Features

We’ve done it again — we’ve opened up the bottom drawer of our sticker-covered Uptown filing cabinet to find it full of compact discs we’ve received from local artists since August 2011.
   
Again it’s a good collection of music and again we marvel at the breadth and quality of Manitoba’s music scene.
   
If you’re a Manitoba musician and would like your disc to be reviewed in Uptown (and we try to review all that we get), then send your submissions to:

    Local Heroes @ Uptown
    1355 Mountain Ave.
    Winnipeg, Man.
    R2x 3B6
   
Please note: We don’t accept demos. Our readers must be able to purchase your disc somewhere for it to be eligible for review (off-stage or online sales are cool).
   

• • •

★★★
Arctic Circle
To Manifest
(Independent)

www.myspace.com/wwwmyspacecomarcticcircle
This four-song sampler from metal act Arctic Circle is devastatingly loud. Opener Manitou Caverns is a blistering affair, while the power-packed quickie The Secret Chief never lets up. Warchest is the lone slow-burner here, but it’s still heavy as fuck. AC has insanely intricate guitars, but the vocals are waaaay down in the mix and, despite the fact that they’re screamed at full volume, they’re nearly drowned out by the drums (which sound kind of hollow). It’d be interesting to check this band out live and experience the full force of being Buried in a Blizzard.
– Nicholas Friesen

• • •

★★★★1/2
A Waste Odyssey
We are Mourning People
(I’m Trying Records)

www.myspace.com/awasteodyssey
Methinks something’s brewing on the Beaver Bus. A Waste Odyssey, like fellow I’m Trying act Lyzie Burt, is originally from the Selkirk area. But there’s nothing backwoods about the five-piece band. This six-song EP is full of hooky rock, intelligent lyrics and sonic sophistication. Engineered by James Humberstone, the mix on We are Mourning People is crisp and lively, Eric McEwen’s drums sound huge and vocalist Alexander Parasdoski cuts through everything with ease. The Action Set in Stone sets the terrific tone, giving way to tracks such as Burgundy, an anthemic pop song with a touch of punk, and My Deer Headed Friend, a slow-burner that builds to an Attack in Black-like awesomeness.
– Jared Story

• • •

★★★
The JD Edwards Band
Roads and Roads
(Independent)

thejdedwardsband.com
The third album from this six-piece fronted by singer/songwriter JD Edwards proves the band is comfortable in the bluesy folk sound it’s established. The title track is the standout here, a fast-paced, textured ditty about a ramblin’ vagrant. This House Will Stand layers country staples (banjo, harmonica), Going Down to Mexico is a full-on jamboree, and Slow Down Mississippi River is a bluesy, gospel-funk love song to the south. No matter how far apart on the funk-country continuum the songs are, however, the JD Edwards Band plays it safe on Roads and Roads, and consequently sees no big payoffs.
– Emily Wessel

• • •

★★★★
Big Dave McLean
Outside the Box
(Independent)

www.myspace.com/canadasbigdavemclean
Big Dave McLean is a Winnipeg institution, one of the first local artists I remember being aware of as a kid who wasn’t Burton Cummings. Dave’s latest is a little different, opening with digeridoo, but no less badass — funky and filled with the dirtiest of his own and Chris Carmichael’s guitars. You Gotta Move is kinda funny but mostly awesome, and See That My Grave is Kept Clean could be a blues standard. The standout, though, is The Redwood — written by and featuring (on organ) McLean’s 95-year-old mother, Pearl.
– Nicholas Friesen

• • •

★★★
Billy Jackfish
Billy Jackfish
(Independent)

www.billyjackfish.com
Singer/guitarist Bill Jackson lives in B.C., but we’ve made an exception because he’s a Winnipegger and was a founding member of hardcore legends Stretch Marks. Like other old punks before him, Jackson’s made a kids’ record — and it’s a pretty darned good one. Billy Jackfish is aimed squarely at the three-to-five-year-old set, exploring familiar topics such as bodily functions, bugs, the anticipation of school and more. Jackson won’t win any vocal awards anytime soon, but his delivery is sincere and likeable, which is far more important than pitch when dealing with little ones. The bonus track for me is a 1-2-3-4 rave-up called, of course, Punk Rock Kid.
– John Kendle

• • •

★★★1/2
Bog River
Hands in the Ground
(Independent)

www.bogriver.com
On Hands in the Ground, Bog River serves up a deftly crafted collection of rollicking bluegrass boot-stompers (The Side of the Sea), heartfelt folk ballads (Head Full of Sound), and twangy, old-tymey numbers (All of Heaven’s Angels) — and despite the occasional moment of hokeyness (see: kazoo solos), this trio proves it ain’t just whistling Dixie. It’s obvious these talented players have a deep love and respect for the genres they work in, but they don’t take themselves too seriously (Buckle Down is a whole lot of honky-tonk fun). Bog River should consider using vocalist Carly Dow exclusively; her pipes are as rich and full-bodied as a fine red wine.
– Jen Zoratti

• • •

★★★★
The Bokononists
The Dangerously Empty Lives of Teenage Girls
(Independent)

www.myspace.com/thebokononists
Easily winning the award for best album title and artwork, this 11-track rocker from the four piece that includes that guy who plays in that band that isn’t Inward Eye is pretty good. These chaotic ’90s rockers were likely recorded live off the floor by producer Matt Peters and are super-crisp and catchy. We Don’t Know You has a cool breakdown chant, while Take Whatever You Want chops up the mayhem to showcase some great lyrics. Destructive right until the end of closer Start a War’s last gasps, this is one disc you’ll be screaming along to for a while.
– Nicholas Friesen

• • •

★★★★1/2
Burnt Witch Survivors Group
Support EP
(Sweet Knuckle Records)

www.myspace.com/bwsgmusic
Turning things up to 11 and never letting up for a breath, this debut EP is peaking and distorted and I fucking love it. Opener I Wanna Be is a shaky rocker, while the vocals on Party With Ghosts are so distorted that, even if they weren’t screamed and slurred, you still couldn’t understand them (and yes, that’s a good thing). Things slow down on the five-and-a-half-minute Gamora, but slow doesn’t mean quiet. This is definitely a trio of post-Mudhoney rockers that actually gets it. It’s a good thing it’s only 22 minutes long, because civilization wouldn’t survive if it were any longer. 
– Nicholas Friesen

• • •

★★★★★
Cannon Bros.
Firecracker / Cloudglow
(Disintegration Records)
 
www.disintegration.ca/artists/cannon-bros/
When Alannah Walker and Cole Woods of Cannon Bros. released their debut EP of lo-fi bedroom recordings in 2010, the sound that emerged proved the twosome was wise beyond its years; just babies in the early ’90s, they clearly sponged up the feedback and buzz that suffused indie rock of the time. Their first full-length picks up where they left off (and is sure to garner more Pavement comparisons) with fresh ’n’ fuzzy tracks that gush with jangly pop propulsion, Walker’s bubbly vocals (Out of Here) and coming-of-age reflections that awaken forever-young reveries of sozzled sky-gazing in high-school fields. The best local album of 2011.
– Julijana Capone

• • •

★★★★
The Consumer Goods
...but we don’t shoot pistols?
(Grumpy Cloud Records)

theconsumergoods.net
Produced by noted engineer Dale Morningstar and featuring guests such as ex-Wilco guitarist Bob Egan and former Rheostatics drummer Dave Clark, ...but we don’t shoot pistols? is Toronto-via-Winnipeg political popsters The Consumer Goods’ most assured, mature recording to date. This collection skews more alt-country/rock than pop and, while singer/songwriter Tyler Shipley is as politically charged a songwriter as ever, he has dialed down the snark. (Let’s put it this way: There’s no Serve and Protect, Uh! to be found here.) These songs are as thoughtful, smart and well-written as you’d expect — particularly the G20 summit-inspired Agent of the State — but one can’t help but feel like he’s holding back. Still, this remains an accomplished record.
– Jen Zoratti

• • •

★★★★
Crooked Brothers
Lawrence, Where’s Your Knife?
(Transistor 66)

www.crookedbrothers.com
Add Crooked Brothers to the list of Winnipeg acts who should be nationally known. Since debut album Deathbed Pillowtalk, the trio of Jesse Matas, Darwin Baker and Matt Foster (they all take the surname ‘Crooked’ in the liner notes) have developed a winking, Tom Waits-meets-The-Jayhawks-meets-Elliott-Brood sound that growls and rumbles at almost the same time as it keens and hollers. It doesn’t hurt that the boys can play just about anything with strings with what approaches virtuosic ability. The 10 songs careen from the Waits-ish, sharecropper blues of opener 17 Horses to the clever, swinging acoustic lament of Working for the Government.
– John Kendle

• • •

★★★★
Daniel ROA
Hyperbole
(Independent)

danielroa.com
I’m not familiar with a lot of French dance music but, if it all sounds like Daniel ROA, then I’m in. Danse pense will put a smile on your face with its porn twang and hand claps, while Alphabete is a slow strummer that explodes when you least expect it. Un ticket is the crooner to put you in the mood; you’ll then be funked out of by the Sesame Street-meets-sexy discotheque of Popsicle. Though peppered with the odd English lyric, but this is a disc that proves language is not crucial when it comes to enjoying fun, well-performed, well-produced pop music.
– Nicholas Friesen

• • •

★★★★
Demetra
Lone Migration
(Head In The Sand)

www.headinthesand.ca/demetra/
Lone Migration, the achingly beautiful debut album from singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Demetra (full name Demetra Penner), is one of those records that takes your breath away — not unlike the howling Arctic winds that helped shape it. Written over a winter spent in Churchill, the album is marked by a deep sense of place, with Demetra’s ethereal, evocative vocals recalling wide-open snowscapes and dancing northern lights. The soaring, spacious soundscapes crafted from autoharp, piano, guitar and mandolin are beautifully arranged and perfectly serve Demetra’s dazzling blizzard of a voice. This is a strong, take-notice first record.
– Jen Zoratti

• • •

★★★
Doug Glenn
Down in Rooster Town (Parts 1 & 2)
(Independent)

www.manitobamusic.com/dougglenn
The first two parts of this four-disc set were delivered in a Ziploc bag (which held in the cigarette-smoke freshness) and were quite a delight. Three tunes a piece, this folky collection follows fictional troubadours on their journeys. With sparse arrangements, Somewhere Town is the standout of the first disc, while instrumental Cailin’s Away is the gentle, string-laden strummer you’ll get the most play out of. Fleshed out by multi-instrumentalist/engineer Jeremy Rusu, these six tunes are an intriguing concept, though one has to think that you can’t fully appreciate the idea without the complete set.
– Nicholas Friesen

• • •

★★★★
Dust Adam Dust
Dust Adam Dust
(Independent)

dustadamdust.com
Dust Adam Dust is a lo-fi pop outfit that has a fondness for big, fuzzy guitars, ethereal vocals, shoegaze swells and sunshine-soaked ’60s psychedelia. There’s lots to like here — lead track Moments offers a dreamy kaleidoscope of sounds; Time Spent is a jangly kitchen-sink pop tune replete with a ba-ba-ba hook; and Run Little Mother is a spacey, cinematic, seven-minute ballad — but it’s Anna Hovland’s hypnotic, vaguely bored-sounding warble that keep things intriguing; she’s like a sweeter Nico. Well worth seeking out.
– Jen Zoratti

• • •

★★★★
The Empty Standards
Waiting Out the Flood
(Independent)

www.emptystandards.com
As cool as they come, the Empty Standards’ debut LP is a fantastic collection. Let You Go opens the disc on a beautifully pensive note, while the smooth organ on Rest Your Head moves things forward nicely. Jessica Rae Ayre makes her powerful vocal contributions heard on the crunchy Sittin’ With the Devil, among others, and should become at least a part-time Standard. While the groovy Sunshine sounds like a Colin James B-side, the blistering Going to Mississippi more than makes up for it.
– Nicholas Friesen

• • •

★★★★1/2
Federal Lights
Carbon
(Independent)

www.federallights.org
When Jean-Guy Roy started Federal Lights a couple years ago, it was a solo effort, a way back into making music after the disbandment of his former band, The Morning After. Carbon contains more than one element, however, as Roy enlists the help of bassist Rob Mitchell, drummer David Pankratz and his wife, keyboardist/vocalist Jodi Roy. The result is a full-sounding and fantastic debut EP. On Camera, Mitchell’s steady bass and Roy’s gruff delivery achieve total synthesis, while the combination of happy-sounding keyboard and melancholic lyrics on I Woke Up totally works. Warm, atmospheric songs with big, memorable choruses, Carbon is pure organic chemistry.
– Jared Story

• • •

★★★★
Fire & Smoke
Maiden Voyage
(Independent)

www.fireandsmokemusic.com
The debut EP from St. Boniface folk duo Daniel Péloquin-Hopfner (Red Moon Road) and Claire Morrison was recorded live off the floor with Norman Dugas, which keeps the spontaneity and warmth of these five songs fresh. I’ll Look For You Also is a pining number with Morrison’s lead vocals floating effortlessly over the gentle noodling and strums of the acoustic guitars, duet Breathing Slow could be a sea shanty for 2012, and lone French number Prends la maison is as sweet as they come. Lyrics this deep and haunting don’t often come from a voice so young, but they make these serious tunes more fun.
– Nicholas Friesen

• • •

★★★★★
Greg Macpherson
Disintegration Blues
(Disintegration Records)

gregmacpherson.com
Disintegration Blues, the sixth LP from Greg MacPherson, is a visceral, raw-emotion album that reconciles his plugged-in, blue-collar, rock ’n’ roll persona with his introspective singer/songwriter sensibilities. There’s a live-show looseness about the vocal performances; on the anthemic Reckless, he allows his voice to crack with emotion and the result is arresting. Perhaps the best showpiece for MacPherson’s estimable abilities as a storyteller and a vocalist is Ukrainians, an evocative portrait of an immigrant couple struggling to build a new life on the plains of Alberta: "She thought about leaving/she thought about romance/she thought about the Devil and his endless five-year plans." Some of MacPherson’s best work yet.
– Jen Zoratti

• • •

★★★1/2
Hillbilly Burlesque
Crazy Life
(Independent)

www.hillbillyburlesque.com
Honky-tonk blues band Hillbilly Burlesque couldn’t be more aptly named. The band’s first album, Crazy Life, opens with the wild and fun Eden, which evokes the kind of live show/musical romp that this band must put on. Me and My Chauffer Blues makes effective use of raunchy "riding" puns in a variation of the cheeky-sexy rockabilly tradition. Hillbilly Burlesque’s cover of Chain of Fools reappropriates the song in the band’s style — what good covers are supposed to do — and makes it clear singer Angel Calnek can belt it out. With the exception of a couple skip-worthy tracks (Laid Down Next to You and On A Monday), the whole album is loud, infectious and attention-grabbing.
– Emily Wessel

• • •

★★★1/2
Indian City
Supernation
(Rising Sun Productions)

www.indiancity.ca
This project’s full title is Vince Fontaine’s Indian City, an acknowledgement that the founder of perennial award-winners Eagle & Hawk has moved on. Indian City finds Fontaine crafting an uplifting mix of modern guitar rock rooted in flourishes of indigenous drums and traditional chants, and he’s brought even more people to the party. A veritable who’s who of Aboriginal and Métis talent can be found on this recording, from Pamela Davis, William Prince (who co-wrote many of the lyrics) and traditional singer Ray Stevenson to the sweet, sweet sounds of singer/songwriter Don Amero, whose vocals drive the album’s two best songs, Supernation and Speak to Me in Dreams.
– John Kendle

• • •

★★★★
Janice Finlay
Anywhere But Here
(Independent)

www.janicefinlay.com
Working with pianist/vibraphonist Don Thompson, drummer Quincy Davis, bassist Jodi Proznick and veteran local guitarist Ron Halldorson, saxophonist/flautist Finlay offers up 65 minutes of rollicking, soulful music that avoids sounding too precious. Instead, her traditionally minded tunes are solid, melodic and swinging. With Proznick and Davis laying down a fluid foundation, she, Thompson and Halldorson have plenty of room to breathe, to solo and to shine — and they do, consistently. A Harbinger of Swing to Come, a 16-minute, two-movement track that closes the album is truly this record’s tour-de-force, for all its players.
– John Kendle

• • •

★★★★1/2
John k. Samson
Provincial
(Anti-/Epitaph)

www.anti.com/artists/view/75
Provincial, John K. Samson’s master’s thesis of a solo album, was the product of exhaustive research and writing — and still, there’s something so effortless about it. Initially conceptualized as a series of seven-inch records that explored various roads in Manitoba, Provincial is a thoughtful, poetic examination of time-forgotten small towns (Letter in Icelandic from the Ninette San) and well-known but little-pondered landmarks (Longitudinal Centre, Heart of the Continent). The result is evocative and frequently heartbreaking; Grace General, for one example, is a quietly devastating portrait of a person facing the death of a loved one. Yet more proof that Samson is one of the greatest songwriters out there.
– Jen Zoratti

• • •

★★★★
Keith Price Trio/Quintet
Gaia/Goya
(Independent)

www.keithprice.ca
Gaia/Goya’s A-side sees jazz guitarist Keith Price and the rest of his trio — bassist Julian Bradford and drummer Curtis Nowosad — take on the work of indie rock artists such as Surfjan Stevens and St. Vincent, as well as Nirvana’s 1991 grunge anthem Lithium. Side 2 is a six-part suite for quintet (the trio plus pianist Will Bonness and alto saxophonist Neil Watson) which features dedications to poet/environmental activist Gary Snyder and Beat Generation pioneer Jack Kerouac. Add a top-notch backing band and a creative concept (the Gaia hypothesis proposes that everything on Earth is part of one system) and there’s plenty here to sink your teeth into.
– Jared Story

• • •

★★★1/2
K-Mac and Howik’s Punk Blues Funhouse
K-Mac and Howik’s Punk Blues Funhouse
(Independent )

K-Mac is long-time Winnipeg blues drummer Ken McMahon, while Howik is the inner-circle nickname of axeman Jason Nowicki. Their Funhouse is a roiling, churning, guitar-and-drums retreat to the basement for extended, 4/4 fuzz-guitar romps that may not win Grammys but will certainly cheer your Sunday mornings coming down. This recording starts with Nowicki declaiming about being held up outside a 7-Eleven (locals will have fun guessing which Sev he’s singing about), and the mood and feel remain the same throughout the next seven tracks. As Nowicki sings, this music game isn’t all about earnestness and studied authenticity — sometimes you just gotta "shake it."
– John Kendle

• • •

N/A
Kram Ran
The Idiot Prince
(Steak Au Zoo Records)

kramran.tumblr.com
Bring the pain. Electronic artist Kram Ran (aka Mark Wohlegmuth) takes the listener into his dark, dark world on The Idiot Prince. Droning, depressing and sometimes terrifying, the album’s seven tracks will have you questioning your mental health (not to mention the artist’s). Take Prepare to Qualify, which contains static, an uncomfortable buzz, thunderous noise, a distant voice, the sound of kids playing and unintelligible talking. It’s like a bad dream or the soundtrack to a Saw-like situation. Not to say it isn’t good, it just doesn’t qualify as listenable to the musical majority. That being said, if you’re into experimental noise, I’m sure you’ll enjoy this.
– Jared Story

• • •

★
Larisa Segida
I-Migrations
(Independent)

www.larisasegida.com
I-Migrations is the 80-minute abstract, ambient, perceptual fifth effort from Larisa Segida. The experimenting starts right away with This That, 17 minutes of morphing concepts from sparse and unusual percussion to speaking to screeching to heavy breathing over fuzz to weird guttural noises. Each phase of the marathon song is weirder than the one before. Must is a nice instrumental and is probably the most conventional song on the album, but it doesn’t last long. On top of the already strange music, Spirit has counting for lyrics. Eighty minutes of bizarre wailing and noises later, the album comes up way short of evoking the inner journey through love and life that it’s meant to.
– Emily Wessel

• • •

★★★★
Little House
Right Arm
(I’m Trying Records)

www.littlehouseband.bandcamp.com
Little House’s six-song debut kicks off with Beautiful Sweater, a sweet indie-rock song that feels like your preferred pullover: warm, fuzzy and a little well-worn. Yes, the Winnipeg four-piece is somewhat shabby in the instrumentation department but, like that special sweater, it’s the imperfections that make it beautiful. Little House’s lovable lo-fi vibe sounds best on She Said Goodbye Beautiful Avalanche and Come to Bury Us Alive. Simultaneously upbeat and melancholic, happy handclaps give away to heavy-hearted horn and gang vocals. "Oh come on scream for the avalanche," sings Little House. I hope they have their sweaters.
– Jared Story

• • •

★★★★
The Lonely Vulcans
Vulcan Cesspool
(Transistor 66)

www.myspace.com/thelonelyvulcans
The sweet sounds of The Lonely Vulcans provide the perfect soundtrack to some slow dancing. Despite its Cronenberg concept, The Fly ’86 will make your heart flutter while the steady sway of album-opener Lonely Vulcan Cake will have you leaning in for a kiss. Lacking a partner? Well, just sit back, enjoy some retro r’n’r R&R and smoke a little High Vultage Weed. No paranoia here, this is calm, comforting stuff. In fact, the band’s slow sway is almost sleep-inducing and that’s cool, because these mostly instrumental songs work just as well as background bedtime music. Vulcan Cesspool sets the mood. It’s up to you whether that mood is sexy or sleepy.
– Jared Story

• • •

★★★
Lyrical Militant
Prelude to Revolution
(Indepedent)

www.lyricalmilitant.com
Opening with the so-scary-it’s-funny Prelude to Revolution (and closing with the equally silly outro) Lyrical Militant’s latest has a couple great tunes on it. Easy summer jam Never Give Up makes way for Better Place (the first of two tracks featuring Flo), setting the tone for an incredibly hopeful hip hop record. Sampling Tom Cruise and Michael Douglas in the interludes, the tracks (largely produced by DatPaki) then change course, tackling predictable themes such as money and drugs. Young’n Restless (Flo’s second track) is a story song about a young "ho" named Cherise, while Song for Mama is a shout-out to Mom featuring great vocals from Chandele Pinnock. Focus on the positive.
– Nicholas Friesen

• • •

★★★1/2
Lyzie Burt
Cigarettes and You
(I’m Trying Records)

www.lyzieburt.bandcamp.com
Lyzie Burt bills herself as "melancholy with a twist," an apt description of the music found on Cigarettes and You. The singer/songwriter’s second full-length album contains many a sad song — performed exclusively on piano — but it’s much more than just mournful music. It’s not Burt’s ability on the ivories that adds the extra dynamic: her playing is simple, sparse and to the point. No, the "twist" is her throaty voice, unique and likably uneven phrasing, and her distinctive lyrics. Twelve piano-only tracks can get a little tiresome, but there’s a lot to like about Lyzie. Just 19 years old, her future’s very bright.
– Jared Story

• • •

★★★★★
The Magnificent 7s
All Kinds of Mean
(Transistor 66)

www.mag7s.com
All Kinds of Mean indeed. On its second full-length album, The Mag 7s hit you with killer country, badass bluegrass and fucked-up folk, all delivered with a punk-rock edge. Into the Night is a discontented country classic with low-down lyrics such as "I was drunk, a little stoned, feeling frail and feeling cold" while the Travelin’ Song dwells in the darkness with its sad banjo and heart-rending violin. A little too blue for you? Up-tempo bluegrass instrumentals such as Crazy D and Red River Beaver Fever Rag are like aural antidepressants. Magnificent.
– Jared Story

• • •

★
Midnight Review Presents
The Moonlighters
(Independent )

The heavy, dark debut of hardcore collective Midnight Review Presents is abrasive, lo-fi, and very, very creepy. The first two tracks City Boy and DM’ing, with their heavy guitars, fast drums and screeching vocals, set the tone for what’s to follow. Let’s Start A Fire has actual audible vocals, and its DIY aesthetic suits the kind of B-movie horror soundtrack the album artwork signifies, and Kiss Me, I’m Strange pulses irritatingly under a warped, affected speaking voice. Although The Moonlighters is not intended to sound pretty, it really doesn’t sound like much at all.
– Emily Wessel

• • •

★★★1/2
The Noble Thiefs
Beyond the 11th Deck
(Pipe & Hat Records)

thenoblethiefs.com
Taking cues from The Clash and the Jam circa 1979-’80, The Noble Thiefs offer up a dozen slices of tasty, post-punk soul, reggae, ska, R&B and guitar-based rock ’n’ roll on this, the quartet’s debut disc. Singer Myron Dean, guitarist Riley Hastings, bassist Ian (SubCity) Lodewyks and drummer Tim Jones forge an impressive presence live; dressed nattily in skinny ties and  trousers, they throw themselves about with abandon. That effervescence is a little muted on this recording, which could be brighter and contain a few more fully realized songs. To make the full transition from live powerhouse to jump-out-of-your-speakers recording act, these Thiefs have to steal themselves some time, but this is an impressive calling card.
– John Kendle

• • •

★★★★
Oh My Darling
Sweet Nostalgia
(Independent)

ohmydarling.ca
This plucky little disc from the female four piece was recorded in a straw-bale house in Roseisle, Man. It doesn’t sound like a studio creation — these tunes were definitely captured live on location. According to the beautiful booklet that accompanies the disc, Roustabout was the first song they played together, and it sounds as fresh as ever here. Ma Belle is an upbeat French ditty and Love Me Love Me Not is a pining slide guitar number that even a robot would tear up at. Still, it’s the sparse closer All the Sweetness that will really break your heart.
– Nicholas Friesen

• • •

★★★1/2
Pip Skid
People are the Worst
(Marathon of Dope)

www.marathonofdope.com
Rescued rap. Most of the tracks on People are the Worst were intended for Pip Skid’s 2010 album, Skid Row, but didn’t make it due to space. Thankfully, Ricardo Lopez-Aguilar (Oldfolks Home) convinced the veteran rapper that the cuts were still worthy of a proper release. This EP features 10 gritty hip hop tracks from the rapper with the tough-as-nails tone. Skid’s greatest skill is funny, say-it-like-it-is rhymes and on Turn it Up, the underrated rapper pokes fun at himself with lines like "saw a big pile of shit and I laid it." Throw in performances from Cadence Weapon, Nestor Wynrush, Birdapres and B-flat of The Lytics and you’ve got yourself some tasty leftovers.
– Jared Story

• • •

★★★1/2
Quinzy
The Flats EP
(Independent)

www.quinzy.ca
The Flats — Quinzys’ fifth EP in just under four years — is a home-recording project the band put together to give away at Quinzmas 2011 and, to quote vocalist/guitarist Sandy Toronno, it’s the "strongest left turn" the usually shiny pop rock quartet has ever taken. The Flats eschews the singalongs and obvious hooks for a darker, grittier sound — fitting, considering its subject matter. The EP opens with a three-song suite that could easily serve as the basis for a concept album about Winnipeg. All three begin with the same line: "I dress for the weather," and all three offer thoughtful meditations about what it’s like to live in a complicated town. The Flats is a rough-hewn gem.
– Jen Zoratti

• • •

★★★
Prophet
Slow Heavy Killers
(Independent)

www.myspace.com/prophetrock
I was a big fan of singer Christian Bohonos’ previous group, Breakaway Faction, so I was interested to hear what he’s been up to in the four years since that band’s demise. His vocals are arguably the best in Winnipeg rock, the guitars are chunkier and the drums are devastating. Produced by John Paul Peters, this six-track EP makes a fighting case for the guitar solo and wins on tracks such as Salvation and Quarter Mile Romance. Stone Temple Pilots’ Dead and Bloated gets re-invented here as Gambling Man, and overall the disc is simply a love letter to unapologetic, radio-ready rock.
– Nicholas Friesen

• • •

★★★★
Rambling Dan Frechette
Nothing to Lose but the Blues
(Independent)

www.ramblingdan.com/
Folk troubadour Rambling Dan Frechette’s gritty, road-weary vocals are so suited to the blues, it’s hard to believe that this is his first foray into the genre. The excellently titled Nothing to Lose but the Blues listens like some obscure, Bob Dylan-era 45 that was uncovered in a thrift shop; it’s as authentic, experienced and soul-on-sleeve as they come. (The only hint of modernity is the fact that there’s a song titled Internet Country Jail.) Indeed, from the slinky, smoky Good Time Charlie Blues through to the rambling-man ballad They Call Me Mr. Wrong, this is true-blue blues, front to back. More please.
– Jen Zoratti

• • •

★★★★
The Ripperz
You are the Moon
(Newform Label )

www.theripperz.com
The second album from local rock ’n’ roll outfit The Ripperz is full of guitar-driven rock that could sell out an arena without compromising its quality. Produced by John Paul Peters (The Waking Eyes, Comeback Kid), You are the Moon has hints of country (Tonight Pt. II) and stoner rock (Just a Boy), fronted by Chris Sawatzky’s scratchy vocals and backed by unstoppable energy. Don’t Let Me Fall is the album’s best and most authentic-sounding ballad, but this band is at its best when it’s powering through raucous rock songs. Moon and Stars is reminiscent of the original party-rocker Andrew W.K., and Dancing on the Weekend is utterly infectious.
– Emily Wessel

• • •

★★★★
Royal Canoe
Extended Play EP
(Head In The Sand)

headinthesand.ca/royalcanoe
This four-song slice of art-pop perfection comes as the follow-up to Royal Canoe’s 2010 debut, Co-op Mode, and it’s sure to get people salivating for band’s forthcoming sophomore album. While the aptly titled Co-op Mode was a collaborative collage built around songs penned by frontman/founder Matt Peters, Extended Play is the work of a well-oiled band. These are ambitious, hook-rich pop songs — think Dan Bejar’s best contributions to The New Pornographers — constructed from a mélange of inventive loops and samples. I dare you not to get hooked on the resplendent sugar rush that is Hold On To The Metal.
– Jen Zoratti

• • •

★★1/2
Science Project
Down to a Science
(Independent)

scienceprojectmusic.tumblr.com
Hypothesis: People will love our goofy dance/dubstep music. Science Project is a born in the basement musical experiment between two best buds that go by the handles G-Funky and E. Holla. The test is somewhat successful in trial runs — say, one song at a time — but the results are disastrous after any extended listening. Sure hokey hockey anthem Bring it Back is fun and the awful Antonio Banderas-esque accent on Radio Mexico did make me LOL (not quite LMAFO), but as amusing and ironic as the Auto-Tuned lyrics are, Science Project is still annoying. Conclusion: Stick to the basement boys or get burned with your own Bunsen’s.
– Jared Story

• • •

★★
See
Pictures of the Floating World
(Independent)

SEE is the alias of one-man band/producer Alan Merrilees. On his debut album Pictures of the Floating World, Merrilees admirably takes a stab at folk — at times psychedelic, at times jazzy — but ultimately the sloppy production cheats Merrilees’ music out of its potential. The songs are fairly indistinguishable from one another, and the slow pace and minimalistic instrumentation often makes them drag on. Send Me Your Love brings in some drums — which most of the rest of the songs don’t have — but even with percussion, the song sounds thin. Some tunes have an awkward delivery, but it’s mostly the slight off-timing that’s just jarring enough to be noticeable and detract from an otherwise OK album.
– Emily Wessel

• • •

★★★★
Jenny Berkel
Here on a Wire
(Independent)

jennyberkel.com
It’s hard to believe Here on a Wire is Jenny Berkel’s first album. Her voice is smooth and smoky with a maturity that belies her 25 years. The lyrics deal with loss and ill-fated relationships, alternately sad and hopeful. Love is a Stone starts sparsely, then swells with French horn and what seems like an entire symphonic percussion section, while the stripped-down All is Undone is beautifully folksy, just Berkel and her guitar. One of the album’s best songs is Come a Long Way, a melancholic lullaby about coming to terms with grief. Berkel’s voice is the star on this album; truly, it and her guitar are the only instruments she needs to make beautiful, moving music.
– Emily Wessel

• • •

★★★1/2
Scott Nixx
My Way Out
(Independent)

www.facebook.com/OfficialScottNixx
Kicking off strong with Tha Show (featuring Winnipeg’s Most MCs Charlie Fettah and John-C), Scott Nixx’s self-produced 18-track disc delivers a whack of hard rhymes over effective beats. Despite all the guests (including Livin Proof, Fini and Rupness Monsta, who also mixed the disc), it’s Nixx’s smooth vocals that make the record work. Balancing funny wordplay (Bad Chick 2.0) and some sincerely hopeful rhymes (Ridin’ Shotgun), Nixx tackles a wide array of subject matter that most any listener can latch onto. It’s diverse, catchy and mostly positive in tone.
– Nicholas Friesen

• • •

★★★★
Jerry Sereda
Turn the Country On
(MDM/EMI)

jerryseredamusic.com
Dauphin-raised, Winnipeg-based country crooner Jerry Sereda’s second album, Turn the Country On, does just that, and basically makes you turn it up loud. The album is full of new country staples and honky-tonk clichés (see: every line in I Ain’t Learned Nothing Yet) and is respectably radio-ready. My Heart’s Got A Memory opens the album with power country, proving Sereda’s got pipes and serious songwriting chops. Morning After the Night Before is a sassy tribute to binge drinking, while Til the Cows Come Home is all farm party — complete with Dixie cup and homemade wine shout-outs. Still, Sereda proves there’s nothing wrong with convention when it’s done well and with a little tongue-in-cheek.
– Emily Wessel

• • •

★1/2
Stone Throw Second
All Cities Fall
(Independent)

www.manitobamusic.com/stonethrowsecond
Opening with December (not a Collective Soul cover), this disc of 10 angst-ridden rockers was produced by the four-piece with John Paul Peters and it sounds pretty slick. Lyrically, it’s a little redundant; musically, it’s stuck in that "tough/sensitive guy" schtick from the early ’00s. Stealing the Sun has some chunky bass and spastic guitar work that sounds a little too contrived to be truly raw, while Catcher in the Lie (shudder) is the obligatory ballad. Throw in a theme song (Stone Throw Second) complete with distorted backups and you’ve got a record that you’ve already tried to sell twice at Music Trader.
– Nicholas Friesen

• • •

★★★★
Sweet Alibi
Sweet Alibi
(Independent)

www.facebook.com/SweetAlibi3
On paper, the influences apparent on Sweet Alibi’s self-titled debut are almost confusing. Jessica Rae Ayre’s honey-smooth voice recalls retro R&B while Michelle Anderson and Amber Nielsen tackle an impressive array of instruments common in folk and roots (banjo, ukulele). But on disc, the blend works well, and establishes Sweet Alibi as one of the most eclectic yet accessible bands in Winnipeg. The ladies use three-part harmonies to tie their folk and old-school doo-wop influences together and give this album coherence. And, where a lot of bands could lose focus, Sweet Alibi not only manages to keep it together, but keep it interesting.
– Emily Wessel

• • •

★
Sister Dorothy
O Canada
(OverGround Records)

www.sisterdorothy.com
Patriotic renaissance singer-songwriter Sister Dorothy has released a CD of eight versions of O Canada. Seriously. The versions range from classical guitar to Cree to steel drum. The Cree and Ojibwe versions are refreshing to ears used to hearing their standard English and French counterparts, and Sister Dorothy’s voice is quite pretty, but two versions of a national anthem and a decent singing voice cannot carry a record. The concept just doesn’t make a lot of sense.  As it stands, O Canada could be a good tool for early education teachers, and that’s about it. 
– Emily Wessel

• • •

★★★★
The Eardrums
We’re Not from Toronto
(Independent)

www.eardrums.ca
Like everybody’s favourite ticket hustler, Mike Damone, The Eardrums haven’t forgotten "the magnetism of Robin Zander or the charisma of Rick Nielsen." The Winnipeg three-piece pulls a cheap trick on its four-song We’re Not from Toronto EP, adding crowd noise and audience participation to closing track Mystery Mansion (Live at Budokan). Of course the band isn’t actually big in Japan, but it sounds like it very well could be. The aforementioned song is an anthemic arena-ready rocker, Can’t Say No is a bluesy, groovy White Stripes-esque number, while I Don’t Know What it Is could power Tokyo with all its electronic energy. Obviously The Eardrums want you to want this.  
– Jared Story

• • •

★★★1/2
The Sturgeons
The Wood Shop
(Independent)

www.manitobamusic.com/thesturgeons
This self-produced disc from twin brothers Cal and Lucas Hamilton is filled with dreamy little ditties (Jay Bird) and crunchy singalongs (Broken Legs). Despite having a variety of recording engineers, the disc keeps a cohesive sound, and the bulk of the songs are fleshed out with a bevy of organs, mandolins, harmonizing backups and fiddles — but it’s Cal’s wordplay that helps make this disc stand out in a sea of local folkals. Breathless is a pine-worthy number and closer Sing Out Loud meanders, but takes you home in the end.
– Nicholas Friesen

• • •

★★
Stephen
Abstract
(Independent)

Abstract, the fifth album by mysterious soundscaper Stephen, is aptly named. The sounds are dark, weird, ambient, and make the songs here practically indistinguishable.  Even with descriptions — Nocturnal is apparently dedicated to a dead raccoon — the songs can’t stand alone to tell the stories themselves. Tron’s Wooden Leg, for one example, evokes more of a space invasion than the gritty streets of 1920s New York as filtered through the eyes of a heroin addict as it was intended to. The album is moody and evocative — but is often so abstract that it loses whatever meaning it’s intended to convey, and any chance at a melody along with it. Without visual accompaniment, these songs aren’t refined enough to tell Stephen’s stories aurally.
– Emily Wessel

• • •

★★★1/2
Keith & Renee
Best Day
(Easily Amused)

keithandrenee.com
The fifth album from pop-country duo Keith & Renee is comprised of 10 love songs that are alternately cute, cheesy and upbeat — but always sincere and well-crafted. Title track Best Day has nice harmonies and positive lyrics, while Missing You is a ballad with his ’n’ her lyrics. Out There Too gets corny but stays cheeky ("I wish I had someone to play Scrabble/ but the only letter missing is U") and Sleeping Around even veers into raunchy territory. The songs here are always catchy, the album flows and the production by Chris Burke-Gaffney is fantastic. There’s not a lot of variety on Best Day, but it proves that K&R have found a formula and a sound that they do well.
– Emily Wessel

• • •

★★★★
Salinas
All These Choices
(Independent)

www.myspace.com/salinasbandmusic 
Produced by Michael Petkau Falk (Les Jupes), Salinas’ EP All These Choices is short — just three songs — but fully fleshes out the concept of romantic frustrations and establishes this band’s sound. On Paralyzing Lows, singer Matt Austman really goes for it in the bridge. The poppy hook under Austman’s belting portrays the kind of upbeat/downtrodden dichotomy carried out on the other two songs. Mantra begins with glockenspiel and simple electric guitar that becomes the perfect background for the chorus of "whoas" at the end. Insufferable has a sharper distinction between sparsity and fullness. The EP’s only flaw is actually one of its main strengths — it leaves you wanting more. 
– Emily Wessel

• • •

★★1/2
XVI Eyes
Building Eden from Embers
(Independent )

xvieyes.bandcamp.com
This four-piece prog metal act brims with ideas and ambitions that it can’t quite sonically fulfill on its second full-length recording. Opening with a radio newsreel recollection of the horrors of the 1945 atomic bomb attack on Hiroshima, the album goes on to explore the notion of its title. It does so with the requisite sludgy, mid-tempo riffage, apocalyptic mournfulness and esoteric atmospherics but what this disc needs to make it a top-shelf pick is a bigger guitar sound, more vocal dynamics and two or three songs that are capable of jumping from the speakers and grabbing the listener by the throat.
– John Kendle