Fuzzy Love Pagan Schmalz and Other Sacrifices (Fuzzy Records & Tapes)
Everclear Songs From an American Movie Vol. Two: Good Time For a Bad Attitude (Capitol/EMI)
Lambs self-titled (Devil Doll) The label that gave us Glucifer's almighty Head to Head Boredom scores big again with this unrepentant Finnish combo. With a little more of a metal edge than a lot of their punk rock 'n' roll cohorts, Lambs chug along throughout 15 tunes that really set them apart from the Hellacopters copycats that are overpopulating the rock underground right now. With more of an Entombed sound, double kick-drums make an unlikely appearance while dark riffs, Danzig-like vocals and solos get tucked safely in the background. Dude, this shit is rockin' like Dokken. 7.5/10 (Johnson Cummins)
Aimee Mann Bachelor No. 2 (or, The Last Remains of the Dodo) (SuperEgo) The third solo album by the former Til Tuesday chanteuse--not including the Magnolia soundtrack, with which this shares several songs--finds more quietly tortured tales over steady, mid-tempo, pop-rock tunes. Although some of the melodies and elements of production are repetitive (and a tad Lilith Fair), the songwriting is quite strong, as is the guitar work by Mann's man Michael Penn. Another guest is Elvis Costello, who co-wrote one of the album's highlights, "The Fall of the World's Own Optimist." Along with subtly incorporated keyboards, strings and beats, this is quite an accomplished piece of work. And to think she lost an Oscar to Phil Collins. 7/10 (Lorraine Carpenter)
Cradle of Filth Midian (Music For Nations/Koch) Now that Marilyn Manson and Coal Chamber are officially regarded as "poncey poseurs" by the nocturnal set, Cradle of Filth make their rightful ascension to the throne of spooky, ooky gloom rock. These cheeky goths already won a soft spot with their T-shirt proclaiming "Jesus is a cunt," but can now back it up musically. COF lay down some brutal death metal with the usual blasphemous dribble coupled with heavily orchestrated arrangements, operatic vocals and looming synths, creating a goth metal sound that leaves the imitators far behind. Disaffected mall rats are going to go at this like lemmings to the sea. 7/10 (Johnson Cummins)
Prodigy H.N.I.C. (Loud/Sony) In my mind, the Mobb can do no wrong. As far as I'm concerned, Mobb Deep's Prodigy (and almost always Havoc) has once again produced a series of stories that my ear just loves to hear. Truthful reflection will reveal a lack of production on the better part of this record, but it's lines like this that make it all worthwhile: "I'm too foul, too grimy, too much QB inside me, please rewind me/I'm every block's theme music, every project's anthem..." Despite his sickle cell anaemia problems, P makes it quite clear that he is indeed the Head Nigga in Charge. 8/10 (Scott C)
The Pharcyde Plain Rap (Edel America) Plain rap. That's exactly what you're gonna get now that the crew has been reduced to just Imani and Booty Brown. Fatlip is out, and Slim Kid Tre is probably producing hits for someone else because there's no hits here. There's not even a little bit of the magic that made us love the first two albums. The songs are mediocre, not to mention borderline boring. All I found myself doing was moving on to song after song in hopes of something better. No luck. Buy this for old time's sake, but don't spend your last dollar on it. 6.5/10 (Scott C)
Various After the Rain (Svek/Virgin/EMI) Though the title for this compilation seemed an odd choice at first, its symbolic implication becomes glaringly apparent by about the second track. Svek label head Stephan Grieder had a definite sound in mind when he called up his Swedish cohorts to ask them for tunes to add to the Svek collection. Much like after a good rain, it's calm and airy with a touch of melancholy. The sky is grey and there's a chill in the air, but the sun is desperately trying to find its way out from behind the clouds. Featuring Joel Mull, Jesper Dahlback, Cari Lekebush and more. 8/10 (Krista)
Nick Holder Underground Alternatives (NRK/Fusion III) DJ/producer Nick Holder has emerged as one of Canada's prime ambassadors to the global house village. In his buoyant, soulful collection, all kinds of things are cut and pasted to his distinct four-to-the-bar percussive template: Jamaican dub, shades of batacuda, spoken word and jazzy loops accompanied with passionate cooing. Nick's output is pretty straightforward but he does get a lot of mileage out of his watercolours when working the sonic canvas. Standout groovers include "Inside Your Soul" and "Black Jazz." 7.5/10 (Peter Lightburn) At Jello on Thurs., Nov. 30
Various D'julz Box: an Open House Mix by D'julz (Navarre/Song) Sit back for a moment and imagine a glamorous night of clubbing in Paris. You're riding a taxi down the Champs Élysées on your way to check out DJ D'julz at the Rex. Behind you the Eiffel Tower glimmers, ahead of you the headlights of cars at the rond-point of l'Arc de Triomphe flash like million cameras going off at once. You arrive at the club, bee-line through the VIP entrance and find yourself surrounded by 2000 beautiful people, all bumping and grinding to D'julz's sexy selection of house beats: Frankie Feliciano, DJ Q, Bushwacka and a few of his own creations. 8/10 (Krista)
FreewormVegetation=Fuel (Hydrophonik/Outside)
EkkoEkkocentric: The Ekko Remixes (Interchill/Outside) Expanding exponentially on what's already pretty far-reaching raw material, Interchill have let well over a dozen remixers take a crack at Centripetal, the debut from local globodelic dubnologizers Ekko. Recognizing the diversity of the DATs coming in, they also had the kindness to group the remixes on this double CD by song, loosely, allowing a more natural continuity. Equal in count Londonites and Canadians, the artists involved include Neotropic, the New Deal, Makyo and Kamel Nitrate, who deliver a wicked "Nagin." What slays me, though, is the rock block of mixes by Freeworm (see above), Neil Sparkes and Dub Colossus, back to back. 8/10 (Rupert Bottenberg)
Monifah Home (Universal)
Franç#231;ois Carrier Trio + 1 (Naxos) This CD, the third from this marvellous alto player/composer, should garner him worldwide recognition, as it's his first for a label available worldwide. For five of the eight tracks he is heard in his usual trio setting--the unsung Pierre Cô#244;té, a constant on all three outings, is the bassist and the highly creative Michel Lambert the drummer. To add contrast, the world-class Steve Amirault, the most interesting pianist currently toiling on the Montreal scene, is the "+1" in the title. An edgy and musical effort. 9/10 (Len Dobbin)
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It's a testament to the timelessness of P5's polyphonic pop that this, their umpteenth album (already the fifth on Matador, obviously), remains brilliant despite sticking to their by-now familiar formula. Guess singer Maki Nomiya and producer/composer Konishi Yasuharu got it right the first time and ran with it. Combining Motown grandeur and Breakfast at Tiffany's chic, the tunes veer from ornate stompers like "A Perfect World, " "A Room With a View" and the massive "20th Century Girl" to more slinky and subdued works, always flaunting the finest of orchestral pop production nuances. Then there's "Tout, tout pour ma cherie," sounding straight off a classic '70s anime score. Man, I can just see the boy and his dog charging over the endlessly rolling hill while the giant robot rises behind them, all out of focus and shit. 9/10 (Rupert Bottenberg)
Chilly Gonzales The Entertainist (Kitty-Yo/Fusion III)
Two tales of Canadian ex-pats thriving in the cold, grey corners of Berlin. In an alley off Schlegelstrasse in the Mitte neighbourhood is a lurid little oubliette called Schmalzwald, every inch of which is caked with ridiculous, glittery kitsch. The Canuck behind the bar is Gordon Monahan, who sometimes hits the keys with the house band Fuzzy Love, steering percussionist Gordon W. and karaoke hero J.J. Jones through a maudlin medley of E-Z anti-classics. "Irritainment," they call it. Over in Friedrichshain, under a railway bridge, is a concrete box called Maria am Ostbanhof where you'll sometimes find Chilly Gonzales and his saucy posse of errant Torontonians. Failed major-label rock star turned hellbent persona pimp, Chilly's self-aggrandizing unrap is equally irritaining, more impressive philosophically than actually listenable. Neither of our boys speak much German, there, eh, but precision foolishness doesn't always need translation. Both 7/10 (Rupert Bottenberg)
As its title indicates, this album finds Everclear on the shorts-metal bandwagon, a calculated follow-up to their pop-laden Vol. One. This was promoted as the heavy, disturbing album about depression, sexuality and the usual re-hash of singer Art Alexakis' ancient drug problem. In reality, Vol. Two is characterized by laughable, self-indulgent lyrics that could have been written by a very small child, with the occasional mention of being "all fucked up," "getting laid" and having someone "by the balls." Coupled with heavy-for-heavy's-sake cock rock, this is a mind-numbing package. 4/10 (Lorraine Carpenter)
The brainchild of local producer Vincent Letellier, Freeworm fuses the organic, swirling vocals of Veruschka with all manner of tight breakbeats. Whether downtempo, drum & bass or straight-up weird, the 11 tracks on this, their first full-length, have a common thread despite their diverging styles. Quality sounds and a live feel bring everything together, reflecting the fact that Freeworm are a fully operational live act, just as good on stage as on plastic. 7.5/10 (Chris Hatherill)
I like Monifah. The lady's been underrated since her brilliant '96 debut Moods... Moments, and things didn't get any better with her solid '98 follow-up Mo'Hogany. Her latest set brings on Teddy Riley as executive producer in an attempt to get her larger props. But whereas the first two sets were soulful, deep and funky, her latest trades grit for saccharine sweetness (see "Peaches & Cream" or "Free Again"). I still like her, but this one's a step backwards. 6.5/10 (Gerard Dee)