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Check
out what’s going on
around Winnipeg tonight! |
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Check
out this week’s
online CD reviews by our
music staff |
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Supersuckers
Motherfuckers Be Trippin’
(Mid-Fi Recordings)
A
Website: www.supersuckers.com
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Yes,that’s
the title. And yes, that means you won’t find this album
at Wal-Mart. But if you’re a ’Suckers fan you
don’t buy music there anyway — you like record
stores where the owner is a fortysomething musicologist and
the staff are in all the local bands you like. You also like
gritty rock clubs, crunching riffs, and dumbass lyrics —
as long they’re delivered in that lonesome-and-don’t-give-a-shit
drawl. Motherfuckers… is, in fine Supersuckers fashion,
a wonderfully loud, gloriously incorrect, happily self-aggrandizing
monster of a beer coaster. Bassist/singer Eddie Spaghetti
is in riotously fine form here, as he calls a spade a spade
with Rock-n-Roll Records (Ain’t Selling This Year),
answers a call to arms with Are You Ready and offers an everyman’s
romantic lament in Pretty Fucked Up. Guitar players Dan Bolton
and Ron Heathman make their Gibsons roar throughout and the
end result is kick-over-the-monitors, spill-beer-down-the-front-of-your-shirt,
sweat-’til-you’re-dry-again rock ’n’
motherfuckin’ roll. You gotta love it.
John Kendle |
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Blink 182
Blink 182
(Geffen / Universal)
B+
Website: www.blink182.com
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It’s always
been something of a crime to admit a fondness for Blink 182,
but, casting aside the elitism debate for a moment, this record
should put a stop to that. In the pandering realm of commercial
pop-punk, Blink is offering a precious breath of fresh air.
After making it big celebrating teen pranksterhood, Tom DeLonge,
Mark Hoppus and Travis Barker have unleashed a more grown-up
rock record that blends several aggressive styles. Feeling
This is the edgy and eclectic single (and most commercial
song on the disc), and as the record progresses, they try
their hand at spooky vocal loops (Violence), hardcore-inspired
forms (Stockholm Syndrome) and atmospheric jazz-influenced
instrumentals (The Fallen Syndrome). Hoppus is still a charmer,
with his cheeky, edgy vocals and passionate delivery. The
experimentation doesn’t always work, but when it does,
it offers a rare promise: A platinum-selling rock band with
long-term vision and musical ambition.
Melissa Martin |
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Colin Hay
Man@Work
(Compass/Lazy Eye Records)
C+
Website: www.compassrecords.com
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Whether you regard
Australia’s Men at Work as mere one-hit wonders or an
integral part of the soundtrack of your youth, anyone would
be hard-pressed to dislodge that hook from their brain when
Down Under wafts into their earholes. Lead throat Colin Hay
did have a solo career — in case you missed it —
and this tidy little compilation of re-done ditties really
works to get the man’s muse across. Yes, there are two
versions of the aforementioned hit, and while that may be
one too many for casual fans it proves that the track presents
well with altered instrumentation. The album is a pleasant
trawl through the back catalog of a fine singer-songwriter,
and by weaving in some of his current, mostly subdued works
it gives a great overview of a rare talent. For Men at Work
fans this one is absolutely a keeper.
Jeff Monk |
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Stephane Pompougnac
Hotel Costes 6
(Pschent Music)
A
Website: www.fusion3.com |
Stephane Pompougnac
is one of the premiere deejays in France. He has provided
music for Gucci and Yves Saint-Laurent fashion shows and spins
for Les Venues de la Mode (the fashion Oscars). This is the
latest Hotel Costes compilation, named for the famous swanky
hotel where Pompougnac was house DJ. This collection is bouncy
and energetic, thankfully lacking the monotonous North American
club beat. It features a variety of styles and tempos, from
traditional bossa nova to ultra-modern mixes. Slow Train’s
In The Black Of Night stands out, as does Pompougnac’s
Morenito, which showcases singer Clementine’s eerie
mimicry of Astrud Gilberto. Check out the bonus titillating
’60s-style pinups — ooh la la!
Christine Leger |
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The
Soundtrack of Our Lives & Randy Bachman
Live In Vancouver
(Ranbach)
B+
Website: www.randybachman.com
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It doesn’t seem
to make sense, but here it is. The current Swedish kings of
’60s-informed psychedelic rock are fans of the (former)
big man of Canuck rock. Apparently Bachman was buttonholed
for autographs by TSOOL member Mattias while on a visit to
Stockholm, and when the seven-member-strong gang of Swedes
hit the west coast in December last year, Bachman was asked
to join in for a few encores. This three-track jewel features
three Bachman Turner Overdrive chestnuts more than adequately
fleshed out by the power of the electric Soundtracks. Bachman
sounds well-pleased with the fanboy backing band, and the
audience reaction at both Richards’ on Richards and
The Commodore prove that the old master really can do no wrong
at home. There are only 1,000 vinyl/cd sets available at either
Bachman’s or TSOOL’s websites, so take care of
business soon!
Jeff Monk |
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The
Swifty’s
The Swifty’s
(Atomic Works Co.)
B
Website: www.theswiftys.net
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Don’t let the
über-cool CD cover fool ya: The debut CD from Edmonton’s
The Swifty’s is a sweet slice of old-fashioned Alberta
country-rock. Led by Old Reliable guitarist Shawn Jonasson,
The Swifty’s have drawn comparisons to fellow Albertan
roots-rocker Corb Lund — although the similarities between
the two end at the brisk country rhythms of the former. Whereas
Lund’s solo work is as rife with searing inter-genre
influences as his songwriting with the Smalls, Jonasson’s
fare is far more traditional. It’s the music of sawdust
floors and rodeo roundups far from the rhinestoned, shoulder-padded
glitter of Nashville, and presented with far more honesty.
While a casual country listener might long for more eclectic
and less predictable influences (although there are some surprises,
like the delicate piano and trumpet solos of Witchin for Water),
a born-and-bred fan of the genre will be charmed by Jonasson’s
earnest, wind-swept delivery and deft guitar work.
Melissa Martin |
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Run Chico Run
Shashbo
(Independent)
A
Website: www.runchicorun.com
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From the thick, jazzy
opening rhythms of Run Chico Run’s fourth full-length
release, Shashbo is a sleek, angular explosion of art-pop
creativity and deliriously vibrant instrumentation. Sexy,
noirish keyboards and Flaming Lips-style melodic eccentricity
carry much of the record. Matt Skilling’s vocal instincts
are fluid but odd enough to intrigue, and the deliberately
jarring high harmonies add colour. More often than not, Shashbo
thrives on the dissonance of its myriad parts, easing the
listener into a false sense of security before breaking out
the mayhem. On Blue Bike, raw electric guitar riffs contrast
with resonant keyboards, while The Prophematizer closes with
a crashing, chaotic bridge. Alternately delightful and obscure,
Shashbo does perfect justice to a skewed and tongue-in-cheek
vision of modern pop, satisfying those with an eccentric flair
without sacrificing form. Run Chico Run may be one of Canada’s
more elusive acts, but they’re also one of its most
adept.
Melissa Martin |
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Damien Rice
O
(Vector)
C-
Website: www.damienrice.com
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Wistful, woeful, bitter,
angry: O has it all. If a loved one constantly plays this
CD, don’t hesitate to call a professional; it may be
a cry for help. Ireland’s Damien Rice is a mediocre
vocalist but fortifies this effort with talented cellist Vyvienne
Long and gifted singer Lisa Hannigan. Rice takes appalling
liberty with Christmas classic Silent Night, singing lines
such as “I should be stronger than weeping alone, you
should be weaker than sending me home, I can’t stop
you fighting to sleep.” Then there’s the incongruous,
bizarre addition of opera (sung by Doreen Curran) to Eskimo...
The deliberate illegibility of the liner notes is especially
maddening, as if Rice is going out of his way to piss off
listeners.
Christine Leger |
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Chicken Lips
DJ Kicks
(!k7/Fusion 3)
B-
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Since its inception
in the mid-’90s, the DJ Kicks series has stood alone
as the premier outlet for mix CDs that weren’t just
trying to cash in on the latest trend or take over your stereo
with overplayed tracks from washed-up producers. London-based
electronic group Chicken Lips’ contribution to the highly
respected series is a unique mix of bubbling funk, party ready
dub-disco and old school, spaced-out beats. Influenced equally
by the anything-goes deejays of the glory days of disco and
the blissed-out nights of England’s summer of love,
Andy Meecham, Dean Meredith and Steve Kotey’s mish-mash
sound might not appeal to everyone — but it does instantly
set them apart from most electronic outfits. It is refreshing
to see that some groups are still willing to take risks and
go against what marketing reports and focus tests tell them.
Anthony Augustine |
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