Various Break n' Bossa (Schema/Fusion III)
Today Is the Day In the Eyes of God (Relapse/St. Clair) Chief Today member Steve "Cuddlekins" Austin has finally reached the center of his aimless hatred and snagged the mantle of leader of the extreme metal pack. The insistence of using Satanic imagery is a bit dated, not to mention downright goofy, but the 20 bursts of Austin's exorcism (or just exercising) of his inner demons makes for some of the best uneasy listening Relapse has put out to date. Check out these ditties: "Bionic Cock," "Spotting a Unicorn," "The Cold Harshness of Being Wrong Throughout Your Entire Life." Unbridled hatred never sounded so good. 9/10 (Johnson Cummins)
Overbass Libertad (Breeding Ground)
Chicklet Wanderlust (Satellite)
Tagging Satellites Shooting Down the Airwaves (Mag Wheel) Two members of New Sweet Breath and a Traci Lords lookalike throw out the guitars in favour of loops and a stripped-down Portishead/Massive Attack sound. The result is tepid, spoonfed Amerindie rock. Vocalist Vera Marvel is unable to hold the weight heaped on her due to their minimalist approach. When Craig Markel steps up to the mic, we get some realized songs, but unfortunately this disc has too many half-baked ideas, and all the Roland space echoes in the cosmos couldn't save it. 5/10 (Johnson Cummins)
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House-makers have their way with batucada and downtempo dealers dig those sultry sambas, but bossa nova remains the Brazilian musical genre preferred by studio reconstructionists north of the equator. The golden grip of the "Girl From Ipanema" remains firm, I guess. Dispensing with the easy options of lazy lounge and corny kitsch, though, the artists on this comp strike a vein of untapped colour and energy within the tired old bossa blueprint. Check out DJ Matsuoka's epic "The Will of Life" or any of Jazzanova's contributions: their own "Atabaque," their Ian Pooley remix or their eight-minute jam with the Har You Percussion Group. The sustained liveliness never gets tiresome, or tired. 9/10 (Rupert Bottenberg)
For the longest time, classifying locals Overbass was as easy as scrawling "prog-core heaviosity." The double bass attack and grandiose keys saw to that. But now they've got a trilingual disc that leaps from tuneful hardcore blitz to toe-tappin' chanson to fist-in-the-air punk anthem to creepy reggae to rock en español. Pretty swollen in spots, but there's enough humour and fun on board to let the gas out. Uncle Costa and Grim Skunk's Joe Evil guest, among others. 7/10 (Rupert Bottenberg) At Spectrum with Vulgaires Machins, Fri., Aug. 6, 11pm, $7.50
When the unobtrusive little press pack for this one rolled across my desk, it set off all the alarms. Warning, warning! Crappy, forgettable Toronto indie rock! Lo-fi lameness and timid "experimentation"! I slid it gingerly into my Discman, expecting the standard two-minute dismissal. I was wrong. It's all brilliant, charming pop numbers--some sunny mid-afternoon strolls, others glowing sunset soakers. Meaty guitars and neato keys, plus melodies to remember and hooks to hang your hat on. I've listened to Wanderlust a good 30 times since, which should tell you something. 8/10 (Rupert Bottenberg)