snap reviews

Album: Piramida Artist: Efterklang (4AD)

1/2 Efterklang’s haunted melodies on Piramida have much to do with the locale that gave its name to the Danish trio’s latest album. The band spent nine days in an abandoned Russian settlement at the edge of the North Pole recording over 1,000 audio samples that served as the basis of the album, from field sounds and wind noise, to footsteps on old wooden walkways (Dreams Today), percussions recorded on lampshades and oil drums, and vocals recorded in empty smoke stacks. The world’s northernmost grand piano even makes an appearance on the record (on Apples), and Efterklang lets Piramida’s desolated atmosphere envelop its tortured, lonesome young man’s blues, creating a spellbinding symbiosis between the lost settlement’s ghost life and the band’s tales of despair and isolation. Yet, Piramida is buoyed by a sense of hope and redemption, and even when things seem the bleakest, singer Casper Clausen sings with pop aplomb (on The Ghost), “Look at where you are (...) you’ll make it through somehow.” Francois Marchand, Vancouver Sun

Album: Privateering Artist: Mark Knopfler (Universal)

Mark Knopfler’s seventh album post-Dire Straits finds him, as usual, mixing gentle folk rockers with moody portraits painted by acoustic guitars and whistles. Given his under-appreciated track record as a songwriter, the tried and true is not at all a bad thing. Some of these beauties, in fact, rank up there with the finest in his catalogue. If there are subtle changes from the rest of the Knopfler oeuvre, however, they lie in the particularly economical use of trademark electric guitar fills and a frequent leaning on blues structures. Almost half of the double disc’s 20 songs are firmly within the blues genre, and most of those are placed in the home stretch — a sequencing decision that might be open to debate. Knopfler opens for Bob Dylan & His Band on Tuesday, Oct. 9 at Rexall Place. Tickets are $39.50 to $124.50 plus service charges at Ticketmaster. ca. To read more on Knopfler, go to page C4. Bernard Perusse, Montreal Gazette

Album: Born To Sing: No Plan B Artist: Van Morrison (Blue Note)

For the past 15 years, Van Morrison’s output has jumped between glorious (The Healing Game, Magic Time), uneven, but still worthwhile (Down the Road, Keep It Simple) and subpar (What’s Wrong With This Picture?, Pay the Devil). His latest, recorded in his hometown of Belfast, falls somewhere short of greatness. The leadoff tracks lead you into a false sense of security, with the first song, Open the Door (To Your Heart) showing Morrison at his very best — in fine voice, working a deep, soulful groove with a terrific band. The eightminute Goin’ Down to Monte Carlo, a sunny, organ-drenched slice of R&B, follows and the gorgeous, rambling meditation End of the Rainbow is not far behind. After the equivalent of side one, however, monotony sets in, broken only by the ultracool, bass-driven If In Money We Trust, a jazzy indictment of the financial crisis. Still, half a great Van Morrison album is still a half-hour of must-hear music. Bernard Perusse, Montreal Gazette

Album: Tornado Artist: Little Big Town (Capitol Nashville)

1/2

By the first chorus of opening song Pavement Ends, Little Big Town makes it obvious they are taking a more modern, more adventurous approach on their fifth album, Tornado. One of country music’s most rousing live acts, the vocal group hasn’t achieved the success at country radio that its reputation suggests. Little White Church, from their 2010 album The Reason Why, was only their third Top 10 hit, and the next two releases didn’t crack the Top 40 in the U.S. So the four singers — Karen Fairchild, Kimberly Schlapman, Philip Sweet and Jimi Westbrook — switched producers to Jay Joyce, who has guided the albums of Capitol label mate Eric Church. The change works wonders. The band’s recent single Pontoon has become the first No. 1 hit in the group’s 10-year history. The musical sound is decidedly more modern. Leavin’ In Your Eyes employs a rhythm-machine beat and swirling keyboards, which brings more focus to the warmth and emotion of Little Big Town’s vocal arrangement. Whatever the motivation — desperation for a hit or simply wanting to try something new — the changes on Tornado blow fresh energy into Little Big Town. Michael McCall, Associated Press

Album: New To This Town Artist: Kix Brooks (Arista Nashville)

New To This Town is Kix Brooks’s first album since the end of Brooks & Dunn — and the second solo effort of his career. The album’s high points revel in the rambunctious attitude the Louisiana native brought to the long-running superstar duo. The low points, however, serve as a reminder why Ronnie Dunn was such a good partner for Brooks. At his best, Brooks injects spirit and personality into country rockers such as Let’s Do This Thing and the title song (featuring a guest appearance by Joe Walsh). But he falters the few times he tries to ease the pace. Michael McCall, Associated Press

Album: Stunt Rhythms Artist: Two Fingers (Ninja Tune)

Electronic explorer Amon Tobin’s Two Fingers project has been described as the sonic equivalent of “the truck turning into Optimus Prime.” On Stunt Rhythms, Two Fingers’ sophomore effort (though this time it’s Tobin solo without DJ Doubleclick), the Brazilianborn audio manipulator goes all out, and his love letter to old school breakbeat and hiphop is an elastic, mind-bending affair with so much bass it will make your head rattle. The core of the album is the classic Fools Rhythm, a wobbly, dubstep-tinged slammer. Other highlights include 8-bit banger Defender Rhythm, the devastating 101 South, the snap-crackle-pop of Sweden and the breakdance-ready Crunch Rhythm. The main downside is that, considering its close ties to classic hip-hop, Stunt Rhythms really deserved at least one or two vocal-driven tracks. Francois Marchand, Vancouver Sun