No, the members of Frog Eyes did not lack foresight when they agreed to subtitle this album “A Triumph.” Recorded live off the floor, Paul’s Tomb is Frog Eyes in complete control of the battlefield. Of course, frontman Carey Mercer (who now splits his time between Frog Eyes and his supergroup, Swan Lake) still struggles through each hard-won war cry, shooting what he calls “contrapuntal sharp blasts or hope” at anyone who dares to listen. The result is what is probably Frog Eyes’ most accessible album to date; and with an opening track (“A Flower in a Glove”) that surpasses nine minutes—not to mention Mercer’s characteristically cryptic lyrics howled at an inhuman pace—it’s really quite a feat. “Rebel Horns” has a thumping bass-driven hook that erupts into unrelenting walls of feedback, while “Violent Psalms” makes wonderful use of new band member Megan Boddy’s serene voice as a foil for Mercer’s affliction. Few fans of Frog Eyes will consider this album an equal to Mercer’s previous work (Folded Palm, anyone?), but Paul’s Tomb: A Triumph is another little victory for one of Canada’s most underrated bands. (Dead Oceans, www.deadoceans.com) Jonathan Dyck
Review: Kaki King – Junior
With such a personal arsenal of talent, Kaki King should succeed. But Junior, her sixth album, is a bit of a disappointment. It’s not terrible, but she’s capable of a better, more focused collection. As songs like “Sloan Shore” and “Spit It Back in My Mouth” demonstrate, King is a gifted songwriter and a truly singular guitarist (after all, there’s a reason she won a Golden Globe for Into the Wild’s original score), but her bland vocals and uninspired lyrics tend to undercut each song that uses them. Inspired by spy novels, her lead single, “The Betrayer,” (which might be the worst song on the album), is an attempt at angular punk that tries to turn the idea of infidelity into one of political intrigue. For all its energy and urgency, “The Betrayer” falls as flat as an opener as the angsty, high school journal entry “Sunnyside” does as a closer. The album’s best moments are those in which King plays to her strengths, and her producer, Malcom Burn, allows those strengths to stand on their own (as they do on “Sloan Shore”). Someone also needs to tell King that the espionage concept is kind of lame. (Rounder, www.rounder.com) Jonathan Dyck
Review: Nice Nice – Extra Wow
Nice Nice, an experimental duo from Portland, Ore., know how to have fun. On their third full-length (and their first for Warp), Nice Nice try to capture the energy of their bombastic live performances, and believe it or not, they actually pull it off. “Set and Setting” sees the band kicking up dust in a slow swell as it readies itself for the massive, driving power of “One Hit.” Somewhere between Battles, Holy Fuck and Animal Collective, Nice Nice have carved out a space for themselves with the unrelenting ambition of Extra Wow. “Big Bounce” is an irresistible dub-infused summer jam that uses what seems like a nursery rhyme melody, while “Make It Gold” sounds like it could be a shoegaze anthem. What’s really surprising about Extra Wow is how full and diverse it sounds. At fifty minutes, the album can get a bit overwhelming and repetitive, but for the most part, Nice Nice have assembled a cohesive collection of material that will get your body moving and may just leave you feeling a bit dizzy. (Warp Records, www.warprecords.com) Jonathan Dyck
Review: Roky Erickson with Okkervil River – True Love Cast Out All Evil
Roger Kynard “Roky” Erickson’s entire life has been like an extended episode of HBO’s Carnevale. Complete with an early life in a rather psychically jarring family setting through to his voluminous drugs intake in the 1960s, proto-garage rock history-making leading to eventual incarceration in a twisted, cuckoo’s nest-like mental institute Erickson is far beyond being lucky to be alive. His formative work with the 13th Floor Elevators has stood the test of time and represents itself admirably to this day. His solo career has been a mish-mash of official releases and questionable bootlegs, all equally varied in musical approach but always full of Roky’s frenzied, at times messianic, musings and even some blistering, spunky, Texas rock and roll. With True Love, Erickson is back in the game with a vengeance, and with the jaw-droppingly feral support of new kids Austin’s Okkervil River he can no longer be labeled a desperate casualty looking to make a feeble comeback for some quick cash. Track for track this album is a stunner. Opening and closing with the sound of Roky, on gloomy acoustic guitar from a recording he made while locked up it’s apparent that this is going to be an interesting listen. The Okkervils add much heft to what can only be termed devastatingly poignant lyrics courtesy of Roky, or whatever being inhabits him presently. He is still the saviour sage in his mind and yet in these troubled times of media and digital communication overload you can almost understand why, for a time, he kept multiple radios and televisions blazing at full volume in his living space. It drowned out the voices in his head and, it seems, the other heinous life crap that Erickson was unfortunately destined to have to filter for the rest of us for some ungodly reason. Roky’s former gauzy reality has cleared of late and his shattered soul lyrical bent has been upturned toward some hopefulness, albeit with an almost childlike bearing. It is within these lyrics that Roky’s personal truth is revealed. The larger meaning is there on tracks like “Good Bye Sweet Dreams,” “Forever” and the stunning “Please Judge.” Okkervil River has apparently been working live with Roky for a while and they have created a respectful and boundary-pushing din that is perfectly suited to Erickson’s troubled personality. Guitars feed back with tight control; strings sluice through lyrical passages and the addition of a brass section makes this a hearty listen that is at once disturbing yet optimistic. At nearly 63, Roky Erickson remains something of a musical and creative wonderment. His weird, disembodied howl reeks of past injustices wrought upon him yet there is a sparkling hopefulness even in his darkest passages. He has come through his demon-filled past to be perfectly in the here and now and with the able support of a group of respectful younger musicians it gives one pause and the sincere hope that this man can yet reach the heights of creative power that were stolen from him all those years ago. (Anti-, www.anti.com) Jeff Monk
Review: Duplex! – Worser
For the little ones with discriminating tastes comes Worser, a clever collection of tunes for budding indie kids and indeed, their parents’ inner children, too. This second album from Vancouverites Duplex! features a wide and varied array of topics, from same-sex divorcees to the origin of species to sweater-wearing canines, served up with a healthy dose of genre-hopping. There’s a twee-pop ode to an older brother, a faux-Rush rocker about the seven noble gasses, a jaunty psychedelic fuzz-pop song about popsicles, a cheery instructional about how to make a sandwich and a bittersweet piano ballad about the changing of the autumn leaves. Plenty of tongue-in-cheek humour and a solid assemblage of musical talent only enhance this little gem of a kids record, resulting in cute, compelling stuff that will manage to engage wandering attention spans without being condescending. Parents will be perfectly pleased and the wee hipsters will eat this up, they’ll love it so. (Mint Records, www.mintrecs.com) Tiff Bartel
Review: The Lonely Vulcans – Night Date
The key influence of the mostly-instrumental band is Santo & Johnny’s “Sleepwalk,” which is, duh, a sleepy number. But that song and this album are far from lullabyes—they’re a real gentle form of rock and roll. But other than tracks which sound like the Lonely Vulcans’ patron saints, there’s much more to get excited about on Night Date than that, like T.J. Blair’s soulful wails on “The Lonely Vulcan” and on “Hymn,” or the group’s London Calling-esque rockabilly on “Western.” Guitarist/ band founder Daniel Pangman has said that he’s more inspired by movies than music, and he’s interested in invoking imagery. In my mind, there’s a handful of songs that evoke images of just laying back under an old Wild West sky sitting by a campfire, moving from one town to the next. All in all, it’s an easygoing disc with some bite. (Transistor 66, www.transistor66.com) Taylor Burgess
Review: Various Artists – Peg City Enterprise Vol. 2
I’ve been hard on rap music in this magazine before. So before I begin this review, I need to make something clear: I do not hate rap music. I appreciate the skill that goes into rap, and the rhymes that many of these artists can come up with are great. I think that one of the reasons I’m hard on rap is because the experiences that rappers have gone through are so far removed from my own that it is hard to relate to. But enough about myself, it is time for me to look at the newest release from Peg Town Entertainment. This CD functions similarly to a mixtape. It contains fifteen tracks from several different artists on the label, including Tha M.I.C, Zkilla, and Ed E Buk. The beats are well-constructed and don’t feel amateurish at all, and the raps are well done too. There are quite a few talented voices in the Winnipeg hip hop scene that haven’t been discovered yet, and this album highlights some of these voices. I would like to hear some solo albums next time from these artists. Definitely give this album a listen. (Peg Town Entertainment, www.pegtownentertainment.com) Charles Lefebvre
Review: Kids on Fire – Kids on Fire
So let me tell you a story of this trio of Winnipeg puck-rock vets who drunkenly decide to make an album before they’re sure if they’re a band or not. The result is a pretty damn good debut of passionate beer-soaked punk-rock recorded right off the floor. While it’s not really groundbreaking, the band never the less are three great local punk-rock performers let loose. Hearing the fully unleashed versions of Steve Hallick (the Crackdown), the rambling vocal screams and guitar jangles of Ian Lodewyks (Subcity) and Leif Gobeil (Vibrating Beds) fierce punk-rock growls on tracks like “Celebration” are something to behold. Now that ’90s sytle SoCal-infused dirty punk rock is dwindling locally, KoF has the opportunity, the passion and the raw power to really capitalize on the sound. Lodewyks’s rambling gravely screams over spastic guitar and punchy basslines sets the stage with the lead off “Shotgun.” Bassist Leif Gobeil’s songs are a faster and fiercer brand of punk-rock with tracks like “White Collar, Fluorescent Lights.” Overall, the real standout track is “Grand Mystifier,” a lighter-hearted punk-rock ’n’ roll number with damn catchy guitar riffs and a great chorus. Hopefully these guys extend their bender and stick it out for another album. (Transistor 66, www.transistor66.com) Kent Davies
Review: Keith and Renée – Detours
Despite being named as musical ambassadors for both Manitoba Homecoming 2010 and Free the Children’s Adopt a Village Program, Keith Macpherson and Renée Lamoureux have still managed to find to put together this polished album. Detours is the fourth full-length record from these homegrown prairie popsters, and it finds them offering up a brand-new assortment of quality folk-rock.The duo take turns on lead vocals and songwriting duties, resulting in an interesting back-and-forth between the two that saves this collection from too much sameness. It also serves to showcase both Lamoureux and Macpherson’s individual strengths. Lamoureux’s impassioned Amanda Marshall-esque vocals contrast nicely with Macpherson’s introspective, at times almost coy, acoustic guitar-infused melodies. Overall, Detours is radio-friendly Can-pop at its best–clean production, hints of alt-country and folk alongside more straightforward pop/rock tracks, only with a humble, down-to-earth approach that is uniquely Winnipeggian. Keith and Renée may no longer be easily amused, but they know how to make a warm and satisfying record that’s a joy to listen to. (Easily Amused Music, www.keithandrenee.com) Tiff Bartel
Review: Canteen Knockout – Broken Down Town
This album is the sort of country that I think anyone can enjoy, given that they’re not a snobby curmudgeon. Tonally, it’s extremely pleasant, with all the trappings of a true country album. What I mean by that is that the family of country these guys belong to lost any common ancestry with Taylor Swift and the like about 40 years ago. They all play instruments (and well!), and the twang isn’t just a superficial wrapping for some cheesy pop music. These fellas country like Hank Williams was still kickin’ around, and do a damn good job of it too. As with most country in this vein, there’s not a whole lot in the way of original songwriting—the songs seem immediately familiar (and I have only a passing knowledge of country music) but it doesn’t detract from the album as long as you don’t expect some sort of futuristic avant-country. Also, I love the lyrics on this album. A single reference to “…feelin’ like a turd” won me over immediately, and if it doesn’t sell you too, I don’t think we should hang out. They have an awesome sense of humour, an excellent sense of musicality, and they’re Canadian to boot. (Weewerk, www.weewerk.com) David Nowacki