Reviews: Cadence Weapon, Born Ruffians, Matt Barber and more
Tuesday March 04, 2008 @ 04:30 PM
By: ChartAttack.com Staff

A TEXTBOOK TRAGEDY Intimidator (Distort/Universal)
Plenty of anger is evident on Vancouver's A Textbook Tragedy's second full-length album. Fortunately, the anger takes shape much like that of a Calculating Infinity-era Dillinger Escape Plan. With tech-a-plenty, Intimidator is nothing short of… well… intimidating. Besides the title track — only because of its six-minute time stamp — no song stands out as the entire band bring their A-game on all 12 cuts. Each track contains proficient guitar work, outstanding drumming and impressive vocals — especially for such a young band. Considering each member in the band is under 20, it's exciting to think about how good they could become. Impressive to say the least, A Textbook Tragedy have the potential to become one of the most popular bands in the Canadian metal scene. Logan Broger

MATTHEW BARBER Ghost Notes (Outside)
Toronto singer/songwriter Matthew Barber seemed like a good breakout candidate a few years back, but has been relatively quiet recently, perhaps aging the mortar in anticipation of Ghost Notes, his first new album in close to three years. The album is fairly mature sounding and pretty darn MOR-ish, not that there's anything wrong with that. Barber's songwriting and arrangement skills seem to have evolved, with elements of country, folk and parlour balladry leaking their way into the mix. The production is crystal clear and Barber's vocals are put front and centre, whether playfully rollicking through "(I'm Gonna) Settle My Accounts With You" or patiently crooning through "Somebody Sometime." Overall, this isn't really my cup of tea, but I could totally see 20-something white girls lapping this stuff up. Make of that what you will. Cameron Gordon

BELL X1 Flock (Yep Roc/Outside)
Surprisingly, Bell X1 sound nothing like Damien Rice. Formerly known as Juniper, the band changed their name after Rice left to go solo in 1999. Flock, their third album, has been out in the U.K. since 2006, but has only just been released in North America. It's a combination of Snow Patrol mini-anthems ("Rocky Took A Lover"), Keane-ish rock balladry ("Eve, The Apple Of My Eye") and angular indie rock which makes them sound like the Irish Talking Heads ("Flame"). At times, vocalist/guitarist Paul Noonan sounds almost like a carbon copy of David Byrne. This musical familiarity hurts Flock a bit, but Noonan's keep listeners engaged with witty references to Oscar Wilde and Morrissey. When he croons, "History is written by the winners/And I want my say," you can't help but think he's not there yet, but may be some day. Kate Harper

BODEANS Still (Resolution)
The BoDeans are a classic case of unfulfilled potential. The guitar-playing and singing tandem of Kurt Neumann and Sammy Llanas' 1986 debut, Love & Hope & Sex & Dreams, was one of my favourite albums and is one I still greatly enjoy, though I revisit it infrequently. I liked some songs from their next few releases, and they even enjoyed a small degree of commercial success, but I've pretty much lost track of the Wisconsin band over the past 15 years. They return here with their eighth studio effort, and the third produced by T-Bone Burnett (Elvis Costello, Bruce Cockburn). They're still making more than palatable roots-inflected pop and rock songs, but there isn't much vitality. Your toe may tap along to the accordion in "Wonder Woman," while "Lucille" is a folky song livened up by the twin guitars and effortless harmonies. With the organ on "The First Time" and "Found Me A Reason," you may think you're listening to Blue Rodeo, and that's not a bad thing. While the country-ish "Willing" and more pop-oriented "Every Day" are also nice, there's nothing on Still that will grab you like the BoDeans' earliest songs. Steve McLean

BORN RUFFIANS Red, Yellow And Blue (Warp/Outside)
Exceeding the promise of their debut EP and then some, Born Ruffians first full-length is destined to dominate your stereo this summer. Red, Yellow And Blue has the same bratty swagger as Clap Your Hands Say Yeah's playful debut, but Luke Lalonde's nasal vocals are nowhere near as grating as Alec Ounsworth's. Quieter songs, such as the title track and "Little Garcon," benefit from Rusty Santos' warm production (he's responsible for mixing Panda Bear's 2007 breakout, Person Pitch). The Ruffians' arrangements on "Foxes Mate For Life" (one of the best singles you'll hear in 2008) and "Kurt Vonnegut" are so breathtakingly complex that you'll wonder how three 21-year-olds could have created them. The melodies are insanely catchy and the choruses will get stuck in your head for days. If they weren't signed to Warp and hadn't opened for everyone from Caribou to Hot Chip, this would qualify as an "out of left field" surprise. As all of those elements were in place, we'll just call it "massive expectations more than fulfilled." Noah Love

CADENCE WEAPON Afterparty Babies (Upper Class/EMI)
When Rollie Pemberton said last year that Afterparty Babies would be a "party record," he wasn't selling it short. Cadence Weapon's sophomore effort is a DJ night you can play in your ears. After the bittersweet opener, "Do I Miss My Friends," the LP immediately kicks into high gear with "In Search Of The Youth Crew," a frenetic banger that's a precursor for some of the album's best tracks. "Limited Edition OJ Slammer" is an old school video game-sampling track about the public's obsession with gossip, where Pemberton hilariously boasts "Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise was my idea." Lyrically, he's a little sharper on album number two, with a personal highlight coming in on the opener "My current girl's a stewardess, but she ain't fly." The retro samples that drive "Real Estate" and gem "Getting Dumb" give the record a familiar feeling, but its subject matter and Pemberton's complex beat assembly make it sound fresh, rather than a retread. On Breaking Kayfabe, Cadence Weapon announced himself as one of the country's most promising rappers. On Afterparty Babies, he's a force to be reckoned with. Noah Love

KATHLEEN EDWARDS Asking for Flowers (Maple/Universal)
On her third disc, Kathleen Edwards is blessed with backers that include a Heartbreaker and those who've played with everyone from Wilco to Zevon, B. Dylan to H. Dillon. While the music is accordingly tight, it's always been Edwards' lyrics setting her apart from her contemporaries. Rather than usual girl-loses-boy acoustic fare, her songs have her shifting protagonists, with voice accentuating the perspective. The album's namesake track has our heroine reflecting on 10 years of working nights while her husband whines about how he's got it rough. In "I Make The Dough, You Get The Glory," she wryly sings "I'm a Ford Tempo, you're a Maserati/You're the Great One, I'm Marty McSorley." Things take a darker lyrical turn on "Alicia Ross," where Edwards offers an uncomfortable victim impact statement from the murdered Ontario woman. It's an audacious act that could've backfired and seemed tacky or overreaching. Thankfully, her approach works. Perhaps less successful is "Oh Canada," where Edwards laments the media's hypocritical reaction to the random shooting of Jane Creba, lamenting "There were no headlines/when a black girl dies." It's not that she's wrong, but this kind of song doesn't feel like the right venue for this. Then again, tackling difficult subject matter in an alt.country/folk aesthetic might be one of Edwards' greatest strengths. Erik Missio

5IVE Hesperus (Hydra Head/Tortuga)
Producing enthralling instrumental metal in the vein of weighty bands like Pelican, Tusk and Karma To Burn is no small feat. Yet 5ive have been doing so since 2004 and are now pared down to only a guitarist and drummer. Still, despite the dwindling ranks, Hesperus proves to be their strongest effort yet. Their intense proggy attack hints at the building ambiance established by the likes of Pink Floyd, albeit with far more distortion and guttural force. Hesperus is definitive in its majesty, creativity and execution. Grandiose and intricate thanks to a psychedelia-meets-doom metal approach, the majority of songs here unravel with patience, ensuring their individual atmospheres are all-encompassing and full of impact. Thick and precise, moody and entrancing, there's no need for vocal interjection on Hesperus. It would only detract from the imposing aura of these epic tracks. Keith Carman

FLOGGING MOLLY Float (SideOneDummy/EMI)
This Los Angeles septet picked up the ball from The Pogues and have probably become the most successful band of the past 10 years to blend traditional instrumentation, punk energy and Celtic spirit. "Requiem For A Dying Song" is the first, and perhaps best, song. The up-tempo Celtic rocker showcases accordion, fiddle and Uilleann pipes, which doesn't make it unusual for the group, but it still stands out. "You Won't Make A Fool Out Of Me" is proudly defiant, while the spoke-sung lyrics of "Punch Drunk Grinning Soul" fit well with its marching beat. There are rat-a-tat-tat drums on the hard-charging "Paddy's Lament" as well, while "Man With No Country" impresses with its breakneck pace. The band slow things down a bit on the title track and "Us Of Lesser Gods" before easing up all the way into ballad territory on the closing "The Story So Far." People who like this kind of music usually like it a lot, but Float probably won't make many new converts. Steve McLean

THE GUTTER TWINS Saturnalia (Sub Pop/Outside)
Longtime collaborators and all-around kindred spirits Greg Dulli and Mark Lanegan team up here for a record that's as dark and brooding as their collective moniker suggests. Saturnalia shares a lot with both songwriters' extensive back catalogues. Unfortunately, the results are less compelling than either is on their own. Whereas Lanegan's collaboration with former Belle And Sebastian chanteuse Isobel Campbell yielded wonderful results on 2006's Ballad Of The Broken Seas, Saturnalia sounds like two songwriters whose musical sensibilities are almost too similar. There's no light, delicate counterpoint to Lanegan's jaded, bluesy gruffness, and though Dulli's "God's Children" and other songs hint at the gritty, urbane soul-rock splendour of his former band the Afghan Whigs, gone are the tortured protagonists whose sordid tales the singer used to so vividly unfurl. Dulli and Lanegan's muse is something much grander, almost spiritual here. Despite flashes of brilliance withstanding, Saturnalia's overall heft weighs it down. Matt Reeder

HELLO OPERATOR The Breaks (Ampia/Maple)
There may be a keytar and admirably angular indie haircuts, but make no mistake, Hilary Duff tour mates Hello Operator are nothing more than a pop-punk-mall-rock duo created to make lots of money, take over radio, and score Juno nominations in the next couple years. They managed to avoid over-produced, boy-band-with-guitars pop like Simple Plan (who they've toured with), but that just steers this EP into the realm of shameless new wave wannabe Killers shite, completely worth ignoring. Mike Condo's vocals come very close to sounding like Hot Hot Heat's Steve Bay's minus the urgency and any sign of authenticity. Meanwhile, the high-energy synth-ridden songs are void of any individuality, creativity or worth. Ears will bleed, bank accounts will grow and 10-year-old girls will swoon. Goodbye Operator. Phil Villeneuve

THE PICKUPS Country Houses, City Streets (Beautifully Misguided)
Brilliantly witty lyricism can be a wonderful thing, but there must be times when even the John K. Samsons among us long for something less complicated. "Out all day/In all night/When I get to bed it's gonna be alright," sings Sarah Greene on the opening number of this five-track EP. It's a simple foundation for a song, but it's something we can all understand and sing along to without looking at a lyric sheet. Country Houses, City Streets works specifically because the Toronto foursome aren't trying very hard to impress any particular group of listeners; they're just being themselves. Think Barmitzvah Brothers meet Henri Faberge And The Adorables. They're not busting through any pop boundaries, but it's a guarantee that this disc will put you in a good mood. Scott Bryson

PROOF OF GHOSTS Proof Of Ghosts (Weewerk/Outside)
As the name suggests, there's something inherently creepy about Proof Of Ghosts' music. And while it's a sinister undertone that weaves together the 15 tracks on this disc, there's also something celebratory and joyous happening here. The dichotomy may be a nod to the group's history — the project having been conceived during the blackout of 2003 — or it may have something to do with a mysterious familiarity that seems to be present. Take mid-album track "Hey Anna," for example. As principal songwriter Steve Heyerdahl chastises a friend for staying home too much, suggesting she head into town to hang out with Chris, John, Mike and Kelly, you get the inescapable feeling that you know the people he's singing about. It's the same for most of the songs on this disc — an eclectic mix that that moves from folk to alt.country to full-on guitar assault. This album is devastating, humbling and quite an achievement for a debut. Scott Bryson

THE RUBY SUNS Sea Lion (Sub Pop/Outside)
The sound of The Ruby Suns is a product of frontman Ryan McPhun's two homes, New Zealand and California. It's part tribal, part harmony and all sunshine. Some moments seem inspired by Brian Wilson, others (like "It's Mwangi In Front Of Me" and "The Adventure Tour") are almost directly stolen from The Flaming Lips, though the plagiarism doesn't come off distastefully. Thank the gods of beaches and flange plug-ins that it's an affectionate, not malicious, theft. Sea Lion might even be considered a companion piece to Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots and Smile. It starts where they finished. Like the many acid-trip collectives that came before, The Ruby Suns are about good vibrations and ironclad friendship. It might seem like half-baked surf-bum idealism, but you'll be grateful for the drop of golden sun while melting away the rest of this frosty winter. Jared Morano

THIS IS HELL Misfortunes (Trustkill)
Vastly superior to their already-impressive Trustkill debut Sundowning, This Is Hell's sophomore opus finds the band delving further into the amalgamation of hardcore sub-genres with intense returns. This Is Hell are still held up by the backbone of Hatebreed and Sick Of It All-inspired New York hardcore, but they're now putting forth a face decorated with more vicious influences like Charles Bronson, Pulling Teeth and Nine Shocks Terror. This means Misfortunes assaults with borderline thrash-beats, anthemic chant-along choruses and gritty, screeching vocals. The tenacity of "Disciples," "End Of An Era" and "Reckless" prove the band are just as forceful as ever, yet they now have enough maturity and accomplishment under their belts to be slightly more experimental in terms of songwriting and overall approach by incorporating more dynamics and technicality. The end result is a masterpiece of aggressive crossover that injects fresh life into an otherwise static scene. Keith Carman

WACO BROTHERS Waco Express: Live & Kickin' At Schuba's Tavern, Chicago (Bloodshot/KOCH)
This Chicago-based "supergroup" have released seven studio albums over the past 13 years, and while there's no denying their knack for writing catchy and sometimes thought-provoking roots rock, alt.country and punk songs, the energy and humour they convey live have never been totally captured on disc. While not a total success, this album goes a long way to remedying that. Guitarist Jon Langford sings seven songs, guitarist Dean Schlabowske takes the lead on six and mandolinist Tracy Dear steps up for three. The difference in their voices adds depth to the material. So does Marc Durante's steel playing, which seems more prominent here than at shows I've witnessed. You'll sing along to "Too Sweet To Die" and "Do What I Say," kick up your heels to "Fox River" and get a new take on Neil Young's "Revolution Blues" while getting caught up in the performances. But it's disappointing that the group didn't use the CD's full potential and include more music and stage banter to add to the entertaining 53 minutes captured over two nights and included here. Steve McLean

YAEL NAIM & DAVID DONATIEN Yael Naim & David Donatien (Tot Au Tard/Warner)
Yael Naim, the latest iTunes ad beneficiary, is a French-Israeli singer-songwriter who, like Feist, is a strikingly talented, self-made musician wisely chosen by some attentive marketing music nerds for an Apple ad. The song in question here is Naim's piano-folk singalong "New Soul," an adorable coming of age anthem featuring the French songstress' unique accent and lyrics. It's always exciting to hear a bilingual artist's take on the world and along with percussionist/mystery man David Donatien, Naim takes the listener on an intimate, folk-world-pop trip into her mind on this record. Although the majority of the tracks are sung in Hebrew, there are a few English and French numbers thrown in. Unfortunately, since the English lyrics are so charming, the many Hebrew tracks become sweet background music, simply because they don't get the chance to create the same impact to the anglophone listener. As a whole however, this a peaceful, warm ride through the psyche of a Parisian wunderkind. Phil Villeneuve