Milkwhite Sheets
ISOBEL CAMPBELL
V2 Records
Ballad of the Broken Seas, the first record Isobel Campbell released in 2006, was a series of duets with ex-Screaming Trees front man Mark Lanegan, the human foghorn. The contrast was the conceit, but Lanegan's smoke-cured bass made Campbell's wispy vocals more of an instrumental accent than equal partner.
You can't say the same about Milkwhite Sheets, Campbell's second release of the year. On these 13 folk songs, the ex-Belle & Sebastian chanteuse's voice is the show, adorning the sparse scaffolding of the instrumentation like full-bloom bougainvillea. Comprised of six originals, five traditionals and a couple of covers, Milkwhite Sheets was inspired by the music of female folk legends Anne Briggs, Shirley Collins and Jean Ritchie, and can stand proudly among them. It's a tribute to her songwriting that it's almost impossible to distinguish between Campbell's originals and British folk standards like "Reynadine" and "Hori Horo." Like the best Britfolk, her songs and subtle arrangements carry in their musical genes the autumnal images of William Blake's "green and pleasant" land: thatched roofs, green forests, misty moors and dells, windswept cliffs, bonnie lasses and other pastoral idylls.
But it's Campbell's vocals — which sound like feathers floating in updrafts — that leave the most lasting impression. The pop whisper that broke so many hearts with Belle & Sebastian turns out to be custom-made for this genre, and perfect accompaniment for the cellos, glockenspiel, dulcimer, harp, recorder and Spanish guitar that frame these songs. Campbell's range isn't without a few limits — the a capella "Loving Hannah" exposes some of them in the highest registers. But such frailty only adds to the record's charms.
Time will determine whether Campbell's Milkwhite Sheets takes its place alongside her heroes' greatest work in the pantheon of Britfolk, but it certainly seems on its way. 4 star —John Schacht
The Crusade
TRIVIUM
Roadrunner
America's newest Saviors of Metal return with a second album of melodic thrash that once again showcases both their prodigious talent and glaring weaknesses. Vocalist/guitarist Matt Heafy is still at his best when writing fast, intricate riffs and channeling James Hetfield's vital early-years snarl, a formula that renders The Crusade's more whiplash-inducing material emotionally compelling as well as technically impressive. Too often, though, Heafy and his bandmates deign to court mainstream-radio airplay. Next to tracks like "Detonation" and "To The Rats," the clichéd melodic slow-burn of "And Sadness Will Sear" and by-the-numbers Papa Roach groove of "This World Can't Tear Us Apart" come off as conspicuously pandering. And it happens often enough throughout The Crusade to handicap what should by all rights have been a triumphant one-upping of the group's explosive debut. 3 stars —Scott Harrell
Ours to Destroy
OURS TO DESTROY
A couple of Calgary songwriters/producers get clever with folk, found sounds and a yen for adding a modern indie edge to early Pink Floyd-inspired art rock. Yeah, that's a pretty ambitious sonic recipe, but this alternately sprawling and intimate full-length — which took three years to complete, and includes aural esoterica captured at Calgary's various malls — attains buoyancy more often than it sinks beneath the weight of its intentions. For every misguided "Exorcising Demons," there's an engaging "Checkmate" and a "Happy Now," and the duo is at its best when its more straightforward, melodic influences (Dylan, Eels) shine through the interesting noise, as on "Skipping Rope with Daisies" and "There Are No Words for Here." (ourstodestroy.com) 3 stars —SH
This article appears in Dec 27, 2006 – Jan 2, 2007.
