OG Ron C
Fuck Action #46 (Wreckin Yard)
There is nothing better than screwed and chopped R&B, and that’s all because of DJ OG Ron C, who’s been releasing masterwork after masterwork for quite some time. Essentially slowed down and chopped (not slopped), the Fuck Action series presents both yesterday’s and today’s R&B in a way that, for instance, makes you believe that Rhianna’s “Ride” is, perhaps, the best song ever. #46 features Beyoncé, Isley Brothers, Vanessa Carlton, Omarion, Pimp C and a whole bunch more, screwed up and mixed in Ron C’s truly inimitable style, complete with wonderfully lazy commentary. Much like the syrup so popular down in Texas as an accompaniment to tunes like this, Fuck Action is absolutely addictive. 10/10 (Erin MacLeod)
The Album Leaf
Into the Blue Again (Sub Pop)
San Diego’s Jimmy LaValle is featured on Korg.com, a nod for showcasing their gear so masterfully on this fourth Album Leaf disc, couching the keys in satiny strings, piano, sporadic vocals and beats. The record’s strength is its balance of subtlety and drama—the delicacy and deceptive simplicity of LaValle’s soundscapes nearly hold off the maudlin tide, rendering a melody that reeks of ’80s movie score (“Into the Sea”) into something you could shake your brandy to. But tracks like “Red-Eye” are relatively bloodless—if it’s what it sounds like, a stab at Aphex Twin at his tamest, LaValle doesn’t even break skin. 6/10 (Lorraine Carpenter)
Various
Plague Songs (4AD/Select)
Well, here’s a charming conceit. In conjunction with a public art event in the U.K., 10 musicians were asked to cook up a tune each to go with the 10 plagues from the Biblical book of Exodus. Some are pretentious (Brian Eno and Robert Wyatt’s “Flies”), or even unlistenable (Klashnekoff’s “Blood,” Scott Walker’s odious, overwrought “Darkness”). Other are quite fun, smirkers rather than tearjerkers, like the numbers from Stephin Merritt, Tiger Lillies and Imogen Heap. The strongest track, though, is the last one. Rufus Wainwright’s “Katonah,” inspired by the actual death of a first-born friend, resonates with the ring of truth. 7/10 (Rupert Bottenberg)
Wood Pigeon
Songbook (Rectangle/Universal)
These guys must go over great at the stampede. From Calgary, this 16-piece band owes as much to bookish British pop as they do to folk and country, their banjos and harmonica often crowded out by strings, horns, guitars and glockenspiels. That said, their arrangements are light on their feet and their tempos move at more of a strolling pace than a jog. But both the ballads and the uppity numbers are lovely, and if melancholia turns your crank, lead track “Home As a Romanticized Concept” may just murder you. 8/10 (Lorraine Carpenter)
Raised Fist
Sound of the Republic (Burning Heart/FAB)
The metalcore sound of Raised Fist has evolved by leaps and bounds in the past 10 years, and Sound of the Republic proves to be their best yet. The crunchy guitars are pushed up in the front of the mix, but it’s the vocals of Alle that refuse to age gracefully, and really lend the sense of urgency and hardcore chutzpah. Arrangements are blown up while still clinging to hardcore roots, with thrash beats giving way to middle tempos while guitars change speeds on a dime. This isn’t just another emocore band with screaming and chugging guitars—Raised Fist prove to be slippery eels, with a lot more depth lying beneath the surface. 7/10 (Johnson Cummins)
Incubus
Light Grenades (Sony BMG)
After their madcap first full-length, S.C.I.E.N.C.E., Incubus looked to be going places. But instead of taking it to the next level, they took it down a notch, disappointing niche fans yet gaining middle-of-the-roaders with Morning View and Crow Left of Murder. Incubus seemed doomed to the mundane, but hazy opener “Quicksand,” leading into the killer “A Kiss to Send Us Off,” blows your ass out of the bong water. Mr. Bungle-isms and echoes of Faith No More still reverberate in the distance. Once in a while, Incubus sound like RHCP skipping down the Yellow Brick Road. True, radio moments struggle to the surface, but the boys are back. Phew. 7.5/10 (Lateef Martin)
Major Conflict
Sounds Like 1983 (Mad at the World)
Misguided
Fuggets (Mad at the World)
Long before CBGBs was just a t-shirt emblem and the New York hardcore scene was overrun by macho knuckleheads, there was the first wave of bands learning from the loud-and-fast rulebook. These excavated recordings hail from ’81 through ’84. Along with bands like Kraut, Antidote, CIA and the Nihilistics, Major Conflict helped sow seeds for the NYHC sound, with real-deal hardcore that sadly slipped through the cracks after the band called it a day in ’83. Misguided’s crap sound is easily overlooked on the spazzy “Individual” and other unknown classics, while their Beatles, Sham 69, Haunted and Wire covers show them to be more than a cookie-cutter band. The punk-rock history books will have to make room for revision, for these two lost nuggets. Major Conflict 8/10, Misguided 7.5/10 (Johnson Cummins)
Gwen Stefani
The Sweet Escape (Interscope/Universal)
It was disconcerting enough on 2004’s Love. Angel. Music. Baby., but it’s downright eerie on Stefani’s latest. No, not the twisted tones of “Yummy,” spooky as they are. What’s creepy is the contrast between Stefani’s po’-widdle-me presentation and the cynical calculation informing this CD, in particular the unsubtle bites from baile funk, BEP, Madonna and, again, Kelis. And then there’s the plain deranged parts, like the circus motif on “Don’t Get It Twisted,” reheated from her No Doubt days—and what’s with the yodeling on “Wind It Up”?! That said, the Akon-assisted title track is indeed sweet, and “Yummy,” with Pharrell, suggests that the Neptunes’ lame streak may be letting up. 7/10 (Rupert Bottenberg)
Various
Eminem Presents the Re-Up (Shady/Interscope)
The Re-Up isn’t a new album, it’s a long mixtape showcasing Eminem’s ever-growing Shady Records clique. Most exciting is the presence of Dilated Peoples collaborator Alchemist, who brings his trademark underground vibe to rookies Ca$his, Bobby Creekwater and Stat Quo. Shady produces the bulk, and for the most part it’s no better than his work with D12. Oddly enough, Em foregoes discussing his personal life, and as a result loses his most charming trait. “Jimmy Crack Corn” and “No Apologies” are the exceptions, and prove Marshall has another good album in him, but as a producer and ringmaster, he’s rather generic. 6.5/10 (Erik Leijon)
The Heavy Petters
Smell the Glove (Freaky Flow)
With this particularly confounding album, the Heavy Petters have introduced themselves as a production entity capable of spanning hip hop, R&B, D&B, dancehall, electro and the most generic of pop radio bricks. While it’s interesting to hear that they aren’t afraid to inject possibly every influence they’ve ever had into this record, they don’t really excel in any of the genres tackled, save for a few tunes. The drum & bass rinse of “My Style” was a breath of fresh breaks, but it’s immediately followed by “Say You’re Sorry,” a lukewarm break-up/make-up ditty that robs the previous tune of its momentum. Guests include Toronto rapper Choclair and MC YLook, but overall, this LP is pulling in too many directions for any of it to really stick. 7/10 (Scott C)
Kutiman
“No Groove Where I Come From”/ “Chaser” 7” (Afro-Kats)
Solid Pleasure
“Solid Pleasure” 12” (Afro-Kats)
Montreal’s Afro-Kats Records continue the vinyl tradition with their fourth and fifth releases to date. First, scoring perhaps the highest marks since the creation of this soul, funk, Latin and Afro-beat label, Kutiman drops a hot double-sider. Both “No Groove Where I Come From” and “Chaser” have all the grit and grime you could want in a seven-inch funk joint, with the latter edging ahead as my favourite. The “Solid Pleasure” 12-inch features some busy Montreal musicians on what could possibly be a classic dancefloor track. Hats off to vocalists Debbie Leavitt and Sharon Brooks, who hold it down while the band keeps it tight. Kutiman 8.5/10, Solid Pleasure 8/10 (Scott C)
Ruben Studdard
The Return (Sony BMG)
Studdard’s third album finds him in the same crooner mode that characterized his ’03 debut Soulful and his most memorable moments on American Idol’s second season. But the former AI champ shows little growth here, attempting to exude a sexy charm that mostly eludes him. Rather than emulating the great Barry White, the so-called Velvet Teddy Bear does a poor job of distinguishing himself from the horde of current R&B singers feigning soulfulness. It’s a shame, considering Studdard’s vocal similarities to the late Luther Vandross. But as his cover of “If Only for One Night” shows, Studdard is a capable singer when given the right material, but he’s no Luther. 6/10 (Gerard Dee)
Dizzy Gillespie Alumni All-Star Big Band
Things to Come (Manchester Craftsman’s Guild)
Hank Jones and Frank Wess
Hank & Frank (Lineage)
The first is another outing by this superb big band, this edition under the direction of Jon Faddis. The material is all from the Gillespie big-band book—well-rehearsed versions of classics like the roaring title piece, “Tunisia,” “Manteca,” “Ray’s Idea” and “Emanon,” and later material like “Stablemates” and “I Remember Clifford.” The band includes James Moody and Jimmy Heath, Gary Smulyan, Renee Rosnes, Dennis Mackrel and Frank Wess. The second is another wonderful new CD, this one combining the huge talents of Wess and pianist Jones with a very together rhythm team of John Webber, Mickey Roker and newcomer, guitarist Ilya Lushtak. The set includes Bird’s “Barbados,” a number of standards and originals by the leaders—try “You Made a Good Move” by saxophonist Wess. Both 10/10 (Len Dobbin)
Mini CD Reviews
Eddy Louiss Trio (Dreyfus Jazz) Louiss, of “Double Six de Paris” fame, is at the organ in a trio with jazz great Kenny Clarke and guitarist Rene Thomas, an important man in Montreal’s jazz history. 9 (LD)
Yabby You Deliver Me From My Enemies (Blood and Fire/Outside) Another stunning compilation from Blood and Fire. Contains a treasure trove of 12-inch and dubplate mixes. 9 (EM)
The Receiver Decades (Stunning Models on Display) This quiet but deadly piano-playing crooner, informed by pop and prog and a lot of grey areas, strike when you least expect it. 7.5 (LC)
The Brand New Heavies I Don’t Know Why (I Love You) EP (Delicious) Even mixes from 4Hero, Kenny Dope and Tom Moulton can’t save this happy-go-lucky track, though Spinna comes through with the “Sex God” remix, featuring Phonte. 7 (SC)
The Machines After My Misspent Youth (Fading Ways/Scratch) A little mod and a little garage rock go a long way for this Kitchener-based band, feat. half of the defunct Candidates. 7 (LC) With the Cobra ACs, Lady at Bar St-Laurent 2 on Sat., Dec. 9
The Riptides Hang Out (Union) This should go nicely alongside your Queers, Riverdales and Screeching Weasel records. 7 (JC)
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