Disc of the week

POP LEVI
Never Never Love (Counter/Ninja Tune)
Tighter, harder, faster and more focused than his debut LP, Never Never Love is another winner, but one that pushes the pop to absurd, almost grotesque heights. But hey, he had to step off the T-Rex thievery a touch (by adding a little Prince to the mix?), and Pop is his first name. “Mai’s Space” is too much, a song with desk-breaking potential for ad men, but the same squeaky synthetic M.O. triumphs on the title track. And whether he’s gunning through the rockers, grinding into the sex tracks or sashaying across love songs, England’s finest glam pixie knows how to seek heat. 8/10 (Lorraine Carpenter)

JESU
Why Are We Not Perfect
(Hydra Head/Sonic Unyon)
Jesu head honcho Justin Broadrick (Godflesh, Head of David) continues to keep things short and sweet, and only offers up three songs with two alternate takes on this new disc. The sweet side is that he continues to carve out perfect shoegazey pop tunes that crawl to the six-and-a-half-minute finishing line. Broadrick has now burst out from his past heaviosity with pop perfection, but it’s his Flood-like production work that proves to be the real ace up his sleeve. 8.5/10 (Johnson Cummins)

HEY OCEAN!
It’s Easier to be Somebody Else
(Pop Machine)
Vancouver chill-out jazzy quartet Hey Ocean! nail down the feel-good stoner vibes on their sophomore record. David Beckingham and Ashleigh Ball playfully trade vocal leads like a warmer version of Feist and Kevin Drew. There are hints of coastal, sun-drenched pop on “A Song About California” and “Greeko,” which wouldn’t sound out of place on a Starbucks playlist, nestled in between Zero 7 and Brazilian Girls. The difference is the album actually sounds like it was recorded in a coffee shop: the drums are live, the instrumentation is varied and there are a few impressive, winding jam sessions. 7/10 (Erik Leijon)

BROADCAST RADIO
Hallways of the Twenty-First Floor (Independent)
Recorded at the famous Hotel 2 Tango by producer-about-town Howard Bilderman, this stomps the well-trodden trail blazed by indie-anthem purveyors such as Arcade Fire and Plants and Animals. Like those bands, Broadcast Radio favour driving beats, grandiose choral backups and, courtesy of singer Nick Backovic, vocals whose throat-shredding delivery matches their emotional intensity. Though this is certainly not reaching out into any uncharted territory, it’s delivered with conviction and complemented by Bilderman’s always epic production. 7/10 (Malcolm Fraser) With Mark Berube and the Patriotic Few at La Sala Rossa, Fri. Aug. 29, 8:30 p.m.

THE DANDY WARHOLS
Earth to… (Beat the World/World’s Fair)
On their sixth album, the Dandy Warhols lay on heavy dollops of petulant pop and sleaze-rock that’s as dead serious as it is tongue-in-cheek. “Welcome to the Third World” is a hilarious funk mack-attack, whereas tracks like “Talk Radio” are Dandys-by-numbers. “And Then I Dreamt of Yes” is Brian-Jonestown-Massacre-by-numbers (wtf?), “Mis Amigos” sounds remarkably like Beck, and dueling picks rule okay on “Love Song,” featuring Dire Straits’ Mark Knopfler and the Heartbreakers’ Mike Campbell (again, wtf?). But it’s nothing if not a party record. Having established their very own label, it seems that the band is letting loose (or looser) and doing it for love. 7.5/10 (Lorraine Carpenter)

LARGE PRO
Main Source (Gold Dust Media/K7)
Using his legendary status as a diving board, Large Pro has returned to the pool with Main Source, a 2008 release for this producer/MC who was responsible for so many classic hip hop joints. I’m guessing fans might give Extra P a pass simply based on his upper echelon movements over the years, but on its own merits, this simply isn’t on par with what you might expect from such an esteemed figure. While Large Pro’s rhyme style and delivery are essentially unchanged, his production feels like it’s been in the freezer too long, or is perhaps trying a little too hard at times to embrace a modern sound. Guests like Jeru and Lil Dap don’t really help the situation, and I can’t honestly say that any of these songs truly stand out. Song title as chorus is not a good look on almost every song, man. 6.5/10 (Scott C)

GLEN CAMPBELL
Meet Glen Campbell (Capitol/EMI)
With a direct nod to Johnny Cash’s later work with Rick Rubin, Campbell finally returns to the studio and takes on cover songs by Tom Petty, Foo Fighters, Green Day and others. Cash owned his versions of Soundgarden’s “Rusty Cage” and Nine Inch Nail’s “Hurt” by leaving his indelible stamp, and as with Rubin, part of the credit here must go to producer Julian Raymond for putting these songs within Campbell’s grasp. Some stinkers here, like the Foos’ “Times Like These” and Green Day’s “Good Riddance,” but Lou Reed’s “Jesus” and Jackson Browne’s “These Days” make the skipping around well worth it. 7/10 (Johnson Cummins)

INCOGNITO
Tales from the Beach (Concord)
The latest from funky British ensemble Incognito revisits their trademark blend of jazzy grooves and retro-soul vibes. The ever-rotating group of musicians and vocalists currently includes one of the band’s best-known members, dynamic vocalist Maysa, who appears on four tracks, including the deliciously rhythmic “I’ve Been Waiting” and the softer “When Words Are Just Words.” The band’s acid jazz roots are clearly visible on the largely instrumental “Never Look Back,” but elsewhere, like on “Step Aside” and the joyously upbeat “Happy People,” they demonstrate a decidedly contemporary soul attitude. After more than 20 years, Incognito still knows how to deliver summer heat year round. 8.5/10 (Gerard Dee)

THE CREEPSHOW
Run for Your Life (Stomp/Warner)
From the morbid nicknames to the upright bass, Burlington, Ontario’s Creepshow fit the archetype of the beer-swigging, zombie-cavorting psychobilly stylistic mash-up to a tee. “Demon Lover” essentially encapsulates the genre in three minutes: it has horror movie references, a stealthy, swinging bassline, a rollicking internal rhythm, and a hell-raising female vocalist encouraging the listener to run with the devil. It’s fun if not slightly hidebound—although the conventional, modern production does extract a bit too much of the greasy, unholy pulp that likely makes them a demonic force on stage. 6.5/10 (Erik Leijon)

RA RA RIOT
The Rhumb Line (Barsuk)
The show must go on for this promising new Syracuse, NY, band, whose debut LP comes out a year after the accidental drowning of their original drummer, John Pike. New guy Gabriel Duquette has significant shoes to fill, given the steely rhythmic backbone of the record’s more uptempo tunes. Over a diverse set of songs, the band delivers effervescent ’80s-tinted pop, elegant chamber rock chops and hype dancefloor fodder, an impressive collision of contemporary sounds that makes an Arcade Fire/Killers/
Bloc Party mash-up seem like a good idea. 7.5/10 (Lorraine Carpenter) With Walter Meego at Club Lambi, Wed., Sept. 3, 9 p.m., $12

SHWAYZE
Shwayze (Suretone/Geffen/Universal)
Toothless, Urban Outfitters California sunshine rap that will actually make you long for the days of G-Love. Shwayze’s transition from television star to wannabe rapper exposes a lack of interesting ideas, beyond the ones a Jack Johnson set would likely cover. “Lazy Days” fits the title by being a painfully lethargic acoustic guitar-driven hip hop jam session. The lyrics are about as deep as a Will.I.Am voicemail message. The songs meander like a teenager getting stoned for the first time. Giving privileged kids from Malibu baseball caps and microphones could prove to be the worst thing to ever happen to rap music. 0/10 (Erik Leijon)

Bill Russo
The World of Alcina (Collectables)
Cy Touff/Sandy Mosse
Tickle Toe (Delmark)
The jazz spotlight is on Chicago in these two items. Russo was a composer and trombonist, a student of Lennie Tristano, and best remembered for his work with Stan Kenton. The title piece is an extended work for large ensemble; the other six are small group outings, three by a group of two trombones, two tenors (including Mosse) and rhythm. “For My Sister,” Russo’s take on Ellington, and Blanton’s “Pitter Panther Patter” are good starting points. “Tickle Toe” is also the lead track on a very swinging meeting between bass trumpeter Touff and tenorman Mosse. Dating back to 1981, here it appears on CD for the first time. The piano of John Campbell is an added bonus on this mix of standards and jazz standards. Both 9/10 (Len Dobbin)

Mini CD Reviews

FUCKED UP Year of the Pig (Matador) For those of you chumps who missed the vinyl-only release last year, you can now get a second chance to grab this prime slab of epic punk rock, with three new tracks and three different edits of the devastating title track. 9 (JC)

JOE BAIONE Oh Yeah! (JB) Baione is a valuable, vibrant, vibraphonist and this session produced by Todd Barkan is a winner. A straight ahead outing by Joe’s sextet which includes, “Bags’ Groove,” “All Blues” and “Prelude To A Kiss,” plus material by Lem Winchester and the leader. 8.5 (LD)

THE DEAD SCIENCE Villainaire (Constellation) Another semi-tragic beaut from Seattle’s best and brightest art pop drama queens. 8 (LC)

BOMB THE BASS Future Chaos (!K7) Veteran UK DJ Tim Simenon remains true to his house electronic roots, mixed with live vocals. 6 (EL)

THE AIRBORNE TOXIC EVENT The Airborne Toxic Event (Majordomo/Shout! Factory) There appears to be a garage rock event happening. 5 (EL)

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MIRROR ARCHIVES » Aug 29 Sep 03 2008: INSIDE - COVER | ARCHIVES INDEX | CURRENT ISSUE