Reviews

Hot on the heels of clattering and aggressive Meat, Workman’s second release of the year is filled with sounds that might be made at an unholy orgy of Sisters of Mercy, Wang Chung and Foreigner, with attendant swears. I think Workman wants us to believe his life is one long Bret Easton Ellis novel, making […]

Pablo Dìaz-Reixa returns as El Guincho. Following his 2008 album, Alegranza, which garnered much international attention, pressure to move forward surely existed. For the most part, such a step is made. His vocal range and approach are limited, but he makes up for it musically: repetitive basslines, beats and samples and pitch in the higher […]

A 100-voice choir singing about impeaching President Bush. Concept albums for cars and environmentalism. A sequel to an unreleased record. The idiosyncrasies of Neil Young’s 2000s output almost make his ’80s material seem mundane (…almost). Young kicks off the new decade with another experiment: a noisy, guitar-only record with Daniel Lanois producing. There are hints […]

Hurley is Weezer’s third record in as many years; it’s as if the band’s trying to turn the teasing and torturing of its comeback-hopeful fanbase into an annual tradition. As per the routine, Hurley serves up fleeting moments of redemption—the acoustic-driven “Run Away,” the Desmond Child-assisted “Trainwrecks”—in between fine-but-forgettable riff rock and a couple of […]

The third full-length from Berry, Buck, Mills and Stipe came out 25 years ago. Since 1985, the inversions of image and phrase (beginning with the album title’s alternate reading as Reconstruction of the Fables), the deceivingly simple melodies and beautiful pop-vocal harmonies have been ringing like bells in the dark. There’s a sense that REM […]

Following up the sumptuous “Blood’s Too Rich,” Doucet opts for a shorter, punchier route to rock. Sloan’s Andrew Scott is all over this one: co-writing four songs, producing and drumming. The city of Hamilton is muse, especially for the comics liner by David Collier. Doucet wears influences on his sleeve. Thankfully, they are many and […]

I’ve always seen Superchunk as akin to an alternative universe version of Sloan: same pop sensibilities, but with one primary vocalist, a punker edge and the record label they started becoming kind of a big deal. Though Superchunk has worked together in spits and spurts since Mac McCaughan and Laura Ballance began spending most of […]

The Vancouver heavyweight is back with its third album. And, like a boxer in that class, it tends to plod along, landing thundering punches. There’s “Rollercoaster” but wait for the eighth and title track, with a lead vocal sung by Amber Webber, for the real proof of the band’s size and strength. Occasional speed (“Let […]

Dammien Alexander of Philadelphia, adopting Halifax as home, is a man of many names. He goes by Dame Alexander and his current project/alias Gentleman Deluxe, his third release following Beautiful and We Are Who We’ve Been Waiting For. With many handles comes a multi-faceted sound that refuses to be pinned down by a single descriptor: […]

The yelps of Johnny Cougar have never felt so distant. Mellencamp joins producer T-Bone Burnett in the Southern rooms where Robert Johnson and Elvis Presley made their mark, as if to join spirits. The songs’ simplicity and directness may also remind you of Hank Williams. Mortality, destiny, failure and regret are balanced by pleasure at […]

Jill Hennessy has declared her true passion is music and not acting. While Hennessy is best known for her work on Law & Order and Crossing Jordan, Ghost in my Head is a surprising effort, as actors-turned-musicians don’t have the best track record (David Hasselhoff, Steven Seagal). But Hennessy has bucked that trend: Ghost in […]

On the whole, this sound—the central practice of collaging cabaret, ballroom, folk (from early 20th century North American to gypsy and klezmer), jazz, electronic effects and heavy-riffed rock and noise—has been done. Because this music is about big and bizarre gestures there’s little wiggle room. It’s already crowded by, to name just a few, Tom […]