Gordon Lightfoot Book, Music and More!

Tuneful pop-rock is what this five-piece band from Los Angeles peddles. They’ve opened for Weezer and the Strokes and drawn comparisons to the Beatles and the Cars. Admittedly, singer Robert Carmine has a strong voice suited to retro genres and eras. But aside from the catchy power-pop of “Blue Side,” there are no memorable songs on this slick debut album. Even “Blue Side” has an eight-bar section that bears an unfortunate resemblance to the Turtles’ mindless ‘60s hit “Happy Together.” Best avoided.

Could “It’s About Time” be the next “Complicated”? That’s what Madonna’s label and Nickelback’s lawyer are banking on, positioning Lillix as an Avril Lavigne-style pop-punk quartet. The mostly teenage girls from Cranbrook, B.C. who make up Lillix, formerly known as Tigerlilly, offer anthems like “Tomorrow” and cover the Romantics’ “What I Like About You.” But inquiring minds want to know: when will Lillix challenge B.C.’s other rising teenage-girl group, LiveonRelease, to a battle of the bands?

That Downie’s first poetry book, Coke Machine Glow, outsold published works by such CanLit icons as Leonard Cohen can be explained by the Tragically Hip’s massive popularity. But Gordo’s no literary pretender—he’s already at work on another volume. Meanwhile, his second solo album continues to show evidence of a fertile imagination, with wistful ballads and wild, sometimes wacky experimental tracks. When Downie sings “we’re not dabblers or hobbyists anymore” on “We’re Hardcore,” he means it.

Ever since “Fly” flew up the charts, Sugar Ray has been known for infectious, sun-kissed pop. Although the California group started with harder-edged rock, the success of “Fly” forced the band to follow with melodically sweet material like “Every Morning,” “Someday” and “When It’s Over.” Sugar Ray’s latest continues the same formula, with such radio-friendly fare as “Can’t Start” and “Whatever We Are.” But the best is a faithful cover of Joe Jackson’s “Is She Really Going Out with Him?”

An ability to mimic classic rock initially sent Train rolling down the tracks. The quintet drew comparisons to Elton John with the string-laden title song from their three-million-selling sophomore album, Drops of Jupiter. Train’s third album sounds equally derivative. “Calling all Angels” has a shameless sing-along chorus suitable for stadiums, while “All American Girl” is merely white soul candy wrapped in shiny pop wrapping, Lacking in originality, Train now appears to be hopelessly stuck in the station.

The title, taken from a slogan used at anti-George Bush rallies, reveals the bias of numerous protest songs, from the Orwellian nightmare of “2+2=5” and the anti-authoritarian “Sit Down, Stand Up” to the ominous, threatening rap of “Wolf at the Door.” But Radiohead’s sixth album is also melodically pleasing and exquisitely layered, with Thom Yorke singing at his ghostly falsetto best. A perfect synthesis of The Bends’ rock structured approach and the brave new experimentalism of Kid A.

The music of Johann Sebastian Bach has always possessed a wonderful elasticity—check out Wendy Carlos’ Moog synthesized Switched on Bach. Here, violinist St. John, a native of London, Ont., puts a pop, jazz and worldbeat spin on the repertoire. Working with tabla virtuoso Trilok Gurtu and pedal steel guitarist B.J. Cole, St. John brings a cool Asian vibe to “Largo” and a surprising Latin jazz tinge to “Double.” Although classical purists will howl, Bach himself would likely be snapping his fingers.

The Swedish Invasion has landed, bringing top garage-rock bands like The Hives and the (International) Noise Conspiracy. Unfortunately, Swedish pop groups are also infiltrating, including this manufactured tween act from Stockholm. Bearing no connection to the campy traditions of ABBA or even Aqua, Play’s four earnest schoolgirls peddle the same sort of mindless, ersatz but still insidious r&b as Destiny’s Child—with whom they share a svengali. And they must be stopped at all costs.

Often compared to Pavement because its members also hail from northern California and favour a lo-fi approach, indie-rockers Grandaddy have a knack for crafting sad songs about the absurdities of life. Their last album, The Sophtware Slump, took a wry look at technology. Here, it’s about mid-life crisis. “What have I become,” asks singer Jason Lytle, a former pro-skateboarder, on “The Final Push to the Sum.” The question dangles. But the dreamy “OK with My Decay” suggests a certain resignation.

What hell hath Pearl Jam wrought? Post-grunge bands keep spawning and mutating with alarming frequency. First there was the late ’90s wave led by Creed, followed quickly by Nü Millennium hard rockers like Nickelback. Now comes Revis, from Carbondale, Illinois—of all places. Revis’ debut, produced by Don Gilmore (Linkin Park), offers few surprises, just predictable vocal histrionics and the usual mix of crunchy guitars and crashing drums on songs like “Your Wall” and “Caught in the Rain.”