Issue #62 [Album Reviews]

Reviews of the latest by Charlie Alex March, Martha and The Muffins, Massive Attack and Vampire Weekend.

Charlie Alex March
Home/Hidden
Lo Recordings
I know that it’s lazy to say that albums are an amalgam of two other bands or records (“It’s like Grizzly Bear meets GWAR!”), but this is the first time I’ve ever done it, so don’t send me hate mail … or do, it’s always nice to meet a reader. When I was approximately 15, the two CDs I farmed more than any for my mix tapes were Aphex Twin’s Richard D. James Album, and the soundtrack to The Kids in the Hall movie, Brain Candy. They were both so good for putting on while opening the little convenience store I worked at on those early -30 degree winter days in southern Ontario, with their sad but not pathetic instrumental compositions (the latter being almost entirely Matador bands like Pell Mell and Pizzicato Five). The nostalgic ease I feel listening to Charlie Alex March’s second effort is special, but maybe only to me. Because honestly, I’m pretty certain that I was the only one in the Ottawa Valley listening to Aphex Twin and the Matador roster on those cold mornings while trying to decipher the looks on all those loggers’ faces when they heard what was coming from a tiny stereo behind the long haired skinny kid selling them lottery tickets and Players Light Regular.
—Trevor Risk

Martha & The Muffins
Delicate
Muffin Music
mmmMuffins! After three decades and only one hit song (you know “Echo Beach”. It’s basically “The Killing Moon” of Canada), the Toronto based synthpoppers have unveiled Delicate, their first album of new material in 18 years. Long-time partners in music and in life, Martha Johnson and Mark Gane took the best of the Muffins’ past and paired it with more current musical tastes, which, lucky for us, involve absolutely no Eighties saxophone farts. Martha’s clean and sober vocals trot alongside jaunty jams like “One in a Million” and “Drive,” while lullabies like “Even in the Rain,” and “Life’s Too Short to Long for Something Else,” are intense and emotional without a curd of melodramatic cheese. Simply put, Delicate is well-aged synthfolk fun.
—Jules Moore

Massive Attack
Heligoland
Virgin
Dude! Chillax and gear down, because when it comes to Heligoland, this one’s a slow burner. It’s the first offering from Massive Attack in seven years, so there’s a bit of pressure surrounding its release. That said, Massive Attack isn’t exactly arena rock whose listeners hard fuck and do coke all the time. No, they hit that “I’ll cook you dinner then we’ll love make” and “I stare out into the universe while riding the bus” kind of demographic. Shall I say that they are successful in this? Yes. There really are some great songs and guest vocals here, but dude, what did I tell you? Inhale, hold it… slow burner. I had to listen to this a few times to get it, but now that I’ve got it, I don’t want to give it back. Fans of Massive Attack will be happy with this one, and as someone who still feels stabbings in my heart whenever I hear the song “Protection” because my fucking heart was broken around the time I was listening to it (all the time), I am very pleased with Heligoland indeed. Buy it for “Paradise Circus” alone. Great song.
—Dr. Ian Super

Vampire Weekend
Contra
XL
The funniest thing happened when listening to Vampire Weekend’s latest release. Within the first few soft caressing beats of “Diplomat’s Son” I was hooked by a strong sense of deja vu. Shaken for a few minutes with a broad, Cheshire Cat smile on my face, I was struck by the source of my “Oh-my-goodness-this-sounds-familiar” feeling. Lead singer Ezra Koenig could have a great and profitable career doing voiceovers for Paul Simon. The similarities between Koenig and Simon are startling yet have just increased my love for Contra that much more. Koenig’s croonings are potential swoon material. Paul Simon-ness aside, Vampire Weekend craft each of the tracks on Contra with the same effort one puts toward perfecting one’s fashion style. All the musical elements fit perfectly together, like a complementary equation of shoes, hair and accessories. This sophomore album of VW is more than just a disciplined musical musing; it is a bona-fide time travel to summer warmth, lazy beach days and the honourable right to take that well deserved ‘chill pill’.
—Danielle Sipple