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Disc of the week |
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Brendan Canning  Alice Cooper Along Came a Spider (SPV) With a band of young bloods behind him, Cooper sinks his teeth into a loose concept, singing from the viewpoint of a serial killer. Mixing modern radio metal with the rock ’n’ roll racket of his earlier and admittedly far superior days, Cooper does score here. Songs like the Stones-y “Wake the Dead” has the swagger, while things get downright cyclical on the very Turbonegro-flavoured “Your Feminine Side.” This 25th album is hardly Cooper’s shining moment, but it is easily his best release in the past two decades—and probably the record Axl wished he had made. 7/10 (Johnson Cummins)  Zozobra Bird of Prey (Hydra Head/Sonic Unyon) Just when you thought Zozobra, headed up by former Cave-In bassist/singer Caleb Scofield, couldn’t get any more devastating than they did with last year’s Harmonic Tremors, this sophomore effort shows the band with heels fully dug into the dirt. The bowel-emptying low end rules the nether region of the mix while Scofield’s banshee wail cuts through the middle. If you miss the utter heaviosity of Oceanic-period Isis, this should come as pure salvation. Trainspotters may also want to know that this was all lovingly produced by Isis’s Aaron Harris, who also contributed the mastermind drumming throughout. 9/10 (Johnson Cummins) Lustmord Other (Hydra Head/Sonic Unyon) Probably the king of dark ambient, this former SPK member manages to give a slight nod to metal guitar, but mainly sticks close to his doom-laden soundscapes peppered with electronic blips, bleeps and field recordings. After the third song, the 22-minute dirge “Godeater,” Lustmord finally drops the hammer on “Dark Awakening” with some noisy doom guitars (courtesy of Melvins’ Buzz Osbourne). Far more ethereal than most of the current crop of experimental metal, but if you are still digging Sunn O))) or Boris’s Altar, this is the next logical step. 7.5/10 (Johnson Cummins)  Belleisle Longstanding (Ships at Night) Creating magic moments with subtlety and simplicity isn’t typically the domain of a rookie band, but this local quartet makes it happen on their debut album. Some would call it folk, with its acoustic guitars, plaintive underpinning and charmed harmonies by singers Rebecca Silverberg and Tasha Cyr, but the effect is much closer to the kind of misty, low-slung indie music made by longhaired boys and girls about 15 years ago, without the gratuitous grunge-hangover guitars. Instead, gentle infusions of organ and trumpet supplement the strummed strings and female voices, making music to sway to and daydream by. 7.5/10 (Lorraine Carpenter) CD launch at Divan Orange, Tues., Aug. 12, 9:30 p.m.  Twink A Very Fine Adventure (Twink Tones) Following a masterful mash-up of old-tyme kiddie records and a lively, wide-ranging remix project, Massachusetts maestro Mike Langlie—a wonderful graphic artist and, as far as I can tell, the only musician in the world to use the tinkling toy piano as his primary instrument—gets back to basics. Funny to say that, given that Langlie’s work always dives fearlessly into the cute, weird, silly, sugar-sticky realm of childhood fun, daring haters to heap on the bah-humbugs (his wise, intricate and crazily catchy compositions, however, are hardly child’s play). Ostensibly a dozen tunes for a trekking trio of bunnies in a balloon, this cleverly packaged album of “toytronica” taps into a wider range of moods and moments than one might guess. 8/10 (Rupert Bottenberg) The Art of Fresh Back 2 the Earth (Nova/Universal) Art of Fresh are Slakah the Beatchild and rapper D.O., bringing a unique new sound to the Canadian hip hop soul landscape. D.O. holds his own on the mic, but sticks to the catchy, uptempo raps that make up at least six of the dozen tracks here. Slakah is a good producer, who rides that fine line between poppy sweetness and future-soul, lacing his beats with everything from the now-popular vocoder to warm Rhodes and electric guitars. Apart from some contrived and unnecessary skits, these guys have succeeded in bringing something new to the table, so let’s see if the people will eat it up. My pick is “Get Money,” featuring up-and-comer Tona dropping a verse. 7/10 (Scott C) Argy Various Cielo Cinco (Tommy Boy) Here’s a double-decker mix CD package which takes you beyond the velvet ropes of Manhattan’s Cielo, a globally renowned, state-of-the-art dance club celebrating five years of unmitigated success. Deep, sultry grooves with a tech-ish bent, often delving into Afro-Latin and jazz territory, sashay from the decks of the club’s resident spinners, Nicholas Matar and Willie Graff. Selections involving the heads of the class of house music—Louie Vega, Alix Alvarez, Afeke Iku, Ultra Nate—are part of the celebration. Great for the car, the home and the soul! 9/10 (Peter Lightburn)  Robertson Favorite People (independent) Montreal’s Mark Robertson may be best known for his key involvement in local bands Public Enema and Bullfrog, but this seasoned songwriter and musician makes honest soul music that sounds like D’Angelo, Shuggie Otis and Steve Miller stuck in a elevator. True to its title, the album combines the rich and relaxed vocal outpourings of this family man with some of his favourite people, like Kid Koala, Slim Williams, Joanna Peters, Massimo Sansalone, Peter Santiago and Gutierrez, for some baby-making music at its best. Listeners will be happy to know that this pop-funk-soul gem is available free for download at www.robertsonmark.com, a selfless gesture that goes hand in hand with the quality grooves found on this 11-song sure-shot. Robertson is easily one of Montreal’s best kept secrets. 8.5/10 (Scott C)  Irma Thomas Simply Grand (Rounder) New Orleans soul sensation Thomas shares the spotlight with some of the best pianists in the business throughout her latest. Dr. John, Norah Jones and Randy Newman are among the skilled musicians that help her complete the songs here. Some pairings are more impressive than others. For instance, David Egan adds dramatic effect to “Underground Stream,” Ellis Marsalis’s solo completes “This Bitter Earth,” and “Thinking About You” benefits from Norah Jones’s skilled delivery. But elsewhere, like on the straightlaced “What Can I Do” or the overeager “Somebody Told You,” the results are more ordinary. The concept is well conceived, but Thomas clearly doesn’t need anyone else on stage to be entertaining. 7.5/10 (Gerard Dee) Milt Jackson The Ballad Artistry of…/Vibrations (Collectables) Milt Jackson The Art of…/Soul Brothers (Collectables) These two CDs contain a cross-section of great playing by jazz giant Jackson. Ballad was arranged by Quincy Jones, while Vibrations is a small group outing with people like Jimmy Heath, Tom McIntosh and Tommy Flanagan. Art is a compilation of superior material Jackson recorded on a number of Atlantic dates, with strings and with soloists like Lucky Thompson, Coleman Hawkins, Cannonball Adderley, John Coltrane, Hank Jones and Kenny Burrell. Soul Brothers is a session Milt did with Ray Charles, on which he played vibes, piano and guitar, and Ray doubled piano and alto. The material contained on these two CDs includes “Nuages,” “The Cylinder,” “Darbin, the Red Foxx,” “Algo Bueno,” “Plenty, Plenty Soul,” “So in Love,” “Stuffy,” “Ghana” and “Blue Funk.” Great to have available once again—Jackson was the vibe player. Both 10/10 (Len Dobbin) Mini CD ReviewsHank Jones West of 5th (Chesky/Fusion III) Jones, a highlight of this year’s Jazz fest, turned 90 last Friday. On this recent CD, he’s joined by Christian McBride and Jimmy Cobb—11 tasty tracks including his brother Thad’s “A Child Is Born.” 9 (LD) |
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