Tori Amos Strange Little Girls (Atlantic/Warner)> Tori returns with an album of covers, but this isn't your usual fare. These songs are by men, about women and/or relationships, which endure darker, stripped-down interpretations. Included are tunes by Depeche Mode, the Velvet Underground, the Stranglers, Neil Young, the Beatles and Slayer (!), just to name a few, all of which have now become distinctively Tori. Each song has its own character and voice--check the inlay card for all her hot photographic incarnations, the most haunting of which represents Eminem's dead wife, stuffed in the trunk on the haunting "97 Bonnie and Clyde"--clearly the most powerful track, stripped of all comedy. The question is, what does Marshall Mathers think of all this? 8.5/10 (Lateef Martin) Superchunk Here's to Shutting Up (Merge)
Electric Frankenstein The Bolt of a Thousand Volts (Victory) Man, can these Jersey yobs ever churn 'em out. Again with a cover by Montreal artist Dirty Donny, The Bolt slows things down a little more to a mid-tempo groove but manage to introduce new ballast without sacrificing their previous blast. The real jewel here (again) is singer Steve Miller (no, not the '70s guy) and his razor-blade rasp. The vocals are what really propels rockers like "Death Dealer" and "Resurrection City." The AC/DC and early Kiss groove of songs like "Prey For Me" will confuse most punkers but E.F. make no apologies here and take no prisoners--just what a good rock record is supposed to do. 9/10 (Johnson Cummins)
Sons of Otis Songs for Worship (The Music Cartel) Getting off the Man's Ruin roster while the getting was good (MR went tits up), these pot rockers release their crowning achievement. Doom-laden grooves drip like molasses while bowel-emptying sub-bass leads the way. Set your controls for the heart of the Roland space-echo heaviosity with "The Other Side" or "In From the Storm" while singer Ken (no last name) mumbles about God knows what--probably something pretty heavy, though. If you liked Monster Magnet's first opus Tab or Sleep's incredible Jerusalem than look no further this is some seriously heavy psychedelic doom. 8/10 (Johnson Cummins) Solex Low Kick and Hard Bop (Matador) Fluid beats and loosely assembled sound collages colour the third album by Holland's Elisabeth Esselink. With sources ranging from early 20th-century tunes to talk shows to animals to "noisy deaf people," Esselink creates highly engaging little pieces, unified by her own vocals. Splatterings of horns, looped piano, steel guitar and bluesy harmonica provide a cool retro touch, forming either a tight, cohesive sound or a deliberately cheap, choppy aesthetic. Some tracks are almost too loose, verging on retarded, but awards are due for the song titles, such as "Ease Up, You Fundamentalist!" and "Look... No Fingerprints!" 8/10 (Lorraine Carpenter) Muriel Moreno Surviving the Day (XIII Bis/Fusion III)
Jay-Z The Blueprint (Roc-a-Fella/DefJam)
The Family Tree A Close Knit Family (Fat Beats/All Natural) The smooth and understated sounds of All Natural have been attracting attention to the "other" MCs, producers and talents that the city of Chicago has to offer for years. On this, which is essentially a record between friends, light is shed on guys like Marad, Mr. Greenweedz and Daily Planet as well as forgotten luminaries like Dug Infinite, whose beats more than helped Common get to where he is today. Also making appearances are the Molemen, Capital D and a slew of cats you never heard of. This is an applaudable seven-song EP with instrumentals, but I want to hear more Dug Infinite. 7/10 (Scott C) Kenny Glasgow Toronto Mix Sessions (Turbo/Koch) Is this a benevolent gesture? An attempt to mend a tattered bridge between two rival cities? Symbolic hands reaching out to say, "Come together in the name of music," or is it just that the creative director of Turbo has a keen ear and recognized the need to try and get this Toronto resident a little more exposure? I reckon it's more the latter, but regardless of the motivation, the result is still fabulous. Glasgow's a longtime fixture in Toronto's music world and one of its strongest talents (sorry Mario J). Here he represents for the debut of Turbo's newest mix series with a look at the tough side of T.O.--a techno mix of the highest caliber featuring names like the Advent, the Hacker, Martini Bros. and more. 9/10 (Krista) Mere Mortals Universal Code (Interchill/Outside) Romanian born Dan Handrabur and wife/vocalist Cristina been developing and nurturing ethno-morphic, dub-influenced experiments in sound for almost 10 years. It would seem that with every voyage from Bucharest to Vancouver and back, the duo add more layers of sound collected from places visited along the way to the already thick tapestry of music in their collection. Their latest album, the first for Montreal's Interchill, consists of 13 tracks of strange, exotic, downtempo dub 'n' bass spotted with flecks of Eastern European and Middle Eastern inspiration. 7.5/10 (Krista) The Soul Seven "South Side Funk pt. 1 & 2" 7" (Stones Throw) Leroy & the Drivers/Breakstra "The Sad Chicken" 7" (Stones Throw) In an industry that regularly unearths forgotten funk for use in movies and stupid commercials, this is a label that tries to shed light on the black artists of the mid- and late '60s responsible for some of the best funk and soul that nobody heard. The Soul Seven were perhaps the most popular funk band in Dallas in 1969, as explained in the liner notes written by '60s DJ, musician and producer Roger Boykin. "South Side Funk pt. 1 & 2" was never released until now. "The Sad Chicken" captures the Cincinnati-based Leroy and the Drivers in fine form for this lost hit recorded in 1967. Funk crusaders Breakstra flip their version on the B-side, showing that they know what's up. Funk may be close to death for some, but it's still stinky and dirty enough for the rest of us. Both 8/10 (Scott C) Yann Tiersen Le Fabuleux Destin d'Amélie Poulain Soundtrack (Labels/EMI)
Barry Elmes The Five Minute Warning (Cornerstone) The leader here, drummer Elmes, is also actively involved with Time Warp and D.E.W. East, but this is the quintet that he's been leading for the past 10 years. It's a band that he has every right to be proud of as it includes some of this country's finest jazz players--Mike Murley, Kevin Turcotte, Reg Schwager and Steve Wallace. This CD, recorded in May, is made up of seven excellent originals by the leader and is among the best items released anywhere this year. Oh, yeah! Dizzy Gillespie has the last word here. 10/10 (Len Dobbin) At Upstairs, Fri.-Sat., Sept. 21-22 |
After producing the dreary solo debut by Cardigan lady Nina Persson, Mark Linkous steps back into his own world of devastating banality and 'shroomy surreality. Beautiful in its lazy, morose way, the album starts out waltzing with the gauzy title track, which sounds like the last song in a masochistic dance marathon. We're soon up for air, however, as the pop instinct kicks in and subtle rock guitars, cello, rough samples and all manner of keys form rich, dark and varied textures. And what a guest list! Tom Waits lends his golden throat to the ragged blues tune "Dog Door," while Persson, PJ Harvey, John Parish and Portishead's Adrian Utley help out elsewhere. Buy this. 9/10 (Lorraine Carpenter)
Imagine you're a pony and the only trick you can manage is heavy distortion on power chords. Well, these '90s indie stars have left their equestrian past behind for album eight, a collection drawn from a broader palette of sounds and melodic twists (power pop savvy in tow, of course). Some static indie rawkers almost steal thunder from the band's sweet, melancholic pop-rock, a sound that's full without being dense. Strings, organ or steel guitar (never all at once) get the time and space they deserve here, thanks in part to guests from Japancakes and White Lights. 8/10 (Lorraine Carpenter)
Some may remember Niagara, the '80s French pop duo who often pastiched the glory days of Gainsbourg--cool tunes, snappy vids and serious retro chic. Since throwing in the towel on Niagara, singer Moreno has kept busy with two solo albums, a number of soundtracks and frequent DJ work (including a spot at last summer's Jazz Fest), leading up to this interesting third effort. Now primarily a producer (Yank francophile poet Jasmine contributes most of what little vox are found here), Moreno builds on a psychedelic, crime-flick jazz breaks vibe, low-key but nervous, but filling the spaces with odd and very personal captured sounds--a friend's piano, a neighbour's cat, assorted household stuff. Nothing like the straight-up pop of Niagara, but a continuation of cool nonetheless. 7.5/10 (Rupert Bottenberg)
There are a lot of people who are just waiting for Jay-Z to slip up and vacate that spot at the top of the rap game, a spot that he's enjoyed for sometime now. This is a dude who had his last five albums reach platinum-plus status, building a stronghold that enjoys top billing not only in the rap world but the larger entertainment sphere as well. Amazingly, Sean Carter swims past all of this hoopla to consistently lace attentive rhyme animals and lyricists alike with his apparent nonchalance and street-level commentary. With skills intact, Jay-Z adds Blueprint to the list, opting for word power over any noticeable production turns. Tracks like "Takeover" and "The Ruler's Back" show Hova as calculated and cocky as ever, just the way we like him. 8/10 (Scott C)
This lush, clever and uplifting new film from Jean-Pierre Jeunet is superbly complemented by Tiersen's score, which stands quite well on its own. These gracefully escalating motifs, delivered on piano, mandolin, clavichord and (most prominently) accordion, are so utterly French that a waft of garlic and stale Gauloises hits you as you peel back the plastic. That said, this is at times a very Gallic variation on the work of dirty Englishman Michael Nyman. Much is taken from various older albums by Brittany-based adult-popsmith Tiersen, but a cohesive feel is present from start to stop, one of sweet nostalgia for a magic-realist Paris that never was. 8.5/10 (Rupert Bottenberg)