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Disc of the week |
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 No Age Nouns (Sub Pop) This lo-fi duo are sure to win over the bloggers with a noisy, simplistic pop sound that manages to push boundaries while never getting lost in the plot. Songs like “Here Should Be My Home” and “Ripped Knees” are pure pop gems and while Nouns isn’t without filler, this is still quite a charmer. As a bonus for us nerds that are turned on by cool packaging, this includes a 68-page booklet that will make this impossible to merely download. 7/10 (Johnson Cummins) Mindless Self Indulgence If (The End) Like a bastard spawned from the quivering loins of “Weird” Al Yankovic and Marilyn Manson, Mindless Self Indulgence mosh and spew their own brand of technopunk acid rap. If, their fifth album, shows that MSI can morph their schizophrenic sonic collages into danceable pop. Adolescent lyrics from Jimmy Urine are as playful and irresponsible as the band’s respect for convention. However, like a lot of bands these days, the choruses for many of their songs tumble into carbon-copy purgatory. Fortunately their knack for tomfoolery makes up for it. 8/10 (Lateef Martin)  Singer Unhistories (Drag City) Boasting two ex-members of U.S. Maple, Singer may have expectations running high, but sadly, the Maples’ past glories are not given a nod. Merging perfect vocal harmonies with dissonance and Trout Mask Replica’s seemingly sloppy transitions, Singer are not for the faint of heart, but they have a hard time gaining any ground here. On most of the seven songs on Unhistories, arrangements tend to fall down the stairs while the band chases after them. Things pick up on “Party Lessons,” but by that time, it’s a case of too little too late. 6/10 (Johnson Cummins)  Nightwood Big City EP (Grenadine/FAB) Local zine scenester Amber Goodwyn, Erin Ross and “Famous” Eric Lapointe (co-founder of Grenadine Records, not the “Loadé comme un gun” guy) team up to get down on their first EP, six tracks that seem to dwell in limbo, somewhere between heaven and hell. It’s low, slow indie rock with guitars and vocals that harmonize and harvest seedy riffs and melodies, sometimes to entrancing effect. Though it lacks the gravitas of its professed influences (Patti Smith, Nick Cave etc.), the record is a strong statement of intent. 7/10 (Lorraine Carpenter) With Postcards, Vincat at Casa del Popolo, Sat., May 17, 9 p.m., $6/$10 with CD  Matmos Supreme Balloon (Matador/Select) Partners M.C. Schmidt and Drew Daniel made their mark with a series of highly conceptual exercises in sound sourcing, using unusual objects and body bits to comment on medicine, the Civil War, gay icons and such. Supreme Balloon is a neat detour, finding the pair fully immersed in the realm of psychedelic, retro synth-pop—the switched-on in sound from way out, dig—and its more experimental cousins of the pre-digital era. Their finicky, fine-toothed inclinations and wry humour only enhance this surprisingly melodious salute to the likes of Perrey & Kingsley, Morton Subotnick and, on the electro-baroque “Les Folies Françaises,” Wendy Carlos. 8.5/10 (Rupert Bottenberg) Story of the Year The Black Swan (Epitaph/FAB) The St. Louis-based screamo band’s third release (and first for Epitaph) supposedly represents a return to form, and although that usually entails a more organic, rougher sound, the real Story of the Year strives for generic, big-chorus emo complete with simple riffs and throwaway drum loops for modernity’s sake. The single “Wake Up” and “We’re Not Going to Make It” have catchy call-and-response refrains, but the horrid “The Antidote” completely rips off Hoobastank’s “Crawling in the Dark” and “Tell Me” sounds like a Linkin Park B-side (not exactly sterling source material). The group can’t decide between melody and ferocity. 3/10 (Erik Leijon) Annabelle Chvostek Resilience (independent) Lake of Stew Ain’t Tired of Lovin’ (Woodhog) Annabelle Chvostek’s last release was Water, but this album works the ebb-and-flow to greater effect, with light, largely acoustic country/folk arrangements carrying her hearty vocals out on the tide. Her introspective, tender lyrics avert many of the clichés of the genre, also taking subtle stabs at urban/rural tension, Canada’s colonial past and contemporary oil wars, with one song co-written by Bruce Cockburn. A beautiful record. The same can’t be said of Lake of Stew, a large local ensemble featuring Chvostek on fiddle, guitar and vocals, but their rough ’n’ tumble ditties are honky-tonk hootenanny fare, and beauty has nothing to do with it. Instead, this record lets you stomp, holler and moan along to songs about buses, motels, the Dalai Lama, universal health care and assassinating the PM. Chvostek 8.5, Lake 8/10 (Lorraine Carpenter) Annabelle Chvostek CD launch at la Sala Rossa, Sun., May 18, 9 p.m.; Lake of Stew CD launch with Mike O’Brien at la Sala Rossa, Fri., May 16, 9 p.m., $7/$20 with CD
Ray J All I Feel (Koch) On his fourth release, Brandy’s baby bro tries to break out of his boy-next-door persona, but there’s so much false bravado that his attempts at keepin’ it real fall flat. For instance, his self-professed player shtick on “I Like to Trick” and lead single “Sexy Can I” seem more marketing ploy than real-life drama. And the constant use of the N- and B-words throughout this set only serve to make bad tracks irritating. His opposing roles as man-in-the-middle (“Jump Off”) and then the extra wheel (“Boyfriend”) is the only sign of creativity here. If this is all Ray J feels, then he must really feel like crap. 5.5/10 (Gerard Dee)  Elizabeth Shepherd Parkdale (Do Right Music) Elizabeth Shepherd’s Parkdale is an important point in her continued rise as a force to be reckoned with in Canadian jazz. Although her evolved vocals consistently take a back seat to her piano chops, the two do complement each other here, accompanied by Scott Kemp on bass, Colin Kingsmore on drums, Roman Tome on percussion and William Sperandei on trumpet. This is a sophisticated look into the emotional nooks and crannies of continued change, and Shepherd and her band have never sounded better, thanks in part to Nostalgia 77, who produced the LP. I applaud Shepherd’s conviction as an indie jazz artist who continues to push things forward, choosing strong, original material over watery standards and lifeless covers. 8.5/10 (Scott C) David Liebman Blues All Ways (OmniTone) David Liebman Miles Ahead: Live (Manhattan School) The influential reedman is in two settings here, the first with his longstanding quartet, the one he brought into Upstairs. He and Vic Juris, Tony Marino and Marko Marcinko take eight distinctive looks at the blues, including Trane’s “Bessie’s Blues” and Juris’s “Compared to Who.” The second CD has Liebman a featured soloist (in the original Miles Davis role) on the 10 tracks from Miles Ahead in a live recording backed by the Manhattan School of Music Jazz Orchestra under the direction of Justin DiCioccio. Neither will disappoint! Both 9.5/10 (Len Dobbin) Matt Haimovitz After Reading Shakespeare (Oxingale) Matt Haimovitz VinylCello (Oxingale) Ably straddling the high and low realms of the recital hall and the rock bar, McGill professor Haimovitz is not only a virtuoso cellist but a maverick expander of classical music’s profile in the 21st century. These two releases reflect his scope. After Reading Shakespeare, on which Haimovitz tackles Ned Rorem’s tribute to the bard (plus suites for Mark Twain and Rimbaud), is perhaps more traditional but certainly challenging, and a prize for literary types—the live set this week features narrators, firming up the link. Vinylcello, meanwhile, is the really daring work. The first of Haimovitz’s “Buck the Concerto” works yanking the cello out of its comfort zone, takes liberties with Hendrix’s “Machine Gun,” teams up with a choir and a big band and, on the title track, offers an intricate jam with DJ Olive and his gear. What makes it all work is that Haimovitz backs the novelty factor up with remarkable musical substance. Both 8/10 (Rupert Bottenberg) At la Sala Rossa, Mon., May 19, 8 p.m. Mini CD ReviewsRoberto Cipelli F. à Leo (Justin Time/Fusion III) Music of Leo Ferre, in unusual settings, featuring people like pianist Cipelli, trumpeter Paolo Fresu and the distinctive voice of Gianmaria Testa. Try “Les Poêtes.” 8 (LD) |
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