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You may have heard these songs done solo by the little, local piano man at Café Sarajevo, and you've probably heard the story of his
Judging by the photos in the jacket, Raumpatrouille (German for "Space Patrol") was the best damn budgetastic black 'n' white swingin' '60s Eurotrash sci-fi show we'll never see. Fortunately, some kooky krauts felt fit to exhume the Morricone-meets-Mancini-on-Mars material that went with it. Despite some wince-inducing chunks of cheese, this spread matches up to the Crippled Dick catalogue. Nicht shlecht, Herr Thomas! 8/10 (Rupert Bottenberg) Jesus Lizard Blue (Capitol/Sonic Unyon) After the disappointing EP released earlier this year on the Jet Set label, it looked like the mighty Jesus Lizard might have been running out of steam. But although Blue may not be their strongest effort to date, it's still chock-full of the good stuff. Album opener "I Can Learn" sets a pace that, unfortunately, the rest of the album can't match, but songs like "Cold Water" and "Post Coital Glow" come damn close. On their sixth full-length release, the boys flirt with sampling and (dare I say it) pop, but it still rocks enough that EMI refused to distribute it in Canada, and that's always a good sign. 8.5/10 (Johnson Cummins)
Yet another tribute to yet another popular standard bearer: snobby sophisticate Noël Coward, who ruled Britain's music halls from the '20s to the '50s. Pet Shop Boy Neil Tennant exec produces a load of all-British artistes through the hits of the "very British" Coward ("Mad About the Boy," "Poor Little Rich Girl"), including Suede, Sting, Bryan Ferry and the Divine Comedy. Interpretations flit between faithful piano parlour and furious techno-pop, making the usual statement that someone like ol' Noël is still with us in spirit today. Sure. 7/10 (Chris Yurkiw)
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Rufus Wainwright Rufus Wainwright (DreamWorks/Universal)
signing to DreamWorks and the big-budget L.A. sessions of this debut. Now, finally, we get to hear the album. And it doesn't disappoint--but it does jar, with a unique conjuncture of meandering piano ballads, a rootsy baritone and the beautiful string arrangements of Van Dyke Parks. Wainwright's notion of melody is as odd as his song structure, but there's one sticky single in "April Fools," contrasted by stuff like the Kurt Weillian cab(aret) ride of "Matinee Idol" or the Austin-to-N'Awlins funeral march of "Sally Ann." A star is torn--from us. 9/10 (Chris Yurkiw)
Peter Thomas Sound Orchester Raumpatrouille (Bungalow/Fusion III)
Various Twentieth Century Blues: The Songs of Noël Coward (EMI)