January 14, 2004 . ; . ~ 10 Broken Social Scene Let’s not beat around the bush here. In People” is one of the best CDs I have ever owned. It’s difficult to explain why, but I’m going to try any- way. The first BSS song I ever heard was “Stars and Sons.” I heard it at three in the morning during the show whiere they play bands that no-one cares about yet. I was hooked instantly, Guitar-based on top, and subtly key- board-laden underneath, “Stars ahd Sons” is full of the creamy goodness ‘ most bands I listen to lack. Now that I finally have the entire album in my grubby hands, I’ve realised that from the slow and thoughtful instrumental “Capture the Flag” to the driving and action-packed “Almost Crimes” to the Broken Social Scene’s “You Forgot It quiet and banjo-laden “Anthems for a - >> Arts and Crafts 2003 Seventeen Year-Old Girl,” every song on this album is a little piece of art stuck into the middle of one BIG piece of art. Broken Social Scene-has beat- _en a hole through my expectations, and painted a smiley face on the other side. Metaphor, yeah! -Josh Broken Social Scene’s “You forgot it in people’, is, how can I put this?’ Great? No.., Excellerit? No... Ah yes. Fucking magnificent. Actually BSS (can I call them that?) takes the idea of pop music, 4 minute songs and catchy hooks and twists it on it’s musical ear. The production is done in a way that doesn’t make the songs sound too polished, keeping a raw edge to the vocals and arrange- ments. There’s also a dreamily ethere- al quality to many of the sound tex- Sige kok tures. Songs like ‘Stars and Sons’, ‘Anthems for a 17 year-old gir? and Tm still your fag’ benefit immensely from this production aesthetic, without the originality or thought they could have become...normal sounding songs (shudder). I think that is actually- the most innovative thing about BSS is that if ~ performed by any other group their songs could have quickly become nor- mal, slightly generic pop songs, but the creativity and vision of the artists in the group makes it special. I’m not saying the music itself isn’t anything special... it is, What I’m saying is that what makes this disc so great is the total package. Music + production + aesthetics = so good! Highly recommended. -Kathleen The Coral: Magic and Medicine >> 2003 Deltasonic kkk British music that makes its way to North America is generally quite good. It would have to be, other- wise, no one would ever agree to pay the ridiculous amounts of money required to ship CDs from the UK. The Coral, one of the most recent bands to join the import list, are no exception. Their debut album “Magic and Medicine” is completely unlike anything to be found amongst contemporary North American releases. The Coral has made the attempt to produce music that they like to make, and the result is some- thing that is original and entertaining, all at the same time. “Magic and Medicine” is one of the most retro albums that anyone is likely to have the pleasure of experiencing this year. There is a prevalent sixties/seventies sound throughout the album, which ‘is consistent across the different musical styles that the band has chosen to showcase. The songs range from organ-infused love ballads, to old-school coun- try tunes. All of the multitude of different instru- ments utilized on this album are well played, the melodies are interesting, and the vocals are incredi- ble. The decision to use outdated equipment, like organs, gives an authentic feel to the album. “Magic and Medicine” is proof that a band doesn’t necd out- dated recording equipment to sound retro. -Dana rt Nae 2 The Devlins: Consent >> Nettwerk 2002 kkk It’s been almost two years since the Devlins’ last album, “Waiting.” What took them so long? They toured for a year and a half before deciding to put together another album. Then they moved to an old -country house in Kinsdale, Country Cork, and built their own recording studio there. Then they put together an album of reflective, self-assured music, which pushes their musical boundaries without losing their fundamental ‘strengths and style. Having never heard the Devlins before (I say that about a lot of bands, now that I think about it), I had no idea what to expect. Right from the get-go I was impressed with the overall. sound of the Devlins’...err...sound. Iam somewhat lacking in sym- phonic acoustic albums (especially slow ones), since often enough they turn into repetition-fests, where- upon the artist sings somcthing and hits the “repeat” button until they have filled an entire CD. “Consent” solves this problem by...wait for it..NOT BEING REPETITIVE. Final word: me am like album. Wee! - Josh Gob: Foot in Mouth Disease >> Nettwerk 2003 Keke “Foot in Mouth Disease” is Geb’s fifth full-length release to date, and it demonstrates a huge difference between the band that Gob was and the band that Gob has become. Gone is the rough, angsty sound that characterized Gob’s earlier work. Instead, we have the polished. well-produced compilation that is “Foot in Mouth Disease”. Gob’s latest album has a distinct pop sound to it that was not evident in days of yore. Whether this is good or bad can be left to fans to decide. The album is good for what it is, a fun pop-punk romp full of catchy guitar riffs and catch-phrase lyrics, but there will always be the malcontents who long for the good old days, when punk music was enjoyed by a select few. while Gob’s roots as a hard-hitting high-energy act are still noticeable, their latest release is a lot soft- er than their earlier works. If you want a good exam- ple of modern punk that the masses will enjoy, “Foot in Mouth Disease” is quite a bit better than most of the “punk” bands that Much Music is trying to sell to the public. - Dana