Hero worship is a part of music. Every artist can rattle off a list of names they admire in the music industry, all influential on their music. And sometimes just listening to a band’s music, you can write a pretty accurate list in your head. Vancouver’s Minto is one of these bands. From the first guitar notes on opener “New Bones,” Neil Young (specifically plugged-in Neil Young) jumps out and basically writes the list for you. These guys love Neil, and to be honest, who can blame them? Neil Young can rock a guitar, and these guys are definitely out to rock, and with guitars! This is not to say that all you will hear are Neil Young influences on this album. Strong influences aside, these nice Canadian boys and girls are here to rock your face, or whatever other parts you’re willing to have rocked. They manage to keep the songs tight—at no point did I ever feel bored. They never manage to reach the point of head-banging rocking out like Neil can, but they’ve managed to collect here a set of songs which show definite promise. The band has their heads and hearts in the right place, but the songwriting still feels a touch derivative. Steve Albini engineered this album, and his distinctive engineering (NOT production) is present, and it sounds good. But not an interview with the band has been written that hasn’t been mostly focused on the man, and his name appears more than any other on the album. It’s actually the only reason I grabbed this album in the first place. It’s working, Minto! This is a band loaded with potential, but still has yet to find their sound. To be frank, most of this album just makes me want to go listen to the electric version of “Hey Hey, My My” more than anything, but worth a listen if you dig some solid Youngian rock ’n’ roll. (Minto Music Group, www.mintomusic.com) David Nowacki
Review: Makeout Videotape – Heat Wave/Eating Like a Kid
“Slush Puppy Love,” the first track from Makeout Videotape’s Heat Wave, is nothing short of a smack in the face of youth and enthusiasm when the chords ring in, pushing needles into the red. It’s distorted to shit because it’s recorded poorly on a laptop, but for one guitar, one floor tom and one snare drum, these two releases are quite the beachside party. Mac DeMarco’s voice goes between half-talking-half-singing and falsetto ‘Oohs’ while he’s mostly singing about young love. “You’re what I want/come surround me,” he sings on “Basketball Kids.” On Eating Like a Kid, released not even a year later, DeMarco’s expanding his vocal and song writing ranges—he goes from the surf pop of “Swim Dream” to the ’60s doo-wop of “Deborah” to the sober indie pop of “Because I’m a Boy” on which he sounds almost like one of the dudes from Grizzly Bear. He’s going in so many directions and, hell, even the recordings sound cleaner. Eating Like a Kid is going on my year-end list. That is, unless Makeout Videotape makes another two or three recordings this year. (Unfamiliar, www.areyoufamiliar.com) Taylor Benjamin Burgess
Review: Sarah MacDougall – Across the Atlantic
Canadian musical talent has always been varied, but it is rare that you come across an artist who is as unique as Sarah MacDougall. This Swedish/Canadian artist has a sound that is all her own, and has a spectrum of depth that differentiates her from your average small-name artist. This happens to be her second time taking a swing at making an album and the product, I must say, is very impressive. Her beautiful songbird vocals, mixed in with some compelling instrumentation, make a truly excellent CD. The tracks range from deep and moving ballads that evoke images of the great Atlantic Ocean and coast towns, to odd and off-beat songs that are reminiscent of the great Tom Waits. The title track “Across the Atlantic” is a stirring song about returning home after being away for so long and being reunited with friends and family while “Hundred Dollar Bills” is a very different tune with quirky, interesting lyrics and gratuitous use of the tuba. Sarah MacDougall is a brilliant artist and anyone who holds any love for indie Canadian artists in their hearts should seriously consider picking this one up—it has my highest recommendation. Miss MacDougall should be very pleased with what she has created here, because I truly enjoyed it immensely. (Copperspine Records, www.copperspinerecords.com) Holden Bunko
Review: Lightspeed Champion – Life is Sweet! Nice to Meet You
With his second album, New York-residing Brit Devonté Hynes (a.k.a. Lightspeed Champion) has shed the folk-infused acoustic guitar of his debut, Falling Off the Lavender Bridge, for classical pianos, electric guitar, ’70s synth and musical theatre. Straying from what would have been the safest road, Hynes refrained from releasing another “Tell Me What It’s Worth” or “Midnight Surprise” and attempted to create something exceptional. The result isn’t perfect but it’s different without losing the pop sensibilities that will, hopefully, make Lightspeed Champion stand out from every other band that received some sort of attention in 2009 from North America’s ostentatious yet high-consuming indie crowd. There is a looming aura of pretension when relatively underachieving pop musicians include “intermissions” on their album, but there is no denying that the short piano breaks progress the music inconspicuously. Maybe it was the influence of producer Ben Allen (Animal Collective, Gnarls Barkley) or maybe Hynes is finding his place within the music world. Either way, Lightspeed Champion’s sophomore release offers a pleasant surprise to wary listeners. (Domino, www.dominorecords.us) Cindy Doyle
Review: Kate Rogers Band – Beauregard
Have you been looking for a lazy day album? You know, the kind you play on a rainy (or snowy) day, when you just feel like relaxing and letting the world slip by? Then, oh boy, do I have the album for you. Ontario-born Kate Rogers is on her A-game here in her third album titled Beauregard. One part Feist, one part off-beat folk, this indie-pop songstress recently broke off from her UK label Grand Central Records to set off on her own. This seems to have worked to her advantage, since this is the best album she has recorded to date. Every track is rocked by her powerhouse vocals, while the melodies bounce back and forth between the realms of light jazz and bluesy folk. This is also the first time she has recorded an album under the name Kate Rogers Band, and her band makes all the difference. Her guitarists, Matt Bannister and David Dunlap, manage to accompany her voice almost perfectly for a very soothing effect. Plus, no two tracks sound alike. From the odd organ riffs of “Silent Movie” to the beautiful keyboards on “WowBox.” I’d recommend this CD to anyone who has a lasting love of the likes of Feist, or anyone who just needs a little time to chill out after exams. Either way, I’m extremely happy to see Miss Rogers returning to Canada to give us a wonderful album, and the chance to further enjoy her talents. (Independent, www.katerogers.net) Holden Bunko
Review: Jookabox – Dead Zone Boys
David Adamson, who went by Grampall Jookabox on 2008’s messy but promising Ropechain, has made some changes since his last outing. This time around things are consistently darker, percussive and industrial. Of course, Adamson’s sound is still hard to pin down. He dabbles in hip hop, folk and electronica, kind of like Beck with more backbone and a shorter attention span. And although his songs have more coherence on Dead Zone Boys, he’s still as unpredictable and spastic as he was on Ropechain. Jookabox offers a more cinematic approach: instead of a random smattering of ideas, what we have here is a low budget horror-movie soundtrack. Dead Zone Boys starts strong. The bombastic “Phantom Don’t Go” and its doppelganger “Don’t Go Phantom” are an appropriately off-kilter beginning for an album devoted to the living dead. But midway through the album the quality of Adamson’s material begins to wane. The flat “Zombie Tear Drops” is uncharacteristically boring, and Adamson is still stuck on Alvin and the Chipmunks-style vocal manipulation for some reason. Jookabox still has a lot of wild, unharnessed energy, but it could be better spent. (Asthmatic Kitty, www.asthmatickitty.com) Jonathan Dyck
Review: Hollerado – Record in a Bag
Hollerado is one of those bands. The kind that you’re never really sure how to feel about—they’re good, but not special. Not quite guilty pleasure material, but their simple, familiar brand of no-frills indie rock leaves quite a bit to be desired. And that’s much of what the Ontario quartet’s debut full-length, Record in a Bag, is: the feeling that these boys could be doing so much more. Each track is undeniably fun, and principle songwriter Menno Versteeg has a knack for writing earworm hooks, catchy refrains, and even the occasional skybound chorus (see lead single “Juliette”). The songs are all high energy and easily digestible, but in the end, quite shallow. Lyrically, things get a little weak, with lines like “Fake drugs make you feel all right” not doing much to help propel the band past their cheery plainness. As far as songwriting is concerned, expect to hear a lot of the same verse-chorus-verse-chorus-breakdown performed on the standard arrangement of two guitars, a bass, and a drum kit. Hollerado does manage to throw one or two curve balls, including a slow-burning organ on “Got to Lose,” but this the exception to the rule and usually only is little more than novelty. It wouldn’t be fair to say that Record in a Bag is undercooked, because it’s not—even despite its completely ordinary nature, it still manages to be cohesive. Rather, Hollerado is underdeveloped as a band. Fun, approachable, but ultimately uninspired and teetering on the edge of forgettable. (Royal Mountain, www.royalmountainrecords.com) Kevan Hannah
Review: Arrington de Dionyso – Malaikat dan Singa
Did Frank Black and Alice Coltrane have a secret lovechild? If they did, they probably named him Arrington de Dionyso. Seriously, Malaikat dan Singa, the third disc from the former front man from Old Time Relijun, is equal parts “Debaser” and “Ptah el Daoud,” bringing together the spastic movements of late ’80s grunge and the disregard for musical form of the outermost avant-garde jazz. The result is a record that is extremely playful, albeit irritating at times. Malaikat features Dionyso performing on a multitude of instruments, along with label-mate Karl Blau on bass and drummer Andrew Dorsett—and while the instrumentation is quite strong throughout the record, it’s Dionyso’s vocals that holds everything together. Sounding like gibberish, the lyrics throughout the record are actually Indonesian translations, sung with a fierceness that is without parallel. This, coupled with song-structures that sound like a hybrid of worldbeat, Albert Ayler, and the weirder moments of the 1980s American underground, Malaikat dan Singa ends up being a most rewarding listen. (K Records, www.krecs.com) Jeff Friesen
Review: Citay – Dream Get Together
Considering how many modern bands lean on synths and digital effects to craft their sound, it’s easy to forget how charming the guitar-rock album can be. Citay are a band that’s been in on this secret for a while now—their first two albums demonstrated a commitment to joyous, fuzzy jams that captured much of the charisma of many 1970s rock acts. Their third album not only continues this trend, it manages to expand upon it considerably. Dream Get Together still puts the guitar in spotlight, but bolsters it atop soaring strings, flutes, and a wall of keyboards. Instrumental flourishes elaborate upon Citay’s sound, pushing their extended rockers into a territory that at once seems epic and effortless. Opener “Careful with That Hat” starts out as a simple and breezy number that quickly transforms itself into a crashing anthem, held together by tight, interlocking instrumentation and some strong vocal harmonies. Characteristic of the album, it manages to be lavish without ever becoming overblown, even as it crosses the seven-minute mark. Citay’s energy and expert songwriting carry them far beyond simple guitar rhythms, and on to a more explosive, daresay Arcade Fire-esque level. And what’s more: they make it sound easy. (Dead Oceans, www.deadoceans.com) Kevan Hannah
Review: Brasstronaut – Mt. Chimaera
So, just to let you know, bands like Vancouver’s Brasstronaut are why we have umbrella terms like “indie.” The guitar isn’t front and centre for most songs—it’s a pretty even blend of guitar, piano, clarinet and trumpet. Yeah, really. They aren’t a jazz band, though the middle of “Lo Hi Hopes” gets pretty Dixieland. The closest thing we could put them beside are Clues or Islands (though they strangely don’t resemble a spec of the Unicorns); they have sometimes quirky, sometimes intimate, and sometimes self-effacing lyrics over overreaching chord progressions, heavy emphasis on acoustic instruments. With a stand up bass too, yet. The thing sounds like it could flip to a cheesy adult-contempo record around any bend, but Edo Van Breemen’s indie rock voice keeps things in check and instead, every song becomes a tiny journey. “Hearts Trompet” becomes a more grandiose ballad with every passing minute; “Slow Knots” ventures into sassy (I almost want to say French touch) territory; “Ravan” walks a tight-rope of tension but plays it smooth by the end. So yeah, it’s recommended if you like indie or that one indie rock band—what was their name again? Oh yeah, Arcade Fire. (Unfamiliar, www.areyoufamiliar.com) Taylor Benjamin Burgess