Trevor MacLaren

Warren ZevonReconsider Me: The Love Songs(Artemis)The thing that made Warren Zevon a cult icon was not the fact that he was a great songwriter — although he was — it was the bitter, caustic wit that bled through his best work. A collection of Zevon’s love songs, then, lacks the wry critiques on modern life […]

Radio BirdmanZeno Beach(Yep Roc)Radio Birdman, masterminded by Ann Arbor’s Deniz Tek and fronted by Aussie surfer Rob Younger, set the scene for Australian punk. Fusing the signature garage punk of The Stooges and MC5, the band became legendary to followers such as Nick Cave. But releasing only two records between ’75 and ’78 made them […]

Ben LeeNew Wave(ben-lee.com)Australian troubadour Ben Lee has covered Against Me’s New Wave and made it available for free. “As heavy and gnarly as it sounds at times, it is unmistakably a pop masterpiece,” Lee writes on the blog entry accompanying the download. “I wondered to myself how these songs would sound acoustically.” By taking away […]

VariousThe Grass is Always Bluer (Nettwerk)The Grass is Always Bluer is a cornucopia of Americana with proceeds going to the Sweet Relief charity. Packed with some of the genre’s finest and fleshed out with some new players, the disc isn’t nearly as strong as it should be. Choosing weak cuts from Americana goddess Gillian Welch […]

Bonnie “Prince” BillyThe Letting Go(Drag City)This is a departure from the usual Will Oldham sound since it has major harmony contributions and string arrangements. A touch of British folk added with Oldham’s Appalachia revisited create one of his greatest efforts yet. Its genius of dark yet beautiful menace proves why Johnny Cash once called him […]

Paul AnkaRock Swings(Verve)Could this be anything other than a pathetic novelty record, like Pat Boone’s In a Metal Mood? Ottawa’s favourite son channels the spirit of Ol’ Blue Eyes, while Anka’s arranger recalls the moods and sounds of Sinatra’s great arranger Nelson Riddle. The end product is Frank’s Capitol era mixed with rock, alternative and […]

The BeatlesLet it Be… Naked(EMI)With this release Beatles collectors are confronted with three versions of Let it Be: The mediocre Spector mix, the legendary bootleg of Glyn John’s original mix—known as Get Back—and now McCartney’s approved mix. The sound and stripped down feel they strived for is here, but Let it Be… Naked lacks the […]

GaloreAmplifier(Universal)Fronted by Haligonian Barry Walsh—of the late, great Cool Blue Halo—Galore is a ballsy trip to ’70s glam and power-pop. At times channelling This Year’s Model-era Elvis Costello, Galore owes much of its sound to T-Rex, The Raspberries, early Bowie and Cheap Trick. They gorge on Marc Bolan’s sleazy teenage romanticism on “Typical You” and […]

Yoko OnoYes I’m a Witch(Astralwerks)Ever since she rose to prominence as a factor in John Lennon’s dissatisfaction with The Beatles, their fans have hated her. So it comes as no surprise that she has finally accepted that fate, calling this collaborative project Yes, I’m a Witch. Love or hate her, Ono was always great at […]

Brian WilsonSMiLE(Nonesuch)It’s been 37 years since Capitol Records announced the follow-up to The Beach Boys’ teenage opus Pet Sounds. After being abandoned by Brian Wilson in ’67, SMiLE finally sees its first (legal) release in a complete form. It’s a new recording by Wilson and The Wondermints and it sounds remarkably like the old bootleg […]