Spoon
Gimme Fiction(Merge)
Many popsters are jumping on angular post-punk mixed with '70s tunefulness, but unfortunately, for every Weird War, there must be a Kings of Leon. Despite a ragged indie background, Spoon prove to be the band to beat this time around - Todd Rundgren craft and dense instrumentation without the excess. Just check out the falsetto and groove of "I Turn My Camera On" (think "Emotional Rescue") or the Gang of Four guitar stabs peppering "My Mathematical Mind" and "The Beast and Dragon, Adored." If you always liked Badfinger more than the Fab Four, pick this up. Pop doesn't have to be a bad word. 9/10 (Johnson Cummins)

Unsane
Blood Run (Relapse/Koch)
These NYC noise-core kings are back after a six-year hiatus, packing a little less Am Rep discordance and actually laying back and grooving. That said, they are still out to pummel, and singer Chris Spencer's caterwaul has never sounded more throat-shredding. Drummer Vinnie Signorelli's behind-the-beat wallop has matured over the break, but it's the unresolved riffs that refuse to stop for breath that are more brutal then ever. Unsane release the record of their career, leaving noise-core contemporaries like Today Is the Day sounding like the Archies. 8.5/10 (Johnson Cummins)

Mice Parade
Bem-Vinda Vontade (Bubble Core)
With Eastern- and African-influenced rhythms and duelling acoustic guitars that trigger images of flamenco's thick heels and heavily draped skirts, Mice Parade's fifth LP is intricate but easy on the ears, light on songs but heavy on hot and cool moods. Flirting with the jazzy end of post-rock, Pierce and co. are limber and lively enough to dodge the adult contemporary precipice, consistently throwing sonic spanners into the works, such as jarring rock guitars, orchestral flourishes and sporadic vocals by both Adam Pierce and Múm's Kristin Anna Valtysdóttir. 8/10 (Lorraine Carpenter) With Boom Bip at Casa del Popolo, Wed., May 4, 9 p.m., $10

Morrissey
Live at Earls Court (Attack/Sanctuary)
Morrissey
Who Put the M in Manchester DVD (Attack/Sanctuary)
Documenting el Mozzerino's recent You Are the Quarry tour, this CD and DVD capture the triumphant second wind of a career that had hit the wall. Heavy on Smiths and early solo material, with a couple of brand new tunes and covers, the London gig finds crooner and the gang sounding ab-fab and, so says the CD booklet, untouched by studio trickery. While time hasn't been unkind to Morrissey, and an altered set-list and bonuses make the DVD a must for serious fans, last May's hometown birthday gig is somehow less appealing. The meeting of middle-age, sweeping arm gestures and lyrics like "How can anybody possibly know how I feel?" suggests that eternal teenagerhood is more attractive in droll lyricism than in stiffened flesh. CD 8/10, DVD 7.5/10 (Lorraine Carpenter)

Team Sleep
self-titled (Maverick/Warner)
If you're jonesing for the quieter side of Deftones, Team Sleep might put you down for the night. You may remember their track "Passportal" from The Matrix soundtrack a few years back - a standout among the loudness. Never intended as even a Deftones side project, Team Sleep had years to mature as an experiment in dreamy soundscapes and foggy forays into the atmospheric. With sombre guitars, rumbling bass, eerie techno flashes, drum machines and deft turntablism, vocalist Chino Moreno is free from the confines of Deftones to show his softer side, alongside Helium's Mary Timony and Pinback's Rob Crow. 8/10 (Lateef Martin)

Ben Folds
Songs for Silverman (Epic/Sony)
Since the end of Ben Folds Five, the piano man par excellence has given us the snarky Fear of Pop project and the subsequent, patchwork solo "debut" (with a goof tune for every ballad), plus of course the musical direction of William Shatner's brilliant Has Been. What he hasn't done is an album - in the focused, thematically homogenous sense - that really showcases his, shall we say, serious side. Songs for Silverman fills that gap with Folds at his finest - thoughtful lyrics over light yet rich and vigorous pop in the tradition of Randy Newman and Jimmy Webb. In many respects, this ain't far from BF5's more mature moments. 8/10 (Rupert Bottenberg)

New Order
Waiting for the Sirens' Call (Warner)
If this essential U.K. act's 2001 comeback Get Ready wasn't New Order enough for their more devoted fans, Waiting... is the return to form they wanted. While song titles like "Dracula's Castle" and "Working Overtime" sound about as palatable as pork scratching and blood pudding, the Mancunian trio's latest effort is chock-full of savoury pop nuggets. Granted, a darker, more adventurous turn in the lyrical department might possibly have been more engaging, but there's something to be said for consistency. While not perfect, tracks like "Krafty," "Guilt Is a Useless Emotion" and the title tune far outshine the weaker moments. 8/10 (Raf Katigbak)

Hiltmeyer Inc.
Sendling 70 (Gomma)
Germany's Gomma gang have consistently been putting out some of the best, most interesting, unpretentiously fun and danceable music since their excellent Anti NY comp a few years back. Harkening back to the '80s Mudd Club scene in New York - where new wavers, punk rockers, rude boys, hip hop MCs and artists like Jean-Michel Basquiat would congregate and spontaneously collaborate - this Munich DJ's first proper album might not always be amazing, but it's always raw and driving. From the squealing four-on-the-floor of opener "Narcotic!" to the Italo space disco of "Synthipopu," Sendling 70 will no doubt find its way into more than a few robot rockers' collections. 7/10 (Raf Katigbak)

DJ Format
If You Can't Join 'Em... Beat 'Em (Genuine/Pias)
Brighton's master of the breaks continues to sow his oats, sticking to his trademark old-school hip hop production and up-tempo B-boy offerings. Format seems to be quite adept at the old cut-and-paste style, and employs the more than capable Toronto MC Abdominal once again to give his songs another dimension. Other guests include Jurassic 5's Chali 2na and Akil, as well as D-Sisive, another Toronto MC who knows how to ride a beat. Nobody can say that Big Daddy Format's sound is dated, because he does it right. A few of his new tracks would make some hip hop pioneers green with envy. 8/10 (Scott C)

Various
Twilight Trax (Trax/Casablanca Trax)
You may not know this, but Toronto (or at least, the indefatigable folks at Casablanca Trax) is at the heart of the revival of Chicago's fabled Trax label, unleashing house music gems from one of most time-honoured catalogues in electronic dance music history. T.O. DJ/producer Steve Yanko pruned many of the masters, merging Trax's illustrious past with its present and future in an exuberant mix of 16 selections. Those who yearn for the good old warehouse days are going to appreciate the jazzy, ambient vibe. Classic thumpers from Mr Fingers, Ron Hardy and Master C & J point to nostalgia, while DJ Pap, K-Alexi and Gene Hunt represent the new guard. 8.5/10 (Peter Lightburn)

Faith Evans
The First Lady (Capital/EMI)
On her fourth album - her first since departing Puffy's Bad Boy label - Faith continues to show the type of artistic growth that belies the "Biggie's mistress/Mary J. Blige knock-off" tag that dogged her for years. In fact, this is her most accomplished work to date, both musically (she handles the bulk of the writing here) and vocally (she's never sounded better). She also takes some risks, nodding convincingly to James Brown-era funk on "Mesmerized" and opting for songs that emphasize structure over quick-fix sampled hooks ("Again," "I Don't Need It"). The result is a refreshing, contemporary urban album from an artist who continues to surpass expectations. 8/10 (Gerard Dee)

Konono No. 1
Congotronics (Crammed/ Fusion III)
Paging Mother Necessity! This Congolese band, a quarter-century old, have stumbled across a wild, unique sound in their efforts to simply be heard over the daily din of downtown Kinshasa. Built around a trio of thumb pianos jerry-rigged with ingeniously handmade mics (backed by singers, dancers and percussion section banging on pots, pans and car parts), Kokono No. 1 package their regional rhythms and melodies in production that's as raw, buzzing and distorted as any retro-delic New World avant-noise-rocker could ever hope to achieve. Crazy! 8/10 (Rupert Bottenberg)

McGill Jazz Orchestra
Ostinatocious (FMJ)
Also known as "McGill big band one," the band(s) under director Gordon Foote can always be counted on to be of a very professional calibre. The 11 tracks here were recorded at three sessions done between '02 and '04, and come from a wide variety of composers - Thad Jones, Bob Brookmeyer, Bill Holman, Wayne Shorter and Marty Ehrlich, as well as students like Marianne Trudel and Darcy Argue. Students and former faculty members, like Jim Head, Chuck Dotas and Bret Zvacek, are among the arrangers. The impressive soloists include trumpeter Steve McKnight, guitarist Head, trombonist Jean-Nicolas Trottier, pianist John Roney and reedmen Paul Nedzela, Colin Power and Cameron Wallis. If you're a big-band fancier, you'll want to add this one to your collection. 9/10 (Len Dobbin)

Mini CD Reviews

Jimmy Giuffre The Jimmy Giuffre Clarinet (Collectables) Giuffre's clarinet in eight settings, from solo to a duo with celesta to a nonet, on a reissue of a wonderful session from the mid-'50s. 9.5 (LD)

Feist "Gatekeeper" Do Right Remix 7" (Do Right) This already big tune gets a proper re-rub for the dancefloor, thanks to T.O.'s Do Right. 8.5 (SC)

Bruce Springsteen Devils & Dust (Columbia/Sony) Fans of Springsteen's landmark record Nebraska are going to pee themselves over this. BRRRRUUUUUUCCCCCCEEEEEE! 8 (JC)

Jasmin & Jul "I Wish We Were Dancing" 12" (Lipstick) Eddie Jasmin and Jul's solid track of tribal-infused electro-house gets punk-funk and big-room techno remixes, by Sean Kosa and Mateo respectively. Great label debut! 8 (RK)

The Books Lost and Safe (Tomlab) With more vocals and less dissonance, this aptly titled chapter finds our sullen heroes loving laptop-pop limbo. 7.5 (LC) With Cian Ethrie and Mantler at El Salon, Wed., May 4, 9 p.m., $15

Rosemary's Babies self-titled (Ghastly/Cargo) From '83, Eerie Von's pre-Danzig/Samhain hardcore band. Punk as fuck and twice as noisy. 7 (JC)

Tim Burgess I Believe (Koch) After flexing his falsetto on recent Charlatans LPs, Burgess slides easily into oily soul and slacker folk music. 6.5 (LC)

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