CD Reviews
The
Bird and The Bee
The Bird and The Bee EMI/ 2007 ♥♥♥♥ |
Despite having the most annoyingly lazy website in the world, The Bird and The Bee (TBTB) are musically incredible. They describe their sound as “a futuristic 1960’s American film set in Brazil.” The group combines quick-paced pop with a light electronica background. Inara George, the Bird and the lead singer, and friend Greg Kurstin, the Bee and instrumentalist, serve up a creative and fun sound that’s both relaxing and energetic. Granted, an odd paradox, but TBTB just integrates it into the music seamlessly. Inara isn’t your typical whiny female artist. She doesn’t resort to the latest trends of grungy female vocals (read: Amy Lee) on this album. She maintains a retro-feminine tone to her soft voice which only changes when she takes on her Karen O attitude. These moments of Karen O influence are brief, but they seem to give Inara a sort of credibility in the optimistic-sounding music. The best song on the album is, by far, “Fucking Boyfriend.” The title sounds like a lame revenge song about Inara’s ex, but it is in fact a cute little ditty about asking a guy to be her “fucking boyfriend.” Another awesome song is “Again and Again,” which works on the theme of repetition. The whole chorus is “again and again and do it again” and you get the picture, but somehow the song doesn’t get tiring and is incredibly catchy. One downside to this album is that if you’re not familiar or not a fan of techno — I’m not either — this album can get a little difficult to dive into on your first time around. However, the album is definitely worth the plunge. Chelse McKee, volunteer staff |
Amy
Winehouse
Back to Black |
Despite rumours of flaky attendance to her own concerts and her issues with sobriety, Amy Winehouse is building appeal this side of the Atlantic with her erratic behaviour. Her jazzy debut Frank got left under the radar to most in North America, but her new brazen style and raw approach to music is auspicious. Back to Black is a breakthrough for the fact that it blends the fresh drums of hip-hop and ska with the vintage sounds of doo-wop and soul. At just under 40 minutes, Back to Black revisits the soul of the ‘60s but still stays current with the help of Salaam Remi (who has also worked with Nas) and Mark Ronson, the go-to celebrity DJ and producer for Rhymefest and Ghostface among others. Both producers share the production credits of this album. Winehouse’s sultry pipes are simultaneously raw and rugged as if she were an old soul in a young woman’s body. Still in her early 20s, she can faultlessly tackle topics like alcoholism, relationships gone awry and heartbreak. On “Me and Mr. Jones,” she uses clever lines like “What kind of fuckery is this?” when addressing a promiscuous lover. Better yet, on the exemplary “Love Is A Losing Game,” she proclaims that her man is foolishly gambling with her affection. Sure, Winehouse is a drunkard and a drug abuser. These days, who isn’t? Given how the media personifies her, she openly admits it in songs like her marketable lead single, “Rehab.” Moreover, on “Addicted,” she humourously calls out her friends’ boyfriends who leech her weed stash. She does not channel these stories from some unknown source; her voice shows that everything she wails is genuine. Navin Bahl, volunteer staff |
Rich
Boy
Rich Boy Zone 4/Interscope/ 2007 ♥♥ ♥½ |
With a name like Rich Boy, what can you expect from a southern rapper other than ignorant fodder about guns, money and girls? And that is exactly what the college dropout delivers, with the occasional introspective track or two. On this self-titled debut, it is not Rich Boy who shines but Polow Da Don, producer of a majority of the tracks. Released on Zone 4 Incorporation, newcomer Rich Boy was under the tutelage of Polow Da Don, who’s responsible for the current pop hits of Ciara, Fergie and Pussycat Dolls. Polow is letting us step further into his world, which is darker and more sinister than he exposed with his recent offerings on Top 40 radio. Not to undermine Rich Boy, but the production on this album is prominent. Rich Boy has a distinct, southern drawl. Unlike most praised rappers from the dirty who usually hail from Atlanta (or, more recently, Houston), Rich Boy is uniquely Alabaman. He lets us know this on the banging second single “Boy Looka Here,” where he sets in motion a new pronunciation of southern slang in the same vein as Nelly and Chingy earlier this decade. Even more so on “Throw Some D’s,” Rich Boy’s syrupy voice rides this street anthem until its wheels fall off. “Throw Some D’s” is the album’s saving grace and will probably go down as one of 2007’s strongest rap songs. Beyond the lyrics and vocals, it is the essential guest appearances by other Southern rappers that validate Rich Boy’s mediocrity. The apex of the album is on the final opus, “Let’s Get This Paper,” where Polow is at his most menacing. He adds symphonic synths to thumping basslines to only be outdone by an eerily angelic church choir. Polow’s wizardry is in his choice of instrumentation. He is not a minimalist. He adds sounds, effects and devices so flawlessly that it all blends into a sound of its own. Navin Bahl, volunteer staff |
Mr.
Pine
The Gift of Wolves Whiskey Lad Recordings/ 2006 ♥♥♥ 1/2 |
Like many albums, The Gift of Wolves takes a number of listens before you start to get it. “It” is a songwriting partnership between Matt McLennan, formerly of Winnipeg act Cone Five, and Kevin Scott, one-time Cheatron keyboardist and longtime UMFM host (former music director). The band introduces itself as “mystical chamber folk,” and the guiding influence is definitely the old British folk style. Several of the 14 tracks are firmly based in this traditional realm, but as a whole, the album has a diverse, contemporary folk-pop sound. The wide array of uncommon instruments — in combination with McLennan’s guitar work — is to blame. Vibraslap, hammered dulcimer, flageolet, mellophone and other fascinating musical contraptions (look them up) can be heard on The Gift of Wolves. “Hibernating On The Volga” (one of many abstract titles) features a strange but catchy and infectious chorus: “I was more than a sack full of organs/And you were more than a sack full of organs/The pets were more than just sacks full of organs/And we were more than a splatter of sunsets.” Scott’s melodious piano and strong backing vocals help make this the most memorable track. On “Lancet,” Leslie Workman’s sweet vocal evokes Isobel Campbell. “Jack Tar” includes a gentle string arrangement performed by the members of the local quartet Animata Strings. Mr. Pine’s debut effort is a unique stylistic hybrid, an eye-opener to what can happen when classical and indie-rock sensibilities collide. Joel Trenaman |
Peter
Bjorn And John
Writer’s Block Almost Gold/ 2007 ♥♥♥♥ |
Remember that bizarre yet catchy song you could not escape in 2006? It invaded your television (Grey’s Anatomy, How I Met Your Mother), Internet and radio. Yeah, the one with all that incessant whistling. It kind of grew on you, didn’t it? Well the search is over: the song is called “Young Folks,” and the masterminds behind it are Peter Morén, Björn Yttling and John Eriksson, who go by the tidy moniker of Peter Bjorn and John. Don’t fret, the fun is not over, because your new favourite trio of Swedes have made an album full of songs just as good, if not better. It seems these Scandinavians are a bunch of romantics as, like “Young Folks,” all of the tracks on Writer’s Block deal with the always-ripe subject matter of love. A highlight is the poignant, folk guitar-tinged “Paris 2004,” with its pop-style melodies and lyrics sweet enough to break any schoolgirl’s heart: “While I’m sleeping/You paint a ring on my finger with your black marker-pen.” Also excellent is the similarly minded “Objects of My Affection,” which turns up the acoustic guitars and heartbreak even further: “And the question is/Was I more alive then than I am now/I happily have to disagree/I laugh more often now/I cry more often now/I am more me.” It is difficult to dock the album any points for not straying much deeper than adolescent love because it has obviously been made with immense passion and enthusiasm. Writer’s Block proves PB&J to be an appropriate name for the band as they truly are, for lack of a more erudite comparison, just like a PB&J sandwich: not revolutionary but satisfying and oh-so-very sweet. Ajitpaul Mangat, volunteer staff |
LCD
Soundsystem
Sound of Silver Capitol/EMI/DFA/ 2007 ♥&hearts♥&hearts1/2 |
LCD Soundsystem’s self-titled debut album, although full of brilliant individual moments, was ultimately too erratic and desultory to be considered a truly great record. James Murphy, the mastermind behind LCD Soundsystem, has learned however, and how so, as his second album Sound of Silver represents a quantum leap for the musician; sleeker, sexier and more refined, it is superior to its predecessor in every way. Trapped somewhere between the cacophonous worlds of DJ-ing and indie-rock, Murphy’s style of electronic rock ‘n’ roll has always mixed diverse musical influences from punk to new-wave to disco, but never this seamlessly or at this scope. Where his debut contained echoes of Talking Heads, David Bowie and Brian Eno, Sound of Silver now mashes together U2 with New Order (“All My Friends”) and the Velvet Underground with John Lennon (“New York I Love You.”) There is not a weak moment to be found on the entire album but it is on two songs in particular in which Murphy truly shines. “Someone Great,” containing an infectious synthesizer line, has the album’s prettiest vocals and most affecting lyrics. The song begins with the loss of a friendship but then takes a strange turn (“You’re smaller than my wife imagined/Surprised you were human”) and it is this twist of ambiguity that makes the track so memorable. “All My Friends,” conversely, is about gaining friendships. The frenzied, unrelenting track, based on a repeating piano loop and a slowly emerging two chord bass and electric guitar cycle, finds Murphy reflecting on his past: “You spent the first five years trying to get with the plan/and the next five years trying to be with your friends again . . . only where are your friends tonight?” Highly recommended. Ajitpaul Mangat, volunteer staff |
