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Twenty years later, Reich returns to a 1978 composition to see if it's stood the test of time. It has. 18 is a sprawling, hypnotic, constantly evolving river of sound, well over an hour long, engaging the listener on contact and sweeping them away with the current. Reich's strength
The stalwart crew from NDG has finally dropped something we can chew on... at home. Mindstate was built with care, highlighting Mtl's favourite MCs over some familiar tracks and some beats you never heard before. DJ Storm may have cut his hair, but still cuts it up nicely on "What Is It?" while longtime friends Takktics and Mr. Len help out as usual. The production weight is left up to Choice and Dave1, who don't disappoint. This will help tie you over until the next time these "live performance warriors" hit the stage. 7/10 (Scott C.) Sloan Navy Blues (Murderecords/Universal) I can't decide if I'm happy or not that the country's best band has settled into being a spot-the-influence tribute to that groovy gray zone when the '60s became '70s. Sloan's fourth album is all over the place between Gilbert O'Sullivan wussiness and Thin Lizzy metallicism--the neo-title track "Sinking Ships," for example. The song moves from a Big Star-ish piano ballad to a blues-metal bridge to brassy orch pop--as if "MacArthur Park" had been a rock song. Ambitious, but I hope it proves to be a proverbial "transitional album." 7.5/10 (Chris Yurkiw) The Brothers Creeggan II (Fat Chicken/Page)
It's tempting to say that the Brothers Creeggan are what the Barenaked Ladies would sound like if they lived in Brazil and studied jazz, but that would just be simple association. Fact is, the Brothers are Andy and Jim Creeggan, the former an ex-Lady and current McGill music student and the latter the Ladies' bassist who, on their second album, leaf through a solid salad of ragtime, Latin jazz, bossa nova, cabaret and pop ballads. Brothers in a dangerous time signature. 7/10 (Chris Yurkiw) At Isart this Friday, April 24. 8 p.m. $6 .
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Steve Reich Music for 18 Musicians (Nonesuch/Warner)
is his flagrant disregard for the tenets of avant-garde classical music. Whereas the somewhat comparable work of Philip Glass is cold and austere, 18 indicates the warmth and accessibility that Reich can achieve. Whereas Glass works with clashing motifs, Reich blends with the skill of a master painter. Drawing on a wide palette of reference points--Balinese gamelan music in particular--Reich transcends mere imitation to attain his own distinct space. 10/10 (Rupert Bottenberg)
Shades of Culture Mindstate (2112 Records/Polar Merch)