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Disc of the week |
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Various  Neuraxis The Thin Line Between (Prosthetic) Montreal has always been a major player in the metal world, and solid recent efforts from locals Kataklysm and now Neuraxis only add more fuel to the fire. Over their 14-year existence, Neuraxis has managed to hold on to their death/grind roots, but technically, they really shine with their progressive side pushed up front and centre. Even on epics like the eight-and-half-minute title track, featuring a guest appearance by Gorguts’ Luc Lemay, the pounding remains relentless while the band expertly uses dynamics to add extra power to the punch. 7/10 (Johnson Cummins) Opeth Watershed (Roadrunner) Opeth’s latest draws you into the dark, twisting and writhing. Much of this madness is powered by its delicate side, strings caging cobwebs of acoustic guitar, beginning with opener “Coil.” A thread of medieval malevolence pulses in the hallways of this darkened house, a piano played by fingers unseen in “Heir Apparent,” something unspeakable shifting in the shadows. Watershed’s metal side is epic and all encompassing. It’s only natural that black blood oozes down the walls while intricate chords pull on your neck hairs. Nonsensical voices take care of your sanity before you realize the journey is only seven songs deep. 8/10 Lateef Martin  Buffalo Killers Let It Ride (Alive) The Alive label introduced us to the Black Keys and resurrected rarities from MC5 and the Stooges, so Buffalo Killers seem to suit it perfectly. They succeed at everything that Kings of Leon and other bell-bottomed, nostalgic beardos only try to. Crossing 1970s Laurel Canyon rock with a slow James Gang groove, the band’s Crazy Horse-style jams are sure to appeal to the denim warriors and the legions of the beaded and bearded, while production from the Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach is spacious and warm, matching the band’s slow groove perfectly. 7/10 (Johnson Cummins)  Bowerbirds Hymns for a Dark Horse (Dead Oceans) A delicate balance is achieved on this debut album by Raleigh, North Carolina’s Bowerbirds, between folk and pop, spare simplicity and romantic excess, the personal and the political—if trace environmentalism is considered political (maybe in North Carolina, it is). Guitarist Phil Moore treats his lovely lyrics to a matching croon, reaching into the higher registers like Jeff Buckley’s blasé cousin. Recurring harmonies with bandmates Beth Tacular (accordion, percussion) and Mark Paulson (piano, violin, percussion), with pretty melodies and arrangements that are light on their feet, put this record over the top. 8/10 (Lorraine Carpenter) With Bon Iver at Cabaret Juste pour rire, Wed., July 23, 9 p.m., $15 Carla Bruni Comme si de rien n’était (Naïve/Audiogram) The title, translating to “as if nothing happened,” is hardly a subtle one. Earlier this year, the striking, Italian-born heiress, pop star and former supermodel Bruni married French president Nicolas Sarkozy, bringing a flash of glamour and scandal to international affairs of state. The business of being Madame Sarko, however, has little bearing on the intimate and elegantly crafted tunes here, a gentle batch of ersatz, acoustic Americana devoid of the leftfield flourishes common to other neo-chansonniers (unless an adapted Houellebecq poem counts?). With a voice like a nice white wine—dry, a touch tangy and just sweet enough—Bruni communicates a carefree, comfortable, cosmopolitan air, as though her charmed life is only to be expected. 7/10 (Rupert Bottenberg)  Nas N (Def Jam/Universal) “As James Baldwin says, you can only be destroyed by believing that you really are what the white world considers a nigger.” The voice rings true on “You Can’t Stop Us Now” as Nas briefly runs down the often forgotten history of blacks in America, something he does throughout this album with confidence and clarity. It’s great to hear arguably the greatest MC of our time speaking from the heart of truth with conviction and swagger, stepping up to the plate with some real talk. Check “Sly Fox,” where he undresses major networks and their steady flow of misinformation, or “N.I.G.G.E.R.,” which unwraps the paradoxical link between slave and master. “Fried Chicken,” “Black President,” and “Be a Nigger Too” all require repeat listens. I’ll admit that the production here definitely takes a backseat to the robust lyrical content, but I’ll take the N-word discussion over the head-nod with pleasure. 8.5/10 (Scott C)
David Banner The Greatest Story Ever Told (Motown/Universal) Responsible for the wackiest cut from Lil Wayne’s Tha Carter III (“La La”), Mississippi rapper/producer David Banner shows more restraint on his own record, really to his own detriment. The disc is front-loaded with radio-friendly hits featuring Chris Brown, Akon and Weezy, but in the latter half, Banner takes the reins as primary MC and works with more unconventional song structures, from the sparse and fuzzy “I Get By” to “B.A.N.,” sampling The Boondocks’ Colonel Stinkmeaner. Unfortunately, he keeps his political commentary to the interlude skits. When he’s on, David Banner is a truly inventive hip hop producer. 7/10 (Erik Leijon)  Various Gilles Peterson in the House (Defected) The globetrotting, outernational king of connecting the dots between genres gets behind his first house mix, a three-disc comp on Defected. The disc-one mix features classic house standards that will undoubtedly stand the test of time, including tunes from Larry Heard, Dennis Ferrer, Blaze, Bernard Wright, Phil Asher and more. Disc two reflects Peterson’s own introduction to jazz, funk and disco, and the fusion that eventually led him to house music, citing tracks from Willie Hutch, Jon Lucien, Mass Production, Earth, Wind & Fire, Weldon Irvine and Angela Bofill as inspiration. Rounding out the set, disc three features specially commissioned tracks from contemporaries like Zed BIas, Elements of Life, Jose James and Karizma. One man’s trash is another man’s treasure, and that applies to a few songs here, classic or not, but overall, Peterson’s penchant for picking winners is very much at work. 7.5/10 (Scott C) Dwele Sketches of a Man (Koch) On his third release, Dwele stretches his brand of expansive soul to include more rhythmic grooves, while not abandoning the contemporary jazz influences that characterized his previous work. He’s still the quirky man’s D’Angelo, preferring the less obvious musical constructions and intricately layered vocals that are evident on tracks like “Free as a Bird” and “Shady.” Occasionally, songs like “A Few Reasons” and ironic lead single “I’m Cheatin’” demonstrate Dwele’s more straightforward approach to soul, and the surprisingly tender “Open Your Eyes” proves he knows his way around a slow jam, but mainly this is an artist who still prefers to sketch outside of the box. 8/10 (Gerard Dee) Art Farmer Brass Shout/The Aztec Suite (Blue Note/EMI) An important large ensemble reissue—two sessions from 1959, the former arranged by Benny Golson, the latter, which includes the extended title piece, by Chico O’Farrill. The Golson session includes his “Minor Vamp” and “Five Spot After Dark,” plus Silver’s “Nica’s Dream” and Bobby Timmons’s “Moanin’.” The O’Farrill set adds Berlin’s “Heat Wave” and Gillespie’s “Woody ‘n’ You.” Besides the leader, there are solos from people like Curtis Fuller, Julius Watkins, Timmons and Hank Jones. Great writing and playing—Farmer remains one of the great horn players in jazz history. 9.5/10 (Len Dobbin) Mini CD ReviewsDuke Ellington The Piano Player (Storyville) Like the title says, 13 solo piano tracks from Edward Kennedy including his ballet suite, “The River” and “Single Petal of a Rose,” and three tracks with organist Wild Bill Davis. 9 (LD) |
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