Disc of the week

The Go! Team
Proof of Youth (Secret City/Fusion III)
If it’s proof of anything, this sophomore effort cements the certainty that Brighton, England’s Ian Parton and his band—they are properly a band now, and it shows—craft the best bubblegum around these days, amalgamating the biggest, brightest bits of four decades of rock, soul, rap and TV tunes. The elements of their over-the-top pop are the same as on the Go! Team’s momentous 2004 debut Thunder, Lightning, Strike: blazing brass, dynamite drums, cyclonic guitars and riot-at-recess raps, offset by sweet detours into charming piano pop. It’s all a bit tighter and more focused, maybe, and certainly less sample-based, but the recording’s still righteously raw, the atmosphere still giddy and utterly guileless. In short, the epitome of unconquerable kid energy. 9/10 (Rupert Bottenberg)

Hot Hot Heat
Happiness Ltd. (Sire/Warner)
There’s rarely consensus about precisely when a TV show jumps the shark—even the last six years of Happy Days have their defenders. It’s unlikely that Victoria’s Hot Hot Heat will last six more years, unless they manage a major crossover hit with crush-prone teenage girls or angst-afflicted boys. There’s fodder for both those demographics here, along with some regurgitated Strokes/Interpol/Rapture mish-mash for the 20-somethings, most of whom jumped ship two albums back. I actually liked their last record, and there are traces of it here, but there’s also blood in the water. 4.5/10 (Lorraine Carpenter)

Torngat
You Could Be (Alien8)
You’d be a winner at Clue if you caught Pietro Amato, Mathieu Charbonneau and Julien Poissant, in the studio, with a French horn, keyboards, percussion and a BBQ grill. There’s more to this local trio’s debut LP, however, a follow-up to a pair of promising EPs. They say they’re “post-rock”—and since they don’t use guitars, they’re arguably post-rock as fuck—while recognizing that their music isn’t sombre or angry enough to truly qualify; their bubbly synths and decorative xylophones owe more to Steve Reich, with enough pop/rock flirtations to keep the kids awake. 7.5/10 (Lorraine Carpenter) CD launch with A.J. Penna +/or Virgins No Cargo at la Sala Rossa, Wed., Sept. 19, 8:30 p.m., $12

Picastro
Whore Luck (Polyvinyl)
This Toronto unit’s sombre dirges coast on adventurous production, with beeps and blips hovering in the background and everything from intermittent distortion to sparse piano and acoustic guitar keeping matters on track. The hushed and detached moments recall murmurs of Nico, and songs like “Car Sleep” are rife with Polvo’s sense of discordance, while the melodies manage to peek out from the cacophony. They offer innovative takes on Roky Erickson’s “If You Have Ghosts” and Mark E. Smith’s “Older Lover,” but their eight originals here prove they hardly need the crutches. 7.5/10 (Johnson Cummins) CD launch with Triceratreetops, the Divorced at Casa del Popolo, Sat., Sept. 15, 9 p.m., $8

Botch
We Are the Romans (Deluxe Edition)
(Hydra Head/Sonic Unyon)
This highly influential Boston band hung it up five years ago, but are still showing the metalcore bands how it’s really done. Along with Refused’s classic The Shape of Punk to Come, this 1999 release was ground zero for modern hardcore records, while introducing dub styles and extreme electronic moments that have yet to be replicated. Translating remarkably well over the eight years since, one can easily hear the influence on math-rockers like An Albatross and the Locust, as well as on modern hardcore bands like Norma Jean and As I Lay Dying. If you missed this the first time around, you have to pick up this deluxe two-CD set featuring live versions and demos. Simply brilliant! 9/10 (Johnson Cummins)

Klima
self-titled (Peacefrog/Fusion III)
This CD’s cover sticker hypes a song featured in a Hugo Boss Femme ad—you know the one. It’s a lovely record, though, with or without toilet water. Klima is Angèle David-Guillou, half of French duo Ginger Ale and regular contributor to U.K. collective Piano Magic, whose co-founder, Jerome Tcherneyan, co-produced the album, while Laïka’s Guy Fixsen handled the mix. Beats, bass, hushed keys and gently picked guitars back Klima’s velour vocals on the shadowy tracks, while violins, bells and texture-rich synths shed light at regular intervals. It’s a subtle, even slight record, but its balance of warm and cool may leave you feeling just right. 7.5/10 (Lorraine Carpenter)

Kanye West
Graduation (Def Jam/Roc-a-Fella/Universal)
In the continuing evolution of the Chicago MC/producer who found his groove and just can’t lose, Kanye delivers a third cocksure album, full of repetitive samples and signs that his ballooning ego can justify just about anything. Perhaps the least consistent LP of all his releases, Graduation frames Kanye’s catchy, memorable and lazy rhymes with his own productions, many of which lack in depth and arrangement. Kanye’s greatest strength and weakness is that he believes his own hype, resulting in songs like the slack Daft Punk flip “Stronger” and the telltale “Good Life.” In the end, Kanye’s rugged individualism and self-importance keep him both loved and hated, which is more than enough to keep you on top in 2007. 7.5/10 (Scott C)

50 Cent
Curtis (Shady/Interscope/Universal)
After his sophomore record, Fiddy went from industry-saving unit-mover and critical darling to being the next Nelly, and even if the well-intentioned Curtis doesn’t reverse his fortunes, at least he went down swinging. He has choice words for fellow New Yorkers Jay-Z, Nas and Diddy, and despite the constant barrage of insults directed at anyone who has ever picked up a mic, his bloated and enlivened interpretation of gangster life requires a vivid imagination. As cameos by Akon and Timbaland (on yet another spacey cut featuring Justin Timberlake) prove, he remains the quintessential gangsta rapper, revelling in the stereotypes. 7.5/10 (Erik Leijon)

Galactic
From the Corner to the Block (Anti-/FAB)
The hard-boiled New Orleans jazz-funk unit look both back and ahead on this diverse but solid effort. Firmly rooted in the tough, snaking funk of the Meters and others from NOLA, they dig deeper and summon the ghosts of Mardis Gras gone by on the hypnotic “Second and Dryade” and the title track. Juvenile’s on the latter, and elsewhere Lyrics Born, Mr. Lif, Gift of Gab, Chali 2na, Boots Riley and Ladybug Mecca help fill the space left by the departure of singer Theryl deClouet. Other treats: DJ Z-Trip scratches up a sci-fi touch to “Bounce Baby,” the too-short “Fanfare” shouts out to the Balkan brass scene, and “Tuff Love” pours some sinister syrup. 7.5/10 (Rupert Bottenberg)

Emily King
East Side Story (Sony BMG)
Joy Denalane
Born & Raised (Nesola/Sony BMG)
Both Berlin-born Denalane and New York native King contemplate their biracial roots and other social issues on their respective sets. It’s the second release for Denalane, but her first in English. You’d never know listening to this decidedly American-flavoured disc, thanks to guest shots by Raekwon, Governor and Lupe Fiasco, who adds punch to the socially-charged “Change.” Interestingly, Lupe also assists King on her introspective lead track, “Walk in My Shoes.” She flies solo for the rest of the disc, navigating through shaky relationships (“Business Man,” “U & I”) and racial tensions (“Color Blind”). Racial ambiguity is also a theme Denalane revisits (“Stranger in This Land,” the title track), though both artists ultimately find ways to channel their confusion into some refreshingly innovative musical experiences. Both 8/10 (Gerard Dee)

Joan Stiles
Love Call (Zoho)
Jane Fair
Chances Are (Cellar Door)
Love Call is pianist-arranger Stiles’s debut as a leader. Clark Terry and Frank Wess guest, joining such fine players as Warren Vache, Jerry Dodgion and Benny Powell. Stiles’s solo piano version of Billy Strayhorn’s “Blood Count” is particularly moving, and don’t miss her look at Duke’s “Creole Love Call.” Tenor saxophonist Fair, meanwhile, is a major talent and an extremely under-recorded Canadian. This new release of a live session at the Cellar in Vancouver in 2003 has her joined over five tracks by Bill Coon, Jodi Proznick and Dave Robbins. Don’t miss her look at Strayhorn’s “Johnny Come Lately.” Both 9/10 (Len Dobbin)

Mini CD Reviews

Toni Kitanovski Borderlands (Enja/Fusion III) Recorded in Macedonia, the 12 tracks here include this guitarist’s “Ed Blackwell” and “New Orleans,” played by an unusual ensemble that includes four tubas and a pair of trumpets. 8 (LD)

Lee Rocker Black Cat Bone (Alligator/Fusion III)This Stray Cat may have a little more grey in his tail, but he can still rattle some bones when it comes to delivering top-shelf rockabilly. 8 (JC)

I See Rowboats Hide & Seek Behind the Throne (independent) Halifax quintet lets a little Atlantic tradition seep into its pretty orchestral rock racket on their debut EP. 7 (LC)

Joe B.G. Prévisions Locales (13 Deep) The posthumous release of Joe B.G.’s final work is a positive postscript to this young MTL MC’s tragic end. Check the verses from beyond. 7 (SC)

Bioshock The BioShock EP (Take-Two) A mini-soundtrack to the video game BioShock, on which Moby and Oscar the Punk remix Billie Holiday’s “God Bless the Child”. 5 (EL)

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