There's no shortage of new music this long weekend. And some of us around here are taking care of business on Labour Day so you don't have to.
Bachman & Turner
Bachman & Turner
Talk about a blast from the past: Randy Bachman and Fred Turner's first album in decades is an unabashed -- and surprisingly enjoyable -- throwback to their '70s glory days. Same chunky power chords and funky licks. Same thudding sledgehammer beats. Same growling vocals. And of course, the same lyrics about rockin', rollin' and ridin' the road. If only it came on 8-track.
Download: Rollin' Along, Can't Go Back to Memphis
RATING: 3 (out of 5)
Phil Selway
Familial
Selway's name will ring a bell with Radiohead fans. But anyone who comes to the drummer's solo debut looking for avant-garde soundscapes may leave slightly disappointed. While most of these 10 tracks are decorated with artsy touches and textures, Selway spends the bulk of the disc sincerely crooning acoustic-guitar singer-songwriter fare closer to Nick Drake than Kid A.
Download: Beyond Reason, All Eyes on You
RATING: 3
Stone Sour
Audio Secrecy
Slipknot's horde of worshipful maggots know Stone Sour stars vocalist Corey (8) Taylor and guitarist Jim (4) Root. What they may not know -- along with me -- is why Taylor and Root bother. In contrast to Knot's extreme brutality, Stone Sour's third full-length, like its predecessors, is a dull sandwich of generic post-grunge angst and alt-metal chestbeating. Rock by the numbers.
Download: Unfinished, Nylon 6/6
RATING: 2.5
Johnny Reid
A Place Called Love
Reid is in a good place. He snagged his first Juno this year. He's jumped to a major label. And he's poised to take his career to a new high with his sixth studio disc. Granted, a concept album about love is hardly innovative. But his Joe Cockerish pipes, sincere delivery and approachable hybrid of roots and soul make up for the fact that he isn't reinventing the wheel. Feel the love.
Download: Love Thing, This is Not Goodbye
RATING: 3
Disturbed
Asylum
Nazis and werewolves and lawyers, oh my! Disturbed's eternally bummed frontman David Draiman expands his grim worldview on the band's fifth CD, grimly railing and operatically wailing about everything from evil women to global warming. Too bad his bandmates' generic bash 'n' grind metal reduces all of it to an exhausting mosh-pit mish-mash. No wonder he's bummed.
Download: Warrior, Another Way to Die
RATING: 2.5
Interpol
Interpol
Their last CD was panned. Their bassist quit. Their major-label deal didn't work out. It's no wonder the New York post-punk hipsters' fifth album is a moody affair. But here's a surprise: It's also boring. The songwriting is unfocused. The tempos are sluggish. And the ringing, cavernous production wraps the whole lethargic, monotonous affair in layers of gauze. Sit this one out.
Download: Barricade, Lights
RATING: 3
DOWN/STREAM
DJ 5agge
GNR Revisited
You can hold your breath until you turn blue waiting for Guns N' Roses to reunite. Or you can have the next best thing: This impressively constructed mashup EP that combines some Axl Rose vocals from Chinese Democracy with the music from various Velvet Revolver and Slash solo tracks. Remarkably, it sounds every bit as good -- or at least no worse -- than the original tracks.
www.youtube.com/5agge
Justin Bieber
U Smile Ambient
Turns out there actually is a way to make Justin Bieber's insipid mewling sound good after all: Slow down his music 800% into glacially paced ambient epics, as some smart-alec recently did to U Smile with the help of a nifty little piece of software. Eno couldn't have done a better job. On the downside: You have to listen to Bieber for eight times as long as you normally would.
www.youtube.com
Cee-Lo Green
F--- You
Every time you think Cee-Lo can't possibly top himself, he proves you wrong. The Gnarls Barkley singer's latest achievement: Turning the world's best-known expletive into the feel-good hit of the fall. Set to a funky groove and decorated with gospel vocals and a swelling organ, Green's kiss-off to a gold-digging ex and her new man is the coolest cut you'll never hear on the air.
hypem.com
CDs
Miles Davis
Bitches Brew: Legacy Edition
It took God seven days to create the universe. It only took enigmatic trumpeter Davis three to pioneer jazz-rock fusion with this 1970 landmark. No wonder it's been reissued umpteen times (including a four-CD Complete Sessions box in 1998). This three-disc version includes two newly discovered outtakes, four edited cuts and -- best of all -- a full 70-minute 1969 concert on DVD.
Download: Spanish Key (alt. take), John McLaughlin (alt. take)
RATING: 5
Margaret Cho
Cho Dependent
When comedy meets music, one usually takes a backseat. In Cho's case, it's the laughs. The standup's first foray into singing makes a good impression, thanks to her half-decent pipes and an eclectic roster of songs from Tegan & Sara, Ben Lee, Carl Newman, Ani DiFranco, Andrew Bird, Patti Griffin and more. Pity Cho's punch lines aren't as memorable as her melody lines. Pass.
Download: I'm Sorry, Enemies
RATING: 2
Heart
Red Velvet Car
Not enough dog, too much butterfly. The Wilson sisters' 13th studio outing -- and first album of new tunes in six years -- is a little long on dreamy ballads and moody midtempo fare, and sadly short on guitar-crunch arena-rock. Granted, it all sounds pretty swell due to Ben Mink's warm, full production. But it's hard not to wish Heart had put the pedal a little closer to the metal.
Download: WTF, Wheels
RATING: 2.5
Brian Wilson
Brian Wilson Reimagines Gershwin
Guess Wilson really wasn't made for these times. The Beach Boy's latest finds him collaborating with an unlikely but undeniable peer: Late great tunesmith George Gershwin. And unlike most American Songbook albums, Wilson doesn't just Xerox the material; he puts his own stamp on it, turning Gershwin's classics into lush slices of surf-rock, doo-wop and orch-pop. Fun, fun, fun.
Download: They Can't Take That Away From Me, I Got Rhythm
RATING: 2.5
Robyn
Body Talk Pt. 2
Once was not enough for Robyn. The Swedish dance-pop diva plans to release not one, not two, but three mini-albums this year. Part 1 arrived in June. This second chapter picks up where its predecessor left off, with a half-hour of hypnotic disco grooves, robotic beatboxes and stylishly sequenced synths supporting her seductive mix of icy melody and brash moxy. Get down.
Download: Criminal Intent, U Should Know Better (feat. Snoop Dogg)
RATING: 3.5
JJ Grey & Mofro
Georgia Warhorse
Fun fact: A Georgia warhorse is actually a resilient grasshopper. Kind of an unusual title. Then, Grey is an unusual guy. The Floridians' fifth disc features a tasty gumbo of swampy Mississippi blues, sweet Memphis soul, bumptious New Orleans funk, rootsy Black Crowes rock and more -- all fuelled by Grey's rasp, spiky guitar and laid-back attitude. Serve with BBQ and bourbon.
Download: Diyo Dayo, All
RATING: 3.5
Dead Confederate
Sugar
They are southern. They most definitely rock. But these Georgians don't play Freebird. Like their 2008 debut Wrecking Ball -- and in contrast to its sweeter title -- this sophomore set harkens back to the noisy mayhem and frenzied smashing of early-'90s grunge, but spices it up with dashes of everything from alt-country and atmospheric indie-rock to jangly Brit-pop. Turn it up.
Download: In the Dark, Mob Scene
RATING: 4
DVDs
Electric Light Orchestra
Live: The Early Years
If your ELO tastes run more toward Ma-Ma-Ma Belle than Sweet Talkin' Woman, this DVD is for you. The 90-minute disc features three impressive early gigs: A 1973 university show, a '74 spot on German TV's Rockpalast and a '76 set on Britain's Fusion. The set lists are heavy on repetition and lean on chart-toppers, but the mix of orch, pop and rock still makes for a strange magic.
RATING: 3.5
Leonard Cohen
Bird on a Wire
Some things are worth waiting for -- like Tony Palmer's long-lost chronicle of Cohen's 1972 European tour. Restored and reassembled from recently rediscovered footage, the artfully edited and frankly intimate work follows the folk poet on an emotional roller-coaster through a landscape of adoring groupies, disgruntled fans, malfunctioning gear and even a riot. Illuminating.
RATING: 4.5
