seedy reviews
random peons

Let's put our heads together and think of all the hip-hop hotbeds, um... LA, New York and Munich? Well apparently for the last couple of years, one man has been tearing up the stages at jams and battles all around. Addis Mussa, a 25-year-old German-Ethiopian-born who goes under the alias of Raptile is now letting the world hear what he has to offer with da basilisk's eye. Along with DJ Roger Reckless, who lays it down on the ones and twos, this album meshes the smooth style of Raptile's lyrics complemented by the scratching styles of DJ Roger Reckless.

Raptile keeps his ties by laying down collaborations with other German artists, but it doesn't do much for the album though. Many times the other artists are not up to the same calibre as Raptile himself shows in his lyrics. But the English/German lyrics do work in the track "Rockinyablokz" featuring Main Concept. Here, the two lyricists battle back and forth, Raptile in English and Main Concept holding it down in the native tongue. Raptile also shows some of his international connections by hooking up with Vancouver's own Rascalz on "Transatlantic Partnership."

Overall da basilisk's eye is a solid album especially when you think that Addis Mussa still finds himself sometimes looking for words in English dictionaries.

- Scotty Hurst

Ten years have elapsed since Sloan burst onto the national music scene with Smeared, their wry guitars-and-glee-club album that put the fun back in rock and roll and defined the burgeoning East Coast genre.

Now, with Pretty Together, the four songwriters offer a sign of their maturity without turning their backs on the influences they have always worn on their sleeves.

Unlike more recent recordings, Pretty Together features more collaboration and less dependence on the piano. The songs are sung passionately, many of them longingly, with fewer all-out party tracks and less distinction between vocalists and their songs.

At times, Andrew Scott's songs have the raw endurance of Chris Murphy's style, while Murphy's and Jay Ferguson's songs borrow Scott's sober tone. It is as though the songwriting orbits of the four members converged for this album.

Many of the best tracks were penned by Ferguson, whose writing has never been stronger. "Who You Talkin' To?" floats gracefully with a hint of melancholy desperation, and "Dreaming of You" combines the best elements of the soft-singing guitarist's style.

The lead single, "If it Feels Good Do It," is not typical, but it lends the album the push of rock energy it needs.

As usual, arena rock influences are evident, especially on the Who-esque "In the Movies" and "Pick it Up and Dial It," an urgent appeal to rock fans who miss the glory days of KISS.

Pretty Together provides some encouraging signs that Sloan will not be added to the list of bands who start to suck when they grow up - on the contrary, their evolving style is making them more relevant than ever.

- Mason Wright

Mellow mellow yellow...is what comes to mind, and melodies unlike anything I've ever heard or imagined or thought possible before. Vuggy mixes folky alternative grooves with soft low key vocals to produce music that can only fit into the vast and misrepresentative canon of alternative music. I have often wondered what, if anything, Alternative Music is...alternative to what? Alternative to...German Polka? Slayer? System of a Down? If there's one thing which I can do to describe Vuggy, is to describe what it is not. It is not R&B or Hip Hop. It is not hardcore metal like Slipknot. It is not hardcore punk or ska. It is essentially the opposite of hip-hop, slipknot and hardcore punk rock. I will just say that Vuggy is a band that jumps all over boundaries and easy categories like folk, rock, or mellow music.

The band's lyrics are fresh, and convey realistic images of Canadian experiences, but that doesn't quite sum up their style. The lyrics suggest personal experiences and relationships, loneliness, loss and travelling through cities and more personal experiences. Although that is an idea of what the five songs are about, you can really only scratch the surface of this CD by listening to it a few times. These songs, like a lot of music, grow on you for better or worse and it won't be long before you have strong feelings for this band.

The CD and its five unobtrusive tracks are well made and there is a lot of instrumental variety from the two guitars and sax, which help to spice up melodramatic vocals which seem to fit the particular personal experience-based lyricisms of these songs. This review is highly subjective, because I almost never listen to alternative music of this type, so it is hard to be fair to music which you don't listen to. I can't think of anything to compare to this CD, so I'll just say that they're original and you should check them out if you like groovy music which sounds kind of alternative.

- Peter Konefal

[ Back to issue 8 ] [ Send The Peak a comment on this story ]

The contents of The Peak are protected by copyright. For information on rights regarding specific articles (including reprinting, where applicable), please contact epeak@mail.peak.sfu.ca with the full URL of the content in question.