The New Pornographers
Twin Cinema (Mint/Outside)
Between its brilliant pop bounce, anthemic melodies, widescreen guitar riffs, prog-pop revelry and, of course, Neko Case’s excellent harmonies and leads, this is probably the New Pornographers’ most adventurous, most cohesive, busiest, best (most contradictory?) album. Lead songwriter A.C. Newman can keep re-writing Rubber Soul until he dies and it’ll still sound fresh, but there are plenty of prog and nerd-rock indulgences among the classic pop gems, sliding in seamlessly with Dan Bejar’s three gleeful, elvish compositions. The record’s strangely intoxicating centrepiece, “The Bleeding Heart Show,” begins suspiciously like a Dears song, complete with lurid street accordion, and turns into a massive, hands-across-the-world sing-along. It’s risky, it teeters on the edge of the absurd, but Vancouver’s finest pull it off in style. 9/10 (Lorraine Carpenter)

Death Cab for Cutie Plans (Atlantic/Warner)
Following the success of Death Cab offshoot the Postal Service, some lucrative exposure on The O.C. and a record-company wrestling match, there’s a lot riding on the band’s major-label debut. Fans and execs alike will be pleased. Ben Gibbard’s boyish voice, the band’s tender balladry and slow-burning guitars and piano are all in place, unblemished and unchanged. However, a handful of songs are overly radio-friendly, in that distasteful way that seems to merge two or three chart-toppers from years past—Radiohead, Smashing Pumpkins, etc. Still, it’s a strong, if not spectacular fifth LP. 7/10 (Lorraine Carpenter)

Ramones Weird Tales of the… (Rhino/Warner)
This fancy, hardbound package offers a pretty thorough overview of the output by the godfathers of NYC punk who, in finding the sweet spot between the Beach Boys and the Stooges, may well have been the quintessential rock ’n’ roll band. Considering how short their songs always were, it’s no surprise that Rhino could cram 85 on three CDs. The bonus DVD is no big news, dredging up that outdated, mid-’90s doc Lifestyles of the Ramones plus some extra videos. The real prize is the comic book, in which assorted inkslingers pay homage to the lords of bowlcuts and biker leathers. Original Ramones album-jacket artist John Holmstrom contributes a couple of pages, as do Jaime Hernandez, Carol Lay, Mad’s Sergio Aragones and more. And dig the 3D strip by Steve Vance and John Vankin—glasses included! 9/10 (Rupert Bottenberg)

Death by Stereo Death for Life (Epitaph)
Nothing too new here, but it’s a hell of a lot better than most of the pop-punk pabulum that their labelmates crank out. With a good, galloping old-school chug, DBS unfortunately deliver too many clichés, group-chant whoa-whoas for instance, which can get a bit fatiguing. The riffs start okay but by the ill-fitting, obvious pop choruses and done-to-death scream verses, the band gets incredibly predictable and dated. The ballad “Forever and a Day” is just deplorable. 5.5/10 (Johnson Cummins) With Protest the Hero and the Resistance at El Salon, Sun., Sept. 4, 9 p.m., $15

Vocokesh Through the Smoke (Strange Attractors)
Portland’s Strange Attractors delivers another piece of psych gold on this one. Vocokesh continue with the Pink Floyd swirl, krautrock bleeps and Tangerine Dream’s sense of cinematic dynamics. The garage fuzz of “Vocokesh Theme Song” shows they know when to have a laugh, but the improvised noises on “12 Monkeys” proves they also know how to improvise expertly, with an excellent dialogue happening between their instruments. People digging the joys of Ash Ra Temple and SubArachanoid Space are going to love this—strictly for headphones heads! 8.5/10 (Johnson Cummins)

Corduroy Kid The Sleep Project (Old Sofa Music)
Somehow, Vancouver-based musician Shawn Hall, aka Corduroy Kid, has managed to dip his funky folk stylings into a batter that consists of everything from airy, ambient dub-scapes like “Hajjii’s Express” to jazzy, dancefloor numbers like “East at Ease,” featuring Marc Geffrard on keys. It’s a strange formula that even embraces electro on the busy “Must Be the Season” as well as hip hop on the album’s first cut “People Sea” featuring MC Sol Good. Leaving no rock unturned, the Kid goes blippy on “Old Leaves Remain” before dropping in with an emotive and soulful vocal. This is a hard record to pinpoint based on its ability to quickly switch gears, but props to the Kid for venturing out with a varied and different sound. 7.5/10 (Scott C)

Z-Trip Shifting Gears (Hollywood/Universal)
The first two thirds of this effort by Arizona native DJ Z-Trip is a lively look back at hip hop’s baby steps, capturing the clunky, sweet-natured energy of that time. Tunes like “Listen to the DJ” with J5’s Soup and “The Get Down” with Lyrics Born are outstanding lo-res fun, and the goofy good times culminate with the cereal celebration “The Breakfast Club.” But when the gears actually shift, the vehicle stalls. Even Chuck D on “Shock and Awe” can’t save the second act from the tarpit of dreary rapmetal and batcave mope. Irksome, given that Z-Trip has previously shown a pronounced knack for capably injecting rawk into rap. 7.5/10 (Rupert Bottenberg) With DJ Goldenchyld at la Tulipe, Wed., Sept. 7, 9 p.m., $20, all ages

Common Unity Common Who? (independent)
Montreal’s Common Unity may not exactly be a household name, but that hasn’t stopped them from releasing Common Who?, a 15-track LP that shows where they’re coming from. With a lyrical style and flow that collectively falls between Paul Barman and the High and the Mighty, MCs Flux, Iburnation (!) and P Summina wax poetic over beats by Labrat, Boogaloo Shrimp and DJ Nerve. Save Iburn’s deep-voiced delivery and a few well produced beats, CU has a long way to go before they reach a truly tight and cohesive state. Back to the lab, I guess. 7/10 (Scott C)

Recloose Hiatus on the Horizon (Peacefrog/Fusion III)
Detroit producer Matt Chicoine has come a long way from working in a sandwich shop and slipping demo tapes into takeout meals (that’s apparently how he was discovered by Carl Craig). Since then he’s dropped some of the meatiest beats out of Detroit since the Bellvue Three. Preferring a sample-based method of sound creation, Chicoine comes deep and funky with his latest for the Peacefrog label. Opener “Landed” sounds like early Matthew Herbert (who’s traded remixes with Chicoine in the past) while other tracks like “Spinning Out” bring back the mid-tempo, jazzy, broken sound of Recloose’s earlier productions. If you want soulful vocals and a few standout instrumentals, pick this puppy up. 7/10 (Raf Katigbak)

Various Body Language Vol.1 (Get Physical/ Fusion III)
Here’s how to listening to this disc, mixed by Get Physical’s M.A.N.D.Y.: First, skip the first two tracks. They’re boring microhouse wank that, like most of the genre, is too self-conscious for its own good. Then turn up the volume and the B-A-S-S as Booka Shade drops a ton of subfrequency warble on “Panoramic.” Then do your best Chicago jack impression as Marlow and Marc Houle bring on some much-needed, off-kilter jerkiness. Ready to get lost? Dub Kult will drench you in echo and Kingston-style studio trickery. Then Villalobos comes deep with a remix of DJ Minx’s “A Walk in the Park.” Prepare to whip through disco, electro, minimal techno and mindbending dancefloor stormers by Tiefschwarz, Mathew Jonson, Recloose, Lindstrom and Luciano. Then pick up the pieces of your shattered mind, rinse and repeat. 8.5/10 (Raf Katigbak) M.A.N.D.Y. joins Cut Throat Republic, Mighty Kat and Mark Dillon at the Neon BBQ at Café des Eclusiers, Sat., Sept. 3, 1 p.m., $6

Anthony Hamilton Soullife (Warner)
Hamilton is one of the most genuine voices to come out of soul music in years. His ’03 album Comin’ From Where I’m From was his first major release, but he had recorded two previous albums which died on the vine due to record-label politics. Now the tracks he recorded for the defunct Soullife label have been polished off and released. Though a bit slicker than his breakthrough album, Soullife nevertheless features Hamilton’s gritty vocals wisely placed in the context of heartfelt lyrics and backbeats that always play a supporting role. Guest spots by Macy Gray (“Love and War”) and Sunshine Anderson (“Last Night”) add even more flavour. 8/10 (Gerard Dee)

Budd Johnson The Stanley Dance Sessions (Lone Hill/Trend)
Sonny Stitt & Hank Jones The Complete Original Quartet Recordings (Lone Hill/Trend)
Two more first-class reissues from this European label. Both musicians were of extreme importance to the bebop evolution, Johnson mostly as an arranger and Stitt as a player. Johnson was also a wonderful saxophone player and his tenor and soprano are front and centre on the three sessions included here. Horn men Vic Dickenson and Charlie Shavers, and an array of pianists including Ray Bryant and Earl Hines, add much to this one. The Lord Discography lists 238 sessions featuring Stitt, and the 18 tracks here, mostly featuring him on alto, are among his very best—pianist Jones is no slouch either. Both 9.5/10 (Len Dobbin)

Mini CD Reviews

Against Me! Searching For a Former Clarity (Fat Wreck) One of the best punk rock bands around right now, period. 9 (JC)

Just One “Soul Revolution” 12” (Neroli) Serious four-four cut from this Italian label, with a deep and catchy vocal that goes on and on and on... 9 (SC)

Sara Gazarek Yours (Native Language Music) Among the hundreds of jazz vocal albums released of late, this one stands out as one of the very best. Wonderful singer and choice of material! 9 (LD)

Oxes EP (Monitor) This Baltimore trio cooks instrumental rock to hard ’n’ heavy perfection. 8 (LC)

Roger Alan Wade All Likkered Up (Dickhouse/Fusion III) Uh, the record is called All Likkered Up—hello! Think David Allan Coe. 7 (JC)

Fear Factory Transgression (Navarre/Universal) Post-apocalyptic violence at its melodic finest. Gotta love the cover of U2’s “I Will Follow.” 6.5 (LM) With Megadeth, Dream Theatre, Dillinger Escape Plan and Nevermore at Bell Centre, Fri., Sept 2, $34.50–$49.50, all ages

Quit Your Day Job Sweden, We Have a Problem (Bad Taste) These Swedes stick their electro-rock silliness to the man, with song titles like “She-male Godzilla” and “Pissing on a Panda.” 6.5 (LC)

Armin Van Buuren Shivers (Ultra) The title reminds me of the time my friend and I saw a German Shepherd take a really huge dump. Me: “Did you see the size of that dookie?” Him: “Yeah, he really shivered off a piece!” 4 (RK)

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