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 Donnie
The Daily News (Soul Thought)
Donnie’s auspicious 2002 debut The Colored Section was a revelation, a topical modern soul album that elevated both lyric and music in tandem. His sophomore effort proves his first was no fluke. In fact, he comes even harder this time, forgoing any thoughts of love with driving rants on everything from slavery (“Mason Dixon Line”) to the pharmaceutical industry (“Over-the-Counter Culture”). He avoids delivering a gloomy musical experience by lacing topics like depression (“Suicide”), child abuse (“China Doll”) and the damaged environment (“Classifieds”) with the funkiest beats this side of vintage Stevie Wonder or Prince. With the closing title track, it becomes obvious that Donnie wants to educate as much as entertain. Mission accomplished. 9.5/10 (Gerard Dee)
 Bad Religion
New Maps of Hell (Epitaph/FAB)
Ever since they provided the soundtrack to the unforgettable arcade racing game Crazy Taxi, I have appreciated Bad Religion’s straight-laced angry-old-man punk. As most middle-aged men do, they strayed from the winning formula in an effort to modernize their sound, so it’s a relief to hear the snarly attitude again after 25 years of plugging along the punk circuit. Only the grungy vocals on “Honest Goodbye”’ feel out of place, and Greg Graffin’s vocals are as scratchy as ever. Not so much a good record as it is a good Bad Religion record. 7.5/10 (Erik Leijon) At Vans Warped Tour at Parc Jean-Drapeau, Sun., Aug. 12, noon, $44
 Shivaree
Tainted Love: Mating Calls and Fight Songs (Zoe/Rounder)
Shivaree is probably best known for “Goodnight Moon,” their contribution to the Kill Bill 2 soundtrack, which they followed with a cabaret-country-noir LP, 2005’s Who’s Got Trouble? What’s most distinctive about this New York-based band is the timeless torch singing of Ambrosia Parsley, and on this covers album, we hear her amazing range for the first time. Taking on the likes of Gary Glitter, R. Kelly, Michael Jackson, Mötley Crüe, Ike Turner and Lead Belly, Shivaree showcase their versatility by staying somewhat true to the original styles, while simultaneously draping each tune in their own velvet textures. A beautiful balancing act. 8.5/10 (Lorraine Carpenter)
Tiny Vipers
 Hands Across the Void (Sub Pop)
The design of the debut album by Seattle’s Jesy Fortino seems like a key to unlocking the mystery of her stark, abstract M.O. A lone, faceless woman walks past mountains, through woods and over railroad tracks at night, finally disappearing, leaving her dress and lantern behind. Okay, maybe this reveals more about her taste in movies than her plaintive, impassioned pairings of acoustic guitar and voice. She even names Julee Cruise as a primary influence (and dedicates the record to “the people of Tibet”), but Fortino revolves more closely to a Kristen Hersh/Nick Drake axis, devoid of innocence, with sinister outros, minor keys and flashes of feedback illuminating the blackened landscape. 7.5/10 (Lorraine Carpenter)
Helix
The Power of Rock and Roll (EMI)
Poison
Poison’d! (Capitol/EMI)
Two blasts from the past that would have done well to stay there. In fact, the entirely unsolicited comeback disc from Helix sports a tune called “The Past Is Back (To Kick Your Ass!),” which would be more honestly titled “To Suck Ass.” Their boring brew of beer-commercial metal remains as flat and nauseating as ever. As for the aptly-named Poison, those skanky schemers of the Sunset Strip, they salute the many hack cover bands who’ve mimicked them in strip-mall hesher bars by coming back with a cover album about as inspired as their haircuts (and hair is what they were always largely about). Sweet, Bowie, Kiss and the Cars deserve far better—as does Don Was, who produced this steamer. Both 2/10 (Rupert Bottenberg)
 The Fucking Wrath
Season of Evil (Goodfellow/Sonic Unyon)
The Fucking Wrath mixes Sabbath doom, power violence and crusty elements perfectly, hitting like a ball-peen hammer to the knees. Transitions from Orange Goblin-style galloping doom to all-out Discharge/Tragedy onslaughts are flawless throughout. Occasionally, the production does get a little mucked up in the sludge, but their teeth-gnashing intensity on “Church of the Apocalypse” and “The Womb,” and the vintage Entombed-style blast of “Hell Flies Tonight,” are undeniable. 8.5/10 (Johnson Cummins)
 Still Remains
The Serpent (Roadrunner/Universal)
Roadrunner has indeed lost scope by flirting with the mainstream while maintaining an underground presence, but these Michigan metallists absolutely bore one to death by remaining safely in the middle. You can almost set your watch to the scream/sing dynamics, while harmonized solos appear in all of the usual spots. Breakdowns with hovering keyboards taint every song and the angst-ridden lyrics never come across as heartfelt. Still Remains are guaranteed to be pulled down into the mire of every other band studying the same blueprint. 5.5/10 (Johnson Cummins)
 Amon Düül II
Live in London (Revisited/Fusion III)
Harmonia
Deluxe (Brain/Fusion III)
A bumper crop of krautrock reissues have recently hit racks, including key albums by Harmonia and Amon Düül II, who rank up there with Neu!, Cluster and Faust on the second tier below the hallowed Can. Live in London captures Amon Düül II in ’72, dishing out the athletic grooves, acid-head guitar squalls and eerie electronics that so defined the era’s German art-rock—though a murky mix exacerbates the blight of aimless jamming. Harmonia, on the other hand, reflected another, less shaggy facet. Avoiding Kraftwerk’s dry smirking and Tangerine Dream’s cosmic pomp, they carved their own niche and settled in nicely with the protean synth-pop scintillations of 1975’s Deluxe. London 6.5, Deluxe 8.5/10 (Rupert Bottenberg)
 Arthur & Yu
In Camera (Hardly Art)
Seattle’s Grant Olsen and Sonya Westcott aren’t afraid to wear their influences on what must be bell sleeves, kicking off their debut album with a thinly veiled lift of the Velvet Underground’s “Lady Godiva’s Operation,” if it had featured Nancy Sinatra—the late Lee Hazlewood isn’t far below the surface either, and there is “a song for Neil Young.” The retro effect is heightened by the duo’s reverberating arrangements of guitars, tambourine, drums, glockenspiel and cameo Casio, Olsen’s mournful chant balanced in duet with Westcott’s sweet, hushed tones. It could probably pass for an unearthed 38-year-old recording, but there’s more colour and consistency, and fewer cloying hippie vibes, than many of its ’60s counterparts. 7.5/10 (Lorraine Carpenter)
Common
Finding Forever (Geffen/Universal)
There’s absolutely no doubt that Common has increased his reach exponentially since teaming up with Chi-town native Kanye West, but while he’s much more recognizable and present, Finding Forever plays like diet Common compared with past masterpieces. Much like his last LP Be, Common keeps controlled bursts of brilliance to a minimum, while Kanye whips his way through a few more of his noticeably hurried productions like “Break My Heart” and “Southside.” Strong cuts like “Play Your Cards Right” and “The Game” still make for a great record by current hip hop standards, but Finding Forever is not one of Common’s best efforts. 7.5/10 (Scott C)
Various
Sase One: This Is Dubstep (independent)
Local breakbeat pioneer Sase One steps up to put the whole dubstep phenomenon in context with this brand new mix, available at In-beat, Old Gold, Jamcan and Off the Hook. Cuts from Skream, Benga and Kode 9 show the blurred line between these new producers and the original bass-based tracks they’re trying to emulate. These mostly instrumental tunes are meant to be heard with the proper bass response in place, made to get all up in your chest. Benga’s “Crunked Up” will get you moving, even with a missing vocal, making for a standout track in the midst of this low-end theory. 7/10 (Scott C)
 Oh No
Dr. No’s Oxperiment (Stones Throw/Koch)
Following in the footsteps of the late, great J Dilla and his own brother Madlib, Oxnard, CA’s Oh No adds another quality instrumental hip hop album to the Stones Throw catalogue. Label head Egon gave him a crack at his stacks of rare Turkish psych-rock vinyl (a goldmine for fuzz guitar and freak-o-phonica fiends) and other dusty delights from the region, and Oh No doesn’t disappoint with this smooth-running yet highly unpredictable stew of tough and sometimes sinister swatches of sound. 8/10 (Rupert Bottenberg)
 Beat In Fractions
Beat Infraction (independent)
This Montreal based jazz trio has injected some electricity into their rather acoustic set-up, making for some spirited moments on this self-tilted disc. With Richard Le Gendre on bass, Alain Mercure on drums and percussion, and Ko Umezaki on the traditional Japnese shakuhachi flute, I was moved by the weight of groove-based tunes like “Bleu” and “Magma,” while digesting the great musicianship of the players. More ambitious tracks like “LadySmoothe” transport the listener to another place, or at least to a room where these guys are the centre of attention. 7.5/10 (Scott C)
Mini CD Reviews
Various Talk To Me: Music From the Motion Picture (Atlantic/Warner) Archie Bell, Booker T, Sam & Dave, Otis Redding etc. fill out an obvious but tasty spread of ’60s pop-soul keystones. 7.5 (RB)
Flunk Personal Stereo (Beatservice/Fusion III) Downtempo beats and plush vocals bob and weave within featherweight pop frameworks on the third album by this Norwegian act. 7 (LC)
Mink self-titled (Spitfire) An Australian band with an American singer craft intercontinental sleaze rock with a preening pop core. 6.5 (LC) With Satellite Party at le National, Sat., Aug. 11, 9 p.m., $25
Amber Pacific Truth in Sincerity (Hopeless) I think these guys missed a step: the string sections and desperate stabs at lyrical maturity are supposed to come after the breakthrough album. 4 (EL)
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