Local Grooves

Goapele

Change It All (Columbia)

A few weekends ago I stepped out of the holiday shopping madness straight into the sound of Goapele's voice. As far as city-style happy coincidences go, I can hardly think of a greater one. I'd enjoyed her debut CD, Closer, but I still had no idea she could sing the way she was on that chilly, gray Sunday. Simply put, her voice was capital B, capital I, capital G. More than that, it had a multicolored quality as it sailed across Union Square, finding the nuances of a new groove called "Find Away." Today, listening to Change It All, I have to start out by saying that no producer – including a big name like Linda Perry – has yet to capture, or do justice to, the size and beauty of Goapele's voice; listening to her recordings, you couldn't be blamed for thinking she's a smooth operator with a small instrument, when the reality is quite different. Goapele is definitely taking some inspiration from "A Change Is Gonna Come"-era Sam Cooke, and during this cynical and beaten-down era, the taste is sweet, even when the truth it faces is bitter. "Find Away" and the title track stand out as two initial faves, and I'm feeling her collaboration with handsome Clyde Carson of the Team on "Different." Check it out – you won't regret it. Goapele performs Wed/28, Mezzanine, SF. (415) 625-8880. (Johnny Ray Huston)

Si-Cops

Untitled CD-R

Si-Cops is the solo recordings of Ian Knox of the garage tribute group the Roachclips. With very little foreknowledge, I was pleasantly surprised by the mix of spatial drone and delicate fingerpicking guitar on this collection spanning home recordings from 1993 to 2004. Much like fellow Roachclip John Dwyer's OCS, Si-Cops reveals a rockist archetype shedding layers of scuzz for sonic vulnerability. The pretty noise wafts are exemplified on tracks like "Algebra of Greed," with delay swirls pooling up and lingering like thick smoke billows. The acoustic guitar pieces are occasionally augmented by some keyboard layers, as on "Arythmatix", but "Sans Soeil"<\!q>'s naked twang is more of a standout. The juxtaposition of somber melodic moments and hissing noise layers brings to mind the sounds of New Zealand's Flying Nun label or contemporaneous travelers like Wooden Wand and Six Organs of Admittance. As an instrumental act, Si-Cops avoids the pitfall of having to fill that lyrical void many neo-folk types might fill with spiritual babble; the handful of samples and distorted vocals are more like reminders of the inadequacy of language. I don't think Knox performs out with this act, which makes total sense, as these recordings have an almost agoraphobic sense of intimacy. For a CD-R, contact 1640 Golden Gate Ave. #2, SF, CA 94115. (George Chen)

Mail stuff for review to Sarah Han, Bay Guardian Building, 135 Mississippi St., SF, CA 94107.