SHORT SCALE: CD reviews in 200 words or less

By Rachel Heisler

CD review: Scorpions, Humanity Hour 1 (New Door Records, August 28, 2007)

Rating: 4 out of 5 geetars

After 35 years of rockin’ and rollin’ the Scorpions still have it. Killer songs like “Hour 1″ and “321″ will inspire head-banging and mosh pits around the world. The Scorpions have unleashed a collection that offers a little bit of everything: wild rockers, rock infused with pop (“The Game Of Life”) and melodic ballads (“The Future Never Dies”). There’s nothing stagnant about this album, which delivers uplifting messages in a back-handed way. By touching on the meaner points of life they’ve pointed out that without the bad the good doesn’t taste as sweet.

The band has updated its sound by incorporating more modern rock songwriting tactics. The grinding guitars on sections of “We Will Rise Again” are comparable to any contemporary heavy rock band’s. These innovations were not lost on long-time, die-hard Scorpions fan, Billy Corgan (Smashing Pumpkins), who makes a guest appearance on “The Cross.”

The only drawback is there’s maybe one too many ballads thrown into the mix. It would have been incredible to have a few more that rock as hard as “Hour 1,” but who’s complaining? What they’ve given us far exceeds much of the pulp on the radio, and for that we should be grateful.

CD review: Simply Red, Stay (simplyred.com, 2007)

Rating: 4 out of 5 geetars

The music on Simply Red’s tenth studio album, Stay, has got some funk, some groove and it swings comfortably from one song to the next. Front man Mick Huchnall’s voice is as communicative as ever. You’re thinking this would be a great CD to put on during a romantic evening with a significant other … ’til you realize that half the songs are not just melancholic, they’re downright depressing. Songs like “So Not Over You” and “Good Times Have Done Me Wrong” would not be the right songs to set a romantic mood. But in others, “Lady,” “Stay” and “Oh! What A Girl,” the more romantic and/or sexier side of songwriting flourishes, bringing light to both sides of the love coin. The CD contains a cover of Ronnie Lane’s bluesy “Debris” and an original, “Little Englander,” which looks at bigotry.

Stay’s tenacity to cover an array of topics as well as a variety of genres is what makes it shine as brightly as it does. Kudos to a band that has been around for such a long time and still continues to bring its A-game every time.

CD review: Erasure, Light At The End Of The World (Mute Records, May 22, 2007)

Rating: 3 out of 5 geetars

Some of the songs here would have fit seamlessly into the soundtrack for the movie “A Night at the Roxbury,” especially “I Could Fall In Love With You” and “Sucker For Love.” Steve and Doug Butabi’s cheesy head bob dance could be perfected to the nth degree to Erasure’s ’80s bop pop. They find the time and will to slow a handful of songs down, but even though “Storm in A Teacup” and “Fly Away” are mellowed out, there’s the feeling that deep down they want to speed up and join the more up-tempo songs in their quest to bop the world to death.

Having not been a huge Erasure fan in the past, it’s hard to say if Erasure has grown musically over the years, but one hopes they have. They seem to have stayed in the niche they dug for themselves years ago, which isn’t a bad thing if you’re into synth-diven music. Brits Vince Clarke and Andy Bell have created a computer-based album that has lots of emotion and even more energy. Erasure has spent two decades showing the world the versatilities of electro-pop … it’s a crazy job … but somebody had to do it.

CD: Boyz II Men, The Remedy (MSM Music Group, Februray 14, 2007)

By Eric Plummer

Admittedly, I have not followed Boyz II Men‚Äôs career close enough to know any songs other than their mainstream radio hits that were not on their first two albums. So naturally when I heard they had released a new album entitled The Remedy, I was skeptical to say the least. (more…)

By Rachel Heisler

Movie and television soundtracks aren’t very exciting usually, but for those people who fall in love with a movie/show, owning its soundtrack is a good thing. So here is some information on two new summer releases.

CD release: The Nanny Diaries Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (Artists’ Addiction Records, August 21, 2007)

“The Nannie Diaries” features actor Scarlett Johansson as Annie Braddock, a would-be anthropologist from New Jersey forced to survive as a nanny among the treacherous trbies of New York City’s Upper East Side. (more…)

SHORT SCALE: CD reviews in 200 words or less

By Rachel Heisler

CD review: Xavier Rudd, White Moth (Anti- Records, June 19, 2007)

Rating: 4.25 out of 5 geetars

As soon as Xavier Rudd released his third CD, White Moth, he took to the road and went on a six-week tour that jumped around the U.S. The Australian musician’s music on said CD is fixed in nature with a strong tie to his homeland and an earthy honesty. His guitar playing is swift and his grooves are infectious, the use of the Yidaki (didgerdoos) gives his music an eclectic yet tribal feel, and keeps him grounded and true to his roots. Dave Matthews fans will fine some pleasant similarities in ways of vibe and emotional connection to the land, people and life itself. Rudd has included the singing talents of members from the Aborigianl musical group Yothu Yindi on several tracks, and First Nations Cree elder Kennitch is featured on “Foot Print” and “Message Stick” saying healing prayers and playing drums.

The peaceful beauty of “Come Back” is representative of most of the songs on White Moth. Though some contain funkier riffs and some are fused with blues and Reggae, the majority are mellow, thoughtful and quiet. But all are profound and spiritually and politically charged, and show that Xavier Rudd is a definite musical force to be reckoned with.

Photo by Sarah Robinson

CD review: Soulidium, Children of Chaos (KnightVision Music/Adrenaline Music Group, June 19, 2007)

Rating: 3 out of 5 geetars

Soulidium formed on Myspace. in 2005, songwriter and producer Michael McKnight posted a classified ad for all band positions and according to the band’s bio, “He set out to build a band of brothers who would flow together as soul mates of the stage.” The first to pop up was guitarist AJ Maldonado, who brought in second guitarist Eric Beausoleil. Months later the trio was completed when drummer Danny Cayocca and bassist Jake Jaden (who was until then strictly a guitarist) joined the group. Now, two years later, the band has found fame with its heart-heavy themes: finding your way out of the darkness, breaking outside of the box, the human struggle and more.

Soulidium does the distorted guitar, bass-driven thing on “The Light” and the screaming bit on “Drama”, but the music is much more subdued than expected. For a hard rock band it has not fallen into the trap of thinking you need to make people’s ears bleed in order to make a statement and get your point across. The future seems bright for this band and for the fans their music isn’t just something to listen to, its a way to live.

CD review: Constantine, Everybody Loves (Sixth Place Records, August 7, 2007)

Rating: .25 out of 5 geetars

It’s was against my better judgement that I listened to this CD by a character from American Idol’s 2005 season, but it had to be done. So my ears were filled with some of the world’s poppiest pop music and it hurt. Really, it did. “Everybody loves, everybody cries, everybody dreams of a perfect life and that’s alright” … for real? Did he really just say that? Yeah, hi did. That’s bad enough, but add to it songs called “Child, You’re the Revolution” and “Favorite T-Shirt” and you’ve got a CD perfect for making a CD mobile.

Photo by Neill J. Schutzer

SHORT SCALE: CD reviews in 200 words or less

By Rachel Heisler

CD review: Circus Diablo, self-titled (Koch Records, July 3, 2007)

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 geetars

Tired of pussy bands playing pussy music? No need to look any further than Circus Diablo to get an earful of cock rock. Billy Morrison (vocals, Camp Freddie), Billy Duffy (guitar, The Cult), Ricky Warwick (guitar, The Almighty) Brett Scallions (bass, Fuel) and Matt Sorum (drums, Velvet Revolver) get things going with a burst of head-banging rock ‘n’ roll.

“Rock exists below the belt,” said Morrison. “And we intend to deliver rock the way it was meant to be: hard, fast, and dirty.” The music is thick and crusty and it will knock you on your ass swiftly and easily. The sound is reminiscent of Velvet Revolver and Alice In Chains but also has ’80’s hair band thing going on in the background. And as for the ballads – strangely there are a few numbers that slow down and talk love – including “Shine” and “Dignified” that are quite touching. But mostly it’s rough and gritty and fueled by mean guitars and neck-breaking drums. It’s rock done right.

CD review: The Phantom Family Halo, The Legend of Black Six (Cold Sweat Records, July 31, 2007)

Rating: 1 out of 5 geetars

The Phantom’s music is hairy, dark and brooding quasi-experimental complete with creepy vox and far-out jams. Actually, there’s not a lot to say about this CD. It’s basically a DIY project that was recorded not for commercial success but more for the band members. It’s hard to imaging someone coming home from a hard day at school or work and throwing this disk on and vegging out. It’s just not that kind of music. The production quality leaves much to be desired, and the songs themselves need a little more direction and structure. Experimental has no boundaries, but the best exp. has guidelines (that each individual band creates for itself) and tends to use the sounds and noises to create movement and emotion. The Legend of Black Six is more of a lesson in repetition than anything else. Repetition has its place, drives a point home, but with this music it’s like it’s repetitive because it doesn’t have anywhere to go.

CD review: Nekromantix, Life Is A Grave & I Dig It (Hellcat Records, April 10, 2007)

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 geetars

Lots of people would find the Nekromantix’s music too brash for daily consumption, but if you close your eyes and let the songs sink in, you may find that there’s a lot of classic and classy songwriting going on. Punk of course is not dead, these guys confirm that, but it’s the rockabilly/psychobilly and surfy tunes on which the trio of NekromaN, TroyDestroy and Andy DeMize excels. “Horny In A Hearse” doesn’t depict class in conformist terms, but it’s the music behind the title and lyrics that point to an understanding of music and both its evident and more subtle complexities. And there are a lot of bands out there that test their understanding of these genres and fail miserably by pushing too hard, playing too loud and/or fast and ignoring the nuances that are manditory if you’re going to make it work.

Don’t believe it? Then explain how Nekromantix has lasted almost 20 years and released about 10 albums. Crazy guys who are obsessed with coffins, nasty sex and hell may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but don’t knock it ’til you try it.

Photo by Patricia Day

CD review: Tegan and Sara, The Con (Sire Records, 2007)
CD review: Carmen and Camille, TWO (Twin Spin Music, 2007)

By Rachel Heisler

They’re twins, they play instruments and they’re from Canada. A lot of similarities for two sets of girls who are so drastically different in every other way. The look and the sounds are so dissimilar that it’s hard to believe there are any similarities at all.

Instead of a straight-up CD review, we thought it’d be fun to do a comparison between Tegan and Sara and Carmen and Camille and see who the winners and losers are in a variety of categories.

THE INSTRUMENTS:
TEGAN: Sings and plays guitar
SARA: Sings and plays guitar and piano

CARMEN: Sings and plays a flute named Goldie
CAMILLE: Sings and plays guitar

BOTH GROUPS WRITE THEIR OWN MUSIC

WINNER: It’s a tie

STATS:
T AND A: Last name Quin, age 26; they were born eight minutes apart; from Calgary, Canada; Sara lives in Montreal, Tegan in Vancouver; The Con is their sixth CD.

C AND C: Last name Thomas; age 25 but look 18; from Vancouver, Canada; Carmen is a graduate of the Vancouver City College vocal program and Carmille is a grad of BCIT’s School of Journalism and a television host on Tommy Wolski’s “Sport of King” on City TV; TWO is their debut release.

THE LOOK:
T AND S: These twins have a serious case of the ugo’s. They aren’t “alternative”, they’re just gross.

C AND C: Pretty, sparkly and in the Hillary Duff vien; preppy with a touch of rock ‘n’ roll on occasion.

WINNER: Carmen and Camille, easily. (more…)

SHORT SCALE: CD reviews in 200 words or less

By Rachel Heisler

CD review: The Loose Salute, Tuned To Love (Graveface Records, 2007)

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 geetars

Wow, talk about an eclectic mix of genres! The Loose Salute have done an excellent job keeping things varied and exciting. Perky numbers like “Death Club” are so lollipop-licking, jump rope-jumping, first kiss-kissing cute it’s almost sickening (but the dark lyrics are a nice twist). The tambourine and breezy vocals on “The Mutineer” are so much like The Shins that they may as well have given the boys the song. Then there’s The Loose Salute’s softer and more contemporary style of pop with “Photographs and Tickets,” which has perfectly placed vocal harmonies. Lisa Billson and Charlotte King’s voices match up beautifully and their female touch gives the album a sense of grace.

“From Head to Sandy Toes” sounds like something Tonya Donnelly or Nina Gorden could have penned; its fruity, fluffy bounce and light vocals scream good times. Then there’s their country song, “Turn the Radio Up;” a Neil Young-esque “Why’d We Fight?;” a Simon & Garfunkel-like “Ballad Of the Dumb Angel” … each song seems to give a nod to bands that came before them. Whether it was intentional or not, it’s an interesting concept and it makes their name make perfect sense.

CD review: Malea McGuinness, True Believer (Alledge Productions, 2007)

Rating: 1 out of 5 geetars

Malea McGuinnes has a pleasing voice. She’s got a beautiful face and a smokin’ bod. But the woman writes some shockingly awful music. First, anyone who writes this many upbeat, optimistic, “everything’s gonna be alright” songs is difficult to take seriously. Many times, most times, songs with happy lyrics have worthless melodies. Such is the case here.

That being said, the reason True Believer does include one promising number, “Too Beautiful To Stay,” which has full vocals, ok melody and it’s not nearly as sappy as the other songs that neighbor it.

One hopes that with her future works McGuinnes will dig down into her soul and give a voice to the more real aspects of her life. No person’s life is all candy and flowers, and to write nothing but songs about those things is somehow deceiving. Let’s see all sides of you, Malea, and maybe we’ll get to know and like you a little bit more.

CD review: The Special Pillow, Sleeping Beauty (self-released, May 22, 2007)

Rating: 2 out of 5 geetars

The members of The Special Pillow don’t look like they sound. They sound really fresh and young, but take a looksy at them … they’re, uh, mature folks. The band has been strumming its psychedelic, poppy hippie rock for a good 10 years and the confidence it exudes is quite impressive. It seems that with age comes understanding, with practice comes ease and with focus comes a very clear path, especially for these guys.

The Special Pillow won’t ever be chart-toppers since there’s nothing in their music that jumps out and grabs you and the originality factor is kind of missing. However, they are one of those you could handle seeing every once in awhile at your favorite local bar or having play at the BBQ you host every year in your backyard.

There’s not a lot to be said about The Special Pillow other than it’s nice to see a group of people following their dream, even if Rolling Stones level of fame isn’t attainable.

CD review: Satellite Party, Ultra Payloaded (Bells Are Ringing Records, May 29, 2007)

By Rachel Heisler