Kevin Mathews:
September,
2003

So Much Music, So Little Time

Traditionally, it is a record industry norm to flood the market with new releases in September and presumably this year will not be any different. Sometimes it is astonishing to note how much music is actually out there. With technological advancements allowing artists and bands to record competently at home without any significant loss in production quality, the business of recording music is so liberalized now that many CDs out there are D-I-Y projects. Which, believe me, is a good thing. It might leave music consumers with a bit of a task in separating the wheat from the chaff but (and you knew this was coming…) that's why the role of reviewers in pointing music lovers in the general direction does take on greater importance. No, really….and on that note, I present to you this month's flood - buckle in.

Label Compilations

Various Artists Driving in the Rain 3AM: Songs To Get Lost With (Bongobeat) A fine collection from Canadian label Bongobeat which features fairly well-known names like Kimberley (Soft Boys, Katrina & the Waves) Rew with the breezy "Restless Ocean," Lauren Agnelli & Dave Rave with the moody "Every Dog Has Its Day in the Rain," Kevin (Grapes of Wrath) Kane with the twangy "Confidential," Katrina & the Waves with the hearty "That's Just the Woman In Me" and the Dave Rave Group with the folky "All Over The World." But the highlight may actually be the opening "Opiate" by relative newcomer The Orchid Highway with its Manzarek organ swirls, Gilmour guitar fills suggesting an intriguing Doors-Floyd hybrid. Trippy for sure. Worth checking out. www.bongobeat.com

Various Artists Treats (Barsuk) This highly respected indie rock label number the likes of Death Cab for Cutie - the absorbing "A Movie Script Ending" and the throwaway "We Laugh Outdoors" - and Nada Surf - the gorgeous "Inside Of Love" and the frenetic "Happy Kid" - amongst its roster. Featuring various albums tracks, this sampler also includes other notable bands like The Long Winters - the caustic music hall "Blue Diamonds" and the bitter "Stupid" - and Jesse Sykes & the Sweet Hereafter - the languorous alt-country "Lonely Still" and the poignant ballad "Reckless Burning." An excellent showcase of the delights of Barsuk. www.barsuk.com

Various Artists Urbs in Horto: A Chicago Indiepop Compilation (Johann's Face) "What unites them is their love of melody and a classic sense of what a pop song is all about." So say Aadam Jacobs (organiser of the Chicago Indiepop Festival) and Marc Ruvolo (the man behind Johann's Face) about this outstanding compilation of Chicago's finest indie popsters. And they're right, of course, as the likes of Light FM (the angular "Stormtroopers"), Hushdrops (the brisk "Emily"), Butterfly Child (the baroque "Girl On Fire), Archer Prewitt (the edgy "Here We Go"), The Atari Star (the obtuse title track) and The Slugs (the power-punky "Honey Rose") vividly demonstrate. www.johannsface.com

Various Artists Pop Scenes From Perth (Zip) Is Perth the power pop capital of Australasia? That assertion would be hard to deny in the fact of the evidence presented on this disc. Pop underground faithfuls will no doubt recognise the likes of Superscope, The Chevelles and Jack & the Beanstalk amongst the contributors and whilst there's little to distinguish one from the other - apart from the excellent "She Does The Handclaps" from Joe Algeri's JATB - there's enough 12-string Rickenbacker arpeggios, overdriven power chords, three-part harmonies and hummable tunes to keep the power pop addict satisfied. www.ziprecords.com

Are You Ready For the Country?

Last Train Home Time and Water (Adult Swim) I hesitate to label Eric Brace and company's excellent combo with the "alt-country" tag as there is previous little alt-rock or plain rock in their diet. LTH play straight ahead country and western and it is lean and lithe, the way Buck Owens, Merle Haggard and Johnny Cash delivered it. Fine performances and such fine tunes like the wistful "All Right Okay," the reflective title track, the jumpin' "Blue Skies" and the feisty "Lorelei." Rustic yet sophisticated. www.adultswim.com

Sixteen Horsepower Olden (Jetset) The gothic country affectations of 16 Horsepower and frontman David E. Edwards' fire-and-brimstone spiritual bent are probably well-known in alternative rock circles. For the uninitiated, this anthology of previously unreleased material (circa 1993-1994) provides an excellent introduction to the band's passionate style which sounds often like Joy Division and Echo & the Bunnymen dabbling in country-folk-blues. Powerful stuff. www.jetset.com

Frog Holler Railings (Record Cellar) Fourth album from this Philadelphian sextet pretty much extends the good form shown on previous effort, the fairly sublime Idiots. As usual, the tunes are heartfelt with the lyrics displaying a stronger spiritual emphasis than last time out. Thus, tracks like the pleading "Unlock the Door," the strapping "Glory" and the provocative "God's Children" will no doubt leave an impression. For fans of Neil Young & Steve Earle. www.record-cellar.com

Carolyn Mark and the Room-Mates Terrible Hostess (Mint) A bit of an anomaly in Canadian punk label Mint's roster, Mark and friends have a go at authentic bluegrass/old-fashioned torch/show tunes which frankly doesn't do anything for me but I'll give them credit for having the gumption to tackle these difficult genres. www.mintrec.com

Joe Mannix White Flag (Bongobeat) Previously self-released on Mannix's own label, this inspiring country-folk rock album from Mannix finds a deserved home at Canada's Bongbeat. Astute listeners will make comparisons to Neil Young, Woody Guthrie, Bob Dylan & Bruce Springsteen in this melancholy and pensive set. Includes the extra track "A Meditation" as a bonus. www.bongobeat.com

Neil Young & Crazy Horse Greendale (Reprise) Speaking of the great man himself… Greendale represents Young's best coherent work since maybe Sleeps with Angels. Some have described this as the Great American Novel sung to fuzzy guitar whilst others have disparaged its 78-minute long ten tracks as simply boring and pointless. I'm somewhere in the middle on this, it has its moments - "Bandit," "Double E" and "Be the Rain" in particular, but the songs do get samey after a while and a whole bunch of editing might have made a significant difference. www.neilyoung.com

Fun Fun Fun

The Rubinoos Crimes Against Nature (Zip) Yeah, so everybody (and their uncle) has done their 'covers' album so why not that quintessential power pop outfit, The Rubinoos? Brave choices get translated into the Rubes harmonic format as songs like Eurythmics' "Thorn in my Side," the American Breed's "Bend Me, Shape Me" and Polly Brown's "Up in a Puff of Smoke" turn up in new guises. More predictable perhaps (but no less satisfying) are stellar versions of Costello's "Pump It Up," the Flamin' Groovies' "Shake Some Action," Utopia's "There Goes My Inspiration" and the Beach Boys' "Heroes and Villains." Impeccably executed, nothing but gems here for the enquiring pop lover. www.ziprecords.com

Hawks Perfect World Radio (Not Lame) This retrospective collects unreleased material that never made the cut for Hawks' two albums viz. Hawks(1981) and *30 Seconds Over Ohio* (1982). Unlike most material from that era, the songs here do not sound dated perhaps due to the fact that Hawks come across like a band from the 70s rather than the 80s - which ironically makes Perfect World Radio seem like a fresh power pop release! Certainly, tracks like the infectious "Roxanne," the Queen-evoking "Goodbye California," the superb "Pride" and the pumping "Living Inside Your Love" would be firm favourites in the modern pop underground. www.notlame.com

Flashcubes Live In Japan (Airmail) Raw power pop indeed and in the face! Recorded at a Flashcubes show in Shimokita-Zawa Shelter, Tokyo in 2002, this live recording captures the melodic dynamism that the quartet is able to muster on stage. Covering three decades of music making, the Flashcubes deliver the likes of "Girl From Germany," "I Need Glue" and "It's You Tonight" with the appropriate gusto despite being, in their own words, "very old." www.airmailrecordings.com

Big Kid You Must Be Kidding (Self-released) Big Kid believes in delivering driving songs with melodic sensibilities which it accomplishes with the obvious inspirations of Jason Falkner, Jimmy Eat World, OK Go, Todd Rundgren serving as wind under their sails. Certainly, there are occasions when Big Kid soars - notably on the compelling "Change Your Mind" and the classy "Time In A Day" both piano-based songs, which impress more than the conventional guitar-rock numbers. www.bigkid.com

It's Still Rock 'n' Roll To Me

The Exit New Beat (Some) New? I think not. From the sullen looks on the sleeve to the three chord attack of songs like "Worthless," "Scream and Shout" and "Trapped," The Exit play the old school punk-pop game by the numbers but with no small measure of verve as well. It's a mixed bag at best but fans of The Clash, The Police, Green Day and Weezer should enjoy the ride. www.some.com

Mae Destination: Beautiful (Tooth & Nail) Uplifting, emotional and dynamic are the key elements manifest in Mae's musical agenda. Not content to settle for one particular style, Mae experiment with beats and melodies to arrive at an arresting banquet of sounds and concepts. Sophisticated listeners will thrill to tracks like the jazzy "Sun," vibrant "Soundtrack For Our Movie" and the intricate "Embers and Envelopes." www.toothandnail.com

Flux A.D. Transatlanticthoughts (Self released) What if Chrissie (The Pretenders) Hynde and Kevin (My Bloody Valentine) Shields collaborated on a melodic rock 'n' roll project? Would the result sound something like this promising album by Flux A.D. Maybe. Moments of joy ("Snapshot"), introspection ("Feels Like Rain"), abandon ("Sea of Sound") and fragility ("Afterglow") litter this dazzling release. More than meets the eye, this brilliant example of middle ground between space rock and power pop is one to take note of. www.fluxad.com

A Northern Chorus Spirit Flags (Sonic Unyon) Flux A.D.'s vocalist Julie McDonald plays flute and sings in this Southern Ontario group which occupies pretty much the same space-rock continuum as the former. A Northern Chorus is a little more "out there" in terms of arrangements and song writing as they embark on frequent journeys (um…trips) for the heart of the sun. Baroque psych-rock that will appeal to followers of Swervedriver and Slowdive, albeit with a greater rustic flavour. www.sonicunyon.com

Hope that helps to make sense of the torrent of new releases that will no doubt continue unabated as we crawl inexorably towards another end of the year list. Sooner than you think… adieu.

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