Juana Molina
Son (Domino/Outside)
Formerly a TV personality in her native Argentina, Molina’s shelved the hairspray, grabbed her guitar and reinvented herself as a globetrotting troubadour. Her fourth record Son is her most focused, even if her focus is deliberately of the soft and blurry type. Looping and layering her crystalline vocals over a bed of gentle, lightly Latin folk and quiet yet complex electronic ornamentation, Son is the kind of album that can be engaged both actively and passively—as a cache of little sonic pleasures that gradually reveal themselves, in the former case, and in the latter simply as a warm and comfortable blanket of beautiful noise. 8.5/10 (Rupert Bottenberg) With José Gonzales and Psapp at le National, Tues., June 27, 8 p.m., $20, all ages
Eagles of Death Metal
Death by Sexy (Downtown/Warner)
Here’s all the pertinent info you need to know about this duo. EODM are made up of Queens of the Stone Age’s Josh Homme and his buddy Jesse Hughes, and they don’t actually play death metal, but I’m sure you already knew that. What you get are some prime, punked-out pop-rockers dealing with the tried and true rock staple of trying to get laid. They offer no surprises on the debut, but with a formula this perfect, why would you want to change it? QOTSA fans probably won’t get it, but if you dig the bubblegum of vintage Sweet, this is going to be your new Saturday-night record. 8.5/10 (Johnson Cummins)
Sonic Youth
Rather Ripped (Geffen/Universal)
Thurston and Kim and the boys, now minus Jim O’Rourke, have been on a roll this decade, surpassing expectations by tightly interlocking their pop and freeform tendencies. The mesh remains on their 20th album, though the band leans heavily towards the accessible and the familiar, even more so than on their last album, Sonic Nurse. Despite its meandering moments, the record is pretty consistent, packed with spirited tunes that are carefully dotted, crossed and punctuated with solos, skewed melodies and noise. But you’d think they’d be beyond aping the Velvet Underground by now. 7.5/10 (Lorraine Carpenter)
Nelly Furtado
Loose (Geffen/Universal)
“Nelly turns up the heat,” says the Toronto Star. Well, regardless of how people judge her tarted-up image—hot? sad? who?—this is, by far, Furtado’s most engaging record. Sure, it sounds like every other Timbaland LP—he co-produced the album and raps on “Promiscuous”—but that’s still pretty solid, and miles more palatable than that nattering “I’m Like a Bird” tripe. But in defence of the earnest, pre-hoochie Furtado, her last LP, Folklore, struck a promising chord under the influence of her Portuguese roots. Too bad it was half-baked, and didn’t sell. 7.5/10 (Lorraine Carpenter)
The Flamin’ Sideburns
Back To The Grave (Bad Afro/Fusion III)
Helsinki’s finest are back after a five-year hiatus and take a tip from the Fuzztones, pressing for a little more time with a release of their Pebbles covers and b-sides. In fact, they even rip off the Fuzztones’ artwork and even manage to cover the same songs those gods of garage already laid down (“13 Women” and “Evil Woman”). Usually, these comps would be reserved for the hardcore fans, but songs like “High Time,” in all of its gravely production glory, is solid gold, while their obliteration of James Gang’s classic “Funk #49” makes Back To The Grave a mandatory purchase. Check out what the Hellacopters and Sweatmaster have known for years—the Flamin’ Sideburns are the kings of Scandinavian rock. 8.5/10 (Johnson Cummins)
Mother
self-titled (independent)
“Genre promiscuity” is key for this Vancouver quintet, led by brother and sister Ryan and Molly Guldemond and Debra-Jean Creelman. Their three-part harmonies lead the way through a minimal mish-mash of folk, pop, jazz, rock and a twisted sense of humour. Produced by Howard Redekopp (New Pornographers, Tegan and Sara, 54.40), the record ranges from hyperactive roots-a-roni to creepy-crawly vaudeville numbers to blues and rap tracks reminiscent of minor-key White Stripes and wigger-Beck, and they pull it off—though their inherent cuteness has love-it-or-hate-it potential. Personally, I think they oughta be in musicals. 8/10 (Lorraine Carpenter) At the Jazz Fest’s Samsung stage on Thurs., June 29, 8 and 10 p.m.
Various
Fear of a Digital Planet (Vinyl Republik)
Subtitled A Portrait of Canada’s Electronic Underground, this comp from Winnipeg’s Vinyl Republic keeps its focus pretty narrow, sticking largely with the Mr./Ms. Nice Guy stuff, emo-tronica if you want—vitaminsforyou, Hexes & Ohs, Andrew Duke and so forth. While that does mean that the wuss factor gets pretty high, and a fair bit of the material painfully behind schedule (with vocodered platitudes over swooshy synths and bank-ad D&B beats, A Great White Bird’s “Salut la neige” constitutes a compound dud), the strong accent on melody and character counterbalance that. Of note are Original Recipe’s engaging opener “The Chase,” and Andrew Yankiwski’s remix of Lampshade’s Sabaturu, an exceptionally cool little number. 6.5/10 (Rupert Bottenberg) CD launch with Hexes & Ohs, Pete Samples and Flames!, at Lambi tonight, Thurs., June 22, 8 p.m., $10 w/CD
Various
Kitsuné Maison Compilation 2 (Kitsuné)
A taste of what Gildas Loaec and Masaya Kuroki, the cutting-edge cosmopolitans at Kitsuné—a primarily Parisian record/clothing/party machine—have in store for the chic clique at I Love Neon’s fête nationale. Opening strong on a MSTRKRTF mangling of Wolfmother, an umpteenth Bloc Party remix (fine by me, I’m loving them) and Cazal’s sharp rocker “Poor Innocent Boys,” the comp gets wobbly towards the middle with a bunch of forgettable electro and neo-disco. Matters pick up again with Adam Sky’s pleasantly overcharged “Ape-x” and the crafty, colourful “Cerebral Tremolo” by Kaos, and Jenny Wilson’s sweet “Let My Shoes Lead Me Forward” ties things up tastefully. 7.5/10 (Rupert Bottenberg) With Cajuan and Jordan Dare at I Love Neon at SAT, Fri., June 23, 9 p.m., $22
TreizIème Étage
51450-41819 L’Asphalte dans mon District (13 Deep)
Back with the rugged street commentary is Treizième Étage, who have managed to rock a fairly heavy helping of dramatic piano and synth-strings on this LP, despite the inclusion of a varied array of producers. MC SP trades bars with his partner Cobna on anthemic tracks like “La Terre tourne” and “La barre est haute,” while the beats of producer Cast seem to be the best fit for the group’s earnest tone. Guests include DJ Horg, who contributes two tracks, along with Joe B.G. who appears twice before all is said and done, and a special collaboration with Patsy Gallant on “Faut pas lâcher,” featuring real violins, bass, cello and piano. Far from looking at things through rose-coloured glasses, Treizième Étage kick the truth to the young Quebec youth. 7.5/10 (Scott C)
Aloe Blacc
Shine Through (Stones Throw)
You have to give it to Stones Throw for having the balls to follow through on a full LP for Aloe Blacc. This is a guy who was once an MC with Emanon and has managed to generate a serious amount of buzz thanks in part to the MySpace machine and many a leaked tune. Unfortunately, Shine Through is a fairly limp offering, compared to Stones Throw’s usual level of eclectic quality. No matter how much I like songs like the influence-laden “Whole World” or the hypnotic “Caged Birdsong,” there are just too many instances here where it’s clear that Aloe Blacc just shouldn’t be singing, and a gross imbalance of songs that are very strong or very, very weak. Clearly somebody will like it when he croons in Spanish, or sings falsetto sweet nothings, but I’ll wait for LP number two, when he goes back to rapping. 7/10 (Scott C)
Kellylee Evans
Fight or Flight (Enliven!)
The debut album by this Toronto-born, Ottawa-based singer/songwriter is a breath of fresh air. Evans’s vocal style is reminiscent of another recent arrival on the contemporary jazz scene, Georgia-born Lizz Wright. Like Wright, Evans’s vocal style is strong and clear, and the topnotch musicians supporting her on this disc add flavour without being overpowering. Evans wrote all the songs here, a fact made apparent by the intimate energy she imbues into each one. Layering elements of soul (“Lead Me Closer”) and blues (“I Don’t Think I Want to Know”) on top of a solid jazz foundation, Evans sounds like a seasoned pro instead of the rising star that she certainly is. 9/10 (Gerard Dee)
Bill Coleman
The Complete Philips Recordings (EmArcy/Universal)
Linton Garner
Quiet Nights (Cellar Live/Festival)
A pair of pianists, important to the history of jazz in Montreal (and Canada), are heard here. Coleman, a trumpeter born in Kentucky, spent the greater part of his career in Europe, and the two 1950s sessions on this two-CD set were recorded live in Paris. The 25 tracks from 1952 at Salle Pleyel also feature Dicky Wells and Guy Lafitte, and one “Randy” Downes, a then 21-year-old pianist that we know better as Wray Downes, a Canadian jazz icon. Garner, Erroll’s older brother, was recorded in 2002 in Vancouver, where he settled in 1974 after a stay in Montreal. Prior to Montreal, he was affiliated in the U.S. with the likes of Billy Eckstine, Dizzy Gillespie, Allen Eager and Fats Navarro. He’s joined here, on eight standards and a blues, by Ross Taggart (tenor) and Russ Botten (bass), and this is one session that one feels is better for its lack of a drummer. Both 9/10 (Len Dobbin)
Mini CD Reviews
The Vanguard Jazz Orchestra Up From The Skies: Music of Jim McNeely (Planet Arts) This incarnation of what began as the Thad Jones-Mel Lewis band ranks as one the best in the jazz field, and McNeely’s charts and playing make this one of the big band releases of 2006. 10 (LD)
François Auclair What Color is Love Part 1-2 (CDR) Future music, underground hip hop, classic funk and soul pepper this great summertime mix by MTL music lover FA. 9 (SC)
Johnny Truant In the Library of Horrific Events (Dina Alone/Distort) These limeys could be beating us at our own game—a perfect cross of Dillinger Escape Plan’s metal and Refused’s punk-rock knowhow. 9 (JC)
Brightblack Morning Light (Matador/Select) Ethereal rocking-chair blues, like William Reid and Hope Sandoval in extreme opium lethargy. Comes with “rainbow” glasses. 8 (LC)
Señor Coconut and his Orchestra Yellow Fever! (Essay/Fusion III) Following Kraftwerk, Atom Heart directs his Latin-kitsch cover band at those other e-pop pioneers, Yellow Magic Orchestra. YMO’s Ryuichi Sakamoto and co. play along, as do Akufen, Mouse on Mars and Towa Tei. 7.5 (RB)
Phoenix It’s Never Been Like That (Arts & Crafts/Virgin) Just when they’ve nearly got you, be prepared to spin out on the slickness in the middle of the road. Somebody should mop that up. 6 (LC)
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