Prince – Xpectation [2003; NPG Records]

Originally issued as an internet-only release, the nine tracks of this album (each of their names beginning with an X) find Prince focusing on instrumental compositions, with his distinctive voice entirely absent. The songs play with fusion jazz from a variety of angles, and though funk is a common inclusion, the emulation of older jazz styles (e.g., bop and cool jazz) comes across on point while blending with the more modern twists. Things are less frenzied than in Prince’s instrumental jazz side-project of Madhouse, leaning more into mellow moods, though some energetic flourishes do crop up semi-regularly, and the inclusion of violin makes for some striking moments. Something more for Prince completionists than casual fans, but only because of its divergence from his usual form, not due to any fault in the material itself.

DJ Sharpnel – アニメガバイト = Anime Gabba It! [2003; Sharpnelsound]

On the fifth album from DJ Sharpnel, the Japanese crew keep up their flavor of speedy hardcore techno, with driving percussion loops, skittering synth tones, and numerous vocal samples in English and Japanese. Though there’s some variation in exact execution from track to track, the usual arrangement relies on deep bass pounding while the beats rise in intensity, breaking a few times for interjections of some sort, before wrapping it up in a decisive last burst. While there’s fun to be had with the formula, and the energy is undeniable, the repetitive nature of the songs gets rather stale before too long.

One of the more distinctive tracks is “Redpill”, which samples not just lines from characters in Matrix Reloaded, but adapts chunks of its musical score as well, wrapping them around each other and one of Sharpnel’s usual beats. Some similar tappings of outside melodies appear in other parts of the album, but not to quite the same consumptive degree, or with such focus. The album’s weakest point is likely its thrown-together vibe; instead of seeming like a full construction, it comes off as more of a dumping ground for the tracks constructed since DJ Sharpnel’s last album, without regard for connecting them to each other in any notable way. As such, it comes off as one of the more disposable releases from the group, with just a small percentage of the songs managing to stand out from the pack.

Opeth – Damnation [2003; Koch Records, Metal Mind Records, Music For Nations, Ponycanyon Korea Inc.]

Half of a concept album pairing with 2002′s Deliverance, Opeth complemented the more aggressive title with softer songs, as much of Damnation holds to prog rock and metal played on acoustic guitar, saving electric guitar for accents and punch-up. The band’s turn from their early style of blackened death metal to more melodic material is, to a degree, crystallized with this album, and while subsequent albums would immediately return to a heavier and louder sound, later ones would also gradually turn back to relatively gentle song-writing more in line with this one’s approach.

While the guitars do dominate the album, practically everyone but the bassist gets a chance in the spot-light, with vocal-led pieces such as “Death Whispered a Lullaby” or the drum-flourishing “In My Time of Need” rounding things out in other directions. Lyrically, the album leans on fantasy-infused abstractions of drama, which work well enough on a superficial level, but without the death-growls to obscure their content, end up largely dragging down the songs with their overwrought nature when seriously considered. Arguably a very successful experiment for the band, considering how much it influenced their later direction, but in spite of the lightness of the instruments, the non-instrumental parts of the album feel bogged down in self-aware self-importance, making it most effectively consumed in the form of singles.