Ryans Joel Plaskett Review

I, I, I really, really, really liked, liked, liked this, this, this album, album, album.

Sorry, I just had to get that out of my system.

Three, as the song says, is a magical number, and it's clear that Joel Plaskett agrees with that - after all, he's crafted an entire album here around the idea of the number three – three discs, with nine songs (or three sets of three) on each disc, for a total of twenty-seven (or three to the power of three) songs on the entire album. Additionally, the majority of the song titles on the album feature a single word repeated three times (such as Deny, Deny, Deny and Precious, Precious, Precious). There are also a bunch of references throughout the lyrics to the number three.

Three's a powerful number, too, in a lot of ways – look at enough material in areas as diverse as visual art, psychology, philosophy, literary theory, or linguistics and you see the number three pop up in all sorts of places. So it's definitely fair ground for Plaskett to explore in and album, although he does explore it more from the perspective of “let's use this to help me tell the story I want to tell here.”

And tell it he does. Over his last couple of albums, Plaskett has been building up a reputation for himself as one of Canada's leading songwriters, and this album is a perfect showcase of where that reputation's been coming from. Halifax has long been known as a focal point for accessible, fun indie pop-rock music, and Three definitely keeps that tradition alive. It's a traditional record in other ways as well, blending elements of folk and Maritime music in with the more rocking elements. It's done in an almost seamless manner, and you don't really think of it as a combination of different genres, but just as its own organic thing. The same is true for Plaskett's use of additional vocalists throughout the record – they're not voices you'd usually here on a Joel Plaskett record, but they sound like they completely belong there, and you get the feeling you'd really miss them if they weren't there.

Lyrically, the album is really strong as well. Songs of love and abandon are often best told through metaphor, and Plaskett shows a strong command of that throughout the album, admitting things like “I was the Berlin wall, and you were a wrecking ball in a summer dress.” It doesn't come across like it's trying to be Important, and states itself simply, but in doing so manages to really strike the listener.

If there's any limitations to the album, it's that Plaskett is a little too committed to his central motif. There's enough good tracks on Three to make an absolutely flawless double album, but to keep the theme of threes going, However, it feels like there's a couple of songs on there that would have been better as B-sides (like Pine, Pine, Pine and the epically long On, On, On). I can't help but notice that the songs I thought were extraneous also happened to be among the ones that followed the triple naming structure. But take those few songs out and you're got two discs of practically perfect pop-rock, and what's not to like about that?

Dave's Joel Plaskett Review

I really like this album because it doesn’t sound like Joel Plaskett should sound. It sound like Joel Plaskett wants to sound. Not that I’m a mind reader or anything and know what Joel Plaskett wants from his creative life (or life in general) but listening to this album is satisfying. Therefore I can also imagine the process of making was satisfying for Joel and everyone he included in the process.

“Three” is not my favourite Joel Plaskett album, but it is a good album. The concept, as far as I understand it, is everything in 3s. Song titles are often referred to in triplicate ( “Pine, Pine, Pine”, “Wait, Wait, Wait”) and choruses often repeat phrasing in triplicate. You have to admire an artist who sticks to the concept that they are working within. Jack White is a master of this. Joel Plaskett is learning to master this. His album’s concept is there on paper and I can imagine it works even better as a physical entity – you know with actual three discs broken out and divided and organized for listeners. But I don’t consume music like this anymore – I buy it digitally (and I am purchasing all these albums), therefore everything runs together and there seems to be no organization of it for me, except lyrically, or musically. Which begs the question, does the idea of concept album have to change based on delivery method in digital consumer era? I don’t think that is a debate for this space, but get in touch with your thoughts.

As for the songs on this record – they are great. They cover arcs of a bigger story, and all of them illustrate Joel’s evolution to the being crowned a “great Canadian Songwriter”. A place where he seemed destined to end up for fans that have been wooed by his magic arrangements before. What’s stands out for me personally on this album is that there are no crazy runaway hits like Joel would deliver before on albums. There is simply a consistent tone and vibe, Joel doesn’t rush us, his listener, to the point, he wants you to enjoy the journey, and he purposely crafts the album to make it worth the listen.

This album through and through feels Canadian. It has a twangy country vibe that we so proudly incorporate anywhere we can, he uses female collaborations to soften up storylines and add perspective – always nice touch. Of course he plugs in a turns up throughout the album. Listening and listening again, this record would be the first one I would throw on for a road trip to a rural town I’ve never heard of an most likely will never visit again.

As for the big Prize, I feel this one is the most accessible album we’ve run across so far, but if Joel’s going to win it, I think he has a better record in him that could take it.

Gary's Joel Plaskett Review

Concept albums are just about the riskiest thing a musician can attempt. The musical landscape is littered with failures from some of the biggest musical acts of all time who - like Icarus - have succumbed to their hubris and flown too high. This is followed closely by the second hardest feat in music: The multiple disc format (a double or triple album). To attempt both would be the sort of doublebarreled ego-stroke you would expect from the likes of Kiss or U2. But from a humble Nova Scotian by the name of Joel Plaskett? Hardly.

And yet, here we are discussing Three, his multi-disc narrative of leaving, feeling alone, and finally coming back. It is ambitious, clever and at times thought provoking but the material is rarely as epic as the undertaking itself.

First some background. I've been a big Plaskett fan dating back to Thrush Hermit, and his other two solo albums and of course his work as Joel Plaskett Emergency. I think he's one of the perennial Canadian song writers and deserves any and all recognition he gets. But if he was going to be acknowledged for a Polaris Prize it would have made a whole lot more sense to honour his last album - Ashtray Rock (an extremely well executed concept album).

Why? Because this album - while good - is not Plaskett at his best. Sure there are flashes of his story telling, the amazing way he can turn a phrase or his genre busting style. But the truth is, he suffers the same fate so many other musicians did before him trying to churn out multi-disc albums...he just runs out of steam.

The length also makes it a tough album to review...but that's what you're here to read, so I'll oblige. First off, there are no direct miss steps that I can point to. The songs are solid for the most part, save for a few that are either long winded or just not memorable. Songs like Through & Through & Through are good ol' Plaskett doing what he does best. Wishful Thinking is the drowsy blues you've heard before and On & On & On (noticing a theme?) is Canadian folk greatness (big shoutout to Ana Egge and Rose Cousins who feature prominently on Three). But that's only three songs off a 27 song album...yes, 27 songs.

The other sticking point for me is that as Plaskett has aged so has his music. In his aforementioned Thrush Hermit days it felt like the music was barely being held together, at any moment ready to fly apart. Thrush Hermit sounded like four guys trying to break a song - pushing it to it's very limits and forcing it to submit. Now the songs are tidy, rehearsed and fit together properly. Granted, this is to be expected as a musician matures and gains more control of his craft, but it feels like there's a sense of restraint and belts being tightened here. Don't get me wrong, I'm not one of these stagnant fans who assumes his favourite bands will forever produce the music that made them famous, but there is something oddly discomforting watching them age in front of you.

This sounds like a bad review, and that's not altogether true. This is not a bad album by any stretch, but being familiar with his previous work I'm just not sold that his has the same relevance or impact as his last two offerings. Plaskett should definitely be commended for his efforts here. He's tried and nearly achieved what very few other rock luminaries would never attempt for fear of falling flat on their face. Plaskett never falls down, but he doesn't quite knock it out of the park either - more like a triple.

Album #7 - Joel Plaskett

Artist: Joel Plaskett

Album: Three

From: Halifax, Nova Scotia

Dave's K'Naan Review

From the first needle drop on the “Troubadour” it's clear what K’Naan's intentions are - infuse. So he does. He infuses his influences his heritage; his history and his dreams with catchy hip hop breaks and African arrangements. These elements enhance the messages K’Naan wanted to communicate; they help stories he tells on “Troubadour” to run deeper than the lyrics he spouts.

The lead Track “TIA”(for This is Africa) it sets the tone for “Troubadour”– one that crosses the preconceptions set up by cultural boundaries each of us bring to any form of art. Lyrically K’Naan has the skill and knowledge to sing about African politics and his homeland's penchant for Hip-Hop Heroism. On the flip side of that he is able to bring you in just as smoothly with his desire for love of a woman. For K’Naan this is all part of who he is and how he sees in his world.

Musically this record is pretty steady diet of worldwide influences (a la M.I.A) and it doesn’t feel forced, or added on like it might on another artist’s record (you know who you are). K’Naan has the production skill working with him to pull the experiments perfectly. The arrangements generally feel like party-esque tunes and I find myself happily repeating hooks all day along. The guest collaboration pairings with some of his ‘friends’ came from the bad wet dreams of record label boardrooms but overall they don't over shadow K’Naan himself. This is his record through and through. Lyrically the philosophical side of this album can sometimes feel bogged down in the amount of production some tracks have but re-listening to Troubadour proves a worthwhile venture. Satisfying if you will.

There seems to be two sides to K’Naan that are often at odds with each other on this record. On one side there is a proud African man who is full of talent, experience, and wisdom and this is his forum to educate.. The other is a boy who is realizing his dreams are coming true and he's enjoying the spoils of that success. No one can fault K’Naan for his indulgences into the excesses the music industry can offer a young talent. However I preferred the tracks where he revisits his roots and talks about where he comes from, and how he got here, and thankfully there is a plethora of those on here - buts that's the older fan in me. The 15 year old inside my soul (yeah I still got one) loved the party tracks – a lot.

Let's hope Polaris rewards K’Naan and he can keep the party (and lecture) going.

Gary's K'Naan Review

There's been a lot of talk about a certain Toronto rapper right now. He's wowed American audiences with his style, earned fans in Lil' Wayne, Kanye and the like and is climbing the charts as the "next" great hip hop artist. Everybody's talking about former Degrassi star Drake these days - and it's too bad, because they should be talking about K'Naan.

The sheer fact he doesn't hide his skills behind the played-out auto-tune effect (and then call it innovation) is reason enough to love K'naan - luckily there's more to the Somali born rapper. That's not to say he doesn't fall prey to other gimmicks (more on that later), but to paraphrase Jay-Z, at least he ain't T-Pain'in to much.

But let's talk about what he does right - which is pretty much everything. You want party anthems to get you moving, you can't do much better than lead track TIA (This Is Africa), which sets the tone for the rest of the album - that you're in for a slightly different hip hop experience.

K'Naan can also deftly straddle the divide between socially conscious rapping with a message and guilty-pleasure/bling and champagne style hip hop in a way that always seems slightly out of reach for someone like Kanye. That's not even a slight on Kanyeze, but a testament to how effortlessly K'Naan can take a weighty track like Somalia or America (featuring Mos Def), and still make it feel like a party.

But it's not enough for him to simply start the party and hope you learn something subconsciously. K'Naan also has the ability to write some pretty majectic, message-laden songs that are guaranteed to warm the heart of even the most cynical bastard. While Wavin' Flag and Take a Minute are big, call and answer type songs you'll feel obliged to sing along with. Yes, they sound like they could easily find a home in an episode of One Tree Hill bu they're such good songs you'll hardly care.

One thing I find really exciting about K'Naan is that he seems far more interested in putting out a sunnier disposition than his contemporaries. It's less about image and more about inspiring his listeners - he doesn't feel obliged to remind you how tough he is or how rough his life has been.

Remember earlier when I said he does fall prey to some gimmicks? Well, where the album trips all over itself is the clumsy inclusion of guest appearances - from Moron 5's (not a typo) Adam Levine and Metallica's Kirk Hammett - that devolve an otherwise rich and thought provoking album into a forgettable pop cliche. Both songs sound like they were cooked up by studio execs to sell albums and have virtually no natural feeling or spirit. And while these are the only two songs that don't fit (and stick out like a sore thumb), the rest of the album is so good that you'll feel even more let down.

This of course is just one of the problems K'Naan faces going forward. Because he's so talented and has set the bar so high, there's a fear that he'll fall harder and faster than most. But for now, he's right where he needs to be and extremely deserving of the Polaris Prize nod.

Ryan's K'naan Review

This was a tricky album for me to evaluate. The main focus of the album is K'naan's experiences growing up in Mogadishu, and in addition to talking about those experiences, he puts forth an attitude throughout the album that what we, as an audience, can't judge him or those experiences, because we haven't lived that kind of life. He has a bit of a point there - I'm willing to admit that most of the people listening to Troubadour, myself included, did not grow up in a Somali slum, or deal with the level of violence and strife that people living there have to put up with on a daily basis. Admitting that, though, creates a bit of a difficulty for the audience, because appreciating and evaluating any work of art requires a certain amount of judgement, and if we're not allowed to judge the main focus of the album, it kind of creates this awkward, empty feeling about large chunks of the album.

Despite that, though, there are some really good moments on this album. K'naan provides some insightful analysis of the Somali piracy issue (more than I've seen on most newscasts) on the track Somalia, rocks some smooth beats on Bang Bang, and proves that he knows how to craft a damn good love song on Fatima.

Moments like those on those songs, though, ultimately end up being kind of frustrating, though, because the rest of the album doesn't live up to them, and you know that K'naan is capable of. The album reaches a nadir on the bizarre track 15 Minutes Away, which I think was intended to be a parody of the commercialization of hip-hop, but instead ends up sounding like an ill-conceived jingle. I guess you could almost argue that it's a metaphor for the entire album, as well: a good idea, flawed in execution.

Artist #6 - K'naan

Artist: K'naan

Album: Troubadour

From: Toronto, ON

Album Released: February 24, 2009

Dave's Malajube Review

Sorry for the really late post on this – crazy week last week, and over the weekend a good friend was getting married.

I thought I would love this record way more than I actually do. I don't know what it is that is hanging me up exactly but there is something off about the whole experience I’m having whenever I listen to it. I want to like it, I feel like I’m not part of the club if I don’t like, but really indifference creeps up and I find myself wanting to turn it off or skip songs. Unlike my fellow contributors, this album does not restore my faith in anything – and it’s not a French language thing, I’m somewhat fluent and can get by on my loose translations. So let’s analyze my problems.

I know for one thing Gary loves this album and proclaim on his Twitter how he thought, “oh sorry know Malajube were winning the Polaris based on the first half of track 1”. Me I'm way more fucking indifferent to this sound but I agree if this was a political game (a la the Junos) Malajube makes sense as a winner. The music although 80% of the country won't be able to keep up with the lyrics; they appear non-threatening enough and the arrangements are accessible like a John Mayer record is accessible and non-threatening. One thing that does bug me is how highly polished the production on this album is. Most Quebecois albums are does anyone know why? Do they have better studios there or better microphones? For a band that others find jammy and improvised it seems that they really take their time make sure everything sounds just right and pristine, rather than a mistake or two slip through the cracks.

Maljube have made a nice sounding middle of the road record. And there's nothing wrong with that. But at the same time I was hoping my ears would lead the experience here and take me into a world I had yet to encounter I stead it feels like Montreal on a Thursday in February. I can’t distinguish why people (namely Ryan and Matt below) go gaga for this. All the praise they give it seems justified, they are smart, well read, well versed music men – but I just don’t agree with them on this one. Which makes it two weeks in a row I stand out in my opinion on this blog – which gets me thinking there is something wrong with me or my earphones. Nah, I just have an opinion and my own tastes, which aren’t always satisfied by Malajube.

I don’t want to seem like I’m crapping all over this record, it has great moments on it, good songs, and killer arrangements. Overall the experimentation feels forces and that is what takes away from the sentiment for me. Malajube could win this Polaris this, and I wouldn’t be disappointed one bit, I’d mention it to my dinner guest as the album came on during a lull in conversation at my next party. It’s that kind of album for me, the one you put on for “life’s background music”, and I was hoping it was going to be “soundtrack to a moment” music.

dave

Gary's Malajube Review

Who the hell is Malajube?

Midway through the opening track of their stunning third release Labyrinthes I found myself excitedly asking this very question. How could a band this majestic in sound have escaped me? Sun-soaked harmonies, enormous pop choruses and expert musicianship - surely I should know about this band.

The fact they sing entirely in French (with absolutely no desire to start singing in English) would be a huge reason why they’ve never shown up on my radar. Or have they?

After telling anyone who would listen last week how impressed I was with this band, one of my friends politely pointed out that he’d offered to take me to one of their shows last year. When I found out they sang entirely in French I dismissed them with a guffaw and sneered “no thank you.”

A year later - I'm a wiser man...maybe.

So yes, they sing in French but I’m conflicted, because telling you this will inevitably create a language barrier, and quite honestly the best way to appreciate them is with no preconceptions whatsoever. But I implore you to see past this and give them a fighting chance as you won’t be disappointed. There is virtually nothing lost in the translation (so to speak). All the emotion and raw intensity of unrequited love/loss/happiness/sadness comes through loud and clear, even though lead singer Julien Mineau could very well be singing about his groceries for all I know.

Malajube is a band of song crafters and musical auteurs, not content to throw chords against a wall and see what sticks (to be fair, I suppose that's true of the other nominees as well). They build weighty rock songs that swagger and grow to hair-raising crescendos like Ursuline but also create earnest, intimate offerings like Heresie in which Mineau croons about the short lives we all lead.

But for all of their prowess as artistes (oui, oui), what they do best is write absurdly infectious songs that you'll be singing long after hearing them - doubly impressive if you don't speak French. Stand out track Casablanca is right now in a dead heat for my song of the year (right up against Liztomania), and if you can get to the end of Luna without singing the refrain - I'll be amazed.

I posted in the last round of reviews that I didn't expect to like every band in the shortlist, but I certainly didn't expect to be so instantly moved by a band. I apologize now for the fact that this was less of a review and more of a fan letter, but between you and me, Labyrinthes is easily in my top five albums of the year. Based on what I've heard to this point, I could easily see a Polaris Prize win by Malajube and a completely warranted one at that. The competition is thick, but for the first time I've got a clear front runner.

Ryan's Malajube Review

Part of me feels a little uncomfortable with reviewing Malajube's Labyrinthes, and, I'm sad to admit, it's for the exact reason one might expect it to be: the album's in French, and my French ability is, at best, somewhat limited. Now, obviously, we live in a bilingual country, and there's no reason that I should expect that all of the Polaris nominees be in the language that I speak. If anything, it's a little surprising that there's only one album in French out of the ten that received the nominations (but the reasons connected to that might be beyond the scope of a review like this).

So, anyways, on to Labyrinthes. It's a fairly complex album, one that brings in a lot of different influences (everything from 60s French pop to 80s synth music to late 90s/new millennium rock), but it does so in a way that all really comes together nicely, and really feels like Malajube is a band that loves nothing more than justs getting together and jamming out until they get a song. Not all bands feel like that, and it's a very organic, holistic sort of texture that gets brought out in all of the instrumentation.

Lyrically, as I said, it was hard for me to get a feel for it, as I only have a grade nine level of French. This was kind of hard for me, because I'm usually a bit of a lyrics nut, and it's often the lyrics that determine for me whether or not I'm going to enjoy a song. That being said, despite the barrier, I still got a good feeling for the emotional content of the songs - lead singer Julien Mineau really does a good job of emoting (a skill that usually has a negative connotation, because it's often overdone, but here it's done just right).

It's been said that a defining quality of real art is that it has the power to affect change within its audience; that you're either not the same after having appreciated it, or at the very least it creates the desire within you to be different. It sounds cheesy to say it, but this album makes me wish I had a better understanding of French, so that I could better understand the art that our entire country creates. I think that says something about it.

Artist #5: Malajube

Artist: Malajube

Album: Labyrinthes

From: Montreal, QC

Ryan's Fucked Up Review

The Chemistry of Common Life, the second album release from Toronto band Fucked Up, is an incredibly decadent punk rock album – you can tell that from the flute intro in the first song. To a lot of punk fans, especially older ones, this must seem like a contradiction – after all, punk as a genre first became popular as a reaction against decadence in music. By going against that impression of what punk 'should be', though, you get the feeling that Fucked Up feels they're doing the most punk thing possible. What they have accomplished, though, is an album that doesn't quite know if it wasn't to be punk, or be a critical favourite.

That's not to say, of course, that punk can't be critically acclaimed, just that those two things typically value different things in an album. That, if anything, is the main failing of Chemistry of Common Life: it's unsure of what it wants to be, and as a result it never really commits itself to becoming the album that it could have been.

Now, don't get me wrong: there are some fun tunes on this album, like Son the Father and No Epiphany, which have a classic, 80s-style punk feel to them, especially in the vocals. Sadly, though, the good songs aren't quite enough to save the album from mediocrity. Some day, Fucked Up might be able to win a Polaris prize, but I can't see them doing it on the strength of this album. It's not the type of album I'll put on in the future, but if it turns up on a shuffled playlist, I won't be turning it off, either.

Dave's Fucked Up Review

I like my music loud, and heavy. Or rather, let me say I did like my music loud and heavy on a regular basis when I was younger. Now I like loud and heavy music every so often. So unlike Gary, I have a point of reference to appreciate Fucked Up’s “The Chemistry of Common Life” album. However I wouldn’t say that this record is necessarily a punk record or a metal record – as much as I would say it borrows characteristics normally associated with those genres and makes them prominent in this crazy infusion of expression and culture to make a modern music that really stands alone in it’s originality (oh look Dave’s getting all high brow on us with the “metal” record) – Damn fucking right I am – and don’t call it a metal record – what is this Vice magazine?

So ages ago Fucked Up were super hyped as this super cool band that was doing amazing things – now they are this moderately hyped band actually doing cool things with their music. “The Chemistry of Common Life” is a perfect example of how Fucked Up have matured and stayed – well fucked up. Where some people find it hard to listen to and “noisy” at times, I love how the band is able to stitch together eclectic sounds so perfectly. You can hear a grunge influence in bass lines, a punk sentiment in lyrics/vocals, the history of rock on drums and garage band fuzz in the layers of guitars. Where the fucked up part comes into play is where you hear a sprinkling of piano, a woodwind, or some kind of synthesizer.

There are a several stand out tracks on this album, ones that really define it – “Son the Father”, “Golden Seal”, and the title track “The Chemistry of Common Life” to mention a few. Each of them does something different – they experiment within themselves. This is where Fucked Up are so much better than their “hardcore” peers – they are willing to take the chance on doing something outside of the genre, outside of the expectations they put on themselves.

What really separates Fucked Up is the vocals though, if you added a traditional rock singer to this band it would sound dated and at times cheesy, with the deep growl of Damian Abraham it creates atmosphere (something all of the Polaris short listers do well) in abundance, and that atmosphere also solidifies the identity of Fucked Up as something more than a generic rock/punk/metal/hardcore band.

Where the “The Chemistry for Common Life” lacks is in its cohesion as an album from top to bottom. For me it’s a collection of good songs, well produced, well performed, but really nothing that binds them together except the people playing them. I guess that’s what really makes it Fucked Up.

deedle

Gary's Fucked Up Review

Folks, I’m gonna be straight with you – I don’t get it.

I’ve listened to this album a few times; I’ve tried to find a level of appreciation – tried to dig a little deeper to find something I liked. But frankly it’s just not there.

Fucked Up is hardcore punk outfit with a decidedly un-punk methodology. Where all the punk I grew up with was trimmed down, short bursts of rage usually from no more than 3 or 4 players – Fucked Up is 6 people strong and all about the 6 and 7 minute musical opus. This is all contrary to my notion of punk-rock, but frankly I’m a crotchety old man with an early bedtime and the loudest thing I listen to is Queens of the Stoneage. Generally speaking I’m no authority on metal or hardcore.

And that’s sort of what’s vexing me about this. I have no barometer to measure this music against others of its kind. I have zero familiarity with the genre and so can’t tell if Fucked Up is good, bad or other. Their nomination for this prize should indicate that they’re a worthy act and not the same rage-rock I’ve heard emanating out of every church basement and rec centre in the suburbs. Also the appearance of organs, flutes and lush vocal harmonies should at least indicate they’re not you’re average punk band.

What I can comment on is the production, which in my opinion is bad…bordering on terrible. Someone robbed the album of any nuance by ensuring that every instrument and vocal track was mixed to the same level - thus producing a muddy mixture of noise and static and effectively killing a lot of the dynamics in the album.

I’ve heard more than once that Fucked Up is a really great live act, and I’m assuming their enthusiasm is far better represented in public and so I’ll defer to their legend as a band you must see to truly appreciate.

I went into this assuming I wouldn’t love every album presented to me, and out of the 12 there was bound to be more than one. But I think it’s worth saying that I didn’t dislike this album on its merits, or even dislike it at all for that matter. It just didn’t move me, and that’s no fault of Fucked Up. That lies squarely with me and my f’d up brain.

Album #4 - Fucked Up

Artist: Fucked Up

Album: The Chemistry of Common Life

From: Toronto, ON.