Mini-Reviews

Another attempt to keep up with the constant stream of new releases on a daily basis has failed miserably. Once again, I must clear off space from my hard drive and take a quick stab at a bunch of new (and some a little bit old) releases that have been taunting me.

Brian Eno

Small Craft On A Milk Sea
Rating: Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It

Art rock and ambient music pioneer and renowned producer Brian Eno releases his first new album of solo material in over 5 years on the latest release Small Craft On A Milk Sea. The pieces flow in one of two discernible styles: ambient pieces which recall his most well known 70s work, or densely programmed, almost tribal like electronic tracks. The album suffers from a lack of fluidity from one track to the next, and the ambient pieces really bring nothing much to the table. Where the album succeeds is largely from the more programmed tracks, which skitter and scrape and create an almost unbearable tension. If the album had been sequenced more in that vein, it would have been a greater success.

Glasser
Ring
Rating: Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It

Working in an intimate style that recalls strong, quasi-mystical female artists such as Bat for Lashes, Fever Ray, Zola Jesus, and Florence and the Machine, Cameron Mesirow who performs under the moniker Glasser brings forth an excellent debut. While it is thin on originality, she owns the songs, which have delicate drum programming, odd, Asian-influenced percussion, swirling strings and keyboards, and her gorgeous, flexible voice, bringing forth a truly beautiful vision. Really looking forward to what she does in the future.

Killing Joke
Absolute Dissent
Rating: Meh

First album in 28 years from the original lineup of 80s punk and post-punk stalwarts Killing Joke is almost a relentlessly dour affair. The first half of the album is a murky slog with lengthy tracks pummelling the listener with a mostly monotone pallet of industrial strength drum beats, guttural vocals, and metal guitar. Finally towards the end of the cd, they relinquish their grip and let some texture and contrast seep into the murk with tracks like "The Raven King," "Honour The Fire," and the almost reggae-like "Ghost of Ladbroke Grove." Had Absolute Dissent strove for more balance, the impact of the songs would have been stronger. As it is, the grey pallor that haunts the album sinks it.

Owen Pallett
Heartland
Rating: Woof Daddy

I had no idea what to expect from Owen Pallett before I saw him open for The National a couple of weeks ago. Based on his name, I guess I thought he would be another acoustic, singer-songwriter that I would most likely sleep through. Imagine my surprise when a very slight, almost fey, Canadian gay man sauntered on stage with a violin and stood in front of keyboard and bevy of loop pedals and proceeded to create his songs step by step with only the loop pedals. It was an amazing experience. I immediately bought Heartland, and have been completely awestruck as to how he recreated his intricate and densely layered songs in a live setting. Heartland is ostensibly a concept record about an ultra-violent farmer named Lewis, who is overseen by a godlike narrator named Owen. According to Pallett, the songs are one-sided dialogues with Lewis speaking to his creator. You don't need to understand or even follow this premise to enjoy the record which is almost filled to bursting with creativity and originality. The songs are almost Disney-like in their melodic beauty, but tempered with a more adult, and cynical bent. It is a brilliant record, and I can't recommend it highly enough.



Rating Guide

Chilfos: masterpiece; coolest thing I've heard in ages.

Woof Daddy: excellent; just a hair away from being a masterpiece.

Grrrr: very good; will definitely be considered for my top albums of the year.

Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It: good; definitely invites further listens and peaks one's interest for more material.

Meh: not horrible, but certainly not great; could have either been trimmed or polished.

Jeez Lady: what the hell happened? Just plain bad. They should hang their heads in shame and be forced to listen to Lady Gaga ad nauseam as penance.

Tragicistani: so bad, armed villagers with pitchforks and torches should run the artist out of the country for inflicting this abomination on the human race.