Recent Reviews

Apologies, the wolf comic is not ready. Some changing job issues and needing to find a new scanner issues mean it should be ready tomorrow.

In the meantime, here are some recent music reviews.

Better versions of a couple of these reviews can be found on the BeatRoute site:

http://www.beatroute.ca/view_article.php?sectionID=4&articleID=981

http://www.beatroute.ca/view_article.php?sectionID=4&articleID=980

Voxtrot
s/t
Playlouderecordings

Voxtrot are done with teasing, it’s time for the real thing. After three tantalizing, yet all too brief EP’s through 2005 and 2006, Voxtrot finally release their first self-titled record. With a larger canvas, Voxtrot break away from measured gauziness to produce songs brimming with propulsive energy and stand out hooks. The first song, “Introduction” starts familiarly enough as delicate strings and hushed guitars weave together behind singer Ramesh Srivastava’s deep voice that pays homage to Morrissey; however, by the time the second chorus ends, a white hot guitar solo erupts, signaling a change to the band’s typical sound. By the time “Firecracker” rolls around, Voxtrot plows through statacco rhythm and stop-start percussion until the song unleashes frenetic guitars and clean high-register vocals from Srivastava. Voxtrot’s first full-length is a welcome change from a band growing out of its influences into its own distinctive sound full of confident aggressive melodies.

The Locust
New Erections
Anti-

Is it possible for a band like The Locust to grow up? Inherently self-destructive, it’s a tough job to chart the sonic evolution of a band whose sound is closely tied to an annihilation aesthetic If New Erections is any indication, The Locust are making strides away from their thrashy grindcore into unnervingly focused neo-prog. Oddly enough, the band’s effort to slow down the tempo results in their most unsettling work yet. On songs like “The Unwilling led by the Unqualified…” spastic drum fills drop away revealing decaying horror movie keyboards and Bobby Bray’s blitzkrieg shrieking about our trash-worshipping culture building garbage towers to heaven. While New Erections is more chaos than control, there is definitely a politically-charged theme behind the strangled synthesizers and short-circuit riffs. While it’s hardly a lucid affair, New Erections is the closest the band has come to actual songs, without losing their raucous intensity. It’s these small steps that show The Locust’s creative leaps, and once again, put them one step ahead of the game.

Dntel
Dumb Luck
Sub Pop

Dumb Luck is a fitting title for an artist whose success was totally unexpected. While few remember now, Dntel (Jimmy Tamborello) was already an established electronic artist before he took part in the zeitgeist known as The Postal Service. Going solo for the first time since 2001’s Life is Full of Possibilities, Dntel’s newest is like his previous collection of austere electronica. Unfortunately, Dumb Luck doesn’t recapture the playful spirit of its predecessor. Instead, the record downplays hooks for tone, burying captivating synths behind wet blanket production. Sadly, it makes Dntel’s electronics unnecessary and leaves the album without a memorable foothold. Add that to the fact Tamborello’s woe-is-me lyrics dance around with two left feet, producing a few cringe-worthy stumbles. While contributions by Lali Puna and Grizzly Bear’s Edward Droste show promise, it’s drowned out by mailed-in performances from the likes of Conor Oberst and Mia Doi Todd. Too bad, Dntel’s Dumb Luck falls flat from such great heights.