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Pest 5000 Page Forty Three/Astromental (Harriet Records)
Kittens In Bazooka and the Hustler (Sonic Unyon) Kittens claim that In Bazooka and the Hustler is a country album. But with the exception of very brief banjo riffs ("The Lone Ranger") and a smattering of Ennio Morricone ("Sleeping Beauty"), what is really evident here is an excellent noise album with nary a tumblin' tumbleweed in sight. The Kittens' unrelenting surge refuses to fall under the weight of their heaviosity. They don't resort to cruise-control angst or formula dynamics, which will hopefully guarantee them the notice they deserve. 7.5/10 (Johnson Cummins) Ween The Mollusk (Elektra/Warner) After last year's full-on genre fuck 12 Golden Country Greats, Ween toss us one of their more typical blender-mix, parody-pop cocktails. And here's a clue for you all: The Mollusk might be Paul. "Polka Dot Tail" is "Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey," "The Blarney Stone" is "Mull of Kintyre," "It's Gonna Be (Alright)" sounds more like George but is definitely a silly love song and the closer "She Wanted To Leave" is "She's Leaving Home," bringing us back to the Beatles. Or back to the egg. 7.5/10 (Chris Yurkiw) Frek Sho Mocean (Vagrant Hobby)
When this Winnipeg crew landed in Mont Real three weeks ago at the Jungle, they crawled out of giant duffle bags on stage before they grabbed the mic. With sparse boom bap production and a "Pharcydesque" live show, lead rhymer MC Mocean has proven that the Prairies can produce rugged MCs. The only shame is that he didn't let the album's first cut "Don of a Dienasty" run for five minutes instead of one. 7/10 (Manchilde)
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This 7" single is the last song for Pest 5000 before they re-emerge with a new album this summer as P5K. Unfortunately the name isn't the only thing changing around here. The lyrics for Page Forty Three seem dragged from singer Patti Schmidt's mouth kicking and screaming and the chorus is nowhere to be found. B-side Astromental recalls some of Man or Astroman's better moments, but doesn't show Pest 5000 at theirs. Not a bad single at all, but not what we've come to expect from this excellent local band. 7/10 (Johnson Cummins)