CD Releases: The Meligrove Band, Ludacris, Lamb Of God And More!
Tuesday January 17, 2006 @ 04:30 PM
By: ChartAttack.com Staff

THE BEATINGS Holding On To Hand Grenades (Midriff)
File this one in the "Don’t Judge A Book By It’s Cover" section. Judging by the title of this album, its cover art and song titles like "Oh Shit, My Phaser’s Jammed," you’d think The Beatings were a third-rate nu-metal band. What a pleasant surprise it was to find out that the Boston-based band’s second album recalls the dramatic alt.rock of the '80s and the jubilant guitars of '90s indie rock — imagine Ian Curtis fronting Superchunk. While their influences provide a warm familiarity, The Beatings are also fresh enough to avoid sounding exactly like anyone else. By alternating singers (both male and female) and moving between up-tempo songs and brooding numbers, Holding On To Hand Grenades is a surprise treat. Elizabeth Chorney-Booth

BLUESCREEN A Survival Guide To Mishaps And Losses (Independent)
Often compared to classic shoegazer rock, Toronto's BlueScreen wrap listeners in a thick blanket of layered guitars and booming drums. Singer Delphine Roussel sounds like a stunt-double for Cocteau Twins' Elizabeth Frazer, possessing the sort of voice you feel obligated to call "ethereal," but with a volume level necessary for cutting through the howling sustain. "Add Up To Two" will bring a tear to the eye of anyone who misses My Bloody Valentine, with its aggressive, screeching guitars and driving bass line. "Forget About Reason," another stand-out, starts off quietly before erupting into thunderous distortion. Other tracks, like "Shipwreck," show the band also have an interest in rhythm. Rob Sanzo, who produced the song's drums and bass, has also worked with fellow Torontonians Controller.Controller. BlueScreen have been around since 2002, but despite favourable reviews, they've never found an audience outside their hometown. Hopefully this album does the trick. Michael Stittle

ESTER DRANG Rocinate (Jade Tree/Sonic Unyon)
Without question, Ester Drang's claim to fame in 2005 was being Sufjan Stevens' backing band. Now, the Oklahoma-based foursome have a chance to show what they're made of on their third LP, the follow-up to 2003's Infinite Keys. The band's selling point is their shoegazing, horn-drenched pop and on Rocinate, they stick with what they know best. "Great Expectations" is a droning, delicate number that affects more Coldplay than My Bloody Valentine, while "Come Back Alive" shows their penchant for not only The Cure, but Canadian indie gods, Broken Social Scene. While listeners will derive plenty of pleasure from these two tracks, by the end of the disc, Rocinate feels like one extended dirge. With a little more variety, Ester Drang won't need to back up anyone. Bryan Borzykowski

IN-FLIGHT SAFETY The Coast Is Clear (Dead Daisy/Outside)
Canada’s answer to Coldplay, this Halifax-based four-piece seem to have caught the British atmospheric pop wave. This is a flight that they’ve quickly mastered and adopted for their own audience. Though lead singer John Mullane's vocals echo Chris Martin's, the band have added their own Canadian twist to the ubiquitous British band's sonic mix. In-Flight Safety's melodic pop hooks and songs rise and fall with crescendos and decrescendos, all the while maintaining an intriguing rhythm. From the multi-layered opener "Coast Is Clear" to the transient six-minute closer, "Lost [The March Song]," these mainstays on college radio are ready to take a stab at the mainstream. David McPherson

LAMB OF GOD Killadelphia (Epic/Sony BMG)
Lamb Of God are a band whose live show relies heavily on the intensity and aggressiveness of their music to incite brutal mosh pits, thus allowing the members to feed off the crowd's primal reactions. On this live album, that spark is all but lost. It fails to capture the all-out craziness of their performance. The sound quality is fine and all the instruments are audible, but it all seems too tame, too safe for a Lamb Of God show. Even worse, Killadelphia's very existence comes into question when compared to the DVD that documents the exact same show and captures their onstage presence perfectly. Shehzaad Jiwani

LUDACRIS & DTP Ludacris Presents: Disturbing Tha Peace (Island/Def Jam/Universal)
Ludacris isn't the first rap superstar to share the wealth with his friends through bloated posse albums, but unlike the others, he seems to actually enjoy himself. On the second DTP album, Luda steers his Dirty South crew through a serviceable collection of hip-hop and R&B bangers that tell familiar stories of pimping, screwing and shooting. It's not exactly original, but it's still a light and enjoyable listen. Ludacris has always brought a healthy sense of fun and humour to his thug life tales and it's a quality that extends to DTP artists like Bobby Valentino and Shawnna. And even if it's short on radio-friendly hits, tracks like Norfclk's "Put Ya Hands Up" are still plenty capable of rocking a house party. Matt Semansky

THE MELIGROVE BAND Planets Conspire (V2/Sony BMG)
Some bands spend their whole careers looking for the magic formula and never find it. For others, success comes instantaneously. Then there are a few groups, like The Meligrove Band, whose careers are right in the middle. They've been around for more than a few years, but it wasn't until Planets Conspire ended up in the hands of V2 that they finally struck it big. It's not hard to see why they became the label's first Canadian signing. Producer Jose Contreras wanted to capture the Meligroves' live sound and he nailed it on the head. Every track on this disc oozes energy and immediacy. Listening to this record is like listening to Hot Hot Heat's Make Up The Breakdown — it's edgy yet polished, and operatic but still indie-rock friendly. Talk about making the most of an opportunity. Noah Love

PRINCE FAR I Silver & Gold 1973-1979 (Blood And Fire/Outside)
Though a bullet ended the career of the uniquely talented dub performer Prince Far I prematurely in 1983, the legacy of this DJ is kept alive by this anthology of his best material from his most fertile recording period. This Jamaican performer, known as "The Voice Of Thunder" followed the newly developed style of U-Roy — singing/speaking over other performers' recordings, creating alternate or dub versions of those earlier hits. Yet throughout his short career Far I expanded beyond the tight "restrictions" of toasting to create a mesmerizing hybrid of talking and singing in his vocal performances. Using the recordings of superior reggae veterans like Bobby Ellis and Tommy McCook on "No More War" and "Talking Rights," Far I spits gripping, politically-charged lyrics accompanied by inventive echo techniques and utilizes other sonic manipulation to create hypnotic and compelling material. Chris Burland

ROCKY VOTOLATO Makers (Barsuk/Outside)
Texas-born Rocky Votolato draws from the same intimate folk style as Iron & Wine, preferring just a guitar and his voice to any studio bells and whistles. But while Iron & Wine's Sam Beam barely lifts his voice above a whisper, Votolato has no hesitations about the odd growl — after all, he once fronted the punk-influenced Waxwing. Yet it's his lyrics that carry most of the emotional punch. "She Was Only In It For The Rain" is a brutal attack on an ex-wife, with shivering lines such as "Here's the first of many songs you wanted me to write/Just for you I hope to God you like it/It's as pretty as it is cruel." Other songs are painfully self-critical. "I'm a punch line who's punch-drunk with my fist in a broken mirror," he sings on "Portland Is Leaving." Hopefully, recognition for his talent will leave the next mirror intact. Michael Stittle

STEVE WYNN & THE MIRACLE 3 ...Tick...Tick...Tick (Down There/Red Eye)
Steve Wynn is still best known as the founder of the '80s Los Angeles "paisley underground" scene leader The Dream Syndicate, but he's been part of a number of other bands, including this one. As the title suggests, this is an often dark and tension-filled album. It launches with a fuzz rock assault on "Wired," a formula that's repeated on "Wild Mercury." "Killing Me" is another revved up rocker. There's some harmonica on the edgy pop song "Cindy, It Was Always You," and "Bruises" adds another pop element. "Freak Star" is more reminiscent of The Dream Syndicate than any of the other 10 songs. If you've caught Wynn's incendiary live show, you'll appreciate how it's reflected here. Steve McLean

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