The (International) Noise Conspiracy A New Morning, Changing Weather (Burning Heart/Sonic Unyon)
The Sainte Catherines The Machine Gets Under Way...(Eyeball Records) Montreal's Sainte Catherines are set to carve out a little niche on a worldwide level with their catchy brand of melodic emo-core. Grade and Hot Water Music instantly come to mind, though these guys come to the table with a bit more growl. Like with most of their ilk, musical peaks and valleys become a little predictable and the angst can seem a bit transparent at times. But it's in songs like "You Smell Like Greed Dirty Bastard" that they can be found fighting against their own confines, and their guitars never succumb to deafening levels to get their message across. Having already sold 10,000 copies of their debut, I guess the secret is already out, and if Machine is any indication, this could be the next big Montreal export. 7/10 (Johnson Cummins) Hefner Dead Media (Too Pure/Select)
DMX The Great Depression (DefJam/Ruff Ryders) Is it possible that DMX has effectively predicted the economic state of North America and released his album at the precise moment for added drama? No. Is DMX feeling a little down these days after the poor box-office returns for Exit Wounds? Nope. Is X stating that the rest of the hip hop world is gonna experience some hard times when this album drops? Yep, but I seriously doubt it. Much like Hova, X opted for minimal assistance from other MCs, and pulled Stephanie Mills, Faith Evans and Mashonda instead. Apart from the fact that he's not as angry as usual, this record's nil merits will make X some money until his next big movie flop comes out. 6/10 (Scott C)
DJ Food & DK Now, Listen! (Ninja Tune/Outside)
Lamb What Sound (Mercury/Universal) The second full length from Manchester's tempestuous, forever-at-odds duo Lamb takes a few more steps to the right of indie electronica and closer to pop music (yikes!). While their first album was all frenetic drum & bass à la Guy Called Gerald, What Sound sees band beat-chef Andy Barlow substituting a lighter, more urban-jazz-influenced (read: scritchy-scratchy DJ samples) breakbeat/downtempo thing. Melancholic vocalist Louise Rhodes continues to sing her aching heart out, lamenting love lost and celebrating her son's birth. While some of the tunes on this album are nice and sentimental sounding, it would seem Rhodes and Barlow weren't quite on the same page during its creation. 6.5/10 (Krista) DJ Shine Thinque (Nice + Smooth/Fusion III)
New Sector Movements Download This (Virgin/EMI) Once again, the genius of producer I.G. Culture has brought the focus back to full-bodied progressive soul music that challenges all to listen that much closer. Culture, who is considered a starting point in the world of broken beats and the emerging West London massive, is a studio don who works particularly well with vocalists (Frank McComb, Julie Dexter, Eska), who showcase strongly on Download This, and his extended crew (Kaidi Tatham, Phil Asher, Demus, Eric Appapoulay etc.) who play on most of his records. Deftly sidestepping any sort of hit formula or chart aspirations, the New Sector Movements collective seems to be evolving in another direction altogether, with its soul intact and I.G. at the helm. Future classic. 9/10 (Scott C) Various 2 Step + Future Soul (Topaz) Two-step, a hybrid of ragga, commercial R&B, hip hop, drum & bass and a radical interpretation of U.S. garage house, became a darling of the British dance music press in '99, creating stars out of the likes of Artful Dodger and Tuff Jam. In 2000, New York's DJ S.M.L (Shunji Moriwaki) became one the movement's biggest adherents and started a two-step night called Hatch. Topaz Records presents a snapshot of S.M.L and Hatch in a 15-tracker that doubles as a primer to this genre. Shunji, already a proven studio talent, delivers the collection's bouncier moments, which include his remix of Kimesha Holmes' "I Need Your Love." Not bad for a type of music that has been in a state of creative flux since its inception. 7.5/10 (Peter Lightburn) Kenny Lattimore Weekend(Arista/BMG) On '98's From the Soul of a Man, Lattimore explored the complexities of relationships. This time he's more interested in play than working it all out. For instance, on the infectious title-track, all he wants is to party like back in the day. He gets serious long enough to give love advice to someone he wants ("Don't Deserve") and someone who wants to leave ("Who"), and finishes by offering a hint of his considerable vocal abilities on the gospel-tinged "Healing." It's commercial, but Weekend works exactly when its name suggests. 7.5/10 (Gerard Dee) Rubato Oh, No! It's... (Mille Plateaux/Fusion III) Devo were masters of subversion, not only inventing new wave but mocking it before it existed--between caustic attacks on sexual politics, technology and the American way. In turn, here, they're likewise subverted in this Rubato character's tribute/parody/critique/deconstruction. Devo's sharp-edged, caffeinated counter-pop classics ("Jocko Homo," "Mongoloid" etc) are interpreted as sparse, quiet, deeply pensive solo piano passages. Surprising in its beauty and dignity, this goes well beyond novelty. The liner notes buzz and crackle with heavy-duty queer theory and outsider politics, at once inspired by and carefully critical of the great Devo. Domo arigato, Mr. Rubato. 9/10 (Rupert Bottenberg) Andrew Downing Great Uncles of the Revolution Stand Up! (Black Hen Music)
Here's bassist Downing, a Toronto-based musician, in a session that successfully crosses into many musical genres. He's joined on this musical journey by trumpeter Kevin Turcotte, violinist Jesse Zurbot and Steve Dawson, who plays Hawaiian guitar, slide guitar and ukelele (literally "a jumping flea"). Guesting with this quartet of musicians are trombonist William Carn and Kim Ratcliffe, who doubles on resonator guitar and banjo. They have a lot of fun over 11 tracks of music. Be prepared for the most unusual look at "Stompin' at the Savoy" that you've probably ever encountered! 8.5/10
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Gram Parsons has become a god to the insurgent country folk, but nobody ever seems to get it down right. Not that Beachwood Sparks really go out of their way to hit the Flying Burrito Bros. But although hints of the Dead, the Byrds (c. Sweetheart of the Rodeo), Neil Young and Meat Puppets all crop up, it's when Beachwood go down to Joshua Tree to do a slow waltz with the ghost of Parsons that they really transcend. Banjos, pedal steel and harmonicas lock into a lazy-afternoon groove without an ounce of irony to hide behind. Even J. Mascis gets in the picture, playing some countrified leads. Mojo readers are going to cream over CompactDiscs
Brothers, sisters and comrades, it's the new album from our favourite rockin' Swedes! They've got matching suits, they've got jingoistic pinko lyrics and liner notes, and, most importantly, they've got tunes that delightfully fuse retro rock, mod, soul and punk, producing those familiar riffs and hooks you can't quite place. Still passionate, punchy and poppy, this sophomore LP diverges only slightly from their debut Survival Sickness, but the quality here is more consistent, the tone more varied. This is inspirational stuff, but the urge is to snap your fingers and dance, not to make placards and pick fights with police. 8.5/10 (Lorraine Carpenter)
After three upbeat, lo-fi pop albums, London's Hefner have changed course, ditching their straight, studio-made strumming of old for some sweet, home-recorded retro-electro. Retaining their sing-songy pop quality, the quirky quartet have added a cheesy rock guitar riff here, a Gary Numan keyboard solo there, but the result is neither overdone nor contrived. All the little buzzes, bleeps and beats of analog synths are kept in check by tightly constructed songs and Hefner's trademark anecdotal vignettes. The best moments are hyper and adventurous, but the album too often gets mired in quaint, two-step silliness, Hefner's other (unfortunate) trademark. 7.5/10 (Lorraine Carpenter)
In 1988, the Coldcut guys initiated the amazing Solid Steel radio show on the U.K.'s then-pirate station KISS, serving up a hyperactive, all-bets-are-off mix of cutting-edge club sounds, leftfield incursions and collaged curiosities. Since '93, Ninja signees DK and DJ Food's Strictly Kev and PC have taken the reins. This dense, eclectic comp reflects the show's energy, showcasing lots of Ninja material plus off-beat hip hop, cool soul, alt.retro (the English Beat, Art of Noise) and things stranger still--dig Leonard Nimoy reading from Ray Bradbury's
Toronto native Jason Spanu has been cooking up tracks since 1994 and acting as head engineer at Nice + Smooth label headquarters (along with label head Gerald Belanger's Kinder Atom) since 1998. Thinque, his debut full-length for the label, is an interesting and varied collection of house and tech-house tunes that echo his admiration for production mavericks like Richie Hawtin and Carl Craig. On "Hope," co-produced with Toronto's Teknostep, Spanu experiments with lush, rolling keys over Detroit-inspired drums, while on "User" and "Used," he goes for sub-bass and minimal beats. His strength, though, lies in his affinity for the ambient. 7.5/10 (Krista)