Album reviews

The Hold Steady, Open Door Policy (Positive Jams)

It’s been a rough few years for the Hold Steady, the world’s premium meta-bar-band. Lineup changes and a vested interest in moving away from the Springsteen-inflected, hyper-wordy indie rock that made them the perennial favourites of the “dudes rock” faction of rock fans resulted in some middling albums that struggled to find a sound. With eccentric keyboardist Franz Nicolay back in the fold, the Hold Steady deliver their best album since 2008’s Stay Positive. Frontman Craig Finn’s literary lyricsm is at its densest, the E Street Band piano hooks and chunky dual-guitar (now tripleguitar, in fact) assaults abound and yet the Hold Steady have refined their sound some, swapping in more trippy guitar parts, buttery electric piano and more jazzy arrangements without sacrificing the things that anyone who loves the Hold Steady loves about the Hold Steady. Most bands would have thrown in the towel after so many wilderness years, but Open Door Policy proves it was worth sticking to it. 9/10 Trial Track: “Heavy Covenant” (Alex Rose)

SG Lewis, times (PMR / EMI) Samuel George Lewis has finally dropped his debut full-length after a string of buzz-worthy, highly danceable singles since 2015. Between sun-kissed bangers like album opener “Time” featuring Rhye, and the disco/house hybrid of “One More” with guitar work from Nile Rodgers himself, this is a 10-track disco odyssey taking cues from both past and future dance tropes. While it would’ve been nice if singles like “Impact” and “Chemicals” weren’t out well before the album’s release, the moody seven-minute epic “All We Have” and the slowed-down ’80s yacht rock vibes of “Heartbreak on the Dancefloor” are examples of solid tracks he’s saved for the big reveal. Ultimately, it’s the sound of the 26-year-old British producer making an album that would be an excellent soundtrack for summer gettogethers this year — if we get to have any, that is. 8.5/10 Trial Track: “Time (feat. Rhye)” (Dave MacIntyre)

Planet Giza, Don’t Throw Rocks at the Moon (Independent) Montreal trio Planet Giza return with their first project in nearly two years. The project is a demonstration of the group’s distinct duality. It is at once a call-back to the sparse and hard-hitting sounds of the early 2000s à la Clipse and the Neptunes and unapologetically funky as well. Despite its 14-minute runtime, Don’t Throw Rocks at the Moon feels like a fully fleshed out body of work. Planet Giza are widely regarded as some of the most talented producers from the city but Tony Stone and company are equally talented as centre stage artists. 8.5/10 Trial Track: “When the Moving Stops” (Mr. Wavvy)

Malika Tirolien, Higher (Genison)

Undercurrents of past and future coalesce in the cosmos on the Bokanté vocalist’s solo endeavour. The Montrealer and Grammy Award nominee is wholly unencumbered, exploring rap, future funk, soul and spacey fusion jazz with positivity and personal exploration the common thread throughout the uplifting journey. The impossible feels possible in her sure hands on “Higher,” but it doesn’t come from a disingenuous place: you can hear the work it took to reach that level of balance and strength. 8/10 Trial Track: “Don’t Come Around” (Erik Leijon)

Tash Sultana, Terra Firma (Mom + Pop)

The second album by this Australian one-person band is the sonic equivalent of a sunny, beer-soaked summer afternoon at Parc JeanneMance. On Terra Firma, Tash Sultana delivers an album that adds further colour to their trademark mélange of reggae, neo soul and psychedelic pop, even if the Melbourne native doesn’t really leave their musical comfort zone. While their 2018 debut Flow State was a bit too overproduced to effectively capture Sultana’s blistering live shows onto tape, Terra Firma is a noticeably more measured and cohesive effort. “Sweet & Dandy” is a chilled-out meditation on 21st century life, “Greed” lyrically tackles the trappings of fame and the R&B slow jam vibes of “Vanilla Honey” augment the album’s emotional impact. Where it lacks in immediately memorable hooks it makes up for in strong musicianship and blunt, introspective lyricism. Terra Firma might not be a knockout, but there’s still no sophomore slump to be found here. 7.5/10 Trial Track: “Sweet & Dandy” (Dave MacIntyre)

Barry Paquin Roberge, Exordium to Extasy (Costume Records) Though the formulation of their band name suggests symphonic pomp-prog in the ELP mold, Barry Paquin Roberge’s party-ready disco-funk sound is much more in line with expansive disco outfits of the ’70s like Earth, Wind & Fire or Kool and the Gang. I won’t lie — there’s a whiff of ironic distancing to some of the album’s more outré grooves, but on the other hand, it’s nearly impossible to do this kind of thing without at least a wink and a poke to the way disco has been shit on for the last 40 years. The musicianship is, however, excellent, and the songs’ rock edge ensures that this is more than blind Moroder worship and gold-lamé fetishism. Exordium to Extasy is more focused on infectious grooves and dense walls of synth than with hooky songwriting, but that’s precisely the point. 7/10 Trial Track: “Hot Stuff — Wanna Play Rough” (Alex Rose)