Album Review: Whatever, Whenever by Mark Sultan

In the liner notes to Whatever, Whenever, Mark Sultan states, "I am not a clown, nor am I a whore. I am a rock ‘n' roller. " Not that anyone who has been listening to Sultan's music would argue that point, but if there's ever been any doubt, he shuts it down for good on this album, which is a bracing, eclectic overview of the many good things he does.

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Mark Sultan is a human paradox. One would be hard-pressed to find a musician that is more prolific as far as recording output is concerned, but also one who garners less attention from the media. And though so many of his tunes espouse a general sense of chaotic benevolence, dude is really quite reserved in interviews. He’s spent his past banging around cities like Berlin and Montreal under a variety of monikers with cats like King Khan and the Black Lips.

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Mark Sultan (sometimes known as BBQ) has played in a billion Canadian garage punk bands, but he's better known these days for his lo-fi one-man-band routine. This abridged CD version of two new vinyl LPs doesn't try to capture that aspect, though, and instead features an array of guest musicians (including members of the Black Lips, the Gories and others) to approximate something closer to a full band sound. This gives the album the feel of a compilation, but does give Sultan the opportunity to show off a wider range of influences.

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Mark Sultan's plan was to release three albums this month: Whatever I Want, Whenever I Want, and a compilation of songs from each album, Whatever/Whenever. Apparently, the first two have been delayed, leaving us with this-- a handful of songs from each LP. But if the compilation is an indicator of the rest of the material, Sultan did an excellent job naming those records.

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