RANDY
Welfare Problems (Burning Heart/Epitaph)
Put on those hightop Chuck Taylors, skinny tie and wraparound shades, because Randy have got the new wave/punk sound down to a tee. Their sound owes a lot to the ’77 power pop of the Real Kids, the Plimsouls, the Vibrators and Buzzcocks, albeit with a modern twist. Melody piggybacks on punk-rock downstroke as guitars chime instead of pummel. Whining about unrequited love is replaced with songs about police harassment and being poor. The production even has new-wave swing, with beats that will have you dancing around the house like Belinda Carlisle. Fans of the Hives take note. 9/10 (Johnson Cummins)
BRASSY
Gettin Wise (Wiiija/Beggars)
Muffin Spencer and her Manchester crew serve up more of the hip-hop-funk-punk hybrid they introduced in 2000 on Got It Made. Aside from their would-be hit, “Play Some D” (reprised here for “the youngsters”), “1-0-0” and “Where Did You Get That Funk?” are highlights, combining the best of DJ Swett’s tightly tweaked beats and samples with a killer groove, Spencer’s wound-up attitude spilled through her nasal, New-England-bred rapping and sweeter, singerly moments. Highly produced, but not overly doctored, the radio-ready hip hop, quaint, B-Boys-esque interludes and quasi-stoner oddities feel dynamic and fresh for all their old-school aspirations. 8/10 (Lorraine Carpenter)
LILYS
Precollection (Manifesto/Koch)
From shoegazing indie rock to British Invasion nostalgia, from Washington to Philadelphia, the Lilys have had an unusual, on-again-off-again, decade-long existence, upset by a U.K. hit here, a major label axe there. Kurt Heasley is the band’s only constant, a clever pop songwriter with a pliant voice and guitar to match. The sound rests in retro/modern limbo, sunny rock with starry psychedelia around the edges, its influences occasionally dated by garage organs, glam riffs, indie rock rhythms or ’80s pop melodies. Fans of the Shins, Zombies, Wedding Present and Echo and the Bunnymen take note. 7.5/10 (Lorraine Carpenter) With Empire Under Attack at the Jupiter Room, Sun., May 25, 9pm, $8
Simply Saucer
Cyborgs Revisited (Sonic Unyon)
Finally, a solid reissue of this underground legend from Hamilton, Ont., circa ’75, the band’s one album plus demos, singles and live tracks. These dudes were on some crazy punk Floyd shit, unleashing a shaky, shit-fi cosmic crash-test of abrasive guitar skronk, amphetamine hustle and budgetronic UFO noise. They aped not only Syd Barrett and co. but also the Velvets, Stooges and Forbidden Planet soundtrack too—all at once, in fact. With titles like “Bullet Proof Nothing,” “Dance the Mutation” and “Nazi Apocalypse,” I don’t think they came in peace. 8.5/10 (Rupert Bottenberg)
TURBONEGRO
Scandinavian Leather (Burning Heart/ Epitaph)
One of the most highly anticipated underground rock releases of the year, but is it good? Damn straight! The pomp and circumstance and majestic rock of ’98’s Apocalypse Dudes is all here but the fist is clenched tighter this time around, with more straightahead punk rawk. Is it worth the wait? Well, sort of. As rocking as this is, it doesn’t eclipse the über-rock of Apocalypse Dudes. If you are part of the Turbojugend you will love it, but if you are looking for an introduction to these wacky Norwegians, pick up the recent reissues of Apocalypse Dudes or Ass Cobra before tackling this one, as those are some of the best rock records ever made. 9/10 (Johnson Cummins)
Gossip
Movement (Kill Rock Stars)
In a singing match, or a sumo one, Beth Ditto could kick Jack White’s ass. No problem. In fact, the choir-trained Arkansas wench has more hot mama heat than all of Detroit’s current roster of rock ’n’ rollers put together—but she wisely uses the big wail sparingly, unlike other soul divas—and her performance alone would almost make the album. But Nathan Howdeshell and Kathy Mendonca faithfully and forcefully dish out the grooving, groping delta rock, easily outdoing their debut. Guitar, drums, handclaps and that voice—magic. 8.5/10 (Lorraine Carpenter)
The Evolution Control Committee
Plagiarhythm Nation (Seeland)
One-time masters of subversive sample-itis Negativland have wandered into more abstract territory of late, leaving the job of shredding and reassembling our personal and popular environments to the ECC. While not as dense and biting as Negativland once were, the ECC nonetheless make fine, funny, funky work of all manner of material—the Muppets and Vincent Price, Public Enemy and Spandau Ballet, hot-dog ads and odd bits off the ECC’s own voicemail hotline (call in, you might be on the next album). The high point: “Rocked by Rape,” an apocalyptic collage of Dan Rather soundbites over twisted AC/DC riffs. 7.5/10 (Rupert Bottenberg)
MOKA ONLY
Lowdown Suite (BattleAxe)
Vancouver’s Moka Only may be basking in the heat and light of Swollen Members’ quick climb to mainstream appeal, but this dude was steadily putting out records when Swollen were still working at Burger King part-time. Lowdown Suite follows the typical MC/producer-rolled-up-in-one approach that Moka seems pretty well equipped to handle, but I was a little surprised to hear what seems to be not one, but 18 tracks that blatantly mimic the production style of Detroit’s Jay Dee. Hats off to Moka for pulling off this feat, but the result finds his relaxed rhyme style right up alongside some strangely familiar productions. This is a great copycat record, but he gets no love for originality. 7.5/10 (Scott C)
BREAK REFORM
Fractures (Abstract Blue)
Break Reform return to that mid-’90s London sound where everybody was trying real hard to effectively bridge the gap between hip hop and jazz. Armed with capable vocalist Nana Vorperian’s laidback approach, this well-meaning trio have made a record that would offend few, but still seems a little dated to me in its approach. There are a lot of jazz loops that we’ve heard before, no matter how sweet her voice may be, and in the end, many of the songs are a blur of smoke and blue, making it impossible to differentiate between them. Fractures is what I like to call “dinner party gold,” if you get what I mean. 7/10 (Scott C)
THE CINEMATIC ORCHESTRA
Man With a Movie Camera (Ninja Tune/ Outside)
Back in ’99, the Porto film-fest’s people asked J. Swincoe and his C.O. to live up to their name and score a film, live. They chose the titular Soviet documentary from ’29, for which they crafted this patient, vivid and articulate balance of chamber music, jazz and instrumental hip hop. A DVD’s due in June but, in the meantime, here’s the audio side. As one would expect, this project is far more linear and functional than its chimerical predecessor Everyday. That narrative quality, though, even divorced from the visuals, doesn’t undermine the music’s free and imaginative character. 8.5/10 (Rupert Bottenberg)
JODY WATLEY
Midnight Lounge (Shanachie)
From a sporadic solo career that began in the mid-’80s after leaving R&B trio Shalamar, Watley returns with an R&B-influenced dance set that puts her squarely back in her element. Masters at Work, Ron Trent and other producers provide muscular tracks that alternatively support and dominate Watley’s pop-light vocals. For instance, the infectious “Photographs,” with its Chic-inspired bass line, has her front and centre, whereas “Saturday Night Experience” finds her in the background, supporting the intoxicating groove. She gets philosophical on the downtempo “Skin Deep,” but this set is mainly about reintroducing Watley to the dancefloor. 8/10 (Gerard Dee)
THE SKATALITES
From Paris With Love (World Village)
With five original members (including occasional singer Doreen Schaeffer) intact, the architects of ska—and thus reggae and all that it led to—can still nail it down after 40 years. Captured live off the floor in a Paris studio, the band strides through superior takes of their cinematic standbys (“Guns of Navarone,” “From Russia With Love”), proto-reggae classics by their contemporaries (Ken Boothe, Derrick Morgan), Miriam Makeba’s “Pata Pata” and more. A confident and adventurous set, capably recorded, confirming the Skatalites’ royal standing. 8/10 (Rupert Bottenberg) With Bedouin Soundclash at Cabaret, Sun., May 25, 9pm, $20
ARTIE SHAW
Highlights From Self Portrait (Bluebird/BMG)
The still articulate Artie Shaw was born 93 years ago this week in New York City. Quitting while he was ahead, Shaw led his last big band in 1950. The 14 tracks on this CD are culled from a multi-CD box set on the same label. It includes “Nightmare” (his theme song), “Begin the Beguine,” “Frenesi,” “Star Dust,” “The Carioca,” “Any Old Time” with a vocal from Billie Holiday, a great Eddie Sauter arrangement of “Summertime,” “Afro-Cubana” by one of his last bands and a remake of “Scuttlebutt” by the last Gramercy 5. This is a great place to discover a wonderful musician and highlights of a prolific career. 9/10 (Len Dobbin)
Mini CD Reviews
BILL FRISELL The Continentals (Nonesuch/Warner) Guitarist Frisell’s magic is his economy and not stepping on any toes, which leads to great interaction with the master musicians he rounds up. 9 (JC)
THE EASTSIDE SINFONIETTA Don’t Be Afraid (True Classic) For lovers of Kurt Weill, Bertolt Brecht and Hanns Eisler. From a long “Surabaya Johnny” to a snippet, “Hollywood.” Vocalist Weba Garretson guests. 9 (LD)
ALBERT KING Talking Blues (Thirsty Ear/Outside) Great live renditions of his classics taken from a ’78 concert, but it’s the three interviews included here that make this essential. 9 (JC)
STARLIGHT MINTS Built on Squares (Pias/Select) Clever, colourful chamber pop from Oklahoma that favours the thoughtful over the maudlin. 8 (RB)
MANU DIBANGO “Soul Fiesta” 12” (Versatile) The big man gets the Château Flight treatment. Also features the original mix. 7 (SC)
PIERSON/PARKER/JANOVITZ Lost Songs of Lennon & McCartney (Gallery Six) Graham Parker, the B-52’s Kate Pierson, Buffalo Tom’s Bill Janovitz et al. tackle the bottom of the Beatles’ barrel, their giveaways and unrecorded leftovers. 6.5 (LC)
HOT HOT HEAT SCENES One Through Thirteen (Ohev) The Victoria band’s shouty arcade punk from the pre-fame years. Not recommended for fans of Hot Hot Heat. 6 (LC)
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