Misstress Barbara
Come With Me... (Uncivilized World/Koch)
It’s not by chance that Montreal’s reigning queen of techno has dubbed her latest mix Come With Me... For the last decade, she’s been asking her audiences to accompany her through various musical journeys. From banging techno to deep house, from small clubs in her hometown to huge festivals overseas, Barbara has prompted, twisted, teased and sometimes surprised her audience with expert selection and skills behind the decks. Here, Barbara throws another curveball at her fans with a deeper, fuller, rounder and dare I say more mature techno sound that hints at electro and micro-house. While some fans may gripe about her movement away from relentless, tough-as-nails techno, most will trust her enough to just close their eyes and hang on for the ride. 8.5/10 (Raf Katigbak)
Frankel
Chatterbox EP (Three Ring)
Frankel is a one-man operation, entirely written, performed and produced by L.A.-based musician Michael Orendy. His simple arrangements of honey-coated vocals, guitar, bass, drums and a touch of keys are tweaked into a pleasantly lush pop sound, clearly rooted in British invasion and proto-psychedelia (with a burst of shoegazing guitar here and there), and harmony-heavy California pop. Despite its retro influences and ethereal quality, the melodies are bold, the arrangements are tidy and the sheen is new, making for a consistently enjoyable six-song debut. 8.5/10 (Lorraine Carpenter)
Richard Ashcroft
Keys to the World (Parlophone/EMI)
Much like the last Verve record, Richard Ashcroft’s last two solo albums have been steeped in hair-tearing existential drama, the kind that only a new father just out of rehab (who makes statements such as, “You can radically change a person’s life with a tune”) can muster. With Keys to the World, Ashcroft has lifted his heavy hand just enough to let his songs breathe and amble along naturally, his emotive vocals and ever-present string section suggesting Motown and ’70s soul rather than some kind of Wagnerian emo. It may not live up to the best of the Verve, but this album’s half-dozen-or-so solid tunes make Ashcroft’s chamber rock a pleasure rather than a pain. 7/10 (Lorraine Carpenter)
Watermelon Slim and the Workers
self-titled (Northern Blues)
Blues, like punk rock, is immediate, and it’ll either kick you in the guts or lose you on the first listen. This pockmarked bluesman heads back for the punt and delivers his size 11 right where it counts with a mix of Texas and Chicago barrelhouse blues. His takes on Fred McDowell’s “Frisco Line” and Big Joe Williams’ classic reading of “Baby Please Don’t Go” are both great, but when Slim sings about desperation on “Hard Times,” or when the Workers do a perfect swampy blues on “Devil’s Cadillac,” Slim proves he is the real deal. 8/10 (Johnson Cummins)
Hot Chip
Coming On Strong (Astralwerks/Sonic Unyon)
As solid and surefooted as this debut disc may be, one can’t say this English duo actually comes on strong. But that’s their strength—gettin’ their sneak on and rockin’ on eggshells. Fashioning slippery, intricate soul-pop gems with quirky lyrics, unshakable melodies and the occasional proggy twist out of a jumble of thrift-store keyboards and playthings, Joe Goddard and Alexis Taylor tiptoe through their tunes like they don’t want to wake the neighbours. Listen close, though, and you’ll find all manner of odd shit going on in there. Tread lightly and shine brightly, that’s their trick. 8/10 (Rupert Bottenberg)
Marco Bailey
Positive Disorder (MB Electroniks/Fusion III)
There’s been a recent attempt by certain electronic music media to coin the term “ketamine house.” Beyond the drug’s resurgence in popularity in tastemaking music Meccas like Berlin and London, it’s also a somewhat fitting description for the wonky, twisted, time/space skullfuckery of some of the hottest techno tracks coming out of Europe these days. That said, Positive Disorder is like a two-hour trip down a musical K-hole where all the usual suspects—Villalobos, Mathew Jonson, Trentemoller—groggily groove through a deranged discotheque like opiate-addled characters in a Lewis Carroll novel. A little longwinded but worth checking out. 7/10 (Raf Katigbak)
Javi P3z Orquesta
Sports (Hitop/Fusion III)
Spanish rhythm wrangler Javi P3z and his brassy band revisit the upscale kitsch of the loungecore movement, and hinge their affair on a clever device suggested in the title. Each tune here is built out of a captured sound slice from a particular sport, or at least sporty pastime—ping-pong, bowling, jai alai and marathon running are one thing, but I don’t know that the Olympic Committee is handing out medals for pinball. But whatever. The whole theme’s just a cool springboard for some witty, well-assembled disco swank-o. 7.5/10 (Rupert Bottenberg)
Various
Moonstarr Remixes (Public Transit)
Toronto ex-pat and now well-adjusted Montrealer Kevin Moon keeps a pretty low profile in the city, mainly because he’s up to his eyes in music-making. The latest offering from his own label showcases some of the many remixes he’s been holed up in the studio creating for the past couple of years. He loves up Ivana Santilli’s “Breathe Inn” with a percussive beating, while the Stockholm jazz of Povo meets the rolling barrage of bruk-beat on his “Uam Uam” remix. There’s also remixes of Amsterdam’s Rednose District, Todd Sines, Pase Rock and Middlefield, as well as the “Another New Day” remix he did for Jazzanova, Ennio Morricone’s “Ritratto D’Autore,” and an unreleased take on Recloose’s “Processional.” His rep grows bigger as Moonstarr continues to bring quality and style to a variety of genres. 8/10 (Scott C)
Tha Alkaholiks
Firewater (Waxploitation/Koch)
While the Liks enjoyed themselves immensely in the early and mid-’90s with nuff hits and widespread exposure, these party boys have become a little less visible in recent years, popping up every once in a while to let us know they can still get silly. Well, this is it. After five albums, the Liks are calling it quits, having never really strayed from the drunken party raps and kegger rhymes they originally came with. E-Swift, J-Ro and Tash will be remembered for some super-tight bars and a slew of unforgettable beats, none of which, unfortunately, appear on this particular record. Firewater is a limp return to their old standbys, and while the first single “The Flute Song” might stick in your head for a minute, you’ll swear you heard this song before. 6.5/10 (Scott C)
Junior Kelly/Bounty Killer/Capleton
The Good, the Bad and the Blazing (Minor7Flat5)
Ah, those crazy Germans. Not only has Deutschland given us the incredible (and implausible) Gentleman, but also producer Andreas “Brotherman” Christophersen. Guy’s been kicking it with legendary musicians like Horsemouth, Dusty, Wrongmove and my fave, Dean “Cannon” Frazer. This record not only showcases top performances and a number of interesting Brotherman-produced riddims, including the Campo, Ivan and the D&B tinged Minor7Flat5, but it also presents three artists that run di place. Check Kelly’s “Done Dem Career,” Killer’s “Hey Yo Yallo” and Capleton’s “Get Up” if you wanna know what I’m talking about. 8/10 (Erin Macleod)
Stephanie Mills
Gold (Universal)
Mills’s impressive vocal range consistently propelled memorable slow jams and infectious dancefloor numbers to the top of the R&B charts during the late ’70s and ’80s. While there is no lack of hits compilations featuring different variations of her extensive back catalogue, this superior two-disc set has some goodies for Mills fans. It features remastered versions of songs that other compilations generally ignore (“Night Games,” “Pilot Error”), unreleased B-sides (“Better Than Ever,” “Wailin’”) and extended remixes of Mills favorites (“Two Hearts,” “You Can’t Run From My Love”). While ’04’s “Born For This!” is proof that Mills is still vital, these are the songs that solidified her place in contemporary soul history. 8/10 (Gerard Dee)
David Liebman
Lieb Plays Wilder (Challenge)
David Liebman
Sketches of Spain (MSM)
Liebman is a veteran saxophonist and educator, and his many assets are on display on these two discs. The former has him in a small group setting, with the focus on the superb compositions of Alec Wilder—things like “Moon and Sand,” “While We’re Young” and “Trouble Is a Man.” The latter has Dave’s soprano playing the Miles Davis part on a remake of the Miles and Gil Evans sessions. Here Liebman is backed by the Manhattan School of Music Jazz Orchestra, directed by Justin Dicioccio. Billy Bouffard and Mike Fahie are among the band members. Two wonderfully diverse looks at a major jazz influence. Both 9.5/10 (Len Dobbin)
Tagaq
Sinaa (Jericho Beach/Festival)
While her contributions to Björk’s Medulla, repaid here on the somewhat frictional duet “Ancestors,” raised the profile of Nunavut-born vocalist Tanya Tagaq Gillis, Sinaa cements her place in the ever-expanding realm of mouth music. A pair of traditional Inuit throat songs indicate the starting point for Tagaq’s brave and largely instrument-free explorations, raw oral evocations that seem to negate the space between the animalistic and the angelic. By no means an easy listen, Sinaa distinguishes itself by amply rewarding listeners who accept the challenge. 8/10 (Rupert Bottenberg)
Mini CD Reviews
Bobo Stenson Goodbye (ECM/Universal) A wonderful piano session, with bassist Anders Jormin and the always inspiring Paul Motian on drums heard on the title track, “Send in the Clowns” and some memorable original material. 9 (LD)
Mantronix Music Madness (Traffic/Fusion III) The one and only Mantronix baited the copycats in 1986 with this bass-heavy piece. Bang this in your whip. 8 (SC)
Twilight Circus Deeper Roots (M) Deep, heavy dub with vocals (thank you!), produced by my favourite Amsterdam-based Canuck, Ryan Moore. 8 (EM)
Beth Orton Comfort of Strangers (EMI) Tall, husky women aren’t often light on their feet, but this little mid-career rejuvenation suggests that Orton’s got new pep in her step. 7 (LC)
The Go Betweens That Striped Sunlight Sound (Yep Roc/Outside) Live in ’05 in Brisbane on CD and DVD, the latter also including all you ever wanted to know about the Go Betweens, and more. Too much more, in fact. 6 (LC)
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