MUSIC REVIEWS
by MIRROR MUSIC
May 5, 2011
ALBUM OF THE WEEK
BEASTIE BOYS
Hot Sauce Committee Part Two
(Capitol/EMI)
Two years ago, MCA’s bout with throat cancer threatened to retroactively make 2004’s underwhelming To the 5 Boroughs the Beasties’ last rap album. Not so! They’re back with the best bits—the fat, squelching funk, random robotix, revisionist hardcore and erudite yet absurdist rhymes. The album’s tilted toward battle MC braggadocio (note the aggro “Too Many Rappers,” with Nas), referencing their many stages while making light of their advancing ages—“Grandpa been rappin’ since ’83,” Adrock sneers on that tune. The stodgy rap-metal of “Say It” is the only sore point, while the finest moment is the shady reggae jam “Don’t Play No Game That I Can’t Win,” showcasing the ever-awesome Santigold. 9/10 Trial Track: “Nonstop Disco Powerpack” (Rupert Bottenberg)
KRISTA MUIR
Between Atoms
(Hypo)
The local singer-songwriter once known as Lederhosen Lucil compounds her characteristically playful pop melodies with folk on this new, self-produced record. There are familiar echoes of yesterday’s still-swingin’ electro-pop dance party, but on the majority of tracks, she weaves her arrangements of vintage keys, ukulele, piano, percussion and samples into more thoughtful, textured pieces that are just as alluring, if not more so. 7.5/10 Trial Track: “Moderato” (Lorraine Carpenter) At Divan Orange, Wed., May 11, 10 p.m.
SCIENCE FICTION
Wedding
(Doug & Pete)
The Darling DeMaes’ Erik Virtanen strikes again, delivering a set of refined folk/pop tunes, some of them quivering with vulnerability and dreamy textures, others charging forward with raucous energy and still others grooving and twisting like there’s a rock ’n’ roll sock-hop on. The album was recorded at Montreal’s Mountain City, mixed at a Beach Boys-affiliated L.A. studio and mastered by Harris Newman, a trifecta of sonic perfection. 8/10 Trial Track: “Wild Rose Country” (Lorraine Carpenter)
THE BLUE SEEDS
Belt of Venus
(L-Abe/Select)
If their 2008 eponymous debut was about establishing the right atmosphere, Belt of Venus finds the Americana-influenced locals more at ease writing straightforward pieces within their well-defined murky haze. The guitars are still drenched in reverb and Amelie Laflamme’s sultry, jazzy vocals border on otherworldly, so the mood remains sombre, but with greater confidence the septet can’t help but rock with brighter tones. 6.5/10 Trial Track: “Voices” (Erik Leijon)
THE TREWS
Hope & Ruin
(Bumstead/ Universal)
A Nova Scotian quartet cut in the inoffensive CHOM mold, the Trews have been providing the musical accompaniment to Saturday-night hockey highlight montages for years. And while clean FM radio pop rock is universal, there’s something tragically Canadian about how lovingly bland they are. Admittedly, the uplifting title track is a heartfelt jingle destined to become a pub cover band staple. 4/10 Trial Track: “Hope & Ruin” (Erik Leijon)
EXPLOSIONS IN THE SKY
Take Care, Take Care, Take Care
(Temporary Residence)
Instrumental post-rock has definitely shown growing pains lately as it becomes too easy for bands to fall into the familiar. This new one from one of the genre leaders continues with their ten-sion-and-release and crawling crescendos, but they fumble at sustaining their excitement, with many moments overstaying their welcome. This being their fifth effort, it unfortunately sounds like these Texans may finally be running on fumes. 7/10 Trial Track: “Postcard from 1952” (Johnson Cummins)
LITURGY
Aesthethica
(Thrill Jockey)
Now that hipsters have burrowed into the murky world of black metal thanks to welcome mats like Krallice and Wolves and the Throne Room, Liturgy arrives as yet another black metal band that should anger the “kvlt” purists. These Brooklynites can blast with the best of them but steer clear of mere Darkthrone and Burzum pandering, with loops and cascading melodies that have more to do with Steve Reich’s phase work than Watain. If you are wondering just how far out black metal can go, this is a great place to start. 9/10 Trial Track: “Returner” (Johnson Cummins)
OG HINDU KUSH
In 3D
(independent)
Whether “joyriding the metro” or making off with Sir Richard Branson’s private space shuttle, Montreal MC Loe Pesci and his Ottawa counterpart, Osa, poise themselves and their cities to jump as high off the map as the mountain range that inspires the name. The product—16 fully realized tracks, cohesively arranged in the tradition of some of hip hop’s strongest albums—is among the highest grade the local scene has ever known, and comes packaged for the music fan who knows sleeve art and liner notes still matter as much as dope sounds and ideas. 9/10 Trial Track: “Zee Me Later” ft. I.Blast (Darcy MacDonald)
ART CONS
Articulate Conception
(independent)
Put the BPMs, time signatures, rap verses and catchy hooks of their debut LP aside, and it makes sense to consider this local hip hop outfit a punk rock band in spirit. Aggression without arrogance, politics without preaching, and social criticism without armchair punditry distinguish the group from the gaggle of rappers still out there today talking loud and saying nothing. The only cons happening here are concept, content and contribution, all of which cement Art Cons as a part of the solution to problems most find it easier to ignore. 8/10 Trial Track: “Waking Life” (Darcy MacDonald)
MAGA BO
Ransom EP
(Senseless)
Globetrotting Maga Bo stopped off in Ethiopia a couple years back to record some traditional Azmari music. The one-stringed masinqo and energetic singing emblematic of this unique music style are showcased in a way that demonstrates just how well the pentatonic mode matches with the beats and pieces of contemporary electronic music. The EP also enlists the remixing skills of a whole heap of innovative folks, from Filistine to Time Blind, who’ve given Ransom a pile of equally unique treatments. 9/10 Trial Track: “Gondar” (Erin MacLeod)
FREDDIE JACKSON
For You
(E1)
Back in the day, Jackson was second only to Luther Vandross as the premium soul vocalist specializing in sophisticated love jams. But even more so than Luther, Jackson’s material rarely strayed from the slow jam model, and his first album since 2006’s Transitions finds him stubbornly unchanged. Perhaps good news for longtime fans, but unlikely to broaden his appeal. 7.5/10 Trial Track: “A Little Taste” (Gerard Dee)
AMM
Uncovered Correspondence
(Matchless)
Possessing unmatched force capable of continental reshaping, glaciers imperceptibly drift through time and shift in shape. Much like AMM, whose fluid membership has been sculpting raw noise topographies since 1965. Operating here as a duo, percussionist Eddie Prévost bows and occasionally strikes metal, creating resonating timbres that shine, grate and pulsate, the abrasive canvas upon which John Tilbury sprinkles his sparse piano clusters and gamelan-like preparations. Understated elegance and attention to detail requires and rewards concentrated listening. 8.5/10 Trial Track: “Paragraph One” (Lawrence Joseph)
MINI REVIEWS
ETANA Free Expressions (VP) Etana connects roots with soul and R&B on a wide-ranging album that should gain an audience beyond that of hardcore reggae heads. 8 (EM)
ZOMBI Escape Velocity (Relapse) Pittsburgh’s potent pair of proggers favour a fun feel over spookiness and space rock this time around. 8 (RB)
CHAIN AND THE GANG Music’s Not For Everyone (K) Swagger, swagger, swagger. 7.5 (RB)
THE DAGONS Upon the Dull Earth (Dead Sea Captain) With girly vocals, ghoulish riffage, garish reverb and guest sitar, this is a budget gothabilly throwback steeped in psychedelia. 6 (LC)
JAMIE WOON Mirrorwriting (Polydor/Universal) A tepid entry in the U.K.’s emerging sensitive-singer-with-a-dubstep-background movement. A cool name for the movement still pending. 6 (EL)
SILVERSTEIN Rescue (Hopeless/Universal) Still screamo-ing five albums in. Incrementally becoming more interesting musically. 5 (EL)
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