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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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Various
Artists
Isla Del Sol - A Chillout Experience
(Isla Del Sol Music)
C-
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Lately, compilations
seem to take up as much rack space as regular electronic releases.
Most chillout collections are fairly interchangeable, with
bland artwork featuring tranquil scenes of waves, beaches
and locations you can only dream about in the midst of another
snowy Manitoba winter. The latest from deejays The Sea and
Flo isn’t much different, with the same by-the-numbers
layout and laidback approach to mixing that has become the
standard for these type of collections. Even with standout
cuts from Washington’s freewheeling worldbeat duo Thievery
Corporation, Richard Dorfmeister’s side project Tosca,
and a handful of emerging soul and jazz-influenced electronic
artists, the album doesn’t have much replay value and
won’t make you forget that you still have three months
before you can even think about escaping the snow and cold
here in Manitoba.
Anthony Augustine |
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The
Crystal Method
Legion of Boom
(V2/BMG)
A
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After two full-length
albums and the never-ending stigma of being the American version
of the Chemical Brothers, The Crystal Method has finally come
into their own. Legion of Boom is not just another disc filled
with catchy beats that sound like they belong on TV commercials;
it’s soulful grooves that belong at the best after-hour
parties that I’ve ever been to. The Crystal Method blend
great beats with rock sensibility — and it works. The
track The American Way, which features Rahzel from rap pioneers
The Roots, is just a sampling of how the Method can take a
systematic beat and sample it over and over again, making
it seem fresh, second after second. It’s really hard
to pick standout tracks because the disc flows so well. This
is by far their best album and a must-buy for 2004.
Sean Allum |
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Stereolab
Margerine Eclipse
(Elektra/Warner)
B
Website: www.stereolab.co.uk
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Stereolab are the
hip internationalists Paul Weller wanted his Style Council
to be. They’ve done it not by mining old soul and R&B,
but by finding gold in other people’s trash —
analog synths, cocktail vibes, ’50s Space Age music,
porn soundtrack loops, bossa nova rhythms and icy vocals (often
in French, native tongue of Laetitia Sadier) singing sloganeering
lyrics. Voilà — sonic pop art! Margerine Eclipse
is the group’s first album since the accidental death
of singer/guitarist Mary Hansen in 2002 and, while all the
familiar sounds are here, it finds Stereolab in something
of a holding pattern. We’ll spare the pop psych for
now; enjoy this album briefly and wait to see if moments such
as the rockish Bop Scotch will be further explored.
John Kendle |
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Wyclef
Jean
Greatest Hits
(Sony)
C+
Website: www.wyclef.com
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To put it simply,
Wyclef Jean is more of a producer than a recording artist
(as was proven with the Fugees), and after recording a mere
three albums a greatest hits package is a little unwarranted.
That said, if you’re a fan you’ll enjoy the 13
servings of Wyclef at his best and worst. While early tracks
such as We’re Trying to Stay Alive and Something About
Mary show how much talent he has, tracks such as the Pink
Floyd cover Wish You Were Here and the Dylan tune Knockin’
on Heaven’s Door are examples of Wyclef smoking a little
too much spliff. The standout track is the album opener Ghetto
Religion, featuring R. Kelly. This beautiful blending of R&B
with reggae is more successful than any attempt in the last
20 years. Like all of us, Wyclef Jean has his bad days and
good days. I just don’t think he should have shared
his whole week with us.
Sean Allum |
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The
Mark Lanegan Band
Here Comes That Weird Chill
(Methamphetamine Blues, Extras and Oddities)
D
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Here’s another
release from the guys in Queens of the Stone Age, only this
time it’s former Screaming Trees vocalist Mark Lanegan
who’s fronting the project — and it’s a
cohesive output to say the least. Here Comes That Weird Chill
was supposed to be a CD single, but turned into an eight-song
EP of outtakes and rehearsal improvisations; they should have
stuck to keeping it to one song. The only decent track is
the opening tune, Methamphetamine Blues, which blends heavy
rock guitar riffs, a drum machine and various other sound
effects underneath Lanegan’s growly yet haunting voice.
It’s a shame that after listening to the next seven
tunes my smile was long gone. With such guest musicians as
Greg Dulli (Afghan Whigs), Dean Ween, and the Crew from QotSA,
this should have been a much better disc.
Sean Allum |
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Erin
McKeown
Grand
(Nettwerk)
B+
Website: www.erinmckeown.com
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Found in a pile of
overlooked releases from last year, this album is McKeown’s
second full-length effort; her first with major distribution.
It’s a real gem, too. McKeown hails from the same Northeastern
U.S. pop/folkie scene as The Nields and Dar Williams (Nields
bassist Dave Chalfant produced this effort) and she’s
a singer/songwriter in the Jules Shear sense of the term —
full of tremendous pop hooks and melodies and blessed with
a cinematic lyrical vision. McKeown’s breathy voice
can be a precise jazz instrument or a full-on pop texture,
and her music spans the spectrum, from the bluesy, roots feel
of How to Be a Lady to the rich modern pop of Cinematic to
the gentle, acoustic-based feel of A Better Wife. Watch for
more, because this can only get better.
John Kendle |
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Southern
Culture on
the Skids
Mojo Box
(Yep Roc)
B+
Website: www.scots.com
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Don’t let SCOTS’
white-trash-meets-cornball-hick getups fool you. This talented
trio from North Carolina merely dresses for musical success
in a way that gives the casual observer some idea of their
eclectic and freaky roots sound. Leader Rick Miller knows
just about every six-string twangle-hold ever imagined, and
every track here features his head-turning chops. His style
is a primer for those who dig Munsters-theme garage roots
and hip redneck rockabilly riffage. He and crew (hot rod bassist
Mary Huff and drum boss Dave Hartman) revel in the joys of
increased homestead acreage in Doublewide, experience hitchhiker
heaven in a ‘69 El Camino, invite the gang over to their
Soulful Garage for a dance party while frugging to twin instrumentals
such as The Wet Spot and The Sweet Spot. Bonus cool points
earned for the mid-tempo boogie treatment of the Creation’s
freakbeat oldie Biff BANG Pow. Yee-haw y’all.
Jeff Monk |
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Starsailor
Silence is Easy
(Capitol/EMI)
C+
Website: www.starsailor.net
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It used to called
‘The Big Music’ — this melodic, sweeping
rock from the U.K. Back when U2 made The Unforgettable Fire
and The Waterboys laid down This is The Sea, the idea that
rock could be honest and grand was welcome, especially at
the dawn of the MTV age. Now, in the dark, cold world of post-rock,
bands such as Coldplay, Travis, and Starsailor are laying
claim to Big Music territory. James Walsh and the Starsailor
boys are more ambitious than most — having brought in
Wall of Sound stylist Phil Spector for Silence is Easy and
White Dove. The Beatle-esque treatment is telltale and the
songs are highlights, but too much of the rest of this mostly
self-produced album is mid-tempo, anchorless dross, including
a disco tune (Four to the Floor). Get them to rewrite, or
find a producer — in a hurry.
John Kendle |
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Tony
Furtado and the American Gypsies
Live Gypsy
(Dualtone)
B+
Website: www.tonyfurtado.com
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Armed with a blend
of blues, jazz, bluegrass and folk, Tony Furtado (no relation
to our Nelly) and the Gypsies can play some mean jams. The
sound and clarity on this live disc is superb and effectively
showcases the obvious talent of the numerous players. The
slide guitar on The Ghost of Blind Willie Johnson will have
you taking a hacksaw to a wine bottle (try a glass-cutter,
trust me) and Stagerlee is a soulful, moving tune featuring
smokey vocals and some great acoustic blues. While Live Gypsy
is primarily an exhibition of Furtado’s love for slide
guitar and blues, he does close out the disc with an incredible
tune — cleverly named Waiting for Guiteau — that
shows why he won the Grand National Banjo Championship after
entering on a whim.
Mike Warkentin |
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