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The Grindhouse | Cross Dog, Gnarwhal, Saxon & More New Mayhem

Who says you can’t headbang on a Tuesday afternoon? Not me. Hell, I spend most of my working life banging my head against the wall anyway. Might as well have some good tunes to go with it. Let’s hit it and quit it:   Cross Dog | Hard Feelings THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Cross Dog are a noisy, experimental, bass-driven hardcore punk band from Peterborough. Their music is played at ear-splitting…

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Classic Album Review: Andre Ethier | With Christopher Sandes Featuring Pickles and Price

This came out in 2004 – or at least that’s when I got it. Here’s what I said about it back then (with some minor editing):   Andre Ethier may be better known as a member of Toronto garage-rockers Hot Snakes. But the singer-guitarist sheds that skin quite handily on his utilitarianly titled disc Andre Ethier With Christopher Sandes Featuring Pickles and Price. Unplugging his amp, grabbing his…

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Classic Album Review: Various Artists | Connie & Carla Soundtrack

This came out in 2004 – or at least that’s when I got it. Here’s what I said about it back then (with some minor editing):   I know this may come as a shock to you, but I have not seen Connie And Carla. Nothing against dinner theatre, drag queens or Nia Vardalos; it’s just not my cup of tea. But that does make it tough to review this soundtrack, which consists mostly of show tunes sung by…

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Classic Album Review: Various Artists | Kill Bill: Vol. 2 Soundtrack

This came out in 2004 – or at least that’s when I got it. Here’s what I said about it back then (with some minor editing):   A quieter movie deserves a quieter soundtrack. So it’s only fitting that Kill Bill: Vol. 2 packs less of a punch than its predecessor. But it’s no less peculiar and eclectic than you’d expect from a Quentin Tarantino soundtrack. On this 15-cut album, QT digs through the…

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Classic Album Review: Strategy | Drumsolo’s Delight

This came out in 2004 – or at least that’s when I got it. Here’s what I said about it back then (with some minor editing):   With an album title like Drumsolo’s Delight — not to mention song handles like The Jazzy Drumsolo — you might expect this disc to be a clutch of beat-crazy, tom-tom thumpin’ skin-pounders. And you’d be wrong. This second outing by West Coast DJ Paul Dickow is an artfully…

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Classic Album Review: The Living End | Modern Artillery

This came out in 2004 – or at least that’s when I got it. Here’s what I said about it back then (with some minor editing):   Once upon a time, this Aussie trio were a diehard punkabilly outfit. Slowly but surely, though, over the years they have evolved — or devolved, depending on your view — into your standard pop-punk band. Which brings us to their disappointing fifth album Modern Artillery, a…

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Classic Album Review: Numbers | In My Mind All The Time

This came out in 2004 – or at least that’s when I got it. Here’s what I said about it back then (with some minor editing):   Want proof that anyone can form a band? Just listen to Numbers. This quirky San Francisco synth-pop trio sound like they learned to play their instruments last month, formed a band last week, wrote a bunch of songs last weekend and recorded their CD yesterday. But beneath…

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Classic Album Review: John Wesley Harding | Adam’s Apple

This came out in 2004 – or at least that’s when I got it. Here’s what I said about it back then (with some minor editing):   When John Wesley Harding puts out a record, I bet Elvis Costello’s ears start burning. For more than a decade, the British folk-pop singer-songwriter has been compared to the British post-punk legend. Chiefly because they both have vaguely similar voices and are eloquently…

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Classic Album Review: Northern State | Dying In Stereo

This came out in 2004 – or at least that’s when I got it. Here’s what I said about it back then (with some minor editing):   Now you know why it’s been so long since Beastie Boys put out an album — they were all getting sex changes. OK, that’s a lie. But it’s an easy mistake to make after hearing Dying In Stereo, the debut disc from female Long Island hip-hop trio Northern State. These women…

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Classic Album Review: Keb’ Mo’ | Keep It Simple

This came out in 2004 – or at least that’s when I got it. Here’s what I said about it back then (with some minor editing):   “You don’t need no fancy tricks,” says bluesman Keb’ Mo’ — and he ain’t kidding. On his sixth CD Keep it Simple, singer-guitarist Kevin Moore practises what he preaches, offering up more of his unpretentious contemporary blues and back-porch folk. With his warm voice,…

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Classic Album Reviews: Chris Difford | I Didn’t Get Where I Am / Jools Holland | Friends 3

This came out in 2004 – or at least that’s when I got it. Here’s what I said about it back then (with some minor editing):   With new-wave soul-pop icons Squeeze now apparently on infinite hiatus, fans have to make do with solo albums from various alumni. But anyone jonesing for a dose of the band’s catchy melodies and wry, literate wordplay may not get their fix from releases by…

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Classic Album Review: Tangle Eye | Alan Lomax’s Southern Journey Remixed

This came out in 2004 – or at least that’s when I got it. Here’s what I said about it back then (with some minor editing):   Ancient blues vocals, sampled and superimposed onto contemporary electronica grooves. Sound familiar? If not, you must be the one person in the world who missed out on Moby’s Play CD. In that case, you’d be the target demographic for Alan Lomax’s Southern Journey Remixed,…

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Classic Album Review: Modest Mouse | Good News for People Who Love Bad News

This came out in 2004 – or at least that’s when I got it. Here’s what I said about it back then (with some minor editing):   Good news for people who love great music: Washington indie-rockers Modest Mouse have returned. And with a weird, wonderful jewel of a sixth album in tow. Good News for People Who Love Bad News finds yawping singer-guitarist Isaac Brock and his cohorts leaving the epic…

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Classic Album Review: Prince | Musicology

This came out in 2004 – or at least that’s when I got it. Here’s what I said about it back then (with some minor editing):   “Don’t U miss the feeling music gave ya back in tha day?” asks Prince on the title cut of this CD. Happily, His Purple Majesty does — and better still, he’s decided to address the situation. Musicology, his umpteenth album and first major-label effort since 2001’s Rainbow…

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Classic Album Review: Ron Sexsmith | Retriever

This came out in 2004 – or at least that’s when I got it. Here’s what I said about it back then (with some minor editing):   Sigh. I have to admit, listening to Ron Sexsmith albums is starting to depress me. It’s not that he’s depressing. Or that he’s untalented; far from it, this rumpled Toronto troubadour is one of the finest songwriters on the planet — a romantic tunesmith on par with the…

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Classic Album Review: Diana Krall | The Girl In The Other Room

This came out in 2004 – or at least that’s when I got it. Here’s what I said about it back then (with some minor editing):   How do you define success? Is it fame and fortune? Prestige and privilege? Recognition? Love? Whichever ones you pick, it would seem Diana Krall isn’t hurting. She’s got talent, beauty, hit albums, a shelf of awards, and a new husband in none other than Elvis Costello. But…

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Classic Album Review: Howie B | Snatch

This came out in 1999 – or at least that’s when I got it. Here’s what I said about it back then (with some minor editing):   You may not have heard of Howie B, but you’ve heard him. And no, he’s not one of the Backstreet Boys. Howie Bernstein is the remixmaster to the stars — he’s produced or reproduced tracks for U2, Björk, Tricky, Brian Eno, yadda, yadda, yadda. Snatch, his third solo effort,…

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