Loading....
x
sony bmg photo
The breakup of her marriage seems to have left Pink vulnerable on Funhouse. It works surprisingly well on I Don’t Believe You (which is believable), but fails on Please Don’t Leave Me (which isn’t).
Pink
Album: Funhouse
Label: Sony BMG
Rating: ***
We’ve always been able to rely on Pink to keep the rest of the corporate pop stars honest. She turned both barrels on them with Stupid Girls. Now she does the same thing to herself with So What, lead single off Funhouse. The marriage breakup with Carey Hart seems to have left her ... vulnerable. It works surprisingly well on I Don’t Believe You (which is believable), but fails on Please Don’t Leave Me (which isn’t). The feisty in-your-face Pink returns on Bad Influence and the title track, Funhouse. But there’s just not enough of that old attitude. Come on, Pink, get over it. Time to kick some butt out there.
– Graham Rockingham/for Metro Canada
Lordi
Album: Deadache
Label: The End/Sony BMG
Rating: ***
Lordi is big in its native Finland. Freaking huge, actually. The mask-wearing theatrical rockers have their own credit card through Sampo Bank, as well as their own pop (Lordi Cola). The five-piece band’s stage show combines horror-flick theatrics with arena-friendly rock. Hey, there’s a market for this stuff. Alice Cooper and GWAR can’t be everywhere at once. Stage dramatics aside, Lordi write steady, heavy, pop-friendly tunes. And — as you would hope with this type of material and presentation — the band has a sense of humour. The biggest knock against Deadache is the silly, growl-y vocals. They don’t add to the drama.
– Jim Reyno/Metro Canada
Bloc Party
Album: Intimacy
Label: Atlantic/Warner
Rating: *** 1/2
Bloc Party shows a lot of range on its third album, Intimacy. In the case of vocalist Kele Okereke, sometimes a little too much range. With a thick British accent (almost unbelievably thick in some spots), Okereke can sound like a whinier Andy Partridge of XTC. But when he stays mid-range and doesn’t sound like he’s putting on, Okereke delivers heartfelt, intimate vocals. Okereke, and the entire band for that matter, thrive on the ballads and darker songs (and there a lot of those). Don’t be fooled by the raucous kickoff track Ares: Intimacy is a personal, introspective album. ...[next page]
Album: Funhouse
Label: Sony BMG
Rating: ***
We’ve always been able to rely on Pink to keep the rest of the corporate pop stars honest. She turned both barrels on them with Stupid Girls. Now she does the same thing to herself with So What, lead single off Funhouse. The marriage breakup with Carey Hart seems to have left her ... vulnerable. It works surprisingly well on I Don’t Believe You (which is believable), but fails on Please Don’t Leave Me (which isn’t). The feisty in-your-face Pink returns on Bad Influence and the title track, Funhouse. But there’s just not enough of that old attitude. Come on, Pink, get over it. Time to kick some butt out there.
– Graham Rockingham/for Metro Canada
Lordi
Album: Deadache
Label: The End/Sony BMG
Rating: ***
Lordi is big in its native Finland. Freaking huge, actually. The mask-wearing theatrical rockers have their own credit card through Sampo Bank, as well as their own pop (Lordi Cola). The five-piece band’s stage show combines horror-flick theatrics with arena-friendly rock. Hey, there’s a market for this stuff. Alice Cooper and GWAR can’t be everywhere at once. Stage dramatics aside, Lordi write steady, heavy, pop-friendly tunes. And — as you would hope with this type of material and presentation — the band has a sense of humour. The biggest knock against Deadache is the silly, growl-y vocals. They don’t add to the drama.
– Jim Reyno/Metro Canada
Bloc Party
Album: Intimacy
Label: Atlantic/Warner
Rating: *** 1/2
Bloc Party shows a lot of range on its third album, Intimacy. In the case of vocalist Kele Okereke, sometimes a little too much range. With a thick British accent (almost unbelievably thick in some spots), Okereke can sound like a whinier Andy Partridge of XTC. But when he stays mid-range and doesn’t sound like he’s putting on, Okereke delivers heartfelt, intimate vocals. Okereke, and the entire band for that matter, thrive on the ballads and darker songs (and there a lot of those). Don’t be fooled by the raucous kickoff track Ares: Intimacy is a personal, introspective album. ...[next page]
more entertainment stories
Red cheeks and mittens, but a black bottom line for Canada's Games
WHISTLER, B.C. - If there's one memory the world took away from Canada after the 2010 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games, it was the sea of red that washed over the country.
Montreal cops square off with civil libertarians
MONTREAL - The question of whether protesters should be banned from wearing face masks is pitting civil libertarians against Montreal's police force, and the cops appear to be losing.
G20 struggles to deal with China-U.S. tension
OTTAWA - Differences between China and the United States could undermine the G20 summit that Canada is hosting this summer, and are calling into question the continued existence of the new world club.
Layton hopes motion a springboard to reform
EDMONTON - Federal NDP Leader Jack Layton hopes a motion that would make it harder to prorogue Parliament will help get more Canadians involved in the political process.
One of two winning 6/49 tickets sold near London
TORONTO - One of two winning ticket's for Saturday's $41-million lottery jackpot was sold in the London, Ont., area.
editor's picks
In twitosphere, are the funny, famous in it for tweets, or do they also follow?
Twitter is so many things to so many people: infomercial, backyard fence, brain dump. The funny, famous, famous for the wrong reasons or simply very useful have thousands of followers, but who do THEY follow?
The clock may be ticking on CBC's '22 minutes
HALIFAX, N.S. - Is the clock ticking on "22 Minutes"?
NBC behind him, Conan O'Brien in talks with Fox
NEW YORK - The next few months could keep Conan O'Brien very busy.
Facebook users warned about email scam
Another email scam is circulating online trying to ensnare unsuspecting Facebook users into divulging all their passwords.
Thai PM objects to blood-spilling, but open to talks
BANGKOK, Thailand - Thailand's prime minister said Thursday the government was ready to hold talks with protesters, who want him to call new elections, but only if they stop throwing blood, blocking government offices and remain peaceful.
Copyright 2001-2010, Free Daily News Group Inc.