Last dose of Morphine a sweet one

“The Night”

Morphine

If you like your alternative sweet and black like a strong cup of foamy mocha latte, then Morphine’s latest release, “The Night,” is just the rich and chocolatey jolt of java your CD player needs.

Since melancholic front man Mark Sandman died last year of a heart attack, this is also the last pure hit of Morphine you’re going to get.

“The Night” is an excellent swan song filled with dark images, sexy saxophone riffs and pounding bass melodies that come up through the earth and shake your rib cage.

This album has all of the darkness of a David Lynch film, without the comic relief and midgets. It is a dark atmospheric journey of metropolitan landscapes, hot nights and hotter nightclubs.

Listening to it, you can almost feel yourself being drawn into a noir fantasy world filled with quiet misadventure. It is the soundtrack of a nasty, underworld trek that hasn’t been written yet.

The music pulsates like a heartbeat, constant and rich with life-giving oxygen, but it never becomes frenetic.

This is an album full of nuance, ambiance and subtlety held together by three essential elements.

Two of the elemental components come from the late Mark Sandman himself.

First, his voice is like molasses: sweet, dark and rich. It isn’t the sweet song of a beautiful bird, however. It is more like baritone temptation — seductive, alluring and dangerous.

If Satan were known for his excellent singing voice, he would sound like Mark Sandman. Don’t turn your back on this guy, or you’ll find yourself waking up in a strange place with your wallet gone and a chunk of missing time you can’t account for.

The second Sandman element is his bass, which holds everything together. It isn’t out front very often, but after listening to every song, you realize that it sutures the elements together with hypnotic notes lying just under the surface. It has a rhythmic, pagan quality that hides out and pulls you in.

The third element is Dana Colley’s sax. This guy reputably can play two at once for his live audiences, but one at a time is more than enough.

It’s often been said that the saxophone is one of the most sexual of all instruments when played right. Colley plays it right. This guy could light a fire in the coldest, stoniest of hearts with his mad, virtuoso horn skills.

Wrap it all up to go and get a securely fastened lid for this hot concoction, because we won’t see the like of Morphine again for some time.

4 Stars

— Greg Jerrett

“Hooray for Boobies”

Bloodhound Gang

Ever hear anything so offensive that you just had to hear more?

Bloodhound Gang mixes a lewd array of pornographic and masturbation references with cheesy synth-pop, crunching alternative rock and trip-over-your-own-feet rap.

However, the band goes a bit farther than anyone else will dare. “Hooray for Boobies” is only available in an edited form in the United States.

“The Bad Touch” is the album’s catchiest tune with a looping organ playing an ’80s brand of dance-pop. Bloodhound Gang frontman Jimmy Pop spices up the song with lines such as “Put your hands/ down my pants/ and I bet you’ll feel nuts” and “we’ll do it doggystyle/ so we can both watch X-Files.”

Add a few random rants of “gettin’ horny now,” and this song will make anyone turn their heads in attention.

The music is far more simplified than previous Bloodhound releases, bringing the obscenity further into center stage.

“Hooray for Boobies” is full of disgustingly explicit stories. “A Lap Dance is So Much Better When the Stripper is Crying” is a first person story of a truck driver who has a murderous obsession with prostitutes.

“The Ballad of Chasey Lain” is about the singer bringing a porn star to meet his parents so that she will let him perform certain illegal acts to her body.

Yet all is not lost for the music. The Bloodhound Gang expertly mix the opening notes of Metallica’s “For Whom the Bell Tolls” with Frankie Goes to Hollywood’s “Relax” in a tribute to some guy named Falco (the band doesn’t even know who it is).

“Magna Cum Nada” uses powerful guitars and techno effects to leave their trademark of ripping on fraternities. Try not to burst out laughing as two respected opera singers belt out “Hooray for Boobies.”

Adam Sandler fans might be able to appreciate this album. However, the Bloodhound Gang is definitely an acquired taste. The music is like a series of dirty jokes without punchlines.

It’s easy to persecute Bloodhound Gang for being offensive. But you’ll have to admit, “Hooray for Boobies” is pretty damn funny.

1 1/2 Stars

— Ryan Rogness

“Shoki Shoki”

Femi Kuti

The Nigerian afro beat of Femi Kuti’s “Shoki Shoki” loses interest through long, jazzy song introductions. But with some catchy tunes, Femi manages to show his artistic talents.

The best track on the record is “Beng Beng Beng,” a fun sing-a-long that keeps a fast-moving beat with lyrics such as “she said love me Femi/ she said love me now/ she said squeeze me now.”

Femi also refers to culture in the fifth track, “Blackman Know Yourself.” The fast-paced dance song speaks of slave trade and the Western sense for the black man to be confident and to let the past be put behind.

Although the album has a lot of emotional energy, the simplistic lyrics bring it down. In “Look Around,” the only three lines in the song are redundantly repeated.

Throughout “Shoki Shoki,” Femi’s jazzy approach, using horns, keyboards and percussion, makes for mellow music. Yet the transitional, upbeat, vibrant following songs wake you up.

Even though Femi’s heartfelt release of emotions can be felt through his music, the repetitiveness of his tracks take away from his lyrics.

After releasing his second album, Femi is now global. However, he is still missing enough good tracks to make “Shoki Shoki” a solid record.

2 Stars

— Pat Racette

Ratings based on a 5 Star scale