Jon Bruhm

Auf Der Mar S/T(Capitol)There must be a curse on Melissa Auf Der Mar. The Canadian bassist joined Hole and The Smashing Pumpkins in the midst of their respective downward spirals, crashed with a Black Sabbath tribute and burned with The Virgins. Some had her pegged as a five-time loser, and they couldn’t be more right. […]

Canned HammErotic Thriller(Pro-Am)Picture Tenacious D with a Casio synthesizer in lieu of acoustic guitars, and you pretty much have Canned Hamm. The Vancouver-based operatic, electronic sex rock kings aren’t serious musicians — they’re a gimmick. All about the costumes, the props and the theatrics, Canned Hamm, like Tenacious D, is a schtick. The main difference […]

Jay BizzyThe Ghost of Jacob Marley(Urbnet)With guest performances from the likes of Classified, Johnny Hardcore and Rocky Ninja, contributions from DJs including IV and JoRun and tight production from Beatmason, Dexter Doolittle and Fresh Kils, Halifax MC Jake “Jay Bizzy” Flemming’s sophomore recording features a slew of top and iconic Maritime hip-hop talent. The hour-long […]

Dog DayThank You (Out of touch)When Burdocks frontman Seth Smith created Hi Firey, a side project to serve as an outlet for his folkier tunes, he likely didn’t expect the endeavour to turn out like this. Now, combining half of the scrappy Burdocks with half of the street punks The Hold, Dog Day has evolved […]

KillradioRaised On Whipped Cream(Columbia)Killradio’s lyrics may make them sound like another one of those angsty juvenile rock bands; a closer listen reveals something entirely different, clearing up any mis- conceptions about the Los Angeles-based politi-rockers. Raised On Whipped Cream is a sarcastic outlook towards the political indifference exerted by much of today’s youth; it also […]

Lily FrostSituation(Aporia) French sweetheart Lily Frost originally recorded Situation as an EP, then decided to expand the project into a full-length album with guest appearances by Kinnie Starr, Steven Drake (The Odds) and her husband, Jose Contreras (By Divine Right). Quiet, quaint and cute, the queen of lounge pop’s disc is nice, but repetitive. It’s […]

Alive & LivingPLOIndependent Evolved from his 1999 solo record, Time Between Failures, former Chore frontman Chris Bell has devised a new melodic, folky, master plan. Those in search of another Chore record need not apply — PLO (as in Please Leave On) is drastically different than anything his distorted former ensemble ever released. Accompanied by […]

While everything that Detroit songman Brendan Benson writes may turn to gold, the notion is not extended to all that he touches. As the recorder and producer of the latest EP by Cincinnati’s The Greenhornes, he’s unable to unleash the magic. Then again, he didn’t have much to work with. Another passe band blatantly trying […]

HelmetSize Matters(Interscope)It’s been seven years since Helmet released a disc of dark and angry tunes. The newly reformed outfit is back, and madder than ever. A direct shot toward the nü-metal that’s tarnished the heavy metal genre, Page Hamilton and co. deliver fierce, driving cuts like “Crash-ing Foreign Cars,” “Enemies” and “Last Breath,” kicking balls-less […]