The Slits
Revenge of the Killer Slits (SAF/Redeye)
“In the beginning, there was rhythm!” And the Slits don’t let up on this comeback three-song single, featuring founder and singer Ari-Up and, from the band’s early ’80s line-up, bassist Tessa Pollit, alongside Sex Pistols drummer Paul Cook and Adam and the Ants/Siouxsie and the Banshees guitarist Marco Pirroni. Old school rules on the previously unrecorded brat-punk song from the Slits’ heyday, “Number One Enemy.” More in line with Ari-Up’s dancehall work are the beat-heavy “Slits Tradition” and uptempo “Kill Them With Love,” stylish anthems for the 21st century. 9/10 (Lorraine Carpenter) With the Apes, Lesbians on Ecstasy at la Sala Rossa, Sun., Oct. 29, 9 p.m., $15

The Tyde
Three’s Co. (Rough Trade)
The waves and warmth of the Pacific permeate this batch of California shimmer-pop so thoroughly, one would half expect a crust of sea salt on the jewel case. Primarily the doing of Darren and Anne Do Rademaker, the balmy, lackadaisically Left Coast tunes here are delivered strictly in the key of B—Beach Boys of course, Big Star, Beatles, Burrito Brothers and a fair bit of Jimmy Buffet in the sand-caked rummy’s lament, “Glassbottom Lights.” A remix of the wistful “Don’t Need a Leash” by Nobody, that soft-focus psych-hop wunderkind of the West, caps the affair. 7.5/10 (Rupert Bottenberg) With the Black Angels, Recievers at la Sala Rossa, Tues., Oct. 31, 9 p.m., $12

Badly Drawn Boy
Born in the U.K. (EMI)
Damon Gough’s career seems to be playing out like the Star Trek movie franchise—the even-numbered sequels work, the odd ones disappoint. The Hour of Bewilderbeast had promise, but the About a Boy soundtrack was a superior display of Gough’s pop songwriting talents, and probably his best album (Wrath of Khan, anyone?). This is his fifth, so you know what that means: Spock’s loco half brother hijacks the Enterprise in a quest to find God. Despite some classic banter and gripping action in the latter half, wall-to-wall clichés and preposterous grand statements dominate. The Undiscovered Country awaits. 5/10 (Lorraine Carpenter)

Pernice Brothers
Live a Little (Ashmont)
What do you mean, you’ve never heard of the Pernice Brothers? Joe Pernice is one of the best power-pop writers out there, equal parts Raspberries, Big Star, Plimsouls and Beatles. Pernice can croon a melody like few others, but his storytelling skills are what really make this unapologetic pop work. Just as Pernice starts settling into some deep melancholy, he can swoop down and pick everything up in a major key, before the violins have time to roost. If the latest Robert Pollard record is glued into your CD player, do yourself a favour and check this out as well. 8/10 (Johnson Cummins)

My Chemical Romance
The Black Parade (Reprise/Warner)
Thanks to Green Day, a new generation of pop-punk bands believes they can become more than just background noise for high school dances, and MCR’s third release wants to be a 21st-century Meat Loaf. Choir chants, quirky piano licks, dialogues and other neo-vaudevillian techniques are employed, terribly, along with the usual power chords and whiny lyrics. Maybe it’s the Zoloft kicking in, but lead jester Gerard Way’s musings about the emptiness of our corpse-littered world kills any potential fun. As much as MCR tries to accomplish (is that Liza Minnelli on “Mama”?), every song still degenerates into forgettable riffs and excess screaming. 4/10 (Erik Leijon)

The Gothic Archies
The Tragic Treasury: Songs From A Series of Unfortunate Events (Nonesuch/Warner)
Having a pleasant day? Well, this hellbound handbasket-load of grim pickings from the last half-decade will certainly piss on your parade. Unless, that is, you’re a fan of Lemony Snicket, whose delightfully dark ’n’ dour kid-lit feeds the lyric sheet here (he volunteers his accordion skills as well). Or a fan of Stephen Merritt, who’s occasionally digressed from the Magnetic Fields to breathe musical life into Snicket’s texts with his sinister baritone and a creepy, creaky brew of sleazy, synth-a-delic chamber pop. Or a fan of the Tiger Lillies, Dresden Dolls, Divine Comedy, Tim Burton, Edward Gorey or ghastly illnesses that afflict exclusively plucky orphans. 8.5/10 (Rupert Bottenberg)

Trentemoller
The Last Resort (Poker Flat/Statik)
Denmark’s Anders Trentemoller has won over critics and clubbers with his ace production (most recently the Nam Nam EP), remixing (Röyksopp, Pet Shop Boys) and performing solo, and with his previous project, a live house act called Trigbag. This debut LP allows him to show off yet another talent, that of weaving a largely downtempo series of electronic vignettes, moving beyond the dancefloor to incorporate elements of minimal and ambient techno, funky house, even glam rock (à la Goldfrapp). For the complete picture, get the limited edition version, which comes with a bonus singles comp. 7.5/10 (Lorraine Carpenter) With DJ T.O.M., Jeff Grosse, Maüs, Mateo Murphy, Philgood at Musée Juste Pour Rire, Fri., Oct. 27, 9 p.m.

K-OS
Atlantis: Hymns for Disco (Virgin/EMI)
While K-OS now rides the road of stardom, I can’t help but think that the new LP sounds like he’s found a way to play the Canadian music industry like a fiddle. Morrissey mimicry and vocal phrasing aside, much of Hymns for Disco sounds like Police riffs and previous efforts, peppered with string ensembles and other production perks. When K-OS takes time to rap, it feels strange amid the “anything but hip hop” feel of this record, filled with radio darlings like “Valhalla,” with Sam Roberts, and “Sunday Morning.” “AquaCityBoy,” perhaps the hardest head-nod here, sounds curiously like one of the Roots’ live manifestations, but stands out beside a bevy of familiar sounding pop songs. 7/10 (Scott C) With Kobe James at la Tulipe tonight, Thurs., Oct. 26, 9 p.m., $22.50

Omar
Sing (If You Want It) (Ether)
One look at the guest roster on this LP will immediately signal to anyone that Omar is respected by some of the most talented artists out there. Who else but the reigning king of U.K. soul could pull in Angie Stone and Stevie Wonder for some favours? Sing... has got to be one of Omar’s strongest releases to date, with big tunes like “It’s So” and “Ghana Emotion” packing dancefloors with rhythmic vigor and soul, while team-ups with rappers Rodney P and Common have produced the future classic “Gimme Sum” and the long-awaited duet with Stevie Wonder, “Feeling You,” is a welcome fusion of rock and soul. 8.5/10 (Scott C) With Fredy V. & Black Soil at Jello Bar, Fri., Oct. 27, 9 p.m., $15

Cee-Lo
The Collection (Arista/Sony BMG)
Seeing that Gnarls Barkley’s “Crazy” is a shoo-in as the track of 2006, it’s high time to revisit the surprisingly underappreciated solo stuff that bridged Cee-Lo’s collab with Danger Mouse and his earlier efforts with Dirty South dons Goodie Mobb (two tracks from which, and a Dungeon Family jam, close out this comp). Beyond his facility with freaky raps, gospel goodness, percolating pop and the snap and slide of dancefloor soul, Cee-Lo’s wit, ingenuity and undeniable, unpretentious charisma are what animate this wicked batch of bumpers. 8/10 (Rupert Bottenberg)

John Legend
Once Again (Sony BMG)
The hip hop and gospel influences that underscored Legend’s auspicious debut, 2004’s Get Lifted, are almost gone, replaced by songs that largely defy categorization. And while producers Kanye West, Raphael Saadiq, Will.i.Am and Craig Street add their touches, there are no guest vocalists here—this is strictly a one-man show. These songs won’t grab your ear with the same immediacy as the ones on Get Lifted. Rather, this is music crafted to become more enjoyable with each spin. And by audaciously changing the formula that made his debut a success, Legend gives listeners the opportunity to get lifted, once again. 8.5/10 (Gerard Dee)

Sierra Leone’s Refugee All Stars
Living Like a Refugee (Anti/FAB)
On this soundtrack to a documentary acclaimed by everyone from Angelina Jolie to Keith Richards to yours truly, Sierra Leone’s Refugee All Stars make music that can’t be divorced from the state of its making. The tunes are quite bouncy, reggae-tinged Afro-pop, but the lyrics plainly point to the daily state of affairs in the refugee camps where the band fashioned a soundsystem and scrounged up instruments to make their work possible. Songs like “We Do We Own,” “Living Like a Refugee” and “I’m Not a Fool” are standouts on an album that, at the risk of sounding maudlin, is uplifting and hopeful in the face of civil war and strife—something most Western listeners can’t possibly understand but might do well to try. 8/10 (Erin MacLeod) At le Spectrum, Tues., Oct. 31, 8 p.m., $22.50

Dizzy Gillespie All-Star Big Band
Dizzy’s Business (Manchester Craftsman’s Guild)
I’ve been waiting for this one since hearing this band in Tanglewood on Labour Day weekend. Directed by trombonist Slide Hampton and peopled by musicians like Jimmy Heath, James Moody, Frank Wess, Antonio Hart and Gary Smulyan (and that’s just the saxophone section), this is indeed an all-star band that Dizzy would be proud of. The music contains some great material like “Con Alma,” “Hot House” and Heath’s “Without You—No Me.” And there’s a bonus—the voice of the best singer to come along in a very long time, Roberta Gambarini. She does a moving “Stardust” and spars with Moody on “Blue ’n’ Boogie”—not to be missed. 10/10 (Len Dobbin)

Mini CD Reviews

Stefon Harris African Tarantella (Blue Note/EMI) Harris plays both vibes and marimba, backed by a large ensemble, on six pieces of Ellingtonia and three of his own. Quite lovely! 8.5 (LD)

Various Marie Antoinette soundtrack (Verve/Universal) An ’80s-heavy high on one disc and morning-after music on the other, from New Order to Aphex Twin, dotted with violins and harpsichords. 8 (LC)

Ajax Presents Spin City (Tinted/Statik) A flashy, trashy, mashy mix from Australia, sporting Tiga, Blondie and a Rapturized Supersystem. 7.5 (RB)

Johnny Clegg One Life (Marabi/Fusion III) After practising musical/racial integration for 30 years, this South African singer-songwriter is still bringing fresh influences and political consciousness to the fore. 7.5 (LC)

London Sinfonietta Warp Works & Twentieth Century Masters (Warp/Outside) Over two wildly diverse discs, the prominent British contempo-classical unit explores Cage, Reich, Ligeti—and Aphex Twin and Squarepusher. Alternately irksome and inspired. 7.5 (RB)

TM Juke Forward (Tru-Thoughts/Koch) Al Cowan makes a record that is a switch-up from his last projects. Forward-moving electronic funk for the floor. 7.5 (SC)

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