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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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Alkaline Trio
Crimson
(Vagrant)
A-
Website: www.alkalinetrio.com
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A3’s blend of sarcasm,
sadness and irony is a regular staple of my playlist and life,
so I was expecting huge things from Crimson. The boys have not
strayed far from their usual mix of death-punk/power pop, altering
it just enough to keep it interesting. Songs such as Burn, Mercy
Me, and Fall Victim virtually scream repeat, and some striking
lyrics make it clear that A3 have not lost any of their biting
writing abilities. The trio can play a song about dismemberment,
and you won’t even realize it because the music is so bouncy
and fun. When the subject matter finally does become apparent,
you’re even more impressed by the intensity of the words.
Buy all of A3’s albums. They’re catchy as hell, and
they’ll teach you how to smile through the pain.
Brodie Sanderson
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Andy Summers
The X Tracks
(Fuel 2000)
C+
Website: www.andysummers.com
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Former Police-man and
all around excellent guitar muso Andy Summers has actually created
quite a body of work since the demise of the shock-haired trio.
This dozen-tracker features his jazzier sides replete with chorused
guitar, paradiddling drum excursions and a feature appearance
by Summers’ former bandmate (the one once rated the most
pretentious man in rock after Bono and Michael Stipe). On the
plus side, the album gleans tracks from a six-year period (1997-2002)
that found Summers willing to lay off the proggy throwdowns
that make some folks moist and instead wrangle cats such as
Herbie Hancock and Debbie Harry into some fairly true jazz readings,
including some better-than-average versions of Charles Mingus
tunes. Truly, this stuff is geared more for the head than the
soul, and acceptance of that fact may bring some joy.
Jeff Monk |
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Coldplay
X&Y
(EMI)
B
Website: www.coldplay.com
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It’s a chromosome
thing. A yin/yang thing. An old-fashioned, two-sided LP sort of
thing. Coldplay’s X&Y is set up to be all of these —
but it will also strike some listeners as an anticlimactic kinda
thing. This band has been almost willed by critics and fans alike
into being U2’s heir apparent, and as such Coldplay is supposed
to have made a strident, fair-trade-inspired album along the lines
of War. What has emerged instead is The Unforgettable Fire, an
impassioned record that is more of a brilliant soundscape —
a mood, really — than a collection of anthems. Played loud,
it is a dynamically imposing recording. The bottom end is HUGE,
Chris Martin’s voice is a lead instrument unto itself, and
Jon Buckland’s guitar work builds sonic walls and tears
them down. In the end, X&Y needs to be a little more primal,
a little less scientific.
John Kendle
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Death By Stereo
Death for Life
(Epitaph)
B
Website: www.deathbystereo.com
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It seems like a million
new hardcore bands emerge every day. Therefore, the crunchy guitar
and scream-verse/sing-chorus formula can only be stretched so
far. It needs to evolve to really affect hardened hardcore veterans.
Death for Life is one of these ‘different’ albums.
It not only hits home but it also robs you in your sleep and keys
your car on the way out. Efrem Schulz’s singing tears at
heartstrings and vocal cords, and on songs such as the opener
Binge/Purge and the ballad Forever and a Day, we see the evolution
of a hardcore group. These boys don’t shy away from trying
something new, and the impact of production team The Factory is
clearly evident. This album is definitely worth the buy for any
hardcore fan, longtime or newbie. Put on your dancing shoes and
get ready to scream.
Brodie Sanderson |
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Gizmachi
The Imbuing
(Sanctuary)
B
Website: www.gizmachi.net
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Imbuing isn’t a
noun — but metal don’t need no dictionary, and thus
comes this debut offering from New York heavy hitters Gizmachi.
The U.S. northeast is currently a hotbed of modern metal activity,
with bands such as Killswitch Engage leading the way into a new
style that incorporates elements of hardcore, death and melodic
metal. The Imbuing is just such a mix, but there’s a few
more body parts and teeth thrown into the Gizmachi blender for
good measure. Prepare yourself for heavy atonal riffs and time
changes, lots of screaming and, just occasionally, some less violent
vocals. There aren’t any solid grooves to bang your head
to; this disc is more about flailing about like you’re having
a seizure. It’s a pummelling album that barely seems to
hold itself together for eight songs and 45 minutes — but
it does, and it hurts good. So imbue that.
Mike Warkentin |
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Graham Parker and the Figgs
Songs of No Consequence
(Bloodshot Records)
C+
Website: www.bloodshotrecords.com
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Relocated Brit and former
pub-rocking genius Graham Parker continues to release album after
album full of songs that belie this particular album’s tongue-in-cheek
title. This time around, The Geep has again used the able backing
of The Figgs, and they in turn give him exactly the kind of straight-ahead
rock ’n’ roll lift he works best in front of. Tracks
such as There’s Nothing on the Radio, Bad Chardonnay and
Vanity Press feature Parker’s patented prickly prose, and
it’s his tartly cutting turn of phrase that keeps fans consistently
coming back for more. Local Boys revisits the same small-town
romantic entanglements that began with the Parker classic Local
Girls. The reggae skank of Evil reminds us that any tempo suits
Parker’s words and we can only hope he raves on for years
to come.
Jeff Monk |
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Jack Bruce
The Jack Bruce Collector’s Edition
(Times Square)
C
Website: www.silvascreenmusic.com
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Now that ’60s-era
supergroup Cream has re-formed for some reason, there’s
bound to be a near tidal wave of re-issues from the back catalogue
of the two members who aren’t Eric Clapton. Arguably,
bassist/songwriter Jack Bruce stands next in line after Clapton
(and before drug-wasted drummer Ginger Baker) when it comes
to the quality of his post-Cream musical endeavours. This album
features a loose grab bag of Bruce’s best tunes, though
not in their originally recorded form. Instead we get recordings
from two German sessions (1986 and 1993) featuring the main
man along with a bevy of pals, including Clapton, Baker and
several others. The best tracks are the four live cuts featuring
the melodic heavy metal guitar skills of Gary Moore. The remaining
songs are true to Bruce’s eclectic neo-jazz solo work.
Jeff Monk |
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Oasis
Don’t Believe the Truth
(Sony/BMG)
B
Website: www.oasisus.com
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Just when Liam and
Noel Gallagher looked to be relegated to B-grade celebrity status,
even in the U.K., they manage to avoid the drop. Ten years removed
from Britpop-mania, the battling pair have delivered an 11-song
set that gets back to what Oasis does best — recycling
old Britrock into updated, no-nonsense rock tunes. First single
Lyla is a straightforward ripoff of Street Fightin’ Man
but, once you get past the urge to call the lawyers, it’s
actually a rather tuneful, old-fashioned summertime drivin’
song. Mucky Fingers is a raucous, Cavern Club-era bluesy shout;
The Importance of Being Idle chimes along gleefully; while one
of Liam’s two offerings, Guess God Thinks I’m Abel,
gives one pause to wonder that he actually knows the biblical
tale. And what does that make Noel?
John Kendle
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Tsunami Bomb
The Definitive Act
(Kung Fu Records)
B+
Website: www.tsunamibomb.com
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Border problems kept
Tsunami Bomb from performing in Winnipeg on June 11. Maybe the
words ‘tsunami’ and ‘bomb’ spooked Canada
Customs, but the border guards robbed us of one hell of a punk
show. On The Definitive Act, the Californian quartet plays a
brand of heartfelt punk that doesn’t annoy despite its
emotional quality. The reason for that is the unique voice of
singer Agent M, whose voice soars over the music without dominating
it. In fact, M sounds like the female equivalent to Billy Joe
Armstrong. The music isn’t like that of Green Day, though,
as the band plays a hard-driving form of punk better compared
to a lighter version of The Refused. That’s when Tsunami
Bomb is best — on the fast, heavy-riffing songs. There’s
a few throwaway lighter tracks, but the good stuff still outweighs
the bad.
Jared Story |
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