SOFT CANYON
Broken Spirit, I Will Mend Your Wings (Alien8)
Easily one of the most anticipated Canadian indie records this year, Montreal's Soft Canyon more than meet expectations. With two ex-Local Rabbits, two ex-Tricky Woo members and a new guy, the songs cover the tracks of past associations and forge new roads with epic dazzlers (check the coda of "Kaleidoscope Mountain"), '60s psych rock ("With My Back to the Sun") and brief, to-the-point power pop gems ("For You"). Andrew Dickson's recognizable croon is as heartfelt as ever but it's the three-part harmonies that really transport these songs. My vote for local record of the year is in. 9/10 (Johnson Cummins)
KISS
KISS Symphony: Alive IV (Sanctuary/EMI)
Plenty of classic FM rockers have gone the symphonic-rock route, but generally to bring undue gravity and substance to their already-excessive oeuvre. Not so KISS! They're just up for more excess! Disc one of this Australian, orchestra-assisted excursion (minus Ace) is kinda weak, especially the ballad-heavy second half ("Beth" etc.), rendered even more annoying by a massive children's choir. Disc two, though, starts big and stays big - goddamn big! - right through to "Rock and Roll All Nite." Big, if not clear - as often as not, matters slide into a morass of incoherent, cacophonous bombast. But who are the mighty masters of bombast? KISS, damn you! KISS! 7.5/10 (Rupert Bottenberg)
JANE'S ADDICTION
Strays (Capitol/EMI)
After a 10-year hiatus, the Addiction is back and still having fun. With its original line-up, their kinetic energy is still there, and they haven't tampered with their signature sound of shameless, reckless rock 'n' roll - guitar work care of Dave Navarro, Perry Farrell's spacey vocals and their furious rhythm section. "True Nature" opens up Strays and takes no prisoners, while songs like "Hypersonic" and "Superhero" remind you what made these guys stand out in the first place. Nice to know some bands don't change. 8/10 (Lateef Martin)
ROCKETS RED GLARE
Moonlight Desires (Blue Skies Turn Black)
RRG play some angular post-rock that, though downright quirky, can also pack in shining moments where they manage to get pretty damn catchy. The Albini-esque production of Jeff McMurrich adds some sonic complexity that gives the band's sound all the elbow room it needs. What this trio really excels at is holding down hypnotic grooves, albeit in strange time signatures, while chiming guitar arpeggios take centre stage and vocals provide the dynamic push. With a sound more akin to Slint, Phleg Camp and Gang of Four, RRG really do the mathy thing well without noodling and pull off the dynamics without stooping to crushing volume. 8.5/10 (Johnson Cummins) CD launch with Picastro and the Abjects at Casa del Popolo, Sat., Aug. 2, 9pm
EUROPA 51
Abstractions (Lo/Fusion III)
In the mini meantime between Stereolab releases, here's a wee side project to satiate the diehards. Along with members of the High Llamas, Europa 51 features the 'lab's Andy Ramsay, ex-bassist Simon Johns and the late Mary Hansen, whose distinctive la-la-la's and other vocal play brighten up about half the songs. The sounds range from bubbly hayride ditties to slight rustic tunes, from straight up, vibes-on Stereolab-alikes to lonelyheart jazz. And for extra incentive to buy and not "acquire," the disc features a half-hour film scored by Europa 51 and a music video to boot. 7.5/10 (Lorraine Carpenter)
WE RAGAZZI
The Ache (Self-starter Foundation)
Lovelorn despair and sexual frustration well up in this Chicago band's lyrics, skewered grooves and tense rhythms, a well-executed conspiracy of indie rock and funk-dipped pop. Minimal despite its wall-to-wall drums and interwoven guitar and piano lines, this sophomore disc shows We Ragazzi up as a unique and engaging entity. Too bad, then, that singer Tony Rolando invests so much energy in loathsome vocal gymnastics that make Billy Corgan sound like a crooner. Then again, maybe wanting to murder the guy is part of the record's peculiar appeal. 7.5/10 (Lorraine Carpenter) With Minus the Bear and Pony Up at Petit Campus, Wed., Aug. 6, 10:30pm, $5
KING GEEDORAH
Take Me to Your Leader (Big Dada/Outside)
King Geeedorah (aka MF Doom) has been making the some of the most decidedly raw, yet ultimately slept-on, hip hop since the days of his first group KMD. Both an MC and producer, KG embodies simple DIY ethics, employing jagged, unsequenced drums and muddy samples from Godzilla movies while rapping in his signature drawl. Take Me to Your Leader is surprisingly his first venture with Ninja Tune, a label that could've helped him get to many more people over his 10+ year career. This record is classic Doom, pretending to be a three-headed monster from outer space and getting open. Guests include Gigan, Jet-Jaguar and Rodan. A step in the left direction. 8/10 (Scott C)
KEITH MURRAY
He's Keith Murray (Def Jam/Universal)
Oh, man. I always liked Keith Murray's slightly hoarse delivery and his simple gobbledygook-laden rhymes and hooks. He even got lucky a few times with beats from friends like Erick Sermon and Redman on a track or two. Here, even those guys can't help Keith from drowning in middle-of-the-road tracks that sound everything from unfinished to rushed. Comedian Jamie Foxx puts a cherry on top with some of the worst regurgitated skits that you've ever heard. Just another reminder that "You're all in the mustard and can't ketchup/I wreck up like a tech up so go get a check up." 5/10 (Scott C)
SOLOMON & SOCALLED
Hiphopkhasene (Piranha/Fusion III)
Local polymath Socalled has been perfecting his strange combination of hip hop and klezmer for several years now, and in this, a collaboration with U.K. DJ and violinist Solomon, it's reached a pretty amazing culmination. Following the structure of a khasene, an East European wedding, the two disassemble and reconstruct Jewish music by means both audacious and hilarious. Featuring appearances by all-stars David Krakauer Michael Alpert (on the mic!), and Frank London, this is an oddly brilliant mutation of Jewish music. 9/10 (Mark Slutsky)
BARBARA MORGENSTERN
Nichts Muss (Monika 33)
Four men sitting in a meadow, English, Spanish, French and German, are suddenly distracted by a large, colourful butterfly. "What a beautiful creature, and what a curious name - butterfly," muses the Englishman. The Spaniard remarks, "In my native language, the word is more beautiful - mariposa." All agreed it was lovely. "Ah, but we French have an even more beautiful word for this creature," says the Frenchman. "Papillon." The men repeat the word and agree that it's very lovely indeed. "Ach," interjects the German, "but ze verd is most beautiful of all in my native tongue - Schmetterling!" Somehow Barbara Morgenstern takes one of the harshest languages on Earth and melds it with samples of gentle guitar and piano for a light and airy symphony of downtempo German vocal pop. Think Pole meets Massive Attack (Stephan Betke in fact, co-produced the album). 7/10 (Raf Katigbak)
8DOOGYMOTO
Minimalistico (Soundslike)
For someone who wrote a manifesto calling on music producers to create innovative and original music, the latest offering on Herbert's label never really strays from the light vocal house of his Bodily Functions album. In fact, the only real difference as far as I can tell is that the German duo known as 8doogymoto replaced Dani Siciliano's voice with a Japanese girl who, when singing in English, gets pretty damn annoying. That said, it is still a rather smooth and well-produced album that makes decent dishwashing music. If innovation is the last on your list of criteria for music, you might do well to check it out. 6.5/10 (Raf Katigbak)
MYA
Moodring (Universal)
While Beyoncé and Ashanti duke it out on the charts, Mya sneaks into the ring and delivers the musical equivalent of a sucker punch. Leading the fight is first single "My Love Is Live… Wo," a sexual declaration of independence, and one of many fun moments on this set that includes the breezy and decidedly more vulnerable "Fallen" and the in-the-pocket groove of "Sophisticated Lady" (which samples liberally from Rick James' "Cold-blooded"). Elsewhere, the club-friendly "Whatever Bitch" is delicious high camp and plays in stark contrast to the real-life drama on "Late." A musically diverse set, Moodring is proof-positive that Mya came to win. 8/10 (Gerard Dee)
BILLIE HOLIDAY
At Storyville (1201 Music)
CARMEN MCRAE
Bittersweet (Koch Jazz/Koch)
Two superb vocal outings that belong in any collection of jazz vocals. George Wein owned the Boston club that these air checks by Holiday from 1951 and '53 come from. In '54 he put together the Newport Jazz Festival, a first for North America, and it was there that I first heard Lady Day live. My first live encounter with Carmen was a Montreal Jazz Festival appearance in '63 at Loews Theatre - about a year before this studio recording was done for jazz DJ Mort Fega's FM label. Stan Getz guests Holiday's record on three items from '51, and "Billie's Blues" and "Miss Brown to You" are among the baker's dozen heard here. McRae, a close friend of Billie's, is joined by a quartet that includes Norman Simmons and Mundell Lowe. These include "Ghost of Yesterday," a Holiday favourite, as well as "Come Sunday," "The Meaning of the Blues" and Simmons' "If You Could Love Me." Prepare to be moved! Both 9.5/10 (Len Dobbin)
Mini CD Reviews
MALEFACTION Where There Is Power There Is Always Resistance (G7 Welcoming Committee) Like reading Noam Chomsky on cheap biker crank. Malefaction's extreme thrash is positively seething. 9 (JC)
SLIM GAILLARD Laughing in Rhythm (Proper Box) 102 delightful tracks by the clown prince, spanning 15 years beginning in 1937. Both "Dunkin' Bagel" and "Matzoh Balls" are here. 8.5 (LD)
VARIOUS !K7150 (!K7/Fusion III) Celebrating 150 releases of quality club music since '96, including the outstanding DJ Kicks series, !K7 round up their finest for two CDs and a DVD (check Tosca's "Honey" - oof!). 8.5 (RB)
THE SICK LIPSTICK Sting, Sting, Sting (Tigerstyle) A bittersweet Black Cat #13 spin-off that yelps and hammers like a puke-drenched union of Les Georges and Le Tigre. My ears! 8 (LC)
BOY self-titled (Bumstead) This Whitehorse refugee's bio implies that if it comes from frozen isolation, it must have artistic integrity (not just a few warped Beatles and Blur records). 6.5 (LC)
CLIENT Price of Love (Mute) Would whoever is hitting the snooze button on mediocre electro-pop please stop. It's wake-up time! 5 (RK)
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