 |
Disc of the week |
|
 The Black Halos We Are Not Alone (History) Vancouver’s black-nail-polished ne’er-do-wells are back again, and they don’t muddle anything up by throwing curveballs, but rather let their ’77 sleaze-punk punch right in the gut. Singer Billy Hopeless’s Stiv-isms lead the charge once again and add sneer to these catchy blasters. Grunge master Jack Endino (Nirvana, High on Fire) is once again in the production chair and lets every swing connect on songs like “Princess St. Princess” and “Damaged Goods,” showing the band reaching beyond previous successes. 7/10 (Johnson Cummins) With HiFi Handgrenades, the Shifters at Foufounes Électriques, Mon., March 17, 8 p.m. Carbon/Silicon The Last Post (Carbon Silicon) Mick Jones, McCartney to Joe Strummer’s Lennon in the fundamental U.K. punk band the Clash, has in recent years teamed up with Tony James of Generation X (Billy Idol’s original band) for what’s been taken as an extension of Jones’s post-Clash project Big Audio Dynamite. But The Last Post’s scattered handful of club beats, po-mo tweaks and post-millennial reflections don’t follow B.A.D.’s boisterous boom-bap and Cinerama sampling. Rather, the album’s a dialed-down, mid-tempo reiteration of the Clash blueprint—“The Whole Truth,” “War on Culture” and “Caesars Palace” are particularly reminiscent, and could well have been plucked from Sandanista!. 7/10 (Rupert Bottenberg)  Three The End Is Begun (Metal Blade) And lo, in the depths of the deepest prog-rock dungeons is forged a sound in the fires of Rush and, to a lesser degree, Tool. The wraiths of Coheed & Cambria linger in the mists as the hammering of double drum quests, the flickering of acoustic guitar and rude riffage seek the answer to the riddle: can this get any more Heavy Metal magazine? High-pitched vocals channelling the spirit of Geddy Lee twist and turn like mountainous paths carved into the side of sprawling ranges arching into the heavens of—okay, I think you get my point. 7/10 (Lateef Martin) The Airfields Up All Night (Humblebee) If one country could claim ownership of Britpop, in the broadest sense of the term, and in this decade, England would lose to a certain former colony. Some Canadian bands have easily outclassed their U.K. contemporaries, while others have merely proven that anglophilia and recycling are part of our heritage. This Toronto band does both. Pairing the exuberance of jangly guitar pop with the slack gauziness of shoegazing (with a motorik cherry on top), their approach often rises above nostalgia, and even improves upon past formulas. But the band’s open aspiration to such untouchables as the Smiths, New Order and Stereolab only exposes their underlying weakness. 6.5/10 (Lorraine Carpenter) Miss Kittin Batbox (Nobody’s Bizzness) On the second track here, Grenoble, France’s Miss Kittin flatly asks, “Batbox, is that all you got?” I can’t help but share her inquiry in light of the baker’s dozen of undercooked synth-pop yawners in this decidedly guano-laden Batbox. Though the awkwardly accented vocals remain somewhat charming, and are well complemented by the sluggish beats, the album feels stale and whimsical where it attempts to affect mystery, glamour and alienation. At moments, I’m almost taken in by the desperate quirkiness of it, but then she says something like, “Walking in bad smell, sleeping in noisy hotel,” and I start retching. 5.5/10 (Jack Oatmon)  Snoop Dogg Ego Trippin (Geffen/Universal) Your mom’s favourite rapper sounds revitalized on Ego Trippin, as do former Guy frontman Teddy Riley and DJ Quik as primary producers. At his age, Snoop is more interested in sharing his diverse musical tastes than competing with younger, hungrier MCs. His spatial, vocoder-ized Isaac Hayes tribute “Sexual Eruption” and the ’80s R&B synth-funk of “Cool” are notable because Snoop doesn’t rap much on either, instead falsetto-talking to hilarious effect. His country-rap Johnny Cash tribute with Everlast (“My Medicine”) miraculously works. The light-hearted satire over an upbeat arrangement of “Deez Hollywood Nights” could be rap’s version of “Parklife.” 8.5/10 (Erik Leijon) Rick Ross Trilla (Island Def Jam/Universal) Fat Joe The Elephant in the Room (Terror Squad/EMI) It’s a battle of the super heavyweights and their extended entourages. In one corner stands Bronx-based Puerto Rican Fat Joe, who packs some major production credits in Scott Storch, Alchemist and Danjahandz. It’s a uniform record and Joe doesn’t let anyone upstage him. It’s just that he’s become too narrow-minded in his lyrics, and for a rap album, it’s too serious. In the other corner stands Miami scale-tipper Rick Ross, who single-handedly gave Katt Williams a decade’s worth of comedic material with “Hustlin.” Trilla is a calculated mix of the very best mainstream hip hop has to offer. Every track is an explosive, immediately hummable radio hit, even if Ross mostly mumbles tepidly in the background. Lil Wayne finds his way onto both discs, but shines on Trilla. Fat Joe 6.5, Rick Ross 8/10 (Erik Leijon)  Erykah Badu New Amerykah: 4th World War (Motown/Universal) Badu’s first release in five years (and apparently part one of a multi-disc series) is an ambitious project that swings for the fences. Her subject matter is diverse, ranging from hip hop commentary (“The Healer”) to the state of urban America (“Soldier,” “Twinkle”) to personal insight (“Me”). Quirky beats and off-centre vocal arrangements make the first half sometimes jarring—Badu seems to indulge the full range of her artistic license all at once. But by the time she hits “The Hump” and “Telephone” (the latter a comforting tribute to late producer J. Dilla), it all comes together so that set closer and lead single “Honey” can bring it all home. 8/10 (Gerard Dee) Elmore Judd Insect Funk (Honest Jon’s) North London’s Elmore Judd often gets mistaken for a single solitary character, but the band is a healthy six-piece collective churning out weird funk and experimental soul. Insect Funk is a quirky yet realized combination of styles, from the P-Funk-influenced monster “Funky Nerd” and Prince nod “Tron Song” to the indie rock-flavoured “We Float in Time.” There are some puzzlers here, but they all combine for a great little trip into Elmore Judd’s world of strange vocals married to electronic and acoustic movements. 8.5/10 (Scott C)  Daybi First Contact (Bombay) Daybi comes back in 2008, aiming to turn some heads with a tight release that might just be his most focused and best work to date. This First Nations rapper is no stranger to the music game, but this time he’s fortified his approach with elevated lyrics and a polished production feel that leads you from beginning to end. Producers like Kemo, Moka Only, King James III and Sean Dimitrie all seem to know where Daybi is going, complementing his introspective, laid-back style. Don’t be fooled by the guitar-heavy “You Should”—Daybi’s rhymes keep things grounded in the end. 8/10 (Scott C) Duke Ellington Live in Zurich 1950 (TCB) Duke Ellington Legacy Thank You Uncle Edward (Renma) Virginia Mayhew A Simple Thank You (Renma) The first is a live performance from Switzerland with the band including players like Quentin Jackson, Al Killian, Johnny Hodges, Wendell Marshall, Kay Davis and importantly, guesting on tenor, the great Don Byas—check him out on “How High the Moon.” The second is an octet plus vocalist Nancy Reed involving Duke’s nephew, guitarist Edward Ellington II, 11 tracks in all, 10 from the Ellington songbook plus “Toe Tickler” by Virginia Mayhew, who also plays tenor and leads the ensemble which includes Joe Temperley, Norman Simmons and Wycliffe Gordon. Ms. Mayhew’s own session is for the most part made up of her originals with Monk’s “Rhythm-A-Ning” an added bonus. Among those joining her here are Harvie S., Lisa Parrott and special guest Ingrid Jensen. All 9/10 (Len Dobbin)  Dolly Parton Backwoods Barbie (Dolly/A2M) True, her face has been surgically drawn as tight as a drum, but you just don’t get any more “keeping it real” than this Tennessee mountain girl. Dolly pens all the songs here and although she doesn’t hit a career high, her helium-pitched voice still trembles with an emotional vibrato that just can’t be imitated. The tears-in-your-beer ballad “Made of Stone” is divine, while her take on the Fine Young Cannibals’ “She Drives Me Crazy” manages to crawl past mere irony and humour. If anything, Dolly proves in her autumn years that she’s able to grow beyond her fiercely loyal fanbase of soccer moms, rednecks and gay men—which of course is the mark of any great artist. 7/10 (Johnson Cummins) Mini CD ReviewsTerry Gibbs Quartet (Fresh Sound) A wonderful reissue of a pair of mid-’50s sessions by this vibraphonist—particularly welcome, as it features the wonderful Terry Pollard on piano. 9.5 (LD) |
 |
|
|
| MIRROR ARCHIVES » Mar 13 Mar 19 2008: INSIDE - COVER | ARCHIVES INDEX | CURRENT ISSUE |
|
| © Communications Gratte-Ciel Ltée 2008 |