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Rather than fall back on loops and samples, this local artist uses analog synths to trigger a room full of acoustic percussion instruments. The result is a tasteful and fascinating compromise between the organic and the electric. The reference points are rather disparate: Moroccan gnaoua and Indonesian gamelan music, Sun Ra and Bitch's Brew-era Miles Davis. T
A welcome relief from the macho distortion in which so many garage punk bands lose their best songs these days. The Velvet Underground comparison is inevitable, given singer Clay Reed's vocals (reminiscent of the other Reed), the scratchy, fuzz-free guitar work and the primal drum-thumping. Say the Velvets kicked the habit and got their sex drives back, you'd get tracks like "The Real Action" or "I Love You, I'll Kill You." A rare instance of innocence and decadence crawling comfortably into bed together. 8.5/10 (Rupert Bottenberg) With Scat Rag Boosters at Jailhouse on Sunday, Dec. 7. 8pm, $3 Various In the Beginning ... there was rap (Priority/Virgin) I think the truth about this album is that, yes, I would like to listen to some well-known MCs rip an old-school track, but damn is this record boring! I can't get my mind around how quickly I lost interest. I wish the MCs involved--Wu-Tang, the Roots, Cypress Hill, etc--had gone a little further by writing their own lyrics. I mean, covering a classic hip hop track is something that hasn't been explored too extensively, but there are 12 of them here! A good idea guys, but I just don't know. 6/10 (Scott C)
It's been two long years since last we heard from our favourite B.C. band, but this EP is sure to fill in the blanks. Featuring an alternate mix of their age-old classic "Big Dick," two new bone-crushing compositions and a title song taken from the Residents' vault, NoMeansNo's primordial instinct for precision, power and dynamics never fails to amaze. Makes you proud to be a Canadian. 9/10 (Lorrie Edmonds)
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Maxime De La Rochefoucauld Automates KI (Plastique/Fusion III)
he ethnic polyrhythms flow in and out of a linear structure, laying the groundwork for shadowy, inscrutable soundscapes. Drones and washes swim through the ether behind the drums, occasionally pierced by metallic crashes or atonal howls and flares. Seductive, hypnotic and frequently frightening. A resounding success. 10/10 (Rupert Bottenberg)
Subsonics Everything is Falling Apart (Get Hip)
NoMeansNo Would We Be Alive? EP (Alternative Tentacles)