Deadbeat
New World Observer (Scape/Fusion III)
Broadening his acoustic palette from completely mangled sound sources to (almost) untreated guitar, drums and human voice (care of velvet-voiced Montreal house diva Athesia), Montreal's Deadbeat (aka Scott Monteith) has crafted a fine album rife with heavy dub yet brimming with upbeat deep groove. While Deadbeat's passion for mind-bending sound processing remains intact, the newly emotive style and human dimension delivered by the floating melodies, instrumentation and Athesia's filtered vocals on "Port Au Prince" and "Ruination" will no doubt broaden his audience. Rightly so, as Deadbeat's adeptness at both ambient moodscapes and intricately programmed rhythms make this simply his best work to date. Essential listening! 8.5/10 (Raf Katigbak)

Hot Hot Heat
Elevator (Warner)
Victoria's renowned nu -rockers return with an album that actually merits the hype they received for their 2002 debut, Make up the Breakdown. Not only have they built their pop muscle and torn down the awkward ruins of their synth-punk incarnation, but singer Steve Bays has gained some range, prettying up that distinctive bratty spew. Like the early '80s bands that ran parallel to the ska revival (Elvis Costello, the Police, XTC etc.), merry pianos, organs and diverse rhythms don their brilliant hooks and melodies, the best of which make up for the record's few duds. 8.5/10 (Lorraine Carpenter)

Brendan Benson
Alternative to Love (V2/BMG)
Being championed by Jack White puts pressure on this Detroit singer-songwriter to present the skills to back up the hype (and, uh, pay the bills). Benson nearly makes good on the buzz with this sophomore disc, following a relatively under-the-radar 2002 LP Lapalco. On broad canvases, he applies fine, simple strokes of '70s power pop, '90s indie rock and the majestic Spector school of the '60s, producing an easy, inviting big picture. A handful of lacklustre, lyrically vacuous folky confessionals and thin, meandering pop ditties sully the record slightly, but not beyond repair. 7/10 (Lorraine Carpenter)

British Sea Power
Open Season (Rough Trade/Sanctuary)
Verbose, grandiose, sincere and austere, this band justifies their "British" moniker with a quintessential U.K. sound. Restrained concoctions of sweeping pop hooks, riffs, bells and birds wash up and roll out with ease, with bulbous waves of feedback making cameo appearances on the horizon. Touches of echo-laden '80s production clinch the classic sound this band is gunning for, evoking Echo and the Bunnymen's pop melancholia, David Bowie's deep, velvety vocals and Morrissey's knack for flowery language, if not his humour. They may be a bit remote, but on this sophomore effort, British Sea Power is go. 7.5/10 (Lorraine Carpenter)

Fantômas
Suspended Animation (Ipecac)
April is apparently "national humour and anxiety month" in the U.S., which suits it perfectly to tune-a-day tribute from mouthy Mike Patton and his coterie of kooks. Suspended Animation doubles as an investigation of the sonic side of kiddie cartoons - music, voices and sound effects. Like cartoons, these bite-sized blowouts bounce around furiously, from metal mayhem to cutesy toots to Patton's paranoid gobbledygook, never settling anywhere for more than a few seconds. And like cartoons, the chaos, deranged as it is, gradually betrays a firm, rhythmic logic all its own. Warning: may induce seizures, vomiting, dangling tongues and eyes that bug out on stalks. 8.5/10 (Rupert Bottenberg) With the Locust and Trevor Dunn's Trio Convulsant at le Spectrum, Thurs., April 14, 8 p.m., $27.50, all ages

Earth
Living in the Gleam of an Unsheathed Sword (Trouble Man Unlimited)
The kings of drone, the heaviest of the heavies, are back! These two epic songs from 2002 (blame an erratic release schedule) prove to be Earth-man Dylan Carlson's shining moment. A solo piece on guitar, "Dissolution III," utilizes his signature drone with arpeggios underneath. On the title track, he joins forces with drummer Adrienne Davies for a live recording from New York. Despite sketchy production, the track is utterly devastating in its heaviosity. Carlson's guitar crushes and swallows Davies' drumming at the beginning, but it's around the seven-minute mark that they lock in and pulverize with a raga-like guitar line. This is as heavy as improvised music gets. 9/10 (Johnson Cummins)

Yesterday's Ring
El Rancho (Dare to Care)
Some dyed-in-the-wool punk rockers prove they can make real roots music with the best of them. Members of Montreal's the Sainte Catherines strip down the sonics and speed and deliver a truly great record that is peppered with all the good stuff - drinking, missing home and ruthless heartbreak. What really makes Yesterday's Ring stand out in a whirlwind of punkers grabbing acoustic guitars is singer Hugo Mudie's Boreale-soaked drawl, which goes right for the heartstrings. If you like it slow, rough and real, Yesterday's Ring is waiting for you. 8/10 (Johnson Cummins)

James Taylor
Carthage Milk (Logistic)
While it'd be a wonderfully strange twist if the balding, sensitive, adult-contemporary singer/songwriter responsible for such '70s hits as "Carolina in My Mind" had suddenly made a shift to minimal techno producer, it needs to be clarified that this James Taylor happens to be the one who helped catapult dubby minimal techno back in '98 as one half of the Swayzak duo. Here Taylor drops the electro-pop sound of Swayzak's previous two discs, returning to the pared-down sound of Swayzak's smash 1998 debut Snowboarding in Argentina. The results are still precise and elegant, but driven to a dark, dancefloor sound. 7.5/10 (Raf Katigbak)

Josh Martinez
Midriff Music (Camobear/Universal)
Josh Martinez has been sowing his indie rap seeds for a minute, and if you listen closely to the tracks on Midriff Music, you might catch a whiff of nostalgia and a longing for days gone by, thanks to Martinez's mic prowess and production by Samix. Although many are tough on this sort of "back in the day" raps at the moment, Midriff Music is decidedly dedicated to the frivolities of youth and the direct connection that music like this had for a guy like Josh Martinez. While he admits in the liner notes that this is a holdover until his "real" new LP drops, it's a ray of light that heralds the not-so -distant summer months. 7.5/10 (Scott C)

Kobayashi
Strange Lights and Resolutions (independent)
Even with the departure of MC Omari Newton, Kobayashi are still able to fill up a stage with their jazzy, Montreal sound. Strange Lights marks a new era for these locals, who have probably recorded their ticket out of MTL with this new release, standing firm on melancholy movements and a tight rhythm section. Songs like "Shadows," which features LAL singer Rosina Kazi as well as vocalist Dee, reflect an ability to infuse multiple emotions into one song while taking the listener to another place. Other tracks like "2 cent," "Shasta" and "Midnight Ambulance" beg for live performance, but sound great at home too. 8/10 (Scott C)

Jah Cure
Freedom Blues (VP)
Siccaturie "Jah Cure" Alcock has been in prison since 1999 on what he sees as spurious robbery and rape charges. It's not my role to determine just how false or true these charges are, but to simply review a terrific album by a tremendously talented artist. Though he's to be incarcerated until at least 2008, through access to recording equipment Jah Cure has gained almost legendary status. From the stunning (there's really no other word for it) "Jah Bless Me" to the somewhat old, yet still great, "King in the Jungle" featuring Sizzla, Jah Cure's plaintive voice has a sense of longing and earnestness that is unique among reggae singers. If I sound overly maudlin, it's because he's simply that good. 9.5/10 (Erin MacLeod)

Urban Mystic
Ghetto Revelations (Warner)
The incredible thing about 20-year-old Brandon Williams is the level of maturity he brings to his music. His Urban Mystic moniker is derived from a combination of street sensibilities and religious beliefs, two elements of his persona that seep deep into this impressive debut. Whether he's reminiscing about the good old days ("Where Were You") or the not-so-good old days ("In Da Ghetto"), he consistently channels great soul stars like Sam Cooke and Bobby Womack while bringing his own contemporary flair to the table. Not surprisingly, his cover of Womack's "Woman's Gotta Have It" is dead on, but it's urban originals like "Long Ways" that make these revelations remarkable. 8.5/10 (Gerard Dee)

Ella Fitzgerald Live (Just Jazz/Koch)
Tena Palmer North Atlantic Drift (TLP)
Marc Pompe You Must Believe in Swing (Cadence Jazz)
Joe Williams Havin' a Good Time (Hyena)
Four distinctive vocalists here. The Ella includes a 1947 Carnegie Hall appearance with the Dizzy Gillespie big band and some 1951 tracks with Louis Armstrong. Ms. Palmer is an adventurous Ottawa-based singer, joined by John Geggie and Dan Artuso - Frishberg's "Sweet Kentucky Ham" is here. Pompe is a wonderful singer from the Chicago area, aided here by organist Joey DeFrancesco. If you like Sheila Jordan and Mark Murphy, he should be your cup of tea. His title tune was penned by Buddy DeFranco. The Joe Williams disc, a live 1964 meeting with tenorman Ben Webster, should bring joy to his many fans. The Junior Mance-Bob Cranshaw-Mickey Roker trio is an added bonus here. Live, Swing, Time 9/10, Drift 8.5/10 (Len Dobbin)

Mini CD Reviews

Burn the Priest self-titled (Epic/BMG) The 1999 demo for the band that would later become Lamb of God. This is completely sick! 9 (JC)

Eldar Djangirov Eldar (Sony Classical) Finally, a child prodigy worth the hype. An ear-opening pianist. 9 (LD)

Chezidek Rising Sun (VP) Nice, conscious roots sound from the artist formerly known as Chila Wrench. Good choice on the name change, now go voice some of the wicked one-drop riddims out there. 7.5 (EM)

Sven Väth The Sound of the Fifth Season (Cocoon/Fusion III) Ibiza impresario and head of the Cocoon empire, Vath delivers an upbeat electro tech mix that should be fun while it lasts (shelf life: 3 months). 7.5 (RK)

Jacky Jasper Jacky Who? (Nocturne/Fusion III) Sometime sidekick of Kool Keith drops an LP for his, ahem, "fans." 6 (SC)

Regina Spektor Soviet Kitsch (Sire/Warner) What's next, Nazi Camp? Let's just say the press copy of this LP, by a Strokes-affiliated anti-folk scenester, came with a "Survival Guide," and I didn't survive. 5 (LC)

Ocean Colour Scene A Hyperactive Workout for the Flying Squad (Sanctuary) Ever had a pet destroy a CD with spit, scratches, bites or barf? In this case, kitty did me a favour. 4 (LC)

Crystal Pistol self-titled (Alert) Black nail-polish poseurs who are... well, utterly lame. What the hell were you expecting with a name like Crystal Pistol? 3 (JC)

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