The Saints
Nothing Is Straight In my House (The Cadiz Recording Co.)
With two of punk’s greatest records, I’m Stranded (the first punk single ever released) and This Perfect Day, already under their belts, Australians the Saints have nothing to prove—but they ain’t dead yet. Although vocalist Chris Bailey is the only original member here, his new line-up absolutely nails the spastic, nihilistic energy that marked their early classics. Guitars lash out in fuzzed-out abandon while Bailey returns to his Stoogey sneer for songs like “Porno Movies” and “Nylon Pirates,” while conjuring up Lou Reed’s better years on “I Couldn’t Help Myself.” When Bailey sings “I want to rise again” in “Digging a Hole,” you know he’s still filled with piss and vinegar. 9/10 (Johnson Cummins)

The Strokes
First Impressions of Earth (RCA/Sony BMG)
If the Strokes’ debut triggered a resurrection of cool mainstream rock, this third LP may be its death knell. Julian Casablancas’ dreary lyrics and sleepy vocals have devolved from laissez faire to punch-drunk. Their once-dependable riffs have developed a depressing FM-rock twitch. One song summoned up a half-buried memory of “Cover Girl” by NKOTB, nearly bringing my lunch along with it. The boys and their new producer David Kahne (Sugar Ray!) pack so much awkward heaviosity, metallic schmaltz and schoolyard taunts into the album’s first two thirds that the handful of solid tunes tacked onto the end are cold comfort. Speaking of taunts: “The Strokes and David Kahne sitting in a tree, S-U-C-K-I-N-G.” 4.5/10 (Lorraine Carpenter)

Sybris
self-titled (Flameshovel)
Striking fresh and familiar chords simultaneously, Chicago’s Sybris saturate their debut disc in fat, fluffy riffs and elastic, emotive vocals, guitarists Phil Naumann and Angela Mullenhour letting reverb ring while Mullenhour’s voice soars and coasts, sometimes at centre stage, sometimes in the shadows. They describe their sound as a meeting of “ambient art rock,” ’80s metal and folk, but post-rock, classic indie and shoegazing are clearly part of the picture, with ghosts of the Pixies, My Bloody Valentine and Mogwai haunting the peripheries. 7/10 (Lorraine Carpenter) With Anathallo at Main Hall on Thurs., Jan. 19, 8 p.m., $12

Ryan Adams
29 (Lost Highway/Universal)
The prolific and eclectic Adams can be a bit hit-or-miss (recall his crappy punk band the Finger), but 29 definitely adds another gem to his expansive discography. The Sun Records treatment on the title track and “The Sadness” hark back to his days in Whiskeytown, but on songs like “Strawberry Wine,” he manages to sound like Neil Young sneaking in on Springsteen’s Nebraska sessions. When Adams is on, he’s unbeatable, and although his lyrics have a habit of running away and overtaking the song, he puts a leash on them this time. Wonder what kind of record he’ll release next week. 8.5/10 (Johnson Cummins)

Elektrip
Reconvene (independent/LOCAL)
On their intriguing debut album, Montreal duo Eugene Brotto and Simon Estérez deliver an eclectic set that’s both energetic and relaxing. Lead vocalist Brotto oscillates between urgent pleas (“A Song for Elliss K.”) and cocksure delusion (“Ambivalence”), supported by a shifting backdrop that moves easily from folk to ambient to pop-rock. The most consistent element, in fact, is the seeming delight the pair take in hop-scotching across an unpredictable musical landscape that includes searing guitar work, jazzy horn play and sweeping strings. Their gutsy rendition of the Allman Brothers’ “Whipping Post” proves that they can cover material as skillfully as they can create it. 8/10 (Gerard Dee)

The Notorious B.I.G.
Duets: The Final Chapter (Bad Boy/ Warner)
Much like the road taken by the posthumous release of Life After Death, Biggie Smalls, perhaps the most revered and respected rapper ever, has been brought back to life on record. As ambitious as this project is, pairing Biggie with artists both living and dead, it’s an LP far from worth getting excited about. The truth is that Biggie outshines just about everyone here, making songs with Diddy, Nelly, Missy Elliot, Twista, R Kelly, and yes, 2Pac, seem almost silly. The Clipse come close on “Just a Memory,” as do Big Pun, Fat Joe and Freeway on “Get Your Grind On,” but every song on the album should have been as tight as “Whatchu Want” featuring Jay-Z. Let’s try to forget the song with Korn, and remember how many MCs still don’t even come close to the Notorious B.I.G. 7.5/10 (Scott C)

Jorun Bombay
Jorun’s Way (Jorun Beats/DB)
As one of Halifax’s hip hop legends, MC/producer Bombay has been making music for almost 20 years, taking his raw, East Coast basement sounds to gritty new heights. Having worked with Buck 65, Sixtoo and Skratch Bastid in their early days, he has now released a 20-track piece that shows his talents, on the mic and most notably on the beats. Bombay’s raspy flow cuts through on the “Meat & Potatoes” intro, but then we get into the beats, where he calls on some close friends to get down. First Words rides the beat on “Refreshed and Reserved” while Jay Bizzy kills the guitar-laden “Smoke Somethin’,” but it’s Bombay who tells the real story on “In Memory of Roger,” a melancholy ode to a deceased Hali-hustler. Real East Coast boom-bap. 8/10 (Scott C)

Rubin Steiner
Drum Major! (Platinum/Fusion III)
It’s not so much the kick-off track’s name parade, a tune called “Schlaffenwagonnet” or the nom de plume Steiner that misrepresent Frenchman Frédérick Landier as German. It’s the noisy fusion of leftfield, retro nerd-hop and icy neo-prog overdrive, something not unprecedented in Germany. With a boisterously comic tone, a keen ear for melody and a knack for snappy, unexpected detailing, however, Steiner quickly outpaces his peers. He’s also got a flair for spastic, sputtering chop jobs on the vocals, be they scrounged sounds or, on standout tracks like “Your Life is Like a Tony Conrad Concert,” “Ten Drummers Back” and the wicked closer “Nylon,” goofy Eurotrash raps. An impressive and durable effort. 8/10 (Rupert Bottenberg)

Caribou
Marino: The Videos (Leaf)
Bound in a fancy-shmancy hardback booklet with pages of funny video stills, this double disc (DVD and CD) collects the various videos used by Mr. Snaith as eye candy on his last tour. Like his music, the images are rough around the edges, a digitally manipulated blend of animation, live action, stock footage, puppets and plenty of swirling psychedelic patterns. But while the videos are a particularly nice accompaniment to his music, the CD, which features four tracks not included on The Milk of Human Kindness, is also a real treat. The first two seem to quickly grow from a few grounded loops into interstellar jams, while the second pair retain the quiet beauty Snaith knows so well. 8/10 (Raf Katigbak)

The Orb
Okie Dokie It’s the Orb on Kompakt (Kompakt)
Before you get your minimal panties in a bunch over the Orb’s long-awaited full-length on Kompakt, a word of warning. Anyone expecting bumping, stumping, dancefloor-driven neo-trance beats will be sorely disappointed. Until, of course, they actually give this disc a proper listen and let the lush, dubby textures wash over them like a gentle cloud of post-party drug smoke. While there are a few techno-pop numbers like the Phillip Glass-vs.-Superpitcher schaffel of “Lunik TM,” most of the disc (a few tracks have previously been released) is ambient techno neo-classicism in the tradition of Orb member Alex Patterson’s solo efforts. Definitely worth a grab. 8/10 (Raf Katigbak)

Frank London’s Klezmer Brass Allstars
Carnival Conspiracy (Piranha/Fusion III)
Trumpeter and band leader London’s history with the Klezmatics and Hasidic New Wave have made him a front-line figure in the recent klezmer resurgence, but here he’s hardly conspiring to toot his own horn (no excusing the pun, London’s gleefully paranoid liner notes are full of ’em). With 40 musicians from four continents and all but three of its dozen tracks taken from traditional songbooks, Carnival Conspiracy is a frenzied eruption of people power, filtering klezmer through the loud, crowded craziness of Big Easy brass bands and Brazilian carnival. And like a street party to which everyone’s invited, it quickly gets hot, sweaty and dizzyingly intense. 8/10 (Rupert Bottenberg)

Maria Schneider
Days of Wine and Roses (Artist Share)
Eugene Marlow A Summer Afternoon With You (MEII Enterprises)
Two composers of the first rank. The former, Schneider with her orchestra captured at NYC’s Jazz Standard, has four originals by the leader and five of her wonderful arrangements. Try “Bird Count” with solos by Frank Kimbrough, Ingrid Jensen, Larry Farrell, Charles Pillow and, on bass saxophone, Scott Robinson. Marlow’s 10-track CD earns top marks with wonderful readings and solos from a quintet including Michael Mossman, Bobby Porcelli and Mike Abene. A number of Marlow-penned tributes (“Taylored for Billy,” “Thanks, Duke” and “Send My Regards,” for Manny Albam, an early mentor) are included here. Both 10/10 (Len Dobbin) The Maria Schneider Orchestra is at Burlington’s Flynn Theatre, Fri., Jan. 20, 8 p.m.

Mini CD Reviews

Trio Derome Guilbeault Tanguay The Feeling of Jazz (Ambiances Magnétiques) Inspired and delightful reworkings of Ellington, Sonny Clark and Lee Konitz alongside material by Kern, Porter and Waller. “Getting Some Fun Out of Life,” indeed! 9 (LD)

Jens Lekman Oh You’re So Silent Jens (Secretly Canadian) Drole Swedes make strange Britpop stars, but fans of the Smiths and Belle & Sebastian better run to this smart ’n’ sunny odds ’n’ ends comp. 8 (LC)

Nick Cave & Warren Ellis The Proposition Original Soundtrack (Mute) If you liked Cave’s Ghosts of the Civil Dead score, you’ll be on this like white on rice (even if Dirty Three violinist Ellis steals his thunder here). 7.5 (JC)

Various Future Sound of Hip Hop (Wagram/Fusion III) Beans, Dizzee, M.I.A., TTC, Prefuse 73, Busdriver and Madvillain all figure into this guide to rap music’s equivalent of indie rock. 7.5 (RB)

Various For a Decade of Sin (Bloodshot/Outside) These two discs, compiling the cream of Bloodshot’s roster, prove this little label still rules y’all-ternative. 7 (JC)

The Vertical Struts self-titled (Pop Echo) Lo-fi punk from Edmonton featuring wild jangly riffs, hyperactive rhythm and two grooms on a wedding cake. 7 (LC)

Kottonmouth Kings Joint Venture (Suburban Noize) This cheebah-chump venture should have been nipped in the bud. 4 (RB)

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