The 101ers feat. Joe Strummer
Elgin Avenue Breakdown Revisited
(EMI)

A

Website: www.emicatalogue.com

Architecture in Helsinki
In Case We Die
(Bar None Records)

A-

Website: www.architectureinhelsinki.com/

Music to garden to... like the theme song to a children’s show laced with subversive lyrics urging tots to do the unthinkable… writhes on the brink of absurdity but always reels itself in... reminds me of a weird day spent outdoors, sunny but raining, mild but comfortable... epic pop songs that change and twist and wrap around themselves like plastic food wrap... soothing voices make you happy... like a folk band slapped around with various instruments by members of Primus, Ween and the makers of Disney soundtracks… Architecture in Helsinki has stumped me into a state of sound association… In Case We Die is an ear-pleasing experience, the best thing to come from Australia since koalas… and God knows I love koalas…

Brodie Sanderson

Bobaflex
Apologize for Nothing
(TVT Records)

B



Website: www.bobaflexwarriors.com

Bobaflex is one of those wicked, gnarly bands that can mix styles and get away with it — mostly because Bobaflex rocks hard. When you rock hard with balls to the wall, you can cram thick metal riffs together with melodic vocals, gruff screams, shouting and a little bit of rapping. Others have taken a similar path and ended up sucking pretty hard — Limp Bizkit, anyone? — but this quintet gets by on a brash cockiness and aggressive delivery that carries the mix. The four-vocalist assault works well throughout, and standouts such as Turn the Heat Up and Six Feet Underground are a pretty good soundtrack for punching holes in drywall. Aside from a few duds — Family is a pail of crap — this disc is pretty aptly named.

Mike Warkentin

Courtney Jaye
Traveling Light
(Island)

C-

Remember that girl you dated who was so made up and glossy that you worried she might melt if things got too hot? Courtney Jaye is an attractive woman with a little-girl voice and plenty of potential. This record, however, is dripping in gooey production burnished to such a sheen that you have to squint to listen to it. Traveling Light is indeed light — a light country-pop record that would be totally dismissed if it wasn’t for the nagging feeling that Ms. Jaye has the chops to make something of herself. Traveling Light reminds me of the mis-step made by Shelby Lynne on Love Shelby in 2001. Jaye needs to listen to Tambourine (by her pal Tift Merritt), dump the slick production, wash away the lip gloss and get dirty.

Chris Brown

Since 1997, Winnipeg’s G7 Welcoming Committee has been issuing politically charged CDs from such diverse artists as Propagandhi and Noam Chomsky. The latest release is from Hiretsukan, a New York-based hardcore/noise quartet. Titled End States, this 10-song, 30-minute blast of thought-provoking hardcore sucks you in at the very first note. Extremely aggressive, the band pulverizes every chord with buzz-saw guitars, militant rhythms and throat-shredding screams. At the same time, they’re smart enough to know when to use melody and dynamics — two things sorely missed in today’s hardcore music. Vocalist Michelle Proffit delivers her political yet poetic lyrics on tracks Her Article and Wellwisher with so much emotion it hurts. Recorded by legendary hardcore producer Don Fury, this CD will have every HC fan frothing at the mouth. Don’t let the politics scare you — you might learn something.

Ashley McCurdy

Montreal’s Planet Smashers keep the ska flag flying high with their sixth full-length CD, Unstoppable. The Planet Smashers give any rude boy or girl 14 tracks made for all-might skanking. The horn stabs and guitar upstrokes are crystal clear thanks to production from Chris Murray, and the ska-based Smashers try to keep it interesting throughout the disc. Do No Wrong has a guitar-driven groove, while Cool Your Jets cops a slower, reggae vibe. Unfortunately, the other songs are uptempo romps that become very repetitive. Raise Your Glass and Here come the Mods! are good songs but don’t offer anything new. The lyrics on Unstoppable try to say something but end being very weak. Ska fans may jump on their gas scooters to get this, but the average fan should stick with The Specials.

Ashley McCurdy

Crawling back from the ’90s industrial scene, Meat Beat Manifesto is back with a new CD and a surprisingly different sound. Gone are the aggressive drums and distorted synths, making room for a techno-jazz vibe. Jack Dangers, the man behind the Meat, does a commendable job of writing, producing and engineering every note. The mostly instrumental tracks are average hip hop beats layered with jazzy keys, bass and, yes, even flute. The musicians are top-notch players, but these songs lack soul. With only the odd sample, vocals would add a human element to these Pro Tooled, cut-and-paste jams. With no diversity, it’s hard to tell the tracks apart. If you love the flute, this disc is for you. Otherwise this CD will probably end up at the centre of your garbage bin.

Ashley McCurdy

It must be the Chinook air that makes Calgary breed a whole whack of quality indie-rock bands. Hot Little Rocket is no exception to the rule. With a new bass player in tow, the group decided to re-release this six-song EP, originally from 1999. Emo-core? Post-punk? Noise-rock? Whatever it’s called, the amps are cranked, and the foursome uses discordant guitars to rough up the edges of singer Andrew Wedderburn’s cool, high-pitched vocals. Not too abrasive, but not too smooth, either. Tracks such as Suit Up and Transmogrifier capture the group’s tight instrumentation and weird, singalong choruses. Unfortunately, it lacks the energy the boys are known for when playing live. Also, it would have been cool to include a couple of new songs or colour in the artwork this time around. Can’t wait to hear some new stuff.

Ashley McCurdy