The Martlet

Iggy Pop Preliminaries EMI

As a lifelong Iggy Pop fan, the first record I bought with my hard-won money was Funhouse.

This collection of songs, written by Pop as a “soundtrack” to the novel The Possibility of an Island by French novelist Michel Houellebecq, took me by surprise.

I was not foolhearty enough to expect the raw energy of “Lust For Life” or even the ethereal cynicism of “The Passenger.”

I knew this would be different but what I found here took my breath away. From the haunting first track “Les Feuilles Mortes” (sung entirely in French) to the Nick Cave evoking “I Want to Go to the Beach,” the disturbingly techno “Party Time,” sounding like a latter day Depeche Mode, to the vaguely countyrish “He’s Dead/She’s Alive” every song was a pleasant surprise.

Not least of these surprises was hearing the all-American Pop sing in not-too-shabby French. The spoken-word track “A Machine For Loving” is beyond description, or even explanation.

Iggy fans should not fret however, despite the fact this record is a departure for him, it is still very much his and has his fingerprints all over it. There is no disguising that distinctive voice, no matter what sort of musical landscape might surround it.

The most Iggy-like tracks are “King of the Dogs,” “Nice to Be Dead” and “She’s a Business,” which sound like they could have been on one of his albums from the late-1980s.

It’s cool that Iggy Pop is still around and still going strong and trying new things. This is one rock idol who may well never truly die.

• Trevor McNeil

Sora Heartwood Socan/bmi

At first glance, Sora’s CD seems to be like any old CD by a solo female singer — you expect a guitar, poppy melodies, songs about boys and heartbreak.

This is definitely not the case.

Sora, who gives no last name, is a Calgarian who wrote and composed all the tracks on Heartwood. Once you delve into the depths of the CD, you begin to see how significant that fact is.

There are numerous layers of strings, back-up vocals and drums on every track.

She even does her own back-up vocals. This layering provides a very thick background to Sora’s vocals.

This is mainly a two-person effort, with Douglas Romanow providing many of the accessory instrumentals to this CD, along with producing, recording and mixing the CD.

The album artwork is quite exquisite. All the photos are very visually pleasing.

There are few comparisons to Sora in today’s musical expanse. The closest thing that I am able to think of is Sarah Brightman.

Sora combines a unique mix of classical vocals with a more mainstream musicality that is completely unexpected. The first notes on the title track shock you, giving you a much more interesting perspective of the entire CD.

On the track “Eurydice,” Sora and Douglas use their mixing abilities and layer two sets of vocals throughout most of the song. This layering allows Sora to create a dissonance between her own vocals.

It’s quite eerie but once the suspension resolves, you are left relaxed and calm.

Most of the CD has a bit of a foreign feeling to it. “Hurricane” gives a sense of a desert and an Arab setting, whilst “Drift” is very Celtic. Each track could provide a wondrous soundtrack to a different area of the world.

At first, I was wary of Sora, and quick to judge her for putting herself alongside the famous single names such as Madonna, Beck and Cher, but Heartwood is a completely unique experience for the music lover.

If you are looking for something calming but different from just about everything you’ve heard, pick up Sora’s Heartwood.

• Jason Stasiuk

Madina Lake Attics To Eden Roadrunner Records

If you happened to go to Vans Warped Tour this year, you may have seen Madina Lake play songs from their newest CD, Attics To Eden.

These four guys are generally what you would expect to see on the Vans Warped Tour — V-necks, headbands and facial piercings are sported by most of their members.

You’d probably find more makeup and hair dye in their bus than in your girlfriend’s bathroom.

If you saw the Warped Tour and stayed for their set, you probably could have heard the entirety of Attics To Eden, as it spans just over a half hour, with no song over four minutes in length.

Of the 12 tracks on the album, most are poppy and dance infused with a punk sound similar to Fall Out Boy and The Maine. Songs like “Through The Fire” and “Welcome to Oblivion” incorporate the tambourine and give you bouncy tracks.

The bass drum pounds on all four beats of “Statistics” which is a little more synth-based. “Never Walk Alone” features a pretty intricate drum intro, but soon a screechy guitar comes in and kind of ruins what you expect the track to be. (Good perhaps?)

It’s hard to find something that makes Madina Lake different. They incorporate a few synth and dance elements, but then they start to sound like Nine Inch Nails does the Backstreet Boys.

One interesting track is “Friends and Lovers,” which is entirely synth and drums — no guitars. It’s one of the better tracks on the album as it differs so greatly from its counterparts.

I wouldn’t be surprised if Madina Lake’s demographic was more of a young teenage crowd than those attending university.

With that being said, if you like this kind of music, then you will love Attics To Eden. It will have you hopping and bopping along with every track.

But with 12 tracks spanning only 37 minutes, it’s not a very good bang for your buck.

• Jason Stasiuk