Kanye West
Late Registration
(Roc-A-Fella/Universal)

B+

Website: www.kanyewest.com

The New Pornographers
Twin Cinema
(Mint)

A

Website: www.thenewpornographers.com

Listen to Carl Newman sing the chorus of the title track — using “yeah” like a comma and marrying that inflection with the song’s Gary Numan-esque riff — and it’s not hard to think you’ve staggered onto a work of pure pop genius. Then listen to the dreamy vocals and baroque lyrics of Neko Case on the Newman-penned Bones of an Idol, or the upbeat, keyboard dancepop of Use It, and you’ll realize your first impression is correct. Newman is the kingpin in this Vancouver collective (a counterpart to T.O.’s BSS, perhaps), and his 11 songs on this disc pick up where he left off on his solo debut last year. The band’s other writers and voices — Dan Bejar and Neko Case — offer different colours and a darker palette (especially on Bejar’s Jackie, Dressed in Cobras), and they simply add to the depth. The end result is 14 tunes in the running for album of the year.

John Kendle

Various artists
Ferry Corsten Presents Passport Kingdom of the Netherlands
(Thrive Records)

C-



Website: www.thrivemusic.com

On the insert, Ferry shows us how ‘cool’ he is with photos of him and his fans. There are girls in pink bikinis, a sea of people with their hands in the air and shots of his mixer. But like looking at photos of someone else’s holiday, it’s just not that exciting. Unless you’re a major trance fan, this mix really isn’t that interesting, either. Disc 1 is a slow build, the first few tracks being in excess of six minutes each. Picture images of fluorescent-outfitted club kids making out on the dance floor. And, if one boring disc isn’t enough, there’s always Disc 2. It’s faster paced and there are more whispering vocals that seem to accompany every trance banger. Passport or not, I wouldn’t let this disc cross the border into my home.

Shannon Ander

The Starting Line
Based on a True Story
(Geffen)

B

Judging by the bunk cover art and half-out-of-focus emo-band photo on the back, I wasn’t expecting much from this album. But TSL sounds like Burt McCracken of The Used initiating a forced takeover of the musicians of Jimmy Eat World — which is OK in my books. The music here is tight and doesn’t take itself too seriously, but it’s also emotional without jumping on the whiny-boy-bandwagon. Kenny Vasoli’s got a unique lyric-writing style, a solid voice and a face only a parent or legal guardian could love. We all know ugly people make good music — that’s just how it works. Take the time to check this out because these guys will be in the limelight soon enough. Then you can be one of those pretentious ‘I liked them before they were popular’ types…

Brodie Sanderson

Fear Factory is out to teach you that a guitar is a percussion instrument. OK, you can use the guitar to do some cool solo stuff, but this veteran quartet uses the axe to absolutely pummel rhythms into your skull. The best example of this is on Spinal Compression, an aggressive, violent track that also features an all-out assault from drummer Raymond Herrera. This quick follow-up to last year’s Archetype finds the band leaving lineup and label difficulties behind and concentrating on making people bleed from the ears. Burton C. Bell shows impressive vocal talent, varying his delivery from melodic to violent. There is an industrial quality throughout that recalls Ministry and others, but Fear Factory has also included some goth metal and melody on Transgression. The final result is dark, angry and bludgeoning.

Mike Warkentin

A handful of Norwegians have discovered that becoming a musician is one of the best ways to get away from the frigid temperatures and small-town industrial jobs. This debut album from Norwegian Academy of Music alumna Hanne Hukkelberg features contributions from members of other acts from her homeland, including Jaga, Shining and Kaada — all of whom have found success in other countries. Hukkelberg’s brilliant voice is accompanied by the organized sounds of wineglasses, bicycle spokes, eggs and water, as well as other unusual mediums. On Do Not as I Do, she does away with a conventional melody and twists her voice into highs and lows that shouldn’t sound quite right but will remain in your mind long after you’ve listened to the disc. With a modern twist on pop and jazz, Little Things is bigger and better than you might expect.

Shannon Ander

An offshoot of Anthrax, Nuclear Assault has been toiling in the metal shop since the mid-’80s, kicking out politically conscious thrash metal with a sense of humour. Third World Genocide finds the quartet — led by bassist Danny Lilker and singer/guitarist John Connelly — stepping up and delivering another solid effort that should please fans of old-school thrash metal. A few tracks — such as the abominable Whine and Cheese — are almost unlistenable, but Nuclear Assault makes up for those shortcomings with ripping cuts like Exoskeletal and the title track. The tempo is fairly blistering throughout, and headbangers will love the driving pace of drummer Glenn Evans on Discharged Reason and Fractured Minds. Warm up the neck, put the Horns in the air and start thrashing.

Mike Warkentin

Relax, music fans — this handsomely packaged two-CD collector’s edition of the 1978 musical version of the H.G Well’s fantasy has absolutely no connection to the current Tom Cruise film missile. When this daring unit hit record-store shelves in its original incarnation, it was generally regarded as an overblown concept in an era full of ego-gratifying projects by name artists of the time. Hearing it now, complete with Richard Burton’s deeply lugubrious narration and it’s somewhat-bloated Alan Parsons-esque progressive rock conceptual thread, it actually comes across as fairly entertaining. It’s advised that it be taken in one dose — with headphones at the beach or something — so you can experience the intended full effect. David Essex, Phil Lynott and a bevy of frozen-in-time greats guest.

Jeff Monk