The Spill Magazine Online



CD Reviews A-E \| F-J \| K-O \| P-T \| U-Z Reviews F-J F ----------------------------------------------------------- Faces on Film - Seven Sisters The Fades - Self Titled The Fallout - Dismantlement Faunts - High Expectations/Low Results Favourite Sons - Down Beside Your Beauty Feathermerchants - Last Man on Earth 5th Projekt - Circadian Fighting Instinct - Self-titled Film School - Film School Finger Eleven - Them vs. You vs. Me First Time Fallen - Your Vietnam The Flaming Lips - At War with the Mystics Flashlight Brown - Blue The Flatliners - The Great Awake The Flesh - Firetower Forty Birds - Shotgun Therapy Forward, Russia! - Give Me A Wall The Foundry Field Recordings - Prompts/Miscues The Foxymorons - Hesitation Eyes Fox Jaws - Goodbye Doris The Frames - The Cost Fred J Eaglesmith - Milly's Cafe Free Diamonds - By the Sword Frog Eyes - Tears of the Valedictorian The Fucking Machines - Stole My Quarter Future Native - The Politics of Love G ----------------------------------------------------------- Gabby Glaser - Gimme Splash The Gallows - Orchestra of Wolves Gang Gang Dance - Rawwar Gang Gang Dance - Retina Riddim Gary Flanagan - Rhapsody in Black Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly. - The Chronicles of a Bohemian Teenager Get Set Go - Selling Out & Going Home Ghost House - Departures Ghost Stories - Quixoticism Girl Nobody - Balaclava Casino Heista Gnarls Barkley - The Odd Couple God Made Me Funky - We Can All Be Free Gomez - How We Operate The Good, The Bad and the Queen Gorgeous Frankenstein - Gorgeous Frankenstein The Gotan Project - Lunatico The Graboids - Infinite Delay Graham Coxon - Love Travels at Illegal Speeds Grand National - A Drink & A Quick Decision Graig Markel - Via Novella The Great Outdoors - Food, Booze, and Entertinment Great Aunt Ida Green Milk from the Planet Orange - You Take Me to the World Guided by Voices' Bee Thousand - 33 1/3 H ----------------------------------------------------------- Ha Ha Tonka - Buckle in the Bible Belt Hallo Spaceboy: The Rebirth of David Bowie Hamell - Songs for Parents Who Enjoy Drugs Hank III - Straight to Hell Harlem Shakes - Burning Birthdays Harmonica - Miaow Miaow Bark! EP Harry Manx - In Good We Trust HB Surround Sound - Mad World Hella - There’s No 666 in Outer Space High John - EP The High Strung - Get the Guests The High Violets - To Where You Are The Higher - On Fire HIM - Dark Light Hinterland - Pan Pan Medico Hinterland - The Picture Plane The Hoa Hoas - Flower Flowers Ho-Ag - The Word from Pluto Holy Fuck - Holy Fuck Holy Fuck - LP Hopewell - Not Birds The Horrors - EP Hostage Life - Walking Papers Hot Chip - The Warning Hot Hot Heat - Happiness Ltd. I ----------------------------------------------------------- The Icarus Line - Black Presents If All Else Fails - Do Not Forget to be Angry Ilad - National Flags iLiKETRAiNS - ProgressReform I Love You But I've Chosen Darkness - Fear is on Our Side IllScarlett - Clearly in Another Fine Mess Interpol - Our Love to Admire Iron and Wine - The Shepherd’s Dog Iron Maiden - A Matter of Life and Death J ----------------------------------------------------------- The Jaguar Club - Ceci n’est pas le Club de Jaguar Jamie T - Panic Prevention The Jealous Girlfriends - The Jealous Girlfriends Jeff Martin - Exile and the Kingdom Jen Militia - Berlin Boot Camp Jenn Grant Jerry Leger and the Situation - Farewell Ghost Town Jesse Malin - Glitter in the Gutter Jesu - Silver Jets Overhead - Bridges J.F. Robitaille - The Blood In My Body EP Jill Cunniff - City Beach Jim Bryson - Where the Bungalows Roam Joe Bonomo - Sweat: The Story of the Fleshtones, America’s Garage Band Joe Harvard - The Velvet Underground and Nico* Joe Henry - Civilians Joel Plaskett Emergency - Ashtray Rock John Hammond - Push Comes To Shove John Tucker Must Die - OST John Wort Hannam - Two Bit Suit Johnny Fiasco - Nectar Vol. 2 Joseph Israel - Gone Are the Days Jose Gonzalez - In Our Nature Jose Gonzalez - Veneer Joseph Arthur & the Lonely Astronauts - Let’s Just Be Joss Stone - Introducing Joss Stone Judah Johnson - Be Where I Be Jukebox The Ghost - Jukebox The Ghost ___________________________________________________ Faces on Film Seven Sisters Sunny Lane Records Boston’s reputation as a place for innovative, experimental new music has just been reinforced by Faces on Film’s debut EP, Seven Sisters. Clocking in at just under a half hour, the five tracks of the album offer a solid sample of FOF’s musical style. Fronted by vocalist and guitarist Mike Fiore, and accompanied by Dave Hinckley on bass, Ted Gallagher on guitar, and Peter Schaefer on drums, FOF produce a form of music somewhere between the Pixies and Modest Mouse. Comparisons to Modest Mouse are particularly applicable to Fiore’s vocal style; over the five tracks he grunts, shouts, and mumbles his way over FOF’s plodding rhythms and eerie background harmonies, panting into silence before spastically roaring back to a spike of full energy. While not exactly music that can be characterized as radio friendly, FOF nonetheless bring a harder edge to the contemporary Boston rock-scene sound as exemplified by bands such as Night Rally and the Clickers. Stand-out tracks from the album include “Makers of Medicine” and “Beginners,” both of which can be heard on the band’s website at www.facesonfilm.com. And on a peripheral note, if the music doesn’t sound as if it appeals to you, then the artwork at least should definitely be seen. Produced by Boston area artist and Helms musician Dan McCarthy, his album covers and online posters offer a fresh, pop-art inspired feel and can be seen at www.danmccarthy.org -James Sandham back to top The Fades Self Titled Dirrty Records London-based do-it-yourselfers The Fades claim to be inspired by the spirit of grunge, but their eponymous-titled debut album places them squarely in the Reagan-era LA punk scene that gave birth to X and later, the tight riffs of early Motley Crue. Indeed, this is where the problem lies with this ten-song, thirty minute, blast of pop-punk energy; they haven’t found their footing yet. Uneven to say the least, the album skips back and forth between reasonable approximations of Velvet Revolver outtakes like “Buzzin” and “CaCa” and (how’s this for a segue?) caca like the dippity-do pop-punk of “Music is Killing Me”, in which lead singer Dave Lightfoot croons “This scene is over / Is over now.” Yes, we’ve gathered that, so why are you still singing about it? Still, for every similar track to (shiver) Andrew WK or Blink 182, The Fades does have its moments, sometimes recalling Cooper Temple Clause and garage-rockers Kings of Leon in a comparatively favourable light. www.dirrtyrecords.com - John Tracey back to top The Fallout Dismantlement Insurgence Records Toronto-based punk group the Fallout are three guys who play about the same number of chords, according to their label’s website, the only place it seems you can find any info on these guys (the news on their own website, www.thefallout.ca, looks like it hasn’t been updated since early last year). On Dismantlement, the band’s third LP but first release on Insurgence Records, they do good things with these three chords. It’s simple, straightforward punk that reminds you of the genre’s good old days - of bands like the DOA, the Clash and Stiff Little Fingers. It’s got a touch of hardcore thrown in, but none of the pretentious attitude. They even sing about stuff like community radio. This is straight dope without any of the hyped up packaging. But I guess that’s the sound that comes with years of unrecognized toil in the punk trenches. - James Sandham back to top Faunts High Expectations/Low Results Friendly Fire Recordings High Expectations/Low Results is the debut CD from Edmonton’s atmospherock quartet Faunts. The title is also probably one of the best descriptions of the CD. Having shared the stage in the past with current buzz bands like Broken Social Scene, Stars, and Do Make Say Think, there certainly are great expectations surrounding Faunts; but this album of fuzzing, droning soundscapes makes you wonder why. Perhaps that’s a biased assessment. Too much buzz can be just as detrimental as helpful to a band. A more articulate – if no less biased – descriptions of Faunts’ work is provided with their press info, and this too seems to accurately sum up their sound: “Their remarkably assured debut album weaves together shimmering walls of pink noise with dreamy, languorous guitar, gently treated vocals, and swimmingly beautiful melodies”… and there you have it. This is take-off music for your trip to the astral plane… the soundtrack to “Memories of Places We’ve Never Been,” to quote the group’s second song title. So strap on the headphones, tune in, turn on, and drop out. www.faunts.com -James Sandham back to top Favourite Sons Down Beside Your Beauty Vice Records Brooklyn’s Favourite Sons may have made one of the most earnest rock albums of the year in Down Beside Your Beauty, crafting anthemic torch-burners and heavy jangle-pop gems schooled at the DeVry Institute of Echo & the Bunnymen. Like sometime tour-mates The Stills, Dublin-born Ken Griffin and co are not afraid to wear their (heart-wrenching) emotions on their sleeve. And hailing from that most hip of NYC’s boroughs, that’s no small feat. Griffin, ex-singer and songwriter from ‘90s art rockers Rollerskate Skinny, veers perilously close to Strokes-ian mimicry (see the fate of fellow New Yorkers Elefant) with his too-cool-for-school Julian Casablancas delivery in opening track “When You’re Away From Me”; luckily the song itself is strong enough to weather the “So 2002!” comparisons the vocals will no doubt receive. Most of the other tracks fare better: “Hang On, Girl” is a thundering ode to loneliness, while “No One Ever Dies Young” lifts Joy Division’s “Dead Souls” riff and builds from there. “Tear the Room Apart” could be a cover of the Magnetic Fields, minus the electro-wizardry, and the loping country-ballad “Pistols & Girls” is a perfect sing-along to end off a night at your local pub. It’s not without its pitfalls, however. Duds like title track “Down Beside Your Beauty” and the belaboured “Walking Here” could have been culled from The Tea Party’s back catalogue (a harsh assessment, I know, but fair). All in all, though, a solid effort worth picking up. www.favouritesons.com www.vicerecords.com - John Tracey back to top Feathermerchants Last Man On Earth Innocent 12TH Street. Records Last Man on Earth, the new disc by New York City’s Feathermerchants, can best be described as haunting and beautiful. The five piece group, led by Shannon Kennedy’s calm, mellow vocals, has garnered quite a following since their first underground hit CD, Unarmed Against the Dark. And it’s not just the band’s loyal fans that have provided the biggest support. You know you’re on your way when major mags like People and Cosmopolitan, as well as various music publications, have taken notice of what you have to offer. Although often compared to the likes of Sarah McLachlan, and even Cowboy Junkies, they still manage to convey a style that‘s uniquely their own. If you’ve had a long day, and you just want to kick back and relax, tune in and lose yourself in the soft, dreamy expressions of Last Man on Earth. The variety of melodies that run through the songs, such as the jazzy feel of “Change My Night,” the cowbells on “Hitchcock Blonde” (you got to love that name!), to the heartbeat-like drumming on “Hollow” demonstrates the band’s willingness to flirt with a range of sounds, making for a rich, and well textured album. Other stand-out chants include, the title track, which starts off moody before pulsating into an upbeat tempo, and the gorgeous “Head to the Here and Now” which made me keep going back to the rewind button. A cover of the Church’s “Under the Milky Way” also made its way into this fine collection, and honorable mentions go to the curiously named “Bindy.” When you listen to Feathermerchants, you will feel like you are in a very pleasant dream – a dream you will not want to awaken from, at least not for a while. www.feathermerchants.com Charmaine Merchant back to top 5th Projekt Circadian Organik Rekords After earning a nomination for best folk Singer/Songwriter at the 2003 International Independent Music Awards for her solo album “Face,” Tara Rice is back, and this time as front woman for her latest endeavor, 5TH Project. Since commanding attention with their 2004 EP “DEMOn001”, they’ve been featured in Canadian Musician Magazine, invited to last year’s NXNE Music Festival, and designated Independent Artist of the Week on the CBC Radio program Definitely Not the Opera. If this is any indication as to where the band is headed, then their breathtaking debut AirCadian, should definitely see them soaring even higher. Exploring themes of cycles and the human connection with nature is what this disc, which is divided into the cycle of the seasons, is all about. From the dreamy opening first track “In a Coma,” you will be mesmerized by the luscious beauty of Tara Rice’s vocals. Although you could call 5th Project prog rock, the variety in their music is evidence of their refusal to fit neatly into one genre. No two songs are the same, which makes it that much more pleasurable to listen to. “Glockenspiel” employs bells, while staggering drum beats give “Spiders” an edgier sound, and the strangely titled “tToDQ” is an instrumental aria. Another track that must be mentioned is “One to Throw Away,” a dark and powerfully poetic piece about ecosystems. Rice, who also plays guitar, is backed by guitarist and fellow songwriter Skodt D. McNalty, bassist Peter Broadley and drummer Nathan Kaye. I see big things for this band. www.5thprojekt.com www.myspace.com/5thprojekt Charmaine Merchant back to top Fighting Instinct Self-titled EMI From the southland of North Carolina, Fighting Instinct rip onto the international scene with an angry, petulant little debut of a CD. Drawing strong comparisons to Alice in Chains – evident in their opening track, “I Found Forever,” and frontman T.J. Harris’ aesthetics in particular – Fighting Instinct are certainly liable to be dismissed as grunge-era revival. Driving, guitar-heavy songs characterize much of this album. Comparisons to Puddle of Mudd are also particularly apt. Unfortunately for them, they do little to dispel such liabilities. This threesome rarely stray from the tried and true grunge formula, occasionally mixing it up with less familiar, Southern-rock chord patterns, but generally rehashing a decade’s worth of inarticulate angst, anger, and grubby clothing. But just because Pearl Jam’s latest offering was worthwhile doesn’t mean the whole genre needs to be resurrected. On the other hand, if there’s one thing these guys do have going for them, it’s a whole album ready to head straight for the radio. Listen for them on blue-collar rock stations sandwiched between Nickelback cuts. www.fightinginstinct.com -James Sandham back to top Film School Film School Beggars Banquet If this is what I get at Film School, sign me up. Sometimes gloomy sometimes pop, sometimes both. I learned at School that sometimes the best execution is to combine more than one medium to recharge gloomy senses to pop. A sound barrage opens up San Francisco's FS into the second song, another comes in at song seven. The change ups keep a listener's interest, as the soundscapes end at track nine, "Sick of the Shame." Lastly, "Like You Know" lightly takes you away once more. www.beggarsgroupsa.com - Heather Rayment back to top Finger Eleven Them vs. You vs. Me Wind Up Records A&R: Hi Finger Eleven, come on in. Listen guys, I’ve been meaning to talk to you for quite some time. I know “One Thing” made you a lot of money, but let’s be honest it’s not going to last for ever. How would you like to make a lot more money? Finger Eleven: Well sure boss. That’d be swell. A&R: Great. For the new album I’d like you to write about 12 songs of balls-out generic bland Canadian rock. The kind of stuff that is hard enough to get played on The Edge but not so hard that girls won’t want to dance to it. Throw in some falsetto quadruple tracked singing for good measure and don’t forget to keep things forgettable and derivative. Think Creed, Nickelback etc. Finger Eleven: Well what about the lyrics? Should they be original and innovative or at least poetic? A&R: Uh, barf. No way. Try and limit yourself to mundane and clichéd topics. Going to the club, suicidal but not honestly suicidal thoughts, breakups, feeling cornered or alone, “finding yourself”. Oh and try and keep it as colloquial as possible. The kind of stuff you’d say to your friends. Hey its worked wonders for Wyclef Jean right? Finger Eleven: You mean like: “This club will hopefully/Be closed in three weeks/That would be cool with me”? A&R: Fucking perfect. Don’t forget to try and emulate past success by ripping off “One Thing”. Let’s call the song “Window Song” and one more thing fellas… Finger Eleven: What’s that? A&R: Try and make the whole thing sound like Three Days Grace recorded it. www.fingereleven.com - Sam Stilson back to top First Time Fallen Your Vietnam Independent Kill the lights, listen to the newest EP from Toronto’s own First Time Fallen and kick yourself for not listening to this album sooner. Their 2005 release “Your Vietnam” is a follow up to the success of their ’04 release “The Spectacular View From the Ground to the Sky” (Independent) which earned them both radio play and the ever-coveted ‘buzz band’ designation among Toronto’s mainstream gate-keepers. Reminiscent of all the things that made Silverchair and Incubus a solid figure in the world music scene, FTF hold all the key technical elements necessary to make it out of the sea of independent obscurity. Their originality stays noticeably in-tact throughout the album, a feat seldom achieved in this genre. While not lowering the grit and balls to accommodate the mainstream, the sound is strong and unapologetic from start to finish. Indication that the band is very capable of thinking outside the box, FTF has also drawn influence from various samples and synth elements making for a dynamic approach to hard rock that is no doubt going to contribute to their success with a wide range of discriminating genres now embedded in the ‘Rock’ category. Look for more from First time Fallen as they play live shows in Toronto and the GTA all summer long. Forgive yourself for not knowing about this band sooner, go see them live, you’ll be glad you did. www.myspace.com/firstimefallen -Farren Whittaker back to top The Flaming Lips At War With The Mystics Warner Bros. I have this odd feeling that something happens to a band once they sell their souls to hock products for the kind of large corporation that possesses the power to turn the once raw and inspired into fodder for “Sally Housecoat” and her book club cronies. Something has happened to The Flaming Lips – or perhaps something has not happened to The Flaming Lips and this is the problem with their highly anticipated new release At War with the Mystics. Their 2002 album Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots under the production of Dave Fridmann proved that the band’s musical pallate had the ability to expand and explore past the relative chart success of “She Don’t Use Jelly”. But rather prophetically, it seems that Yoshimi may have let the Robots beat the creativity and musical adventourousness of The Flaming Lips. A listen through At War With the Mystics produces the nagging feeling that the band spent the last four years in talks with the Mitsubishi rights clearance department. A quicker listen through “My Cosmic Autumn Rebellion” and “Goin’ On” finds The Flaming Lips struggling to reproduce the ethereal magic that “Do You Realize?” possessed. The first two tracks, “The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song” and “Free Radicals” are simply musically cumbersome and lyrically lazy - the first sounding like a terrible outtake from the lost John Lennon/Frank Zappa sessions and the second just lost. I eternally hoped I would never hear the words “Donald Trump” uttered in any song let alone from this band. As with Yoshimi, At War With The Mystics is chalked full of electronic innuendos and mooged thematic nuances. But unlike Yoshimi, this album sounds like the equivalent of synthesizer syrup poured on a tiny “post-rock” overcooked pancake with the first couple of tracks baring the brunt of the saccharine. The best track on the album is the instrumental, “The Wizard Turns On…” which, to its credit, is more space rock and wah than knobs. Sad to say, it also provides a well needed respite from the majority of inane lyrical content – So go tell Britney and go tell Gwen/She’s not tryin’ to go against all them. The Flaming Lips, please tell me you are fuckin’ kidding? - Jordan Somers back to top Flashlight Brown Blue Union Label Group Toronto-based punk outfit Flashlight Brown do angry, Weezer-inspired high school reject rock and roll. Fuelled by sarcasm and ennui, their end product – in this case, Blue, their sixth release – is a thundering collection of thirteen simple but catchy guitar-driven tracks that thankfully steers clear of taking itself too seriously. Vocals by Fil Bucchino and self-proclaimed “classic nerd” Matt Hughes power this album and provide its distinctive, middle-class punk character. The band’s pop-punk cred is further reinforced by tours with All American Rejects and Sum 41, and a DIY ethos that includes creating their own fictitious booking agency just to score some initial gigs. Solid after school special music with an ironic edge by a group of guys not too proud to admit “there’s nothing sexy about us.” www.myspace.com/flashlightbrown - James Sandham back to top The Flatliners The Great Awake Union Label Group The first thing my girlfriend said when I put this record on was “Oh God, not more of this. Can’t you just turn it off? You already know what it’s going to be like. It’s a cross between NOFX and Hedley.” And she was absolutely right, only I didn’t believer her, and subsequently I’ve lost nearly forty minutes of my life to the Flatliners and their carefully crafted edgy-but-not-too-edgy-for-Much Music punk that I’ll never get back. All things said and done though, the Flatliners do know how make a catchy tune (“Eulogy”, for example) and you can tell these guys are gonna catch on with the angry adolescent set. Roared, anthemic choruses - you can practically feel the spit hitting your face from vocal triple threat Jon Darbey, Chris Cresswell and Scott Brigham. Paul Ramirez rounds things out with a hard-driving percussion section that can’t help but grip you. Songs like “This Respirator” break things down with a bit of a ska influence a la Rancid. They pretty much have the whole punk package down. And it is catchy. So you gotta hand it to them for that. www.theflatliners.com - James Sandham back to top The Flesh Firetower Gern Blandsten Records Being compared to The Pretenders and the Pixies are no easy feats since those are pretty big shoes to fill but Brooklyn/Philly-bred band The Flesh manage to pull it off on their album Firetower. As if sounding like those groups weren’t enough, the foursome have successfully cultivated their own sound and style, giving themselves a bit of an edge. The opening track “The Truant” is a Chrissie Hynde homage since the lead singer Gabriella Zappia manages to capture the sultry, pseudo-manliness of Hynde’s classic vocals. “World To Come” picks up the pace and offers a fine melody comprised of banging drums, electric guitar twangings and harmonious singing talent. “In Paradise” carries a slight Middle Eastern feel while “Compulsion” harbors a sexy dark theme pulling you into its panged lovelorn lyrics. “Justice” makes use of some haunting violins to go with Zappia’s chilling vocals. Her scornful voice mixes well with every song on the record, particularly the bass-thumping saxophone-musings of “Loyale.” If you like the punk-pop-dance past of Blondie and The Pretenders mixed with a little modern zest, then check out this pick. www.putontheflesh.com www.myspace.com/theflesh -Antoinette Mercurio back to top Forty Birds Shotgun Therapy Forty Birds’ album, Shotgun Therapy, tells an epic journey in the way that only a cheesy metal band can tell with distorted and wah wah influenced metal ripping through a new wave wall of sound. They are clearly influenced by several styles of new metal, including guitar licks that wish they were just a little more like Metallica. In order to be appear dark and brutal, their vocalist sings about pain and suffering. When played through a medium of high-energy metal-pop-rock, the low grind of Matthew Pelletier’s screaming vocal style is reinforced by morbid apocalyptic lyrics, and juxtaposed constantly by smooth pop harmonies. Shotgun Therapy, as an album, bursts into flight. Immediately they promise complicated and high stamina music. Though the album reaches a solemn midpoint, building that back up into a fiery spunky finish makes it a true album that provides what the first track promises in style. - Gideon Greenbaum-Shinder back to top Forward, Russia! Give Me A Wall Dance To The Radio From the basements of Britain, the incongruously named Forward, Russia! have stormed the shores of North America with superfluous punctuation and a debut LP of infectious post-punk anarchy. Comprised of brother and sister Whiskas and Katie, and former Black Helicopters members Tom Woodhead and Rob Canning, the quartet are a DIY wonder. Since forming two years ago, they have established for their self-owned label a modicum of international reputation and, with the release of Give me a Wall, they have created an innovative and capturing album of twitchy anthems and haunting ambiances. Powerful and resonant at times, but pounding and raw at others, Forward, Russia! nonetheless maintain a distinctive consistency throughout their album, apparently operating in a genre unto themselves best placed somewhere between new wave, glitch, and working-class British rock. And while the sound can be unfamiliar and, perhaps, jarring at first, it’s something that easily grows on you, in no small part due to Whiskas’ captivating and creative vocals. Great sounds from a great ethos www.forwardrussia.com - James Sandham back to top The Foundry Field Recordings Prompts/Miscues Emergency Umbrella An eclectic mix of sweet melodies, strange sound effects, and hopeful lyrics soothe the soul in The Foundry Field Recordings’ Prompts/Miscues. The Columbia, Missouri based indie-rock band spent 36 months crafting their latest album, FFR’s third release after a 7” single and their 2003 debut EP, Fathers as Robots. The album fights through a long, tedious introduction in “Battle Brigades Part I “and finds its spirit to become catchy and beautiful- without ever losing its abstract edge. The slow, epic melodies and gentle voice of Billy Schuh give the album a poetic air as it delves into the gloomy themes an apocalyptic modern world. Despite the overwhelming theme of destruction and chaos, the album never becomes depressing or prosaic, churning out catchy beats and mellow lyrics that had me dancing along to the destruction and disaster. “Broken Strings” is a simple, yet haunting melody that echoes through the mind, while “Warning Raids Over Kiev” is a surprisingly upbeat song of a town engulfed in flames, and “sending out the troops to take/all the lives that went to waste.” The remaining tracks seem to fall neatly into either of the two categories- integrating quirky, melancholic vocals with toe-tapping beats. While the album does fall into the trap of redundancy- some of the songs seem to just melt into others- it more than makes up for the slight fault through originality and their softly beautiful, reflective sound. In Field Recording, the band cements the apocalyptic theme with eerie tornado sirens, crackly radio broadcasts and soft music fading into silence to the sound of rapid typing. Prompts/Miscues is an impressive, thought-provoking album that explores the chaos of our modern world through its haunting, poignant tracks. The perfect album to soothe a broken heart, get through a rough day, or smooth over a rough patch in life without becoming overly sentimental or sugary sweet. - Stella Simeonova back to top The Foxymorons Hesitation Eyes Heatstroke Records In looking up the definition of Alt-Country on the internet I found that there is no tried and true description. Originally conceived of in the early 80’s and known as ‘Americana’ or ‘CowPunk’, Alt-Country (as it is now known) is just another classification of rock n’ roll, incorporating elements of country as well as bluegrass, folk and many other similar genres. On their 3rd full length album The Foxymorons make it clear that they have a good grasp of what the genre is all about. Catchy riffs and excellent harmonies make this a solid listen from front to back. Following in the footsteps of Alt-Country mainstays Wilco, Whiskeytown, and Uncle Tupelo, Hesitation Eyes doesn’t stray far from the formula. Focusing mainly on the theme of love, mostly unrequited, tracks like “I’m Still in Love” and “This Heart of Mine” let the band show their range. The former uses simple piano and drums with nice harmonies to set the tone, before bringing in the distorted guitar to take the song to the next level. On the latter the great harmonies are supported by a simple but catchy banjo backing. There is something to be said for a record when, on the first listen, you can anticipate where the songs are going and happily go there with the band. The Foxymorons will never be accused of trying to re-invent the wheel. But they sure do make it spin real nice. - Matthew Gorman back to top Fox Jaws Goodbye Doris Chaulk Records Barrie, Ontario’s Fox Jaws, formerly known as Doris, is fresh out of the gate with this fantastic debut. Goodbye Doris is full of some very well crafted ambient pop rock. These guys pull off some excellent boy/girl vocal harmonies and duets to a massive effect. Vocals are sweet, soaring, and only sometimes raunchy and overdriven, yet always impassioned. Goodbye Doris full of richly textured and orchestrated songs, and along with the lyrics, it is ever evocative of the greater Canadian experience. Strong and varied percussion holds most of the album together, leaving the guitars to create large echoing sounds that sweep across the speakers and build upon the rhythm. Though young, this band has fast become masterful of their craft, creating massive soundscapes ranging from the roots-ier ‘Karmonica’ to the vaguely psychedelic ‘Forging a Truce’. Comparisons to Broken Social Scene can certainly be made – the size of this band’s soundscape is at times that large, and their tasteful use of multiple instrumentation could soon put them at the forefront of Canadian music. -Jesse Kline back to top The Frames The Cost Anti- / Epitaph There is an old Irish proverb that says, “It takes time to build castles.” Dublin, Ireland’s The Frames have just lowered the drawbridge on their castle. The bands latest effort and sixth full length to date, The Cost, is sure to introduce you to one of the best bands you don’t already know. For an established band (they’ve been creating music since 1990) their latest album is a step forward. With keyboard layered indie-rock and violin backed pop songs, each track offers the listener something new. The Frames music is slightly reminiscent of the rock elements found in Damien Rice’s work and carries a vintage nineties sound. The band clearly hasn’t forgotten its routes. On the track “Sad Songs” lead singer Glen Hansard says “And the price of fame/is that they love you when you’re gone.” A standout track on the album “Sad Songs” deals a heavy dose of imagery in the lyrics. Another standout track and hidden gem is “True.” It’s gentle acoustic and vocals written from the depth of despair weave within its tale of martyrdom. The female backing vocals are broken with a sullen scream, ending the song. The albums catchy hooks and violin highlights make it just interesting enough not to slip between the cracks of today’s modern disdain for standard folk-rock. Hansard’s drawl and use of clever rhetoric brings to mind crooner Jake Bellows of Neva Dinova. The Frames prove they come to make music, whether or not anyone is listening. I suggest you listen. www.spillmagazne.com – Andrew Seale back to top Fred J Eaglesmith Milly's Cafe A Major Label This album, the sixteenth for Fred and “Fredheads” alike, is filled with lazy-summer songs for equally slow days and nights. Each song is filled with honeyed emotion, simplicity and wisdom gleaned from the bottom of the barrel, as Eaglesmith believes is the place all of life’s answers come from. It’s true; when has anyone ever learned anything while at the top of their game. It is only until we drink our fortune away; lose our children and/or our jobs that we scramble for the rung upwards after “seeing the light”. Fred J Eaglesmith sings with this wisdom, holding out a tune in lieu of a helping hand. Fred J Eaglemsith is something of a legend, what with the Juno he won for Best Roots and Traditional Album, as well as winning the Canadian Independent Music Award. Listening to Milly’s CafÃƒ©, an album filled with dusty tales of sorrow, love, loneliness, drunken cowboys and traveling the open road, one hears the loudest resounding theme in all of Eaglesmith’s work: alienation. Again, how could one aspire to this man’s sage advice surrounded by fame and fortune, in a setting like Hollywood? www.fredeaglesmith.com -Jessica Shulist back to top Free Diamonds By the Sword Deep Elm Records Free Diamonds do a sort of semi-spastic geek rock that brims with its own kind of neurotic energy, most straightforwardly manifest in singer Scott Andersen vocals. It can get a little screechy at times - not screamo screechy; more like Saved By the Bell’s Screech screechy (think Danielson’s Daniel Smith) - but this doesn’t mean it can’t be catchy and even kind of cool. Combine Andersen’s wacked-out, too much whiz vocals with the band’s other two members and you get an art-nerd post-punk hybrid that can incorporate elements of ska (“Midnight Rainbow” for example), Elvis Costello, or the Ramones, but generally just charts its own way into musical mayhem. Probably most closely comparable to groups like Ima Robot, Free Diamonds are the kind of group you either love or hate. Extremes like this leave no room for middle ground. www.myspace.com/freediamonds James Sandham back to top Frog Eyes Tears of the Valedictorian Absolutely Kosher Records Carey Mercer must have known he needed to put his best foot forward on Frog Eyes' newest, Tears of the Valedictorian. Having recently carved his initials with fellow B.F.F'ers Spencer Krug and Dan Bejar on Swan Lakes sublime first record, his own Frog Eyes vehicle had to put out a record that, in its own way, aspired to push Frog Eyes (who is also Mercer's wife Melanie Cambell, McCloud Zicmuse, Michael W. Rak, and Spencer Krug) into the pantheon of Canadian indie rock. However, though Tears... aims high, it never really hits its mark as well as it could have, though one of the principal charms of the band is that their arrow is shot from a crooked bow with squinty eyes that always manages to hit near enough the target. Bejar (Destroyer, The New Pornographers) and Krug (Wolf Parade, Sunset Rubdown) have charisma in bunches. Their 'character' voices (as New Pornographer Carl Newman once called Bejar's,) have a dynamic, approachable quality that can grin slyly just as easily as it can embody torn heart strings, death, and destruction. On the other side, Mercer's vocals are those of a wildman, and though his wails, shrieks, and whimpers can carry a tune, they can also at times get monotonous, even grating at times. "Oh B Oh B Oh B/ When you bottom the boats, the weeds deign to sigh,'But the Admiral's 'chicken', the General's 'chicken"/ How painful they rise." Feeling left out of the joke on "Stockades" is one thing, but here Mercer comes dangerously close to flaunting his secrets without providing the much needed musical disclosure, which when combined with the vocals leads the listener wonders whether this might just be the ravings of a madman. Aside from Mercer's vocal palette, Frog Eyes is musically a unique band, though again, they only posses a certain level of dynamic breadth. The guitars comes through in a slew of chicken-picked arpeggios and manic strumming, not dissimilar to Lou Reed's work on The Velvet Underground and Nico. The mechanical smashing drums are often too claustrophobic, preferring to smash straight through repetitive sixteenth notes without considering fills or rests. Spencer Krug's endearingly creepy keyboard lines filter into the mix perfectly, sputtering and wheezing along with the bee hive of sound, buzzing upwards, balancing melody on counter melody until the whole din comes crashing down into quiet reflective whimpers accompanied by piano. "Reform the Countryside" is amongst the albums best songs (alongside "The Policy Merchant, the silver bay"), specifically because it does not adhere strictly to the chaotic formula of Frog Eyes. Here, anthemic indie CanCon builds into a campy, barroom rock opera, reaching for the stars before Mercer tumbles back down into his strange and verbose plaintive movement. "Ah La-La/ You put the Baby in the Bottle and then you go/ And you sing that song that the General sings to the Dawn..." Again, Mercer's capitalization of improper nouns is not the most confusing part of the lyrics, but the development of the songs is well rounded and can forgive Mercer the head-scratching caused by his lyric compositions. This brings us to Mercer's lyrics. Cryptic at his most lucid, Mercer for the most part seems to tell the stories of characters in military and political stations. " O the Roman AMBASSADOR/ Was torn apart by plaster,/ And reassembled after:/ The 40 years of bombing..." he cries out, his character fading into the background as Mercer examines politics, possibly those of a unified political and military leader a la the United States? In true Frog Eyes fashion, there is not enough given up by the lyrics to actually know what Mercer is speaking on, but his vague musings do seem to beget thoughts, as does all modern prose and poetry that seems to know what it's saying though it refuses to tell the readers. Where Frog Eyes drift from the game plan, they receive mixed results. Where the dark carnivalesque skanking of "Evil Energy" seems strangely out of place and definitely a result of Frog Eyes' tenure in the Vancouver scene, "The Policy Merchant, the silver bay" slows things down to quietly strummed guitar and Mercer's best attempt at a lullaby voice. Maybe Mercer is talking about growing up with a politician for a father. Maybe it's about runaways, or illegal harvesting of sturgeon eggs, or encouraging the buddy system after dark, or railing against the drudgery of the working world. We may never know. All that can be said is that Frog Eyes probably doesn't care if I understand their lyrics, or whether I can appreciate the savage yet subtle dynamics of their music as a whole. Maybe they don't really care what the average listener, even those not in the tightest group hug at the centre of the 'indie circle' thinks. This is probably a good thing, because though it contributes to one or two winces over the course of Tears of the Valedictorian, it also has given us an album that is very much indie rock but with a voice all to its own. Christopher Langer www.absolutelykosher.com/frogeyes.htm back to top The Fucking Machines Stole My Quarter Last Drag Records If you can get past their crude name, you'll soon find yourself caught up in the brash, raw, lyrical delivery of this retro hardcore punk band. Their ultra short disc, which is also available as a limited edition white vinyl 7 and containing only four tracks, is not even eight minutes long, but they manage a mouthful of topics from capitalism in "Home(olka) Is Where The Hard On Is" to violence and ending up in jail in "I'm Losing It." The other two tracks are "Dudeicide" with its thrashing beats and in-your-face screaming guitars (I must also add that it's one of the best tracks), and "Big Business" where the emphasis is on (no big surprise) spending money - on haircuts and foreign made products among other things. Not only are their songs fast and fun, but quirky too, check out these lyrics in "Big Business": "These Visa bills are killing me/ Like freezer burn on your garlic breath." The Fucking Machines sound pretty fucking good and well put together for a band that formed just last year, and wasted little time in cutting their songs just six months later. Vocalists Colin Vincent and Scott Terry, kick ass in driving their points home against the backdrop of the chaotic thrash of the music, which couldn't be done without the help of fellow Machinesters Dave Jackson and Joe Vienneau, who both handle guitars, John Nash on Bass and drummer John Sproull. Rock on guys! www.thefuckingmachines.net www.lastdragrecords.com -Charmaine Merchant back to top Future Native The Politics of Love Independent Label Typical soft rock has been around as long as there have been guitars and someone with an urge for writing uplifting lyrics has. Easy-listening Australian band Future Native should be written into the dictionary under generic, if not already there. Listening to what the “future” of rock music is going to be like one can’t help but feel that Future Native should have been named Uber Uncreative. From the first acoustic chord to the last cliché lyric Future Native offers up little more than dental office music. The album ends the same as it begins; on a light note. As the album progresses the sound sways very little from the sound of the first track. With each new song you get the feeling that the repeat button has been somehow turned on. Future Native is offering easy listening instrumentals with lyrics that couldn’t emotionally charge even the most sensitive of people. I would recommend this album to kindergarten teachers and those who drive Caravans. http://www.myspace.com/futurenatives -Phil Kedrosky back to top Gabby Glaser Gimme Splash Latchkey Recordings Luscious Jackson co-founder Gabby Glaser’s debut solo LP, Gimme Splash, is an album that opens with a promising, pseudo-psychedelic garage number, “Spirit of Long Island”. It’s a catchy, freewheeling and energetic track but, unfortunately, proves to be the exception on this album. The majority of the disc’s other songs, while not radically different from this powerful opener, leave the listener with a feeling that something is missing, giving the work a semi-amateur feel despite Glasser’s extensive past in the business of making music. They draw from the sound Glasser established during her Luscious Jackson days, a form of fused funk-electro-rock that, while pleasant, ultimately fails to leave much of an impression. “Fruit is Sweet” is a prime example: it’s a smooth little track with a pumping, fuzzed out bass beat, one that would likely be categorized as catchy if it weren’t so forgettable the moment the record stops. “Darling” suffers a similar fate, as if the potential of the song wasn’t quite capitalized on. At least the disc ends on a good note, with the Blur-eque “Sophisticated Gentleman.” www.gabbyglaser.net - James Sandham back to top The Gallows Orchestra of Wolves Epitaph With a whole lot of great press behind them and proudly waving the flag of British punk, The Gallows seem like a sure bet for great music. But while their heart is in the right place these Brits need to tighten their nuts and bolts and work on their songwriting skills before they can live up to their hype. Orchestra of Wolves is a hardcore album. It is an abrasive, loud slaughterfest of screamed vocals, thrashed drums and distorted punk riffs. All good qualities for a screaming lot of English punks but without any semblance of melody, direction or audible lyrics each track tends to run into the next and before you know it your on the 12^th track thinking it was still the 3^rd. Album standout “In The Belly of A Shark” works well because of it’s harmonized vocals and interesting turn of phrase. While on record The Gallows don’t exactly impress, the energy displayed in these recordings could only translate into an amazing live show filled with broken noses, shredded vocal cords and that good old fashioned punk spirit. http://www.myspace.com/gallows - Sam Stilson back to top Gang Gang Dance Rawwar The Social Registry New York City-based Gang Gang Dance have released in Rawwar an eclectic EP of three tracks, just over twenty minutes long, and spanning genres like fusion’s about to go out of style. The first track, “Nicoman”, is a complete cultural mash-up, drawing influences from Arabic, Hindi, and traditional Peruvian folk music. It kind of sounds like M.I.A.’s “Galang” but mixed with a shot Delirium. It’s different and it’s good. The second track, “Oxygen Demo Riddim”, is more ambient, drawing from early house beats and slowly building into a good loop with catchy beats. The final piece of the puzzle, “the Earthquake that Frees Prisoners”, is described by Gang Gang Dance’s music label, the Social Registry, as “musique concrete” - I’d describe it as about three minutes of whale noises that suddenly breaks down into a bit of a freaked-out hip-hop vibe… or something like that. It’s crazy stuff. Hear for yourself at www.myspace.com/ganggangdance. - James Sandham back to top Gang Gang Dance Retina Riddim The Social Registry In what seems to be an odd take on the tour film (though this is denied by The Social Registry's press), Gang Gang Dance have offered diehard fans a thick slice of what makes them a band without parallel on the (popular) indie scene. However, what makes GGD unparalleled and what makes them uniquely bold are two separate things. Even though much of the critical acclaim smeared so liberally across the NYC troupe is its unique hold on the experimental and pop worlds. Their previous full length, God's Money, knew when and where to emerge from industrially tribal rhythms with melody and glockenspiel in hand, Retina Riddim never comes up for air. The result is a thirty-some minute CD, a DVD that doubles that, and a poster, not to mention some not too shabby art rock sleeve design. As for the poster, let's just say that the poster is kind of interested, a submerged face on one side and a bunch of letters scrawled across the other, but being folded up into a CD case has pretty much removed it from wall space contention. The CD/DVD sleeve is also a somewhat interesting art rock artifact, but baby gorillas a good EP does not make. That usually falls to the music, though Gang Gang Dance place such a large premium on the 'art' in their rock that Retina Riddim is far more of an art piece encompassing everything from the packaging on up than simply a long experimental track. As for the DVD, perhaps the most cohesive aspect of this project, comes off as rather university in its method and style. Cutting jerkily from one image to another and repeating to match the audio, far too many similar projects have passed before my eyes, and since I doubt that I'll be sleeping with anyone from GGD, I don't have to automatically compliment this one. Too bad, because there's really not too much that aggravates on the two selections, band member Brian DeGrew's "Retina Riddim" and band friend Oliver Payne's "GGDbyOP." aside from the art school feel of the videos, they are an interesting take on the tour film, offering disorienting images that emphasize the sensory over the conscious experience, so it's a shame that the band and its label don't want this to be seen as a tour video. In terms of the DVD's audio, neither really compare to God's Money, coming off as industrial noise for the most part. Retina Riddim's final four minutes pretty much justify the whole project offering something lucid and sounding vaguely like it could belong on a Ninja Tunes release, but the twenty or so preceding minutes numb the listener's senses, preventing anything from sticking out too much, even with successive listens. Without the visuals of the DVD, the CD's Retina Riddim audio track is simply lost. Its clashing man vs nature tracts don't need video footage to be obvious, but they don't really add up to anything by themselves. Half way through, we're treated to some of the only works on the album, a loop of a man saying "push things forwards" (no, it's not Mike Skinner) followed by the man saying "destroy." It seems quite apparent that this is vocalizing the nature and the human civilization side of things, but in a way that leads at least this writer to believe that GGD either didn't trust the intelligence of their fans, hitting them over the head rather than letting them explore, or they weren't sure that the Retina Riddim project held upas one concise, fully thought out piece of art, which is doesn't. -Christopher Langer www.ganggangdance.com back to top Gary Flanagan Rhapsody in Black Independent Gary Flanagan reminds us at every corner of his newest release, Rhapsody in Black, that he hails from New Brunswick. Songs like “Saint John” and the huge coat of arms pictured on the back cover of this home-made CD repeatedly assert the origins of the quirky new-waver. The lyrics of each track reflect the typical and complex attitude of Canadians from the Atlantic Provinces: deep, soulful pride offset by grim disappointment. But at heart, this man more likely hails from another planet in the future where everyone dresses in black suits with white or neon accents and sunglasses at all times. Not to suggest that this record is silly - to the contrary, despite the dated sound of the album it seems Flanagan has made a concerted effort to land firmly on the 'sincere' side rather than the 'ironic' side of music. One wonders if this is one big joke, but Flanagan makes it clear both musically and lyrically that he speaks from the heart, and could be quite serious. Written, recorded and produced by Flanagan himself, Rhapsody in Black oozes reverb, tinny synthesizers, whisper-talk vocals and dead beats from a drum machine, with the occasional vocal contribution from Janelle Martin. But what makes this release special is the persistent and care-free tone that resonates throughout the album. On “I Walk Alone” Flanagan reminds his listeners of his independent spirit and his resilience. Flanagan walks alone in a tough town with a bleak landscape, and Rhapsody in Black is a bright, yet peculiar gem, located somewhere beneath its surface. http://garyflanaganwebsite.tripod.com/ -Kate Robertson back to top Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly. The Chronicles of a Bohemian Teenager Atlantic Records Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly - henceforth to be referred to simply as “Cape” - is the stage name of Essex, UK-based music prodigy Sam Duckworth. A mere twenty years of age, he hails from the same town as working-class music hero Billy Bragg, and follows in the same singer-songwriter tradition. The Chronicles of a Bohemian Teenager is Cape’s third release, his first LP after the independent release of a split single in 2004 and a self-titled EP in 2005 under the Big Scary Monster label. It is characterised by soft, acoustic guitar-driven melodies and, of course, Cape’s powerful, unvarnished vocals. Alternately brooding and hopeful, the album is nonetheless anchored by an underlying sense of melancholy and disillusionment, perhaps most evident on such tracks as “the Lighthousekeeper” and “War of the Worlds.” While some tracks come off as slightly over-produced, the album nonetheless retains the gritty folk influence that powered Cape’s rise through the live show circuit to this major label release. www.getcapewearcapefly.com - James Sandham back to top Get Set Go Selling Out & Going Home TSR Records Listening to alt-power poppers Get Set Go’s third album Selling Out & Going Home makes me think one thing. This band’s got serious issues. I mean total social, quirky issues that make me think this guy might need therapy. It’s understandable to have a bad day and mutter under your breath “I Hate Everyone” but to actually wish death on another kind of disturbs me. In their track “Everybody Get Movin’” lead singer Mike TV boldly sings “looks like there’s an accident / I’m hoping everybody’s dead / you heard what I said / I hope these bastards died a horrible death.” Lyrics such as this kind of throw me off especially since I wouldn’t expect such macabre subjects to go along with the band’s catchy and peppy sound. I realize afterwards that Mike TV is known for this kind of songwriting as a way to work through his personal demons. Nonetheless even though some of the content is slightly off-kilter at times, the music itself is a blend of pop, folk, alt-country and punk – just a real mix of genres much like a mix of Mike’s emotions. Singing about everything from a depressing love life to miserable poverty to his insecurities, this album is a real, brutally honest look at a day in the life of the singer-songwriter. Listening to the 17-track disc you get a little nostalgic for the past both on a personal level and for the music of the past. Musically you get nostalgic because in the middle of the banter and self-pity Get Set Go have managed to learn from artists such as The Ramones and The Beach Boys and applied these influences to create their own unique sound. As an individual listener, you get personally drawn into the music because you start to feel for Mike. With songs such as “You’re The Infection” and “Sweet Little Kisses” you realize Mike is just another guy who’s had his heart broken too, he’s come up short for rent too and maybe he likes drugs just like some of us. Basically he’s human and that’s okay because at least he’s got the talent to sing about it and not just whine about it like the rest of us. www.getsetgomusic.com www.myspace.com/getsetgo -Antoinette Mercurio back to top The Good, The Bad & The Queen The Good, The Bad & The Queen Parlophone/EMI I love Brit-Pop/Rock so I was excited to receive a copy of Britian's latest supergroup, The Good, The Bad and The Queen. I knew I could not be disappointed when I heard the line up: The voice of frontman and mastermind, Damon Albarn of Blur and Gorillaz fame. The bass playing of ex-Clasher Paul Simonen. Guitar soundscapes provided by Simon Tong formerly of The Verve and drums played by Tony Allen formerly of Fela Kuti. And if that wasn't enough, Danger Mouse Brian Burton was recruited to produce the album. Wow. Sedated is the word that comes to mind to describe the overall project The excitement I initially felt was instantly transformed in to a sort of calm once I popped the CD in to my player. The first track "History Song" sets the mood. It begins with a slow acoustic guitar overlaid with Albarn's lazy vocals. Then comes in Simonen's dub bass, a smidge of reggae organ and the quiet touch of Allen's snare drum. Great tune. The music is sparse and the musicianship is simple and understated. But the instrumentation and layered production threads it all together. The CD also has a very nostalgic "English" flavour to it. Partly because of Albarn's unapologetic English accent and partly because of a Beatlesque country-side style piano that is heard throughout several songs. From song to song, we are haunted by ghosts of Brit-Pop past: Blur meets the Gorillaz meets a very high Ska/Reggae band from Kingston town. Although I understand the feel that Albarn was trying to provoke with this album, my only disappointment is that there are no real "rocker" tracks. A sedated journey from start to finish. www.thegoodthebadandthequeen.com -Liz Lulu back to top Ghost House Departures Ghost House As experienced on the front cover, these Ghosts don't forget their piano in the afterlife. I've never been scared of folded paper shapes before and "Origami Nightmare" is no exception as Shannon Wood takes the lead in this song. "Your Big Day" is as shiny and peppy as you would hope that day to be and a favourite. "Mail Lady" keeps the pep in your step and if you thought your feet were going to slow down "No Pressure" will keep them quick. B.C. based Ghost House open for Joel and the Last of the Neighbours this summer. www.ghosthousemusic.com www.jessegander.com -Heather Rayment back to top Grand National A Drink & A Quick Decision Recall Group Grand National’s, A Drink & A Quick Decision, is an underwhelming light indie pop effort that is so vanilla it’s Haagen Daz. Quadruple-tracked whispered vocals waft along; uttering forgettable melodies over awful 80’s synth pop riffs that actually make your stomach turn a little. It’s the kind of music you’d hear palpitating quietly in a trashy woman’s clothing store at Yorkdale Mall. The only two tracks of the twelve that aren’t embarrassing for Grand National are the upbeat “Going to Switch The Lights On” and album closer, the piano ballad “Part of A Corner”. Not surprisingly what raise these tunes up from the drudgery of the rest of the album is the use of real instruments and singing at a level appropriate for a bar, not a library. You might like this album if you’re a pussy or a chick that likes pussies but those with a backbone will pass by with their noses held high. http://www.grand-national.net/ - Sam Stilson back to top Graig Markel Via Novella Sonic Boom Recordings This is pretty desolate sounding stuff. At times, it has the lonely sounding production and guitar work that might be found on a Daniel Lanois album. The songs are never in any hurray to go anywhere, which is both comforting and frustrating. The songs aren’t particularly long, so it is difficult to grow bored with them, and the screeching guitar work in the background does compliment the quiet one line choruses. Frustrations do arise though when you realize that each song shares the same sparse sound, and there is very little expansion on that sound. This can be perfect if in the right mood for a quiet morning or night. Lay in the bathtub and put this on when you want to be really mellow, but if you aren’t in the bathtub, you might get bored somewhere in the middle of the album. The production is deceptively simple, with many quiet layers of drum, keys, chimes, and synth work stacked on top of the vocals. The electronic strings, and Markel’s voice are at times reminiscent of The Flaming Lips, but much colder and distant. It’s not quite enough to be depressing, but certainly not lively enough to grab you, so I think it’s fair to say that this is an album for solo listening, but only on those occasions when you want something you can choose to pay little attention to, or ignore if necessary. www.graigmarkel.com -Daniel Demois back to top The Great Outdoors Food, Booze, and Entertinment DDG Records One thing that’s beyond dispute about the Great Outdoors: they know how to package an album. Like previous releases, this one comes bound as a small book, complete with text and graphics, and even a scribbled library card in the back, just like you used to get in elementary school. Pretty cool. Why anyone would want to distract from the music, however, I cannot understand, because Food, Booze and Entertainment is one great album – provided you’re in the mood for roots folk. But who isn’t these days? The “citygrass” movement is everywhere, and these guys are part of its old guard. Comparable to other Canadian neo-folk staples like Ox and Kingsway, the Great Outdoors have crafted in this album a detached, drawling ode to the fine art of old fashioned songwriting, complete with banjo, fiddle, and singing circle to boot. Wistful and weary, it’s good listening for a tired world. www.tgod.ca - James Sandham back to top Great Aunt Ida *“How They Fly”* Without a hint of sarcasm I can say that this is one of the best albums for falling asleep to that I’ve found in a very long time. This is partly because the CD is full of gentle, pretty melodies and partly because a whole case of Red Bull couldn’t keep me awake while listening to it. 4 songs into the 12 track disc and I can’t remember a single thing about any of the songs I’ve just heard, except that they sound almost exactly like the song I’m listening to right now. Ida Nilson’s voice seems only to have a range from breathy sad to breathy melancholy, and her piano clunks along with chords, albeit pretty ones, as though they weren’t aware the instrument could do anything else. There are some interesting sounds on the album; trumpets, violins, lap steel and an accordion, for example, but each of these seems to have been calculated as no more than a nice way to fill up the space in any given song. You get the sense that you could interchange any of the “interesting” instruments and the sound would be pretty much the same. The whole album makes me wonder whether Great Aunt Ida is writing songs for themselves or writing songs for other people. They’ve created a very introspective album, and as an audience member it’s difficult to find any access points so that I can make these songs relate to me and make them memorable. Listening to this album makes me feel a little bit like listening to a conversation between a group of people I don’t know that’s full of inside jokes I don’t understand. That being said, it’s really not bad. It’s definitely hesitant, but that isn’t unusual for a debut release. It’s like listening to Belle and Sebastian, but without the hooks. If I didn’t own it already I would certainly go out and buy it, even if it was just for falling asleep to. - Sarafina DiFelice back to top The Graboids Infinite Delay Stickfigure Recordings “I know, we’ll call them graboids!” This is the line from that wonderfully cheesy movie that we all know as Tremors. The Graboids, however, are not subterranean snake creatures. They’re the ambient rock band from Virginia. Although ambient rock is nothing new, the Graboids do it well. They mix spacey guitar riffs with mellow beats and finish it off with a distinct ambient swell. Their sound is much like another band by the name Explosion in the Sky only with heavier guitars and more psychedelic. They released their sophomore album in February 2007. Each song on the album fades into the next giving you the feeling that you’re listening to one continuous track. This music works very well as background music while working on the computer, or perhaps driving. The graboids are on tour July 2007, however the closest venue to Toronto is in New York. http://www.myspace.com/graboids -Phil Kedrosky back to top Graham Coxon Love Travels At Illegal Speeds Parlophone Having parted ways with the Brit-pop icons Blur four years ago, their former guitarist is back with his sixth solo release. Love Travels at Illegal Speeds is raunchy, rocking Brit-pop true to Coxon’s Blur roots but unfortunately missing much of the distinctive magic only Damon Albarn could bring to the sound (which is not to say the album should be dismissed). The album is personal and catchy with an inviting narrative that any scruffy, lovelorn kid could relate to. Fans of Modern Life is Rubbish-era Blur should be impressed, but the quirky je ne sais quoi that made Blur into an international phenomenon is sadly absent from this work. Perhaps launching one mega-group was enough for Coxon. These days, he laments, “I’d like to get married and go raise pigs in the countryside.” Hand that alternative to his fans, and perhaps Love isn’t such a bad offering after all. www.grahamcoxon.co.uk -James Sandham back to top Ghost Stories Quixoticism Sonic Boom Recordings Ghost Stories is the one man musical project of Seattle-based maestro Ron Lewis, and his debut, Quixoticism, is a solid album of upbeat pop underscored by a subtle vein of eerie melancholy. His opening track, “Catacombs”, is a case in point. The lazy acoustic guitar work anchors it solidly in the genre of musicians like Donovan Woods and Bright Eyes, but the swelling strings that carry the melody add a haunting undertone to the piece. Like the rest of the album, it’s a well-arranged piece of musicianship, all the more impressive since Lewis accomplished much of the recording process on his own, with nothing more than an 8-track tape machine and an empty house. It’s a low-fi approach that works well with the album’s general mood of suborned resilience. Things pick up as the album progresses, with the Clap-Your-Hans-Say-Yeah-like second track, “the Upper Ten/the Lower Five”, and “the Black Hand.” Ghost Stories also channels tried and true pop sounds a la Shins on tracks like “You Wear it like a Stained Glass Window.” So while the album might now blow minds with its originality, at the very least it draws from the current pantheon of pop rock hit makers. Great work for Lewis’ first time out. www.sonicboomrecordings.com/ghoststories - James Sandham back to top Girl Nobody Balaclava Casino Heista Jericho Beach Records The breathy, quivering vocals of Girl Nobody’s lead singer Marta Jaciubek-McKeever goes well with the sleepy tracks on their Balaclava Casino Heist album. The disc is kind of spacey, as if you’re blasting off into an unknown universe. There’s no easy way to categorize the group but trip-pop roots with jazz-flavour and folkie-acoustic renderings happen to give this album an interesting flair. McKeever’s voice is an unusual one; sounding as though it’s not quite developed, almost childish but it works because it keeps you interested and listening rather than nodding off to the sleepy, whimsical beats. Can’t say the same for the male singer though, especially on “Grandfather.” Nothing makes you want to bang your wrists against the wall more than hearing some whiny voice exploit his grandfather’s cancer sickness in a song. Thankfully “Tacit” makes you forget about the previous track’s depression with its gentle, piano harmonies. An eclectic mix to say the least on this album, with a fair dipping into a few musical genres to make it a light, airy listen. www.girlnobody.com www.myspace.com/girlnobody -Antoinette Mercurio back to top The Odd Couple Gnarls Barkley Atlantic The problem with writing one of the most popular songs in the past five years is everything you do afterwards will pale in comparison. Gnarls Barkley will never write another “Crazy” or at least it`s not on their new album The Odd Couple. The duo of Cee-Lo and Danger Mouse are undeniably talented and every now and then when they click, it`s magic. For the most however Gnarls Barkley are an interesting diversion that gets old quick. The new album is at it`s best when it`s rocking. Single “Run” and “Going On” are two great high energy songs from the group but clunkers like “Open Book” and “No Time Soon” show up too often and deflate any excitement built up beforehand. The album is worth a spin but Gnarls Barkley may be heading into niche fan-base territory. - Sam Stilson back to top God Made Me Funky We Can All Be Free New EmPire Entertainment Funk Collective God Made Me Funky have been bringing the funk to Toronto and surrounding areas for years, but never in as polished and radio-friendly a way as can be found on their sophomore release We Can All Be Free. While their 2004 self-titled debut reflected as closely as possible the feel and flow of their raucous live performances, their new album shows a group who have learned to use the studio to their advantage and create multi-layered tracks that show all of their potential. GMMF describe themselves as a “collective”, always in a state of flux and cycling musicians in and out (including two new lead vocalists and a new keyboardist on this album). The one thing that stays consistent throughout, fortunately, is the quality of music, a mix of Parliament Funkadelic stylings and family-friendly rapping all done with a tongue-in-cheek attitude that helps remind us that the first three letters in Funk are F-U-N. Guest appearances from such artists as (Godfather of Canadian Hip-Hop) Maestro, among others, help to give this group the industry ‘cred’ they so rightly deserve. God Made Me Funky is on the verge of something with this new record: a funk revolution threatening to take over the world with fresh sounds and a whole lot of fun. www.godmademefunky.com -Matthew Gorman back to top Gomez How We Operate ATO Records Oh Gomez. The U.K dawlings are back with How We Operate, 12 songs of fuzzy brown cardigan sweetness. Signed to Dave Matthews’ label, Gomez have been adjusting their black rim glasses on stage for just about a decade. The songs oscillate between the naÃƒ¯ve pensiveness (sha la la’s included) and just over three minute pop ditties that will have your loafers tapping. Heeding the critics warning, How We Operate is more pared down then Gomez’s last couple of efforts. But don’t get this reviewer wrong, Gomez has the ability to rock, sort of. Woman! Man! is full of aw shucksness while Notice has a melody that defies you dislike. Produced by Gil Norton of Pixies, Echo and the Bunnymen, Feeder and Counting Crows (?) fame, How We Operate works when Gomez is in their element; cute and catchy. Unfortunately, I do not believe half the CD; for example, when they decide that a banjo is a propos, Gomez come off a little like Anthony Michael Hall in that Blues club scene in Weird Science. Trust me; you will not be surprised to learn some of the members of Gomez met in University. www.gomez.co.uk -Jordan Somers back to top Gorgeous Frankenstein Gorgeous Frankenstein Megaforce Records With the dark forces upon us comes Gorgeous Frankenstein. Rising from the ashes of the Misfits, ex guitarist Doyle Wolfgang Von Frankenstein and wife Stephanie Bellars team up to create Gorgeous Frankenstein. Listening to this debut album is like walking into a carnival horror house, it's a very fun record that deals with monsters, hell, devils and all that is evil. Right away I thought of Danzig when I heard this music and that's because he played a large part in producing the record. It has a real industrial, metal sound with programmed drums, crunchy guitar riffs and a fuzz bass guitar all the way though with similarities to Rob Zombie's monster rock. The highlight of the record is in the first track when the music stops and the signer belches: "Fake tits and a feline stare" This hits at the 1:55 mark of the song, right then you know the album will be a fun listen. Unfortunately this album suffers a way to common fate of repetitiveness and after hearing track one, you're pretty much heard them all. It's the perfect album for a Halloween party, or a great soundtrack for a zombie slasher. Good fun all around, but if you're looking for good song writing this won't be the purchase for you. -Andre Skinner back to top The Gotan Project Lun¡tico XL Recordings I am the last person to claim to be an authority on Tango music. In fact, my first exposure to it was that unforgettable scene in 1992’s ‘Scent of a Woman’. And what 14 year old boy would not have been captivated by a blind Al Pacino dancing provocatively with the smoking hot Gabrielle Anwar? It wasn’t until 9 years later that I once again became interested in the genre. It was The Gotan Project’s 2001’s album La Revancha Del Tango, which fused traditional Argentinean Tango with loungy house/electronica beats, that once again piqued my interest. That album, the bands first, went on to garner critical acclaim and sell millions of copies around the world while putting Tango back on the map. Their new record experiments even further with the possibilities of the style, while simultaneously reaching back and presenting several tracks of straight forward Tango that I’m sure the purists would appreciate. I like this album more than the first, simply because it does show both sides of the coin. While both albums are chill to the max the first used electronica beats throughout to maintain a constant pacing, while the new album jumps back and forth between the traditional Tango and the updated loungified sound yet still maintains a steady flow. They also take bigger risks on this album, most specifically on ‘Mi ConfesiÃƒ³n’ where they incorporate Spanish rapping in with their sound. If you’re like me you don’t usually listen to chill-out music. Normally I like to listen to music to pump me up. But when I am in the mood to just chi-lax (my new favorite word), The Gotan Project hits just the right spot. www.gotanproject.com -Matthew Gorman back to top Green Milk from the Planet Orange You Take Me to the World Beta-lactam Ring Records This album is two tracks and slightly more than half an hour in length, and features three Japanese kids named K, T, and Ace gibbering, shouting, and moaning over a musical background that can range in the period of a few minutes from jazz to funk to ground-up noise-core insanity. In other words, it’s an album of super-experimental avant-garde prog rock – that is, if you’re feeling open-minded; on a bad day, it could be categorized with equal legitimacy as stoned juvenile self-indulgence. It’s some pretty tripped out stuff, so the reaction can really go either way. When I first popped it in the player I was pretty sceptical of it. The first track’s called “Killmekillmekillme” and I was going to write something like “yeah, it makes you want to do just that,” because it’s pretty bloody strange. But when I realized GMFTPO are probably singing in Japanese I became a little more sympathetic to their cause, and now that I’ve listened to the album a few times all the way through, gotten past the weirdness of the first few minutes of “Killmekillmekillme” (the opening track), I’ve come to be pretty fond of it. It’s different and experimental and at times quite beautiful, and was recorded all in one take. Check ‘em online at www.green-milk.com. - James Sandham back to top Guided by Voices' Bee Thousand - 33 1/3 (Paperback) Marc Woodworth (Author) Although Guided By Voices' seventh album, "Bee Thousand" has never made the charts, it has been hailed by indie rock critics and even the likes of Sonic Youth's Thurston Moore, Dinosaur Jr's J Mascis and the Pixies/Breeders Kim Deal. It has been regarded as one of lo-fi's defining albums and has gained the adulation of indie fans around the world. It has been called an epiphany, a work of genius and is regarded as the holy grail to many Guided by Voices fans. In this book, author, Marc Woodworth tries to capture the soul of "Bee Thousand" with his personal critical review and account of what took place during the time of the recording. The book intertwines his point of view with narratives from Guided By Voices band members such as Robert Pollard, Tobin Sprout and Kevin Fennell. He also gets testimonials from fans of the album and gets their personal listener responses. Woodworth captures your attention in the first chapter with a fascinating story filled with imagery and imagination. He is an intelligent and concise writer who relays the history and myth of Guided By Voices to the reader in an almost scientific way, proving various points through historical examples. My favourite part of the book is the personal account of principal singer-songwriter Robert Pollard. Some of his quotes truly captured the spontaneous songwriting process that the band adhered to which I think is the charm behind "Bee Thousand." "Living with the mistakes became our aesthetic," says Pollard in his narrative. " We didn't worry about production values or musical correctness. We didn't consider perfect rhymes and typical themes, we were in to destruction and reconstruction." He also goes on to say, "It was important to me that we capture a song in the least amount of time from when I conceive it to when we put it on tape. That's the way to capture the purest essence of the song." If you are a Guided By Voices fan or if you just want to get some insight in to the Lo-Fi era of indie rock, I highly recommend that you buy this paperback. -Liz Lulu back to top Ha Ha Tonka Buckle in the Bible Belt Bloodshot Records Springfield, Missouri-based quartet Ha Ha Tonka do four-on-the-floor rock and roll with a dash of country thrown in and, true to their roots in the Ozarks, just a pinch of backwoods gospel. The result is a refreshingly authentic sound that doesn’t merely subscribe to the genres from which it was born, but embodies and builds upon them. The albums’s first single, “St. Nick On the Fourth in a Fervour”, is a perfect example of this, fusing the thumping, visceral feel of rock and roll with a worn and weary country twang, and sharply insightful lyrics critiquing the socio-economic conditions from which the band hail. There’s a quiet energy to many of these songs that simmers below the surface, straining to be let out, but which remaining barely constrained, and this lends a certain frantic excitement to the music. Powerful stuff. Bruce Springsteen would be proud. www.amsterband.com - James Sandham back to top Hallo Spaceboy: The Rebirth of David Bowie David Thompson ECW Press A musicians mere existence doesn’t breed importance any more than retaining one’s original fan base makes a the musician an innovator. Though David Bowie’s output since his 1987 Glass Spiders bomb has not, per say, been unimportant or reliant on the same old tricks, neither is it the amazing return to form of a once-godlike musician that writer Dave Thompson believes it to be. The writer of the seminal Bowie bio “Moonage Daydream,” the first volume to what Thompson asserts will likely be a three volume series. If this third volume comes along sometime around Bowie’s eightieth birthday, Thompson’s Bowie-coloured glasses will keep this reader as far from it as possible. Though Thompson is a meticulous completionist, he errs in worshipping too long at the altar of the Man Who Fell to Earth. He gives Bowie sole credit for inspiring glam, punk and grunge among other movements, painting Bowie as a godhead incapable of fault. Of course, this book begins at the time of Bowie’s second unsuccessfull period (though Thompson would surely forget, Bowie had a rough go of things before he decided to “go queer” with his Ziggy Stardust persona, his wife’s creation). The icons of the previous decade often fall on hard times, unable to adapt to current trends. We’ve seen this with many artists, not just Bowie but a veritable army of one-time innovative bands culled by the ravages of time. But does Thompson lay fault with Bowie for his inability to navigate the waters of the eighties as brilliantly as Eno or as heartfelt as George Harrison? Of course not. The problem in Thompson’s mind was not Bowie’s artistic sensibilities but the eighties themselves. Now, I don’t know that much about religious philosophy, but it seems that one should use observation to validate their religion, not search out the “right information” that agrees with their presupposed notions. In doing this, Thompson comes across as dogmatic, only of interest to those who will share his sentiments and move further towards what can only be described in modern terms as “Bowian Faschism.” On the other hand, one cannot fault Thompson’s narrative for its complexity, and although it is guilty of being overly subjective it does provide a well written-if somewhat bogged down in “pop-up video” moments. I brief history of Bowie’s Tin Machine experiment would suffice, but Thompson etches out every painful detail, every smirk, smile, and frown that the ol’ Thin White Duke flashes and the extended circumstances during the early nineties. And don’t even get me started on how Thompson fawns over the whole “I’m Afraid of Americans” phase of the late nineties; what he calls a return to form others would likely call cashing in on the pop industrial production of Trent Reznor to sell a few albums to the world’s depressed teenagers - hardly a revolutionary idea. Again, the necessary question is who cares? Because Thompson has written this romantic history of the crash and gradual rise of Bowie’s commercial stock, does it make it a necessary read? Possibly to the most die hard Bowie fans, those who agree that Bowie didn’t see the eighties as worth his time, not that he released a so-so album and took some time in getting back on track. For the rest of us, the All Music Guide’s entry to Bowie is more than efficient, and for those looking for an in depth literary introduction to Bowie, I’d suggest trying Thompson’s earlier “Moonage Daydream” rather than this number. Oh, and if this volume succeeds, look out for books on Biggie Smalls’ post-humous period, Tiny Tim after “Tiptoe Through the Tulips,” and the multi-volume look at Nirvana’s pre-“Smells Like Teen Spirit” album, Bleach. back to top Hamell Songs For Parents Who Enjoy Drugs Righteous Babe Come on, who isn’t immediately drawn to an album with that title! For those in the twenty something to early thirty something category, we all know that our parents tried if not dabbled in drugs in their youth. This is surely an album preceded by it’s own bizarre appearance and track names such as “Coulter’s Snatch” and “Jerkin’”. Even if you don’t like Ed Hamell’s brash punchy folk music, bordering on the term “anti-folk” with his psychotic and fast-paced sound hammered out on his 1937 Gibson, you’ll love his honesty. He tells it like it is and doesn’t mess around. I saw Hamell open for Ani Difranco, who mixed, produced and performed with Hamell on the album, back in 2001 and I couldn’t help but love his attitude and high energy set. He made me forget that I was watching a warm-up set and instead entertained the pants off the crowd who were literally giving him encores at the end of it all. This album, his seventh, combines comedic, satirical looks at politics, morals and values in the 21st century and a waning work ethic that has spawned from a lack of positive authoritative figures. Aw, who cares, I say we vote Ed Hamell for prime minister. At least he’d tell us the truth! Jessica Shulist back to top Hank III Straight to Hell Bruc Hardcore hillbilly has arrived two generations after Nashville’s original bad boy Hank Williams Sr. His grandson Hank III has made the rounds in punk bands, rock bands and country bands refusing to bow down to the Nashville majors and cash in on his name as a new country pop star. The track “Satan is Real” kicks the album off with a 50’s style sound and production with whiny voices, telling us that Satan is real and he lives among us every day, then 30 seconds later the title track “Straight to Hell” comes on, at that point you know you’re in for a hell of a ride. Hank III’s music is all about saying f* Nashville pop country, boozing, drugging, heart breaking and hard living, it sure as hell makes me want drink straight whiskey and cause sh. One thing that really stands out on all tracks is the top shelf musicianship, I mean there’s some guitar playing that would blow anyone’s mind, especially on the song “Smoke and Wine”, it’s a rippin’ fast track with wild solos all over the place. The track “Pills I Took” is one of the best on the disc and is currently getting some spins on the Sirius Outlaw station. Disc 2 really freaked me out, it’s the concept half of the album called Louisianna Stripes It’s a bunch of noise with spooky satanic like voices slowed down and skewed with children laughing and weird sounds happening. Here’s the creepy part, the ghost of Hank Williams Sr. appears as you hear these scratchy old sounding recordings of Hank III doing solo acoustic versions of his own material and it’s chilling how much he sounds like ol’ gramps, you really have to hear it to believe it. www.hank3.com Andre Skinner back to top Harlem Shakes Burning Birthdays* Self-produced Few bands could pull off the musical weirdness the indie world has come to expect of Harlem Shakes. But somehow they mange to do it, and Burning Birthdays is no exception, blending doo-wop, surf music, and 60s-style French pop into a colourful musical parody – think Brian Eno meets the Rocky Horror Picture Show. The only drawback is that this entertaining little five-song EP clocks in at less than 20 minutes - it’s a fresh blast of musical innovation when what the listener wants is a full-on hurricane. But I guess you can’t blame ‘em for leaving you wanting more. Hear for yourself at www.harlemshakes.com. - James Sandham back to top Harmonica Miaow Miaow Bark! EP Independent Harmonica first made their mark on North America as part of SoundProof Magazine’s 2007 Canadian Music Week showcase, picking up a “Best Band” award and a subsequent Canadian distribution deal with Toronto’s small but influential (weewerk) records label. SoundProof brought them back again for their 2007 Pop Montreal showcase - but in case you missed the uber-cute Norwegian quintet at these events, Harmonica have now issued a two track EP, Miaow Miaow Bark!. And while two tracks isn’t nearly enough to convey the wide range of Harmonica’s sound, it gives a taste nonetheless of what you can expect from this band. Opening track “You Gotta Go!” has got the whole 80s retro vibe a la Bangles going on, while the disc’s second number is sugar sweet pop with a strange European rock edge, kind of like Abba meets Lily Allen. Promising work from a band whose reputation has, until recently, rested almost entirely on the intensity of their live performances. An expanded four-track version is forthcoming from (weewerk). www.harmonica.no -James Sandham back to top Harry Manx *In Good We Trust* Stoney Plain Harry Manx is your cool(ish) fifty-something's favourite new artist. His latest offering, In Good We Trust, traverses the standard roots, country, and blues that one would expect to hear from nearly any artist on Stoney Plains, though a bit of sitar or sitar-esque guitar playing is scattered about confusingly and without any great effect. "Better Man Waltz" drifts from a sort of neo-Appalachian country into modern acoustic blues, and Manx's voice is more Randy Newman than it is Tom Waits, despite it's gruffness coming off as far too clean. In fact, this overly-polished offering is never out of tune and never out of time, a flawless delivery that manages to strip the character from the genres worked within. After all, what is country without its tinny grit and nasal croon, or blues without the occasional bout of morose savagery? As the fidelity of records move ever upward, the warm characteristics of recording equipment is fading, and pop music, including jazz, funk, roots, and a host of others that were once filled with dirty glory, are clean, cold, and academic. Though Manx manages a little warmth, it's more that of a surgeon's good bedside manner than that of a troubadour's heart. Still, in the genre of technically astute contemporary roots music, Manx is not a slouch, and In Good We Trust, though it won't fit well in most twenty-something's record collections, will sit comfortably beside the likes of Lucinda Williams and Diana Krall, providing much enjoyment into your retirement years and beyond. Christopher Langer www.harrymanx.com back to top HB Surround Sound Mad World Skin Industries Having previously released two albums independently, HBSS return with their junior release on Skin Industries. Produced by Miguel Happoldt, the man behind such acts as Sublime, Slightly Stoopid and Long Beach Dub All-Stars, Mad World bears many of the signature characteristics of his past work, but fused with HBSS’s harder, metal-punk edge. Comparisons to Operation Ivy, Sublime, and Minor Threat abound. Overall, the album is a solid mix of ska, punk, and metal touching on some of our world’s most pressing themes – violence, religion, cosumerism, and the monotony of Western, work-a-day culture. HBSS address these issues in typical punk style, half furious, half sneeringly and ironically mocking. The result is positive, highlighting HBSS’s sense of humour while guarding them against the temptation of holier-than-thou preaching. HBSS do, however, descend into clichÃ© on several tracks – “Puka Shells,” for instance. For some reason, after all these years, punk bands still find the need to define themselves by bashing hippies. But some habits die hard. So while HBSS may not be particularly original, they’re certainly catchy and as socially relevant as punk can be. www.hbsurroundsound.com -James Sandham back to top Hella There’s No 666 in Outer Space Ipecac You can always count on Hella for one thing: to be consistently inconsistent, eclectic and ever-changing. So it shouldn’t be a surprise that the band’s 4^th full-length album seems to echo Monty Python’s catchphrase, “And now for something completely different”. Originally a two-piece in the vein of Lightning Bolt or Athletic Automaton, Hella have added three new members, including a vocalist. If you’re all “WTF?”, calm down. While the band has become more formally conventional with a proper album with members and bearable track times, Hella haven’t become stylistically conventional in the least. They’re still explosive, rhythmically mathematic, tight, relentless, and for lack of a better expression, all over the place. Most importantly, Zach Hill is still a goddamn animal of a drummer. Urgent and manic, Hella beats the shit out of their audience, halting for fractions of seconds to let you catch your breath, then continuing to pound and slam violently and almost unbearably. But this record has a lot to talk about. There is no 666 in Outer Space rages against popular success, religion, science and with a sense of humour calls for anarchy on “Anarchists Just Wanna Have Fun”. On “The Things People Do When They Think No One’s Looking” new vocalist Aaron Ross cryptically intones, “Pursuit for power doesn’t faze a mystic / To the moon our skulls are tightly bound / We with no intention to come down / The day they proved the earth was round / Was the day they flattened the holy ground”. To Hella, we’ve got it all wrong. At times clattering with industrial sensibilities, often metallically soulful and always noisy, Hella offer up a solid and first-rate record. But perhaps it should come with a warning along the lines of: “Goalie pads recommended. Jock-strap required”? www.hellaband.com -Kate Robertson back to top High John High John EP Unsigned Weariness rushes in with the liner notes telling us to read Kerouac and Chompsky, the sort of sentiment that really only appeals to those who’ve read half a volume of either. Since when is Chompsky’s “Manufacturing Consent” and Kerouac's “Dharma Bums” taught in the same class? Is it the one where they listen to Bob Marley and quiz each other on ultimate frisbee rules and regulations? Or did they just happen to meet by happenstance, in some McGilligan’s bookbag? Where do they get off with these self-righteous acoustic college knockoffs of Alice In Chains’ weaker material? If all of this sounds wavey gravy to you rather than a part of your life you’d sooner forget, High John are your band. Catch them soon in a vegan’s basement near you. www.highjohn.ca - Christopher Langer back to top The High Strung Get the Guests Park the Van Records Like their previous releases, the High Strung’s third album, Get the Guests, has a sound that’s difficult to classify but is perhaps best described as just really happy rock with a very subtle psych-country underpinning to it. Or something like that. Sometimes you can hear prog-rock instead of psych-country. It’s a bit like Danielson. “Quirky” is a word that often surfaces in reviews of the High Strung’s work, and it’s as apt a descriptor as any for this album as well. Surrealist lyrics sung with equally distinctive vocals power this record. Good tracks include “Maybe You’re Coming Down With It”, “Childhood” and “the Curator.” www.thehighstrung.com - James Sandham back to top The High Violets To Where You Are Reverb Records As far as shoe-gazer’s go, Portland Oregon’s The High Violets fit comfortably, yet uniquely. Their latest release To Where You Are, offers those typical distant guitar tones with soft melodies. Kaitlyn Ni Donovan's vocals brought me back to the days of Lush from the very beginning of “Sun Baby.” Seemingly out of place, their spacey sound slides through the door of an aggressive music industry. Not only will you find catchy rhythms, but also 80's pop hungry keyboards as evidenced in the song “Cool Green”. Ending the album is the title track “To Where You Are,” which winds us down. So overall, The High Violet’s have a pop flare with a dream sequence tucked inside. www.thehightviolets.com -Rayna Slobodian back to top The Higher On Fire Epitaph Records Busdriver. The Coup. Dangerdoom. Sage Francis. Dillinger Escape Plan, Dropkick Murphys. Elliott Smith. Bad Religion. Neko Case. Blackalicious. Eyedea and Abilities. Joe Strummer. Daniel Lanois. Solomon Burke. New Bomb Turks. God damned Noam Chompsky. Bad Religion. This is a very brief list of some of Epitaph's current and past artists on the Epitaph, ANTI-, and Hellcat Records Imprints. Epitaph is truly one of the great indie labels of the last twenty-some years, and through some occasionally questionable moves, they have always managed to keep a stable artists with more talent than most major labels. The Higher? One of Epitaph's newest bands, The Higher's "On Fire" will garner mixed reviews, but attempting to write an article on the band's first outing is like death by paper cut. Too often does a band so blandly trek across the American musical landscape with technical talent, melodic sensibilities, and clean (though generic) production, their parade stopping the second the band is no longer a financial force. Yes children, The Higher are plugged into this third generation of MTVers, or at least what executives are hoping they listen too, and at the same time the band calls to those once-hipsters who've grown long in the tooth and are in need of some punk rock attitude mushed up and fed to them on a Philosopher Kings commemorative spoon. The Billie Joe Armstrong yell that a full generation of Californians (and those aspiring to move to that sunny cemented hell) ape have again come to a head with singer Seth Trotter's insipid songwriting. "We use our bodies like exploding weapons," claims "Rock My Body." The lyrics, though benign, are seemingly aimed at a generation of teenagers who Trotter believes relate to everything through the post 9/11 armed paranoia, though he seems too old to act as their spokesperson and doesn't take this any further than surface level similes. Trotter doesn't analyze his potential listeners, his own lyrics, falling more alongside Spinal Tap's thoughtfulness in "Big Bottom." The difference there was that Guest and company were rhyming 'libido' and 'pink torpedo' to satirize the hyper sexed indulgence on eighties rock, whereas The Higher are just reveling in their own PG13 fantasies. Elsewhere, Trotter cries "one love" in some sort of attempt to use an 'R&B/Soul' suffix to pull the band out of the powerpop pigeon hole. Though this doesn't work, it does make the lyric "we were an indestructible team" almost believable as a relationship metaphor, even if it still sounds like two transformers lamenting a falling out. Aside from lyrical content, "On Fire" has an 'eclecticism' that fails to hit the mark. It isn't anything new to hear a crew of white boys borrow from soul, reggae and other intrinsically 'black' sounds to tint their rock. The Clash and the Police are masters, and probably the earliest examples that The Higher would be aware of, but where other groups have excelled, The Higher come off as cold and over-polished, sucking the soul out of the sounds that they obviously hope will give their own sound a warmer spirit than the typical angst-ridden rock fair. This being said, the teenage audience and clueless thirty-somethings trying to hearken back to their glory years will likely kick off their collective prom heels for "On Fire," which may make the album a success. Just remember, this doesn't mean that they're any good. www.thehigher.com Christopher Langer back to top HIM Dark Light Sire Is it just my copy, or has whoever designed the cover to Dark Light opted to write the album's title atop the evil corporate castle graphic with a silver permanent marker? Pay no mind, sir. I guess that's what passes for graphic design in Scandanavia these days... In my mind, the first tier of the metal album, even a goth metal album, has always relied on its ability to terrorize with either its sheer technical merit as well as its faux, or somewhat credibly evil, carnivalism. The second tier of metal albums is where those that are only capable of terrorizing a fifteen year old's parents sit. This tier is where Dark Light finds itself precariously perched. Of course, this album's obvious purpose is to make angsty teenagers depressed, which even Homer Simpson knows is like "shooting fish in a barrel." On this account, Dark Light will most likely be a stellar success. However, this doesn't mean that it's any good. At best singer Ville Valo does a poor Faith No More-era Mike Patton impression, though only for the purpose of telling us that he's "burning in water" but "drowning in fire" ("Under the Rose") and that he has been diagnosed with a condition called "vampire heart" ("Vampire Heart"). I'm not sure about Scandanavia, but in North America you can probably just clear that up with some antibiotics or something. At the shallow end of this nordic talent pool, Valo's voice swerves recklessly into the weak balladry of Coal Chamber a la Chamber Music and on one or two occasions into a blink 182-style whine. How gothic of them. All-in-all, HIM's melodramatic Halloweenie lyrics quickly become repetitive (I imagine Valo in front of his computer: "poison...venom...poison? Damn. I should have bought that thesaurus after all"), and though the music offers some small dynamic range (brooding and sort of slow to angry and sort of fast) it will fail to grab the attention of anyone legally allowed into a bar. On the other hand, what the hell do I know? I'm not fifteen, but when I was I listened to some of the horrid, pointless bands that were HIM's predecessors. The dark heart of the teenage market is where HIM's poisonous, venomous arrow is aimed at, and rest-assured it will hit its mark. I can't think of an easier name for a teenager to carve out on his or her forearm than HIM- well, I guess NIN was pretty point-and-slash back in the day... In any case, this review isn't really even important. If you look at HIM's pentagram/heart logo (heartagram? sweet Jesus these guys need a better graphics guy) without cringing, this is right up your alley. On a closing note: HIM, cowboy hats are only satanic if you were in White Zombie, not if your hail from Finland. Or if your Eurovision winning Finnish compatriots Lordi want to wear them. Those guys are setting the bar for flashy Finnish metal these days, and HIM, you come close. Dark Light gets either an 8/10 or a 3/10, depending on whether you've had your eighteenth birthday or not. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go listen to Lordi's The Arockalypse again. back to top Pan Pan Medico Hinterland Submerged Records The third album from Vancouver’s Hinterland is anything but predictable. Opening with dark guitar riffs and heavy bass, the first few tracks feel like walking through a dark forest with only Michaela Galloway’s soaring vocals leading the way. Like waking up from a bad dream, the haunting nightmare ends as “Future Ghost” relies on a keyboard melody that sounds like a soothing lullaby. “You Speak-I’m Silent” and “Gemetry” add a dash of synth pop but the final track, “Sentinel”, returns to the darkness, concluding the album with a swirl of guitar distortion. Hinterland tries to cover a lot of territory and overall the band have crafted an enjoyable album. http://www.hinterland.bc.ca/ -Jon Brazeau back to top Hinterland The Picture Plane Submerged Records As soon as the first note of Hinterland's sophomore release, The Picture Plane, hit, my feet were up and dancing. A surprising high voice (Michaela Galloway, who also contributes flute, oboe, keys and percussion) accompanied the more rock type playing of Cameron McLellan (bass, guitar), Gregg Steffenson (drums, percussion, noise) and Kyle Fogden (guitar, keys), who make up the rest of the Vancouver based band. The second song, “Thisclose”, drew me in with the dominant bass playing. A great accompaniment to moving around frenetically in your underwear or to keep the pulsing on a Saturday night, which eventually relents into slower numbers. Track six, Western Development Museum's, ethereal, haunting tinged, flute carries to another lighter place, floating in the clouds. A precursor for the rest of the dreamy, sleepy album, book endeda with some upbeats and bounce on the last track, the final let go of the appropriately titled "Exit Sign." Heather Rayment back to top The Hoa Hoas Flower Flowers Self-produced The Hoa Hoas live in Toronto's Kensington Market neighbourhood and, like most of the residents there, are a total bunch of hippies. They all share a one bedroom flat over some used clothing store, jam out in there, and throw killer 1960s flashback parties that'll make you think you're living the flower decade all over again, even if you're only 22. In any case, their self-produced debut EP is pretty much the musical equivalent of their lifestyle and live shows: totally trippy and psychadelic, and pretty nonsensical most of the time. Take, for example, their opening track, sung in faux British accent by lead vocalist Richie Volume: for several minutes the band just jams about nothing more than wearing a yellow jacket. So it's pretty light-core twee stuff, but it's all fun psych-pop comparable to the likes of Belle and Sebastian. But the best thing about the Hoa Hoas is their live shows; they play a mean set and are followed by a dedicated and not-too-cool-to-dance fan base. Check 'em out at www.myspace.com/thehoahoas. - James Sandham back to top Ho-Ag The Word from Pluto Hello Sir Records Ho-Ag’s music is best described as pure frenzy. A dissonant mix of distorted guitar, synthetic fuzz, and synthesized beats, it rises, swells, then falls away again, and this characterizes much of the album. Some of it is mildly reminiscent of Mr. Bungle but less symphonic and more punked out. Vocals by Matt Parish are raw, unrehearsed, and unpretentious – and not a little grating at times: even freaky madness can get stale with prolonged exposure, but slower songs like “Lemon Juice and Vinegar” help add diversity to the album’s otherwise break-neck pace. Instrumentals are provided courtesy of bandmates Patrick Kim (guitar), Eric Meyer (drums), Tyler Derryberry (electronics and vocals), and Nkus Ward on bass. These boys hail from Georgia. www.hellosirrecords.com - James Sandham back to top Holy Fuck Holy Fuck Dependent/Outside Holy Fuck is a rock band in desperate need of a singer. They might tell you they’re an electronica band but with so much potential to be an awesome group of rockers they simply have to jump genres. Their self-titled release, complete with its eye-catching silver ‘FUCK’ emblazoned cover, is a set of great rock instrumentals (or live electronica tracks depending on how you view it) that would make great songs if they only had a proper front man. Take for instance the opening track “Lovely Allen”, which builds to a Baba O’Reilly-like crescendo but just when you expect Roger Daltrey’s soaring vocals to come in, you get…well nothing. Just a repetition of the same cock-teasing loop, albeit a great piece of music, a decent electronic tune, but a kick-ass rock song it is not. The conundrum of Holy Fuck is that they are producing electronic music with live instruments and a definitive rock edge. Therefore they are straddling a fence that may half their potential audience either way. Either they’re too rock n roll for the Chemical Brothers crowd or vocal-less for the indie crowd. Holy Fuck is still an interesting EP largely due to the band’s solid musicianship. A great rhythm section keeps your head bobbing and some lovely keys and synth strings (which even pull off a Nintendo MIDI style riff on “Safari”) fill the whole thing in wonderfully. For the dance crowd this EP is great as is but for an indie rock fan, without that singer, Holy Fuck just aren’t rocking enough to pull off their name. www.holyfuckmusic.com - Sam Stilson back to top Holy Fuck LP XL Recordings Holy Fuck’s long-awaited full length album is finally here and while it won’t have you screaming “Holy fuck!” it’s not half bad. The band’s sound is very reminiscent of 90's dance-rock hitmakers The Chemical Brothers; therefore fans of rock break-beats, pulsating bass, and just a touch of indie attitude will love this album. The best songs from the EP show up on this full-length, there is a live track plus a heap of new tunes that will pump you up and provide decent sonic accompaniment for your workout session or pre-bar binge drinking. The band could still use a singer, or at least the occasional guest vocalist, but let’s not split hairs here. www.myspace.com/holyfuck - Sam Stilson back to top Hopewell Not Birds Tee Pee Records New York quintet Hopewell have been around since about 1993, making music under the space rock banner and collaborating with the likes of Mercury Rev and the Flaming Lips. Since their inception in the early nineties they’ve put out a bunch of singles, mainly at the start of their career, and three LPs, the last of which was 2005’s Birds of Appetite. Not Birds, their fourth CD release, is an EP and, as the press release informs us, not just a bunch of “cast offs” from the other albums. That said, however, it does contain a song recorded during the Birds of Appetite session and a couple of quick, minute-plus pieces – so this album is by no means a masterwork, and at times it does feel a bit dashed together, despite Hopewell’s lazy, ethereal psych-pop sound. But all in all it’s a good album, especially if you like the Flaming Lips; you’ll swear Wayne Coyne is doing the vocals for some of the tracks, if not writing them. This is applicable to “Beautiful Targets” in particular, although the collaboration on that track is actually with Mercury Rev. “The Notbirds,” the album’s first track, is perhaps also its standout, characterized by great instrumental arrangements, a soaring sound, and a bit of a harder edge than the rest of the EP. Check ‘em out online at www.myspace.com/hopewell. - James dham back to top The Horrors EP Stolen Transmission On the strength of a furious, 15 minute live set and a look that’s “cooler than the first time you saw the Strokes but with more menace,” to quote Vice magazine, the Horrors have managed to captivate audiences in their native UK, and have now snagged a North American record deal through Stolen Transmission. Set for release this October, their debut EP is a blazing fast five-song set that ends disappointingly soon – altogether, the album clocks in at only slightly more than 12 minutes. But that’s all part of the package, because the Horros are, if nothing else, an oddity. With a sound somewhere between the Ramones, the Bad Seeds, and Tom Waits, the quintet shreds its 12 minutes of music into pure madness with twitchy organ work by Spider Webb and Faris Badwan’s spastic, choked vocals. Freaky, stripped down, indignant and immediately catchy, the album may be short but it’s a hell of a trip. Check out their vid for “Sheena is a Parasite,” directed by Chris Cunningham, on YouTube or hear their music at www.myspace.com/thehorrors. - James Sandham back to top Hostage Life Walking Papers Underground Operations With gritty vocals, socially conscious lyrics, blazing fast bass and guitar, and pounding percussion to tie the whole package together, Hostage Life's first LP is a trip back to the time when punk was angry and destructive instead of merely naughty and preening. Charged with raw energy, authenticity, and a set of vocal chords surprisingly impervious to abuse, Walking Papers shows there is hope yet for punk fans everywhere. Its 14 tracks are hard, furious, and rugged, yet refreshingly innovative and fun without comprising the larger anti-establishmentarian ethos and message. Reminiscent at times of Iggy Pop and the Stooges - and, occasionally, of Billy Idol - the album is characterized by Colin Lichti's relentlessly shouted verses and the band's rousing, anthemic choruses. Stripped, defiant hardcore embellished with ironic stadium-rock guitar licks give this album a sound that is angry and provocative, yet self-mocking, conscious of the fact that it's only a punk band, not a revolutionary movement. Blistering, clever, ironic punk with perspective. www.hostagelife.com - James Sandham back to top Hot Chip The Warning EMI Records The sophomore album from the UK’s newest Electro-Pop outfit Hot Chip starts off like a hot flash. The opening track ‘Careful’ starts of with soft synth sounds which quickly lead into a barrage of industrial sounding beats that back digitally altered vocals. They then take a break for a quick infusion of ethereal vocals, but only momentarily as they then dive right back into the hard beats. It is a great introduction to an album full of experimentation and solid songwriting that could be compared to as varied a group of artists as Beck, The Beach Boys, Kraftwerk and Prince. From there the album takes off into ‘Boy from School’ which starts off as a funky dance song weaving a looped synth beat with several layers of harmonies, and eventually drops the loop to become a serene melody with vocals backed by the sounds of chimes. This leads perfectly into ‘Colours’ which starts off mellow with vocals over a drum machine, and ultimately picks up the pace and becomes an upbeat track that reminded me a lot of The Postal Service with pleasant vocals supported by electro-sounding beats. The album continues like this, alternating between upbeat and mellow sounds, and using a huge range of noises from drum machine beats to distorted guitar and organs and string arrangements to chimes and bells of every variety. Hot Chip thrive at combining completely unnatural electronic noises with the organic sounds of strings and vocals. This is a solid well produced album from front to back. Although the first track caught me off guard the album went on to impress me with upbeat songs like the first single ‘Over and Over’ with its radio friendly repetitive verses and guitar based hook, and the Prince influenced ‘Arrest Yourself’. Slower songs like ‘Look After Me’ and ‘The Warning’ exhibit the band’s songwriting ablilities. I would definitely recommend this album to fans of groups like LCD Soundsystem and The Postal Service. Matthew Gorman back to top Hot Hot Heat Happiness Ltd. Sire Records You know something? Hot Hot Heat gets a little bit more irritating every album they produce. With their latest, it’s like they’re beating the same old horse with the same crappy stick, only now the stick is soggy, and the horse… man, I’m just going to stop myself there. If you’re still stuck on the whole abrasive dance-pop fad, that’s very cool; and if you dig whiny ballads that would make Ben Folds cringe, then that’s up to you. It’s more than the music just being lame, it’s that the formula is all dried up; there’s no innovation, and there’s nothing gripping my ears to the speakers except for hooks like the main riff of ‘5 times out of 100’, which ends up driving the high and whiny vocals deep into my psyche. This is not, in my opinion, music for listening to at home, or listening to with friends. -Jesse Kline back to top The Icarus Line Black Presents Dim Mak Records Anyone who likes their rock n’ roll spiked with a shot of danger need look no farther than The Icarus Line and the four tracks on their new EP, Black Presents. At least, that’s what these LA skid row superstars would have you believe. And to be sure, they do bring the pain. Seething rhythm, lacerating guitars and squalls of Joe Cardamone’s alternating screeching and sublime vocals pick up where their 2004 filth-rock masterpiece Penance Soiree left off. Mainlining a heady cocktail of a young Jane’s Addiction’s glam, Mars Volta’s prog-thrash, and late-model Primal Scream’s hemorrhage-inducing beats, this EP has its ups and downs, but at no point does it ever relent from its take-no-prisoners siege. Brash title track “Black Presents” never seems to take off, but serves up a tasty appetite-whetter for what’s to come. “Cut Back the Heard” and “Watch Your Step” are vintage Icarus Line, fusing their metal to Girls Against Boys’ funk sensibilities, but it is stand-out track “Fshn Fvr” that really struts off with the prom queen at the end of the night. A true departure from their glam-stomp sound, if not from their usual subject matter (see chorus: “We bite at the neck!”) “Fshn Fvr”’s relatively cleaner sound is that of Bauhaus’ gothic post-punk meeting the Black Rebel Motorcycle Club at the end of a syringe-filled alley. Unfortunately, it is this disparate nature of the track that will probably see it cut from the full album when it hits stores in early 2007. A shame, but only those looking forward to a violent death would have the cojones to mention that to these guys. www.dimmak.com - John Tracey back to top If All Else Fails Do Not Forget To Be Angry Baseline Music Co. I was prepared to hate this album. Judging from its cover (the album art is either a straight-jacketed Ernie from Sesame Street, or a really angry phallus), and its very Christian-rock-like song titles (“Nonbeliever”, “Martyrs Made and More Forgotten”, and “Christian Vengeance (exodus 12)”, to name a few), I didn’t think it was possible that a decent record might be hiding inside. Much to my surprise, it doesn’t suck. The band, made up of five So-Cal boys, travel through fairly generic (if well-composed) radio-friendly rock, to more hard-edged punk rock, and even find themselves shading confidently into country on “Time to Move On”. On “Streetlights”, what initially sounds like a ripped-off Radiohead riff combines with drumming that will convince kids who were raised on Super Nintendo that Yoshi is merrily paying the band a visit. Also, the beginning of “Inside the Lie” samples some damning Bushisms, showing that these lads wear both their religion and their politics on their sleeves. Lead singer Ryan Murphy has an excellent and expressive voice, and his lyrics are intelligent and thoughtful (he holds a degree in English Literature, which probably explains things). Don’t judge this band by their rather terrible album cover. -Jennifer Fabro back to top Ilad National Flags Independent Based in Richmond, Virginia, Ilad is a quartet of four young men with a penchant for drifting electronica and moody, spaced-out, pseudo-jazzy sounds. With National Flags, their sophomore release, they continue to build on this sound, fusing ethereal, mumbling, Lennon-esque vocals with soft, acid-jazzy instrumentals and, on the song “D.O.I.” at least, the words of Thomas Jefferson. It’s an experimental sound, but one that’s somehow simultaneously immediately familiar and comfortable. The album’s like taking a cool shower on a hot day: not exactly exciting and often barely stimulating, but just so necessary and good, and you come out feeling clean. Hear for yourself at www.iladmusic.com. - James Sandham back to top iLiKETRAiNS ProgressReform Fierce Panda Is it label policy that bands who have worked with Dance to the Radio have get all “creative” with how they write their name? I guess Leeds is a small town though. But not only do iLiKETRAiNS use stupid gimmicks like wierd syntax, they also write songs about esoteric crap like Robert F. Scott’s doomed 1912 mission to the Antartica – mainly so they’ll appeal to middle-aged reviewers at publications like The Times who confuse anything erudite for what’s progressive or hip. I’d already dismiss these guys as pandering sellouts – which is sad commentary if, like them, you’re still on an indie label – if it wasn’t for their genuinely admirable DIY ethos and the totally awesome music video that comes with this enhanced CD. It’s a wistful little piece of stop-motion animation and really makes concrete the themes of isolation, futility, and loneliness these guys are writing about. My final verdict: iLiKE iLiKETRAiNS. www.iliketrains.co.uk -James Sandham back to top I Love You But I've Chosen Darkness Fear Is On Our Side Secretly Canadian Records Fear Is On Our Side is the full length debut CD, that follows up Austin, Texas's ILYBICD's 2003 self-titled shorter EP. The fivesome (Christian Goyer, Edward Robert, Ernest Salaz, Timothy White and Daniel Delfavero) give us happy music for funeral marches, sexy slow caressing dancing, midnight moods, Sunday drives through dusk and music to get lost in while spinning alone aimlessly through a room. Melodic and dark, Fear Is On Our Side will catch sparks in even the faintest of hearts. Like discovering flowers at twilight, I Love You But Have Chosen Darkness have captured the darkest corners of my heart and won't let go. Spilling minimal light, dilatory moving music, humming vocals, it's just the thing to darken your dark day. www.sonicunyon.com www.chosendarkness.com -Heather Rayment back to top IllScarlett Clearly in Another Fine Mess Sanctuary Records Clearly in Another Fine Mess does have some messiness to sort out, but illScarlett’s adolescent-friendly sound could very well lead them to become the next alternative rock band to clean up in the commercial music world. The band’s website describes them as: “A filthy dub, punk and reggae brand, wrapped up in a very accessible pop-package.” It’s not clear whether they mean “brand” or “band”, but both descriptors apply. The album is divided into two “sides”, which at first might seem like a pretentious throwback to the days of vinyl. However, after a listen it becomes clear that the division was a good idea. Side A could easily – and maybe should – have functioned as a 5-song EP, containing the album’s strongest tracks in the first three slots. illScarlett are served well by “First Shot,” a song with a lot of Sublime in it that showcases their brand of energetic dub-infused ska/punk. “Nothing Special” is the band’s most radio-friendly pop-punk song, delving into the oft-explored realm of youthful angst and frustration. Side A also includes a bizarrely nÃƒ¼-metal tinged track called “Numero Two,” and is rounded out with a number titled “One-A” that starts out as a party anthem, but dips into a confusingly dark refrain – “All I want is for the world to go away.” illScarlett sure seem to be diverse, and Side B confirms it with an acoustic ballad and several enthusiastic live tracks. The first side is definitely the stronger of the two, but it was wise of the band to include the live performances, as they pride themselves on their live show and their extensive fan base in the GTA. Singer Alex Norman does a good job channeling the late Brad Nowell, and the rest of the band members are capable and tight musicians. “Clearly in Another Fine Mess” is a little scattered and insecure, but overall it’s a fun listen. Album art from Toronto’s beloved punk clothiers “Playdead Cult” round out this well-produced and catchy album. -Jennifer Fabro back to top Interpol Our Love to Admire* Capitol/EMI Continuing their tradition of making music that sounds like a beautifully amorphous cross between Joy Division and Gord Downie, Our Love to Admire is the third LP from the ever popular New York indie darlings Interpol. As critics have gushed since their first release in 2002, the band does hauntingly anomic rock music with a stripped down vocal sensibility, and this album is no different. Whether that’s a good or bad thing is hard to say, but one thing is clear: Interpol are consistent if nothing else, and fans should not be disappointed with this their latest offering. Tracks like “The Scale” and “The Heinrich Maneuver” are slightly more upbeat than their usual offering, but still retain the worn weariness that seems to be Interpol’s enduring draw. A solid album from an established quartet of musicians. Hear more at www.myspace.com/interpol. - James Sandham back to top Iron and Wine The Shepherd’s Dog Sub Pop Records It would appear that at some point between 2004’s Our Endless Numbered Days and The Shepherd’s Dog, Iron and Wine’s third and latest long-player, Sam Beam trekked his way out of the southern-goth backwoods only to find respite in some old hillbilly’s moonshine shack. Where he clearly dug into the hooch and got himself a little glow on. Generally faster, poppier and well, happier than Iron and Wine’s previous releases, The Shepherd’s Dog features Beam at his most – burp – laid-back, having fun with his craft and trying out new things. “The Devil Never Knows” is a honky-tonk banjo rave-up, and “Wolves,” with it’s wah-wah and organ combo, sounds like Days’ hypnotic “On Your Wings” reinterpreted as a Blaxploitation soundtrack. While there’s still a lot of Beam’s familiar ghostly ploddings to go around, this album is another step forward for the forest folk troubadour. back to top Iron Maiden A Matter of Life and Death EMI When Iron Maiden led the late 70’s/early 80’s New Wave of British Heavy Metal underground scene one wonders if they ever thought they would still be playing metal almost thirty years later. Maiden remains one of most popular, if not most popular, metal acts around the world despite having hit their creative peak with 1985’s Powerslave. They are metal’s survivors, retaining brand value not just in Europe, South America and Japan, but in North America where they consistently compete with even the most popular Nu Metal acts like Slipknot and Disturbed. As this new album clearly demonstrates, this popularity is now based strictly on legend rather than talent. A Matter of Life and Death rehashes the same music and themes that we’ve heard for decades except Maiden no longer sound convincing. Somehow the power riffs which menaced now sound forced and formulaic. Bruce Dickinson’s “air siren” vocals save the record from oblivion but cannot save it from mediocrity. Lyrically, Maiden is jumping on the anti-Bush, anti-war bandwagon. Relevant, but so what? They don’t rock anymore. Their new songs don’t move people. While Aces High made teenagers play air guitar while jumping from the roof of their cars, the songs on Life and Death have as much intensity as Rick Derringer playing guitar in a mutual funds commercial. The emperor has no clothes but he does have a huge back catalogue of memories. Hey, some day it will happen to Slayer, too. www.ironmaiden.com - Michael Cool back to top The Jaguar Club Ceci n’est pas le Club de Jaguar Independent Release Date: April 2007 Three lads out of New York have learned to rehash old material and make it shiny and new. Will Popadic (Guitar/Vocals), Yoichiro Fujita (Bass/Back-up vox) and Jeremiah Joyce (Drums, Back-up vox) of the Jaguar Club, show us how far they have come and how much they have to offer. We are only bestowed with six tracks on this latest EP Ceci n’est pas le Club de Jaguar. There is an undertone of “college rock” coupled with pop vocals, very reminiscent of The Smiths. The boys three are quite good at keeping things simple. We don’t hear any instruments that are trying to fill space; the music is straight ahead with a small sample of progression. Because of this, we hear both catchy punchy melodies. Yet, they do tend to sound the same the more we go on. Favorites: “Beautiful House” and “World Gone By.” To pet the kitty up close, visit www.jaguarclubofnyc.net or www.myspace.com/thejaguarclub -Rayna back to top Jamie T Panic Prevention Virgin Records Why are British musicians so spicy? Their forked tongues and witty quips are always so entertaining, especially in a song. That seems to be the formula 21-year-old Wimbledon, South London native Jamie T has taken on his debut Panic Prevention. A 14-track musical journey into the everyday life of Jamie T, listeners are taken on an entertaining adventure of teen debauchery and Tom Sawyer-like escapades. Hard to peg, Jamie T quite bluntly just does what he wants. Wanna bust out some punk stylings à la The Clash, and then check out “Operation.” Hear an urban banter about “Sheila” and her mate Stella or listen to a bass-heavy up-tempo track like “Pacemaker” to get your heartbeat racing. A noted big fan of mixtapes Panic Prevention is definitely a mix tape of another kind. So many genres and styles of music come together, no two songs sound alike on this album. Jamie T isn’t afraid to be himself or to experiment either. He seems to just go with the flow and drop rhymes as if they’re second nature to him, no matter the subject matter. A fun, charming little disc full of boyish antics and shit-disturbing revelry, this is the soundtrack to Sick Boy’s life – provided [if] he wasn’t addicted to heroin. www.jamie-t.com www.myspace.com/jamietwimbledon -Antoinette Mercurio back to top The Jealous Girlfriends The Jealous Girlfriends Good Fences Originally released in 2006, the Jealous Girlfriends’ debut album has been re-released this year on the label Good Fences. The new version features an overhaul in the track order as well as a new song, the opener “Secret Identity,” which feels like a haunting, guitar-swirling dream. The male and female duet and dueling vocals of Josh Abbott and Holly Miranda are interesting and unique. “Roboxulla” opens with just Miranda and an upbeat piano tune, hinting of heading into a soft rock direction before layering in the guitars and blazing a new path. The slow, ballad-like closer, “Carry Me” lulls the album to sleep, carried by Miranda’s soothing voice. It’s more than enough to keep the album feeling like a fuzzy dream worth remembering. http://www.thejealousgirlfriends.com/ -Jon Brazeau back to top Jeff Martin Exile and the Kingdom Nevada/KOCH Jeff Martin appears to be the price we have to pay for being Canadian, much like softwood lumber disputes and baby seal killing. With an album title that steals from Albert Camus – with a songbook that single-mindedly imitates Led Zeppelin’s “Kashmir”– with a look that Jim Morrison perfected and owned nearly 40 years ago, there is nothing more to be said about Jeff Martin. This is why I shall let his press material do all the talking. “Jeff Martin brought grandeur, majesty and mystique back to rock music” “Jeff Buckley-like grandeur” “This first batch of Martin solo songs bears the same markings of greatness as do the songs he penned and lovingly recorded with friends Jeff Burrows and Stuart Chatwood, as the Tea Party” It bears all the markings of the grandest achievements now irresponsibly filed under the “classic rock” umbrella” “Martin and company can rock harder, and with more conviction, and chops, than anyone in our man’s peer group.” “Nick Drake on a back porch in the Mississippi delta” “That’s Martin’s gift to us; his music throws the door open a crack and the light that rushes in suggest another universe, one we feel compelled to visit repeatedly, and with gratitude.” Yes. Even purchasing the CD is not enough. Like God of the Old Testament, Martin is very angry and constantly needs our thanks. And now for the mouth of Jeff Martin himself: “The World is Calling”– according to Martin, is “an open letter to George W. Bush”, Key Lyric: “You keep on lying/There’s children dying.” “This Record is packed full of soul.” “You actually hear sunlight.” “Back in the day, Jimi Hendrix used to talk about music in colours and that was his concept behind Axis: Bold As Love – and not that I’m comparing myself to Jimi Hendrix, but it’s the same thing for me. I see music in colours.” “Mark Ouellette was my partner for all those symphony shows and everything symphonic that The Tea Party did. He fell in love with my style of writing” “I wanted to give everything back to those very passionate people that have followed The Tea Party through thick and thin. I want to give it back to them, but also give it back to myself, more importantly.” Finally, an honest admission. www.JeffMartinMusic.com -Jordan Somers back to top Jen Militia Berlin Boot Camp Self-produced Channelling the political savvy and vocal sensibilities of Rage Against the Machine – not to mention liberal helpings of revolutionary propaganda art – Jen Militia have crafted a sound fit to tear down the walls of capitalist oppression… or whatever. They call it “Commando Pop” and explain that “if you take the sexiness of hip hop and the swagger of punk rock then you pretty much know what we’re about,” and I don’t think it can be put much better. It’s easy to be cynical about revolution-driven pop in today’s image-obsessed and seemingly doomed political environment, but Jen Militia bring a certain fresh je ne sais quoi to the mix. Maybe it’s Trinidadian born frontman Mike Dainjah’s catchy vocals. Maybe it’s Jen Militia’s impressive ability to weave politically conscious themes into incredibly catchy funk-infused hip-hop. Either way, what they’ve got going here is something worth taking note of. Even if the only revolution it heralds is confined to the dance floor. www.jenmilitia.com - James Sandham back to top Jenn Grant All the hallmarks are here: the slide guitar, the organ, the crystal-clear vocals and of course, the heartbreak. Have I heard this album before? Is it yet another country- inspired female singer-songwriter? On first glance, this album could be dismissed as this. But it is so much more than that. Grant has inspired unforgettable vocals that have been captured to perfection in CBC’s studio H in Halifax. Harking from Prince Edward Island, Grant crafts an album the draws you in as she sings of dreamers and lovers and rainy days. A standout track is, “Unique New York,” which almost recalls Broken Social Scene mixed with the exotic vocals of Regina Spektor. The first single, “Dreamer” is another must-hear as she repeats the word “dreamer” over glorious layered strings and drums. Featuring guests like Ron Sexsmith (on “In a Brown House) and Jill Barber, this album is a little piece of Canada that deserves to be heard by people far and wide. -Alice Uribe back to top Jerry Leger and the Situation Farewell Ghost Town Independent Release On first spin the latest from Toronto singer/songwriter Jerry Leger makes you think you’ve put in the wrong album. With minimalist production, he’s managed to revive the appealing elements of Bob Dylan and Elvis Costello that were surely disappearing beneath today’s ambiguous production standards. Farewell Ghost Town carries the torch of preservation. From the opening track “Hat on Your Head” Leger delivers folk rock in an old fashioned, albeit not dated, style. His vocals have a gritty, slightly off-key Neil Young approach. And his backing band, The Situation, effectively feed his folk-rock tendencies. The folk-worthy steel guitar on “Love is Meant to be Blue” perfectly accompanies the Mick Jagger styled ballad and has a genuine classic feel to it. It is baffling how Leger is able to effectively use vintage production techniques and muddy guitar to temporarily revive the classic folk sound. Another comparison, which Leger himself admits in his bio, is to Hank Williams. Much like Williams, Leger weaves interesting stories about love, anger and the realism of everyday life. His songs wouldn’t be out of place as background music for drinking cheap whiskey in gritty bars. One of the album’s standout tracks is “On Your Own.” It’s the classic boy / girl love song but it’s delivered in a honky-tonk cowboy way. This is one song where modern production tactics emerge from deep in the mix. The steel guitar permeates through the layered acoustic guitar and rock drumming. This album will sit nicely atop a stack of classic rock vinyl LPs near the turntable and CD player. www.spillmagazine.com - Andrew Seale back to top Jesse Malin Glitter in the Gutter Adeline Records Singer-songwriter Jesse Malin, ex-frontman of D Generation, and long-time stalwart of the New York City music scene is back with his third long-player, titled with the suitably Springsteen-esque name Glitter in the Gutter. He’s even brought the Boss along for the ride, adding Springsteen’s wizened vocals to album highlight “Broken Heart” (which also features long-time Malin familiar Ryan Adams on electric guitar). Putting out an all-points bulletin for friends and favours, Malin has packed the album with guest appearances: along with the aforementioned Adams and Springsteen, he’s got a Wallflower, a Foo Fighter, and a Queen of the Stone Age to help with guitars and vocals. A countrified rock album that wouldn’t sound out of place (or time) in a Chevy Truck ad from 1984 (see lyrics “Raised on robbery and rock n’roll / Moving to the Motor City Soul”), Glitter in the Gutter walks dangerously close to (and in some cases, trips over) the line separating it from the much-feared Adult Oriented Rock classification. Indeed, much of the album sounds like Counting Crows or, worse, Soul Asylum. This is not to say the album is bad; it’ll make a great birthday present for your cool aunt. www.adelinerecords.com - John Tracey back to top Jesu Silver Hydrahead/Sonic Unyon The grey washed covers of a sad, dark, lonely tree and solitary diagonal telephone, anchored by wires on one side that fall off into the grey on the other, pull me into gloom before I break into an only slightly happier first track, "Silver." The sweetness of sound and grounded instruments keep me from falling under into sadness, but it's a sadness I don't mind being in as long as Justin K. Broadrick keeps singing his melodies to me. Third track, "Wolves" sounds like a wedding march for those who like to move slowly and tread through fog covered haze, before making it to their beloved. closing track, "Dead Eyes," keeps graveyard visits more than tolerable, edging out the sleepy-eyed souls who still linger on the fringes of oblivion to take note, as the last two minutes swell up, into further darkness. www.avalancheinc.co.uk www.hydrahead.com www.sonicunyon.com -Heather Rayment back to top Jets Overhead Bridges Microgroove Formed in 2003, this Victoria, BC quintet has been slowly but steadily building a sizeable fan base on the strength of their drifting, psychedelic-influenced rock and roll. And with the release of Bridges, their debut LP, they appear ready to bring that sound to an even broader audience, with appearances already booked in the UK. A conventional five-piece, their sound is highly comparable to the big names with whom they’ve played: The Stills, 5440, Stars, and the Dandy Warhols. What makes this group unique as a band? Very little other than the fact that they craft highly enjoyable if somewhat conventional rock and roll. There’s no gimmicks. No crazy costumes or hair. Just straight up rock and roll delivered with substance, skill, and singer Adam Kittredge’s clear passion for what he’s doing. Collaborators on the recent War Child CD, of which 100% of profits go to War Child’s humanitarian work, Jets Overhead seem like they have their hearts as well as their ears in the right place. Check ’em at www.jetsoverhead.com. - James Sandham back to top J.F. Robitaille The Blood In My Body EP Rhythmbank Entertainment The only possible fault with this album is that it's only an EP. The six short songs that comprise The Blood in my Body come to an end far too quickly. Like a taste of aural ambrosia, they leave the listener yearning for more, a tragedy only compounded by the fact that this is a debut EP - there's not even a back clogue to retreat to until the LP is released. But as Montreal-born Robitaille is a musical debutant, such shortcomings can perhaps be forgiven. His instinct for catchy hooks, intoxicatingly vivid imagery, and softly spoken yet always poignant lyrics, more than compensate for his titillating yet sparse offering of musical gems. With a sound that hovers somewhere between Leonard Cohen, the Velvet Underground, and Nick Drake, Robitaille is a sure bet for anyone appreciative of the singer-songwriter genre. Currently based in Brooklyn, Robitaille is set to release his second album with Rhythmbank later this year. http://jfrobitaille.com -James Sandham back to top Jill Cunniff City Beach* The Militia Group City Beach is the debut solo release of Jill Cunniff, one of the founders of nineties female rock group, Luscious Jackson. The opening track, “Lazy Girls” has a laid back groove that instantly caught my attention and Cunniff manages to keep my attention by changing up the beats from song to song. The CD is appropriately named City Beach because the music reminds me of a lazy hot summer day. It’s music that makes you smile. Her melodic vocals combined with her catchy songwriting makes tracks like “Eye Candy” extremely radio friendly; in a Sheryl Crowe sort of way. Although she still brings back some of the funkified lazy hip-hop grooves that was the signature sound of Luscious Jackson, this album is a lot “poppier.” - Liz Lulu back to top Jim Bryson Where the Bungalows Roam Kelp Records Taking a break from touring as part of Kathleen Edwards and Howie Gelb’s bands, Jim Bryson has recorded and released Where the Bungalows Roam his third solo record. The album is a hushed easy flowing affair that doesn’t grab one’s attention but doesn’t necessarily need to. The eleven songs offered document what appear to be strained relationships sung over simple drum machine-like beats filled in with reverberating clean guitars and acoustic fills. There is a bitter and biting lyrical tone throughout the album that culminates on the excellent “Pissing on Everything” a musical ‘bitchslap’ to a pessimistic, fake and wasteful friend. Bryson sings in a whisper, “to tell you the truth my friend / all of this has been wearing thin/ and you never really could / feel much good because you never let the good get in”. Bryson’s lyrics don’t stand out much when removed from the music but all in all he can still pen a decent set of lines. Album opener “Flowers” is a compelling track about a love/hate dynamic between parent and child. It is perhaps gritted-teeth acknowledgement of love in a tense relationship. “For not much more then a hard time/I gave you a hard time” he sings on the chorus accompanied by sparse acoustic guitar noodling and a bed of lap steel guitar. The album’s biggest fault is Bryson’s decision to sing every song in soft and near speaking voice level. This causes the melodies to sound stilted and inhibits the songs from really taking off. The result is an album that plateaus early on with successive tracks melting into one another. A little variety would have perked the album up and given more weight to the standouts like “Death by Vibration” a song Bryson appears to have recorded with a sore throat. The result is a scratchy rough delivery that adds an urgency to the lines “it’s just my death/ and it’s by vibration”. Where the Bungalows Roam is an album to play in the background while doing other things stopping everyone once in a while to enjoy a line or two or appreciate the mellow guitar work peppered throughout the album. www.jimbryson.org www.wherethebungalowsroam.com - Sam Stilson back to top Sweat: The Story of the Fleshtones, America’s Garage Band Author: Joe Bonomo Continuum Books Ever wonder what happened to those rock bands who play at dive clubs once or twice and then you never see them again? Well, contrary to what you may think, that band’s still around and chances are they’re still rockin’ out harder and better than that first day they jumped on stage. That’s the idea behind Joe Bonomo’s book Sweat: The Story of the Fleshtones, America’s Garage Band. Forget the Top 40 hits or heavily-rotated MTV videos, meet The Fleshtones – an obscure, old school and unknown band from New York who have shared the stage with R.E.M. and The Police but never quite reached the zenith of success like Sting and his bandmates did. The book chronicles the coming together of the (currently) four-piece band after numerous line-up changes and the token sex, drugs and rock and roll lifestyle. Surprisingly, even minor bands such as The Fleshtones enjoy the debauchery of a rock star’s life even if they’re a bunch of nobodies in the rock world. Which brings us to the success of Bonomo’s book; rather than chalk up the band to be some amazing quartet who’ve surpassed their time in the spotlight (or lack of in this case), he focuses on their longevity and passion. Thirty years in the game and no hits to be accounted for but the band still holds it together because of their love, their pure unadulterated love of rock and roll. Bonomo traces their past, coming from the same New York music scene as Blondie, Talking Heads and The Ramones. And while these bands have come and gone, Bonomo emphasizes the endurance and crazy ass drive The Fleshtones maintained in the fickle and phony ever-changing music industry. He avoids the kiss ass, constant praising of the band and tells it like it is: they were screwed over by record companies, they barely got signed to any labels, they received numerous mixed reviews and trekked all over North America and Europe in a dingy van, living hand-to-mouth with no promise of stardom. There’s no glamour, there’s no fame and there’s definitely no riches. But that’s the beauty of The Fleshtones’ story – they are actually one of the few bands out there who can honestly say “they’re all about the music” and mean it. Bonomo’s book is a good read. Just when you roll your eyes at the ungrateful rock stars of the world and you try to convince yourself to never buy another degenerate musician’s album ever again, The Fleshtones pop into your head and you realize there’s hope. Hope that not all bands are after the big bucks, that not all rock stars are sleazy jerks and that the music industry can’t infect everyone’s soul with greed and gluttony. Yes people, The Fleshtones are proof that one can actually be content making music and playing show after show without the dirty dreams of making it big and becoming a bona fide star. -Antoinette Mercurio back to top The Velvet Underground and Nico Author: Joe Harvard 33 1/3 Series Continuum Books As part of an ongoing series, published by Continuum Books 33 1/3 series focusing on significant albums, it would only be a matter of time when the subject of the first Velvet Underground album would be covered and included in this series. And now it has, coming in at number eleven, written by producer and co-founder of Fort Apache Studios, Joe Harvard. Harvard's main goal is simple: cover the most interesting aspects of the creation of the first Velvet Underground album, from its genesis to its completion, while attempting to navigate through the myths and contradictory tales now canonized in popular culture. On this, Harvard does a satisfactory job of covering this fascinating album. Harvard tries to provide a balanced outlook of all the colourful characters involved in the albums creations and attempts to construct their actual contributions using as many sources as possible to piece together the events and their role in it. For example, although Warhol was not a producer and didn't contribute in that role, beyond lending his name to the cover of the album, he did provide valuable guidance in other areas, suggesting minuet changes to songs for example, but even more importantly, he brought Nico into the fold, a move considered indispensable to this album. As well, when investigating Lou Reed's contention that the album was produced "live" in the studio, Harvard, using his producing experience and by carefully deconstructing the available evidence at hand, including the use of photographs, reasoned that, even though the album was created in as few takes as possible, it was not the "live" album Reed claimed. There was in fact the use of overdubs. But the most enjoyable area of this book would have to be where Harvard covers each song on the album, offering fascinating bits of information and trivia for one to digest. However, this book was not a flawless piece. I found that there were quite a few problems with the writing. It seemed the book lacked a good editor as there were grammar and spelling mistakes abound, numerous enough to take notice of and question the editor's competence. Tied to this was the use of some feeble metaphors and annoying words, "Yowsa!" being one of them. I realize that Harvard is not a full-fledged writer. Nevertheless, this is not a cartoon, rather an honest attempt to construct and highlight some of the more interesting characteristics of the genesis of this album. These terms could easily have been avoided or key-stroked out. As well, the book seemed to have been designed to be read in a linear format, yet the Ludlow demos aren't even discussed until halfway through the book, for example, well after the narrative had taken us to the near completion of the album. But by biggest criticism would have to be on the role Jonathon Richman plays in this book. He is introduced and historicised in the book (wait, I thought this was a book on the first Velvets album?) and at some points, his commentary is used as fact. Now, Richman may have been greatly influenced by this work, but this was not one of the themes Harvard laid out. An entire catalogue could have been devoted to the influence the Velvets had on the alternative music world on individuals more important then Richman. Rather, it seems that Harvard took advantage of someone he had close by him to provide some "expert" opinion. This also ties into the influence the album had on Harvard as well, which the author felt the need to share with the reader. Harvard provides us with a brief biography on himself and on the effect the album had on him and his career, something I neither expected nor cared to read about to be honest. Finally, although one could see that Harvard tried his best to construct an interesting and insightful book, I find the content just did not justify the price marked on the cover. At $10.95 US, you could pickup the first album and begin your own exploration in the greatness of this album. Or better still, save your money and pick up the fabulous box-set, Peel Slowly and See, and read David Fricke's essay on the history of the band included in the package. Overall, an interesting attempt to cover one of music's most important albums, but let down by the lack of a good editor, thereby exposing the amateurness and inexperience of the author. Belal Khallad back to top Joe Henry Civilians Anti- With Civilians being his tenth album, no one can argue that Joe Henry doesn’t have the experience to make music. It’s not surprising that the extremely talented singer/songwriter/producer has been around for as long he has, and Civilians is clear proof of that fact. The album at it’s core follows Henry’s folk roots all the way through but manages to stay more than engaging, especially in tracks like the upbeat “Time Is A Lion” which comes out of left field with an arsenal of bluesy riffs. Henry draws from his own experiences and influences as a producer in the production and creation of Civilians, having produced for Ani DiFranco, Aimee Mann, and even worked with Loudon Wainwright III on the soundtrack for this summer’s hit comedy “Knocked Up.” Recorded, mixed and produced by Henry at his home studio, Civilians stands as a solid justification of Henry’s longevity, a difficult thing to achieve for any artist who’s managed to stay relevant for over a decade. http://www.joehenrylovesyoumadly.com/ - Joe Chammas back to top Joel Plaskett Emergency Ashtray Rock Maple Music After a short but spectacular solo jaunt as a presumably less panicked Joel Plaskett, Mr. Halifax has returned to the Emergency and produced a hit-and-miss concept album named, Ashtray Rock, a musical tale of best friends, music, love and betrayal and how they all wind up in bed together. The album succeeds in spades but when it slips it crashes with a thud and what emerges from the dust is a piece of music that is equal parts suck and spectacular. Joel’s albums have never been pitch perfect start to finish so it is forgivable and expected that a few tracks may come up a little short on the latest. The poorest tracks on Ashtray Rock however are some of the worst in Joel’s career but are thankfully dealt out early on. The awful and embarrassing “Fashionable People” can’t be saved by Joel’s good humour and the lyrically lacking “Penny for Your Thoughts” is just as cringe worthy. After an overtly long and uninspired “Snowed In/Cruisin” the album and its story really settles in and the first six tunes can be forgotten. Album stand out “Face of the Earth” which echoes past triumph “Happen Now” starts off a run of brilliant songs that slide into one other seamlessly. Ashtray Park’s story of two best friends whose band falls to pieces when one steals the other’s girlfriend makes several allusions to Plaskett’s now defunct band Thrush Hermit. Envisioning this album as a ten years too late apology letter to his ex-band mates only strengthens the album’s strong themes of regret and nostalgia when thought of as not merely a fictional story but Plaskett’s own past. The strength of the album is its ability to catapult the listener to that time in life towards the end of high school or the beginning of university. When friends played in bands and drank beer in the woods, life was never ending and cars, chicks and classic rock were all that really mattered. Joel’s reverence for this period of his life is obvious and one can’t help but think he recorded fantastic album closer “Soundtrack for the Night” with a huge smile on his face. ”Yeah, I loved our band/ I don’t have one regret” he sings “I even liked our first two records on cassette” Whether he is referencing his glory days in Thrush Hermit or merely speaking through his characters the sincerity of those simple lines will surely resonate with anyone who loved growing up in Canada and had a band with their friends, or played on a hockey team or were in a chess club for all it matters. Ashtray Rock is a celebration of youth, memory and learning to love and accept our pasts; mistakes and triumphs alike. www.joelplaskett.com - Sam Stilson back to top John Hammond Push Comes To Shove Back Porch Records/ EMI The biggest problem facing any bluesman making an album is “how do you take a boring, repetitive sound that’s been done to death and make it sound new, hip and fresh?” Well, for blues vet John Hammond the answer was simple, find someone new, hip and fresh to produce it. Enter G-Love, of Special Sauce fame. The two had been accidentally meeting on several serendipitous occasions and decided that fate was asking for a collaboration, Push Comes to Shove is the fruit of that labour. For the blues purists who feared that the Hammond-G.Love connection might pervert or ‘modernize’ Hammond’s traditional sound (aside from the awkward hip-hop refrain on the otherwise intriguing, “I’m Tore Down”), this is pure blues. The album is a collection of standards, a few John Hammond originals, a G.Love track and a refreshing cover of his friend Tom Waits’ “Cold Water”. The recordings on this album, all analog, feature a ballsy guttural blues sound. Rusty harmonicas screech over slamming door drums and it’s all led by Hammond’s guitar licks and some amazing piano work by Bruce Katz. For a foot-stomping, Amen-hollering blues fan this album is right on the money. Those in search of a more broken-hearted blues however may go home disappointed, Hammond and G. Love aren’t interested in hanging their heads, this is a good time record and 65 year old John Hammond sounds like he’s having a hell of a lot of fun. The album won’t win any new fans to Hammond, or the blues for that matter but die hard fans of both will not be disappointed. www.johnhammond.com www.myspace.com/johnhammondblues - Sam Stilson back to top John Tucker Must Die OST Wind-up Records I meant to give this CD to my girlfriend, so that she could write an interesting article of media representation of something or other in music accompanying film. She’s quite bright. But she’s mad at me right now and I just plain don’t like the derivative, juvenile, and ham-fisted mimicry that forms the bulk of this album Crap. Make sure you get the capital ‘C.’ You see, this is why I’m currently on the prowl, er, on the lookout for a young writer who can listen to all this silly drivel without giving it the ‘when I was your age’ edge. Because when I was your age, my music sucked too. The All-American Rejects shouldn’t be on the lead track of their own CD, let alone a soundtrack. The standard smattering of now cliché new wave revivalists and power pop patsies slaughter their own elementary compositions, which is to say those songs that weren’t actually written by the Matrix or someone. “Instantly Gratified,” People in Planes contribution to the album, is perhaps the strongest track, though as a thoroughly decent number amongst drivel it has an unfair advantage, as do OK Go, Nada Surf, and the Camper Van Beethovenesque jump of Caesars. On the other hand, the single worst track I have heard this year might very well be Quietdrive’s cover of “Time After Time,” which is not only slaughtered with clumsy pawing of instruments but also the always timeless yet constantly tired teenage sense of angst and limited imagination that accompanies this whole affair. For the youngins, Camper Van Beethoven is just Gogol Bordello spelled backwards. www.johntuckeralbum.com -Christopher Langer back to top John Wort Hannam Two Bit Suit* Black Hen Music John Wort Hannam looks like Billy Bob Thorton, hails from rural Alberta, and does roots-country like no one’s business. Although he doesn’t approach the genre with as creativity as some of his alt-country contemporaries - boundary-pushers like the United Steel Workers of Montreal - he still manages to create an impressive and engaging kind of music. While it may not exactly be original, it sounds authentic, and his bio seems to back this up. He’s a 2005 CBC Galaxie Rising Star Winner as well as the winner of the 2004 Calgary Folk Fest Songwriting Competition and the NCRA 2005 Dig Your Roots Songwriting Competition. As this seems to suggest, the main appeal of Hannam is primarily due to his song writing ability. Lyrics like “there’s no glamour for a farmer’s wife, so I can understand / A lifetime of getting by was not what you had planned” - from opening track “10,000 Acres” - have an uncanny ability to connect with the listener, whether you’re struggling on the farm or deep downtown. It’s classic white working-class blues, a sort of “prairie Bruce Springsteen” but with more down-home twang. Perhaps a little to mainstream or honky-tonk for some, it certainly has its niche nonetheless. www.johnworthannam.com - James Sandham back to top Johnny Fiasco Nectar Vol. 2 Agave Records Chicago’s Johnny Fiasco produces some sweet, sweet House juice on Nectar Vol. 2. The 14-track mix is a meticulous blend of cool, fresh grooves and high-energy beats. Warped funk tracks such as Rhythm Plate’s “Inside Me” featuring Astral will ease you into the compilation’s subtle jazz melodies of Vernon and Dacosta’s “As Darkness Falls.” Things pick up a bit halfway through with Jason Merle’s “Sound Bomber” and Eddie Leader’s “The Pit.” These tracks definitely set the stage for the next few tracks that all carry that unique, energetic house club flair. Spettro’s “Nothing Particular” changes it up with a subtle tribal nuance, a taste of the CD mellowing out and coming to an end. This compilation is a great blend of chill grooves, lively beats and worldly dynamism. Fiasco obviously took his time putting these tracks together and pulls it off effortlessly. A delightful treat to listen to, either when you’re getting ready to go out or when you’re at the club or even, when you’re getting ready to leave the club. www.myspace.com/johnnyfiasco -Antoinette Mercurio back to top Joseph Israel Gone Are the Days New Door Records/UME Press play and you will step inside a place of worship. And whether you are dressed in your finest threads or not, you will surely be welcomed with open arms. Joseph Israel’s strong debut album, Gone Are the Days, scheduled for release on March 20, 2007, is about a universal reaching to a congregation that wants to cast darkness, violence and oppression to a land faraway. And with feature appearances by reggae artists Luciano and Mikey General, this is a ministerial mission worthy of submission. Gone are the Days was born in Kingston, Jamaica, in the famed womb of Tuff Gong Studios, where Bob Marley and his son’s legacy albums were also conceived. Set in classic reggae stylee, accessorized with saxophone and electric guitar motifs, the slow tempoed songs move in groovy predictable delight. Joseph’s soulful and clear, Marley reminiscent voice, preaches sermons with even clearer messages, reflective in his song titles, “Truth” and “Universal Love”. Consistent with reggae convention, there is heavy biblical referencing, but add Joseph’s homage to his Israeli roots in the mix in “Jerusalem”, and you have a personalized island music twist. Yet this island is still universally accessible as the straightforward lyricism is a musical plea for humanity to transcend their evil ways and connect to a higher spiritual state. The 15-track mandate, complemented by acoustic guitar and piano, is one of idealism and optimism. And to complete the rituals of music worship, coin phrases are repeated with endless (and at times tiresome) fashion and further reinforced by his female choir: Erica Newell and Rochelle Bradshaw who have also backed up reggae stars, Ziggy Marley and Luciano. Overall this album is sure to ignite constant Sunday state and is deserving of a sincere, Amen! http://www.josephisrael.com -cAthy Lee back to top Jose Gonzalez* In Our Nature Mute In Our Nature is a collection of quiet acoustic tunes that shows a lot of potential hiding in Jose Gonzalez. However the stark production and demo quality of the release traps the songs and never really allows any of them to take off as they should. The album is played on what sounds like a classical or Spanish guitar and features some intricate guitar play and several dropped D tunings. Gonzalez sings in a soft voice over his clever guitar tracks in a folky manner that is both intriguing and off putting at the same time. To put it in another way, any song off this album would fit in perfectly on a Wes Anderson film soundtrack. Other than voice and guitar there is little else to this album. The occasional electronic drum kit is used to great effect adding some rhythm to early tracks in the album but other than that it is Jose and his guitar which is candid on some tracks and boring on others. With a full band and some imagination these songs could have been turned into something spectacular but as is they are only a rough sketch of what could have been. http://www.myspace.com/josegonzalez - Sam Stilson back to top Jose Gonzalez Veneer Mute Jose Gonzalez’s latest album, Veneer, is a solid piece of intimate song writing and guitarmanship. And while Gonzalez has performed previously in a variety of punk and hardcore bands, as well as his more experd firmly in the tradition of balladeers such as Nick Drake and Simon and Garfunkel. The eleven tracks on this Argentinean-born Swedish songster’s album unfold with both touching simplicity and, at times, dazzling complexity. Gonzalez’s classically inspired guitar work is soft but powerful, and beautifully compliments his gently spoken, socially astute lyrics. And while Veneer, released three years ago overseas, has earned Gonzalez platinum and near double platinum certification in the UK and Ireland respectively, he remains a relative unknown on this side of the Atlantic. His Mute Records North American release will hopefully rectify that situation. Perfect listening for lazy nights this summer. http://www.jose-gonzalez.com/ -James Sandham back to top Joseph Arthur & the Lonely Astronauts Let’s Just Be Indica Joseph Arthur’s latest disc is a failed experiment. It’s obvious what the man was going for, a sort of mish-mash of genres and styles, a casting-off of labels, a blend of music for music’s sake filled with post-modern studio tricks (recording pouring water) and I kid you not “inward singing” (see Tenacious D). But what it all amounts to is an awful mess. Songs need to be cleaned up, some altogether scrapped, studio chatter edited out, and the few good ideas that remain need to be honed and worked upon to produce something great. Arthur was shooting for a genius of experimentation akin to “A Day in the Life” and wound up with “Revolution No. 9”. It’s an awful shame the whole thing ended up so sloppy because when Joe and the Lonely Astronauts are on, they’re quite damn good. Opening track “Diamond Ring” which wears its Rolling Stones influence on its sleeve is an irresistible and charming tune with a great sing-along chorus. The back end of the album which is a little more traditional sounding will reward those who make it that far with a nice run of songs starting with “Gimmie Some Company” and ending with “Star Song”. This could have been a great ten-song album if only Joseph Arthur had left the quasi punk tunes for jam sessions and stuck to his strengths in the studio as a solid singer/songwriter. Let’s just hope he’s gotten it all out of his system. www.josepharthur.com - Sam Stilson back to top Joss Stone Introducing Joss Stone Virgin Records / EMI Group I didn’t think it was possible for Joss Stone to get any better but she’s proved me wrong with her latest release Introducing Joss Stone. The Brit soul-singer has managed to go deeper into her musical soul roots and unleash a solid, vintage Motown record. After already releasing two albums, the fresh-faced 19-year-old has embraced her first love – music – and let loose a passionate love affair full of soulful grooves and sexy lyrics. She even dedicates an entire song to her first love aptly entitled, “Music”, where reclusive rapper/singer Lauryn Hill comes out of hiding to lend some vocal support to the touching mid-tempo ballad. Her hip-hop collaborations don’t stop there. The track “Tell Me What We’re Gonna Do Now” enlists the help of Common and successfully marries a touch of Bob Marley’s “No Woman, No Cry” to the melodic influence of Gladys Knight’s “Midnight Train To Georgia.” The first single “Tell Me ‘Bout It” reveals the freak in Stone and rounds up the boldness of classic, back-up singing girl grooves. As much as Stone sticks to the vintage side of soul on most of her songs, she adds a modern twist to “Proper Nice” and drops a hot drum-percussion-harp mix that bespeaks a bit of a Floetry influence on the track. Introducing Joss Stone is a good reflection of Stone’s growth as a songwriter and singer. It’s a peek into her heart and a vision of her future as a necessary staple in the music business. What a voice – pure, rich and smooth – Joss Stone can really belt it out and more importantly, she means it. Ladies and gentlemen, Joss Stone has just officially been introduced to the real beginning of her career. www.myspace.com/jossstone www.jossstone.com -Antoinette Mercurio back to top Judah Johnson Be Where I Be Flameshovel This album is a psychedelic melding of soothing melodies and contemporary electronic-po-mo-pop. Often danceable, and yet at the same time, flawless bedroom fare – Detroit band, Judah Johnson has a sonic sensibility that fuses new wave aesthetics with moments of arena rock grunge pop goodness. This leaves some songs fluttering and schizophrenic at times. For a band with five years of experience, and this being their second full-length release, they seem hesitant through much of the performance- which is, on a technical level, quite enjoyable to listen to. The live drums within the mix of bass, guitar and synth are a consistently organic element within the smooth and languid electric grooves. There are several short electronic instrumental tracks interspersed between longer, more elaborate tracks. The sparse vocalization on Be Where I Be is gentle, vulnerable, and determined - rarely overstated, and courteous to the music for telling its own story. Reluctantly bleak, and ultimately hopeful, Judah Johnson’s static-interspersed music maintains a clarity and awareness that centres on the 21st century. A crescendo is reached in the dramatic peaks of Track 11, ‘Tommi (Tears in a bottle)’, in which sweeping diminished keyboard lines and an intensely driving rhythm keep the listener anxiously awaiting a finale – it scared my girlfriend. Much more are the higher energy tunes which start the album, the softer ‘Niagara Walls’ works fair enough, but begins to stagnate after the first couple of minutes. This is a problem which eventually leads to the album’s mediocrity. A pleasant listen, but nothing groundbreaking. -Jesse Kline back to top Jukebox The Ghost Jukebox The Ghost Family Records/This Side Up DC group Jukebox The Ghost have been gaining momentum and a steady following lately, largely due to their playfully rocking live shows. Their self-titled EP seems to back up all the hype that fans have been spreading about this three-piece outfit. Kicking things off with “Good Day” the set starts with a terrific piano line that is complimented by quick guitar riffs and a very subtle vocal part. On “Hold It In” the group serves up lyrics that reflects the self-conscious anxieties of teen-dom. The instrumentation and frustrated vocals begin to build tension in the listener as well until the whole thing comes to a breaking point. Instead of screaming in exasperation though they throw in a fun little piano solo, or a falsetto “whoo.” While clearly any three elements (piano/guitar/vocal) could dominate a track, the mix is always even. It’s a nice change up to hear a piano solo where one expects a ripping guitar from time to time. Thornewill’s vocals and piano playing are likely to draw comparisons to Ben Folds, and the song “Victoria” has something very Billy Joel about it. That said though, Jukebox the Ghost seem a bit more optimistic and content to just make the listener smile along with them. www.myspace.com/jukeboxtheghost -Daniel Demois back to top	Website News Live Reviews Want to be kept informed on all of Spill Magazine's biggest news and updates? Click Here!