Album reviews I promised months ago finally here. More to come, sooner than later and another update later in the week.

Cheers,

Eric

Matt Mays & El Torpedo Terminal Romance Sonic Records / Warner Music Canada If you like Matt Mays, and maybe even if you don’t, you should check this disc out. On Terminal Romance, the band’s second album (technically, Mays’ self-

titled release and soundtrack album When The Angels Make Contact are solo records), the rockers rock harder than before, the ballads evoke more emotion than his earlier work and the band is tighter than ever. Perhaps it’s Jay Smith of Rock Ranger joining the group that gave it a kick in the ass, perhaps it’s just a band and its chief songwriter maturing – whatever the reason, it works. The first half of Terminal Romance is just about as a flawless piece of rock music as you could ask for. The opening track “Building A Boat” is a catchy, tight rocker. “Digital Eyes” blends catchy rock n’ roll with cool effects that gives the song an extra kick. “Tall Trees” picks up where “Boat” left off, a rocker that will have everyone in the bar dancing. The irresistible “Rock Ranger Record” is a perfect slice of Ramones-esque punk rock that ends far sooner than you wish it would. Then comes the title track, a beautiful, tender ballad of heartache that sounds as if it were written the morning after a bad breakup. Honestly, if the record stopped there, it would still be among my favourites of 2008. The rest of the album is quite good as well, especially the power-pop of “Stand and Deliver” and ballad “Long Since Gone.” “Laser-Guided Love” and “Shining Eyes” don’t quite stand up to the rest, but I guess it’s the difference between good and great, so I’m not complaining. It’s been several months since Terminal Romance came out and I’m still surprised how much I dig it every time I turn it on.

Gallactus Nine Mile Woods Diminished Fifth Records Like a big angry train barreling down on you, Gallactus’ 2008 record Nine Mile Woods is stoner rock at its finest. The 12 tracks on Nine Mile Woods are heavy, gritty and played with a furious passion.

Don’t be turned off by the “stoner” label though – it’s not all gloom and doom. In fact, many of the tracks on Nine Mile Woods are quite catchy; there’s a rock n’ roll groove underneath the fog of distortion and the throat-splitting roar from Dan Hodgson. “DeathsHeadMoth” and “Solar Eyes” in particular have a swampy rock groove to them. It’s great to hear the band mix things up a bit. Gallactus (also including Shaun Crawford, Chris Crawford and Jason McAllister) also serves up some furious metal on “Kilmister,” “The Fury” and “Scars of the Axe Handle” and some heavy doom on “Skin Job” and the title track. A big heavy punch to the stomach, this is well worth checking out.

Dave Marsh The True Love Rules New Scotland Records The Joel Plaskett Emergency’s Dave Marsh releases his quirky debut solo effort, the first release on Plaskett’s new label, New Scotland Records.

The record is interesting. It comes across almost like a scrapbook of songs that weren’t necessarily written or recorded together with the intent of releasing them as an album. They range in length from a minute and a half up to nearly four minutes and they run the gamut from the punk-leaning “The Way We Live Today” and garage rock of “Move You Around” to the mellow, funky title track, the dreamy pop of “I Know Nothing Anymore”, moody acoustic number “Got No Kids Of Our Own” and the just plain odd “Nav Com Tav.” Marsh has quirky lyrics, a diverse batch of songs and sound that overall isn’t too removed from the Emergency’s own material. A few of the songs here could have been pulled from Emergency albums, such as “Backstreet Thread” and the excellent ‘70s pop of “Forsaken By The Beautiful People” and “The Smoke Easy.” The record was produced by Marsh and Plaskett and the Emergency frontman plays a lot of the instruments on the record. This is a thoroughly enjoyable record by a talented songwriter stepping out from the shadows of his full-time gig.

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I’ve been promising them forever, and finally, here are the first few album reviews for East Coast Noise. I’ve started off with a few Moncton-based bands to get the ball rolling. Over the next few weeks, expect to see reviews on the latest Matt Mays & El Torpedo record, Saint John’s Hospital Grade, Halifax’s Mardeen and more.

Sorry for the crappy formatting. My HTML skills are pretty much non-existent, and I wanted to get this up!

Cheers,

Eric

The Nuclear (self-titled) Independent The Nuclear is a Moncton, N.B. trio featuring Marco Rocca (of longtime Moncton punk band HOPE as well as veteran rockers The Monoxides), Tom Antle (HOPE) and Pascal “Pak Twisted” Toussaint (of another longtime, much-loved Moncton punk outfit, Sour Grapes).

So it comes as no surprise on the trio’s debut, they continue to play a familiar brand of energetic, rockin’ Green Day-inspired punk. While at first glance, there’s a very Green Day-ish punk sound, after a few listens, you’ll begin to notice that some of the riffs and melodies sound like they could have just as easily been inspired by classic ’60s and ’70s rock. The Nuclear’s debut is chock full of hook-filled tracks, from the rockin’ opener “Abducted By A UFO, Pt. 1″ to single “Stations,” the catchy-as-all-hell “The End of Our Love” and the political statement “Sick.” The Nuclear’s debut is a really fun, rockin’ listen you’ll be singing along to in no time. I can’t seem to get enough of this one.

Iron Giant Creator of Scars Diminished Fifth Records Moncton-based metal act Iron Giant returns several years after releasing its debut, No Longer Sleeping. This time, the four-piece (here featuring guitarist Derek Robichaud, who has since left and is now replaced by Gallactus’ Shaun Crawford) has hooked-up with Nova Scotia metal label Diminished Fifth Records.

The awesome title track opens the album with a riff you won’t soon forget. By the second chorus, you’ll be driving down the road too fast and screaming, “I am the creator of scars!” Other standout tracks include “Fuel on the Fire” and the gloom and doom of “Nothin’ Means Nothin’ To Lose.” Fat, Motorhead/Sabbath style riffs and solos from Robichaud, pounding bass by PJ Dunphy, pulverizing drums from John Flanagan and the Ozzy-like wail from Chris Lewis pack a hell of a punch. If you’re looking for a big, heavy kick in the ass, look no further.

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An old buddy of mine and fellow journalist who now lives in Calgary, Alta. saw Nova Scotia’s own The Trews at the Calgary Stampede last weekend. He sent in a review of the band’s show …

The Trews @ the Calgary Stampede, – July 5,2008

It’s billed as the Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth, but the Calgary Stampede is more than a celebration of rodeo skills, Cowboyography and beef. The annual event is the Alberta city’s chance to showcase its cultural diversity and live music plays as much a means to that end as cotton candy or chuckwagon races.

When The Trews took to the outdoor Coca-Cola Stage on Saturday night for a free concert, a sun-baked audience was waiting to party hard, prairie style. And while said audience sported more cowboy hats than in every episode of Bonanza combined, the lads from Antigonish weren’t about to ride off into the sunset accompanied by a harmonica’s mournful wail just yet. Instead, The Trews burst out of the gate and took the party from the bunkhouse to the kitchen, Maritime style.

Opening with “I’m Not Ready To Go,” followed by “So She’s Leaving,” the band hit full stride in seconds, forcing a handful of crowd surfers to form instantly, many able to stay afloat for the mandatory eight seconds a bull rider requires. Others didn’t fare as well, as one participant went down faster than an extra vying for a role on Brokeback Mountain, prompting lead vocalist/guitarist Colin MacDonald to plead for compassion.

“Be careful, be gentle with him,” MacDonald urged the outstretched mass of arms. “He’s a child.”

With plenty of tartan shorts and an occasional Alexander Keith’s T-shirt visible in the crowd, the band gave a neighbourly nod to its Atlantic Canadian roots via a rousing version of “I Can’t Stop Laughing,” co-written by Newfoundland legend Ron Hynes. “Paranoid Freak,” another cut from the band’s latest album No Time For Later, came next, followed by vintage Trews’ tunes “Tired of Waiting,” “Confessions” and “Yearning.”

“This is the 27th time we’ve played the Calgary Stampede,” shouted MacDonald. His obvious exaggeration did, however, carry a faint ring of truth, as Trews music is essentially a retooled hybrid of timeless Who, Faces and Rolling Stones riffs. The band acknowledged as much by working the latter’s “Gimme Shelter” into “Fleeting Trust.”

With nary one strong wind blowing, let alone four, MacDonald later thanked the audience for staying around through the muggy night, noting the nearby diversions of concession stands and midway rides.

“We’re as least as much fun as the Ferris wheel,” he offered.

The Trews closed the regular set with a 12-minute rendition of “Poor Ol’ Broken Hearted Me” and finished up with a three-song encore, including “Hold Me In Your Arms.” On this evening, the new blended seamlessly with the old as The Trews won over the West, burning its own brand of rock and roll into the fabric of Stampede folklore. Anyone hearing otherwise got a bum steer.

- Ian Scott for East Coast Noise. Scott is a former New Brunswick journalist, music writer and radio personality now living in Calgary.

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