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Disc Of The Week
The King Khan and BBQ Show
Invisible Girl
(In the Red)
****
You can’t expect too much progression from a band whose career is based on throwback ’50s/’60s rhythm and blues. But don’t worry: that refusal to evolve is a good thing. On their third LP, King Khan and BBQ continue to churn out the rock ’n’ roll that only they can do this well. Granted, there are a couple of weird things going on that haven’t happened before, like the goofy/infectious “Animal Party” and the goofy/raunchy “Tastebuds” (which is about having taste sensors on your balls, shit, etc.). But for the most part, these boys stick to their tried-and-true garage R&B formula. BBQ (Mark Sultan) has the perfect voice for this type of music, sounding like a pained angel as he croons and wails on “I’ll Be Loving You” and “Tryin’,” and King Khan switches between rough, soulful rock and snotty punk vocals on “Lonely Boy” and “Spin the Bottle.” The real highlights, though, are the title track, the smooth and pained “Third Ave.,” and the perfectly raucous closer “Do the Chop.” King Khan and BBQ switch effortlessly from high-energy fun to emotional ballads, all the while sounding like rock ’n’ roll legends. And on Nov. 26, they come to the Pawn Shop with one of the rowdiest rock ’n’ roll shows on the planet.
MIKE DEANE

Scandinavians!
The William Blakes
Wayne Coyne
(Speed of Sound)
***1/2
The Danish band The William Blakes may have named their debut album after the lead singer of The Flaming Lips, but judging from these 12 songs, Coyne is the least of their influences. The opening track, “Secrets of the State,” conjures up memories of ‘80s synth bands like Talk Talk and Blancmange, “Beginnings” has a room-filling sound that recalls The Arcade Fire (right down to the mid-song shout of “Let’s go!” just like in “No Cars Go”), and even on the track literally titled “Wayne Coyne,” lead singer Kristian Leth frenetically quotes the “ma-ma-sa, ma-ma-se, ma-ma-makossa” breakdown from Michael Jackson’s “Wanna Be Startin’ Something.” It’s a magpie album, in other words, and even if it’s hard to get a firm grasp on the band’s true identity, Wayne Coyne has a big, lush pop sound that will pass the time until they figure it out. My favourite track is “On Fire,” whose mix of jaunty melody and apocalyptic lyrics compares favourably with Talking Heads’ “Road to Nowhere.” Hey, originality is overrated, anyway.
PAUL MATWYCHUK

CanCon
Blue Rodeo
The Things We Left Behind
(Warner)
****
If you don’t have any albums from the early to mid-’70s, don’t worry about it; they’re all right here on Blue Rodeo’s 12th studio album. But nostalgic sounds aside (the two-disc set is even available as a double-gatefold vinyl release), the band’s tag-team vocals remain uniquely their own, and anchor this album, which may very well be their magnum opus. Sides one and two (or Disc One, if you’re a philistine CD buyer) are an upbeat ride with the opening track, “All the Things That Are Left Behind” a nice departure from expected Blue Rodeo sound. Closing the album is the epic, distorted “Venus Rising” on Disc Two, which (omitting a couple songs) is chock-full of softies. Like a trip up and down a ’70s radio dial, string sections and all, the songs run together even after repeated listens, making it a pretty good sandwich for part-timers, and a full buffet for diehards.
JULIE SKREPNEK

British Murkpop
The Big Pink
A Brief History of Love
(4AD)
***
A Brief History of Love is one murky album. Nearly every track is awash in the echo of writhing guitars or the blur of distorted electronic sound — enough to make it nearly impossible to see (or, in this case, hear) past the surface. Depending on your perspective (and your tolerance on feedback), this could be a good or a bad thing. Regardless, your easiest point of entry is the only standout track, “Dominoes.” With a tumbling chorus and a leisurely bounce to the backbeat, it’s an electro-rock earworm. From there, the following tune (“Love in Vain”) will feel pretty different. With its distant violin loop and meekly banged tambourine, it’s a pathetic plea compared to the cocksureness of “Dominoes,” but they counterbalance each other nicely. After you’ve digested those two tunes, it will take a little more work to break through the un-polished remainder of the record, but it will eventually happen if you persevere. To say that would be worth the effort might be an overstatement, but there is something to this album ... maybe it’s the sound of potential.
KATHLEEN BELL

Performer In Town
Connie Kaldor
Postcards From the Road
(Outside)
**
There’s a fine line between eloquent simplicity and mere banality, between familiar shared truths and shopworn sentiments, and far too often on Postcards From the Road, singer/songwriter Connie Kaldor can be heard settling for the latter. These are songs about how hard it is to say goodbye, how hard it can be to put your finger on why you love the people you do, how your life might have been hugely different if you’d chosen another path, and how nice it feels to be in love. All perfectly legitimate subjects for songs, of course, but Kaldor doesn’t ring any fresh changes on them. Love is like a mountain. It makes your heart flutter like a bird. When romance ends, it leaves a hole inside you. Of course, Kaldor’s warm, supple voice can make even weak material sound good — folk fans will still want to catch her upcoming Edmonton appearance on Nov. 25 at Convocation Hall.
PAUL MATWYCHUK