Doug Taylor

The Buttless ChapsWhere Night Holds Light(Mint)This British Columbia four became five with the addition of “Great Aunt” Ida Nilsen. Her keyboards and harmony vocals with David Gowans make his meandering compositions a touch more compelling. If Joy Division had moved to Lotus Land and dealt with their demons less urgently, a record like this might […]

Sandi ThomSmile…It Confuses People(Columbia)The energetic UK singer has already clicked at home with “I Wish I was a Punk Rocker with Flowers in my Hair.” In it, she laments the prominence of accountants and computers, and longs for a time “when we didn’t know everything.” In your face, Google! Where Zager & Evans’s “In the […]

Lavender DiamondImagine Our Love(Matador)A few elements give LA-based Lavender Diamond a quick first step into your heart. The classically trained voice of Becky Stark has the purity and openness of a sweet virtuoso. Steve Gregoropoulos’s arranging delivers an aroma of parlour music, his authoritative piano saving the tunes from drifting into hippie-dippie land. A handy […]

Gretchen WilsonAll Jacked UpSonyPlaying the girl who’ll defend her own honour, Wilson has captured mainstream country’s heart and figures to hold onto it. In Gretchen’s world, chewing tobacco is an aphrodisiac (“Skoal Ring”), alcohol improves awareness (“One Bud Wiser”), and Paris Hilton is cruisin’ for a bruisin’ (“California Girls”). Though these views are debatable, her […]

ShivareeBreach EP (Zoe)An American band that’s received most of its love from Europe, Shivaree is a secret worth knowing. Singer Ambrosia Parsley has star quality and, after a stint writing news satire on Air America radio, less hesitancy about sounding political. Brian Eno’s “The Fat Lady of Limbourg” (from 1975), one of the most brilliant […]

The CottarsForerunner (Rounder)The teen foursome from Cape Breton makes no missteps on its first international release. If there is any surprise, it may be how quickly Fiona MacGillivray’s singing has grown beyond cute into incandescent. Her take on Ron Hynes’ “Atlantic Blue” sounds like a new regional classic. To keep the trad crowd from getting […]

Ron HynesRon Hynes(Borealis)Even for an artist whose main turf is disappointment and fear, Hynes seems to be on a downer. Hearing the word “detox” as a lyric in “Dry” drops you into the shoes of an alcoholic with minimal relief from the bare-bones music. More uplifting, just as strong, is the anthemic “Dirt Poor,” recorded […]

Tenacious DThe Pick of Destiny(Epic)Like the movie, the album offers the odd jab of the madcap but fails to sustain the highs. This could be the moment obscenity became boring, proof of laziness. Jack Black’s repeated use of “fuck” irritates early on and never lets up, rendering most songs unplayable on the air and stripping […]

TurbonegroRetox(Cooking Vinyl)Concerns over what is “punk” or “metal” wash away with each power stroke from these Norwegians. Retox will remind you of Iggy and the Stooges before they were informed of their importance. That English is Turbonegro’s second language allows for some delightful song titles like “Hell Toupee,” “Alpha Male” and “Hot and Filthy.” There […]