CD Reviews: Satellite Party, Guided By Voices, Joe Strummer And More!
Tuesday May 29, 2007 @ 01:00 PM
By: ChartAttack.com Staff

MICHAEL BUBLE Call Me Irresponsible (Reprise/Warner)
Topping album sales charts all over the world, Canada's favourite wedding singer has perfected the art of nostalgic karaoke on his third studio LP, while continuing to charm the pants and wallets off his sprawling fan base. Playing it safe with re-enactment over re-invention, Buble shows the Canadian Idol wannabes how it's really done (or, as their grandparents could attest, how it used to be done). His vocal abilities are uncontested, but the barefaced lack of originality and the calculated pandering to baby-boomers make him seem more like an impersonator than a deferent. A back-up choir on one of the album's swingin' '30s remakes puts it quite nicely: "Hey Michael, c'mon and sing/Looks like you've got the world on a string." No arguments here, buster. Nicole Kai

GUIDED BY VOICES Live From Austin TX (New West/Fontana North)
After 21 years and two dozen albums, Guided By Voices were less than two months away from their final concert when this television performance was recorded in November 2004. But while other albums released in this series stay within the show's hour-long format, this double-disc effort lets Robert Pollard and company spread their wings during a 30-song set that covers a wide cross-section of their lo-fi catalogue. "This is a good one, you're gonna like it," Pollard immodestly tells the crowd before every second or third song, but he has the goods to back his claims up. There are so many highlights, it's hard to pick a few, but let's go with "My Impression Now," "Teenage FBI," "Glad Girls" and "I Am A Scientist." After listening to Pollard using an interlude in "My Kind Of Soldier" to assert that GBV "saved rock 'n' roll" and that "kids don't need Smash Mouth or that guy from Velvet Revolver," you have no reason to doubt his word or the power of his music. Steve McLean

KELLY JONES Only The Names Have Been Changed (V2/Sony BMG)
"This record was not made for commercial success. Not for the charts. Not for radio playlists. Not for TV. Just for me and the hell of it." Stereophonic Kelly Jones' claim in the liner notes of his spur-of-the-moment solo project seem unsubstantiated by the elaborate packaging of the CD, which is bound like an expensive journal. It also comes with a "making-of" documentary/interview DVD. The record features 10 heart-wrenching songs profiling tragic heroines, from a murdered runaway on "Violet" to a casual prostitute on "Katie." Jones sketches each femme fatale with straight-to-the-point, country-style storytelling, backed by light string arrangements and an acoustic guitar. This solo record has nothing in common with the Phonics, even though it was recorded in between takes of the band's sixth album. Though it's cinematic and appropriately brooding in places, the songs mostly drown under the weight of Jones' self-indulgent concept, and would have fared better as respectable B-sides. Nicole Kai

LAVENDER DIAMOND Imagine Our Love (Matador/Beggars)
Lavender Diamond put the capital "T" in Twee. And this is coming from someone who has an almost embarrassing love of twee music. While this four-piece bring out some pretty brilliant pop gems, including the handclap- and sweet lil' piano-driven "Open Your Heart" and the beautifully orchestrated "I'll Never Lie Again," lead vocalist/lyricist Becky Stark carries her high-pitched croon too far in "Dance Until Tomorrow" (garage doors were opening and dogs were howling). Paired with the cutesy liner note illustrations and the photograph of a grinning Stark surrounded by cartoon stars, listening to Lavender Diamond is a perplexing experience. On one hand there are the lyrics, which are a bit heavier than they appear on the surface, that delve into some political and angsty themes. On the other hand, there are lines like "You find a way! You find a way, you find a way to love, to love, to love!" that make me throw up in my mouth a little. Yet the twee addict in me still finds them oddly compelling. Go figure. Shannon Whibbs

LAURA PEEK AND THE WINNING HEARTS From The Photographs (Just Friends)
It's not often you hear an indie band without a guitarist. It's even more unusual when the band happen to be a piano, bass and drums trio. But that's in part what makes the debut full-length from Halifax's Laura Peek And The Winning Hearts such a refreshing listen. Peek and her bandmates eschew the current trend in indie pop towards bigger lineups in favour of a more stripped-down sound. And, for the most part, it works. On tunes such as "So Sorry" and "Oh Lenny," Peek and the boys draw you in with their imaginative playing and clever pop hooks. Admittedly, though, the group sound even better when they add a little guitar here or a bit of cello there on songs such as "Vermont" and "Stand Right There," but it's all of the same less-is-more approach. Although Peek's intimate vocals and lyrics (reminiscent of Julie Doiron at times) may be too sweet for some, From The Photographs reveals a songwriter of considerable talent. Matt Reeder

SATELLITE PARTY Ultra Playloaded (Columbia/Sony BMG)
Perry Farrell circa classic Jane's Addiction? Absolutely. Farrell circa Porno For Pyros? Why not? Unfortunately, the same can't be said about his latest venture. Satellite Party come off as a bloated, ego-tripping collection of "famous musicians I know" instead of interesting or refreshing. Leading the list of notables are Extreme guitarist Nuno Bettencourt, Fergie, John Frusciante, Flea, ex-Chili Pepper and Pearl Jammer Jack Irons and New Order's Peter Hook. With this lineup of heavy hitters, one might assume that the output would be somewhat revolutionary, but more effort seems to have been put into the guest list than the final product. The album is a highly produced mish-mash of styles and genres that fails to fit within itself. How bad is it? One of the better tracks is ruined by a repetitive chorus of its title, "Awesome." Jim Morrison is even resurrected from the dead to provide vocals on the final song, "Woman In The Window." The man should be left to rest in peace, much like Farrell's ever-diminishing legacy. Jamie Hunter

VARIOUS ARTISTS Joe Strummer: The Future Is Unwritten (Legacy/Sony BMG)
This disc features music and brief spoken-word clips from the new Julien Temple (The Great Rock And Roll Swindle) documentary on the late Clash singer, songwriter and guitarist, and includes songs from different periods of Strummer's career as well as some of his favourite cuts from the eclectic BBC World Service radio show he used to host. Key tracks are previously unreleased versions of The Clash's "White Riot," "I'm So Bored With The U.S.A." and "(In The) Pouring Rain," Latino Rockabilly War's "Trash City" and The 101ers' seminal "Keys To Your Heart." Other highlights include MC5's "Kick Out The Jams," Eddie Cochran's "Nervous Breakdown" and a previously unreleased version of U-Roy's "Natty Rebel." Strummer's life ended too quickly, but this soundtrack helps give more insight into what he packed into it and should fuel heated interest in the film. Steve McLean

WIL By December (EMI)
Calgary-based Wil's debut LP is a fine collection of straight-ahead alt.country. The record's clean production suits Wil's smooth growl, and he sounds alarmingly like a post-Gold era Ryan Adams. It's sort of like a nicely aged scotch to Adams' sour-mash whiskey vocals and arrangements. Dave McKinnon (Fembots) produced the record, which includes a slew of guests including Jason Collett. Songs are alternately affecting and rambunctious, though every once in a while they're a little too melodramatic. All is forgiven with "December," easily the standout, with affecting yet grandiose strings and brass set against a gently picked banjo. Wil trundles through a paved rural landscape, which ain't so bad when you've got this to throw in the deck. Matt Littlefair

NATHAN WILEY The City Destroyed Me (Sonic/Warner)
This Summerside, Prince Edward Island singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist has won a couple of East Coast Music Awards, but is deserving of a wider breakthrough with this third album. Los Lobos' Steve Berlin produced the disc and plays on it, but Wiley is the main attraction. He sounds like a less fey Rufus Wainwright on the mid-tempo pop opener, "One Of The Worst Ones." Tom Waits is the comparison point on the dark and percussive "Sick Side," which is augmented by female backing vocals. An eastern European influence winds its way through "Seven Reasons," while the title is repeated throughout the edgier and funkier "Big Brother/Cruel Father." "Back To Bed" is a dreamy lullaby, and there's a subtle reggae undercurrent in "Wouldn't You," further showing how eclectic a talent Wiley is. Steve McLean

THE WILLOWZ Chautauqua (Dim Mak)
The sun-baked sounds of The Willowz provide the perfect soundtrack for early summer lounging and other contemplations. This southern California quartet have been peddling their decidedly retro sound for about five years, and their Chautauqua full-length fully displays their heady '60s influences. While it would be unfair to call The Willowz full-on revivalists, the band's garage sound clearly approximates heavy psych outfits Cream and The Stooges, and recent bands Brian Jonestown Massacre and Wolfmother. Much of the credit has to go to vocalist Richie James Follin, who possesses a catty croon that stands somewhere between Robert Plant and Jack White. Paired with the fuzzy guitar madness within "Beware" and the hard-driving "Warship," Follin very much sounds the part of an acid-fuelled shaman, and his whiney rants are the true defining characteristic of the group's sound. If you need any further proof of the band's Summer Of Love wanderlust, just check out the press pics at their website. Totally far out! Cameron Gordon

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