Coheed and Cambria. No World For Tomorrow. Even though I stopped listening to emo around the same time I found out what emo meant, I`ve always nurtured a soft spot for Co and Ca. Maybe it was the overextended, prog-rock song structure, Claudio Sanchez`s teenage Geddy Lee vocals or the charmingly geeky sci-fi themed album concepts, but something about the wounds this band bore always seemed fresh. The sequel to 2005`s From Fear Through the Eyes of Madness, Coheed`s latest concludes their five-part metal-lite space opera. Thankfully, the band is not so consumed with the concept album ethos that they abandon musicianship altogether and resultantly, there`s some decent stuff on this record. Songs like "Feathers," "On The Brink" and "The End Complete" offer enough deft guitar work and spacey synthesizers to bear repeated listening. But clocking in at a paltry fewer than four minutes, the album's requisite power-ballad, "The Road and the Damned," seems less like the moment of pointed narrative triumph it's supposed to be and more like some derisory dashboard confessional. And while musical allusions to previous tunes like "The Crowing" and "Blood Red Summer" and the resolution of the tale of hopeless cosmic lovers Coheed and Cambria are bound to amuse those who have more intently followed the band's output, those not conversant in all the heady space-rock argot are bound to leave this album bemused. It's an okay record, but in terms of concept albums, it's less Operation: Mindcrime II and more Bat Out of Hell III.
-John Semley
Lee Mellor. Ghost Town Heart. 25 years young and quickly gaining the potential to be one of Montreal's great alt-country songwriters, Mellor's Ghost Town Heart reflects the Anglo born Canadian's experiences of modern change in the suburbs across North America. Mellor tackles subjects such as death, rebirth, human hunger, faith and love. Dylan, Earle and Young influences can clearly be heard throughout Mellor's songwriting. The album opens up with the uplifting "Liberty Street", followed by the catchy bittersweet "The Greatest Killer in a Small Town" which is most likely to be the breakthrough song that could bring Mellor into the public eye. Other strong tracks include "Girl on the Highway" reminiscent of Young's Harvest-era works and the raw upbeat "Jessie Hynes". Audiences who don't listen to folk or country won't be convinced, but those who can appreciate the old fashioned spirit of Americana music should
definitely give it a try.
-Charlie Cheng
Strata. Strata Presents the End of the World. This album offers twelve tracks of various styles and various ideas, thus presenting something for everyone (although perhaps not everything to someone). The writing is dedicated to rhythm and as such creates a very fluid listening experience. As a result, however, the rhymes are lacklustre and seem to have been added simply for rhyming's sake. The thoughts portrayed offer a plethora of philosophies, all of which are rather elementary as the songs deal with staying young, dedicating one's life to one's lover, fighting the war and selling out to the man. There are nuggets of nerdy lyrics which can interest those who are into "XKCD" comics and Threadless t-shirts such as, "there are constants like gravity, heartbreak and shame." Their sound offers a noticeable dichotomy as certain songs keep a Death Cab feel while others resemble Billy Talent or My Chemical Romance. Fans of their previous album will notice a lot of change as their style has become more diverse and perhaps a little softer. As a result Strata gives the impression that they want to be played on the radio. Occasionally enjoyable, but often bland, Strata Presents the End of the World holds some nice tracks such as "Stay Young" and "Cocaine" which should be looked into.
-William Robinson
The Hives. The Black and White Album. Having shed the more unpolished punky leanings of Veni Vedi Vicious altogether, The Black and White Album sees The Hives striving to perfect their lively brand of garage rock revivalism. "Tick Tick Boom" proves a strong start to the album and the energy continues through "Well All Right!", with its infectious repeating shouts of "all right!" which beg dance floor sing-along. But the album is far from The Hives opus. Vocalist Pelle Almqvist is timidly melodic on "Won't Be Long," the instrumental "A Stroll Through Hive Manor Corridors" is entirely unexciting and "T.H.E.H.I.V.E.S." sounds something like an uncomfortable fusion of the disco-funk of the Stones' "Emotional Rescue" and a Jane's Addiction song. But the record ends fairly strong, with the tight rocker "You Dress Up For Armageddon" and the bouncy spookiness of "Puppet On A String." There's a few good singles here, but as a whole, The Black and White Album lacks cohesion, sounding at times more like an ad hoc assemblage of three-and-a-half
minute tunes of varying value. Oh well. It's not like The Hives are your new favourite band anymore, anyways.
-John Semley
2008 Woodie Awards
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