12Rods Separation Anxieties (V2/BMG) The bands come and go, but Todd Rundgren as producer remains a constant in the wings of a thing called power pop, which he helped form some 30 years ago (does anyone give a rat's ass about this music? Please write. I'm lonely). That said, Minneapolis' 12Rods--whose second album follows in the Rundgren-helmed tradition of Badfinger, late Grand Funk, later Shaun Cassidy and early Pursuit of Happiness--are not a strict power-pop ensemble, but certainly owe a sonic debt to the Man Who Didn't Sire but Did Raise Liv Tyler (that's Todd, back in the wings). "Radioaction" is a killer, keyboard-laced, neo-Runt ballad (that'll certainly never see radio action), but then there's the proggy heaviosity of "Astrogimp," a faux-jazz number, and more dreamy, '70s-soaked soundsmithery. Initially I gave this a 7, but repeat listens warrant an 8/10 (Chris Yurkiw) ChixdiggitFrom Scene to Shining Scene (Honest Don's) Chixdiggit's main man K.J. Jansen knows how to power up his pop, by keeping things simple and delivering it with a tried-and-true Ramones/Descendants sound. The trademark catchy tunes are all here, with more lyrics about chix, but somewhere along the way songs start blurring together and melodies seem to get recycled. These wacky frat rockers even get dangerously close to Barenaked Ladies quirkiness in songs like "My Dad vs. P.M.," "Going to the Peelers?" and "Sweaty and Hairless." The worst offense here, though, is sounding like the Headpins on "Moto Foxe," which is just slightly better than the punk-rock versions of Bryan Adams on this CD. Yeesh! 6/10 (Johnson Cummins)
Zola Turn Ninja Jane (independent)
Automator A Much Better Tomorrow (75 Ark/Outside)
The Allies D-Day (Asphodel)
Bertrand BurgalatThe Genius of... (Bungalow/Fusion III)
Sparks Balls (Oglio/Koch) Certified weirdos, Giorgio Moroder lovers and (most oddly) Los Angelenos, Ron and Russell Mael have pumped out 17 albums of comic pop and neo-Euro-disco since 1972. For number 18, their strategy for recognition at home is to half-joke that they've "written a lot of Pet Shop Boys tunes" over the years, and the poke at the London duo is certainly a good "in" to Balls--all crisp electro-beats, melodramatic strings and smooth, deadpan vocals. Like PSB, the sound comes off as '80s-dated but somehow classic (through persistence?), although where PSB cry "What Have I Done to Deserve This?" the Bros. Mael submit "How to Get Your Ass Kicked." Other references to "Aeroflot" and sex machines are just plain dated, but still, these guys deserve a soundtrack hit or a Puffy macrosample or something. 7.5/10 (Chris Yurkiw)
Various Cream CD2 Mixed by Max Graham (YUL)
Freeworm self-titled (Hydrophonik/Outside)
SizzlaBobo Ashanti (Greensleeves)
Debelah Morgan Dance With Me (Warner) She looks like Mya, sounds like Mariah, and, 10 to one, she dances like Janet. So what makes Debelah Morgan unique? Absolutely nothing. Doesn't mean you won't find yourself nodding your head to one of several R&B-flavoured dance tracks. Lead single and title track "Dance With Me" is off to a running start, with cuts like "Let's Get It On" and "Come and Danz" waiting in the wings. She doesn't get any props for originality, but Debelah will probably make you wanna move. 7.5/10 (Gerard Dee)
VariousNatural Blues (Wrasse/Universal) Moby's Play was rife with samples of blues legends Bessie Hall, Vera Hall and Boy Blue--all of whom appear here. Even the sticker attached blares "Moby" on front, but with people like Mississippi Fred McDowell, Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker and so on, no cheesy stickers are necessary. It's nothin' but the hits here as Universal continues to sweep out their closet of blues. Although there are no less than 26 blues heavyweights represented here, the concise liner notes are well-researched and thankfully don't regurgitate already over-documented info on the artists. A great cross-section of pre-war blues and mid-'60s R&B. 9/10 (Johnson Cummins)
Odetta Livin' With the Blues (Vanguard/Fusion III) Odetta Blues Everywhere I Go (MC/Festival) Odetta is a lady with a lustrous career. She numbers Bob Dylan, Pete Seeger and Harry Belafonte among her numerous admirers. The first CD is a compilation with bassist Bill Lee (Spike's dad) on a number of tracks, while the latter is a recent recording with people like Dr. John adding to the mix. She's been described as "the woman with the voice like a cello," and if you like Tracy Chapman, you'll love Odetta. Both 9/10 (Len Dobbin) At Café Campus on Fri., Aug. 25, 7pm, $20
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I've enjoyed watching the way the players in the Indian breakbeat movement--Singh, Sawney, State of Bengal etc.--differentiate themselves from one another. The one common factor I've found, though, is a leaning toward serious Indian classical music. This is at the expense of all the fun possibilities found in the soundtracks of Bollywood, the energetic and colourful Indian film industry. Until this six-track debut from locals Hadji and Lmo, the only precedent was the Automator's Bombay the Hard Way, and that focused on the disco-chic funksploitation of the '70s films. Hadji & Lmo drop a very au courant Bollywood big beat treat, busting out snappy breaks and basslines that hug the road like a V8 Interceptor. From the rambunctious opener "Somewhere in India" through the ominous "Mumbai" and the uplifting "Mere Dil," Indian Style is one meritorious masala. 9/10 (Rupert Bottenberg)
The debut disc by this Burlington act is a straight-ahead return to the kind of woman-made tuneage that was all the rage five, six years ago. Zola Turn is very much in the spirit of bands like Velocity Girl, Veruca Salt, even Letters to Cleo, with sisterly vocal harmonies and walls of melodic, pop/rock sound coming at you just like they did in high school. While not the most original sound or structure, especially compared with other U.S. all-grrrl trios Le Tigre and Sleater-Kinney, this is a pleasant listen with a classic '90s vibe. 7/10 (Lorraine Carpenter) With The Riddlers at Café Campus on Sat., Aug. 26, 8pm, $9
Most of you Automator fans will no doubt remember that Dan originally put out the Better Tomorrow EP in 1996. This is essentially that, with some tracks added to bring the total up to an LP level. A short note on the back of the record (handwritten by Dan himself) explains that this record is a pretty good indication of what he was doing in 1996. This is all fine and good, considering he was working with Sinister 6000 (duh, Kool Keith) and Q-Bert for this moody little result. The only thing is, I don't know about you, but I'd much rather know what Dan is up to in 2000. He's not doin' too shabby with quality releases in the last two years, but I hope he just put this record of old stuff out to distract us from a lack of new material that I'm sure he's working on right now as you read this... 7.5/10 (Scott C)
Like some dreaded alliance of self-serving wrestlers who suddenly realize the vast advantages of a calculated team-up, the Allies have put their turntablism world in a small package. With only one song for each of the six ballers represented in the supergroup, along with three posse tracks, you kind of get the idea that this took a long time to organize. The tracks range from the dark and foreboding "The Anarchist Movement," by Infamous, to "All Hail to my Hands," A-Trak's insane homage to his own tools of destruction, as well as equally disturbing tracks from Craze, Develop, Spictakular and J-Smoke. I'm not afraid to say that what these guys do is scare the shit out of me. 8/10 (Scott C)
For a genius, French producer/Tricatel label head Burgalat makes some pretty debatable calls. His haircut, for one, but also his choice of singers to work with. Too many on this retrospective simply can't sing (Faux-yéyé-girl April March and comp closer Nick Cave take the cake). On the other hand, Burgalat's Gallic-tronic constructions, sounding alternately like Pink Floyd playing a Cote d'Azur cocktail lounge or Gainsbourg shoplifting at a Radio Shack, deserve applause. Note his fuzzed-out reworking of Air's "Sexy Boy," the absolutely boss "Maybe In the Next Life" by Cinnamon and the trio of Burgalat originals herein. No doubting Burgalat's talent and creativity. That haircut, though, jeez, I don't know... 8/10 (Rupert Bottenberg)
Ottawa native cum international trance DJ extraordinaire Max Graham is this year's Cream festival poster boy, and 514 are doing their best to keep a good deal of the spotlight focused on him. Part of the deal is that Max gets to be the featured DJ for the Cream mix CD (last year it was John Aquaviva), and given that "the big sound" of the moment is trance, Max is the perfect man for the job. For his mix, Max selected 11 choice, swirly builders of epic proportions from big names like Bedrock and BT, as well as one of his own productions. As always, Max's programming and mixing are as tight as tight gets. 8/10 (Krista)
A while back I gave you guys the heads-up on Vincent Letellier and friends, the latest catch for Indica's electronic offshoot Hydrophonik. Given that the sampling ratio is negligible, this effort is pretty thoroughly homegrown--good for us! Built on a base of unhurried basement-workshop beats, the four tracks on this introductory disc assemble some very informal ethnophonics, some very organic noise and no small amount of stoner noodling (not to be confused with music-nerd wank!). It's no jawdropper, but it is dynamic (in a laidback way--does that work?), original and engaging. Long live the worm! 7.5/10 (Rupert Bottenberg)
Sizzla has returned with his latest full-length, where he continues to further embrace his continuing journey into roots and culture. Perhaps his most conscious record yet, the Sizzla commentary is genuine and true, and ripe with positivity. Songs like "Grow Ya Locks," "Glorify," and "Must Rise" preach self-determination with the rugged vocals of Sizzla driving the message home. There are enough tracks here to split between the dancehall and the chill spot, and Sizzla makes sure to lace every one. 7/10 (Scott C)