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March 20, 2008
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2008-03-20 
Reviews - CD
Airbourne
Runnin' Wild
(Roadrunner)

A

Airbourne

AC/DC wrote this album about 14 times between 1975 and 1990, but the four Aussies in Airbourne have managed to infuse a classic sound with new life. A host of bands have sacrificed goats to Angus Young only to sound derivative and stale, but Airbourne has achieved what The Darkness did with Permission to Land. Runnin' Wild is 11 balls-to-the-wall boogie cuts fueled by Gibsons and Marshalls, rocking from happy hour until the bottles are empty and the waitress is naked. Stand Up for Rock N' Roll and Hellfire are standout tracks that'll have Bon Scott dancing down in hell. Play it loud.
— Mike Warkentin
Arson Anthem
Arson Anthem
(Housecore Records)

A

Arson Anthem

Holy hardcore! Arson Anthem has put out some of the fastest, sickest shit ever. This debut EP thrashes so fast that I'm thinking if the band slows down, the disc explodes. AA is a super-group of sorts, featuring Phil Anselmo of Pantera fame on guitar, crazed country rebel Hank III on the skins and Mike Williams from EyeHateGod (and jail) on vox. Together they take hardcore back to school. Propelled by Williams' drug-fucked roar and Anselmo's quick-hitting riffs, AA is classic '80s-style HC, in the vein of D.R.I., Discharge, and death. Yes, the brutallic intensity of AA could cause serious death - but at eight songs in 11 minutes, at least it'll be quick.
— Jared Story
Bullet for My Valentine
Scream Aim Fire
(Red Ink Music)

B+

Bullet for My Valentine

I'd put Bullet for My Valentine in the same genre as Avenged Sevenfold - but BFMV doesn't suck. New alb Scream Aim Fire is a hot little dose of what we'll call light metal, in that songs such as Hearts Burst Into Fire are catchy rockers that don't devolve into pathetic, sugary wank-offs. When the boys crank up the anger, as on Waking the Demon and the title track, expect to bang your head to a nice fusion of emo and Euro and American metal that mixes clean and harsh vocals with good success. Pass on A7X and pick this up.
— Mike Warkentin
Carlene Carter
Stronger
(Yep Roc Records)

B

Carlene Carter

Just in from the "whatever happened to?" file comes former New Wave country rocker Carlene Carter. This gal used to rant and rave with the likes of Nick Lowe, Dave Edmunds and the lot - back when they were all re-imagining what greasy rockabilly and hard-assed country music would sound like if they were brought to boil during the heyday of British punk. Carter is back after a long layoff and Stronger finds her kicking arse and returning commercial country back to its unkempt roots. With this album, Miss Carter revels in her past and Stronger is truly a fine return to form.
— Jeff Monk
James Murdoch
In Transit
(Indicia)

B

James Murdoch

Murdoch has had trouble getting In Transit out the garage door. He went into the studio three times and failed to get ignition. Finally, he turned to tune-up specialist Hawksley Workman, who managed to get under the hood of this recording, tinker with each tune and strip the album back to the essentials. The result is a roots-rock hotrod that reminds me of classics such as mid-'80s Crowded House, or a clean version built on a Ryan Adams frame. It may not beat the competition, but it will give it a good run.
— Chris Brown
Various Artists
Latin Reggae
(Putumayo World Music)

A+

Various Artists

When you see that familiar Putumayo art style on the cover of a CD, you know you're not in for anything particularly groundbreaking - more like the cleaned-up coffee-shop version of world music. Latin Reggae is no diffferent. You're not about to hear anything from reggae's revolutionary side here - just a lot of bouncy, ska-influenced upbeat numbers. When combined with the percussion overload and golden horns of various latin styles, however, it's a fresh sound. The disc's highlight, Se Hecho Palante, is a gorgeous, genre-bending masterpiece by Easy Star piano man David (Ticklah) Axelrod and Mayra Vega.
— Sam Thompson
Ray Davies
Working Man's Cafe
(New West/Universal Records)

B+

Ray Davies

For his second solo work, transplanted Brit and former Kinks main man Ray Davies has again come up with a stunner of an album. Davies' strength lies in his ability to connect with a muse that is as careworn as it is hopeful. On WMC this classic pop music artisan uses his observational skills and first-rate wordplay in grand style while always attending to the sing-a-long quality of his best work from the past. Singing a song about Peace In Our Time may be pointless, but in Davies' hands, anything seems possible. And in the end, that's what makes this album such a gem.
— Jeff Monk
Mark Pickerel and his Praying Hands
Cody's Dream
(Bloodshot Records)

A

Mark Pickerel and his Praying Hands

Wow, a drummer (Neko Case, Dusty 45's) turned guitar player/singer whose record doesn't suck! Mark Pickerel amazed me with his last record, Snake in the Radio. He's a guy who knows how to write about truly bizarre characters. This outing's cast of misfits includes a man who begs his women to leave, sisters who tell the future, a guy hanging with a gospel group called The Swamptones and some of yer basic sinners. There is nothing predictable about a Mark Pickerel record - except that it's gonna be great.
— Chris Brown
Baby Elephant
Turn My Teeth Up!
(Godforsaken Music)

A

Baby Elephant

Disc of the Week

"That's right, sucka. Funk manifests itself in all styles." Bernie Worrell knows what he's talking about. The P-Funk organ grinder blasts off on Turn My Teeth Up! and doesn't stop until he reaches new heights of intergalactic insanity. Produced by fellow eccentrics Prince Paul and Newkirk, Baby Elephant is a Crazyland travelogue, with weirdos as diverse as Yellowman, David Byrne and George Clinton adding vocal colour to Worrell's brain-melting organ and synthesizer workouts. When a song called Crack Addicts in Love (featuring Nona Hendryx) is the most normal track on the album, you know you've got something original. Although Paul and Newkirk are billed as full-fledged members of the group, they're clearly deferential to Worrell, who, at age 63, is still colouring waaaaayy outside the lines with his funky crayons.
— Sam Thompson
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