SOUND BITES

As they close in on forty years as a unit, U2 are further and further away from their peak; to their credit, though, they remain one of the biggest bands in the world a quarter century after what the vast majority consider their most essential period. While many are quick to jump to the band's defense from statements such as that, maintaining that the band has kept their sound fresh and that their consistency and quality have kept them relevant all these years, I suspect most of those die hard fans are more in love with U2 as they were than U2 as they are. To be clear, there was absolutely a time when U2 albums were major events, capable of turning all the heads and captivating the imaginations of fans and critics alike. During this time, when they could have easily replicated their past successes, they admirably and boldly tinkered with their sound; the pop and euro-dance elements that made their way into U2's songs in the mid 90s turned some fans off, but you can't de...

In years past, I've had to wait a little longer to hand out the hardware, so to speak. Whether waiting for the second week of December to ensure that last-minute new release doesn't make the cut or wracking my brain trying to figure out which of the 2-5 nominees gets the edge, my Album of the Year winner usually doesn't get its due until the week before Christmas. This year is different for two reasons: there aren't any albums intriguing enough coming out in December (although I may regret not waiting for Glassjaw), and my mind's been made up about #1 for a while now. The real dogfight is for #2 this year and, as I listened and re-listened while finalizing the ranking in my head, I thought to myself on a few occasions, "I'd rather be listening to #1 right now". Without further ado, let's count these things down! HONORABLE MENTIONS: BENJAMIN BOOKER Witness A GIANT DOG Toy HEADSTONES Little Army MATT MAYS Once Upon a Hell of a Time J. R...

When I posted up my Year in Rock 2017 playlist yesterday, I said to consider all 65 of those songs nominees for Song of the Year. I ended up with a wide-ranging list; full of seasoned veterans and rising talents alike, that playlist is proof of just how diverse rock has become. With such an abundance of styles and sub-genres represented, it's not easy to see the trend; however, if I had to pick out the one thing about 2017's rock music that I noticed above the others, it's that the increasingly blurred line between rock and pop has all but disappeared. A growing number of bands formerly known as capital-G Guitar bands extended their hands to pop this year, whether through subtle stylistic changes, the addition of a keyboard player or by working with a renowned pop producer; hell, Foo Fighters did all three of those things this year. Some attempts were more obvious than others; before Chester Bennington's tragic suicide this summer, we were bemoaning Linkin Park'...

Well, friends, the end of another year has crept up on us and tapped our collective shoulder with its icy fingers. Another year of ups and downs, triumph and tragedy, nearing its conclusion; of course, this means it's once again time to take stock on a year that was and pay respects to some of its musical highlights, as I've done in one way or another for most of my life now. On the surface, 2017 didn't offer all that much in terms of rock music; as hip hop takes firm control as the genre of societal import, much of the excitement that's drummed up for rock music can be attributed to old bands creating new music for old guys like me. The name of the game seems to be stagnation; listen a little closer, though, and you may discover that rock music is as vibrant and diverse as ever. While certain pop-leaning trends emerged among a number of mainstream rock bands, there's certainly no reason to lament the genre's so-called assured demise. If I managed to compile...

I want to preface this article with a clarification: the actions of sexual predators, like those on the growing list of famous people being accused of various degrees of misconduct, are indefensible. I have never and will never condone this behaviour, and there is no intent to excuse or belittle the seriousness of this issue. I hold the highest respect for any and all victims of sexual misconduct who find the courage to confide in us with their terrible experiences. My own terrible experience happened 23 years ago. While attending my first year of college, I was invited by one of the locals I'd befriended to a house party, where we'd hang out, chain smoke and have a few beers. Upon arrival, only the owner of the house was there, a man in his late fifties or early sixties; while waiting for the others to arrive, we cracked open our beers and started making small talk. As time passed, I started to wonder why no one else had showed, but didn't pay it too much mind and con...

It's time to call a spade a spade; Weezer has been in a borderline abusive relationship with the majority of its fan base for the better part of the last twenty years. Every time they underwhelm with a failed attempt at Top 40 domination and we say "enough is enough", they come crawling back with more crunchy power pop nostalgia and eventually win us back, only to go chasing that elusive mainstream success again. So, in a way, we should have known Pacific Daydream was going to find Rivers Cuomo in full hit-chasing mode again. Even still, it's kind of jarring just how blatant the attempt is time around. You'd have thought Weezer would have learned their lesson when Raditude fell flat on its face nearly a decade ago (and there were seemingly lessons learned judging from the three following records), and yet here we are again being presented with tune after tune of polished, shiny pop with mainstream aspirations. Mexican Fender , with its power chords and colo...

It simply isn't possible to listen to Gord Downie's final recordings without a heavy heart. That Introduce Yerself , his sixth solo record, follows mere days after his passing is a case of the cruelest timing; recorded as a means by which to say goodbye to the people and places that have mattered most to Downie, the words and performances here have the raw emotion and power to cut deep even to people he's never met. Make no mistake, listening to this album's 23 songs is an exercise in emotional roulette; though there are lighthearted moments to be found, there are also crushingly sad exchanges, most crushing to me (and likely any parent) being the story of Downie trying to rock his child to sleep on Bedtime . There are heartfelt memories like this put to tape throughout, which makes Introduce Yerself quite clearly Downie's most personal and intimate work. Through these recollections, some humourous and some haunted, Downie is completely transparent and vulnerab...

On his twelfth overall album (eighth as a solo artist), Matthew Good doesn't offer up too many surprises for longtime fans; we've come to expect a handful of energetic rockers, a few brooding ballads and some thoughtful mid-tempo fare. That's true on Something Like a Storm , but there's more urgency here as well, a sense of import that makes for a more immediate and impactful listen. Decades is a prime example, a driving new-wave tinged tune that stands with the best of his singles; it's punchy and nostalgic but also pensive and nocturnal, and it sets a high benchmark for the rest of the record. If one big single was all this album had going for it, we might be having a talk about stagnation, but Good carries this energy over to other songs as well; There the First Time is propelled by an insistent beat and some shadowy keyboards, and it makes for an undeniably captivating song. Days Come Down , meanwhile, employs acoustic guitars as a backbone while the surrou...

"Heaven is a better place today because of this But the world is just not the same." -Gord Downie, Heaven Is a Better Place Today As the singer/lyricist for The Tragically Hip, Gord Downie was a powerful, intellectual voice that often spoke for not just himself or the characters portrayed in his songs, but indeed an entire nation. As a person, however, Downie was a shining example of class, dignity and respect. When his band's reach ballooned from regional to national scale, he often used this stature not to self-promote, but to raise awareness of issues bigger than any one of us; of note, after being diagnosed with terminal brain cancer and while on national TV performing one of his final shows, he criticized our government's relationship with indigenous people. Where many would use this kind of large-scale platform to their own benefit, Downie went out of his way to draw attention to the big picture, to remind us that we face very important issues as a ...

Once hailed as a vanguard of alternative music, Beck's penchant for going against the grain and offering a counter to the conventional sounds of the times has slowly regressed in recent years. As his creative output has gone from a torrent to a trickle, he's gone from the bold outsider to the willing conformer. If that's perceived as too harsh a criticism on Beck, enter Colors ; the promised more upbeat album that he was already working on in a preliminary fashion when Morning Phase came out three and a half years ago has taken a long time to surface, finally hitting shelves more than two years after singles started to trickle out ( Dreams is given a new and more sanitary mix here which replaces "stop fucking with my dreams" with "stop dragging down my dreams", but is otherwise pretty much the same song). While there's no denying that this is a much brighter and upbeat record than Morning Phase , it's also perhaps much more derivative than a...

Anyone who listened without prejudice to The Pale Emperor , Marilyn Manson's 2015 record, could tell you that the band that made its name off controversy and button-pushing was entering a revival of sorts; seeing the tired and aged shtick outlive its welcome, it was a revelation to hear a more mature sound drawn out by producer/collaborator Tyler Bates. It's no surprise, then, that Marilyn Manson would work with Bates again on the group's tenth album; having provided a quality record such as The Pale Emperor was a foot back in the door of the public consciousness, an opportunity to rebuild the brand and pave a new path. It's just a little bit of a letdown, then, to hear that old shtick resurrected on much of  Heaven Upside Down ; to be sure, The Pale Emperor was no testament to purity, but from the jump Manson seems desperate to reclaim some of the outrage he produced in the '90s. F-bombs abound, as do rants against religion and government alike; the thing is,...

On their fourth album, J. Roddy Walston and the Business seem to be looking to continue their parallel career arc with Kings of Leon; through a trio of ragged rock records that gained them a small modicum of stature, album four (much like KoL's Only By the Night ) sees the Virginian group swinging for the crossover fences. So as to say, the electric tension of previous records is dulled here in favour of sharper hooks and an uptick in melody. That said, far be it for me to fault a band for chasing a hit in this day and age; establishing yourself as a rock band in the current musical climate usually requires lightning in a bottle, a right place/right time song (or two or three) that captures a moment in time for listeners and uses its wide appeal to defy expectations of commercialism and longevity. We don't have to look far for an example, as Portugal. The Man did just that this year with Feel It Still , an undeniably catchy bid for attention that is still captivating ears m...

On their second full-length album, UK buzz band Wolf Alice remains resistant to idling in one place; as such, the record finds bandleader Ellie Rowsell guiding the group through a wide variety of sonic terrain. Among moments of blissful new wave-inspired indie ( Heavenward, Don't Delete the Kisses, Sadboy ) and radio-ready stadium rock fare ( Beautifully Unconventional, Planet Hunter, Space & Time ) are moments of bloody seething rage ( Yuk Foo, Formidable Cool ). The absolutely crushing eight minute title track closer, meanwhile, throws in all of the above while adding a little psychedelia into the mix, which assures us that there are still more tricks up their sleeves. The testament to Wolf Alice's prowess is how easily these many faces are worn, and there doesn't seem to be a single moment where the listener is convinced the band has bitten off more than it can chew or made the wrong decision for the song. Rowsell emerges as a true tour de force here, as effectiv...

There's always been something whimsical about Primus, whose unique brand of prog rock was often bolstered by silly stories involving silly characters. That's why it wasn't that much of a stretch when Primus recorded a tribute to the soundtrack for Charlie and the Chocolate Factory in 2014, and that's also why it isn't so far fetched that their first album of original material in six years would be based off a children's book about goblins who gluttonously consume colour. Still, after 2011's Green Naughahyde showed some serious signs of maturity and suggested a more mature future for Primus, their transformation into glorified children's entertainers is a little disappointing for those who wanted to see where that other, more topical Primus could go (for a consolation, I suppose last year's album by The Claypool/Lennon Delirium might suffice). Of course, feel free to draw comparisons between the goblins of this story and the monsters in position...