Beirut
Gulag Orkestar (Ba Da Bing!)
Amid the lugubrious Balkan dirges and bleary-eyed musette musings, full of the battered beauty suggested by the location-specific band name and song titles, there’s little to indicate that Gulag Orkestar is in fact the brainchild of a precocious New Mexican prodigy still shy of legal drinking age. A couple of cute Casio flourishes are about all that give away Zach Condon’s formative indie-pop inclinations. His calculated Euro-nostalgia is honest and expertly crafted enough to carry its weight, and would sit well next to the work of both gypsy brass-master Boban Markovic and Amélie soundtracker Yann Tiersen. In fact, “Mount Wroclai (Idle Days)” could be a straight-up Tiersen lift, especially with Condon’s deep vocals comparable to those of Divine Comedy leader/frequent Tiersen collaborator Neil Hannon. 8.5/10 (Rupert Bottenberg) With Akron/Family, Born Ruffians at le National, Sat., Oct. 7, 9 p.m., $15

Beck
The Information (Interscope/Universal)
Following Beck’s longstanding pattern, this should be one of those meaty, introspective records like Sea Change, a counterpoint to last year’s pop release, Guero. Produced over three years, by Nigel Godrich, The Information could’ve been a contender, instead of a collection of mediocre outtakes, which is what it sounds like. It’s been rumoured that Beck doesn’t give a crap anymore, not enough to produce one of those strange-interlude albums, not enough to inject passion into the pop. Even the catchiest tunes, “Cellphone’s Dead” and “We Dance Alone,” can’t beat the record’s best feature, the DIY packaging. Maybe next time we can make our own music too. 5/10 (Lorraine Carpenter)

The Killers
Sam’s Town (Island/Universal)
The Killers have brass balls. To have the sheer audacity to lift your music collection and present it as original material is both scornful and oddly commendable. The riffs are straight from The Joshua Tree and the chest-pumping crescendos canonizing the American dream confirm frontman Brandon Flowers’s major hard-on for Bruce Springsteen. The Cure, Bowie and other big players from the ’80s are misappropriated in this orgiastic mess of an album. Cliché ridden, utterly pretentious and comically overwrought, it’s also a spectacular act of musical hubris, because no matter how cringe-worthy it is, every successive track finds a way to up the cheese ante. 7/10 (Erik Leijon)

Ad Astra Per Aspera
Catapult Calypso (Sonic Unyon)
This kooky quintet named their band after the slogan on the seal of their native state Kansas. It’s Latin for “to the stars through difficulties,” and it’s entirely appropriate. The path to their palace of wisdom is a complicated one, peppered with prog-pop brain pretzels and math-punk conundrums, freaky shrieks and jarring juxtapositions. As hard to hold on to as it is, though, Catapult Calypso succeeds in delivering not only moments of magnificence, but overall an outstanding degree of energy and originality. 8/10 (Rupert Bottenberg) With Raising the Fawn, A Northern Chorus, A Ghost is Dancing at O Patro Vys tonight, Thurs., Oct. 5, 9 p.m.

Akron/Family
Meek Warrior (Young God)
Not to say there aren’t great moments of composition here, but on opener “Blessing Force,” Akron/Family’s improv and composition merge perfectly through the lengthy piece. Gears get shifted down to cruise control on the soft, lilting, Pentangle-tinged “Gone Beyond” and “The Lightning Bolt of Compassion” before stretching beyond the stratosphere on the band’s crowning achievement, “The Rider.” This may be the closest the band has come to capturing the shifting pendulum of mayhem and tranquility that is their amazing live show. 8/10 (Johnson Cummins) With Beirut, Born Ruffians at Théâtre National, Sat., Oct. 7, 9 p.m., $15

The Sadies
Tales of the Rat Fink Original Soundtrack (Outside)
No word on a Montreal opening for Ron Mann’s largely animated film about ’60s kustom kulture hero Ed “Big Daddy” Roth, his freaky hot rods and his iconic cartoon character, the endearingly wretched Rat Fink. For now, though, there’s this big fat batch of prime-grade retro instrumental rock, in bite-sized chunks, from masterful Canadian unit the Sadies. With loads of raunchy reverb and tangy twang, the brothers Good and their rhythm section shift gears with ease, making for giddy, goofy good times (no pun…). 8/10 (Rupert Bottenberg)

Grizzly Bear
Yellow House (Warp/Outside)
If you had to pinpoint this band’s sound in space and time, it might fall somewhere between Pluto and the Isle of Wight, a modern-day Casa del Popolo show and the bitter end of a 1930’s dance marathon. Actually, this is the sophomore LP by Brooklyn’s Edward Droste, his debut for Warp, with a full band. Like their label-mates Broadcast, Grizzly Bear have a penchant for unsettling lullabies and pop tuneage torn by lightning strikes of jarring noise. Acoustic guitar is the rock around which astral vocals, strings, piano, flute, bass and percussion revolve, a slow but very rewarding process to observe while those mushrooms digest. 8.5/10 (Lorraine Carpenter)

Robert Pollard Normal Happiness (Merge/FAB)
Yet another record from this incredibly prolific former frontman from Guided by Voices. Pollard is as eccentric as ever, as far as styles go, but never one to add any filler to a release, he kicks it right through the uprights on all 16 blasters here. Once again, Pollard shows off his anglophile inclinations (Who, Kinks), with some American flavour (Nerves, Big Star) on these perfect, two-minute power pop ditties, but on songs like “Rhoda Rhoda,” he easily goes toe to toe with some of his greatest work from GBV. 8/10 (Johnson Cummins)

The Golden Dogs
Big Eye Little Eye (True North)
Get your knees up and put a grin on, here’s an electric pop record for the Cancon shelf, alongside the New Pornographers, Unicorns, Wolf Parade and Sloan. It’s an impressive sophomore LP, co-produced by the Toronto quartet and the Hylozoists’ Paul Aucoin, featuring keen his ’n’ hers vocals, high voltage riffs and commanding rhythm. With glimmers of XTC, the Pixies, the Beach Boys, Elvis Costello and all incarnations of Paul McCartney—whose “1985” is unearthed, for better or worse—it’s comfort listening with a mean right hook. 8/10 (Lorraine Carpenter) With Pony Up, le Husky, Kickers at l’Hémisphère Gauche, Fri., Oct. 6, 9 p.m.

Various
The DFA Remixes Chapter 2 (Astralwerks/EMI)
No diminishing returns here. Again, a batch of notable names get the sweet treatment—fortified, in a funky, ferocious, fabulous fashion, with vitamin DFA. The Murphy/Goldsworthy duo take their tracks in all sorts of directions, maxing out the mellowness of Hot Chip and beefing up Junior Senior’s groovy goofing. The Nine Inch Nails and Goldfrapp tracks aren’t that strong, and their aimless extension of NERD’s “She Wants to Move” really disappoints, but they make up for it with kickass makeovers for Montreal’s Chromeo and Tiga—and their take on UNKLE’s “In a State” is in a state of its own. 8/10 (Rupert Bottenberg)

Ludacris
Release Therapy (Def Jam)
Although I consider Ludacris one of the funniest and most consistently entertaining MCs out there, Release Therapy seems to momentarily step away from his usual formula of huge, undeniable bangers. Although “Money Maker” with Pharrell, and the 808 boom of “Girls Gone Wild,” are typical fare from this Georgia success story, the new pressures of a 28-year-old man have revealed themselves on more pensive and introspective raps like the churchy “Freedom of Preach” and hustle anthem “Mouths to Feed.” This definitely isn’t of the same calibre as past Ludacris efforts, sacrificing the regular barrage of instant hits for “manhood jams.” My pick is the slow grind of “Ultimate Satisfaction” featuring classic Luda and Field Mob chemistry in action. 7.9/10 (Scott C)

Alchemist
No Days Off: The Official ALC Mixtape (ALC/Fusion III)
I’ve always thought that Alchemist was one of the most underrated hip hop producers out there, consistently coming with hot beats for just about every kind of MC around. As always, he’s a glove fit for Mobb Deep’s gully roll, lacing Prodigy with a classic beat on “Legends.” ALC grabs the mic like he often does on “It’s Gon’ Pop,” featuring Evidence and Joe Scudda with average results, but it’s “Make My Own” with Defari and Evidence that stands out. He says it best himself on his solo MC cut, “Do My 1, 2,” stating, “Let the people talk about me all that they want to/ All they gotta do is spell my name right and I’m cool.” 7/10 (Scott C)

Lionel Richie
Coming Home (Universal)
Richie attempts, for the umpteenth time, to revive his once sturdy career. His last effort, 2004’s Just for You, dissolved into soft-rock mush. This time, Richie enlists an army of A-list producers, including Raphael Saadiq and Dallas Austin, to infuse his sound with a more contemporary feel, and the results are mixed. On the plus side, songs like the Saadiq-produced “Sweet Vacation” successfully update Richie’s sound in a style that suits his age. Conversely, Richie can’t help but fall back into sappy soft-rock territory with tracks like “Out of My Head.” At least there are more pluses than minuses this time around. 7/10 (Gerard Dee)

Pete Zimmer Burnin’ Live at the Jazz Standard (Tippin’)
Pete Zimmer
Judgment (Tippin’)
Zimmer is the drummer/leader of a quintet that combines the compositional and improvisational talents of its members Joel Frahm, Michael Rodriguez, Toru Dodo and David Wong or John Sullivan. On the latter CD, the superb George Garzone is added to the line-up—his tenor sax solos, and those of Frahm, are alone worth a number of serious listens. The other members have no problem handling their assignments on the15 tracks heard here. “Bye Bye Blackbird” is the sole standard and Garzone’s “The Mingus That I Knew” is among the memorable originals on the latter release. Veteran Garzone and, in particular, Frahm and trumpeter Rodriguez are names to file for the future. Both 9/10 (Len Dobbin)

Mini CD Reviews

Various Opera Xtinct EP (Operation Unknown/Counterflow) L.A.’s new wave of beatheads get down to business here with joints from Oh No, GB, Ricci Rucker, Mainframe and the reigning champ, Exile. 10 (SC)

John Labelle Last Time I Was Here (JLP) Labelle is this city’s premier male singer, and this one includes an update of his “Theme for Montreal.” 8.5 (LD) At MS research benefit at Lion d’Or, Wed., Oct. 11, 9 p.m.

The Mooney Suzuki The Maximum Black EP (Hot Fudge/V2) Now you can listen to these pre-1999 tracks, from before they got mixed up with the Dust Brothers and completely sucked. 7 (JC)

Electronic Get the Message: The Best of… (Rhino/Warner) Johnny Marr and Bernard Sumner, two great tastes that taste great in theory. 5 (LC)

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