|
Martyn Bennett Bothy Culture (Rykodisc/Outside) Martyn Bennett's graft of ancient folk music onto contemporary club beats can be jarring, but we've become familiar with the experiment by the likes of Afro Celt Sound System, Loop Guru and even Ashley MacIsaac when he slips into his cover of "Stayin' Alive." Bennett makes a nice connection between the Scottish bagpipe and the Middle Eastern doudouk, and the (break) beats are, well, contemporary. But something feels clinical about the operation, and it seems unlikely that fans of either the old or new will skip to this beat. 6/10 (Chris Yurkiw) At Café Campus with DJ Iznogood, Monday, March 23, $6.
Sully I Have Much to Report (Random Sound/Nettwerk) While most of Canada has been wallowing in a puddle of bland grungepop and alt.metal, Toronto-based label Random Sound has been quietly constructing a continuity between trip hop, techno and shoegazer rock. The comp, with tracks by Space Ace, Torque and My Brilliant Beast (brilliant they are), proves my point. Random play their strongest card, though, with a new full-length by Ottawa expatriates Sully. Singer Becke Gainforth's celestial abstractions weave their intricate way through the propulsive drumming, spacey 'tronics and ferocious washes of guitar noise. Frighteningly beautiful stuff. Random Science 7/10, Sully 8.5/10 (Rupert Bottenberg) Henri Dikongué C'est la vie (Couerdelion/Musicor) The very definition of the term "world music." True, the foundation of Camerounian Dikongué's music is African, sung in his native Douala. But this ain't no cookie-cutter soukous. His training in European classical guitar-plucking is clearly evident, as is his fondness for the subtle complexities of Brazilian folk and pop. Dikongué generates a relaxing sound that he can claim as distinctly his own. 7.5/10 (Rupert Bottenberg)
Brazilian diva Daúde (pronounced daw-gee) proves that language is no barrier to the good groove. Her debut mines funky, hip hop sensibilities and combines them with Brazilian rhythms. The result is irresistible. Though the whole album is superbly infectious, check out "Vida Sertaneja" ("The Sertaneja Life"), the samba-flavoured "Anna" and the near-house tempo of the "Véu Vavá" remix and let Daúde sweep you into the universal language of body movement. 8.5/10 (Gerard Dee)
|
Various Random Science (Random Sound/Sélect)
Daúde Self-titled (Tinder/Koch)