KISS
Monster
(Universal Music)
4/5
Rating a KISS record is sort of like rating your grandparents. What can you say? Everything’s weird.
Here, on their first studio album since no one really cares, the long-running pseudo-parody/rock band lay down the goods with surprising authority. It’s impressive that a band so out of touch with reality can release an album with a crashing, natural production sound and a legitimately boisterous attitude. Some of the tunes are reminiscent of their ’70s heyday sound, which is good news for those worried the band would try more “serious” fare like lots of old bands do, and like KISS have tried in the past. Doesn’t work. We want cock rock, and we got it.
But, wait, do we want cock rock? Well, in a world full of whining, sniveling, post-Nickelback bullshit, mopey-man stop-crying-on-my-fucking-sleeve, Pearl Jam-were-best-when-Vedder-was-being-sensitive rubbish, I say, hell yeah we do. Enjoy life a bit.
-Greg Pratt
Tusks
Total Entertainment
(Static Clang)
3/5
Doesn’t Canadian indie rock just make you want to kill? Like, vicious, relentless, killing? Taking scrawny dudes and turning them into men by killing people together? C’mon, admit it.
It’s not that Tusks mainman Samir Khan doesn’t know what he’s doing: dude has been in Snailhouse, Kepler, and Weights & Measures. It’s just that what he’s doing is so goddamn fragile you just feel like someone has been suggesting they tickle you with a feather for half an hour after listening to Total Entertainment.
There are good moments, though. The near doo-wop, ’50s innocence of second cut “Oceans” makes up for the fact that the first song on the album just went in one ear and out the other (the FIRST SONG!). “New To Old Money” is what happens when Canadian indie rock is actually good, while “Wake them Up” threatens to do just that with a shuffle step and hints of ’70s rock sounds.
-Greg Pratt
July Talk
July Talk
(White Girl Records)
3/5
The self-titled first album from Toronto’s July Talk isn’t half bad. It’s actually half good, then ends up leaving me wanting something more.
As we listened to the first few songs my wife quipped, “It’s as if Oscar the Grouch decided to make music with Zooey Deschanel.” It’s a gritty, gravelly Tom Waits-like voice paired with an airy, sometimes ethereal one, and it mostly works. Tunes like the first single, “Paper Girl,” and the rockabilly tempo of “The Garden” highlight the best parts of the dichotomy.
I truly enjoyed about half the songs on this album. The music is well crafted and, for the most part, catchy.
So why do I feel like something is missing? It falters just as it’s picking up steam and doesn’t quite keep me interested. That being said, I am very interested to see where July Talk go from here.
-Dan Darling
My Dying Bride
A Map of All Our Failures
(Peaceville Records)
2/5
A Map of All Our Failures marks the 11th excursion by the doom/death metal band My Dying Bride. It certainly fits the genre, as listening to this album will undoubtedly leave you feeling somewhat mopey, if not utterly depressed.
A Map of All Our Failures steers away from the typical fast-moving riffs and lyrics of the death metal franchise, favouring instead melancholic stories of mortality and failure (sensible enough, given the title of the album).
Most songs start with an eerie silence, then a noise seemingly in the distance, followed by a lone guitar strumming a steady tune. Shortly thereafter, a voice in more of a speaking tone than a singing one tells a story to the listener as other instruments chime in and add to the atmosphere; this formula is used for almost every song.
I wouldn’t recommend A Map Of All Our Failures: this is something you lock yourself in your room and listen to in the dark. Alone.
-Patrick Hallihan
The Winter Sounds
Runner
(New Granada Records)
3/5
Runner, the third album by Nashville band The Winter Sounds, makes for decent background music, but that’s about it.
Hailing from the land of country music, the band claim to be a mix of indie, folk, and punk. While I don’t quite know where the “punk” portion is (left behind on one of their old albums, maybe), you can certainly hear the inspirations of folk on this indie-rock disc.
I played Runner at a friend’s games night recently and the tunes were very mellow and relaxing, creating a great atmosphere in the room. But listening to Runner again, I feel somewhat bored by the music. The music just doesn’t grab me or keep my interest.
While the memories of that night remain strong, just listening to it on my own doesn’t have the same feel. Runner sets a great mood to a night of fun while playing in the background, but that’s where it belongs: in the background.
-Patrick Hallihan