My top 2 albums of 2009 rank & reviews on Exclaim! year-end list

So if you haven’t noticed yet, the new (and 200th) issue of Exclaim! is now out on newsstands across Canada (or will at least be coming to your little remote farm town soon). It’s also the year-end edition, in which each genre tallies up the ranks from its critics. The critics send in their top 10, and the ranking turns into a top 20.

As I generally write for the Pop Rocks section, that is where I submitted my list. I was lucky enough to be able to write about my top 2 albums of 2009. They ranked at #3 and #5. It was a pleasure to write about two albums that really made an impact on the insane year I’ve had, nonetheless get the chance to obsessively listen to them again for a week.

So, want to know which albums I’m talking about? Read after the jump to find out! Oh, and stay tuned to find out what my #3-10 are… coming soon.

New writing on Spinner.ca – short profile on Said the Whale

Hey readers! If you’ve been wondering what’s been going on with me lately, well I’ll tell you. I’m currently working on the Ryerson Review of Journalism full-time in school where I am putting together two feature articles, blog posts and filling my role as the Spring masthead’s Visuals Editor. Besides this, in the past month I’ve helped Homemakers.com move over to their soon-to-be-launched new site, write an article about female music journalists for the Winter issue of McClungs magazine, write an article about Le Cyc for the latest issue of Broken Pencil and another one about something else in the upcoming issue and finally write tons of reviews and do some interviews for Exclaim!.

That sounds like a lot, right? Yeah… but hey, I’ve taken on something new! I now have writing up on Spinner.ca, which is a music website across the world run by AOL.

My first article is a short profile piece on that cute band I keep talking about from Vancouver, Said the Whale. Please do check it out! Here’s a taste for you:

Vancouver pop-rockers Said the Whale might be named after the large mammals that cruise up and down the West Coast but their music has been indelibly shaped by the entire country.

Their recently-released sophomore album, ‘Islands Disappear,’ is a musical reflection on Canada, following a Vancouver-inspired debut marked by intensely moving songs about sailing in ‘Howe Sounds’ and losing a loved one in the same waters in ‘Curse of the Currents.’

“The first was Vancouver because it was where we had been during writing,” singer/guitarist Tyler Bancroft tells Spinner. “This one, we’ve been on the road for two years, six cross-Canada tours, so we’re influenced by lots of Canada now.”

Read the rest of the article here!

I really do miss updating this blog as often as I did over the summer. It will be back and running in the future … just not for a while, so I at least hope you’re enjoying yourself here on RoundLetters with my clippings!

Album Review: Gossip – Music for Men

The following was originally published on Exclaim.ca.

Gossip
Music for Men
By Jessica Lewis

Gossip’s fourth studio album is the kind of record that makes you kick yourself if you haven’t listened to the other three. With flashy, trash-talking disco, funky guitar riffs, fast drum beats and Beth Ditto’s range ― from tiny, almost hidden hums to loud, powerful, soulful howls ― it’s anything but boring or bland. The power is on high, pulsing through veins, as Ditto puts everything into phrases like “It takes two; it’s up to me and you to prove it,” on exciting single “Heavy Cross.” If there’s a lesson to take away from this album it’s that you don’t want to make Ditto mad. Armed with a strong, genre-mixing backbone, provided by Brace Paine and Hannah Blilie, Ditto spits comments destined to inspire guilt in past partners, as on “Love Long Distance.” The lyrics aren’t particularly complicated but the fact that Ditto puts it so simply is more of an excuse to quickly learn how to sing along when you need that perfect break-up song. (Columbia)

Album Review: Bell Horses – This Loves Last Time

The following was originally published on Exclaim.ca.

Bell Horses
This Loves Last Time
By Jessica Lewis

Though iTunes may categorize this band as “easy listening,” don’t lump them into the same category as Sade or Kenny G just yet. This debut album from duo Xian Hawkins and Jenny Owen Youngs is a beautiful stroll through a balanced mix of female and male vocals, as well as modern instrumentation. But as any stroll does, the album has quick turns, where it takes on a rock overtone to keep things interesting. The duo enlisted the help from Alberta Cross’s Alexander Ericson, the Antlers‘ Michael Lerner and string instrumentalist Eve Boltax. In just eight songs, it’s soothingly poetic yet captures the ears. Often, it’s hard to decipher Young’s lyrics, and they could have done a little less with the computerized sounds, but those problems are washed over in comparison to the warm dual vocals in “Small Hours,” guitar in “Billowing” and the mixtape-worthy ten minutes of “The Comb” and “Photograph.” Everlasting and graceful, this album will soften any hard edges one’s iTunes might have. (Trysquare)

Album Review: Shonen Knife – Super Group

The following was originally published on Exclaim.ca.

Shonen Knife
Super Group
By Jessica Lewis

We might as well have the ’90s brought back to us right before the end of the decade, and who better than the ladies in Japan’s 28-year-old, yet newly reformed, Shonen Knife? They’ve got the formula down, from the individual instrumentation (great for Rock Band) to the lyrics, as in “Deer Biscuits,” where new vocalist Naoko sings that they smell like soy bean flour, or “BBQ Party,” which encourages a healthy dose of junk food. You can see the kids bopping around in their Hawaiian T-shirts and razor caps covering up iced tips. However, there’s an undertone of grunge, with Naoko grating her voice in “Pyramid Party,” and her electric guitar. But there’s also the friendly driving force of Ritsuko’s bass and Etsuko’s drumming right from the get-go in first song “Super Group.” Finally, it’s worth mentioning that they have a fun, beach-flavoured cover of a Paul McCartney and the Wings song, “Jet.” (Good Charamel)

Album Review: Hockey – Mind Chaos

The following was originally published on Exclaim.ca.

Hockey
Mind Chaos
By Jessica Lewis

All right, it has to be said: front-man Benjamin Grubin’s voice sounds as if Justin Timberlake was born some five years later, with one heck of a taste for indie pop. Is that a problem? No, but it makes for some interesting mental images while listening to this band. With that aside, Hockey’s debut album is extremely catchy, coordinated, dance-favoured rock, especially “Work, “Song Away” and “Preacher.” However, this album gives way to the feeling that it might take a bit longer to make a lasting impression, especially with random folk-themed song (where Grubin loses Timberlake and tries to nail down personal hero Bob Dylan) “Four Holy Photos” in the middle. (Capitol)

Album Review: The Dudes – Blood Guts Bruises Cuts

The following was originally published on Exclaim.ca.

The Dudes
Blood Guts Bruises Cuts
By Jessica Lewis

This title has proved to be incredibly bad luck for the Calgarian band in the recent past, as they’ve suffered numerous bike-related injuries, which even had a couple members in the hospital. They’re blaming the title, obviously, but it’s in good musical taste to argue that, hey, rock’n'roll is tough, and if anybody can get through it to record another solid album, it will be these Dudes. Even though songs like “Girl Police” and “Pretty Lies” are more than suited for radio airplay, they’re in good taste. Vocalist/guitarist Dan Vacon brings a twang of soulful blues to the rock powerhouse of Bob Quaschnick, Brady Kirchner and lively drummer Scott Ross. Vacon’s conversational tones in songs like “Ghosts We’re Buried On” bring the band back down from radio to local bar level, but they prove they can bring the party wherever they go no matter how damaging it might be to them in the long run. (Load)

Album Review: Lee & Willbee – North Carolina

The following was originally published on Exclaim.ca.

Lee & Willbee
North Carolina
By Jessica Lewis

Lee & Willbee are three friends ― Lee Chameleon, Markus Willbee and Patrick Roche ― who live in Chicago, Salt Lake City and Seattle, respectively. The namesake rhythm section hail from the now-defunct La Makita Soma. Chameleon’s quiet, ghostly vocal tones often lia flip the switch from raspy to smooth, which helps him weave in and out of the subtle, cascading, guitar-picked notes, feedback-based bass, quick paced drums and high octave piano. Their lyrics are notable as well, such as on “Little Palamino,” but it’s totally worth it to hear the passionate confession of “fornication cures a broken heart” in last song “Typhoid Mary.” (Lost in the Woods)

Album Review: Jamie T – Kings & Queens

The following was originally published on Exclaim.ca.

Jamie T
Kings & Queens
By Jessica Lewis

Londoner Jamie T is back with Kings & Queens, an 11-track long night out. From getting stoned in the first song, “368,” to a sobering realization of communication problems in “Jilly Armeen,” T (for Treays) lays it all out on the floor in his trademark crass poetry. With that in mind, Treays has definitely given the album a more mature outlook, as he’s out of his teen years and his parents’ house. While there may not be a single on par with any from his first album, there are tracks like “Chaka Demus,” with a great drum and keyboard pairing, “Castro Dies,” a Beastie Boys-like commentary and “Earth, Wind & Fire,” which samples from Joan Baez and leads straight into a mesh of rock inspirations. Ever the entertainer, Treays has found a way to strengthen his charm and musical talent, which is worth the listen. (Pacemaker)

Album Review: Modernboys Moderngirls – I Might As Well Break It

The following was originally published on Exclaim.ca.

Modernboys Moderngirls
I Might As Well Break It
By Jessica Lewis

Looking for a rowdy good time, the cast of Modernboys Moderngirls (Akira Alemany, Brett Millius and Juan Carlos Rivas) have taken on every essence of their album title. With the beer swilling, body-swaying voice of Alemany against the backdrop of lighter pop rock, their music is something to remember. This bodes well, as there are technically only three new songs on the album, but altogether it sounds fresh, fun and raring to go. Songs such as “Stay Under” and “My Baby Says Boy, Don’t You Ever Go” shine for their lyrical repetition and catchy choruses, respectively. With the kind of spirit that could make a ship full of seasick sailors feel well enough to rock out to the point of sickness all over again, MBMG have reached their goal and remain a band with a promising future. (Independent)