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Artvoice Weekly Edition » Issue v5n15 (04/13/2006) » Section: Left of the Dial


Bedouin Soundclash: Sounding a Mosaic

Taking Canada by storm is this Toronto-based trio who has earned regular comparisons to a certain 1980s, arena-filling, new-wave-meets-reggae threesome. Don’t call them the new Police so fast, however. Bedouin’s heavy leanings toward trad reggae, dub and rocksteady meshed with rock, along with rousing songs pushing a unique passion and punch, put them closer in league with the mighty Clash. Jay Malinowski’s vocals bear the realness and zeal of the most hardcore Rastas, which is impressive for a white boy. Eon Sinclair’s thumping bass line drives “Criminal,” while drummer Pat Pengelly steadily holds down the groove. Appropriately, the US version of the album includes a dub version of the infectious “Rude Boy Don’t Cry.” If they need even a shred more cred, it’s notable that production duties for Sounding a Mosaic were handled by legendary Bad Brains bassist Darryl Jennifer, someone who knows a thing or two about inflecting reggae vibrations into rock.



Yeah Yeah Yeahs: Show Your Bones

Kids grow up so fast. Just five years ago, Yeah Yeah Yeahs were the toast of New York’s art-punk scene for their trashy garage-rock revivalism and legendary live shows. Their 2003 debut, Fever to Tell, captured the trio’s raw energy on tracks like “Pin” and “Date with the Night”, but also hinted at an untapped maturity with the heartfelt ballad “Maps.” Old-school YYY fans who decried that “sellout song” will be disappointed further by Show Your Bones, which continues the band’s exploration into kinder, gentler sonic territory. True to his moniker, producer Squeak E. Clean has toned down singer Karen O’s howl—although her old vocal tics still break through occasionally—and muted the band’s trademark urgency. This is not to say that the ’Yeahs have completely abandoned their old sound—the rockabilly-tinged “Mysteries” features a welcome feedback freakout courtesy of guitarist Nick Zinner, and the stomping “Honeybear” would not be out of place on the band’s earliest EPs. But overall, Show Your Bones is undeniably subdued, as on the charmingly off-key “Dudley” and the twangy closer “Turn Into.” Each song seems to sample a different style or instrument, leaving the album unfocused. Call it the sophomore slump—or perhaps just growing pains.



Richard Ashcroft: Keys to the World

I was a 14-year-old in 1995 when I first heard the Verve’s A Northern Soul. A decade later, twice the body weight and half the intellect, here am I once again floored by the power of that late band’s leader. Keys to the World is the man called “Mad Richard’s” third solo effort and consists of 10 songs that, in a perfect world, would all be #1 singles. Keys opens with one of the album’s three perfect gems, “Why Not Nothing.” It’s Ashcroft’s most lyrically/musically angry solo cut to date, with a perfect blend of foot-stompin’ bass and snare, distorted guitars, layered vocals and a scathing lyrical attack on religion: “You don’t deny it, it’s abuse of the cross, let’s get some of God-squad in the dark where they belong.” The title track is one of the few songs you’re ever likely to hear that actually makes you want to brawl, boff and bang on the old six-string all in one swoop and could easily have been a standout tune on any Verve record. From the somber tales of “Sweet Brother Malcolm” to the I’ll-never-get-this-chorus-out-of-my-head number “Words Just Get in the Way,” Ashcroft takes us on a ride. The album’s finest moment is “Simple Song,” and it makes you genuinely wish the producer had looped the chorus a million times over. Instead what you get is a taut 4:02 of near perfection. It’s a song that breaks the skin and goes deep in the conscious of anyone who has ever done something worthy of regret. Ashcroft recently has been supporting Coldplay, and there is little doubt in my mind that that band has had their work cut out for them following Ashcroft and these songs performed live. If you look at him as some sort of Dylan for this jilted generation, then this may well be his Blood on the Tracks. Remember that guy taking that arrogant stroll down a crowded street in the “Bittersweet Symphony” video? Well, it’s the same guy and the same street, only this time he’s bulldozing everyone and everything over.





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