New Music / Pop and Rock

Drive-By Truckers The Big To-Do (ATO/MapleMusic)

THE characters in Drive-By Truckers songs written by guitarists/vocalists Patterson Hood and Mike Cooley often resemble those in a Cormac McCarthy or Stephen King novel. They are disgruntled souls who despise their dead-end jobs. They drink too much. They fall from the sky. They murder their husbands. They love their families.

No other band in America captures the stark reality of the human condition like DBT, and no other band rawks quite like they do either.

Bassist Shonna Tucker's musical contributions are less ambitious, but are welcome just the same, especially the Motown-meets-Shangri-Las feel of It's Gonna Be (I Told You So). As an added bonus, Cooley even drives Kiss' classic Strutter into the garage.

On their 10th album, DBT ups the ante, and the decibels, as the triple-guitar onslaught of The Big To-Do lives up to its name. 4 stars

-- Bruce Leperre

Crash Karma Crash Karma (E1)

Consider this Our Mother Zygote Party.

CRASH Karma is the new band featuring vocalist Edwin (I Mother Earth), guitarist Mike Turner (Our Lady Peace), drummer Jeff Burrows (Tea Party) and bassist Amir Epstein (Zygote. Yeah, I never heard of them either). You'll be forgiven for thinking it's the mid-1990s listening to the band's debut -- it's that distinctive voice of Edwin who leads this group of former hitmakers through 11 tracks of modern rock that sounds like it could have been released as a follow up to Scenery and Fish.

They are most successful when Turner pulls out the heavy melodic riffs on Like a Wave, Fight and On My Own, the latter which finds the band wading into pop-punk territory. They fare less well on generic ballads like Fight, or when the lyrical clichés come out on Energy and Live a Little.

It's not quite sonic and it seems like we've heard this all before, but there's enough solid material on here to ensure some radio play. 3 stars

-- RW

Serj Tankian

Elect the Dead Symphony (Reprise/Warner)

THE pairing of former System of a Down frontman Serj Tankian with the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra sounds like a great idea on paper. However, the results are less satisfying.

Tankian's nasally voice is a versatile love-it or hate-it multi-octave instrument that ranges from low growls to high-pitched yelps. His unique voice always worked well when backed by guitars, but it can be grating in this setting as he performs reworked numbers from his 2007 solo debut, Elect the Dead. The quirky album wasn't as innovative as SOAD, but it was still filled with some unpredictable, interesting moments, which are in short supply on this set, although songs like Honking Antelope and Saving Us are genuinely thrilling, almost making up for the annoying Gate 21 and Lie, Lie, Lie.

Isn't it about time for a SOAD reunion? 2-1/2 stars

-- RW

Hellsongs

Hymns in the Key of 666 (Aporia)

REINTERPRETING well known punk and metal songs into different genres is always fun. Even Pat Boone and Paul Anka have gotten in on the act alongside chamber quartets, bluegrass bands and torch singers.

The latest band to offer their reinterpretations of classic and not so classic metal and hard rock is Swedish group Hellsongs, who bill themselves as "lounge metal." They completely strip the power away from 10 songs and turn tracks like The Trooper (Iron Maiden), Symphony of Destruction (Megadeth) and Blackened (Metallica) into pretty piano and string-drenched ballads. Sometimes it's done so well you forget you're listening to a cover -- Slayer's Seasons in the Abyss and Twisted Sister's We're Not Gonna Take It are two that stand out.

It's done with reverence, respect and skill, but after a run through the album you'll just want to pull out the originals. 2 stars

-- RW

The Breakaway Point

The Breakaway Point (Independent)

THE premier outing by local duo the Breakaway Point finds the pair combining rap with classical music in the context of what seems to be a concept album. It's hard to tell exactly what "rapper" J-La is on about, but anyone with a sensitive constitution may choose to avoid his steady stream of bad language.

Not that yelling about bitches, crack ho's, licking of private parts, serial cheating on one's partner or any other shizzle doesn't come with the territory, it's just that at this late date it does seem old and leaves one cold.

Musically Mark Edward Giroux (a.k.a. "Magir") lays down plenty of standard hip-hop beats yet excels at weaving interesting, classical music themes into the mix. This is where the album pulls itself out of the swear jar and shines. Let It Be even sounds like some old-school Cat Stevens folk treasure and may signify that the group should perhaps break away from the rap smack and head towards the light. 3 stars

-- Jeff Monk

Séan McCann

Lullabies for Bloodshot Eyes (Lean Ground Music)

Great Big Sea member Sean McCann doesn't stray very far from the sound that has made his band one of this country's top acts. Along with some talented pals, plus a few errant Sea-ers, and equipped with a pretty good set of songs, McCann's music wanders from thoughtful, almost despondent sounding ballads dedicated to his kids (Somewhere, Don't Cry) to rollicking floor shakers (Hold Me Steady) and longing heart throbs (Gone Tomorrow).

Lyrically the eight tracks mostly consider the plight of the working, heart-pained family man/musician and the effects that travel away from home and late nights of drinking on the road have on the spirit.

McCann travels this road well, it seems, and with the help of silvery-voiced Jeen O'Brien on a couple of tracks has created a listenable, simple set of delicate observations that will easily find a home in any GBS fans' collection. 3-1/2 stars

-- Jeff Monk

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition March 20, 2010 C4