David Thomas and Two Pale Boys Surf's Up (Hearthan/Thirsty Ear) Having helped create alternative music with the highly influential bands Rocket From the Tombs and Pere Ubu, Thomas has never had anything to answer for. With one of the most recognizable voices ever, Thomas plays the storyteller well by keeping things interesting without getting too self-indulgent. Thomas, his two pale boys in tow, continue their tradition of including Beach Boys covers on each release but the nine-minute version of opus "Surf's Up" is nothing short of incredible. Instrumentation is kept to a bare minimum which really lets Thomas's peculiar vocal soar. Not bad for a reborn Jehovah's Witness, huh! 9/10 (Johnson Cummins) Swell Feed (Beggar's Banquet/Select)
Les Séquelles Et tant pis si cela vous déplait (Grenadine/No)
Tagging Satellites Abstract Confessions (Mag Wheel) Graig Markel Hard Grammar (Mag Wheel)
John Frusciante To Record Only Water for Ten Days (Warner) "You did the drum programming?" asks Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith, workin' his comb-over in the mirror. "Yup, the whole album's me," says guitarist Frusciante, all spacy and fairly clean, back from the abyss of drug addiction. "It's a helluvalot better than your first one, but it's not all you," a Gary-Busey-lookin' Anthony Keidis comments. "You got Soungarden's Chris Cornell and Ben Shepard on vocal duty, and you got me singin' on it, too!" He cracks a brewski. "I like the hook on 'Going Inside,' and 'Remain' ain't half-bad, both musically and lyrically," comments Flea. "I'm not too keen on the lyrics myself," says Chad. "You wouldn't. Stick to drums," John says, giving him the finger. "He's got a point. What were you on when you wrote this shit?" Anthony asks as he waxes his board. "That's for me to know and you to never find my stash." 5/10 (Lateef Martin) Breakestra The Live Mix Part 2 (Stones Throw/Nice) Like the deftly written liner notes clearly state, "These are musicians who know the hip hop aesthetic..." It's true. The 8-13 members of the band take pride in acknowledging the funk fabric on which hip hop is built, by playing a whirlwind of bits and pieces that you know and that you don't, all of which have been sampled by our favourite producers and immortalized in hip hop forever. This record rips through the hits while the band holds tight on what has been rumoured to have been one solid take, all recorded on vintage gear and staying true to the old techniques. Apparently an unbelievable live show, Breakestra clings tightly to supreme musicianship and understanding of the old school. 9/10 (Scott C) Nigel Richards DJ Mix (A Commemorative mix for the Whistle 3 Party) (611/Kinetic/Fusion III)
Boy George The Essential Mix (FFRR/Warner)
Various Down to Earth Soundtrack (Sony)
Detention Warp & Woof (Arrival) All tension, no release. Eight tracks of smashed jazz here, rooted in the concept of the endless ending. This local duo exists in that tiny space just before a song ends, and for that flashing instant, anything is possible. A truly discombobulated album, bouncing between Alex McSween's frantic and impressive jazz beats, and Shalabi's slightly fuzzed-out "retardo guitar." Comparisons to Storm & Stress are somewhat inevitable since there isn't too much anti-jazz out there, but Detention is rawer and more minimal. Where S&S is the intro that never arrives, W&W is the outro that never stops. 8.5/10 (Boss Sambosa) Miles Davis Birth of the Cool (Capitol/EMI)
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Trinidad's two-month party will culminate this weekend in the Big Three days of carnival: Dimanche Gras, Jouvert (pronounced "jou-veh," from the French words jour ouvert, the beginning of carnival early Monday morning) and, of course, Carnival Tuesday. These days the music behind the festivities is the super-paced soca. Its predecessor, the slower, storytelling calypso, is beautifully captured in this compilation. These classics from the '50s and '60s, sung by calypso giants like the Mighty Sparrow and Lord Melody, showcase the biting political satire and humour of the time. Live performances like Lord Melody's hilarious "Booboo Man," Sparrow's anti-American "Yankees Gone," and "Picong Duel" (picong being a Trinidadian patois term for friendly teasing), which features both singers, capture the essence of old-time Calypso. 9/10 (Gerard Dee)
Piquing interest in their upcoming full-length release, this seven-track mini-album showcases the diverse, twisted rock anthems that San Fran's Swell specialize in. With a knack for odd textures, enticing rhythmic exercises and playfully abstract lyrics, this duo (and their anonymous additional musicians) serves up a fresh yet haunting little dish. Strumming guitars punctuate while ample percussion, a subtle bass boom and occasional piano fill things out, but not too much. Largely deadpan vocals are spiked with falsetto here and there, adding a final soft touch to the complex yet very natural sound. 7.5/10 (Lorraine Carpenter)
Nice preemptive strike with the title, but unnecessary. The debut full-length from Montreal's Séquelles, franco-retro rave-up resurrectionists, hits the record-store shelves with style and tasteful flair intact. They're a standout in the modern garage-rock scene, not only for their choice of tongue, or even the unusually clever lyrics delivered in said tongue, but because their tunes actually differ from one to the next. Moreover, they bypass the standard snot-and-fuzztone model for a more, shall we say, mature take on the genre. I'm sure that the wiseass yéyé of Jacques Dutronc will eventually give way to the elegant sleaze of Gainsbourg, horns and strings and all that. In other words, this puppy rocked, can't wait for the sequel. 8/10 (Rupert Bottenberg) CD launch at Quai des Brùmes on Sat., Feb. 24, $5
Recalling the murky, effects-laden shoegazing of the early '90s, the sophomore album by Seattle duo Tagging Sattelites is quite the retro affair. The dead seriousness in the vocals and lyrics--courtesy of Kylie-lookalike Zera Marvel--is downright daring, but not always in a way that elicits respect. Ringing guitars, heavy fuzz and cool old synths and keys (mellotron!) are pretty sweet, however, making the stoned and occasionally funereal vibe more pleasant and sometimes even fun. Guitarist Graig Markel's sophomore solo album, meanwhile, is comparatively upfront with the camouflaging effects on the vocals, not the guitars. Pulsating, repetitive riffs, some bluesy, balls-out guitar wanking and heavily emotive vocals are at centre stage here. This dude takes himself pretty seriously and, while that's refreshing in some instances, it can also be a bit punch-worthy. Satellites 7, Markel 5/10 (Lorraine Carpenter)
If you like your house music banging, if you regularly hang out at Sona after hours on Saturday, if Laflèche is your favourite DJ, then this is a CD for you. DJ/producer Nigel Richards, owner of Philadelphia's prestigious 611 Records label and store, is a member of that elite group of DJs known as the "East Coast Rave Legends" (meaning he's been around since I used to take the bus to Portland, Maine to party). He's mixed together a prime selection of tough, gritty, funky and hard house, à la Misstress Barbara meets Laflèche, featuring his own productions as well as tunes from names like Stickmen, Paranoid Jack and Trevor Rockliffe. 8/10 (Krista) At Sona on Sat., Feb 24
Even before Boy George karma-kameleoned himself to the top of the pop chart heap in the '80s, he was a spinner, as early as '79. Lately he has turned the tables, so to speak, at some of the ritzier dance palaces in the U.K. and become a global darling once again. His Essential Mix is a 17-tracker that takes the listener around the world of contemporary British club music in 80 beats. Ragga-flavoured two-step, techno-ish breakbeat and circuit-party-style tribal house are some of the type of selections that could easily have been culled from the record crates of Artful Dodger, Fatboy Slim, Timo Maas or Victor Calderone. Boy George clearly has a pulse on the here and now, which is exactly why his mix is trite and far from "essential." 6.5/10 (Peter Lightburn)
The soundtrack supporting the new Chris Rock flick Down to Earth is a pretty typical blend of R&B and hip hop. There are some standouts: the Roots and former Groove Theory vocalist Amel Larrieux deliver the superb "Glitches," and Eminem helps Onyx alumni Sticky Fingaz turn a neat phrase on "What If I Was White." Elsewhere, Monica comes correct with "Just Another Girl," Latino quartet Son by Four sing sweet on "With You" and the fabulous Jill Scott delivers her signature brand of intellectual soul with "One Time." 7.5/10 (Gerard Dee)
Michael Cuscuna uncovered the original tapes and Rudy Van Gelder transferred them to 24-bit digital. The results is a re-release of the 12 tracks done over three sessions between January 1949 and March 1950, as they've never been heard before. For newcomers, these influential sides were done by a nonet, inspired by the Claude Thornhill band, including french horn and tuba. They combine great solos by the leader and Lee Konitz with great writing by the likes of Gil Evans, Johnny Carisi and Gerry Mulligan. The reissue of the new century! 10/10 (Len Dobbin)