Reviews

MorrisseyRingleader of the Tormentors (Attack/EMI)Over the course of his solo career, Morrissey gained the reputation of an artist incapable of following one good album with another. The god-awful Kill Uncle followed the excellent debut Viva Hate. The widely panned Southpaw Grammar came after the excellent Vauxhall and I. Following the Mozzer’s release of the triumphant […]

The Arrogant WormsBeige(Independent)Have we really arrived at songs about irritable bowel syndrome (“IBS”), hernias (“Hernia Belt”) and testicular cancer (“Brian’s Balls”)? If you have the affliction, it is hoped the Worms are laughing with you, not at you. The healthy listener may prefer the manly gadget worship of “Pressure Washer,” a Freudian deconstruction of the […]

Band of HorsesEverything All the Time(Sub Pop)In 2004, Ben Bridwell and Mat Brooke rose from the ashes of chamber pop favourites Carissa’s Weird to create Band of Horses; indie scenesters haven’t caught their breath since. The group’s cathartic pop-rock sound blends yelping vocals with dynamic instrumentation to deliver songs of saints, sin and death. While […]

Idle SonsSixteen Seasons(Virgin)For every Our Lady Peace or Nickelback, there are 10 bands like Idle Sons waiting in the wings to strike it big. Unfortun- ately for those Sixteen Seasons in which their debut album was being prepped, it was not time well wasted—it was just wasted. There is no imprint left once the album […]

VariousClassic Labor Songs(Smithsonian Folkways)Paul Robeson starts with “Joe Hill,” both the ultimate appetizer and a chance to check your bass component. “We Shall Not Be Moved,” “Bread and Roses” and “Solidarity Forever” are among the songs people are more likely to have heard in person than on record. They all have a story and, as […]

The Black KeysChulahoma(Fat Possum)Fat Possum is the Mississippi-based label for blues that won’t wear a monkey suit, home for the late Junior Kimbrough and, more recently, of Akron, Ohio band the Black Keys. Kimbrough evidently sired 36 children. It’s these skinny white boys who revel in his musical legacy. Though there are vocals, the focus […]

VariousKill the Moonlight OST(Plexifilm)Music geeks everywhere will be applauding the release of the ultra-low budget slacker film Kill the Moonlight by writer-director Steven Hanft. Not so much for the movie itself, but for the inclusion of a soundtrack that features three exclusive One Foot in the Grave-era Beck tracks. In fact, Moonlight’s main character, Chance—a […]

Tom PettyHighway Companion(Warner)Folks might be surprised to learn Tom Petty has released just three solo records over his incredible 30-year career. Even more astounding is the fact that Petty has never reinvented himself or his folk-rock sound to remain relevant. After the controversial Wildflowers and Petty’s lacklustre reunion with the Heartbreakers on Last DJ, Highway […]

Justin TimberlakeFutureSex/LoveSounds (Sony/BMG)This album isn’t about the final step in Justin Timberlake’s move away from his boy-band past. It’s not about a pop idol returning to reclaim his throne. It’s not a statement of sexual liberation or a collection of smartly written songs. FutureSex/LoveSounds is about nothing more than hormones and killer grooves, and that’s […]

Jars of ClayGood Monsters(SonyBMG)When is a Christian band so good that religiophobes can no longer dismiss it? When the devil might bob his head to it, not necessarily writhing in agony. Aside from the lyric “the light on Jesus’ face,” still a shock to hear over screaming guitar, in “All My Tears,” there’s not much […]

Lady SovereignPublic Warning(Island/Def Jam)Young, small and ferocious Lady Sovereign justifies the hype as much with her ease among the beats as with what rolls out of her mouth. Fashion trash-talk lights up “Tango,” where a fake tan makes you a pumpkin and black hair dye risks comparison to “the Vicar of Dibley, what, on crack.” […]

Dixie ChicksTaking the Long Way(Columbia)The blistering “Not Ready to Make Nice” still hits hard after months of airplay, as Natalie Maines wonders incredulously, “How in the world could the words that I said/send somebody so over the edge/that they’d write me a letter saying that I better/shut up and sing/or my life would be over?” […]