Reviews

Bloc PartySilent Alarm (Vice/Dim Mak)Bloc Party isn’t as much about its influences as its execution. While the band has been accused of drawing influence from just about every British group that has ever written in a minor key, it’s ultimately the songwriting that makes them worthwhile. Matching aggressive melodies, manic drumming and geometrical guitar work, […]

Greg KeelorSeven Songs for Jim(Warner)This is not Greg Keelor’s admission of love to Jim Cuddy—it is far a more intimate album than that. This album deals with Keelor’s grief over the loss of his father, especially hard when you’ve developed a bond as adults. Tender and heartfelt, Keelor has poured any remaining emotion into these […]

John LegendGet Lifted(Columbia)Most modern R&B comes off like an artistically dead genre. The purveyors of the style emphasise vocal runs and dance routines, leaving songwriting and musicianship to those poor people who call themselves “artists.” But every once in a while, someone like John Legend comes along. The disc is an impressive collection of neo-soul […]

The DonnasGold Medal(Atlantic)Indie darlings the Donnas (none of whom are actually named Donna) have released their most accessible album to date in the form of Gold Medal. Longtime followers of the band might be hesitant to embrace the new poppier sound (think more Veruca Salt, less L7) and see this album as a sellout. But […]

VariousRussian Christmas (BBC Music magazine)If you want something beyond the umpteenth version of “Rudolph,” the best source of holiday music can be found at the newsstand. Every year the classical music monthly BBC Music puts together seasonal offerings of a divergent kind. This year the focus is Russia, with a version of Tchaikovsky’s First Symphony […]

The SummerladThemes: International(FAB)Formed from the ashes of the Primrods, Calgary-based The Summerlad feels familiar for all the safe reasons. Mixing a distinctly pop feel with layered guitars and synths, it makes you think of a happier My Bloody Valentine, a more revved-up Galaxie 500 or a less art-house Broken Social Scene (compare “Vallee of Cobras” […]

Josh RouseNashville(Ryko)Nashville has all the makings of a terrible album. Rouse’s voice is reminiscent of Ryan Adams’, his alt-country owes to the bastardized Nashville sound that nearly killed the genre and his lyrics have a boringly upper-middle-class slant. Yet Rouse makes this recipe for faux-urban hayseed garbage work. His writing is charming and relaxed rather […]

My Chemical RomanceThree Cheers for Sweet Revenge (Warner)My Chemical Romance has a little something to offer everyone. Their sound is a melting pot of punk, pop, emo and thrash with a sprinkle of classic rock thrown in for good measure. On Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge, MCR voraciously rip through a set of 13 dark, […]

The StrokesFirst Impressions of EarthRCA)When Is This It hit the airwaves four years ago, The Strokes became a household name. No matter where you turned, this New York quintet was being hailed as the saviour of rock. The lackluster response to its 2003 follow-up Room on Fire was chalked up to the sophomore jinx. Two-and-a-half […]

Hope of the StatesThe Lost Riots(Epic)The Lost Riots is a mediocre album that’s gotten by on the words of a few attention-craving British tabloid journalists. It does contain some beautiful arrangements, but ultimately the songwriting is middle class and constantly resorts to going epic to save itself. And singer Samuel Herlihy’s vocals have all the […]

Nancy SinatraS/T (Sanctuary/EMI)As records by aging stars go, Nancy Sinatra benefits from the length of its guest list. Jarvis Cocker, Jon Spencer, Pete Yorn and Calexico all offer up a song for this driest of divas to make her own. “Let Me Kiss You” melds Sinatra’s authority and phrasing with Morrissey’s articulation of desire, forming […]