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HOTINDIE HOTINDIE HOTINDIE NEWRELEASE Lost And Profound • Goodbye Mine Toronto-based pop duo Lost And Profound return with a new album after a hiatus spent separately exploring other musical directions. Much of the overall beauty and emotional pull on Goodbye Mine is embodied in Lisa Boudreau’s emotion-laden vocals (at times quite reminiscent of Cardigans vocalist Nina Persson) which continue to prove to be the perfect foil to the atmospheric guitar work and instrumental flourishes provided by partner Terry Tompkins. They’ve been labelled ‘sad pop’ and in many ways that facile bit of pigeonholing does superficially describe their sound. A closer examination makes it clear that there’s more going on here with the key factor being the total absence of navel-gazing or finger-pointing. A well thought-out piece of work that grows in depth with repeat listens. – Rod Nicholson > B+ > eOne Steve Hill • Solo Recordings: Vol 3 The history of the one-man-band can be traced as far back as the 13th century, but Montrealbased musician Steve Hill has taken the concept to an entirely new level. Hill manages to sing and play guitar, while his feet play a bass drum, snare drum, and hi-hats. He even has a drum stick taped to his guitar so he can bash on a crash cymbal. Winner of a 2015 Juno Award (Best Blues Album) for Solo Recordings: Vol. 2, Hill’s latest effort is a blues drenched collection of nine originals and three reinterpretations of classic blues tunes. Throughout Solo Recordings: Volume 3, Hill mixes blues/rock numbers like ‘Damned,’ ‘Smoking Hot Machine,’ and ‘Can’t Take It With You’ with mellower, acousticbased tracks like ‘Slowly Slipping Away’ and ‘Emily.’ Chock full of nasty guitar riffs and raunchy blues vocals, Volume 3 strikes all the right chords. – John Sharpe > Performance: B+/Production: B+ > No Label Records Dawson Rutledge • Today, Tonight, Tomorrow Based in Cranbrook, B.C., Dawson Rutledge is an 18-year-old folk/alternative singer/ songwriter who began playing guitar at the age of 10. Rutledge’s debut CD, Today, Tonight, Tomorrow, features seven original tunes and one track (‘Bullets and Bandages’) he co-wrote with his good friend, Kris Pantazis. Switching between electric and acoustic guitar, Rutledge also accompanies himself on the kick drum, a tambourine and harmonica. The album opens with the moody title track and then Rutledge kicks things up a notch with what may be the set’s best tune, ‘Mysterious Woman.’ Rutledge has a pleasant voice that will surely get stronger as he matures. That said, it’s his strong songwriting ability that should carry Rutledge far into the future. – John Sharpe > Performance: B+/Production: B+ > Indie Van Norden • The Space Between While Vancouver-based singer/songwriter/ guitarist Walter Van Norden’s name is front and center on the CD cover, if you look closely you’ll also see in fine print the name of Aubrey Richmond. Indeed, Richmond plays a major role here, adding back-up harmonies, lead vocals and sweet violin licks. Other musicians featured here include Ted Russell Kamp (bass/dobro/piano), Jim Doyle (drums), John Ellis (guitar), Eric Heywood (pedal steel) and Craig Zurba (organ). The album’s 10 original tracks are a mix of folk and rootsy country that, as the title suggests, ‘explore the space between us with songs of struggle, heartache and jubilance.’ Warm and sophisticated, this is easy listening in the best sense of the word. – John Sharpe > Performance: B+/Production: B+ > Indie 20 POPCDs&DVD HOTINDIE HOTINDIE HOTINDIE HOTINDIE The Tracks • S/T The members of London-based rock band, The Tracks --Sydney Maguire (vocals), Scott Palmer (guitar), Ben Neigel (guitar), Trevor Walker (drums) and Shawn Durant (bass) -- actually got together via the online classified ad site Kijiji. After building a solid fan base through constant touring, The Tracks entered the Sugar Shack and laid down three tracks with producer Simon Larochette. A year later they recorded four more tunes with Michael Marucci at Sonic Zen Studios. Now, all seven original tracks have been collected on the band’s debut, eponymous EP. Driven by Maguire’s powerhouse vocals, The Tracks is a solid collection of straight-ahead rock that lives up to the group’s description as ‘Adele backed by a rock and roll band,’ although I feel Maguire shares more in common with Ann Wilson of Heart. – John Sharpe > Performance: B/Production: B- > Indie Charles Bradley • Changes Known as ‘The Screaming Eagle of Soul,’ American funk/soul/R&B singer Charles Bradley once made a living moonlighting as a James Brown impersonator under the name ‘Black Velvet.’ So it’s no surprise that Bradley’s soulful delivery still features Brown’s trademark screams, moans and hollers, mixed with a touch of Otis Redding. Changes, Bradley’s third album, opens with his spoken introduction and then the 67-year-old singer launches into a wailing version of ‘God Bless America.’ True to its title, the album’s 11 tracks focus on change, the redeeming power of love and surviving hard times. The highlight of the album may be the title track, a cover of the Black Sabbath tune first released by the heavy rock group in 1972. Bradley transforms the ballad into a soulfull classic, each word dripping with emotion. – John Sharpe > Performance: A/Production: A > Daptone Laura Gibson • Empire Builder NYC-based songstress Laura Gibson brings much of the wide sky and deep forest mystery of her native Oregon to this recording. Gibson is currently studying fiction writing and Empire Builder is in effect structured like a novel. A nameless character’s emotions, actions and spiritual journey are laid out in the tracks stretching their way like a rail line across a cinematic landscape of the imagination. Gibson’s voice carries with it a palpable longing and determination to survive whatever life is throwing at her. The fine musicianship from backing musicians Dan Hunt, Peter Broderick and Dave Depper joins forces with the sonic tableaux created by producer John Askew, who’s wise enough to allow the sparse arrangements to bring out all the colours in the lyrics. Recommended. – Rod Nicholson > Performance: A/Production: B+ > Barsuk Hammock • Everything And Nothing Nashville ambient/shoegaze duo Hammock have taken what could have become an aesthetic beset by pretension and sameness and instead sculpted a series of simply beautiful soundscapes over the course of their recording career. Everything And Nothing more than expands on the wide horizons they continue to explore with a greater emphasis on drums and guitar and (for them) a greater number of songs onboard here sporting a full set of lyrics. One is often reminded of The Cure during their classic period, especially in the guitar tones acting as chimes leading these melodies across the listener’s mind. Loss is the primary theme throughout and there is an elegiac quality to much of this very satisfying outing. Music that’s food for plenty of thought and emotion. – Rod Nicholson > Performance: A+/Production: A > Outside physicalreviews HOTINDIE HOTINDIE HOTINDIE HOTINDIE Bianca De Leon • Love, Guns & Money Bianca De Leon has forged a career as a respected practitioner of a performing style deeply influenced by her upbringing in the often contentious and culturally rich area where Texas and Mexico meet. Her latest album, Love, Guns & Money sees her developing things further with a fine grouping of songs that address the lifestyle of a performer such as herself reaching out to audiences with their music while trying to keep body and soul together. Tracks such as ‘I Sang Patsy Cline,’ ‘Silence Speaks Louder Than Words’ and ‘Guns And Money’ highlight both De Leon’s own talents and those of her expert backing band. Anyone looking for a straightforward good-time feeling with a touch of sadness here and there need look no further. – Rod Nicholson > Performance: B+/Production: B+ > Indie Jake Chisholm • No More Sorrow So many talented performers out there continue to fly under the radar, either by choice or from circumstances (sometimes) beyond their control. Toronto-based singer/guitarist Jake Chisholm is a textbook example of this sort of situation and a listen to his latest release No More Sorrow can only cause discerning ears to wonder how much longer this guy will be operating close to the horizon. This album’s a fine iteration of the sort of blues-based rock that was the rule rather than the exception before all the ‘revivalists’ appeared on the scene. No overt displays of volume or flash here but Chisholm and his band do a great job of putting the funky twist running through his tunes out there where it can be truly appreciated. – Rod Nicholson > Performance: B+/Production: B+ > Indie Angel Forrest • Angel’s 11 Quebec-based blues singer Angel Forrest decided to devote her next project to 11 songs, each featuring a guest guitarist to take these tracks in whatever direction their playing style would bring out. The result is Angel’s 11 and this record will prove a toe-tapping pleaser for those who like a combination of gutsy blues mama vocals and tasty six-string work. Forrest’s vocal work at times reminds one of the criminally overlooked firebrand singing of Sass Jordan although she takes some of the hard-rock edge off of things in that department. There’s plenty of spirit on display here but it almost seems that most of the guest players (with the exception of the amazing Steve Strongman) seem to hold back when it’s time to step up. – Rod Nicholson > Performance: B/Production: B+ > Select Twisted Sister • We Are Twisted F***ing Sister! Twisted Sister. From the name to the muscle head glam look to the guitars screaming at eardrum-shredding volume to the unapologetic, in-your-face stance the band took onstage and off, there’s never been another band like them, love ‘em or hate ‘em. This DVD documentary examining the band’s glory years and their eventual ascension from a decade-long slog on the bar circuit to MTV heroes makes for entertaining viewing even if you’re not a fan. Band founder Jay Jay French and freak-out frontman Dee Snider present their own takes in a series of duelling interviews interspersed with vintage footage. As much a rock cautionary tale as a feast for their many fans, We Are Twisted F***ing Sister! is one of the more memorable rock docs out there. – Rod Nicholson > Performance: B/Production: B > Music Box ESTABLISHED IN 1989 APRIL 7 - MAY 4 • 2016
physicalreviews ORCHESTRA STRING QUARTET ORCHESTRA FILM SCORES CLASSICALCDS Aaron Copland: An Outdoor Overture/Billy the Kid/El Salon Mexico/Rodeo The bright colors and bold fanfare associated with some of Aaron Copland’s best work are revisited on this Super Audio CD (SA-CD), newly released on BIS Records. Under the baton of conductor Andrew Litton, the Colorado Symphony presents several of the American composer’s works that were written in homage to the Wild West. That being the case, it should come as little surprise that the musicians offer listeners a remarkably deft performance, as if Colorado’s wild, rough-hewn landscape had somehow added to their interpretation of the repertoire. The ballet scores for Billy the Kid and Rodeo loom large in Copland’s oeuvre, so their inclusion in the program is less surprising than the opening piece, An Outdoor Overture, which was used for an early 20th century educational campaign with the slogan ‘American Music for American Youth’. The optimistic, evocative, dramatic and nationalistic elements of these compositions make for a heady brew, but their overall effect is bracing, expansive and invigorating. Home on the range, indeed. – Chris Morgan > The Colorado Symphony, Andrew Litton (conductor) > BIS Records, 2016 Josef Haydn: Seven Last Words Cellist Andrew Lee of the acclaimed Attacca Quartet arranged the version of Haydn’s Seven Last Words presented on this recent release from Azica Records. The ensemble – comprised of Lee, violinists Amy Schroeder and Keiko Tokunaga, and violist Luke Fleming – take some liberties with the composer’s original score, although most listeners will likely agree that the changes remain true to the spirit of the piece. The self-assured dynamism between the four players is a delight to hear, as their spirited musical exchanges are clearly a result of time spent in the crucible of the live concert circuit. From an engineering perspective, the recording has the warm presence of a natural-sounding acoustic space, rather than the sterile precision of a digital workstation - energy that translates to the listeners’ experience of the music. The last word on this masterfully performed and produced CD is an appeal to students and devotees of Haydn’s work: buy it today. – Chris Morgan > Attacca Quartet > Azica Records, 2015 Roberto Sierra: Sinfonia No. 3 ‘La Salsa’ On this new Naxos recording, - the fifth in a series devoted to the renowned Puerto Rican composer Roberto Sierra - the musicians of the Puerto Rican Symphony Orchestra achieve something astonishing with their performance. Naked orchestral power and sultry Latin rhythms combine brilliantly on the CD’s vibrant title track, informally known as ‘La Salsa’, an ambitious four-part work which teases out the layered textures and syncopated cadences of this Spanish Caribbean-inspired music. Subtle skills are required to achieve a convincing marriage between a novel score on one hand and a potentially cumbersome arrangement on the other, but in this, the instrumentalists have succeeded spectacularly, bringing a profound and vital energy to the work. The other three pieces on the disc – the baroque-inspired Borikén, the distinctive sounding El Baile and the song cycle Beyond the Silence of Sorrow – are each performed with the same focused attention and intensity. Hot stuff. – Chris Morgan > Puerto Rico Symphony Orchestra, Maximiano Valdes > Naxos, 2016 The Genius of Film Music If there’s one part of culture that has continually benefitted from classical music’s legacy, it’s the area of film scoring. This recently released CD - featuring instrumentalists of the London Philharmonic Orchestra under the direction of John Mauceri – brings together a powerful collection of themes from nine well-known films. The music that gets the London Philharmonic treatment over the course of this two disc compilation includes ‘Lawrence and the Desert’ from Lawrence of Arabia, ‘The New Enterprise’ from Star Trek – The Motion Picture, a symphonic portrait of music from The Godfather, and a narrative for string orchestra from Psycho, as well as choice selections from several other famous movies. On each piece, performances are precise and the sound is sharp, warm and well-defined. Just the sort of CD a cinephile might enjoy when they aren’t watching films. – Chris Morgan > London Philharmonic Orchestra, John Mauceri (conductor) > LPO, 2015 POP CULTURE POETRY POETRY BOOKS John Lennon: The Collected Artwork John Lennon is known as one-quarter of (arguably) the greatest pop rock music group of all time, and one-half of (arguably) the most successful songwriting partnership ever. That’s a lot of arguments already, but few would dispute Lennon remains a figure of great cultural significance, even 36 years after his untimely death. That’s the gravitas behind John Lennon: The Collected Artwork, an attractive hardcover volume which compiles Lennon’s illustrations, sketches, cartoons and logography. As the book’s text – written by Scott Gutterman – makes clear, Lennon was a visual artist before he made his foray into music, and illustration remained an integral part of his artistic self-expression. While many people are familiar with Lennon’s famous self-portrait – which is used for the book’s cover – there are sketches and lithographs of all sorts presented here, rendered in the artist’s surreal and simple style. It’s easy to see the visceral pleasure Lennon took in his drawing; the kinetic lines and witty captioning of even the most benign doodle imply a lively, erudite mind that was always in motion. To casual and fanatical fans, that should come as no surprise: he was always the smart one. A loving tribute. - Chris Morgan > Text by Scott Gutterman > Insight Editions, 2015 • 204 pages This World We Invented There is something lonely about Carolyn Marie Souaid’s poetry in This World We Invented; something steel and ringing, a bit cool to the touch. In the poem ‘Boy with Lego’, she writes: “He sprawls in a panel of light, each piece of his kingdom/lined up and colour-coded,/and God help the guy who tells him/that life isn’t what it’s cracked up to be.” Do we wrestle over the possible meaninglessness of everything? Accident only, in this modern world; no coincidence, no synchronicity: this is the other side of a crisis of faith, the starkest shadow cast by the brightest of lights: “The umber wave of morning heaved--/I felt nausea only./Outside, in tatters:/the exhausted grass, gnarled/trees,/in sickly greys./I painted.” Souaid is a writer who reads. Her work is peppered with loving nods to artists, and there is something self-aware in her writing, a rush to fill in the vulnerable spaces with rich language. What is the essence beneath that? Souaid turns the beauty in her hand; finds its flaw, exploring it with her hands, absently fidgeting away layers of loose paint. What remains after we have become marred, perhaps blinded, by cynicism? This World We Invented captures the last moments of a soul hardened by grief, at the height of its bell curve, just as it begins a soft descent into hope. - Amy Andersen > Carolyn Marie Souaid > Brick Books, 2015 • 77 pages Roaming Charges Roaming Charges is a confident and lyrical mix of poetic styles inspired largely by Antony Di Nardo’s experience living in and traveling between central Canada and Beirut, Lebanon, where he teaches English. In addition to expected themes of travel and change, Di Nardo invokes a host of natural metaphors to explore current events and views unique to each culture, while challenging a reader to step outside their circumstances and acknowledge the swiftness of time’s passage, to ask why the day has not often been seized, and to ponder whether the love that got away is truly lost forever. Di Nardo infuses his words with an appreciation of history more common to Lebanon than Canada, a different understanding of time and people where no matter how great the change, “the world looks back and sees it’s always been the same”. A sense that life will go on, despite difficulty and loss, permeates poems about a variety of subjects, including history, war, love and mundane daily events. Di Nardo effortlessly combines the joy and dream-like feel of an endless summer afternoon with the melancholy of the inevitable goodbye to home, love and the familiar, before switching gears to write poems bearing more resemblance to simple reporting of events and lives affected. While Roaming Charges can be absorbed in one sitting, only a slow savor will allow the reader to fully appreciate Di Nardo’s writing. - Adam Shirley > Antony Di Nardo > Brick Books, 2015 • 83 Pages APRIL 7 - MAY 4 • 2016 <strong>CELEBRATING</strong> 27 YEARS 21
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