Erol Alkan
A Bugged Out/Bugged In Mix (React)
From the opening strains of Deep Purple's "Hush" on the first of these two discs, you'd figure right off the bat that Erol Alkan wasn't going to deliver the typical DJ mix. But before you start wringing your hands with delight at the notion of a 2manydjs-style mix that deftly and brilliantly blends prog rock or forgotten gems with current hits, listen to both CDs seperately. While chock-a-block with excellent tracks by Tiga, Soulwax, Steve Bug and of course the mandatory Alter Ego hit "Rocker," the first disc is solely pumping dancefloor tunes, while the second is a brilliant late-night comp of experimental rock and psych-folk like Rare Bird, the White Noise, M83 and Spacemen 3. Excellent! 8.5/10 (Raf Katigbak)
Statue Park
self-titled (independent)
Now that they've had "their first big break" playing Divan Orange, as CBC's The National so insightfully put it in their recent Montreal-scene report, what's next for Statue Park? Well, this five-track EP won't lead to superstardom, but it's a banner debut nonetheless. With gothic melodies and luridly crooned vocals, they strike a chord akin to Britain's new romantic bands, minus the pop excess and puffy shirts, plus meaty synths, beats and dabs of dissonance. No, this isn't your mother's synthpop - if anything, Statue Park's bleepology recalls '80s video games more than '80s music, pushing nostalgia buttons on a whole other console. 7.5/10 (Lorraine Carpenter) With Hexes & Ohs, Run Away From the Humans and DJ Paul Raymer at Main Hall, Sat., May 28, 9 p.m., $8
Youth Group
Skeleton Jar (Epitaph)
There are exceptions, of course, but Australian bands generally suck. These ambitious whippersnappers share management with two such offenders, the Vines and Jet, yet Youth Group cast off the odious energies of their homeland to produce a fine sophomore album, their North American debut. Fans of Bright Eyes, the Smiths and Death Cab for Cutie (whose singer Chris Walla is full of praise for his down-under counterparts) will appreciate the emotive allure of their vocals, the pretty sheen of their guitars - whether indie rock clatter, rustic acoustic or Britpop strumming - and the bittersweetness of their windswept pop melodies. 8/10 (Lorraine Carpenter)
Skinless
From Sacrifice to Survival (Relapse/Koch)
Following up their amazing debut Forshadowing the Demise, Skinless dig deeper into the dirt and release one of the best death metal albums this year. More concerned with a slow chug than speed this time around, Skinless lay down early death à la Carcass and put the blast beats in the background with these symphonies of sickness. Singer S. Webber's grunt can shift to a hardcore howl within the same breath, but it's guitarist Noah Carpenter's metal squeal that really hits the hardest here. Extra points to producer Neil Kernon (Cannibal Corpse, Judas Priest), who saves this from being just another double-kick-drum fest. 7.5/10 (Johnson Cummins) With Deicide, Immolation, Misery Index and With Passion at Club Soda, Fri., June 3, 7 p.m., $26, all ages
Gorillaz
Demon Days (Parlaphone/EMI)
Damon Albarn's post-millennial Josie & the Pussycats are back, though with Danger Mouse replacing Dan the Automator in the producer's chair. A cartoon band cobbled together by Albarn, Tank Girl comix artist Jamie Hewlett and a whole buncha who's-whos (this time it's Shaun Ryder, Roots Manuva, Neneh Cherry, MF Doom and - get this - Dennis Hopper reading a weird-ass, anti-corporate fairy tale), the Gorillaz project only really pays off on video (and then, given Hewlett's wizardry, it pays off in spades). As with the debut, the "band's" brand of sour, dour electro-bubblegum and half-baked, referential rock-hop never manages to solidify, especially with Albarn's irritating squawks all over it - the lead single "Feel Good Inc." with De La Soul, however, comes close. The DVD'll be dope, though. 6.5/10 (Rupert Bottenberg)
Vitalic
OK Cowboy (Citizen/PIAS)
After completely obliterating dancefloors in 2001 with the amped-up mind blast that was his Poney EP, and 2004's Fanfare EP, French electro producer Vitalic hits hard with his long-awaited debut full-length. While the throbbing, uptempo points on the album will be familiar to anyone who owns the previous EPs, it's the quality of the more downtempo tracks that give OK Cowboy the consistency of a truly solid album. "Woo!" is a bouncy, light-hearted, overdriven organ shuffle, while "The Past" is a weepy robot ballad that is equal parts Air and John Carpenter. A surprisingly broad and amazingly assembled album. 8.5/10 (Raf Katigbak)
Negativland
No Business (Seeland)
Soundjackers with a cause (and a smirk), Negativland are weathered veterans of those other culture wars, the skirmishes over private vs. public ownership of mass-produced art in the digital age. The bumper fun pack No Business (a CD with wacky bonus video, a 50-page book and, ahem, a whoopie cushion) is their definitive statement on the matter. "Downloading," a veritable audio nailbomb in Negativland's distinctive style, is the centrepiece on a CD fashioned entirely from "found" sounds (elsewhere, Ethel Merman goes disco and the Beatles get bastardized). The booklet, equal parts historical tract and manifesto, summarizes their fair-use argument eloquently and with abundant dry wit. 8/10 (Rupert Bottenberg)
DJ Serious
Cold Tea (Audio Research)
By now, you probably know that if you go to the right late-night spot in Toronto's Chinatown, you'll end with something a little more intoxicating in your cup. And so it goes with this second LP from Serious, five years after Dim Sum, focusing a little more attention on that after-dark vibe that he reps so well. While the LP has lead with the Masta Ace track "Again," on which Ace lays it down with ease, I'm partial to the Theo 3 joint "So High," which is much too good to be so short. Other guests include Critically Acclaimed, Notes to Self, D-Sisive and Obscure Disorder, rounding out another journey into the mind of this music lover. 7.5/10 (Scott C)
Edan
Beauty and the Beat (Lewis/Statik)
Comparable to Nobody's soft-rocking West Coast sunbursts, the headshop hip hop of Edan's second album also draws on flavours of '60s psych rock. But where Nobody has flowers in his hair, backpacking back-slider Edan has bong crud under his fingernails. The foundation here is clearly rap music's grand old days, with chunky, raw-funk beats and bold-face rhymes courtesy of Mr. Lif and more, but it's been dragged through a paisley-patterned time warp to the dazed days of Joe Meek, George Martin and the Stones' Satanic Majesties. With such a retro-times-retro approach, Edan can't claim any next-shit status, but if you've dreamed of an alternate universe where DJ Kool Herc blew the doors off the Fillmore West, here's how it would have sounded. 7.5/10 (Rupert Bottenberg)
GB
Soundtrack for Sunrise (Sound in Color)
Twenty-year-old Gabriel Reyes-Whittaker has hit the nail on the head, having crafted one of few records that can safely satisfy more than one itch at once. GB goes deep into the recesses of unrequited love, impulsive passion and the addictive booty call, serving up a startlingly original mix of hip hop, soul and broken beats on this, his impressive debut full-length. Collaborations with Flora Purim and Airto would be enough for most, but he also gets down with Steve Spacek, Joy Jones, Ricci Rucker and Platonic, for a panoramic view of his musical versatility. 8.5/10 (Scott C)
Various
WOW Gospel 2005 (Sony/BMG)
The eighth edition of the annual WOW gospel series once again collects the biggest and brightest in the genre and puts them together in a double-disc filled with outstanding musical testimony. Although there are some moving ballads, the emphasis here is on uptempo jams that are musically separated from hip hop only in lyrical content. Standouts in this exceptional collection include Kierra "Kiki" Sheard's thumping "You Don't Know," Donald Lawrence's infectious "Healed" and a rousing live version of gospel superstar Smokie Norful's "Can't Nobody." Fred Hammond, Cece Winans and gospel legend Shirley Caesar are some of the other brilliant artists featured on this winning set. 8.5/10 (Gerard Dee)
Johnny Hartman
The Complete Gus Wildi Recordings (Lone Hill/Trend)
The title is a little off - this 25-track CD omits five alternate takes that appeared on the Songs From the Heart CD on Bethlehem. But that's nitpicking when it comes to great singing, and Hartman was certainly a great singer. Born in Chicago, he died in 1983 at the age of 60. I first came across his name when he recorded with the Dizzy Gillespie big band for RCA. Today he is best remembered for the 1963 session he did with John Coltrane and the use of his material for Chicago's Bee Hive label on the soundtrack to The Bridges of Madison County. The three mid-'50s sessions contained here were among his best and the backing, by a Ralph Sharon trio featuring Howard McGhee, a big band directed by Ernie Wilkins and Frank Hunter's strings, certainly add to the joy one gets listening to this one. 9.5/10 (Len Dobbin)
Mini CD Reviews
Hank Jones For My Father (Justin Time/Fusion III) One of the jazz world's tastiest pianists, 85 at the time of this 2004 recording, Hank shows why he's been so highly regarded by musicians varying from Coleman Hawkins through Joe Lovano. 10 (LD)
Daniel Lanois Belladonna (Anti/Epitaph) A nice return to the ambient sounds that Lanois and Brian Eno once perfected together. 8.5 (JC)
Nathaniel "LaLaLa" (Earth Angel) You can't get any more direct than "Do you like/ when I use my tongue/uh huh," can you? 8 (SC)
Vive la Fête Grand Prix (Surprise/Fusion III) Sexed-up electro-rock with verve and attitude from this Belgian boy and girl, a highlight at last year's MEG. 7.5 (RB)
DJ Craze Miami Heat (System) The three-time DMC champ drops a hot, hardstepping D&B mix that oozes, bubbles and squirts like a bottle of coconut-scented sun tan oil. Sweaty beats that head straight for the Speedo. 7 (RK)
Steel Train Twilight Tales From the Prairies of the Sun (Drive Thru/Sanctuary) You'll want it for Grateful Dead sidman David Grisman and Flying Burrito Brother Gene Parson's work, but you'll love it for Jack Antonoff's grade-A tearjerkers. 7 (JC)
Eels Blinking Lights and Other Revelations (Vagrant) A generally dim and depressing two-disc therapy session, illuminated here and there with effervescent orchestral pop. 6 (LC)
Various 12"/80s (Family/Fusion III) "More is more" works when the material's good, but some songs - such as a good third of this four-disc '80s synthpop comp - just don't deserve to hit the six-minute mark. 6 (LC)
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