Metallica & Lou Reed
Lulu
(Warner Bros.)
3.5/5
On this maddening, fever-dream-inducing disc, Lou Reed smashes caustic spoken-word vocals against a pallet of avant-garde sound bites and well produced sludgy metal riffing by Metallica.
Lulu is a highly ambitious album, but it also comes across as something unique. My guess is Lou Reed just doesn’t care anymore, period. His fans don’t represent him, his work gets minimal attention, and most of his albums post-1976 received poor reviews.
Perhaps with Lulu we’re entering a new phase in Reed’s career where he just does whatever the shit he wants. Lulu is actually quite good; it’s just really cold and inaccessible. Reed’s voice is deadpanned, his lyrics often repetitive and emotionally vapid.
The music changes abruptly, and confuses, going from ambient to chugging metal riffs. Lulu is obviously highly personal and perhaps (cringe) ahead of its time? Don’t quote me on that, though.
-Adam Price
The Mahones
The Black Irish
(True North)
4.5/5
Remaining in your seat while listening to this seventh album by Irish-born Canadian punk band The Mahones is nearly impossible. The booming rhythm of such tunes as “A Great Night on the Lash” make you want to call your six best buds, slap some meat on the BBQ, and get your drunk on.
The Mahones are one of the world’s premier Celtic-style punk bands. Formed in 1990 by Fintan McConnell and Barry Williams as a one-off band for a St. Patrick’s Day party, the band’s music is now renowned for its driving, upbeat rock enthusiasm.
Perhaps their most famously recognized tune, “Paint the Town Red,” is featured as a bonus track on the album and is certainly worthy of multiple plays.
Come to think of it, finding a tune on this album that doesn’t have repeated playability is difficult.
-TJ Nyce
Marine Dreams
Marine Dreams
(You’ve Changed)
2/5
Ian Kehoe, former Attack in Black bassist and the voice behind Marine Dreams, has stepped out on his own to put together an album filled with modern pop, rock, and folk songs.
The simple vocals, guitar sounds, and predictable drum beats on Marine Dreams, especially in songs like “Fold the Sky” and “New Decade,” may remind you of playing on the easy level of Guitar Hero or RockBand, when the new player wishes the song would end and the pro gets bored after the first two lines.
Two highlights are “Visions” and “I Can Laugh,” which are upbeat and fun. In a concert setting, Kehoe’s passion could come through, perhaps turning the songs on Marine Dreams from okay into great.
But since the album doesn’t come with concert tickets included, we’re left with something that’s the definition of “not bad.”
-Chesley Ryder
The Pack A.D.
Unpersons
(Mint)
4.5/5
I’m pretty tired of hearing that The Pack A.D. is the female version of the Black Keys. Because, while they are both two-piece bands that perhaps started off in the same genre of blues rock, this Vancouver duo have certainly come into their own on their fourth album, Unpersons, and deserve to be recognized for it.
Moving from the genre of blues rock, these two women have taken to exploring the more garage-rock side of things, and are killing it. This album has insane amounts of energy: grungy, hard-hitting, delicious energy. Beyond recording some excellent tracks for this album, The Pack A.D. have also created some of the more unique music videos seen this year. Their video for “Haunt You,” in particular, is highly recommended.
Also, this band is sick live; also, they are coming to town in February; also, I’m very excited for this. Just sayin.’
– Clorisa Simpson
Honheehonhee
Shouts
(independent)
3/5
According to this group of Montreal indie rockers, “honheehonhee” is the sound that French squirrels make (although I’ve not found any evidence of this). It’s also the name that they’ve given their electric-pop-rock band. They’ve recently released their debut album, Shouts, and it’s like this: “they’re okay” is what I first thought when listening to this new album. Not great, but also not bad.
Honheehonhee demonstrates a wide range of skills, ranging from folky (“Intro: My Lips, Your Voice”) to electric-pop (“A. Is for Animal”). This variety, along with the general upbeat feel of the album, was enough to get me annoyingly tapping my feet along to it in the library.
While Shouts is nothing mind-blowing, Honheehonhee does manage to deliver a unique, oddly catchy album. They also have a neat music video on YouTube of themselves playing in the snow in their knickers.
-Lucas Milroy