New music

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This article was published 28/09/2017 (3247 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Pop & Rock

Propagandhi
Victory Lap (Epitaph)

Donald J. Trump is president of the United States. Rapacious capitalism and mindless militarism threaten the planet. The gap between rich and poor grows ever greater. The age of instant gratification seems to have ushered in a monoculture of ignorance.

How the hell can we possibly live and love one another?

The members of Propagandhi are consumed by this question, and they address it in all manner of ways on Victory Lap, their seventh album and their first with new guitarist Sulynn Hago, who seems to have seamlessly blended with singer/guitarist Chris Hannah, bassist/vocalist Todd Kowalski and drummer Jord Samolesky

Recorded at Private Ear in Winnipeg and co-produced by John Paul Peters and Hannah, Victory Lap offers up all manner of answers in a dozen fiery punk/metal/thrash/call-it-what-you-want-because-it-rocks tunes, all of which are intensely and precisely propelled by Kowalski and Samolesky while Hago and Hannah riff and roar and shred and chime in ways that will blow many a speaker (and probably a mind or two).

The ferocity of the music is equally matched by the intelligence of the lyrics, which tackle subjects as diverse as animal rights (Lower Order, which will move some to tears), Christopher Hitchens’ smarmy repudiation of the anti-Columbus Day movement (Comply/Resist), the 1963 self-immolation of Buddhist monk Quang Duc (Cop Just Out of the Frame) and the spiritual pain of depression and death (on Kowalski’s two contributions, When Your Fears Collide and Nigredo). Adventures in Zoochosis closes the album with Trump soundbites set against the joyful sounds of children playing, while Hannah spins a metaphorical tale of an animal protecting its young.

This is not comfortable music. But it’s essential. Victory Lap is released on Sept. 29.

★★★★1/2 out of five

Stream these: Victory Lap; Lower Order (A Good Laugh); Adventure in Zoochosis

– John Kendle

 

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Roots/Country

Neil Young
Hitchhiker (Warner Brothers Records)

Without being too cynical, Neil Young’s latest archival release Hitchhiker is one album the world easily could have lived without.

His main competitor in releasing archival treasures is, of course, Bob Dylan, who Keith Richards once maligned as being the “Prophet Of Profit,” and as they reach their golden years it does appear that Old Shakey may be losing ground to the Bard Of Hibbing when it comes to these kinds of outpourings. Hitchhiker is basically solo demo versions of tracks that Young would later use on American Stars ’N Bars, Rust Never Sleeps and Hawks and Doves, plus a few unreleased tracks and nothing more. Some will salivate over Hawaii, Give Me Strength and the title track, but as songs with any worthiness over time go, these tracks sound more like a way to experiment with chord patterns and lyrics to see what sticks.

Hitchhiker details Young’s journey from smoking a pinhead of hashish, to using cocaine to help with his stage fright years later. There is an old joke about rock stars singing about their drug use, but the punchline makes sense only to Fleetwood Mac or Eagles fans. The darker side of Neil’s psyche is on display in Powderfinger and its starkness here is pretty chilling. “Raised my rifle to my eye, never stopped to wonder why, then I saw black and my face splash in the sky” is a pretty grim description of the moment of death, and Young revels in its poignancy.

The refrain of “Even Richard Nixon has got soul…” in Campaigner is a non-starter and only serves to remind us all that former Canadian Young was an ardent Ronald Reagan supporter back in those days of the nuclear war clock being pushed forward a few minutes. Keep that thumb out, Neil. Eventually, you will get a ride.

★★★ out of five

Stream these: Ride My Llama, Powderfinger

— Jeff Monk

 

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Jazz

Yelena Eckemoff
In the Shadow of a Cloud (L&H Productions)

Russian born pianist Yelena Eckemoff is establishing herself strongly in the North American jazz world. Since moving to North Carolina with her husband in 1991, she has shown that her classical training has proven most compatible in her move into jazz expression.

Her new double-CD album is a continuing example of her playing and compositional skills. All the compositions are hers, as is the production, and there is a 28-page booklet of poems and background to accompany the music.

She recruited some pretty impressive help for this project, with Chris Potter on saxes, Adam Rogers on guitar, Drew Gress on bass and Gerald Cleaver on drums. Much of Eckemoff’s compositional inspiration is drawn from her memories of her earlier Russian life.

The titles reflect this — Fishing Village, Picnic In The Oaks, On The Motorboat — and the mood is balanced by the memories. While thoroughly modern in approach and sound, there are no hard edges here; simply accessible, sometimes driving and often introspective “tone poems” if you will.

The collective experience and maturity of the band brings the word confidence to mind. Saxophonist Potter said the writing “awakens a feeling” and the result is supported with repeated listenings. There is a calmness to the music that is very evocative of the memories being represented in sound. Highly recommended.

★★★★1/2 out of five

Stream these: Saratovsky Bridge, Waters Of Tsna River

— Keith Black

 

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Classical

Aida Garifullina
Cornelius Meister (Decca Classics)

This debut album featuring rising star soprano Aida Garifullina proves why the Russian-born singer, who seemingly follows in the musical footsteps of her illustrious countrywoman, the great Anna Netrebko, has been generating significant buzz lately in the international opera world.

The 29-year old singer who took top prize at Placido Domingo’s Operalia 2013 has already garnered critical acclaim for her compelling performances, including recent appearances at the Vienna State Opera House, Mariinsky Theatre and Wigmore Hall, as well a U.S. tour with Andrea Bocelli. Her newer release featuring 15 opera arias and songs showcase her bright, clear vocals, including two of her signature works: Delibes’ Bell Song and Gounod’s Je veux vivre. Her soaring lyricism is also immediately apparent in Tchaikovsky’s lilting Serenada, or Rachmaninov’s Vocalise and Lilacs, or Rimsky-Korsakov’s more exotic Hymn to the Sun and Oriental Romance.

Other highlights, including Garifullina’s interpretation of the haunting folksong Alluki, performed in her native Tatar language, and Midnight in Moscow, backed by a Balalaika orchestra recording from the early 1960s ring with folkloric authenticity, teeming with Russian heart and soul that only one so firmly rooted in the motherland can truly deliver.

★★★★ out of five

— Holly Harris