Bounty Killer
Nah No Mercy: The Warlord Scrolls (VP)
It’s almost not worth reviewing a collection like this, 41 tracks presenting the history of Rodney Price, aka the 5-Star General, the Poor People’s Governor, the Warlord, and one of the most important dancehall deejays ever. No question, this is terrific. From early songs like “Spy fi Die” to more recent hits like “Sufferah,” The Warlord Scrolls showcases gun tunes, badman tunes and conscious tunes, all demonstrating Bounty’s trademark toughness. Even better, after you’ve finished listening to wicked tune after wicked tune, Brooklyn’s King Addies’ sound ups the ante with their all-the-more-wicked contribution of a Bounty-ful “Multi Mega Death Mix.” Raise your lighter and pull it back often, for the Killah will show you how it’s done. 10/10 (Erin MacLeod)
Anonymus Chapter
Chaos Begins (Galy)
Montreal has always been known to export great metal bands, like Cryptopsy, Gorguts and Kataklysm, and Anonymus possess all the elements to increase the city’s international reputation. These local thrashers know when to mix up old-school thrash with blast beats, while Oscar Souto’s metal-core vocals steer away from death grunts and falsetto clichés. Jean-François Dagenais’s crisp production also veers away from the metal platitudes like the typewriter-clack kick drum, and crunchy guitars thankfully fall right into the mix instead of taking our heads off. 7/10 (Johnson Cummins) With Blinded by Faith, Fuck the Facts, Dook at le Spectrum, Sat., Dec. 16, 6 p.m., $20, all ages
The 222s
Montreal Punk 78-81 (Sonik’s Chicken Shrimp)
The Throbbing Purple
Let It Writhe (Sonik’s Chicken Shrimp)
Another piece of the Montreal punk puzzle falls into place, and it’s a good one. The Dolls (for the hammy glam), the Dickies (for the enervated tempos and spiky pop shine) and the Dead Kennedys (for yodel-ish vocal flourishes)—those were the three Ds that gave direction to early Montreal punk unit the 222s, which featured an effeminate young Chris Barry on the mic. Today, Barry’s a Mirror writer, and also the singer for the tastefully named Throbbing Purple. The pace has slowed some, and the bottom end is bigger and rougher, but the bristling guitars and snotty lyrical bent first deployed at the turn of the ’80s remain. “All my friends have gone straight or they’re dead,” Barry growls, and it’s cool to hear him sticking with the third option—keep rocking. Both 7.5/10 (Rupert Bottenberg)
Million Dollar Marxists
Zero Culture (Stumble/Universal)
Ottawa’s Million Dollar Marxists leave the rock ’n’ roll trappings of their previous label Gearhead behind, shed their New Bomb Turks influence, delve into some minor-chord moments and finally carve their own initials into this new one. Instead of just turning everything up to full and getting lost in the volume and ballast, MDM get almost epic and prove to be unafraid to change gears on the title track, “Pangs of Creation” and “In Nightmares.” Now let’s see if their fanbase is as eager to move as quickly as the band. 7/10 (Johnson Cummins)
The Poems
Young America (Minty Fresh/Fusion III)
Scottish? You don’t say. Not only does this band of what look like student undertakers specialize in lilting “sad bastard music,” complete with horns and hints of Motown, but this record’s guest list includes former Belle and Sebastian-ista Isobel Campbell, members of Teenage Fanclub and, um, the Proclaimers. Amy Ogletree’s voice even bears resemblance to that of Camera Obscura’s Tracyanne Campbell. Yet the Poems often excel at what they do, which also involves evoking country music with pedal steel and tackling the myth of the American dream. 7/10 (Lorraine Carpenter)
Pas Chic Chic
“Sur les écrans statiques” 7” (independent)
It’s hard not to get hooked by this single’s first breathless utterances, backed by sturdy riffage and flying shards of fake strings, vintage keys and “electronixxx.” Once you realize that the vocals are in French (so no, it’s not Jarvis Cocker), the bizarro pop tune takes you up to amazing altitudes, only to drop you on a well-placed divan for the relatively subdued b-side. This is the unlikely result of a union of godspeed, Fly Pan Am and Cobra Noir alumni, featuring Roger Tellier-Craig on vocals. More, please. 8/10 (Lorraine Carpenter)
Mogwai
Zidane: A 21st Century Portrait (Pias/Select)
French football deity Zinédine Zidane made headlines this year, and not just across the chest of Italy’s Marco Materazzi. A hell of a way to end a remarkable career on the pitch, but there’s a sweet coda in the forthcoming buzz-magnet film about him. Given who’s responsible for the score, corny sportsguitar and hi-NRG Euro-disco are off the menu entirely. Rather, Mogwai deliver sweeping, slow-motion aural vistas of translucent grit, sombre drones and delicate piano motifs. Let’s hope the flick matches their gentle elegance. 7.5/10 (Rupert Bottenberg)
Zion I & the Grouch
Heroes in the City of Dope (Om/Legendary Music)
Oakland’s Zion I is no stranger to quality music, showing yet another take on the Bay Area’s vibrant and multilayered hip hop scene through some serious lyrics. Here, he teams with Living Legends MC Grouch, trading bars and tackling the drama of daily life. Although you might be able to sniff some hyphy on tracks like “Hit ‘Em” and “Current Affairs,” the album varies from beat to beat, telling the story of individuals who have to find their way in the City of Dope. Eligh provides an airy head-nod for the positive vibes of “Lift Me Up,” which is unfortunately the only beat he’s produced on the record. Guests include Chali 2na, Headnodic and Esthero. 7/10 (Scott C)
Lil Scrappy
Bred 2 Die—Born 2 Live (BME/Warner)
Crunk for Christmas! Lil Scrappy doesn’t exactly bring much to the table, lyrics-wise, but executive producer Lil Jon brings a big slab of grade-A ATL crunk. 50 Cent is the other executive producer, but other than a quick cameo from him and G-Unit buddies Olivia and Young Buck, is only a bit player. “Gangsta Gangsta” is an aggressive slice of club-ready rap, and “Livin’ in the Projects” is a shallow attempt at being introspective, but the next song, “Born to Live,” effectively encapsulates his sound and vibe, accompanied by a clean guitar sample from Lil Jon. 6/10 (Erik Leijon)
Freddie Cruger
Soul Search (Raw Fusion/Ubiquity)
Sweden’s Freddie Cruger has been piling up kudos for the last few years, releasing underground remixes of big tunes and showcasing his exceptional ear for samples, breaks and dancefloor gold. Spanning reggae, hip hop, soul and funk, Freddie has assembled a fairly subdued but well-produced batch of tracks here. The dancehall/boogaloo of Anthony David’s “I Wanna Make You Move” immediately stands out, while Linn’s “Pretty Little Thing” is a sweet soul ting that you’ll rewind again and again. Those of you familiar with Freddie’s productions might find this release a little bit tame, but this underground king seems to be reaching out to a new audience. 8/10 (Scott C)
One Night Band
Way Back Home (Stomp/Warner)
Ska-metal may be dead in the water, thank God, but lovers of old-school ska and rock steady have stuck to their guns. Prime examples are of course the Aggrolites, and also this local sextet. With “King Kong” Girio and Lorraine Muller sharing the producer’s chair, it’s no surprise that comfy tempos, snappy melodies and honey-sweet vocals are on the menu here. External touches—the hint of C&W in “Right On,” the strong cover of the soul gem “Rescue Me”—keep things fresh, and the bang-on take on Dawn Penn’s dark-hued reggae classic “No No No” confirms the fact that one night’s not enough for these cats. 8/10 (Rupert Bottenberg) At the Stomp Christmas party, with the Johnstones, Street and Soul, at Petit Campus, Sun., Dec. 17, 9 p.m., $7
Kirk Franklin
Songs for the Storm Vol. 1 (GospoCentric)
During his eight-album career, Franklin consistently infused traditional gospel with the sounds of hip hop and contemporary R&B, reinvigorating the genre for a younger demographic. And his stellar work with the Family and God’s Property have yielded exciting spiritual music from both choirs. Maybe it’s because he’s always been such a maverick that his latest sounds a bit stunted. These songs are supposed to give courage to those who’ve had it rough, yet Franklin invariably sounds tired, like he’s sung it all before. The old Kirk is in fine form on the set’s most inspired track, “Blessings in the Storm,” but mostly the storm seems to have overwhelmed Franklin this time around. 7/10 (Gerard Dee)
Bootsy Collins
Christmas Is 4 Ever (Shout! Factory/Sony BMG)
The Christmas novelty record is generally an abysmal thing, but leave it to P-Funk bass case Bootsy Collins to flip the concept, judo-style. This isn’t a pisstake by any stretch of the imagination. Rather, it’s one of the most honestly enthusiastic and well-intentioned odes to good time with loved ones ever executed, which just happens to boast Bootsy’s easygoing, off-the-wall humour (never to mention assists from Fred Wesley, Bobby Womack, Snoop Dogg and, what the hell, Charlie Daniels). The standard carols are subverted by Bootsy’s nutty astro-funk and goofy gags, and yuletide call-ins from George Clinton, Bishop Don Magic Juan and more wrap matters up nicely. 8/10 (Rupert Bottenberg)
Mini CD Reviews
Colman Brothers “El Nino” 7” (Wah Wah 45s) Cha-cha, anyone? The Bros. scorch the place with both a traditional version and a big-band edit of a Latin bomb that’ll have all the ladies dragging left-footed fools to the dancefloor. 10 (SC)
Jewish Legend Telepathy Now! (Baudelaire/Outside) A surprising solo LP by the pretty-boy from Tangiers, channeling early T-Rex with a potent brew of fine folk and garish kitsch. 8 (LC)
Various Pow Wow (Jazzman/Statik) A wicked grab bag of tough funk and trippy psych-soul sevens, closing out on the Modern Lovers’ “Egyptian Reggae” and a freaky Egyptian wedding tune. 8 (RB)
Various Riddim Driven: Wipeout (VP) Yup, this is based on the Surfaris classic. It could be the most ridiculous riddim ever, but it’s also stupid fun. 7.5 (EM)
Attack in Black Widows EP (Dine Alone) Just a little taste before the big one drops in the early new year. Be ready for it. 7 (JC)
Immaculate Machine Les Uns mais pas les autres EP (Mint/Outside) B.C. indie pop kids French it up, translating six songs from their Ones and Zeroes LP. 7 (LC)
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