PDF Edition - The Gauntlet

ALBUM REVIEWSspunGAUNTLET ENTERTAINMENT SEPTEMBER 18.08 41Mother MotherO My Heart(Last Gang Records)OMy Heart is a maze of musical majesty, only there are no dead endshere, just delightfully unexpected twists and turns. Intense and noteasily pigeon-holed into any real category, it’s a polyphonic gambitthat is exhilaratingly distinctive.Deviating from their preceding album Touch Up, Mother Mother trades theiracoustic foundations for a fuller, more polished sound. This change in productionhas watered down the inherent zaniness previously conveyed through therawness of their unique sound, however, the overall quality of the music is notdiminished. The band’s personality is instead redirected into a more complexuse of instrumentation, effectively creating a far from conventional sound.Each song is a veritable lyrical labyrinth and borrows from a diverse backgroundof genres, giving the album a truly eclectic feel. The lyrics are delivered expertfullyby the unorthodox dulcet voices of Ryan Guldemond, Molly Guldemondand Debra-Jean Creelman and it’s easy to get lost in the meandering nuancesand subtle word play of tracks such as “Miles.” While the overarching themeof the lyrics is that of an individual coming of age and dealing with feelings ofinadequacy, you’d be hard-pressed to find any overwrought clichés...Nicole DionneNatalie ColeStill Unforgettable(DMI)Listening to Still Unforgettable, one’s imaginationskips between the images of a mind-bogglingjazz show and some random bar with asinger who has been desperately looking for herbig break for years. Natalie Cole has an amazingand somewhat effortless voice in most of hersongs, but her background band left her out inthe open more than she should’ve been. Thealbum missed out on something that would’vemade them completely enjoyable and left potentiallying in the background. The drums did notimpress and, at times, the big band seemed likeit was just filling space when Cole wasn’t singing.While the first song of the cd does hold some charm,singing a love song with her long-dead father is justcreepy. Still, Cole persevered through to the lasttracks where some really impressive songs wereproduced and made the first tracks seem not asbad as they really were.Still Unforgettable has amazing moments near theend with “It’s All Right With Me,” “Something’sGotta Give” and “The Best Is Yet To Come,” whichsupport Cole’s shining musical reputation...Megan HodgsonBison B.C.Quiet Earth(Metal Blade)One year after the release of their debut EPEarthbound, Bison B.C. return with a new collectionof music and one sweet record deal.Featuring liner notes in the form of a hideouscollage with enough long hair and beards tomake anybody rethink their life, Quiet Earth iscomprised of eight songs and clocks in at justover 43 minutes. The group, founded by JamesFarwell of the seminal Vancouver punk bandS.T.R.E.E.T.S., took east Vancouver by surprisewith their surprisingly fresh take on ’80s thrash,a sound featured on Quiet Earth.With an emphasis on perfecting the soniconslaught of their instruments, the albumfeatures an admirable amount of sludgy, powerfulriffs and should get even the hippest ofthe hip violently head-banging. That said, theguttural growl and hoarse yell found in thesesongs dictate some of the most entertaining yetcompletely nonsensical lyrics this side of the MarsVolta. “The boreal breaks into barren lands / I toldthem not to trust these Indians,” beckons the aptlynamed track “Wendigo Pt. 1 (Quest For Fire).” Inthe song, “These Are My Dress Clothes,” one issimply inspired by the opening lines, “Bodies areburning, your love it ain’t earning / Arms are outreaching, our birth should have stayed in.” Eitherhe speaks of a post-apocalyptic prostitute or thisis a pro-choice song for the ages. While certainlynot bad musically, the vocals and lyrics on thisalbum leave a lot to be desired if you aren’t usingit as a soundtrack for a sick 20-man raid on Worldof Warcraft. It’s definitely suited for fans of Gwar,Three Inches of Blood or anyone in the mood forsome aggressive thrashin’...Jordan FritzBlind MelonFor My Friends(Adrenaline)It has been 13 years since the lead singer of BlindMelon died, nine years since the band officiallybroke up and two years since the financial successof compilations and tribute albums have broughtthe band back together.The surviving members of Blind Melon recruitedTravis Warren to resemble — read: replace —Shannon Hoon on vocals and he does a mediocrejob, to say the least. Not to say the album is terrible.There are a couple of really good tracks — like“Sometimes,” a laid back, honest track and “Downon the Pharmacy,” a diverse song with conviction— but it sounds like the remaining members ofBlind Melon are trying to recreate the chemistryand sound that they had with Hoon — as Warrenaptly sings in “Harmful Belly,” “Why would you everchange?” — but it just doesn’t pan out. Granted, itwas an interestingly brave choice to select a singerwith a style that so closely reminds listeners of thetragic death of the previous lead singer.If one were to take this album out of context andpretend that this band did not have the infamousbee girl on the cover of their debut album (yes, itis that band), it might be receiving more attentionor better reviews. All of the tracks seem to evokeHoon’s spirit, which seems much less relevant adecade later, and exposes the original membersof Blind Melon as musicians who are unable toevolve...Michelle Carlson