Man, I KNEW I did my year-end list too soon. Literally the day after I posted that, I got in the mail what is my favorite CD of 2001 - Dolce Stil Nuovo's "Infrastructure". No, you've never heard of them and, sadly, you probably won't anytime soon. They were a Champaign-Urbana-based band that was together during the late '90's, but after all the members graduated they went their seperate ways. They laid down a few tracks at some point and got them professionally produced and, after almost two years, finally released their one, and probably only CD. Now, this music is not for everyone. It's the most schizophrenic album I've ever come across. Is it hip-hop? Is it jazz? Is it electronic? Actually, it's all of the above and more. Honestly, I think it's the most innovative and entertaining album I've heard in years, but 99.9% of you out there would probably not like it. It's a pretty small niche they've fit themselvs into and I only wish I could hear more of them in the coming years. Where else can you hear someone rhyming over an electronic beat, followed by a trumpet solo, a flute solo, and a saxophone solo? You wouldn't be hearing Britney or N'Sync doing anything like that. Anyway, if you're interested in spending $10 on some quality music - take a chance, folks - go check out http://www.audio8.com and pick up DSN's "Infrastructure".

Space Monkey X