Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - January 24, 2025, Winnipeg, Manitoba C2 ● WINNIPEGFREEPRESS.COMFRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2025 n e w m u s i c ● POP & ROCK A R E V I E W O F T H I S W E E K ’ S A L B U M R E L E A S E S ● HIP HOP ● JAZZ ● CLASSICAL Lambrini Girls Who Let the Dogs Out (City Slang) AS is often the case with U.K. bands, some cultural translation is required: Lambrini is a popular British pear cider (or “perry”) that’s been around for 30 years, marketed at and primar- ily popular with young women — and these Lambrini Girls are likely giving the drink’s PR team nightmares. That’s because Brighton-based guitarist/vocalist Phoebe Lunny and bassist Lilly Macieira are catchily strident, raging punk-noise merchants whose propulsive, distorted riffs and screamed/spoken vocals are an irresistible and absolute indictment of modern life. That … and maybe the fact the slogan on Lambrini Girls’ Bandcamp page is: “Party music for gay angry sluts.” In 10 songs over 29 breathtaking minutes, Lunny, Macieira and Brigh- ton-based session drummer Jack Look- er take on all comers – from Metropol- itan Police rapist/murderers (album opener Bad Apple) to rampant sexism (Company Culture, Big Dick Energy), body dysmorphia (Nothing Tastes as Good as it Feels), middle-class trans- formation of neighbourhoods (You’re Not from Around Here), to the aching difficulty of coming out (No Homo) and the trauma of dealing with ASD (Special Different). Produced by Lambrini Girls and Daniel Fox, of Ireland’s Gilla Band, the music here ranges from full-on punk ragers to twisted drum-n-bass work- outs to warped, synth-incorporating noise-pop. The sentiments range from biting social critiques to heartfelt dec- larations of vulnerability, and the sum total is some of the most compelling new music since Idles, Sleaford Mods or Amyl and the Sniffers. ★★★★½ out of five Stream these: Bad Apple: Company Culture; Special Different — John Kendle Mac Miller Balloonerism (Warner) TO coincide with what would have been Mac Miller’s 33rd birthday, his estate has given us all a present — an unreleased album by the late hip-hop star. Balloonerism was shelved around 2014 in favour of the album Watching Movies With the Sound Off and the mixtape Faces. The album includes 14 songs and features Thundercat on bass and producing, as well as collabora- tions with SZA and Ashley All Day. It’s an airy, experimental album that leans into neo-soul and jazz, often sounding dreamy and drug addled. It’s more scattered and sprawling than the music he officially released at the time. Be prepared for sudden changes in tempo and instruments, as well as ghostly studio murmurs. Death and money are frequent subjects of Miller’s meditation, as is a frequent nostalgia for childhood. The best track is the lead single — 5 Dollar Pony Rides — which features a hangdog Miller reaching out to an old love, almost scatting by the end. “Your daddy shoulda got you that pony/Let me give you what you want,” he sings. There is an appearance on Trans- formations by Delusional Thomas, Miller’s alter ego, which means his usual flow is distorted by effects that make him sound like a helium-sucking imp and then like a demon, all pretty juvenile stuff. It’s one of a few tracks that really didn’t need to see daylight, including the final one, the indulgent Tomorrow Will Never Know. It’s not clear why Balloonerism stayed on the shelf. Miller’s output was remarkable, and maybe other projects seemed more pressing. But with his voice now silent, we’re hungry to hear anything new, even estranged projects. Let him give you what you want. ★★★½ out of five Stream: 5 Dollar Pony Rides — Mark Kennedy, The Associated Press GTO Trio Within (Anzic) GTO is Gadi Lehavi on piano, Tal Mashiach on bass and Ofri Nehemya on drums. While the Israeli jazz scene is perhaps not a large part of the North American audience, it is vibrant and alive. These three Israelis began playing together as teenagers and have solidified into a terrific trio. This is their second release and displays a mature and intuitive relationship. The word that comes to mind about their music is spirited. They simply attack each piece with an enthusiasm that is often joyful. They excel at ballads as well, and somehow retain the feeling of a unified message and style. Not surprisingly there is a wonderful Mideastern flavour to some tracks. Cachi presents images of celebratory dances or parties. It swings with a smooth integration of eastern and western grooves. No Vowels Allowed is an up-tempo romp that bursts with energy as each member flies around the melody within a shifting metre. Lehavi’s piano is on fire. A Moment Before is a slow dance with a hummable melody and a gentle rhythm. Mashiach’s bass solo here is lovely. The opening track, Like Water, is perfectly set up to introduce the trio with each shining. All the tracks except one are compositions by the trio and the writing is accessible and enjoyable. There is challenge in some tunes such as Abutbul’s Market that leaps and bounces through a 13/8 time signature with cheerful assurance. As mentioned, this is spirited jazz. If you are looking for an album that displays frequently complex ideas with abandon, look no further. This is totally enjoyable music that simply makes you feel good. It is truly impressive. ★★★★½ out of five Stream: Merengue Mediterraneo; Cachi — Keith Black Alina Ibragimova, Cédric Tiberghien Schumann: Violin Sonatas (Hyperion) ALINA Ibragimova and Cédric Tiber- ghien bring their simpatico artistry to three of Schumann’s violin sonatas composed between 1851 and 1853. Ibragimova immediately displays her resonant tone and virtuosic technique in the first offering, Violin Sonata No. 1 in A minor, Op. 105, its so- nata form fuelled by compact rhythms often treated canonically. Of partic- ular note is the soloist’s long, lyrical phrasing during the second movement, Allegretto, leading to a rousing finale, Lebhaft, with Tiberghien matching her note for note. Violin Sonata No. 2 in D minor, Op. 121 bolts out of the gate with fire and fury, with both players attacking the first movement’s opening chords that lead to Ibragimova’s pas- sionate theme delivered with rhapsodic fervour. This is followed by a similarly driving scherzo movement, Sehr Leb- haft, before the relatively more serene Leise, einfach, that launches with Ibragimova’s unusual pizzicato triple stops, ultimately paving the way for another exuberant finale Bewegt. The disc rounds out with Violin So- nata No. 3 in A minor, Wo027, that sees the pianist delivering his cascading runs with relish, in turn punctuated by Ibragimova’s violin. Following a restful Intermezzo, the players hold taut rein throughout the wild, extreme contrasts of the Scherzo, before finally bringing the work – and album – to an end with another roller-coaster finale. The players are to be commended for tackling this long controversial albeit now much appreciated piece, reflect- ing the ill-fated composer’s unravelling world as he spiralled towards madness. ★★★★½ out of five STREAM THIS/THESE: Leise, einfach; Scherzo — Holly Harris He began posting what he calls mundane, arbitrary Canadian landscape photos — “maybe like a rowboat in a Newfoundland harbour, or like a grain elevator in Saskatchewan” — before making the switch to “posting a photo of Jean Chrétien strangling someone with the Shawinigan Handshake, just to brighten people’s mornings.” But @canada.gov.ca really took off when Batt started writing cap- tions and telling stories, letting his curiosity lead the way. “Like, how did the whole Shawin- igan Handshake come to be, or what about the P.E.I. Pie Brigade? What about the group of people who were, for five years, throwing pies in the faces of politicians as a means of protest? That kind of thing,” he says. Batt is interested in telling Ca- nadian stories without glamorizing Canadian history. “Because now is not the time for that. I think that people of our age, our generation, are not huge fans of the quote-unquote, Canadian legacy, so to speak,” Batt says of millenni- als. “I think that we’re proud to be Canadian because we’re proud of Canadians. I don’t think we’re proud of Canada. I think there’s an important distinction there.” He’s also interested in challeng- ing the narratives many Canadians grew up with, such as the idea that Canada is inherently a peacekeep- ing nation, or that we’re universally beloved, or that we’re better than our southern neighbours (or anyone else) when it comes to our hu- man-rights track record. “We’re a lot more colonizing and imperialist than we were led to believe growing up,” he says. ● ● ● Batt has been able to quit his day job. There’s @canada.gov.ca merch. He’s even collaborated with a Toronto brewery on a canada.gov. ca IPA. He’s also bringing a live @canada. gov.ca-inspired show to cities across Canada, including Winnipeg this weekend as part of Winterruption. This will be his first time to the Prairies, although being from the Maritimes he finds a certain kin- ship with people from the middle provinces — especially as the pan- demic brought people out east. “One of the things that my Mar- itime friends and myself noticed straight away was that the people from the Prairies were the most like us: overlooked, a little under- appreciated, a little rough around the edges, but salt of the earth and what you see is what you get. We took to calling people from the Prai- ries Prairitimers because they were just so much like us,” he says. As to how he’s translating an Instagram account into a live show, Batt likes to say what it’s not. “It’s not a podcast, it’s not standup comedy; it’s something else all together. I’ve called it a tipsy TED Talk in the past. I’ve likened it to Stuart McLean having a couple drinks before going up on stage. At the end of the day, it’s a 70-minute PowerPoint presentation about the absurd moments in Canadian history that I tailor to the town that I’m in,” he says. For a long time, @canada.gov. ca was anonymous, and Batt was known only as The Admin. He knows he’s blowing his own cover a bit by appearing IRL. “I think the whole anonymity part of the account has really helped drive ticket sales, which I find very funny, because I wonder whether or not it’s a letdown when people arrive and then I’m just some guy.” jen.zoratti@winnipegfreepress.com JOHN BATT ● FROM C1 ‘I think that we’re proud to be Canadian because we’re proud of Canadians. I don’t think we’re proud of Canada. I think there’s an important distinction there’ — Comedian John Batt ‘A lot of times comedians do one or the other, but I try to do both at the same time’ Trampling the fine line between outrage and laugh-out-loud funny I T takes a certain level of skill and confidence to poke at cultural, social and political flaws, and make the people impacted by those flaws laugh at their own scabs and shortcom- ings. It’s a delicate tightrope between laughter and outrage that Canadian comedian Sugar Sammy not only does well, but also seems to relish. “It’s the best kind of comedy. I think it’s probably the most difficult as well — trying to cross the line but also keep the laughter. A lot of times comedians do one or the other, but I try to do both at the same time,” he says. It’s that intelligent, irreverent brand of humour that audiences can ex- pect on his 20-city tour Canada: The 51st State, which kicks off tonight in Winnipeg with four shows at Rumor’s Comedy Club. It doesn’t take long talking to the Montreal-born standup comic (whose real name is Samir Khullar) to see how seriously he takes his profession. He spends time studying and working on his material to be able to devilishly manoeuvre his toe toward that cultur- ally acceptable line. It’s the same kind of skill he admires in some of the comics who inspired him: Dave Chappelle, Martin Law- rence and Chris Rock. But it was Eddie Murphy in all his red-leather-clad, foul-mouthed glory in Delirious that sparked something in the then-eight-year-old boy. Watching a rented bootlegged DVD copy of that special with his parents — whom he said “freaked out” before succumbing to the humour — was a defining moment in his career. “There was something very Elvis ’68 comeback special about it. As soon as he got onstage, you knew this was go- ing to be great. You can tell within the first few seconds how good and how polished a comedian he is. Right away, I started getting butterflies and I said, ‘I need to do this,’” says Sammy, who watched the tape over and over again, eventually buying his own copy. “It became an apprenticeship for me when I was young, in terms of study- ing the writing, the crafting of the formulas, the pausing, how to build the show. So when I was ready to finally take the plunge, I knew how to build a show very young. It definitely helped me early on in my career.” Now 48, the veteran comic, who speaks four languages (English, French, Hindi and Punjabi) and has performed in 33 countries, is gaining international notoriety — with the Hollywood Reporter adding him to its list of 10 Comics to Watch. In addition to his comedy tours and specials, he’s also appeared in Ce Gars-Là and is one of the judges of La France a un incroyable talent, France’s version of America’s Got Talent. Sammy thinks that eight-year-old boy would be happy with where he’s ended up. “Obviously the first few years of this profession are racked with self-doubt and insecurity, but it’s a good insecuri- ty that pushes you. I overcame that at some point, because I knew my artistic vision and my skill as a writer,” he says. “When I connect with the audience and we find our wavelength together and then we surf that wavelength, there’s nothing more magical than that.” arts@freepress.mb.ca AILEEN GOOS COMEDY PREVIEW SUGAR SAMMY ● Rumor’s Comedy Club, 2025 Corydon Ave. ● Tonight and Saturday, 7:15 p.m. and 9:45 p.m. ● Tickets $55 at rumorscomedyclub.com. SUPPLIED Sugar Sammy found his calling at age eight while watching Eddie Murphy’s Delirious. ARTS ● LIFE I ENTERTAINMENT ;