MUSIC REVIEWS
by MIRROR MUSIC
February 3, 2011
ALBUM OF THE WEEK
LIA ICES
Grown Unknown
(Jagjaguwar)
This exquisite exercise in folk balladry pairs echoes of the past (young Joni Mitchell) with present-day flair (mid-song shifts, bold strings and percussion) to produce a melodic, melancholy set of songs that reels you in and leaves you blissfully dangling. Particularly in its first half, this Brooklynite’s sophomore LP is pitch-perfect, showcasing the graceful power of her voice, swaddled in reverb, gently backed by drums, piano, guitar, organ and, on “Daphne,” Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon. 8.5/10 Trial Track: “Grown Unknown” (Lorraine Carpenter)
IRON AND WINEKiss Each Other Clean
(Warner)
Iron and Wine’s Sam Beam compared this record to “early-to-mid-’70s radio-friendly music,” and aside from a few light dustings of Afrobeat, funk, prog and jazz, it is just that. Beam’s shift to soft rock—from the back-porch folk and leftfield pastoral pop of previous albums—just happened to coincide with his major label debut. As long as Warner’s still got some payola cash, rock-radio programmers may soon be feeling nostalgic. 5/10 Trial Track: “Tree by the River” (Lorraine Carpenter)
THE JIMMYRIGGERS
I Stand in the Weeds
(independent)
Local roots-fueled power poppers the Jimmyriggers may let out the Roger McGuinn twang and Tom Petty croon, but thankfully leave just enough dirt in there to keep them from loitering in the MOR. Chief songwriters Andre Kirchhoff and David Pearce play off each other with friendly competitiveness, and show a shared love for ’60s garage and ’80s paisley underground. Great stuff indeed, with extra points for the crisp production work of local knob-twiddler Mark Goodwin. 7.5/10 Trial Track: “Modern Warfare” (Johnson Cummins) CD launch with Just B-Sides at Petit Campus, Tues., Feb. 8, 8 p.m.
YOUNG PRISMSFriends for Now
(Kanine)
Drench with guitar fuzz, drop the tempo to a crawl and declare yourself shoegaze all you want, but the need to surreptitiously slip some identifiable melodies and coherent structure into the droning mix remains lest you want to drown in your own feedback. This San Francisco quintet sounds content mucking in the middle—never the sonic onslaught but usually tangled in haze. 7/10 Trial Track: “Feel Fine” (Erik Leijon) With the Radio Dept. at Petit Campus, Sat. Feb. 5, 7 p.m., $21.70
HELLO BELLAEchoes of the Atmosphere
(DNA Music)
A very calculated attempt at an all-pleasing, modern dance-pop rocker—credit must be given to the Southern Ontarians for using the right measurements. Booming frontwoman Stephanie Poort oozes appeal, belting out catchy feel-good anthems powered by recognizable chords and keyboard sounds. In no way transcendent, although affectionately transparent, it’s a highly polished debut from upstarts that warrants some mainstream appreciation. 6/10 Trial Track: “Following a Sound” (Erik Leijon)
CAROLINEVerdugo Hills
(Temporary Residence)
Japan’s Caroline Lufkin famously chose artistic freedom over J-pop stardom, the domain of her older sister Olivia. After attending Boston’s Berklee School of Music, Caroline released Murmurs (2006) and joined Mice Parade. Her sophomore LP is built on a slow electronic pulse and little-girl vocals, dotted with music box percussion and dramatic strings. The palette is compelling, some of the strokes are charming, but the big picture could use more colour. 7/10 Trial Track: “Snow” (Lorraine Carpenter)
LIL B
Angels Exodus
(Amalgam Digital)
The zombie-blasting NorCal rapper is the type of prolific nu-media artist whose portfolio is so bloated, it can seem impenetrable to those not already hanging on every verse. Lil B is not a natural hit-maker, but the production work is impeccable, he uploads a new music video every other day and his dark, absurd, self-described “connect the dots” lyrics paint an interesting picture more often than not. 8/10 Trial Track: “Motivation” (Erik Leijon)
BUCK 6520 Odd Years
(Warner)
Canada’s favourite hip hop weirdo reckoned it was time to commemorate two decades or so of his musings and music, releasing three free EPs last year and now packaging selections from each with newer material. Combining the strongest elements of his somewhat indulgent, melodic avant-gardism with the rawer boom-bap of his earlier work, Buck’s career hits its 20s on a high note that will please fans without needlessly perplexing them. 8/10 Trial Track: “Whispers of the Waves” ft. Gord Downie (Darcy MacDonald)
TALIB KWELIGutter Rainbows
(Blacksmith)
Despite the relative longevity of his career, Talib Kweli seems closer to the limelight with every release. Following last year’s reunion with DJ Hi-Tek for a Reflection Eternal sophomore, Kweli remains consistent here, engaging a large and diverse team of producers, an MO that cemented his last solo outing, Eardrum, as his finest to date. Kweli continues to evolve in a craft which many of his influences, peers and protégés have either settled into or given up on. 8/10 Trial Track: “So Low” (Darcy MacDonald)
CHRISETTE MICHELELet Freedom Reign
(Island Def Jam)
On her third album, Michele adds socially charged material, like the bold title track, to her established repertoire of dramatic introspection (“I Know Nothing”) and no-nonsense romantic declarations (“Goodbye Game”). Elsewhere, she makes a clever argument for living your best life (“I’m Your Life”), and draws a musically astute comparison to a tree falling alone in a forest on “If Nobody Sang Along.” 9/10 Trial Track: “Unsaid” (Gerard Dee)
VARIOUS
Those Shocking, Shaking Days: Indonesian Hard, Psychedelic, Progressive Rock and Funk: 1970–1978
(Now-Again)
With Canuck Jason “Moss” Connoy and Indonesia’s Chandra Drews, Egon Alapatt has dug through the crates to compile and annotate an album that will please anyone who has even a bit of love for Zeppelin, Hendrix and/or James Brown. From the wailing vocals of “Haai” by Panbers to the surf guitar riffs of “Pantun Lama” by Murry, this is east meets west (and vice versa) in the best of ways. 9/10 Trial Track: “Candle Light” Benny Soebardja and Lizard (Erin MacLeod)
MILES DAVIS
Perfect Way: The Miles Davis Anthology—The Warner Bros Years
(Warner)
A small, uneven but well selected fraction of the thin Warner years. Davis’s move from Columbia to Warner netted seven figures but surrendered future publishing income, explaining why few of his own tunes appear here. Late-period Davis left much of the musical chores to others. The first CD is largely arranged and played by Marcus Miller, and the second is live material with the likes of Quincy Jones and Michel Legrand. Amongst the funk, dub and rock fusion are five previously unreleased tracks for the completist. 6/10 Trial Track: “Murder” (Lawrence Joseph)
MINI REVIEWS
KATY B FT. MS DYNAMITE “Lights On” 12” (Rinse) If you’re not yet aware, the youthful funky diva vocals of Ms. Katy B are the future of UK dance music: from dubstep to funky and beyond. 9 (EM)
THE VASTS Elegy EP (independent) A diverse four-track sampler, locals the Vasts are big enough to fill your orchestral pop void. 7.5 (EL)
ENJOY YOUR PUMAS Commonality (independent) Though overlong and slightly samey, this Winnipeg band starts strong, striking somewhere between You Say Party! and Land of Talk. 7 (LC)
SHOOTER JENNINGS & HIEROPHANT Black Ribbons (Bullet Version) (Black Country Rock/429) The heavily abbreviated version of Jennings’ far-out psychedelic hard rock detour from 2010. Gone are Stephen King’s spoken word interludes. 5 (EL)
HELIX Smash Hits… Unplugged! (EMI) If you really need to hear an acoustic version of “Rock You” by a bunch of old rocker hacks, it’s time to start asking yourself some serious, serious questions. 3 (JC)
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