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eMOTIVE
A Perfect Circle
(Virgin Records)
C+
Website: www.aperfectcircle.com
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eMOTIVE is ridiculously
political and its message is loud and clear — the world
is going to hell, and the only people who can change it are
‘us.’ If this is your thing, then you will be
inspired. The remakes of John Lennon’s Imagine, Nick
Lowe’s Peace, Love and Understanding and Marvin Gaye’s
What’s Going On give the disc familiarity — but
APC tune Passive is the superstar of this CD, especially with
its in-your-face lyrics. This track showcases what APC is
all about: Hard rock that makes a difference. In its entirety,
though, eMOTIVE falls short and feels almost contrived, as
if the band chose the name of the disc, the release date (Nov.
2, election night in the U.S. of A), and then quickly went
into the studio to make a point. Hardcore APC fans will be
disappointed.
Charlene Plezia
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Blondie
Live By Request
(Sanctuary)
C+
Website: www.blondie.net
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This live-in-New-York
best-of finds the aging New Wavers performing 14 of their
most familiar tracks in front of a very appreciative and vocal
audience. The remaining Blondies now number three: The still-alluring
Deborah Harry, her-former husband Chris Stein and drummer-extraordinaire
Clem Burke. The trio (with additional guitar, keyboards and
bass) lays down all the best Blondie bits with a fire that
indicates this band has lost none of its originality since
its late-1970s prime. Harry’s voice has withstood the
common ravages of time and she remains the centre of attention
here. The new lineup wisely defers to the original arrangements
of the classics, ensuring that this album comes off less like
a cash grab and more like a respectful homage to a cool body
of work. Worth checking out.
Jeff Monk |
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R.E.M.
Around the Sun
(Warner Music)
C+
Website: www.remhq.com |
Good news and bad
news here. The bad is that this will never rank with the best
R.E.M. albums — the good is that the band isn’t
playing an awful lot of this material on the tour that stops
here Nov. 15. These 13 songs are not truly awful, of course.
They’re just mostly mediocre. This disc begins strongly
enough with Leaving New York, a fairly straightforward lament
featuring all the band’s ’90s baroque-ness. Similarly,
Electron Blue is a promising fusion of fuzz guitar, squawking
synths, pulsing electric heartbeat and a questioning Stipe
vocal. Somewhere in the next hour, however, Around the Sun
becomes a rather doleful exercise in sameness, a bland exercise
in mid-tempo arrangements that feel like varying shades of
grey. Perhaps the intent was a ‘contemplative mood’;
the result lacks the spark, jolt and/or simple melodic beauty
of this band’s best work.
John Kendle |
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On the Seventh
Presented by King Britt
(Milan Records)
A
Website: www.milanrecords.com
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I don’t know
about you, but the hotels I’ve stayed in have never
evoked a feeling of cool — unless you count the time
the heat didn’t work (maybe hotels that charge more
$40 bucks don’t have that problem). In conjunction with
the not-so-seedy Park Hyatt Chicago, King Britt delivers a
sultry mix of some unforgettable chill-out tunes interspersed
with fresh new tracks. Previously unreleased, SA-RA’s
soulful Glorious will have you singing in the shower, while
Heavy’s Do For You is made for the jazz bar. You’ll
definitely need the Do Not Disturb sign for Josh Wink’s
I’m On Fire — it’s perfect for rolling around
in bed. Perhaps one day you’ll be able to spend $400
on a suite at the Hyatt — until then this mix will do
just fine.
Shannon Ander |
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Murcof
Utopia
(Leaf Recordings)
B+
Website:
www.murcof.com
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As with car crashes,
burning buildings and erupting volcanoes, Utopia is both incredibly
eerie and stirring at the same time. Fans of the Send + Receive
festival rejoice! This is one of those discs that just begs
to be heard in a small, preferably white room with at least
10 speakers — geeky glasses optional. Fernando (Murcof)
Corono’s follow-up to 2002’s Martes includes re-workings
of four tracks from the first album, a few remixes from his
Ulysses 12-inch album and two previously unreleased tracks.
The disc is full of atmospheric minimalism and glitchy foreboding,
and most of the visiting musicians follow Murcof’s lead,
remixing his tracks in the same vein as the originals. Icarus
makes an exception and throws the original Maiz to the wolves,
adding his own synth-laden randomness to the track. This CD
should tide Murcof fans over until he serves up another original
full length.
Shannon Ander |
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Hazen Street
Hazen Street
(Sony)
C+
Website:
www.hazenst.com
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Hazen Street is a
conglomeration of heavily tattooed mofos from New York and
Los Angeles, with each member bringing something different
to the mix. The result, predictably, is a dog’s breakfast
of music that ranges from surprisingly poppy to more gritty
rap and hardcore. Hazen Street can be pretty cool at times,
attacking with an intensity similar to that of Mash Out Posse
on tracks such as album-opener Are You Ready and Written.
Other tracks, such as Fool the World and the almost-jolly
Trouble, just don’t jive. In fact, guys like the dudes
in Hazen Street usually beat the living shit out of guys who
make songs like Trouble. I guess even tattooed street warriors
are allowed to hit the mall once in a while for some Vans
and a latté. If they do it twice, though, someone should
seriously kick their asses.
Mike Warkentin |
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Various
Artists
Under the Influence — A Jam Band Tribute to Lynyrd Skynyrd
(Sanctuary)
C
Website: sanctuaryrecordsgroup.com
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At first blush this
may seem like an odd concept. After a few listens, however,
this unique mix of tunes really makes sense. The jam bands
here don’t just riff endlessly on the Southern rock
jones of classic Skynyrd but re-fashion the songs to make
them seem somewhat current. Album-opener Les Claypool turns
J.J. Cale’s Call Me the Breeze into a frenzied skronk
that proves a good song can hold its own, even at the hands
of a madman. More traditional rocking comes courtesy of Mason-Dixon
underdogs The North Mississippi All-Stars and their rootsy
take on Whisky Rock A Roller. Blues Traveler begins Free Bird
rather staidly, but the song eventually devolves into a psychedelic
harmonica hoedown that has to be heard. Particle’s Workin’
for MCA heads for the far reaches of hip dancebeat to good
effect.
Jeff Monk |
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Steel Pulse
African Holocaust
(Sanctuary)
A
Website: www.steel-pulse.com
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In 28 years as one
of reggae’s most prominent bands, Steel Pulse has seen
its fair share of lineup changes, and the band also probably
rivals the Stones or AC/DC for sheer output. The only difference
between the Pulse and those greyhairs is that these U.K. Rastafarians
actually seem to be getting better with age. African Holocaust
is the latest serving, and it’s an easy-listening affair
despite its heavy lyrical content. It also shows a bit of
growth in terms of arranging and production — if you
can believe that. Songs such as Blazing Fire, Dem a Wolf and
the title track, African Holocaust, hit hard without seeming
heavy-handed and preachy — not an easy thing to do.
The music is also more “with it” and fresh than
that of 1997’s Rage and Fury — it’s like
a little bit of extra spice thrown in to revitalize an old
recipe.
Sean Allum |
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Sum
41
Chuck
(Aquarius Records)
A+
Website: www.sum41.com
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Chuck is Sum 41’s
most killer outing to date. The band has moved on from the
bubblegum pop/punk that hurled it onto the scene and created
a mature hard rock/punk album. Recent adventures in the Congo
while shooting a War Child documentary proved a life-changing
experience for these boys… er… men. Chuck is the
name of the UN worker who saved the band members’ asses
while the street surrounding their hotel was under attack.
So, you won’t hear any jokes about farting or getting
laid on this album. Some prominent changes to the Sum sound
include the addition of classical instruments and the fact
this effort is 100 times heavier than any of its earlier work.
Though the band may lose some of its 12-year-old fans, it
will pick up numerous new, more mature ones. Do yourselves
a favour and buy this disc.
Charlene Plezia |
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