Windsor for the Derby
How We Lost
(Secretly Canadian)
Windsor for the Derby take their own sweet time getting to things. The opening track, "Let Go," builds quietly for about three minutes before the vocals, which seem to espouse a sort of fatalistic detachment, come in. "Grab hold of everything you know, and let go, let go/ make a fast retreat from what follows, let go," go the lyrics. With jet sounds, tom-heavy drumming and piping organs, the woozy sonic spirit of My Bloody Valentine and Jesus and Mary Chain haunts this music. Those are good ghosts.
—John Adamian
Nick Lowe
Jesus of Cool
(Yep Roc)
Better known in the U.S. as Pure Pop for Now People, this reissue presents Nick Lowe's debut in its original format for the first time. Lowe claims he wanted to create disposable pop songs, but 30 years later your ears will hear a different story. The musical savvy and irreverent wit of these songs still ring clearly. Lowe cannily cuts his catchy tunes with bits of doo-wop, robotic rhythms, cod reggae, rockabilly and skittering funk. In hindsight, Lowe's pub rock roots sometimes show through the New Wave dye-job. But if the album doesn't retain the shock of the new, there are no duds either. Yep Roc has added a generous helping of worthy b-sides and singles, rounding out this essential icon of power pop.
—Jeff Jackson
Brooke Fraser
Albertine
(Columbia)
New Zealander Brooke Fraser's North American debut has two things one seldom hears on the pop charts: for-real vocal talent and a sense of goodness. Fraser, though only 22, sports a full vocal palette; there are fragile, innocent tones, but these are balanced with husk and are richly adorned with a gorgeous, throaty catch. She uses her colors to express painful longing, spirituality, and passionate commitment to social justice. Unlike Vegas-style screamstresses, Fraser understands how to build a song for maximum effect. Her originals are not lyrically complex, but give her credit for thinking: she writes about topics such as Rwandan orphans, C. S. Lewis, and the harlot who married the prophet Hosea. They must brew pop with more introspection in the Antipodes.
—Rob Weir
The Breeders
Mountain Battles
(4AD)
Certain comets are sighted more regularly than the Breeders, so it's always news when Kim and Kelley Deal deliver. The superb Mountain Battles marries the steely monochromatic moodiness of the underrated Title TK with the canny pop of Last Splash. Most immediately striking are the songs in different languages—the uptempo romp "German Studies" and torchy bolero ballad "Regalame Esta Noche" are minor strokes of genius. Variety is the key here. Punky shouters like "It's the Love" sit comfortably alongside spiky minimalist workouts like "Bang On," while "Walk It Off" would fit on a new Pixies album. There's no hit single, but these charming songs casually insinuate themselves so effectively that they're likely to linger until the next batch arrives.
—Jeff Jackson
