CD REVIEW Alanis Morissette: Flavours of Entanglement (Maverick)
Review by Jason Daniel Baker Flavours of Entanglement (Maverick) is Ottawa native Alanis Morissette's seventh studio album and the first one which deals with the subject of the inimitable evolving angst of the artist in the productive and mature way that generally comes with easing in to middle-age. There are no really biting revenge songs on this CD but it is hardly the disarming and touching ode to relationship bliss that So-Called Chaos, her 2004 release was. Ms. Morrisette has still taken note of every aching detail of her deteriorating past relationships and recorded them for posterity. This very much seems to include her break-up with actor and fellow Canadian Ryan Reynolds. Earth-shattering successes like Jagged Little Pill (still one of the most influential and commercially successful Canadian musical statements ever) have proven to be rare. Rather than to walk down tried and true paths to attempt to fashion a sequel as some inaccurately have accused her of doing previously she blazed a new trail here collaborating with producer and co-writer Guy Sigsworth (generally known for his previous collaborations with avant- songstress Bjork). I don't really miss the powerful presence
of Glen Ballard (he co-wrote Jagged Little Pill amongst other Morissette
gems) here as I think he had gone as far with Ms. Morrisette as
he could. Yet I do look forward to what he might do next. Certain tracks stand out amongst the eleven: Citizen of the Planet is the lead track, which simply rocks and at times evokes the South Asian/Middle Eastern experimentation by Led Zeppelin best exemplified by their revolutionary tracks Black Mountain Side and Kashmir. Straitjacket may remind the listener of You Oughta Know as much as any track on the album for the simple reason that it features her chewing out an ex-lover punctuated by a bunch of swear words. Versions of Violence raises the issue of domestic abuse. One hopes the track is not autobiographical. Considering Ms. Morrisette has dated such cartoonish men as Ryan Reynolds and Dave Coulier one imagines it must not be. Not As We, the deeply emotional track, could mean any number of things lyrically. It could serve as metaphorical reference to the band members she has gone through or the songwriting partners she has parted ways with. But most will likely take it to be a reference to Ryan Reynolds. She could be talking about all of them. Morrisette has been accused of revealing too much in her past work yet I still find her to have a certain mystery. Those of us who have followed her odyssey have seen her first as the child star of Canadian children's show You Can't Do That on Television and the seventeen year old pop sensation known only by her first name in a video featuring Joey from friends back in 1991. After 1995s Jagged Little Pill she released music which did not quite strike the same chord and branched out acting in a couple of films (her scene in Reynolds' "Just Friends" hit the cutting room floor and is featured in the deleted scenes portion of the DVD version). The depth expressed lyrically and in the way she sells a song live suggests that we can look all we like but we'll never see all of her. Now, a dozen years after Jagged Little Pill she shows with Flavours of Entanglement that she has survived her own success and is charting a new musical destiny. The clamour of the music industry which seemingly demanded carbon copies of her breakout release has died down and she can make records the way she wants. From a technical standpoint it happens to be better music than that for which she is best known. She may have to be satisfied with less airplay and fewer units sold. _______________________________________________________________ FEATURE BAND - MYSPACE TENTH PLANET
This band was formed originally in 1998 with the direction of Brian Paul, rock guitarist, a native of Toronto's far west, after having been involved with many musical projects and who had released five albums under various monikers prior to meeting Martin Ouellette. Ouellette had sung with symphonies and bar bands and had worked in both acting and writing. Varied name and personnel changes were shortly to follow. In 2000, this duo became a triumvirate with the addition of Nic Vurro, another Toronto native, this time from the far east, and another veteran of the local rock scene as both a lead guitarist and as a bass player; he had also written and recorded soundtrack material for several films. Traditionally-trained drummer Glenn Neath landed shortly afterwards. Neath, who is also from eastern Toronto, played in a slew of bands throughout the mega-city before finally joining forces with Tenth Planet in 2002. Tenth Planet have currently completed their first full-length, yet untitled album with Ex-Tea Party Frontman Jeff Martin. Two weeks this past Spring were spent with Martin at Toronto's Orange Lounge Studios. Martin, who recorded the band's last critically acclaimed EP, The Prophet Curse, takes full production credits on the new album, as well as co-writing the first release from the album "Line in the Sand." From personal experience, to hear this band live is something you won't forget. I attended their show at The Bovine recently and it was nothing short of mesmerizing. The originality of their music, energy, lyrics and melody mixed with dark rock was brilliant. There was an underlying current of electricity to their music and I envisioned much larger venues in the future. Oulette's vocals are powerhouse and blew me away, his range versatile, softer when required, but also able to light The Bovine on fire with bright surges of emotional intensity and energy. Weeks later, their performance and songs still resonate within me. This band is going places fast, please check them out today if you have a chance at http://www.myspace.com/songsofthetenthplanet Mary-Elizabeth Gilbert _______________________________________________________________ FEATURE - REVIEW FOR NXNE
Photo Taken on Queen Street 1980 What better way to end NXNE festivities than to go to Sneaky Dee's to watch and meet a band who's musical past all started out in Toronto over 30 years ago - I caught up with THE DIODES, the Rock, Punk, Power-pop band that dominated the Toronto scene in the late 1970's. This year we celebrate the 30th anniversary of the birth of The Canadian punk scene, The Crash & Burn Club and the release of The Diodes first album on CBS records. When punk first broke in 1976, The Diodes (Paul Robinson, John Catto, Ian Mackay, John Hamilton and, later, Michael Lengyell) were at the front line of a wave that included The Ramones, Dead Boys, Talking Heads, Sex Pistols, The Clash and Generation X. Arriving at Sneaky Dees there was a long line up of people, a mixture of generations, many of whom had seen or known the band when it originated back in the mid 1970's. You could hear comments like "The first band I ever saw in a club was The Diodes. I was 17 years old.", "I saw them at Dundas Square earlier today and they were able to show all the other bands how it was done." "Filled with energy at Dundas Square, I videotaped the whole thing" "I can't wait to hear Tired of Waking Up Tired" "It didn't matter what else I had to do today, seeing The Diodes tonight was just something I had to do." Listening to such classics like, "Headache", "Red Rubber Ball", "Photographs from Mars" and "Tired of Waking up Tired", the atmosphere within Sneaky Dees was infused with electricity, high energy, anticipation and nostalgic memories for most, which included the band members, not having played a venue since the 1980's here in Toronto. You could certainly understand after attending Sneaky Dee's on the final night of NXNE, why bringing forth their brand of original punk/alternative/rock music, The Diodes set the tone for many existing Toronto and Canadian bands today. Here is their MySpace. Mary-Elizabeth
Gilbert _______________________________________________________________ FEATURE BAND - MYSPACE STEALING SUNDAY
This band was formed in 2007 and is from Vancouver, Canada. Their song Falling to Pieces is just one of their songs showcased on their profile. Stealing Sunday is the latest project of Mark Watson, a singer/songwriter. He is joined by Phil Zadera on guitars/bass, and Kevin "KK" Bosch (Faces of Eve, Todd Kerns Band), who had recently returned to the west coast from Toronto on guitars/bass. The three then recorded three tracks with the help of Forty Foot Echo drummer Dayvid Swart. Starting out as a solo project, Stealing Sunday’s momentum as a band was catapulted when singer/songwriter and producer Murray Yates of Forty Foot Echo fame jumped on board to collaborate and co-produce the first collection of songs in Watson's vast library of material. Stealing Sunday are currently preparing to go on tour this spring, which will also include a stop in Toronto. Please check their MySpace out and add this band as one of your friends. Considering this band is only a few months old, they are most certainly a band to watch out for in coming months. They don't have to "steal" anything in my books, as soon as I heard them, I loved them. Mary-Elizabeth Gilbert * It is with sadness to report that as of January 2008 this band has broken up. We wish them the best of luck with everything, we lost a very talented band but hope to hear the band members in future projects. _______________________________________________________________ FEATURE - INDIECAN MUSIC
THE TORONTO INDIE SCENE Radio Show is Recognized February 16th there was only one place for an indie fan to be in all of Toronto – www. indiecan.com was celebrating the 1st birthday of their rogue internet radio show THE TORONTO INDIE SCENE. 400 listeners downloaded the first episode in February 2006, which featured the Ryan Luchuck Band live at IndieCan’s studio and producer Moe Berg was Episode 1's Industry Insider. Later in 2006, Moe and his band mates from The Pursuit of Happiness were inducted into the Indie Hall of Fame for their hat trick of two gold and one platinum LP. Since then, listeners have grown to over 16,000 weekly. Fans, bands and insiders that enjoy this same format each week - a "Live at IndieCan" set and interview from a feature band, news, reviews and tunes from coast-to-coast and then the show closes with a chat More and more college/community radio stations are picking up the show as part of their programming. From www.indiecan.com, the whole world is listening. “Frankly I was shocked." says IndieCan founder Joe Chisholm, "Every month there are more people visiting the site from outside of Canada than domestically. I have no way of promoting or communicating to these listeners, but the music we take for granted at home, seems to have a huge and loyal fan base, world-wide." IndieCan music hits the road when it gets restless. So far IndieCan Radio has broadcasted their three-part format from Montreal, Vancouver and Toronto. Halifax and Ottawa are on the map for early in 2007 too. "There are so many great hot-beds of indie music in The night was devoted to raising awareness and money for AthletesCAN who champions the interests of Canadian amateur athletes. IndieCan Cares is an initiative to remind artists that we aren't the only demographic with struggles and needs and if we can use our music to help others, why wouldn't we. Jeff Healey's Roadhouse was crowded with athletes, fans, artists and insiders who were treated to a line up, which kicked off with a screening of WHAT IS INDIE? - produced and directed by Canadian indie artist Dave After a few words from Joe Chisholm and AthletesCAN's Trevio Betty, Toronto's Tin Bangs and Tacoma Redd, plus London's Indie Rock Band of the Year, Anti-Hero took the stage. "IndieCan has always been so supportive of us" says Rose Perry, Anti-Hero lead singer. "It's an honor to be included in this line up. With commercial radio taking a pass on underground music, in just one year IndieCan has created a whole community for bands and fans to hook up. If commercial radio loses listeners because of it, great - they deserve it." For more information on IndieCan or for the 35 hours of archived shows, go to www.indiecan.com Congratulations to IndieCan for its 1st birthday and everyone involved, but a special “thank you” goes out to Joe Chisholm, Host of IndieCan. Without Joe Chisholm’s vision, passion for music, generosity and continuous hard work within the music industry, IndieCan would not exist. To meet Joe Chisholm is to meet one of the most respectable, giving, down-to-earth people in the music industry you could know, its no wonder IndieCan is a show that has been greeted with such success. This will only continue with Joe at the helm. Please go to www.indiecan.com for a “quality” show you don’t want to miss. Mary-Elizabeth Gilbert REVIEW – JOSHUA BARTHOLOMEW
I met and saw Joshua Bartholomew with a friend of mine, Louise. I had "met" Joshua online through MySpace, but watching him perform is an entirely different experience. What a wonderful musician he is and as his fans already know his road is paved all the way to success, its just a matter of time and his climb has just begun. Joshua's music can attract a fan base of any age range. I may be a little older than Joshua, but I have become a huge fan of his music already, his noticeably wide vocal range and his ability to put the music together HIMSELF is extremely impressive to say the least. Listening to Joshua one can understand his ability to reach a versatile audience. He engages and mixes his shows up with a variety of music for his listeners, from his songs "Tumbling Down", "Fear of Trying", "What Happened To Our Love", "Don't Go Away" and his newer songs like "The Mirror's Always Right", as well as many others. He will add songs like his own rendition of "The Beatles", "Eleanor Rigby" and to rev things right up will sing "Helter Skelter". Joshua's song "What Happened To Our Love" enjoyed airplay on Toronto's airwaves and one of his newer songs "The Mirror's Always Right" (my personal favourite) went up at 8:00 AM, had close to 50 plays by noon and close to 250 plays by the end of the day and has had much critical acclaim from the U.S. and abroad from music professionals and listeners everywhere. Joshua Bartholomew is an extremely talented musician in every way, but he is also a genuinely nice guy that reaches out and appreciates all his fans, including playing songs for fans celebrating birthdays and taking time after his shows to speak to his fans. He is also a perfectionist, wanting everything to sound just right, writes lyrics based on his own personal experiences so that he can relate to them as well as his audience and has a wicked sense of humour. Joshua Bartholomew is the whole package of musical talent and all around great guy so Josh if you are reading this, you have the "IT" factor that it takes to become a huge success and your fans already know it, including this one! Off I go to listen to Josh's CD so I can listen to more of his music than is showcased on MySpace. I wish "The Mirror's Always Right" was on it, but that's okay, because I will be lining up anxiously for the next CD he puts out with that song on it. Always leave your audience wanting more and Joshua Bartholomew does just that. Do yourself a favour, if you don't have Josh's first CD already, BUY IT, its worth it... You can visit him at www.joshuabartholomew.com or www.myspace.com/joshuabartholomew Mary-Elizabeth Gilbert ................................................................................................................................................................. CD REVIEWS
If you could ever pitcure Rye Cooder, The White Stripes and The Cowboy Junkies getting together musically you might conjure up a picture that is Vacouver's female alt/blues duo The Pack. Not since Greg Keelor's solo effort 7 Songs For Jim have I heard such emotionaly packed music. The songs that really stand out are the slower emotional numbers such as track 1 Got and Track 4 Bang, both songs take you to that sombre place in your mind that is usually reserved for crying and feeling down, but it's the dirty job that they do oh so well. On the other end of the sound spectrum The Pack
can slam it down hard and this is displayed on tracks 2, 3 and 5
where they come at us like a hillbilly version of the White Stripes.
The Pack's softmore effort due is destined to turn some heads in
the music biz. The Rails - This is How She Goes
This Toronto band is cool, innovative, raw and are not trying to be something they're not. The whole package works, the CD cover looks like something from a mid 70's rock band and what you get on the inside is a great mix of tubular guitars, sweet keys and an intelligent melding of 70's, 80 and modern sounds. The Rails are not political, they are more like the spokespersons for indie bands with tunes like Sound Check and Promoters Tango which details the trials and tribulations of life as indie artists. The icing on the cake is the quirky female vocal by LouLou who really drives the point home in all the songs with her honesty and individuality. The Rails rule dudes. Andre Skinner |
