New music

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This article was published 23/09/2021 (1804 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

POP / ROCK

F—ed Up

Year of the Horse (Tankcrimes Records)

No rock band makes a better argument that pigeonholing music and art is a reductive exercise than F—ed Up.

Yeah, the group’s name is still “controversial” to some, frontman Damian Abraham used to split open his forehead during live shows, and the sextet’s early sound was a thrilling punk melange of roaring guitars, thunderous drums and screamed vocals. But FU’s work over the past two decades has been more about expanding boundaries than hardcore punk nihilism.

The latest case in point is Year of the Horse, the ninth release in the group’s ongoing Chinese zodiac series. Initially released on Bandcamp in May, Horse is a four-act, 94-minute, two-CD outing with a breadth, depth and scope that outdoes anything the group has done to date (and yes, that takes David Comes to Life into account). Written as a rock opera by FU’s Mike Haliechuk and Toronto playwright/librettist David James Brock, the album is set in a fantastical land and tells the tale of Perceval, a young mare who flees the brutal malevolence of her life, and Blanche, a young girl who hopes to find salvation for herself, for Perceval and, hopefully, for her mother, Drunken Kaye.

Ambitious? No doubt. Well done? Absolutely. Haliechuk and bandmates Abraham, Jason Zucker, Jonah Falco and Sandy Miranda (Ben Cook’s not here; no idea why) draw on all their many skills as producers, arrangers and multi-instrumental performers to create a massive, swirling soundscape that encompasses everything from heraldic horns to twee acoustic “folke” to operatic choruses to faux-Morricone soundtracks. A host of guests chime in with strings, keyboards and vocals and, of course, you’ll also hear the full-on roar of guitars and Damian, as FU careens back and forth from epic metal territory to its classic hardcore sound, even veering into ‘70s rock-fusion grooves.

If you’ve got the energy and attention span, the whole thing makes sense, even after 94 minutes. (Pro tip: If streaming on your device without credits or lyrics, you can find them all at genius.com.) ★★★★1/2 out of five

STREAM THIS: Year of the Horse’s four acts are separate albums on Spotify but Jason Zucker has kindly stitched them altogether in his own playlist on the platform.

— John Kendle

GOSPEL

Elder Jack Ward

Already Made (Bible & Tire)

With his Bible & Tire imprint, Fat Possum Records’ Bruce Watson has been resurrecting some of the so-called sacred soul that came out of Memphis in the 1970s, as well as recording such exciting young acts as the Sensational Barnes Brothers and Dedicated Men of Zion who are keeping the tradition alive. Earlier this year, he also produced a new album by one of the genre’s originals, Elizabeth King.

Now comes a King contemporary, Elder Jack Ward, and the results are just as transporting.

Ward hit the charts in 1964 with the Christian Harmonizers on Don’t Need No Doctor, and nearly six decades later he remains in robust voice. He’s backed by the same Sacred Soul Sound Section that backed King, led by guitarist Will Sexton, who co-produced the set with Watson. Background vocalists include Ward’s children, the Barnes Brothers, and King, who is featured on The Way Is Already Made.

Ward’s vitality as a performer is matched by his sharpness as a writer — he penned all 10 of these first-rate songs. Up-tempo groovers like He’s Got Great Things and Lord I’m in Your Care infuse the gospel with R&B strains. That’s the essence of sacred soul, and it’s no wonder Ward handles it so confidently — he grew up in Mississippi singing the blues.

Meanwhile, the smouldering, openhearted intensity he brings to ballads like God’s Love and I Feel Better Since I Prayed reaffirm the close ties between gospel and classic Memphis soul. And when Ward rises into skyscraping falsetto on Someone Who Is Greater Than I, he shows his voice is as supple as it is strong. ★★★★ out of five

STREAM THESE: He’s Got Great Things, God’s Love

— Nick Cristiano, Philadelphia Inquirer

JAZZ

Nick Fraser Quartet

If There Were No Opposites (HatHut/ezz-thetics)

Toronto-based drummer/composer Nick Fraser is simply one of Canada’s best jazz musicians. In a recent review, I cited a quote by Wayne Shorter: “Jazz means I dare you.” Nick Fraser lives those words. While he can record and compose across a wide range of contemporary styles, he is totally fearless when recording extraordinary avant-garde music with this quartet.

Saxophonist Tony Malaby always takes the dare too, and with Rob Clutton on bass and Andrew Downing on cello, the quartet presents an album of depth and power.

This is music that continues the current reality of modern music defying definition. Elements of both composition and improvisation are fairly seminal to jazz music, but the total impact of this music transcends easy definition. Boundaries here are merely the points at which the rhythmic underpinnings and unfettered saxophone, cello and bass move the goalposts. Tracks like the opening one are totally improvised. Others morph from a written head to free interpretation. While wildly dissonant at times, there is indeed an order in the music, based on what the musicians are hearing around them and reacting to. Each listen opens a new door to meaning and enjoyment.

Several tracks have been modified from Fraser’s gig with a Calgary dance company. Shoe Dance and The Fashion Show move beyond the constraints of meeting the dance production needs. Table 49, The Rex Hotel, Toronto references the table that draws jazz musicians to one of Toronto’s longest-standing jazz venues. Invention is present in all the music. The creative capacity of this quartet is stunning. Each member moves always within an understanding of what the others are doing. The album places this group in the very top echelon of what is being explored in contemporary jazz. ★★★★1/2 out of five

STREAM THESE: The Bulldog and the Capricorn, Shoe Dance

— Keith Black

CLASSICAL

Bernstein: Candide

Marin Alsop

London Symphony Orchestra (LSO)

Nearly 30 years after Leonard Bernstein’s seminal album with the London Symphony Orchestra comes this two-disc fall release. Originally recorded in December 2018 at London’s Barbican, Marin Alsop’s version included as part of the centenary celebrations marking the American’s composer’s birth in 1918 features a trophy case of internationally acclaimed soloists: soprano Jane Archibald (Cunégonde); mezzo-soprano Anne Sofie von Otter (The Old Lady); tenor Leonardo Capalbo (Candide); and baritone Sir Thomas Allen (Dr Pangloss, Narrator) infusing this now-three-year-old, semi-staged production with freshness.

Based on Voltaire’s 1759 novella with an original libretto by Lillian Hellman for its 1956 Broadway première (later Hugh Wheeler), the comic operetta follows the adventures of Candide, betrothed to Cunegonde, and guided by his philosopher teacher Dr. Pangloss in the country of Westphalia.

Despite mixed reviews for its world première, Bernstein’s iconic music continues to stand the test of time, brought to life by the cast of principals who equally perform as a well-balanced ensemble.

Highlights, naturally, include Cunegonde’s fiendishly difficult colouratura aria Glitter and Be Gay, with Archibald tossing off its virtuosic pyrotechnics, including dizzying syncopated rhythms, juxtaposed with orchestra. Another is her marriage duet with Capalbo, Oh, Happy We, sung with the innocence of youth, with the latter also delivering a poignant, arching It Must be So. Last but not least, finale Make Our Garden Grow never fails to stir the soul, reaffirming Bernstein’s enduring legacy as well as capping this fine addition to the Bernstein discography. ★★★★ out of five

STREAM THIS: Glitter and Be Gay, performed by Jane Archibald with the London Symphony Orchestra

— Holly Harris