Reviews

The Black Eyed PeasMonkey Business(A & M)When Elephunk broke through huge into the mainstream, it was a breath of fresh air. Fast-forward two years, and Monkey Business is the awaited follow-up. The lead single “Don’t Phunk With My Heart” (“phunk” (funk) is on par with Chingy’s “hurr” (here) for annoyance) has become the musical equivalent […]

The High DialsWar of the Wakening Phantoms(rainbow quartz)Montreal’s High Dials return in a big way with their sophomore effort. But this psychedelic pop doesn’t indulge in 14-minute tunes, just 14 tunes period. And that means there’s a lot coming at you, clocking in at just over an hour. It’s hard to pare back the overgrowth […]

BreakestraHit the Floor(Ubiquity)Breakestra turned heads by taking the breaks — repetitious, rhythmic detours that arise midway through classic funk, acid jazz, soul or R&B songs — and stretching them into long live jams. But on Hit the Floor the 10-piece group from LA offers up their own original break-based tracks. Fans of Grand Theft Bus, […]

Sarah HarmerI’m a Mountain(Cold snap/Universal)Sarah Harmer is one perplexing national treasure. She makes us wait four years between the classic You Were Here (2000) and its more politically minded follow-up, All of Our Names. Then she hints that she is making a follow-up to her side project Songs for Clem, the LP she made for […]

Jessica Holmes25 Laughs to the Gallon(Independent)Holmes could yet be known as the woman who saved Air Farce (or at least made it watchable again). To make comedy, you have to break a few legs. Holmes lays into hillbillies, humanists and, mercilessly, celebrities who do a good job of being ridiculous already. Liza Minnelli is rendered […]

Dave Matthews BandStand Up (RCA)Stand Up (the sixth studio disc from Dave and company) showcases a re-energized DMB, who, with the help of producer Mark Baston, have introduced the instrumentation of the DMB live experience into the studio.  It is around this base which Matthews can weave his words in the way only he can. […]

Iron & WineWoman King EP(Sub Pop)An album that holds lineage over influences, Iron & Wine’s Woman King EP is a dark and brilliant offering. While Sam Beam has backed his sound with a more commanding instrumentation than in the past, his songs are still as focused and pristine as ever. The result fuses the tones […]

Jonathan AndrewsHalifax Indie Rock(independent)You can’t blame us for pigeonholing Jonathan Andrews—he did it himself, with the title of this release. It certainly lives up to the name—the understated vocals channel Al Tuck, and the twangy, retro-pop guitars bring us back to the Super Friendz of days gone by. The disc features a diverse array of […]

The ExiesHead for the Door(Columbia)As rock progresses further down the line, up-and-coming bands will begin to adopt an “I can do that too” mentality. Case in point: The Exies and their latest release Head for the Door. There isn’t a great deal of originality here—at some point the Exies had the desire (for some reason) […]

The VerveThis is Music: The Singles 92-98(EMI)The breathtaking opening salvo of the title track reminds us how truly underrated The Verve was and what the world is missing now that they are gone. With messiah-crazed Richard Ashcroft’s vocals front and centre, these songs are the same time heartfelt (try not to shed a tear during […]