Milk Hotel has emerged as the most important, artistic and inspiring band in the bunch. On “Aeroplanes” singer Jeff Magnum and his mates have extracted all the best bits from bands like Guided by Voices (circa Bee Thousand), The Beatles (circa Revolver), Beach Boys (circa Pet Sounds- of course) and an endless list of others to create a relevant modern masterpiece.

Driven primarily by the clean strumming and oddly alluring vocals of Magnum, NMH alternates between folk-punk guitar and fragile determined vocals (early Billy Bragg without the cockney political slant) and loud fast horn and singing saw romps through a carnival landscape filled with Tolkinesque characters and addictive melodies.

Opening with the epic “King of Carrot Flowers Pt. One” Magnum’s sweet oft-kilter bellows seduce you into a world where forks protrude from a fathers shoulder and garbage is strewn across the floor while life still manages to look oddly beautiful. Soon after the folk-punk ethos yields to raucous brass guided parades into truly unique musical landscapes.

There is much to praise about “In The Aeroplane Over The Sea,” but mostly this album is something so completely new and creative that it often leaves you with such artificially inflated musical expectations that buying new music almost seems a recipe for disappointment. But it is records like this one that make being an indie rocker so profoundly satisfying from time to time.

Jeff Magnum is well on his way to becoming a true musical visionary recycling scraps into incredibly memorable artistic moments. His bold naked vocals and talented supporting cast allow Neutral Milk Hotel to register 1998′s first perennial favorite.