| Discs
of the week
Steve Earle Jerusalem (Artemis/Sony)
Earle is bar none one of the greatest American songwriters right now.
Also one of the most prolific, with his second record in a year. He
shuns the obvious and takes liberties, singing from the most personal
corner he has ever been in—even when putting himself in the position
of America Taliban member John Walker Lindh on “John Walker Blues.”
Jerusalem is easily his most political record to date, approaching the
difficult subject matter of 9/11 as well as the current climate in Israel.
Earle has no kneejerk reactions and no easy answers, but his ballsy
approach and his unique view makes him a modern Dylan. He’s managed
to carve out a patriotic record, albeit a bit lefty but thankfully without
the Springsteen flag-waving. With political musical heroes like Bono
and Sting out there, thank God we have Earle. 9.5/10 (Johnson Cummins)
 Beck
Sea Change (Geffen/Universal)
In classic breakup album fashion, this is a sad, trudging telegram,
and about as far from the funk party vibes of Midnite Vultures as Beck
could manage. While he croons his jilted heart out in ditties like “Lonesome
Tears” and “Already Dead,” a gently moulded bed of
country guitars, undercover keys and orchestral drama create slick,
stoned chamber country, courtesy of Nigel Goodrich, the man behind Radiohead’s
Amnesiac. Sometimes stirring and beautiful, often static and numb, this
is nevertheless Mr. Hansen’s most consistent, honest disc ever,
a bonus for those who prefer their music miserable. 7.5/10 (Lorraine
Carpenter)
 Peter
Gabriel Up (Real World/Universal)
The monkey-shocker’s first release of his own in a decade has,
once again, the single-syllable title, though one not necessarily in
line with the album’s sombre, intimations-of-mortality tone. Up
is, however, frequently reminiscent of So from ’86. Actually,
there’s a lot of self-referential flab in the middle here, but
it’s bookended by material that maintains Gabriel’s relevance.
The jarring contrasts of opener “Darkness” demand alertness
from the listener. It pays off in the tricks and twists lurking in the
lengthy tracks that follow—sounds like P.G.’s cribbed notes
from Moby and Björk, for starters. 7/10 (Rupert Bottenberg)
 Sing-Sing
The Joy of Sing-Sing (Manifesto)
Delightful female harmonies, soaring pop melodies, lavish but light
keyboards and effected guitars—what more could fans of England’s
long-lost Lush ask for? This debut LP marks the return of Lush’s
co-singer-songwriter Emma Anderson, joining novice chanteuse Lisa O’Neill
for a familiar but updated mix of airy angelicism and ’90s-style
alterna-pop. With its moody ebb and flow of textured beats and keys,
the album is neither dated nor trendy, simply a rare, pristine package
for those with a weakness for Britpop, dreampop and electropop. 8.5/10
(Lorraine Carpenter)
 Arthur
H Piano Solo (Polydor/Universal)
Monsieur H has staked his place in French pop history with a number
of solid studio albums showcasing his alchemical mix of jazz and classical,
cabaret and chanson, exotica and erotica. This live one, caught early
this year in France, documents his mastery of the concert performance
as well. Alone at the keys, he rummages through his catalogue for gems
like “Le baron noir” and “J’ai un revolver,”
also covering Gainsbourg and Gershwin. The man’s wearied fragility
and cantankerous wit are well illustrated, and—special bonus—he
does his crazy jawharp drone-jam at the end. 8.5/10 (Rupert Bottenberg)
At le Spectrum, Sat., Sept. 28, 8pm, $26.50
 ESG
Step Off (Soul Jazz/Fusion III)
Key players in the original no-wave disco-punk thing outta NYC, ESG
(the Scroggins sisters Renee, Valerie and Marie) built a bridge between
the block parties of the Bronx and the dawn of Madchester. How did they
get sampled to hell by LL Cool J and Grandmaster Flash while shaking
hands with Factory and inaugurating the Hacienda? Just check the sparse,
dirge-like grooves, the haunting reverb shimmer of the guitar and Renee’s
frank, determined vocals on this, their brand-new effort (with two of
their daughters on board). It’s all so clear. They haven’t
lost an ounce of bite as they distill post-punk and funk to a wiry base,
bring it to a fierce, female place and let it speak for itself. Get
this and give respect. 9/10 (Rupert Bottenberg)
Mount Sims Ultra Sex (Emperor
Norton/Outside)
With a reportedly erotic, punk-ass live show to match, this former L.A.
model (aka Matt Sims) explores the porno-plastic possibilities of electro
on record with Beck/Ladytron producer Mickey Petralia. Pimpbot vocals,
moody, sleek retrotrash textures and tight, twisted beats recall fellow
fashion buffs Fischerspooner, with possibly more appeal for intense dancefloor
addicts and dirty talkers. The funk-soul end of electro is an interesting
alternate avenue from the now familiar chilled robotix—of which
this also has plenty—but can easily turn awkward. What I want to
know is which head thought up these lyrics. 8/10 (Lorraine Carpenter)
 Various
Ice T Presents Westside (Obsessive/Fusion III)
Ice T lends his waning selling power (rejuvenated only slightly by his
TV detective work) to this new compilation of tracks that are supposed
to represent some of the most important names in West Coast hip hop.
First, let me tell you who is not on this record. King Tee, nope. NWA,
nope. Ice Cube, nope. Unfortunately, the lucky consumer is treated to
only a handful of truly important songs, and a whole bunch of crap.
Young MC, Tone Loc, MC Hammer and even Skee Lo get top billing alongside
tracks from Cypress Hill, Snoop, Dre, 2Pac, Jurassic 5 and yes, Ice
T. More songs should have been included from guys like Too Short and
DJ Quik as well, who also influenced a lot of people over the years.
7.5/10 (Scott C)
Ritchy Pitch Live
at Home (7Heads)
I can imagine 7Heads label head Wes Jackson’s delight when he realized
that the musical talents of U.K. producer Ritchy Pitch would fit the 7Heads
roster of supa MCs like a glove. Ritchy seems to have created a relaxed
musical backdrop for MCs like Apani B Fly, J-Live, Mr. Complex, Asheru
and El Da Sensei to get comfortable with, and ultimately shine on, in
a very natural way. This eight-song EP has managed to show a promising
new producer coupled with MCs who take his beats to a whole other place.
Not a bad combination for this solid release. Applause! 8.5/10 (Scott
C)
Underworld A Hundred Days Off
(V2/BMG)
Underworld fans have been sweatin’ like a pregnant nun, eagerly
anticipating the follow-up to the well-received Beaucoup Fish, largely
due to the departure of DJ Darren Emerson from the legendary U.K. techno
group. The question on everybody’s mind was, can Karl Hyde and Rick
Smith hold their own without Emerson? The answer is yes... sort of. Unlike
previous Underworld albums, the drums and rhythms on A Hundred Days Off
are more loopy and repetitive, the angry, shouted, stream-of-consciousness
vocals of Hyde have become more subdued, introspective and almost whispered
(he just kicked alcoholism), and the overall sound is a little more conventional.
That said, A Hundred Days is still a good listen, with the lead single
“Two Months Off” being perhaps the best piece of music Underworld
has ever recorded. 7.5/10 (Raf Katigbak)
Scalene self-titled (Cocosolidciti)
The word “scalene” is used to describe a triangle with sides
of unequal lengths. Just like the geometric shape, the six experimental
audio-visual artists that make up the Scalene collective have come together
from three different points (Manchester, Melbourne and Montreal) to form
a cohesive whole (the Montreal chapter being Mitchell Akiyama and Identification,
aka DJ Luv). Their debut, self-titled album is three original three-minute
sound and video pieces subjected to a musical ménage à trois,
resulting in a nine-times-six-minute audio-visual orgy on two CDs. With
its cascading, colliding rhythms and shifting tectonic melodies, if good
things come in threes, these guys have got it covered. 8.5/10 (Raf Katigbak)
India.Arie Voyage
to India (Motown/Universal)
On her sophomore release, folksy R&B singer India.Arie mines familiar
musical terrain, wrapping empowering, insightful lyrics around uncomplicated,
though enticing, melodies. As with her ’01 debut Acoustic Soul,
she chooses to focus on the way life should be, encouraging men to be
respectful to their mates (“Talk to Her”), daydreaming about
love at its best (“Beautiful Surprise”) and savouring life’s
simple gifts (“Little Things,” “Slow Down”). Voyage
to India is a trip to the heart and mind of one of today’s visionary
artists. 8.5/10 (Gerard Dee)
Iron and Wine The Creek Drank the
Cradle (Sub Pop/Outside)
Iron and Wine is actually the nom de plume of Samuel Beam from Miami,
Florida. Beam’s hushed vocals harmonize like CSNY while a lonely
banjo picks along with some exquisite dobro playing over top. All of this
is put down on a four-track and the outcome is a great slab of gothic
Americana stuck in low gear (that’s a good thing, in this case).
Sub Pop has collected 11 of the best songs from Beam’s earlier CDs
and the intimacy throughout is guaranteed to have the goosebumps standing
at attention for 40 glorious minutes. Canadian folkie Hayden could learn
a lot from this. 8.5/10 (Johnson Cummins)
Willem Breuker Kollektief Mondriaan
Strings (Bvhaast)
This tentet is based in Holland and led by multi-reedman Breuker, also
a founding member of the Instant Composers Pool. On this outing, the
Kollektief is joined by violinist Vera Beths and the nine-member Mondriaan
Strings. The varied program runs the gamut from Gershwin—three
items including “An American in Paris”—through the
leader’s Eastern piece “Sahara Sack” to Ennio Morricone’s
“Revolver” and a “Minor Double Blues” by Alex
von Schlippenbach. It’s a program that is also reflected in their
live performances that combine great musicianship, soloists and humour.
9/10 (Len Dobbin)
At la Sala Rossa, Fri., Sept. 27
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