The Four Corners Say You're a Scream (Kindercore)
Shikasta Gold (independent)
Randy The Human Atom Bombs (Burning Heart/Sonic Unyon)
Skinny Puppy Doomsday Back + Forth Vol. 5: Live at Dresden (Nettwerk) Theatrical tragedy live! Gut-wrenching tunes about death, vengeance genocide and environmental decay! Melodramatic soundtracks of death in double industrial stereo! Skinny Puppy is still around after spawning an entire generation of industrial goth-rock and nine-inch nailers--13 years of mayhem and countless side projects, now minus the pivotal Dwayne Goettel. What's left of the Puppy (Ogre and cEvin) still tears a hole in your soul with their signature sound, funked-out techno with an undeniably harsh, rusty edge. This live recording from the Doomsday Festival in Dresden reaffirms that indeed, these are the gods of industrial. 8/10 (Lateef Martin) Les Architekts Le Plan (Militant Musik/Fusion III) Just so you know, Montreal French hip hop starts here. Everyone and anyone who is even thinking of contributing to the French scene should sit the hell down and take a lesson from les Architekts. Like Guru and Primo taken that one extra step, Ray Ray and Stratège have not only produced beats for everyone else, but they save the best shit for themselves. Le Plan is a well-orchestrated blueprint for success, featuring lyrical flourishes from both as MCs, as well as cues from their people, like Rainmen, Sekou and Faf Larage. Le Plan is a step in right direction, and a record that will definitely inspire the next wave of MTL boom-bap. 8.5/10 (Scott C) Groove Armada Goodbye Country (Hello Nightclub) (Jive Electro/BMG) "Uh, Houston? I think we have a hit on our hands." Groove Armada's newest full length is a veritable tour de force of absolute electronic pop genius. And if Andy & Tom's goal with this one is to hold that comfy spot at the top of the pops, at least they're doing it with style--this latest offering from the duo from the dreamy Yorkshire/Cambridge countryside is free of "funky breaks" (thank goodness!). With each of the 12 tracks on Goodbye..., the pair explore and exploit new musical territory: dub-heavy funk-house, groovy Northern-Soul-influenced lover's ballads, vocals, guitars, hip hop MCs--and it's all good. Perhaps the quintessential fall-winter soundtrack. 9.5/10 (Krista) Tony Humphries United DJs of America Vol. 18 (DMC/Razor & Tie) The Godfather, the hump-in-the-homefries, the man, the legend... Tony Humphries. Here's a DJ/producer who's been playing records since before there was pitch control and before I was born (a number that's getting up there...). Frankly, I'm shocked it has taken the Mixer mag/DMC crew this long to get the Hump on their United DJs of America series. But here it is. Listen to this CD and you crack open the doors of the legendary Club Zanzibar, step inside a world of men in big boots, glitter balls and some seriously deep and spiritual vocal-house music--the very foundation of the New York sound. 8/10 (Krista) Jamiroquai A Funk Odyssey (Sony)
Macy Gray The Id (Sony) Her sophomore effort finds Macy Gray spouting more of the musical psychobabble that made her debut an interesting listen. But whereas her first set relied on chunky funk to reference her musical rambling, here she uses psychedelic-pop energy to power tracks like "Relating to a Psychopath" and "My Nutmeg Phantasy." In fact, the only time she approaches the deep funk that characterized her debut is on the hidden closing track, making this one less of a funky good time, but still an appealing listen. 8/10 (Gerard Dee) CeCe Winnans self-titled (Wellspring/EMI) After the madness of Sept. 11 and its fallout, this is just what the doctor ordered. Gospel has traditionally been the music to turn to when things go wrong, and the latest by CeCe shows the timeless impact that its message has. From the opening lines of "Heavenly Father" to the closing beats of "Better Place," this set is an uplifting journey through the brighter side of life. It's also noticeably more uptempo/urban-contemporary than her last one, making this accessible listening well beyond its gospel base. 9/10 (Gerard Dee) Anna Guo Chinese Traditional Yang-Qin Music (Oliver Sudden/Festival)
Alexandre St-Onge Kasi Naigo (Squint Fucker Press) A singular blast of air interchanged with a hollow, crackly static drone are almost constant through this disc, and they serve to create an eerie, lonely, wide-open silence. Here we find Montreal's St-Onge extending himself beyond his semi-musical work in projects like Klaxon Gueule and Shalabi Effect, and truly embracing the world of absolute sound. This disc is expansive, tense, terrifying and subtle, a unique soundscape gives the listener the sense of being hopelessly lost in an open plain, surrounded by noisy machines--a perception St-Onge undoubtedly has every day of his imploded aural life. 9/10 (Boss Sambosa) CD Launch with Vito Acconi at Casa del Popolo, Sun., Sept. 30 Steve Turre In the Spur of the Moment (Telarc/Universal) The leader here is one of great living jazz trombonists. He's present over 10 tracks in three different musical attitudes with three pianists well tuned to the various genres presented. There's Ray Charles on the four-track "Blues" segment, which includes looks at "Misty" and "The Way You Look Tonight." Then there's Stephen Scott on the three "Modern and Modal" items which begin with an Ellington medley, and Cuba's Chucho Valdes on the remaining three, under the "Afro-Cuban Sounds" heading--two originals by the leader and one from Chucho. All are done with musicality and finesse. 9/10 (Len Dobbin) |
Slayer are the kings of heavy. The fucking kings! When original drummer Dave Lombardo went his own way two records ago, we were all waiting for Hell's house band to start getting soft. Instead, Slayer have responded with their two best records since South of Heaven and the immortal Reign In Blood. Where most black metal bands seem almost cartoonish, Tom Araya's scream of blasphemy reeks of sulfur, more full of fire and brimstone than ever. No new tricks here, just an improvement on the same old blueprint that they invented. Opener "Darkness of Christ" is a maelstrom of white noise before ending with the screamed mantra "God hates us all"--and after that, there's no looking back. King and Hanneman deliver their trademark razor guitars and new drummer Paul Bostaph more than surprises as his thundering hooves of Satan are lightning-quick. Kneel before the altar of Slayer and worship. 10/10 (Johnson Cummins)
This brand new, lady-led quartet from Athens, Georgia has a sweet spin on '60s pop that any self-respecting Britpop and mod fanatic should check out. Cool pop, garage crunch and classic rock 'n' roll come at you via layered guitar, vintage keys and lazy female vocal harmonies, which add an early '90s shoegazing dynamic to the über '60s affair. Riffs borrowed from the Jam and the Kinks are par for the course, though the inclusion of the entire album in mono (followed by its stereo counterpart) is, perhaps, taking the retro aesthetic too far. But having this album twice is hardly a complaint. 9.5/10 (Lorraine Carpenter)
Comin' straight outta T.O., this trio are going to blow up in a big way if this sheer rock power is any indication. Part James Brown Live at the Apollo and part Steve Marriot's Humble Pie Rockin' the Fillmore, this is not retro trip but full-blown, electrified and sanctified soul. Singer Russell Fernandes's soul testifying is drenched in sweat and seeped in conviction as he sings down from the pulpit (or speaks in tongues) about Bruce Lee movies and turning it up and letting it go. Danko Jones better watch his back there are some new boys in town and dey gots da juice. 9.5/10 (Johnson Cummins)
Still recovering from making the fastest record ever (or so they claim), these Clash-loving, pinko-punk Swedes have eased up some to expand their repertoire. We've got oddball, sing-song pop, a jagged new wave track ("Proletarian Hop") and simple, punchy punk melodies such as "Summer of Bros," an analysis of male bonding. And, like the Clash, the Randy boys revert to speed when necessary. The album gets increasingly fast and hard-hitting as it comes to a close, finally spinning out of control with guitar playing that really sounds like it hurts. Rawk! 7.5/10 (Lorraine Carpenter) At l'X, Mon., Oct. 1, 7:30pm, $8-10
I'm not going to mince words here, because this CD made the transition to a coaster on my coffee table faster than you can say "White-boy disco." This is pehaps the housiest Jamiroquai yet, with just about every track opting for four-four boredom. Fans will like it, but the ability to like anything that Jay Kay does is precisely what makes them fans, right? I don't think I'm alone when I say I miss the funky, earthy and varied tones of past efforts, but I may well be. This is an album made for play in Starbucks, snooty restos and cafés, and I spent just as much time enjoying A Funk Odyssey as I do in places like that. If you still don't get it, this record's not my favourite. 6/10 (Scott C)
Guo is widely regarded as a virtuoso on the yang-qin, a trapezoidal Chinese equivalent of the familiar hammered dulcimer, where 170 strings are plucked or tapped with bamboo hammers. The instrument's sound will be familiar to anyone on the dim sum scene, but the spectacular playing here is hardly muzak for Szechuan restos. As she strides confidently through a catalogue of classical compositions for the yang-qin (or variations taken from reputable sources), the speed, complexity and clarity she commands is breathtaking. Chalk up another success for the Oliver Sudden label. 9/10 (Rupert Bottenberg)