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 GHETTONUNS
Omnipath City Distort (Honest Girls)
Honestly, there are a lot of lo-fi electro acts out there retooling punk and hip hop, who stake their popularity on the fact that they’re still somewhat unprecedented and can therefore be judged on their own merits. If this album is any indication, however, the days of blissful novelty are coming to a rapid close. Ghettonuns’ first LP is eight raging, thrashing tracks of psychotic madness that cram elements of innumerable genres through the wires of what must be a horrible tangle of analog synths and compressors, pile-drive them on top of break-neck syncopated drum-machine beats and still, somehow, manage to sound collected. 9/10 (Jack Oatmon)
 PERRY FERRELL’S SATELLITE PARTY
Ultra Payloaded (Columbia/Sony BMG)
The Jane’s Addiction/Porno for Pyros frontman (and Lollapalooza founder) and his wife and back-up vocalist Etta Lau beam up to a get-down session in space here. The music onboard the satellite is a mix of party rock, from sweet (“Only Love,” “Let’s Celebrate”) to sinister (“Kinky”), with the necessary cheesy ballad to wrap the package up (“Awesome”). Anything but boring, Satellite Party keeps it going with great songs and greater guests, including New Order’s Peter Hook on bass, John Frusciante and Flea of Red Hot Chili Peppers, and unfortunately Fergie (but every party needs a skank). 8/10 (Lateef Martin)
 THE FUCKING CHAMPS
VI (Drag City)
With the recent loss of original FC guitarist Josh Smith, this easily could’ve been a stinker, but with Trans Am’s Phil Manley adding his dazzling fretwork, the Champs still prove themselves the champs of the thinking man’s metal. For this twin-guitar three-piece, the riff reigns supreme, and they let their harmonized guitar lines take flight. For the riffophobic, the Fucking Champs might warrant the title of most hated band, but for the rest of us, this is pure six-string bliss. 8.5/10 (Johnson Cummins) With Birds of Avalon and Red Fang at la Sala Roasa, Fri., June 1, 9 p.m., $15
THE USED
Lies for the Liars (Reprise/Warner)
One can’t help but compare this to My Chemical Romance’s The Black Parade, and although the latter was an obscenely pompous mega-production, the Used have taken a less ambitious step forward, retaining their punk roots. The group still added plenty of studio tricks that are mostly unobtrusive, except for the strings and Gregorian chants of the single “The Bird and the Worm,” which one could simultaneously appreciate for being utterly bat-shit insane and deride for its horridness. “Hospital” and “Liar Liar” are energetic and fun pop-punk tunes, while the softer “Find a Way” promises to be a major late-summer hit. 6/10 (Erik Leijon)
JERK APPEAL
self-titled EP (independent)
What Jerk Appeal lack in quantity on this brief EP, they definitely make up for in quality with singer Ted (no last name, natch—this is punk rock!) shredding his larynx in full Dez Cadina mode as the snarly Johnny Thunders guitar of moonlighting U.S. Bomber Curt slashes between the verses. The Nils cover, “Scratches and Needles,” gets a bit more spit than polish, which is nice, but for fuck’s sake, get back in that damn studio and don’t come out until you have at least 12 blasters. 8/10 (Johnson Cummins)
 LAVENDER DIAMOND
Imagine Our Love (Matador/Select)
Not so hard to imagine, this love of which they speak (and sing and play and write and draw). Whatever the music leaves out, the exquisite illustrations of drummer Ron Regé Jr. fill in—he’s one of the finer talents to come out of the ’90s mini-comix wave. The band was born in ’04 out of varied projects of beatific frontwoman Becky Stark’s (C&W, opera, theatre and a drum-and-voice duo with Regé), and comes together in a dreamy scheme of pre-war parlour pop and plebian protest music, soft-focus psychedelia and folk music sacred and secular. And imagine that, love is the prime mover behind it all. 8/10 (Rupert Bottenberg) With Entrance and Anemones at la Sala Rossa tonight, Thurs., May 31, 9 p.m., $15
THE SEA AND CAKE
Everybody (Thrill Jockey)
THE ZINCS
Black Pompadour (Thrill Jockey)
With surgical precision, these Chicago bands will drop their allied but disparate pop bombs on Suoni per il Popolo this weekend. The Sea and Cake’s first record in four years (and their seventh in 14) puts the “casual” in “civilian casualties,” merging the lazy-Sunday sounds of the’60s, ’70s and ’80s. Sam Prekop’s soft-serve vocals risk melting next to his vivacious, melodic riffs, while the rhythm section keeps the wheels in motion with a character of its own. Produced by Brian Paulson, this is the first Sea and Cake record not helmed by their drummer John McEntire (also of Tortoise). Instead, McEntire oversaw the third album by the Zincs, a band burying its acoustic past with boozy, reptilian Britpop. In a hail of rumbling, buzzing, lilting fanfare, rock, theatre and poetry crashland near the Divine Comedy and Nick Cave, producing some lovely, vivid wreckage. Both 7.5/10 (Lorraine Carpenter) Both at la Sala Rossa, Sun., June 3, 9 p.m., $20
 MONTAG
Going Places (Carpark)
Montrealer Antoine Bédard has indeed been going places, and I don’t just mean his relocation to Vancouver. The micro-pop of his earlier releases has gone macro, inducting not just a vast assortment of sounds and instrumentation (always applied with meticulous care and a soft touch) but the voices of numerous friends. Members of M83, Stars, Final Fantasy, Great Aunt Ida, Au Revoir Simone and more offer vocals, while Ghislain Poirier lends beats to “Alice,” and the theme culminates in the title track’s file-swap patchwork jam. “Best Boy Electric” and the penultimate number “No One Else,” though, showcase Bédard’s knack for a gently euphoric hook. 7.5/10 (Rupert Bottenberg) CD launch with le Peuplier de Simon and Massive Asthma at Main Hall tonight, Thurs., May 31, 9 p.m., $10
DEADBEAT
Journeyman’s Annual (Scape/Fusion III)
COLLEEN
Les Ondes silencieuses (Leaf/Fusion III)
Easing his minor, minimal dub in the direction of dancehall, Deadbeat (aka Scott Monteith) has crafted another exquisite sonic tapestry, one that aspires to reach more ears and move some feet. It’s not an appeal to a mainstream audience— Deadbeat is still a MUTEK man, after all—but Journeyman’s Annual is more upfront and forceful than his previous, relatively obscure, opaque releases, with vocalists on roughly half the tracks—among them Jah Cutta and, in a remix context, Saul Williams. Is there a classier stoner sound than this? On a more medieval note, France’s Colleen (aka Cécile Schott) paints a fragile, frigid picture with viola da gamba, classical guitar, clarinet, spinet and crystal glass. Despite wisps of warmth, it’s a funereal wind from centuries past, one that feels curiously refreshing in the summer heat. Deadbeat 8.5, Colleen 8/10 (Lorraine Carpenter) Deadbeat at MUTEK’s Café Electronica 3 at Hotel Godin on Fri., June 1, noon, free; Colleen at MUTEK’s A/Visions 2 at Ex-Centris tonight, Thurs., May 31, 8 p.m., $25
DIPSET
More Than Music Vol. 2 (Koch)
Mixtapes are a good way for MCs to demonstrate skills without having to care about unit-shifting production values, and the typically overrated Diplomats feel more comfortable within this format. It could also be they stink individually as rappers, but their inadequacies are shielded when in a large group. The deep-voiced Hell Rell is the standout, especially when his flow perfectly matches the funky “Dipset City.” Cam’ron is equally adept in his only appearance, on “Suga Duga.” Juelz Santana and JR Writer both have similarly poor rhyming skills and their verses lack coherence. 6.5/10 (Erik Leijon)
JOE
Ain’t Nothin’ Like Me (Jive/Sony BMG)
Back in ’93, Joe made a promising debut with Everything, but five albums later, he seems to have lost that winning quality. Sure, his vocal delivery is still on point, but there’s nothing here to show just how good a singer he really is. In an R&B landscape where mediocrity is increasingly passing for excellence, Joe seems to have regressed with the rest, pumping out generic tracks like “Where You At” and stacking the album with unnecessary rap cameos. Afew songs like “It’s Me” and “Feel for You” are reminiscent of Joe’s best, but for the most part he makes the album title sound ironic. 6/10 (Gerard Dee)
 ELIZABETH SHEPHERD
Besides: The Remixes & B-sides (Do Right)
The vocal pep and tight piano stylings of Toronto’s young jazz diva get the wash and rinse treatment here, with a remix roster that really brings out the limitless potential of this diamond in the ruff. Skip ahead to track eight, where Natural Self takes Shepherd’s “Start to Move” to dancefloor-jazz paradise, or pay close attention to the detail-oriented remix of “Circles” by up-and-coming Toronto producer extraordinaire Alister Johnson. Complete with other interpretations from Daisuke Tanabe, Earth Corporation, Nostalgia 77 and Circle Research, plus a great BBC Radio One live take from Gilles Peterson’s archives, her already accomplished debut lives again. 8.5/10 (Scott C)
 WOODY HERMAN
The California Concerts (Encore)
STAN KENTON
An Evening With… (Encore)
Two rare live outings that should be in any big-band collection. The Herman, from a 1949 concert tour, adds Nat Cole. The band includes Gene Ammons, Buddy Savitt, Mary Ann McCall and the rhythm team of Lou Levy, Oscar Pettiford and Shelly Manne. The 20 tracks include “More Moon” with Nat on piano. The Kenton is a 1955 concert at Fort Ord in California. Featured is the voice of Ann Richards and soloists that include Charlie Mariano, Sam Noto, Bill Perkins and Lennie Niehaus—charts by Bill Holman, Gerry Mulligan and Bill Russo are among the 20 tracks contained here. The recording quality is decent for live dates. Both 9/10 (Len Dobbin)
Mini CD Reviews
VARIOUS Super Cool California Soul II (Ubiquity) With real Californian soul that reaches from 1966–1982, this excellent comp of lesser-known goodies is great from start to finish. 10 (SC)
JUDI SILVANO Women’s Work (JSL) An all-woman outing with Janice Friedman, Jennifer Vincent and Allison Miller, on compositions by Sheila Jordan, Mary Lou Williams, Carla Bley and Blossom Dearie. Superb singing and backing! 9 (LD)
VARIOUS In the Name of Pride (Rhino/Warner) A fundraiser to fight AIDS, perfect for that gay friend who, mysteriously, doesn’t have these obvious tracks from Cher, Morrissey, Depeche Mode, Deee-Lite and Sister Sledge. 7.5 (RB)
VARIOUS Bowie Mania (Naïve) A faggy, baggy, glammy French Bowie tribute. 7 (LC)
THE GREAT OUTDOORS Food, Booze and Entertainment (DDG) Roots-music and library fetishists alike will embrace this B.C. band’s backwoods musings and superior slim hardcover packaging. 6.5 (LC)
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