CD Reviews

Heavy
Swollen Members
BattleAxe/Nettwerk

Oh, how the mighty have fallen. It was mere months ago that Swollen Members played Craven as the reigning kings of Canadian hip hop. Now, with the release of their fourth full-length album, one has to wonder where all their creative genius has gone. The beats on Heavy are as interesting as anything on their previous efforts (Balance, Bad Dreams, Monsters In The Closet), yet there really isn’t a track on the album that stands out. The group has always had an exciting live show, but its new album lacks the urgency and sincerity of past efforts. Tracks like “Bottom Line,” “Therapy,” “Concentrate,” and “Don’t Know Why” are good enough but don’t hold the same standards that their last few albums have. A Swollen Members disc is usually full of great beats, and Heavy is no different thanks to Swollen’s DJ, Rob the Viking. Unlike a lot of DJs, Rob the Viking creates all of his own tracks and avoids using samples in his songs. This is a welcome change from a lot of commercial hip hop, where past hits are often recycled with a rap track thrown overtop. Plain and simple, the beats on this album are tight, and are a work of art by themselves. Unfortunately, his three partners on the mic (Mad Child, Prevail, and Moka Only) fail to meet their past standards. Considering Prevail is from Regina, it’s hard to come down too hard on these national rap icons. That said, it’s very disappointing to see a group so talented create something that’s so soulless. Instead of rushing out albums on a yearly basis, Swollen Members should devote a little more time and thought into their next release.

by Chris Tessmer

Rock n' Roll
Ryan Adams
Lost Highway Records

Prissy, unrehabbed, alt-country star Ryan Adams is bored of just chumming around with his hipster Gotham rock pals, so in between catty shots at ex-friends (The White Stripes) and snogging Parker Posey, the ex-Whiskeytown frontman is making his first official rock record (see clever title). With all the fights he picks, the booze he guzzles, the drugs he smokes/snorts, the indie chicks he’s bagged and the heartbreak he’s suffered, who knew he’d have it in him. Rock n’Roll has Ryan Adams not so much dropping his country noir stylings, but coating them in New York club rock and the moodiest of British guitar pop. Adams gushes musically with unapologetically clear influences (“Shallow” is delightfully Oasis, “So Alive,” meet Joy Division, “Do Miss America” I believe you know Mr. Paul Westerberg). The results, although they spark incredibly at times (“Note To Self,” “Anybody Wanna Take Me Home,” “Burning Photographs”), are still subpar for the cocky, brilliant jerk that we know and love in Ryan Adams. There’s some soul on this record, but it’s practically buried compared to Heartbreaker, Gold, and Demolition, which were so wide open they could be considered open heart surgery. It’s painful to have to put up with Adams at his most self-absorbed and downright sloppy. Rock n' Roll is a rushed, unhinged mess. Unlike the currently released EPs Love Is Hell Parts 1 and 2, Rock n’ Roll is Ryan Adams at his most uncomfortable. Adams normally crafts songs that live on you like a scar, but Rock n’ Roll has the opposite effect, evaporating after every listen.

by Dan MacRae

Results May Vary
Limp Bizkit
Universal Music

I must admit, I have never listened to lymph brisket before, and I wasn’t all that disappointed. The album goes in so many directions that there is something here for everyone; on the other hand, you are guaranteed a few tunes that will also drive you crazy. The disc has sixteen tracks in total, the first half of which are hard-driving tunes that really motivate you to cut people off and rip through the ditch hitting Sask Party signs as you go. Positive, inspiring, feel-good music. Unfortunately, the last half of the album is really draggy. I think the back half was written so that their targeted demographic could better identify with them. Unfortunately, I can’t identify. I am not a skateboarder who got picked on, nor did I have a goth girlfriend that I would lay down with by the river. No, skate boards are used to hit people who hassle you and goth girls have standards, so I just can’t identify, but you might. However, I am quite sure this was the alternate soundtrack to Malibu’s Most Wanted (right down to the guest appearance from Snoop Dog), so it is worth a listen. I wouldn’t pay $15 for this album, nor would I pay 99 cents for a blank CD to burn it, but if you can get it free in return for a 200-word review, I would recommend it. If you want a copy, check out Happy Jack’s Pawn, I have a feeling they might be getting one in stock.

by AAron Sklar

Kish Kash
Basement Jaxx
XL Records

Dance music as a rule generally is crap. It nestles in nicely in between ska and neo-grunge in the jukebox of hell (read clubland). There’s always an anomoly in electronic music (Daft Punk, Royksopp), it’s just that it is buried under an avalanche of Oakenfold-ed DJ trash. Luckily for you (and your ecstasy supplier) Basement Jaxx have returned and brought a fantastic follow-up to 2001’s pratically divine Rooty with them (yay!). Instead of going minimalist, the Brit DJs gorge on funk, drum, bass, house and pure pill-fizzed sex, and force-feed the results with one loud funnel. Basement Jaxx has a tightly assembled crew of collaborators on this record that includes J.C. Chasez (*NSync), Meshell Ndgeocello and Siouxsie Sioux. The lead single “Lucky Star” features Britain’s best MC, Dizzee Rascal, and is a sweaty derailed train of UK Garage, East Indian house, and punk funkateering boiled to perfection. “Plug It In” sounds like Romeos lost cousin locked in a basement since the 80s. Kish Kash sounds like the single Aphex Twin would make if he had Vicodin injected in his eyelids while producing something by The Applicators. Basement Jaxx has accomplished something very tricky, a follow-up to a genius record with (gasp!) another genius record. This is the type of record that’ll be studied in elitest DJ/Producing schools in between courses on Spiritualized and DJ Shadow. Kish Kash is hotter than Kylie Minogue’s bum. The beats are so damn immaculate, if this record is played around your dead relatives they may very well get their zombie asses out of the grave and lead to dancing and heavy ecstasy use.

by Dan MacRae

The Central Park Concert
Dave Matthews Band
BMG Canada

Anyone who has been to a Dave Matthews Band concert knows that it isn’t just another show, it is an experience. The Central Park Concert is the closest any live Dave Matthews Band recording has gotten to recreating their live experience. Spread over three discs and featuring almost three hours of music, The Central Park Concert comes off like a greatest hits record. Virtually every song that a Dave Matthews fan would want to hear in a live setting can be found on this record. As an added bonus it includes 150,000 back-up singers helping the band through lively renditions of “What Would You Say,” “Ants Marching,” and “Stay (Wasting Time).” The highlight of the record comes when the Dave Matthews Band break the molds of their songs and launch into extended jams of some of their most famous tracks. Prime examples of this can be found in the 11-minute version of “Crush” and the 16-minute bliss of “Two Step.” Just listening to the extended songs shows how much talent each band member has. The best thing about The Central Park Concert is that it features hardly any material off of Everyday, the controversial album that left fans with a bad taste in their mouths. Instead of packing the setlist with Everyday’s constrained three and a half-minute pop songs, the band plays only two tracks off that record and dedicates the 18 other tracks to its other releases. If you are a fan of The Dave Matthews Band, then The Central Park Concert is a must-buy record. Unless you travel to see them live it is the closest thing you will get to experiencing one of their concerts. Lets face it, they won’t be stopping by Regina anytime soon. However, if you’re new to their sound I would recommend picking up a studio album since those songs won’t branch off into 20 minute jam sessions.

by Kent Farago