By David Kenney
"At least you know, you were taken by a pro," Aimee Mann sings in "Driving Sideways." Not only does she take you, but she spoon feeds you delicious melodies and soul-quenching lyrics on Bachelor #2. The former ‘Til Tuesday vocalist winds her melodramatic vocals around seemingly harmless songs that bore beneath the skin to hurt… Continue reading Bachelor #2
By Justin Lee
While Q-Tip choose to go the jiggy route on last year’s Amplified, the original five-footer from the now-defunct A Tribe Called Quest unleashes a debut that is nothing short of pure, untainted hip hop. Ventilation reveals Phife Diggy at his full-potential, as opposed to his more subdued performances back in the days of Tribe. With… Continue reading Ventilation
By Mike Carron
It’s been over a decade since groups like De La Soul and A Tribe Called Quest brought hip hop to the forefront of the music scene. Black Eyed Peas are here to show that it still isn’t dead. This year has seen a crossover of hip hop music with groups like Jurassic 5 thrilling the… Continue reading Bridging the Gap
By Fred Vokey
If a Beverly Hills 90210 episode were set at the Calgary Stampede (maybe Luke insists on plugging the DVD release of his seminal 8 Seconds) and they go to a bar for the inevitable romantic conflict montage, John Ford would be the band playing. Basically, it’s radio-friendly, alt. country music played by a band whose… Continue reading Self-Titled
By Jason Carnew
If you enjoy the electronica scene and you don’t know about Junior Vasquez, then you should. He has been around since time began and is gracing Twilo’s first CD release. The first of two CD’s is an amazing cross-genre mix of just about everything. The album starts with Samba/Italian house beats and moves with great… Continue reading What Is My Name
By Ken Clarke
Tony Levin has a reputation for being one of the hottest bass players in the business, and deservedly so. Having been a long-time member of King Crimson and Peter Gabriel’s band, he’s also recorded with the California Guitar Trio and John Lennon, to name a few of the diverse artists who have sought out his… Continue reading Waters of Eden
By Paul Margach
Poor Valentina Tereshkova. Despite being the first woman in space, she remains even more obscure than Laika, the first canine to orbit the Earth. Vostok 6 deftly combines folk music with ’70s synth-pop in order to tell her extraordinary tale. The dark overtones of Pink Floyd’s Meddle and David Bowie’s Low resonate and the chill… Continue reading Vostok 6
Some may hear Paul Simon’s You’re the One and be disappointed by its slightly languid manner. But those truly devoted to Simon will not compare this album with his past ventures, such as the 10-year-old The Rhythm of the Saints. The fact is, it’s still Simon, just older and at a different stage in his… Continue reading You’re The One
By Mike Carron
Sorry girls and boys of clubland, this CD won’t make you juicy or beaty. Like so many other club hit albums that have come before it, Juicy Beats is unable to transfer the energy of the dance floor to the home stereo. After five tracks, the mix becomes monotonous and repetitive. Juicy Beats is a… Continue reading Juicy Beats Volume 3
Derived from a Rage Against the Machine-type mold, Downshift shouts out over grinding and distorted electric guitars. Above the simple bass lines, the lyrics bounce off each chord and fly in the opposite direction. The use of simplicity and repetition only results in a lack of variation in their six songs. Downshift is made up… Continue reading Semi-Automatic