Uptown Magazine Online - Winnipeg's Online Source for Arts, Entertainment & News

Uptown Magazine - Winnipeg's Online Source for Arts, Entertainment & News

March 13, 2008


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2008-03-13

Coheed and Cambria

Good Apollo I'm Burning Star IV, Vol. 2: No World for Tomorrow

(Sony)

B+

Website: http://www.coheedandcambria.com

Alt-metal/prog rock band Coheed and Cambria can't write a title, but that didn't stop the group from writing a great album. Good Apollo. is the conclusion of a five-disc series of sci-fi concept albums about the messed-up marriage of characters Coheed and Cambria, and it's the prescription if you've got a fever for bombastic tracks with underlying melody. The Hound (Of Blood and Rank), Feathers and Running Free are three great tracks served back-to-back, and the rest of the cuts aren't bad either. Highly recommended.
— Mike Warkentin

Klondike's North 40

The Straight Path

(I-94 Bar Records)

Website: http://i94barrecords.com

The "Klondike" in this righteous and tight Australian combo's name refers to viciously talented Radio Birdman guitarist/songwriter Chris (Klondike) Masuak. This premier album, released in conjunction with the passionately eclectic I-94 Bar website, proves again that the gang Down Under knows class. Masuak relays the best sort of lean, world-wise Aussie rawk originally borne on the gristly wings of the Stooges, The MC5 and the unreasonably underrated Sonic's Rendezvous Band. Bouncing from mid-tempo rockers to poignant burners, KN40 delivers in spades. This could be one of the top albums of this, or any, year.
— Jeff Monk

Liam Finn

I'll Be Lightning

(Yep Roc Records)

Website: http://www.yeproc.com

Aussie singer/songwriter Liam Finn comes by his musical skill via his DNA - he's the offspring of Neil Finn of Crowded House fame - and on his first solo album, this kid is firing on all creative cylinders. I'll Be Lightning is a sparkling and imaginative banquet of sounds that practically leaves you breathless as one delicious track after another careens by. Finn takes a page or two from the early Paul McCartney stylebook, playing almost every instrument here and making it all sound effortless, polished and charming. Check this out.
— Jeff Monk

Orilla Opry

Lighthouse For Strugglers' Eyes

(Ships At Night)

Website: http://www.myspace.com/orilliaopry

Lighthouse for Strugglers' Eyes was recorded on two-inch analog tape, which adds a warm, retro sound that suits this Montreal folk duo to a T. Daniel Noble and Emma Baxter are the main songwriters, and they'rea ccompanied on the recording by a group of musicians who fill in the holes and provide tasteful bass, percussion, trumpet and backing vocals. After pressing play, you are treated to the sounds of songwriters who take their intelligent lyrics, experimental sounds, and manipulated song structures very seriously - and, in turn, take you on an intriguing ride.
— Ashley McCurdy

Sheryl Crow

Detours

(A&M Records)

Website: http://www.sherylcrow.com

Ink-stained wretches like me have a tendency to dismiss artists who seem to have reached the pinnacle of their success as having less relevance than the flavour-of-the-month baby band. Sheryl Crow's latest sounds much like we've come to expect, musically, but the writing on Detours proves to me this old girl still has something to say. She takes on war, gasoline dependence, tolerance, American government policy and soldiers returning broken - and that's only the first half. The second deals with the crumbling of her relationship with cyclist Lance Armstrong. The songs are frank and expose her wounds and uncertainties.
— Chris Brown

The Kennedys

Better Dreams

(Appleseed Recordings)

C+

Website: http://www.kennedysmusic.com

After 1,500 gigs over 12 years you'd think maybe you'd want a break, but married couple Pete and Maura Kennedy continue to find time to offer guitar workshops, a weekly radio show and a new album - their 10th - Better Dreams. The duo used a writer's trick of using dreams to unlock the muse in a workshop they hosted and found this group of songs as a result. Relaxed and confident, the pair deliver their songs simply and with grace. They don't exactly push the envelope here, but this is a solid effort from a couple of pros.
— Chris Brown

The Trews

No Time For Later

(Universal)

Website: http://www.thetrewsmusic.com

The Trews is a straight-up rock band - but maybe a little too straight-up, as most of the tunes here begin to sound the same after a couple of listens. The repeated choruses (I Feel the Rain, I Can't Stop Laughing) drove me crazy and had me reaching for the remote. Colin McDonald's vocals are pedestrian at best, sounding like every other Saturday night at the Pyramid. Can you tellthis bored? While the band's energy is uplifting, the songs mean it will have a hard time breaking away from the pack. Wake me up when it's over.
— Chris Brown

Sia

Some People Have Real Problems

(Hear Music)

B+

Website: http://www.siamusic.net

It's taken a while, but beautiful Australian singer Sia Furler has delivered what many have been waiting for and knew she was capable of - an album packed with effing great solo tunes. She covers I Go to Sleep (written by Ray Davies of The Kinks and popularized by Pretenders). The remainder of the songs are written by Furler and her collaborators, and include backing vocals from none other than Beck Hansen. The artwork is horrific, as is the album's website, but the songs reveal that Sia's finally found her space as a solo artist. She's always been a cool chick, but Some People... is one cool disc.
— Liz Hover

Kula Shaker

Strangefolk

(Cooking Vinyl)

Website: http://www.kulashaker.co.uk

Disc of the Week

Kula Shaker's third release after what seems like an eternity (it's actually eight years), 2007's Strangefolk, is a blast of pure Britpop. Sing-song choruses, sneak keyboard attacks and choppy guitars infect this album, ensuring no two songs sound alike. Love gets pushed around a bit, but it is America's supposed world leadership that gets a right good beating. Leader Crispian Mills uses his poison pen to stab George Bush on the hilarious Great Dictator of the Free World - with the emphasis emphatically put on the 'dic' in 'Dictator.' Mills' good enough that he can go from Lennon to Dylan - sometimes in the same lyrical line.
— Chris Brown

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