Nas
Street’s Disciple (Columbia/Sony)
Who else could possibly release a major-label LP with a little more than a month left in the year, and clearly have a shot at one of the best albums of 2004? Nas. The Queensbridge, New York, stalwart dropped jaws with his classic first LP Illmatic, a hip hop hallmark that has been a crown of thorns, with Nas’ progressions constantly compared to his profound debut. Street’s Disciple finds Nas focused on outdoing himself, infusing his MC finesse with a wide array of emotion and reflection. Lucky for us, this is not one but two discs of decisive lyrical prowess, featuring the accumulated growth of a serious MC who apparently sees things in ways we never could. Finally, required listening. 10/10 (Scott C)

Puffy AmiYumi
Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi Music From the Series (Epic/Sony)
Sorry, Dick Cheney. World domination is clearly within reach for this adorably atonal Tokyo twosome, superstars in Asia since the late ’90s who now have a show on the Cartoon Network in the States. True, Britney’s got better pipes than these eager yelpers. What raises these cuties far above other prefab pop tarts the world over, though, is the brilliant songcraft of their collaborators, like Andy Sturmer of Jellyfish and Pizzicato Five’s Konishi Yasuharu, aping ’60s soul pop, ’70s classic rock, ’80s new-wave confections and more. Forget Shonen Knife and Supersnazz, this is the best damn dumb, rockin’ J-pop ever. Hey, Teletoon, pick this show up now. 9/10 (Rupert Bottenberg)

Howie Beck
self-titled (High Romance/ True North)
Songwriters who spend five years writing and recording 13 songs in an apartment, playing virtually every instrument, are usually deemed either visionaries or eccentrics. Think Prince. Toronto’s Howie Beck isn’t easily pigeonholed, but he’s done it with his third record, in some ways typical of the modern singer-songwriter style (nuanced arrangements of acoustic guitars, drums, strings, horns, synths and pedal steel) while completely dodging the preciousness and arena pandering that plagues it. With vocals and lyrics as clever and casual as his bed of sound, this beautiful experiment was worth the wait. 8/10 (Lorraine Carpenter) With Feist at Cabaret la Tulipe, Fri., Dec. 3, 8 p.m., $17.50

Rufus Wainwright
Want Two (Geffen/Universal)
Despite the return of the crew that steered and staffed Want One (plus NYC kabuki queen Anthony), this sequel doesn’t simply mirror its predecessor. Want Two promised to be the more operatic record of the pair, but (thankfully) its solemn intro, breezy pop songs and slight delicacies prove otherwise. Though hardly devoid of the drama we’ve come to expect from Rufus, he rarely reaches beyond his grasp here, and with a handful of excellent songs like “Waiting for a Dream,” French bonus tracks and a live DVD, this is a rich concoction that won’t leave you wanting. 8/10 (Lorraine Carpenter) With Jordi Rosen at Outremont Theatre, Fri., Dec. 10 (Sat., Dec. 11 is sold out), 7 p.m, $32.50, all ages

Wrangler Brutes
Zulu (Kill Rock Stars)
Produced by Steve Albini, the Wrangler Brutes leave everything in the red and get down to some seriously fucked-up punk rock. Marrying discordance with tried-and-true hardcore, the Brutes get points by dumbing the whole thing down with lyrics that would make the Angry Samoans sound like Bob Dylan. Check out this cute coupling in “Garbage Can”: “Ariel Sharon is a fucking cock/I’d like to sock him in the crotch with a pointy rock.” That’s solid gold punk-rawk material, folks! I don’t think I need to quote from “Shit Search,” “Shank’d” or the crowning jewel “Homosexual President.” After this, everything else just sounds like Georgio Moroder claptrap. Yeah, that’s right—everything! 9/10 (Johnson Cummins)

Mats Gustafsson/Sonic Youth with Friends
Hidros 3 (Smalltown Supersound/Fusion III)
Saxophonist Mats Gustafsson joins forces with Thurston and co. as these Loho bohos kick out the jams in that no-wave kind of way that oughta have all the hipsters squawking on Pitchfork Media. Everything is good on these pieces, with the exception of Kim Gordon’s vocal scales that show up every now and again, making this rhythm-free jam a little hard to take seriously. Processing and manipulation lean against good old-fashioned guitar and sax skronk, but it’s the electroacoustic blips that save this from being just a sloppy handjob. Jim O’Rourke’s mix lets the nine instrumentalists intermingle while lending a sense of dynamics to the clutter of noise. 6.5/10 (Johnson Cummins)

Lil’ Jon
Crunk Juice (TVT/Universal)
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. I’m sure this mantra is written in huge letters right above the door of Lil’ Jon’s studio, where he continues to crank out the crunk, to the delight of Dirty South lovers everywhere. Apparently people like Nas, T.I., Jadakiss, Ice Cube, Rick Rubin and Snoop Dogg all want to get a piece as well, all of whom get low with Jon and the Eastside Boyz on this LP. While you may think Jon’s 15 minutes are up, he might just be around for a little longer than you thought, as long as y’all continue to sip from his pimp cup. 7.5/10 (Scott C)

Hexstatic
Master-View (Ninja Tune/ Outside)
Musically, this audio-visual duo stick a bit too tight to the established Ninja template of playful breaks, hi-fi ’n’ sci-guy samples, Atari-tronics and so on. Not that I mind too much, digging that stuff as I do, but Hexstatic’s saving grace is that in the A-V equation, they accent the V. The DVD that comes with carries at least one neat-o video for each track, some of which are exceptionally cool (the catalogue of kid-struments in “Toys Are Us” is genius). The coup de grâce, though, is that five of the videos are also in fairly effective 3D, hence the goofy glasses. Okay, now I’m sold. 8/10 (Rupert Bottenberg)

The Yohimbe Brothers
The Tao of Yo (Thirsty Ear/Outside)
The explosive combo of Living Colour guitarist Vernon Reid and turntablist DJ Logic again produces music ranging from distortion and angry raps to danceable Latin vibes and soulful grooves. Breaking away from the rock aesthetic also gives Reid room to breathe on guitar, in the way only slower beats and butter raps can. The Tao of Yo employs the talents of vocalists Latasha Nevada Diggs and Traz, with Maya Jenkins on the tap dance. There are times when Reid digs a little too deep, but cut in with DJ Logic’s scratches and production, this sophomore effort is a departure from the cookie-cutter “creativity” out there. 8.5/10 (Lateef Martin)

Various
Café Méliès Volume 3 (Jajou/Select)
This is compiler Stéphane Cocke’s third shot at the boutique mix, associated with the Ex-Centris java joint, and the returns aren’t diminishing. Frivolous returns from an earlier volume, as do Miguel Graça (to remix Stéphanie Vézina) and Jaffa. With Bullfrog, Cirque de Soleil collaborator Piki Chappell, Daniel Lanois (!) and Ariane Moffatt on board, this is still a definitively Montreal mix of languid yet inventive grooves. Toronto gets a nod, however, via the John Kong remix of Feist’s “Gatekeeper” and a track from LAL. The closer’s the killer, though—the sneaky, snaky “French Worries” pairs up Jorane and the mighty Arthur H (en anglais, en plus…). 8/10 (Rupert Bottenberg)

Frankie Knuckles
Presents: His Greatest Hits From Trax Records (Trax)
The earliest studio forays of Frankie Knuckles are the subject of this collection from the label that fuelled house music’s ascension to the club music pantheon. The dust from the vaults continues to be blown off by its two founders Screaming Rachel and Larry Sherman as this CD features the most unforgettable “trax” by the man referred to as the Godfather. The piano stomping opus “House Music Anthem,” produced by Marshall Jefferson, and “Baby Wants to Ride,” a fab collaboration with Jaime Principle, are two prominent examples of Knuckles’ time-honoured magic. 9/10 (Peter Lightburn)

Destiny’s Child Destiny Fulfilled (Sony)
On their first collaborative effort since 2001’s highly successful Survivor, the DC girls revisit familiar territory with a set that features signature dance tracks but puts the emphasis on mid-tempo grooves. None of the tracks here approach the infectious heat of past DC triumphs like “Bootylicious” or “Independent Women.” Still, solo efforts by each of the members have made their vocal interplay that much more skilled, lending credibility to tracks like the bittersweet “Is She the Reason.” The set’s strongest cuts, the breezy, empowering “Free” and the funky “Soldier,” combine DC’s sweet harmonies with memorable melodies and enticing beats, a genuine reminder of the group’s finest moments. 7/10 (Gerard Dee)

Maria Schneider Concert in the Garden (artistShare)
Schneider, a wonderful composer/arranger, celebrated her birthday last Saturday by flying to Paris. Her superb big band is in top form on this new outing of seven tracks—one composition, “Three Romances,” is in three parts. Besides the intelligent, musical and memorable compositions, there are first-rank solos from Ingrid Jensen, Frank Kimbrough, Ben Monder, Rich Perry, Donny McCaslin (whose soloing here was called the best since John Coltrane by Phil Dwyer) and, on accordion, Gary Versace. Awesome! 10/10 (Len Dobbin)

Mini CD Reviews

Connie Evingson Secret of Christmas (Minnehaha Music) Singer Evingson, like Marie Schneider, is from Minnesota. This is by far the best new seasonal CD of 2004. 10 (LD)

Echo Kitty Loisirs (independent) Reminiscent of retro video games, fit for future dance floors, Montreal’s electropopstars return with two hot and hyperactive tunes. 8 (LC)

Quo Vadis Defiant Imagination (Skyscraper/Fusion III) These locals perfectly weld the power metal of Lamb of God to the unlikely fusion leanings of Mahavishnu Orchestra. 8 (JC)

The Network Money Money 2020 (Reprise/Warner) Gary Numan collides with Green Day in an absurd “spastic society” of the future. 7 (LC)

Robert Downey Jr. The Futurist (Sony Classical) Snicker all you want, Cap’n Rehab has a decent voice and a knack for wussy, MOR jazz-pop—for what it’s worth. 6.5 (RB)

Squad 21 Skullduggery (Go Nuts/Fusion III) Ever wondered what an artistically bankrupt version of the Exploited would sound like? 5 (JC)

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