Trevor Savory

VariousA Winter’s Night (Nettwerk)The songs selected for most holiday albums are generally overplayed and grate relentlessly on our already frazzled nerves. Luckily on this Nettwerk compilation the songs aren’t necessarily traditional tunes or artists. The prerequisites are bound to show (Jack Johnson’s “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” or Avril’s “O Holy Night”) but there are also […]

OrgyPunk Statik Paranoia(D1)Dark, ominous and lurking somewhere between Korn and Marilyn Manson is Orgy, who have returned with the follow-up to 2001’s ill-received Vapor Transmission. Punk Statik Paranoia is sharper, more melodic and more focused on craft. Their brand of glammed-up industrial rock is sharp and biting without being excessive. Hopefully Punk Statik Paranoia will […]

StabiloHappiness and Disaster(EMI) Chalk this one up as nothing more than a guilty pleasure. Stabilo’s major label debut Happiness and Disaster hits the same stumbling blocks as its predecessor, the 2004 EP Cupid. Happiness and Disaster is overall a better album than Cupid, but that’s not saying much—the catchier, more hook-laden tracks are enjoyable, but […]

Matt Mays…When the Angels Make Contact(Sonic/Warner)Mays continues to follow in the footsteps of Neil Young, attempting to expand his repertoire beyond the roots/folk-rock sound, dabbling in both electronica and hip-hop. The title track reflects this new approach, thanks in part to Buck 65’s guest spot. …When the Angels Make Contact is unusual in the fact […]

SlowcoasterFuture RadioindieSlowcoaster may hail from Cape Breton, however it’s the west coast influence that adds the sizzle to Future Radio. This album contains more hooks than a tackle box. Fire up tracks “Eurotrash” or “Distance & Time” to see why these Cape Breton lads are indeed the future of radio.Trevor Savorycategories: Best of the year […]

OasisDon’t Believe the Truth(sony)Don’t Believe the Truth is the sixth studio release from the recently retooled Oasis — only the brothers Gallagher remain from the original lineup. As with the majority of Oasis’s previous releases, Don’t Believe the Truth is inconsistent; it lacks the ferocity with which Live Forever stormed North American shores and the […]

Ray Charles Genius Loves Company (Concord)Ray Charles was one of those rare artists who could transcend and leave his mark on any musical genre he touched. The posthumous release of his final (and aptly named) recording features Ray performing with such heavyweights as BB King, Van Morrison, Gladys Knight and Elton John. It’s on each […]

Billy TalentII(Warner)With the amount of time spent recording its sophomore album, aptly titled II, one would think that Billy Talent were going to come up with a new wheel. Unfortunately one of the more hotly anticipated albums of 2006 is burdened by the old adage if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. There is no […]

NasHip-Hop is Dead(Def Jam)Timing has never been the forte of Nas—his first album was released in the debut shadows of Puff Daddy and the Notorious BIG. Even with the anticipation surrounding Nas’ latest, he is again behind another pair of hotly anticipated discs, Jay-Z and Snoop Dogg. But if you hear Hip-Hop is Dead, you’ll […]

Hot Hot Heat Elevator (Sire)Victoria’s Hot Hot Heat has released the hotly anticipated follow-up to 2002’s Make Up the Breakdown, Elevator. What made that debut so fantastic was that it had a slew of tracks so insanely catchy (“Bandages,” “Talk to Me, Dance with Me,” “No, Not Now”) that they’d lodge themselves deep inside your […]

JadakissKiss of Death(Ruff Ryders/Interscope)Innovators (Outkast, Kanye West, Eminem) make hip-hop an interesting genre to invest time into. Then you have the imitators, like Jada, who don’t bring anything new—they simply want to linger in the nostalgia of their idols (Biggie Smalls). The guest list for Kiss of Death is extensive: Snoop, Nate Dogg, Mariah, Kanye […]