Various
The Trans-Canada Beaver Cook Off (Catch & Release/Sonic Unyon)
A real gem from one of Canada’s big up-and-coming indie labels. If you think that good rock is coming only from Scandinavia and the U.S. then check out what you’re missing in your own backyard. The Ramblin’ Ambassadors (featuring ex-members of Huevos Rancheros) let the riffs do the speaking, Toronto’s Shikasta follow up with their brand of heavy, heavy soul and current buzz band the Nasty On have no problem living up to the hype. It’s Montreal’s own Donkeys that really take the cake here, though, as Canada’s jewel in the crown. All songs are exclusive to the release and rock like fuck. Support your own! 9/10 (Johnson Cummins)
Johnny Marr and the Healers
Boomslang (iMusic/BMG)
In the 16 years since the Smiths split, Johnny Marr has been a guitarist, producer and songwriter for hire, one with increasingly classic-rockist leanings. With this solo debut, whose "Healers" include Kula Shaker’s old bassist and Ringo Starr’s son, Marr steers the ship to a place where aimless lyrics and dino-riffs still roam the earth. His star guitar playing, capable singing and brief dips into decent rockabilly and pop ballads can’t rescue this soft-headed lad rawk, possibly the result of too much time spent with mediocre hacks like Oasis and Haven. Sad to say, but Marr is the company he keeps. 5/10 (Lorraine Carpenter)
Simian
We Are Your Friends (Astralwerks/EMI)
It isn’t just this Manchester quartet’s name that calls up comparisons to the Monkees and Gorillaz. As for the former, it’s the propensity for sunshine-and-stripey-pants pop psychedelia and good "vybes." As for the latter, it’s the moments of cartoonish creepiness, the ambling, bump-a-dump e-funk grooves and the grab-bag of source material - by their own admission, Simian ape the Neptunes more than any modern Britpop act. Expect big vocal harmonies and even bigger vox from frontman Simon Lord himself, whose fully-enunciated whine can grate at times. A fun and clever disc, inspiring curiosity as to their Mobile Disco DJ sets and their mysterious Church of Simian. 7/10 (Rupert Bottenberg)
Mclusky
My Pain and Sadness Is More Sad and Painful Than Yours (Too Pure/Select)
Why can’t more bands be this creative with titles? After some success with their Steve Albini-produced Mclusky Do Dallas (sample title: "The World Loves Us and Is Our Bitch"), these Welsh upstarts have dusted off their 2000 debut (sample title: "Whiteliberalonwhiteliberalaction") for convenient re-release. Britpunk, lo-fi and early grunge comparisons still apply, but this album is one of extremes, abrasive guitars and mental-break vocals one minute, Pixies pop melodies and sugary harmonies the next. In short, this is the gritty, schizo sound of a young, talented band getting their thing together, or Bleach with a few laughs. 7.5/10 (Lorraine Carpenter)
Anonymus
Daemonium (Kafka/Select)
Montreal’s own Anonymus is sure to turn some heads with this release. They’ve perfected the art of metal-core while adding elements of classical music and experimental metal, all played with brutal precision. Marco Calliari and Daniel Souto’s twin melody guitar lines à la Mercyful Fate are top notch, but it’s Carlos Araya’s double kick-drum assault that will give you whiplash. The vocal harmonies also add some depth and veer thoughtfully away from the dentist-drill attack. The production does get a bit drum-heavy and compressed at times but the sheer musicianship here rises above. 8/10 (Johnson Cummins)
Stiffed
Sex Sells EP (Cool Hunter/Outside)
Tuned to a frequency somewhere between tidy L.A. punk and reggae-vibed new wave, this Philly-based quartet is led by Santi White, whose elastic voice is influenced by Bad Brains’ HR - tellingly, several Brains affiliates contribute to the disc - as well as Chrissie Hynde and Debbie Harry, forming an effect rife with Stefani-isms. Dealing in romantic and sexual frustration, these songs can punch ("What You Gon’ Do?") or plead ("Stay") or boast ("He Looks Good"), always backed by precision riffs and dynamic rhythm. Overly slick production takes some of the edge off, but this is a promising debut, regardless. 7/10 (Lorraine Carpenter)
Nappy Noize/P-Dap
514 vs. 718 EP (Nappy Noize)
Nice to see Butta Babees frontman Manchilde hooking up with his brother Sekou Toure for a track once again. They’re joined by the suave and debonair 500SL on a track called "It’s Like That," produced by Manchilde. This is a case where the bark of the MCs is much better than the bite (or lack thereof) of the track itself. Nice bars by all three, but I wish there were more meat on this bone. P-Dap has that guttural Ja Rule presence, but utilizes a completely different flow on the Jerry Bones-produced "Me-N-My-Manz," which also happens to have a beat that takes a backseat to the MC. Give me equal opportunity tracks any day! 7/10 (Scott C)
Various
Nu de Lune: 23.56 Hrs l’Affaire (Bar de Lune/Fusion III)
Sex, lies and digital audio tape, or sensuous beats for a Victoria’s Secret fashion show - you be the judge. Swaddled in a book-like CD case, with naughty pictures to boot, are 13 loungy housers of the Naked Music/Lazy Dog persuasion. Ben Mynott’s mix is pedestrian at best, but there are a few tunes that really make this collection worthwhile. Kim English gets things started on an even keel with an Anita Baker-like lung job. Mimosa, D Note and Soulstice nicely complement the jazzy disco vibe of this slice of erotica-meets-electonica. Whether this package will make a sweet St. Valentine’s aural confection is anybody’s guess but it does warrant at least a listen. 8/10 (Peter Lightburn)
Quite Sane
The Child of Troubled Times - Short Stories (Cool Hunter/Outside)
Multi-instrumentalist Anthony Tidd had mastered piano, bass, guitar and drums by the time he was 16, so why did it take a whopping 12 years for his band Quite Sane to release its first album? Clearly, the attention to detail involved in the making of The Child of Troubled Times is reflected in its technical approach to fusing hip hop and soul with polyrhythmic jazz compositions, but it’s more than that. Songs like "Short Stories" and "Once As Queens" employ complex time signatures, but still mesmerize with serious melodies and subtext. Listen to fearless adventures in jazz music, now. 7.5/10 (Scott C)
Francisco Lopez
Addy en el pais de las frutas y los chunches (Alien8/Fusion III)
Spanish artist Francisco Lopez’s third release on Montreal’s Alien8 imprint is another one of his synapse-altering experimental sound releases. Originally released on ND Records as a limited run of 500 copies, the dark ambience found on Addy uses field recordings made during the rainy season in Costa Rica. Although the source sounds on this album are strictly environmental, it’s a far cry from the standard new age crap you’d find piled up under your weird Aunt Edna’s spirit-catcher. Lopez manages to re-create the deeply haunting and often disturbing experience of his live shows, in which he immerses the blindfolded listener into a rich sonic landscape that teeters between the delicate and the insane. 8.5/10 (Raf Katigbak)
Jan Jelinek avec les Exposures
La Nouvelle Pauvreté (~Scape)
Jan Jelinek has always been a high-concept kind of guy. As Farben he presented his reduced take on digital soul music, as Gramm he explored the idea of minimalism in a dancefloor context and under his own name he created new groove patterns by shifting linear loop fragments. With his latest effort, Jelinek has thrown away the idea of the singular seamless concept album (which he sees as being both "the cornerstone and weak spot" of the scene) in preference for a more open-ended musical approach. The results are absolutely stunning. Jelinek’s seemingly disparate styles and influences fit together like a delicate sound puzzle that shifts and floats as it plods along to subtle micro beats. True future music. 9/10 (Raf Katigbak)
Various
Standing in the Shadows of Motown (Motown/Universal)
Behind some of Motown’s greatest hits was a legendary house band that performed on more number ones than the Beach Boys, Elvis, the Stones and the Beatles combined. Collectively known as the Funk Brothers, these musicians have gone largely unheralded until now. On this tribute to musical history, tied in to the recent documentary film, the surviving members combine with some of today’s best to breathe new life into tracks like "Cool Jerk" (Bootsy Collins) and "Cloud Nine" (Meshell Ndegeocello). Standouts include Gerald Levert on "Shotgun" and the combined efforts of Chaka Khan and Montell Jordon for "Ain’t No Mountain High Enough." 8/10 (Gerard Dee)
Ry Cooder & Manuel Galbán
Mambo Sinuendo (Nonesuch/Warner)
Marrying two of his outstanding projects from the ’90s, the ever-inventive Ry Cooder repeats the meeting of minds (and fingers) that was his Talking Timbuktu collab with Ali Farka Touré, only in a Cuban context that continues what he started when he produced the Buena Vista boys. He’s hooked up with guitarist Manuel Galbán, once of Cuba’s legendary doo-wop unit los Zafiros, for a satisfying twang-fest. It’s a playful and confident exploration of retro mambo via guitars, nothing too serious - "lounge" ain’t a dirty word to these cats. The tunes are nicely varied in tone and pacing, and all are handled with love by this pair of high-calibre fretmeisters. 8.5/10 (Rupert Bottenberg)
Mike Murley & David Occhipinti
Duologue (Cornerstone)
Richard Whiteman
Solo Piano (Cornerstone)
A pair of excellent CDs from this important musician-owned, Toronto-based label. Murley, one of the country’s strongest players, and guitarist Occhipinti, co-leader of NOJO, work really well together and I love the repertoire they’ve chosen. Included among the nine tracks are Bird’s "Segment," Bernstein’s "Some Other Time" and Lerner & Lowe’s "The Heather on the Hill." Although not the most familiar of the Toronto-based pianists, Montreal-born Whiteman ranks with the best of them. A first-call player when it comes to accompanying singers, he’s in top form on 14 solo tracks including Hoagy Carmichael’s "One Morning in May" and the chestnut "Mam’selle." Both releases are worthy of many repeated listenings. Both 9.5/10 (Len Dobbin)
Jesse Davis The Setup (Alltribe) » A new label, an exciting alto player abetted by guitarist Peter Bernstein - a foot tapper! 9 (LD)
Shuttle_358 Understanding Wildlife (Mille Plateaux/Fusion III) » Bare as an arctic landscape and as complex and varied as a cloud molecule, Dan Abrams (aka Shuttle_358) manages to create a unique musical world where sonic exploration and beauty co-exist. 9 (RK)
Little Brother "Atari 2600"/"Mr. Dream Merchant" 7" (ABB) » Funky foolishness from North Carolina’s answer to Slum Village. It’s for the children! 8 (SC)
Kinski Airs Above Your Station (Sub Pop) » Sweet instrumental noise from Seattle comes in gentle waves of ambient drones and tough gusts of indie rock. 7.5 (LC)
Various Hey Bo Diddley: A Tribute (Evidence/Fusion III) » It’s about time Bo got his tribute but nothing touches the mojo that he originally laid down on these hits. 7 (JC)
Kathryn Williams Little Black Numbers (Caw/Warner UK) » Soft, slow-boiling folk pop bubbling over the English countryside, for better or worse. 6 (LC)
Psychopunch VST The Pleasure Kill (White Jazz/Fusion III) » With a couple of records under their belt, Psychopunch VST are now caught with their hands in the cookie jar of past formulas. 6 (JC)
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