David Kristian
Music From the Mermaid Room (Wikkid)
IDM pioneer, sound engineer and certainly one of Montreal’s most accomplished and prolific electronic artists, David Kristian is at it again. Following his heralded release on Piehead, local imprint Wikkid has just released Music From the Mermaid Room, the first in a 10-part retrospective CD series culled from Kristian’s immense DAT library of unreleased tracks created from ’93 to ’02. Spanning from his emotive, Boards of Canada style analog melodies to eerie, minimal ambience to his more dense, electro-driven pieces, Kristian’s uncompromising vision and unrelenting search for as yet unexplored sonic universes are the thread that binds each track to the next. Add to that his natural talent for scoring films that lends a dark, cinematic feel to each track and you’ve got a great comp. An excellent cross-section of this local legend’s work that leaves the listener yearning for more. Thankfully, more is on the way. 9/10 (Raf Katigbak)
Tangiers
Hot New Spirits (Sonic Unyon)
Imagine you live in a Montreal apartment facing east. There’s not much sun and the walls are thin, so you’re kinda cold and depressed, and your neighbours always have freaky drug music playing. The girl on your right likes speedy, sweaty guitar sounds by British bands who dress in rags. The guy on your right is into loose, drawly New York music by heroin addicts. Weirdest of all, you look out your window and there’s that crazy new space-age thumb sticking out of the landscape. Whatever, it’s better than disco. 7.5/10 (Lorraine Carpenter)
John Ford
Bullets for Dreamers (Bumstead)
Another nugget for people who like to mix the snottiness of the Dead Boys, the crotch rock of GNR and a little Raspberries power pop snuck in while you weren’t looking. Produced by Big Sugar’s Gordie Johnson, these Vancouver sleaze-slingers have the look and sound that may find them ruling the radio roost soon. The real secret here is they drain some of the testosterone out of rock and replace it with some sugar on top, with sights set on dropping your hip. If you’re tired of waiting for Axl’s Chinese Democracy to finally see the light of day, than step on up. 7.5/10 (Johnson Cummins)
The End
Transfer Trachea Reverberations From Point: False Omniscient (Relapse/Koch)
Relapse’s first Canadian signing is Brampton, Ontario’s the End, and this record is a monster. Taking in Voivod’s penchant for discordance, Neurosis’s soul-emptying panorama and Dillinger Escape Plan’s cut-and-paste arranging, this is easily one of the best extreme records this year. In a genre constantly pushing the technical-proficiency envelope, this record shows the End at the top of the game. Ambient sounds hover over jazz arpeggios on the amazing "Opalescence" before imploding into a dizzying array of complex time signatures played with brutal precision. Fans of Dillinger Escape Plan and Naked City’s Torture Garden are going to freak out over this one. I have to see this live! 8.5/10 (Johnson Cummins)
The Go Betweens
Bright Yellow, Bright Orange (Jetset/FAB)
Following their 2000 comeback album, this Australian-born, American-based duo stays the course with smart, stylish pop, dotted by hints of the quirk that helped define their ’80s material. Rather than attempting to re-write the past or tap into retro chic, the Go Betweens strike a timeless chord with understated acoustic guitars, voice and rhythm, strings and piano in cameo. Sweet in its sentiments and leisurely in its pace, this isn’t an album aimed at bowling over rock ’n’ rollers, but its quiet confidence is worth your while. 8/10 (Lorraine Carpenter)
Mouse on Mars
Rost Pocks (Too Pure/Select)
A decade old this year, Germany’s Mouse on Mars have amply proven themselves glitch-pop’s prime movers. Their gift is exploring the exploded view of sound, reassembling fractured microsonic fragments into whole new structures, while keeping fun, catchiness and wit in the mix. This new disc, subtitled The EP Collection, gathers assorted obscurities from their tenure at Too Pure, ’94 to ’97, when they were at their poppiest. Included here are two remixes of "Saturday Night Worldcup Fieber" (one by DJ Crack), three vocal cameos by Stereolab’s Laetitia Sadier and the snappy "Twift." Squeak! 8/10 (Rupert Bottenberg)
Tipper
Surrounded (Myutopia)
Co-founder of London’s Fuel Recordings, David Tipper likes it loud. Not only has he been releasing some of the sickest breakbeat 12-inches over the last seven years, he’s also an accomplished scratch DJ and owns one of the loudest cars in the world - a modified 1970 Dodge Challenger capable of pumping out over 150 decibels. Now, thanks to time spent touring around places like the Nevada desert, Tipper reveals his softer side with his latest full-length. Recorded in 5.1 Surround Sound and sold as a DVD, the title is also indicative of the album’s envelopping blend of warm melody, shimmering ambience and micro beats. One of chillout’s finer moments. 8.5/10 (Raf Katigbak)
Guêpe
Left Behind in the Water (Natacha’s Recordings)
This is one of the three latest releases from local cottage industry/collective Natacha’s, all being launched this weekend. I’ve waxed on about the coolness of the Natacha’s aesthetic before, saluting their humble, handmade experimentation sans pretension. The bric-a-bracky bedroom electronics of mysterious Guêpe (a solo act, I suspect) are no exception. Matters swing from playful ("Music for a Great Artist") to gently pensive ("Morning Glory") to scattered and chaotic ("Canet") and onwards from there. 7/10 (Rupert Bottenberg) With Alain Farah, Massive Asthma, Peter and Petite Musique at Rad’a, Fri., March 7, 9pm, $5
Shi
Chapters (Raceunited/Intelekt)
Shi may not be a household name for most of you, but this Montreal MC has obviously worked very hard to make sure that his name stays with you. Supreme Hebrew Intellect may seem a bit pompous, but Shi is anything but, constructing thoughtful, introspective rhymes throughout the 17 tracks on this debut. Guests include Manchilde, Obscure Disorder, Malicious and even bigman R-Kade, contributing to this fresh, polished and unexpected independent effort. 7.5/10 (Scott C)
The Majesticons
Beauty Party (Big Dada/Outside)
You’ve heard ’em before. There’s always somebody grumbling about the status quo in the ever-expanding world of hip hop, but is it really enough to long for ’94–’95 in 2003? Mike Ladd and the Majesticons boldly go into what they call "the valley beyond the bling," strategically taking the piss out of industry standbys while continuing to spin tales from a refreshingly twisted and critical point of view. Majesticon rule number 1: accumulate, preserve and transfer. Hip hop eats its young, but it certainly doesn’t have to, according to these guys. 7/10 (Scott C)
Gray Market Goods
"We Live in the Future" 12" (Thrill Jockey)
As Gray Market Goods, American indie figure Ken Brown (Seam, Tortoise etc.) draws upon years of remix work (Coldcut, DJ Food and Yo La Tengo) and offers up a pastiche of sounds "leaning towards Herbie Hancock as seen through the eyes of DJ Shadow." Not to say that the sample-heavy production is in any way transparent. In fact, the opposite is true. Even though each instrument was recorded live and then rearranged and produced in an old-school hip hop sampling style, each track flows and grooves seamlessly as if expertly performed by a live group. Only in a few instances or upon close inspection does the track lay bare its processed roots. A fine release for fans of all things fusion. 8/10 (Raf Katigbak)
B2K
Pandemonium (Sony)
Well, I wouldn’t exactly say pandemonium, but the new-millennium boys are certainly the most entertaining boy band to come out of urban circles in ages. Lead single "Bump, Bump, Bump" with P. Diddy is an exercise in style over substance, with Puffy’s aggressive production taking centre stage. The rest of the set follows suit with a number of tracks vying for the honour of "Bump Part II," including "Back It Up" and "Pretty Young Thing." Elsewhere, the boys prove they can deliver solid urban pop with downtempo tracks like "One Kiss" and "The Other Guy." 7/10 (Gerard Dee)
Charlie Mariano
Deep in a Dream (Enja/Justin Time/Fusion III)
Mariano, now in his 80th year, hewed his musical chops in his native Boston in an era when that city produced the likes of Nat Pierce, Dick Twardzik, Jaki Byard and Herb Pomeroy. Stints and important recordings with the likes of Charles Mingus, Stan Kenton, Shelly Manne and his ex-wife Toshiko Akiyoshi brought him greater fame. He’s been living in Germany for the past 30-odd years, this is his first North American release in recent memory and it’s a beauty. Backed by Bob Degen, Isla Eckinger and Jarrod Cagwin, it features the ever-swinging altoman on 10 tracks. There’s an item each by the leader and pianist Degen plus eight standards, some of them - "You Better Go Now," "Yours Is My Heart Alone" and the title track - of the more obscure variety when it comes to jazz interpretations. It all brings backs memories of the week he did at Montreal’s Tête de l’Art in the early ’60s. It’s nice to hear that the power and feeling are still there. 9.5/10 (Len Dobbin)
Various
The Rough Guide to the Music of Turkey (World Music Network/Fusion III)
The same way there’s a Rough Guide book corresponding to most any corner of our planet, there are now Rough Guide CDs for almost any style of music being played today. Some recent releases rehash the Asian Underground, give the lowdown on highlife and, in this case, focus on Turkey. Reflecting the east-meets-west aspect of Turkish life, you’ve got renowned divas like Sezen Aksu and cute pop darlings like Ebru Gündes, the fiercely politicized folk music of Grup Yorum, gypsy jazz c/o Laço Tayfa and the Sufi whirl of Omar Faruk Tekbilek (a world-jazz notable) - to start with. Variety takes priority over quality here, but then, this is just a rough guide. 7.5/10 (Rupert Bottenberg)
Various Prokofiev Enfant Terrible (Decca/Universal) » March 5 marked the 50th anniversary of the death of this great composer. This double CD is a great starter set for those unfamiliar with his myriad compositions. 10 (LD)
Various Impact! (Soul Jazz/Fusion III) » Primo soul, funk and reggae from a forgotten Jamdown label. Once again, Soul Jazz kicks ass. 9.5 (RB)
King Britt "Transcend"/"Spaces" 12" (BBE) » Bahamadia and Quasimoto bless a track each on this first nugget from K.B.’s Adventures in Lo-Fi. 8 (SC)
Ronnie Earl I Feel Like Goin’ On (Stony Plain) » Earl easily makes this instrumental record float along nicely with his seriously sweet blues guitar playing. 8 (JC)
Gary Numan Scarred (Eagle) » This one’s for the Numanoids. From 2000, a two-disc-long live set featuring industrial incantations and vaguely revamped hits. 7 (LC)
Pilot to Gunner Games at High Speeds (Arena Rock/Outside) » Jawbox-y tunefulness with the earnestness of Jawbreaker. File under jaw rock. 7 (JC)
King Missile III The Psychopathology of Everyday Life (Instinct/Koch) » John S. Hall’s latest episode of tragicomic stand-up rock is about 75 per cent cussing. Would be funnier if I was seven and jacked up on Count Chocula. 6 (RB)
Damhnait Doyle Davnet (Turtlemusik) » I don’t know. Maybe I’d work in the pronunciation lesson if people called me "damn it" all the time. 5 (LC)
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