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 Holy Fuck
LP (Young Turks/Select)
Arguably the best band in Canada, Toronto’s Holy Fuck just released their best record yet, so pencil this one in. Ferocious grooves, care of a rotating rhythm section, underline the amazing chirps, chatter, growls and shrieks that Brian Borcherdt and Graham Walsh conjure out of a scrapheap of undead electronic noisemakers. They’re a hell of a thing in concert, so opening on a live take of “Super Inuit” is a nice touch. Key here is the inclusion of the bookend tracks from their limited edition EP of earlier this year—the euphoric “Lovely Alien,” with its titanic climax, and the rugged robot-rocker “Frenchy’s.” 9.5/10 (Rupert Bottenberg)
 Robert Plant and Alison Krauss
Raising Sand (Rounder)
Truthfully, I love to get the Led out as much as the next guy (probably even more), but even I get more excited about a root canal than a Robert Plant solo record. Ol’ Percy absolutely surprises here, though, and gives the soft hush of Krauss the upper register as he takes his trademark yelp down a couple of octaves. Look past the names on the marquee, as producer T Bone Burnett’s incredible song selection, ranging from Townes Van Zant to the Everly Brothers, his assemblage of a crack studio band (including Marc Ribot!) and his ingenious sound work are what really sends this record. 8.5/10 (Johnson Cummins)
Neil Young
Chrome Dreams II (Reprise/Warner)
Young’s last record, Living With War, indicated that his hybrid fuel tank was starting to run low, and unfortunately on Chrome Dreams, he seems to be running on fumes. The 18-minute “Ordinary People” and his other opus “No Hidden Path” are like water torture, with the only hints of inspiration found in his indelible guitar playing. Not all is lost, as the Stax-style “The Believer,” the grimy “Dirty Old Man” and closer “The Way” shine out, but by that point, it’s a case of too little, too late. 6.5/10 (Johnson Cummins)
 Rogue Wave
Asleep at Heaven’s Gate (Brushfire)
The third album by this Oakland quartet jumps off with a song that seems bent on being all indie rock anthems to all people—glimmers of the most crowd-pleasing tunes by the likes of the Sex Pistols, Joy Division, the Smiths, even Arcade Fire, weave around each other just under the surface. Echoes of this uncharacteristically arena-friendly foray return now and then (as do some moments that mimic their former labelmates, the Shins), interspersed with their more typical inflections of folk and psychedelic rock. The record, produced by Yo la Tengo associate Roger Moutenot, isn’t without its flaws and smidgeon of filler, but some great songs spring from harnessing their particular palette of styles and moods. 7.5/10 (Lorraine Carpenter) With Port O’Brien at Cabaret Juste Pour Rire Sat., Oct. 27, 8 p.m., $15
 Plants and Animals
With/Avec EP (Secret City/Fusion III)
Orillia Opry
Lighthouse for Stragglers’ Eyes
(Ships at Night/Sonic Unyon)
Count Plants and Animals among Montreal’s up and coming—having signed to Secret City (making them labelmates with Patrick Watson), they’re ready for the spotlight. This EP showcases their heady convergence of styles, from the folk, rock and even jazz realms, which makes them pleasantly tough to pin down. Whether adrift and pastoral or upfront and melodramatic, they strut their stuff with spirit. Also featuring the enigmatic Warren C. Spicer (and other members of Plants and Animals), Orillia Opry is primarily Daniel Noble and Emma Baxter, Montrealers who not only marry country-folk music and indie rock and a side of pop, but effectively blur the lines between them. Noble’s vaguely Neil Young tones, sometimes backed by Baxter, adorn predominantly acoustic arrangements, only breaking from the classic rock set-up with a touch of piano and trumpet. Though it stagnates slightly towards the end, the record is simple, sometimes deceptively so, and effective overall. P&A 8.5, OO 7/10 (Lorraine Carpenter) Orillia Opry with
Timber Timbre at la Sala Rossa, Tues., Oct. 30
Celebration
The Modern Tribe (4AD/Select)
The titular tribalism manifests itself in many respects on this sophomore slice of potent, tempestuous neo-psychedelia from Baltimore trio Celebration. Perhaps too obviously, there are the aggro polyrhythms, and the Afro-style brass stabs and organ riffs, frequently deployed. More accurately, friends from the tight-knit musical constellation of TV on the Radio, Antibalas and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs drop in to help out. Most crucially, Sean Antanaitis’s churning keyboard work and Katrina Ford’s fearless, full-bodied vocals, catapulting a lyric sheet littered with implacable question marks, tap into something deeply rooted—defiant, democratic and, yes, celebratory. 8/10 (Rupert Bottenberg)
 Sightings
Through the Panama (Load)
It may be a shock to some that the Tony Robbins of rock, Andrew WK, is in the production chair for this noisefest, but then again, consider his work with Wolf Eyes. In fact, WK lets the high frequencies fly on what’s probably the band’s most grounded effort yet. Loops plod hypnotically as the topsy-turvy mix provokes, with Mark Morgan’s monotone vocals perfectly juxtaposed against the chaos. Extra points for the clever take on Gary Walker’s “The Electrician,” which incidentally is about torture by electric shock. 8/10 (Johnson Cummins) With Panopticon Eyelids, Menace Ruine at Casa del Popolo, Sat., Oct. 27, 9 p.m., $10
Thrice
The Alchemy Index Vol. 1 & 2 (Vagrant/Universal)
Although fully realizing this is one unrepentantly pretentious double disc (mind you, both CDs clock in at under 50 minutes total), Thrice’s prog-post-rock concept record about fire and water gets the atmospheric metal-rock vibe just right. It’s sombre and never reaches any Dio-esque levels of absurdity, while demonstrating solid and understated musicianship. Naturally, the fire disc is more aggressive (rife with loud guitars and screamo vocals) than the electronic ambience of the water disc, although they always sound like Thrice. If you remember ex-metal band Opeth delving into prog and acoustic music, then you’ll get a sense of familiarity here. 7.5/10 (Erik Leijon)
Army of the Pharaohs
Ritual of Battle (Babygrande)
AOTP are usually referred to as an underground hip hop supergroup, not because their unified front has produced undisputed quality output, but because of their extended make-up. This second album, featuring Vinnie Paz, Jus Allah, Esoteric, Apathy, Outerspace, Reef the Lost Cause, Celphtitled, Chief Kamanchi, Kingsyze and more, feels like a direct response to current hip hop trends, pulling no punches in keeping things gutter and unapologetically aggressive throughout. Most tracks come out swinging, like “Pages in Blood” and “Bloody Tears,” the latter featuring Paz taking shots at Kanye West. It’s hard to sell five MCs on almost every track, but then again, these guys are vexed. 7.5/10 (Scott C)
Slim Williams
Pulse of the Planet (Phi/DEP/Universal)
Montrealer Slim Williams drops his new album Pulse of the Planet after teasing the city with bits and pieces for months. An extremely well produced project, almost every song on this record has the potential to have a long and successful life in Top 40 radio rotation, relying on pop-based soulful arrangements and Slim’s deep vocals. Positivity seems to be the order of the day with tunes like “Victorious,” “Good 2 You” and my own pick, “Came Out of My Dreams.” Slim’s sound might raise some adult contemporary eyebrows, but safe to say, his soul is very much intact. 8/10 (Scott C)
 Jill Scott
The Real Thing: Words and Sounds Vol. 3
(Hidden Beach)
Scott’s first two studio albums, 2000’s Who Is Jill Scott and 2004’s Beautifully Human, were the sophisticated musings of a woman in love. In the aftermath of her recent divorce, this third installment of her Words and Sounds series makes it apparent that she’s now all too familiar with love’s flipside. Perhaps that’s why the defiant “Hate on Me” is the set’s lead single, a warning that Scott may be down, but not out. Nevertheless, recent scars are evident on tracks like “I Wanna Be Loved” and the poignant “Celibacy Blues.” In fact, even during the X-rated “Epiphany,” she still complains about being alone. Doesn’t get any realer than that. 8/10 (Gerard Dee)
 Benny Goodman
Arrangements by Fletcher
Henderson/Eddie Sauter (Collectables)
Benny Goodman
Benny’s Bop 1948–49 (Hep)
Two CDs, featuring three very different editions of the Goodman bands. The Henderson edition is the one that brought fame to Goodman in the mid-’30s, while Sauter contributed arrangements that were ahead of their time. The former has musicians like Ziggy Elman, Jerry Jerome, singer Helen Ward and Henderson himself, while the latter features Peggy Lee and Helen Forrest as well as Cootie Williams and Johnny Guarnieri. BG and bebop were not a good match, but these sides are well worth having for the great tenor playing of Wardell Gray and the clarinet of Benny’s protégé, Stan Hasselgard, a Swede who lost his life in a car accident in 1948. The pianos of Mary Lou Williams and Barbara Carroll add to the value of this collection. Both 9.5/10 (Len Dobbin)
Mini CD Reviews
Daz-I-Kue ft. Blue “Think 2007” (independent) Oh, gosh. Daz bounces this Lyn Collins classic to new heights with the help of vocalist Blue. Keep a look out for this. 10 (SC)
Various Canadian Divas: Swingin’ Easy (Gala) Another feather in the cap of producer Jean-Pierre Sevigny—24 tracks of the “Top Female Vocalists of the Golden Age of Radio and Early Television.” Norma Locke, Babs Babineau, Alys Robi, Dorothy Collins and Phyllis Marshall are included. 8 (LD)
Jean-Jacques Perrey & Luke Vibert Moog Acid (Lo/Fusion III) Synth-pop pioneer Perrey and slippery post-raver Vibert face off with freaky funk ’n’ frequencies. Anachro-tronic weirdness, wooziness and wackiness ensue. 7.5 (RB)
Motörhead Better Motörhead Than Dead (SPV/Fusion III) Dearest Lemmy: Don’t get us wrong, we all think Motörhead is rocking as fuck live, but enough with the endless live records already. Get back in that fucking studio, dammit! 7.5 (JC)
The Riff Randells Doublecross (Dirtnap/Red Eye) Victoria outfit dresses classic girly pop-punk up in modern threads. 7 (LC)
Babyshambles Shotter’s Nation (Parlophone/EMI) Pete Doherty and co. keep the lazy licks and dubious lyrics coming, striking a surprisingly effective chord with a preview of their future career as a Vegas hasbeen act (“Back in crack”?). 6 (LC)
Cobra Starship Viva la Cobra (Fueled By Ramen/Warner) I wanted to use that obvious Snakes on a Plane catchphrase, but this CD actually kinda doesn’t suck. 5 (EL)
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