Warrior King
Hold the Faith (VP)
With the overwhelming amount of music produced every week in JA, memories of Mark “Warrior King” Dyer’s 2001 mega-hits “Virtuous Woman” and “Never Go Where Pagans Go” were starting to get a little dusty. But the young, pure-voiced star from Portmore has lived up to his name and held the faith, as this record ably demonstrates. Taking advantage of a range of wicked roots riddims—Stars, Marcus Garvey and Full Up, among others—Warrior King preaches his blend of Rasta spirituality and desire for social justice. On a rainy fall day, tunes like “Baby Girl,” “Meditation” and “Everyday” are almost enough to make you forget the grey. 9/10 (Erin Macleod)
My Morning Jacket
Z (ATO/Sony BMG)
With a nudge from a new keyboardist and producer John Leckie (Stone Roses, Radiohead), this Kentucky quintet have eased themselves out of the country rock mud on their third LP, the kind of album that feels like a grand statement from start to finish. Regardless of the tinny synths, cliff’s-edge guitar solos and power-ballad melodicism that taint some of the songs, the band has opened the door to both mainstream accessibility and stylistic experimentation, hence the reggae and waltz rhythms, pop hooks and touching vocal tenderness. This is their Joshua Tree/OK Computer, and even the fromage impresses. 8/10 (Lorraine Carpenter)
Animal Collective
Feels (Fat Cat/Fusion III)
Animal Collective’s infinite appetite for the spice of life, and for outré sonic outbursts, holds little allure for the mainstream, but their unique union of indie rock, psychedelic pop and Eastern ornamentation always gratifies more exotic tastes, despite its snatches of pretension. The first half of the quartet’s seventh LP is a wall of electric giddiness, jittery rhythm and bulbous reverb punctuated by infantile falsetto and shrill screams. As velocity fades, minimal arrangements reveal the quiet confidence of their songwriting, best exemplified by the eight-minute, mood-altering “Banshee Beat,” before returning to pop frivolity for the finale. 7.5/10 (Lorraine Carpenter)
Launie Anderssohn
The Big Awesome Vietnam Party (independent)
I harbour a special admiration for clever young men who devote their exceptional intellectual gifts to being as stupid and obnoxious as they can. Montreal’s Launie Anderssohn are a band of just such visionaries, using sleazy, organ-driven funk, proggy ambitions and what Germans call schweinerock (raunchy, riff-heavy radio “pig rock”) as a canvas for lyrical flourishes about—well, overwhelmingly, about nasty shit that can happen to a gentleman’s penis. Aside from the shitty production quality of this sonic circle jerk, my only complaint is that the theme of the Vietnam war (an underused comedy goldmine) is limited to the cover art. 7/10 (Rupert Bottenberg) CD launch at Divan Orange tonight, Thurs., Nov. 10, 9:30 p.m., $5
The Skygreen Leopards
Jehovah Surrender (Jagjaguwar/Sonic Unyon)
If you dig your Buffalo Springfield, Donavan, Nightcrawlers, Brian Jonestown Massacre, Akron/Family and other psych-folk freaks, you are going to love this. The Velvets are checked with the Mo Tucker tub thumping and the Byrds with the 12-string guitar jangle while hushed vocals ride on a sea of vintage reverb. The stripped-down guitar/drum duo fill up all the spaces with clever ’60s-styled production, but it’s on songs like “Apparition of Suns” that these two stretch past the “just another retro act” tag. 8/10 (Johnson Cummins)
Castanets
First Lights Freeze (Asthmatic Kitty/Sounds Familyre)
Castanets mastermind Raymond Raposa has some serious storytelling skills, his tales of desperation and destitution sitting well in minor keys, but it’s his hushed vocals and crawling tempos that really play on your heartstrings. Raposa also allows moments of free jazz, noise and krautrock to permeate his very skewed and outside take on folk ballads. This refreshing take on Americana roots music is far beyond your typical alt-country fare—fans of Black Mountain, Iron and Wine and Montreal’s Molasses, take notice. 8/10 (Johnson Cummins) With Phosphorescent at Zoobizarre, Wed., Nov. 16, 9 p.m.
Twink
The Broken Record (Seeland)
Boston illustrator/toy piano virtuoso Mike Langlie clearly harbours an intense and utterly irony-free passion for kid’s stuff, already having released two albums of eerily innocent and gleeful music cobbled together with children’s musical playthings. His latest takes a new tack, mixing and mashing macro-samples from his vast stacks of vintage children’s records. If you can hack the unbearable cuteness of it all, you’re rewarded with an exceptionally intricate, energetic and even funky exercise in sonic cut ’n’ paste—the kindergarten version of Coldcut, 2manydjs or, tellingly, Seeland label-mates Negativland. 8/10 (Rupert Bottenberg)
Soulwax
Nite Versions (PIAS/Select)
Speaking of 2manydjs, here’s the Dutch duo’s other thing, extending (and at times overextending) themselves. Soulwax is the full, five-piece band that otherwise occupies the brothers Dewaele, and Nite Versions is an end-to-end remixing of last year’s Any Minute Now. From their cover of Daft Punk’s “Teachers” through the closing collabs with LCD Soundsystem (“NY Lipps,” hijacking the disco kitsch classic “Funkytown”) and DFA (who remix “Another Excuse”), the Dewaeles drag out their dirty robot rock for the dancefloor. There are some really inspired and engaging moments here, but others just loop on aimlessly, making one itchy for the hit-and-run mash-up hilarity of their primary project. 7.5/10 (Rupert Bottenberg)
DJ Naughty
One Naughty Night in Berlin (Eskimo/Fusion III)
After being responsible for International Deejay Gigolo’s first banging electro releases, legend has it that DJ Naughty (aka Filippo Moscatello) moved to Chicago, met house legend Paul Johnson and began truly honing his skills as a DJ. One listen to this new Eskimo mix and you can almost hear the long nights spent analyzing sets by Ron Hardy and Larry Levan. From the opening blend of ’80s chart-toppers Mary Jane Girls’ “In My House” into Tiga’s re-edit of Tomas Anderson’s “Washing Up,” you know that it’s going to be the sort of fast, freestyle, anything-goes mixing that house pioneers lived for. 8.5/10 (Raf Katigbak)
Sutekh
Born Again: Collected Remixes (Leaf)
As an integral part of the San Fran laptop scene, Sutekh brought a bold, fresh-faced approach to techno funk. Mixing the sounds of digital detritus with classical and jazz influences, the first CD provides a nice, broad view of the man’s many talents. From the neo-classical ambient reworking of Norway’s Hanne Hukkelberg to the more upbeat, Moondog-esque jack of his O.Lamm remix, Sutekh’s music is smart without being stuffy and retains a tasteful playfulness throughout. The second CD’s club-oriented remixes will no doubt get tech jocks dusting off their old Sutekh 12-inches. 8/10 (Raf Katigbak)
Proof
Searching for Jerry Garcia (Iron Fist/Fusion III)
Whether you’ve dismissed D-12 as Eminem’s baggage, or can’t get enough of their asinine clowning, it’s clear that Proof has been a particularly notable MC in the extended Detroit-based crew. He gets to stretch here, not without a little bit of fooling, but also with some new lyrical observations and a closer look into his personal life. With featured guests that include 50 Cent, B-Real, Method Man, Obie Trice and T-3 of Slum Village, Searching... allows Proof the space he needs to experiment a bit without employing the circus tactics of D-12. A packed bonus DVD explores his ADD and some studio/tour treats. 7.5/10 (Scott C)
Dwele
Some Kinda (Virgin/EMI)
Much like D’Angelo’s Voodoo, Detroit native Dwele’s sophomore set favours experimentation over commercial appeal. His penchant for jazz-influenced soul is more obvious this time around, with even his funkiest grooves punctuated with horn bursts and bass licks that seem to defy standard song structures just for the hell of it. In fact, his whole approach is more abstract—vocal interludes string together a series of musical situations that move from the club (“Know Your Name”) to more intimate surroundings (“Lay It Down”). Dwele’s sophisticated soul is not for everyone, but it does fill a void left by missing-in-action soul rebels D’Angelo and Maxwell. 7.5/10 (Gerard Dee)
Andrew Hill
Andrew!!! (Blue Note/EMI)
Leo Parker
Let Me Tell You ‘Bout It (Blue Note/EMI)
Two very different reissues here. Parker, who died in 1962, was one of the first baritone saxophone players to embrace bebop back in the ’50s. He was heard with the likes of Gillespie, Eckstine, Illinois Jacquet and Fats Navarro, and this 1961 set is basically a blowing session, with trumpeter John Burks and tenorman Bill Swindell (who played Montreal around this time) of added interest. Hill, a wonderful pianist and composer, is at 68 finally getting the recognition he’s so long deserved. This 1964 outing is a gem, not only for the calibre of the writing but for the playing of people like John Gilmore, a tenorman who had a big influence on John Coltrane, Bobby Hutcherson, Richard Davis and Joe Chambers. Hill 9.5, Parker 8/10 (Len Dobbin)
Mini CD Reviews
Avia Gardner More Than Tongue Can Tell (Intr_version) Mitchell Akiyama and vocalist Jenna Robertson offer up wistful and contemplative electronic-folk dream pop, at once thundering and gentle. 8.5 (RK)
Hugh Fraser Bonehenge! (Boathouse) A wonderful outing by this Canadian trombonist, pianist, composer, this one features a nonet of five trombones and four rhythm instruments—a must for brass lovers. 8 (LD)
The Smittens A Little Revolution (North of January/Dangerfive) This Burlington band was smart to switch to decaf, adding a melancholy lining to their fluffy pop clouds, but sugar still makes them tick. 7.5 (LC)
Test Icicles Boa vs. Python (Domino/Outside) One part Blood Brothers, one part death disco, one part punk know-how and shake, shake, shake. 7.5 (JC)
Merle Haggard Chicago Wind (Capitol/EMI) Haggard’s anti-war songs “America First” and “Where’s All the Freedom” almost make up for his duet with Toby Keith. 6.5 (JC)
Public Enemy New Whirl Odor (Redeye/SlamJamz) PE doesn’t completely suck just yet, but damn, they make some stinky songs in 2005. 6 (SC)
Gang of Four Return the Gift (V2/Sony BMG) In a classic case of fixing what ain’t broke, post-punk legends re-record their classics. 5 (LC)
>> Music Listings
