|
 Rugged Intellect
Renaissance Music: The Introduction (Expertism/Statik)
Rugged Intellect has silenced all the talk and come through with a truly classic collection of music that Montrealers, and any head with an open ear, can get with. Already a formidable mircophone presence, Rugged decided to pad his own talent with a few friends, all of whom he holds his own with. This is no-nonsense rap, wasting no time getting straight to some serious, quality music. “What It Is” is a great start, with Rugged serving some lyrical truth over a Frank Dukes stomp, a track that only begins to showcase his skill as an MC. Team-ups with R.A. the Rugged Man, Rock of Heltah Skeltah, Kool G. Rap and AG from D.I.T.C. are almost like bonus cuts, while real beats and rhymes seal the deal from the get go. 9 /10 (Scott C)
 Be Bad
Vision Correction (Divorce)
There’s no doubt that Halifax’s Be Bad know how to bring the noise, recalling the glory days of Am Rep, but instead of merely annoying like talentless brats, they engage every step of the way. Comparisons to Scratch Acid are there, as well as the bad acid trips of the Cows, but Be Bad definitely carve out their own sound on mathematical “Dead Head” and the psychedelic “Battle Dick.” In these days when anybody with guitar pedals and a laptop can become card-carrying noise musicians, it’s nice to hear some who can sidestep the childish tantrums and actually rock like fuck. 8/10 (Johnson Cummins) With Hamborghinni, Special Noise and Big Chocolate Flavour at l’Escogriffe, Sat., Aug. 4, 9 p.m., $7
 Sum 41
Underclass Hero (Aquarius)
Pop-punkers Sum 41 reached their highest peak as background music for every teen-oriented film from 2000–2005. Then they travelled to Africa for added perspective to go along with their songs about why homework sucks. One would hate to think three young men in their twenties would have nothing more to contribute to society, yet Underclass Hero, down to the clean production and an opening single that recalls their old hit “Fat Lip,” sounds like a a bunch of friends pining for days of yore, and are either unable or unwilling to lurch into the uncertain future. 3/10 (Erik Leijon)
Action Makes
“Charley & the C.F.F.” (Magnificent Sevens)
Easy Targets
“I Don’t Want to Think” (Magnificent Sevens)
Lipstick Machine
“Everytime, Without You” (Magnificent Sevens)
The Mark Inside
“Circling the Drain” (Magnificent Sevens)
An exemplary debut batch of seven-inch singles from the Toronto label founded by Davy Love, who helmed the renowned Blowup club night for a decade. Love produced all but one of the records, the casual garage stylings of the Mark Inside. All four bands are steeped in ’60s sounds, even Lipstick Machine, whose melancholy pop strummers edge toward the late ’70s. Action Makes is all nervous vocals, tambourines, handclaps and snaky guitars, while Easy Targets moan about medication and meditation in a way that would make Anton Newcombe proud (or violent). All 1968/10 (Lorraine Carpenter)
Korn
Untitled (Virgin/EMI)
Adding more ambient atmosphere over the years, Korn have created a circus terror show. Industrial elements creep in from behind and a taste of NIN lingers in the mouth, care of Trent Reznor collaborator Atticus Ross and longtime mixer Alan Moulder. But sonically, don’t look for hope, it has forsaken these lands. It seems Korn is trying to start fresh, and in some ways they are. But with internal conflicts giving rise to constant changeovers, the three remaining members—vocalist Jonathan Davis, bassist Fieldy and guitarist Munky—will have to prove it on stage. 7/10 (Lateef Martin)
 John Vanderslice
Emerald City (Barsuk)
Prior to a fall tour, Vanderslice is travelling the Internet, playing from his studio live on blogs. Beats flying, I suppose, and when over half your songs reference 9/11, air travel isn’t all that alluring. Of course, those were remote-controlled planes, he says, but you can’t be too careful. (Plus, he blames post-9/11 politics for his French girlfriend being denied a visa. Evildoers!) Vanderslice also addresses the Iraq war (Emerald City’s the nickname of Baghdad’s Green Zone) over a blend of earnest folk singing and sparse, rarefied indie rock arrangements. He gathers enough steam to soar briefly on songs like “White Dove,” but goes off course long before the 38-minute album ends. 6/10 (Lorraine Carpenter)
Attack In Black
Marriage (Dine Alone)
Hot on the heels of their Widows EP, these well-adjusted Welland, Ontario boys have indeed studied their Replacements records as much as their Springsteen. AIB forego the distortion, angst and aggression of their Dine Alone labelmates and just let the songs step up and speak for themselves. On the Uncle Tupelo/Wilco-tinged “Inches and Ages,” they prove to be far beyond your Warped-tour fare. At their relatively young age, it’s absolutely mind-blowing that this foursome can write rock ’n’ roll with so much craft. 8/10 (Johnson Cummins)
 Prince
Planet Earth (Sony BMG)
Prince’s latest isn’t as fluid as last year’s exceptional 3121, but there’s enough here to make it a solid contender. Bookended by the environmentally conscious title track and the peace-pushing “Resolution,” the Purple One’s latest packs the ear candy in the middle. He successfully whips up delicious pop-rockers like lead singe “Guitar” and the tongue-in-cheek “The One U Wanna C,” and then moves into lover-man mode, straddling the line between silky bedroom teasers (“Future Baby Mama,” “Somewhere Here on Earth”) and the over-the-top schmaltz that pervades “Mr. Goodnight,” a track which single-handedly proves that Prince shouldn’t rap. 8/10 (Gerard Dee)
Sunshine Jones
Seven Tracks in Seven Days (King Street)
It took Sunshine Jones, half of the iconic San Francisco deep house outfit Dubtribe Sound System, almost two years to pound out Dubtribe’s signature floorspanker “Equitorial,” but in this effort, seven lush, ethereal West Coast housers, postcards from his odyssey to keep uplifting electronic music alive and well, were fleshed out over seven 24-hour time frames. Classic equipment from the heady days of jazzy Chi-house (i.e Mr. Fingers) was employed to concoct the retro feel. Each track has its own vital story, from the synthro to the broken beater that concludes things. 9/10 (Peter Lightburn)
 Bob Sinclar
Soundz of Freedom (Tommy Boy)
“Where ignorance is bliss, ’tis folly to be wise.” Nowhere is Thomas Gray’s 18th-century musing more applicable than in stadium house music. Despite the inclusion of ostensibly chain-gang-inspired and ragga-tinged vocals on several tracks, Bob Sinclar’s Soundz of Freedom is decidedly not the sound of liberty won through hardship. Rather, this bubblegum mix promises a Nerf-safe journey through the otherwise-turbulent world of black dance music without a single sinister note, provocative overtone or morsel of artistic experimentation. I dare you to try putting it on the hi-fi without wanting to boogie around the kitchen singing into a broccoli stem, though. 4.5/10 (Jack Oatmon)
 Various
Bokoor Beats (Otrabanda)
Toasting the 50th anniversary of Ghana’s independence, Bokoor Beats assembles a dozen doses of the African country’s super sounds of the ’70s and ’80s. The material hails from Prof. John Collins’s Bokoor (“coolness”) studio, the epicentre of pop music in the capital Accra, and over half is care of his own Bokoor Band. Ghana’s Afro-beat softened the politicized punch of the style’s Nigerian architects (i.e. Fela Kuti), and the jams were kept short and sweet too, but the tracks here—blending funk, rock, jazz and blues with African pop and rhythmic notions—don’t lack for neat grooves, tasty melodies and surprising sonic ideas. 7.5/10 (Rupert Bottenberg)
Paul Robeson
On My Journey: Paul Robeson’s Independent Recordings (Smithsonian Folkways)
An outspoken voice against racism and social injustice in America, singer, actor and athlete Paul Robeson would eventually become best known as an activist in the 1950s. The American government blacklisted him and stripped him of his passport, effectively stifling his career both at home and abroad. Determined to forge ahead, Robeson found a way to make these now essential independent recordings. A prime example of African-American folk music, Robeson’s uncompromising baritone adds unquestionable dignity to spiritual staples like “We Are Climbing Jacob’s Ladder” and “Swing Low Sweet Chariot,” and he brings the lyrics of “Amazing Grace” into shimmering clarity. 8.5/10 (Gerard Dee)
Mary Lou Williams
The Circle Recordings (Progressive)
Joan Stiles
Hurly-Burly (Oo-Bla-Dee)
The first CD covers the material Williams recorded for Rudi Blesh’s label in 1951–’52. A previously unreleased seven-part solo medley starts off this 16-track outing. Before the closing “Lonely Moments,” she’s joined by the likes of the Dave Lambert Singers, bassist Billy Taylor and bass clarinetist Skippy Williams. A decidedly memorable issue in her important recorded legacy. Pianist Stiles, who also sings Williams’s bebop fairy tale “In the Land of Oo-Bla-Dee” and a Ray Charles original, comes up with one of this year’s finest releases. She ingeniously interweaves Monk and Ellingtonia in her “The Brilliant Corners of Thelonious’ Jumpin’ Jeep.” Add Jimmy Rowles’s “The Peacocks” featuring superb tenor from Frahm and the title track, her dedication to Ms. Williams, and this one’s a must. Both 10/10 (Len Dobbin)
Mini CD Reviews
Thelonious Monk The Classic Quartet (Candid / Fusion III) Monk, Charlie Rouse, Butch Warren and Frankie Dunlop captured in peak performance back on May 23, 1963 by the Tokyo Broadcasting System in Japan. 9 (LD)
Ntjamrosie “Patience” 12” (Rush Hour/Appletree) Another mediocre song saved by remixes from INT and Sotu the Traveller. Shouldn’t the original at least measure up? 8 (SC)
Various Tales From the Australian Underground Vol. 2: 1977–1990 (Feel) Saints, Radio Birdman, Scientists, Lime Spiders, Birthday Party and plenty more raucous, rough-hewn punk and alt-rock in this thorough overview of Antipodean independence. 7.5 (RB)
Suzanne Vega Beauty & Crime (Bluenote/EMI) An uneven but largely sharp and lively comeback for Ms. Vega, her first album in six years. 7 (LC)
The Starting Line Direction (Virgin/EMI) Pop-punk doesn’t always ensure mediocrity. The tunes are catchy and occasionally aggressive. 6 (EL)
>> Music Listings |
