Disc of the week

The Dirtbombs
We Have You Surrounded (In the Red)
Forget that pudgy Zorro from the White Stripes, because Dirtbombs head honcho Mick Collins is the true reigning king of Motor City rock—and proves it once again on this new one. Collins doesn’t throw any wrenches into the works here and, as always, he lets his soulful drawl and fuzz pedals do all the talking. We Have You Surrounded brings the trademark shake and shimmy, but the disco shuffle on “Indivisible” is prime dancefloor fodder and the Dirtbombs’ take on Dead Moon’s “Fire in the Western World” stomps with the Seeds’ web-of-sound superiority. 9/10 (Johnson Cummins)

Laura Barrett
Earth Sciences (Paper Bag)
With little more than a wee kalimba (thumb piano) and an almost equally endearing voice, Toronto’s Laura Barrett packs a pocketful of adorable melodies and whimsical ideas into this mini-album. Among the six songs are two versions of the instrumental “Stop Giving Your Children Standardized Tests” (one is a remix, with added beats), and a cover of Weird Al Yancovic’s “Smells Like Nirvana.” But it’s on the other tracks that Barrett really triumphs, her musicality and storytelling skills coalescing with particular grace on the sci-fi lullaby “Robot Ponies.” 8/10 (Lorraine Carpenter) With the Superfantastics at Barfly tonight, Thurs., Feb. 28, 10 p.m.

Goldfrapp
Seventh Tree (Mute/EMI)
The strains of glitter rock and Italo disco that resonated across Goldfrapp’s last two albums have been muted on this fourth effort, in some ways a return to the slow symphonic cascade of their debut, 2000’s Felt Mountain. What sets Seventh Tree apart is its flirtation with a very British brand of psychedelic folk, a slightly sinister pastoral surrealism dotted with cheery echoes of Beatles-esque pop. Casual beats and grooves make cameos here and there, and “Caravan Girl” is clearly pop-single material, but it’s the ethereal levity and crystalline mantras of tracks such as “Clowns” and “Little Bird” that really rise to the top. 8/10 (Lorraine Carpenter)

DieBold
Listen to My Heartbeast (Bangor)
This decidedly heavier outing by locals Sophie Trudeau and Ian Ilavsky (also of Silver Mt. Zion) crosses Melvins heaviosity with Pussy Galore’s dementia—with crushingly good results. While the sparse, lo-fi production does blunt the impact a little, the contained style of improv and riffs still bores through the skin. The dirge of the title track proves to be the real bong-bubbler of the bunch. 7.5/10 (Johnson Cummins)

Meshugga Beach Party
Let’s Go Shleppin’! (Halakahiki)
It appears that following a sturdy stretch in Montreal, heaving reverb with his classy surf band the Mel-Tones, New Yorker Mel Waldorf bailed for sunny San Francisco. He’s still in the surf game, but his new unit—farshpitzed in Hasidic duds—tips its shtreimels not to Bora Bora but to Torah. Klezmer classics, Israeli folk songs, tunes from Exodus and Fiddler on the Roof, and novelty numbers of their own devising (“Shmata Hari,” “Borscht Belt Beet”) are recast as shiny, charming instrumental rockers, delivered with the same cheer and care that were the Mel-Tones’ mark. 7.5/10 (Rupert Bottenberg)

Yoav
Charmed & Strange (Verve/Universal)
Demonstrating the versatility of the lowly acoustic guitar, this London-based Israeli singer-songwriter is as reliant on the warmth of his vocal chords and the agility of his picking fingers as he is on modern beats and production. With the same set of tools, Yoav can replicate stock synth sounds and hard rock riffs, though he tend towards a middle ground. He achieves a similar balance lyrically, subtly addressing Western hedonism and Middle Eastern malaise. Organic tones for a digital world, social consciousness for escapists. 7.5/10 (Lorraine Carpenter) With Caroline Keating at Cabaret Juste pour Rire on Wed., March 5, 8 p.m., $10

Webbie
Savage Life 2 (Asylum/Warner)
T.I. made rapping with a slow, Southern drawl fresh and unique, whereas Baton Rouge MC Webbie mostly sounds like he’s chewing on barbiturates. Southern über-producer Mannie Fresh only worked on one of the songs (“I Know”), but the other arrangements are careful emulations, especially the guitar-driven “I’m Hot,” where the irritatingly laid-back Webbie sounds like he’s falling asleep mid-refrain. Tracks like “Thuggin’” and “Just Like This” are ultimately more fun because he lets his hair down, blending with the hi-hat samples as opposed to rapping over them. Bun B and the late Pimp C make small, albeit scene-stealing contributions. 5.5/10 (Erik Leijon)

Nickodemus
Endangered Species Remixed (ESL/Fontana)
Having joined the hallowed roster of artists who’ve had their tunes featured in iTunes commercials, Nickodemus and Quantic’s “Mi Swing Es Tropical” is remixed here by Zeb, taking it to one-drop heaven with a dub-styled rework. Many of the remixes here tread lightly on inoffensive lounge material, like Thievery Corporation’s remix of “Crazy Stranger” featuring Harel Shachal, but tracks like “Give the Drummer Some” and “Back From Africa” drive this 12-song selection. In the end, it’s the aforementioned iTunes track that has the one makeover that will stand tough. 7.5/10 (Scott C)

Janet
Discipline (Def Jam/Universal)
Janet Jackson appears so completely unaffected by the never-ending criticism of her sexually charged music that, judging by the title and imagery of her latest (not to mention the risqué title track), she almost seems to revel in the animosity. Nevertheless, a new label and some heavy-hitting production muscle from the likes of Ne-Yo and Rodney Jerkins have translated into a revitalized energy on her 10th album. Sex now shares centre stage with romantic fare like the totally infectious “Luv” and the surprisingly vulnerable “Can’t B Good.” The sex talk is still in full effect elsewhere, like on lead single “Feedback” and the equally rambunctious “2Nite,” but at least now Jackson’s come-ons are cleverer and less in-your-face. 8/10 (Gerard Dee)

God Made Me Funky
Enter the Beat (independent)
God Made Me Funky marry rugged guitar riffs and upbeat frat-rap to get the crowd on its feet, bringing their energetic live show to this record. Enter the Beat continues the evolution of the band, taking obvious cues from the hip-pop sounds of Black Eyed Peas and Outkast, and really focusing on rah-rah jams to get you up. The only problem is that 10 of the 11 songs here employ repetitive and often cliché choruses over what blurs into the same song over and over. Tunes like “Bringin’ It Back,” “ComeOnUpToGetDown” and “Gett’er Done” are missing key elements that bring nuance and variation to each track. It is nice to see longtime MC Phatt Al still doin’ his thing, though. 7/10 (Scott C) CD launch with the New Groove Orchestra, DJ Sarcastic at Petit Campus on Fri., Feb. 29, 9 p.m., $10

The Million Dollar Orchestra
Better Days (BBE)
Scotsman with the plan Al Kent took the music in his head to a whole new level, combining his love of DJing and remixing and the dream of a fullblown disco orchestra. The Million Dollar Orchestra has lovingly recreated loops and samples harvested by Kent, with the result feeling like some old classic Salsoul Records fare, filled with warmth, depth and dancefloor appeal. Horns, strings, vocals and drums combine on this analog gem, peaking on tracks like “Rock Freak Boogie” and “Get It Boy.” Yep, it sounds old, but the devotion applied to these arrangements by the 15-plus musicians involved is all brand new. 8.5/10 (Scott C)

Lee “Scratch” Perry
Chicken Scratch: Deluxe Edition (Heartbeat)
When Lee Perry won the Grammy for Best Reggae Album a few years back, folks in Jamaica were calling in to radio shows wanting to know just who this fellow was. Though colourful is an incredible descriptive understatement for Perry’s personality, the fact is that the man revolutionized reggae music in the studio as opposed to on the stage. For dub obsessives, Perry has always loomed large—whether he’s a genius or a madman, he’s nothing less than a legend. Thing is, this collection of early ska recordings from the ’60s doesn’t really capture the man at his best. It’s really only for those obsessed with Perry, as opposed to those obsessed with dub. 7/10 (Erin MacLeod)

Various
Treasure Isle: The True Story of Ska, Rocksteady,
Dub and Reggae (Jahslams/Fusion III)
A swaggering, pistol-packing ex-cop turned liquor merchant, Jamaica’s late Duke Reid was a mid-’50s pioneer of the soundsystem, that movable feast of music—his rivalry with Studio One’s Sir Coxsone Dodd is the stuff of legend. The logical follow-up was his now-venerated label Treasure Isle. Its catalogue, raided for this four-disc set, traces the arc of Jamaican pop through the ’60s. The talent here is top-notch: Justin Hinds, Alton Ellis, Phyllis Dillon, Don Drummond, the Paragons, Tommy McCook, the list goes on. A pretty essential selection of building blocks for the reggae revolution. 8.5/10 (Rupert Bottenberg)

John Chin
Blackout Conception (Fresh Sound New Talent)
Plamen Karadonev
Crossing Lines (Mu)
Two relatively new names, both are pianists and composers. Chin’s is a quartet outing with the added bonus of having reedman Mark Turner on board, while Karadonev shows off his Balkan roots in his writing, and a couple of Berklee faculty members, trombonist Hal Crook and another reedman, George Garzone, are definite assets to his session. The Chin disc includes some Bernstein, Strayhorn and a pair by Kenny Barron, while the latter has some Porter, Coltrane and Robert Schumann. Both add some most interesting originals to the mix. Both 9/10 (Len Dobbin)

Mini CD Reviews

Carol Sloane Dearest Duke (Arbors Jazz) A wonderful CD combining the vocal talents of Ms. Sloane with some great songs from the Ellington songbook, aided and abetted by Ken Peplowski and Brad Hatfield. 9.5 (LD)

The Mountain Goats Heretic Pride (4AD/Select) Welcome new wave intonations dot the latest elegant and ambitious LP by John Darnielle, though he could still stand to switch to decaf. 7.5 (LC)

Gee Wunder Street Knowledge (Motive/Urbnet) Gee Wunder may be the official urban voice of MuchMusic, but dude needs to step his bars up real soon. 7 (SC)

The Big Sleep Sleep Forever (French Kiss) The Big Sleep kind of blow it when they flirt with pop tradition, but stride forward on the psyched-out “Organs.” Greatness can only be a record away. 6.5 (JC)

Big Noyd Illustrious (Koch) Mobb Deep’s occasional collaborator brings generic raps and beats. To rehash an old Domino’s Pizza slogan, avoid the Noyd. 4 (EL)

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MIRROR ARCHIVES » Feb 28 Mar 05 2008: INSIDE - COVER | ARCHIVES INDEX | CURRENT ISSUE