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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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The Forty-Fives
High Life High Volume
(Yep Roc)
C
Website: www.yeproc.com
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Perhaps it’s too
early to say, but it may be that the new wave of garage rock has
fully crested. Not that there isn’t room for further hot
additions to this chapter in rock history — but maybe we
need to slow the flow a little. The Forty-Fives are unabashed
lo-fi hogs, and their latest release High Life High Volume promises
greatness but averages out just even in the g-rockin’ shakedown.
The oft-used Jim Diamond is on-board as producer, parlaying his
success with other bands into a steady gig for his Ghetto Recorders
Studio in Detroit. There’s a ton of energy expended here,
and tracks such as Superpill will have fans wriggling with delight.
Overall, unfortunately, High Life High Volume’s fun quotient
lasts only as long as the album is playing, leaving nothing to
pull you back for another traipse through the Forty-Fives’
garageland.
Jeff Monk |
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Glenn Tilbrook
Transatlantic Ping Pong
(Quixotic London/Compass)
B
Website: www.glenntilbrook.com
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As one half of the Squeeze
songwriting duo (with Deptford homeboy Chris Difford) that ably
continued the long line of classic English pop-craftspeople, Glenn
Tilbrook solidified his page in music history long ago. Nevertheless,
Tilbrook’s latest solo instalment proves that he has lost
none of his abilities when it comes to cobbling together a memorable
bit of pop mania. Transatlantic Ping Pong will satisfy both first
generation Squeeze fans as well as anyone who’s a sucker
for honest, pure pop for now people. Opening track Untouchable
has the kind of hook that lasts and will defy any attempt to have
the chorus leave your head after hearing the song more than once.
The melancholy Ray & Me follows the oddball Hot Shaved Asian
Teens — but once you read the lyrics to Genitalia of a Fool
you realize that Tilbrook is just aging rather un-gracefully.
Jeff Monk
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Pearl Jam
Benaroya Hall, Oct 22, 2003
(BMG)
B-
Website: www.pearljam.com |
Pearl Jam has released
a massive number of live discs over the years. The most recent
of these is a two-disc acoustic set recorded at a benefit concert
in Seattle for YouthCare (www.youthcare.org) late last year. The
sound on this album is impressive, clearly revealing the skill
of guitarists Stone Gossard and Mike McCready and singer Eddie
Vedder. Thrown into the mix are covers of Dylan (Masters of War),
Cash (25 Minutes to Go) and the Ramones (I Believe in Miracles),
as well as PJ gems Yellow Ledbetter, Down and Black. Yet another
live disc might be a tough sell, but the quality is certainly
there and Pearl Jam has enough fans that will pick this up. Bear
in mind, however, that this is a restrained two hours with no
hint of a rousing Alive or a foot-stomping Even Flow.
Mike Warkentin |
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Stiff Little Fingers
Guitar and Drum
(Kung Fu Records)
B+
Website: www.slf.com
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It seems as though things
have come full circle for Irish punk band Stiff Little Fingers.
Sometimes revered in the late ’70s and early ’80s,
SLF went on a hiatus in the mid-’80s, reformed five years
later and released several albums that were met with criticism
and disinterest. Guitar and Drum sees a powerful return to form
for these aging, Clash-influenced guys from Belfast. This guitar-driven
pop-punk offering is packed with hooks and songs that beg a repeat
listen at increased volume. Standout tracks abound, but check
out the title track for the softer side of SLF and Empty Sky for
the rough edge. You should also know singer/guitarist Jake Burns
is the only original Finger left, and that former Jam bassist
Bruce Foxton has joined the fold.
Mike Warkentin |
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The Helio Sequence
Love and Distance
(Sub Pop)
B
Website: www.theheliosequence.com
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Ever thought of what it
would be like if the Pet Shop Boys 10 years from now made a compilation
lullaby CD with Björk? Well, Love and Distance is what it
would sound like. This offering is very poppy (not Backstreet
Boys but Mary Poppins pop), and it feels as if this band grew
up on The Beatles and synthesizers. It also seems like they are
all having fun as if someone got an electric guitar and a harmonica
for their birthday and decided it was the time to woo girls. Lots
of love stuff made me want to lie in bed and look at the ceiling,
going over nostalgic lost loves. I refrained, though, and skipped
a couple of songs ahead to a bumpier, mystic song with drums and
bells. Jammed with great percussion (the drummer sits in for Modest
Mouse occasionally), The Helio Sequence dabbles in folk and a
futuristic ambience.
Erin Chatelain |
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Van Hunt
Van Hunt
(Capitol Records)
B
Website: www.vanhunt.com
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R&B newcomer Van Hunt
has been tipped for big things. His Marvin Gaye/Curtis Mayfield-inspired
material is smooth, cool and multi-dimensional. Little surprise
then that Rolling Stone and the New York Times have been lauding
him. His father was a street hustler, and Hunt spent his childhood
surrounded by his dad’s dope-smoking, card-playing friends
— conveniently, these included funk-soul pioneers the Ohio
Players. This intelligent album, full of witty lyrics, opens with
two addictive, light and airy grooves in Dust and Seconds of Pleasure.
Other highlights include Down Here in Hell (With You) and Hold
My Hand. This self-titled debut is littered with deep basslines
and funk by the bucket load. If you’re bored by current
R&B artists, get yourself to your local record store for this
slick disc.
Liz Hover |
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Comets of Fire
Blue Cathedral
(Subpop)
A
Website: www.subpop.com
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Hearing electric strings
and pianos is like Pepto Bismol soothing acid reflux — you
just can’t help indulging. Comets of Fire is the token antacid.
Windy roads of reverb and distortion bring out a new wave of acid
rock. The singer, when there actually are lyrics, constantly sounds
50 feet away from the microphone, which gives me the impression
that the frontman for the band is really supposed to be the music.
These guys from Santa Cruz, Calif., mean business. Formed in 1999,
the band is humbly touring California with Blue Cathedral, its
fourth album. Only connoisseurs of music would dare to dabble
with this gem. The singer flows with a ’60s ambiance bringing
you back to yesteryear’s rock with a good swift kick in
the jewels. Stoners beware. Contents highly addictive and may
leave you gasping for air… between tokes that is.
Erin Chatelain |
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Chris Stamey
Travels in the South
(Yep Roc Records)
B
Website: www.yeproc.com
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Former DB Chris Stamey
doesn’t exactly rush himself between releases. It’s
been over 10 years since his last true solo offering but Stamey-watchers
have heard his sterling guitar work on other Yep Roc releases
of late. Stamey now plays what he knows — fine adult contemporary
pop music. Travels... is a beautifully crafted set of songs. Opening
track 14 Shades of Green rates as one of the better, unused Friends
themes. There is a slight tendency toward Steely Dan-esque tastiness
on some of the longer tracks, but this is superceded by Stamey’s
ability to craft gem-like pop nuggets. His skills as a guitarist
are estimable — every song features many pointed riffs that
link themselves perfectly to the song’s structure. Guests
include Ryan Adams, former DB-mate Peter Holsapple, Tift Merritt
and Ben Folds. A welcome return to form.
Jeff Monk |
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Even the Odd
Popular Among Van Owners
(Wrong Records)
B-
Website: www.eventheodd.net
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This Michigan rock/post-grunge
trio bills itself as a straightahead rock band, and for the most
part it delivers. Popular Among Van Owners starts off all rock
’n’ roll with Ben Hornbeck’s raspy vocals competing
with his thick guitar to carry Forgive Me. At times these boys
can really rock, even showing a little creativity on tracks such
as Something. However, Hornbeck’s vocals occasionally border
on being annoying, and sometimes slip dangerously close to The
Raine Maida Line. Similarly, some latter tracks are standard post-grunge
fare — although album closer Burn it Down is a rockin’
funky track reminiscent of the better moments of I Mother Earth.
These guys have the potential to turn some heads with their ballsy,
no-bullshit approach, and this album is a good start to doing
so.
Mike Warkentin |
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