Disc of the week

Mavis Staples
Live: Hope at the Hideout (Anti-/FAB)
When many of these songs were written, thoughts of a black president were inconceivable. Staples was active in the civil rights movement, so it’s fitting that this set, recorded last June at Chicago’s Hideout nightclub, features some of the most potent musical anthems of that era. At 69, Staples’ voice is limited to her lower register, often coming out as musical growls. But that fits the gritty reality of songs like “Down in Mississippi” and “Why Am I Treated So Badly.” And when Staples, backed by a trio of musicians and three backing vocalists, leans into tracks like “Wade in the Water,” and “We Shall Not Be Moved,” black history just comes alive. 9/10 Trial Track: “Eyes on the Prize” (Gerard Dee)

M. Ward
Hold Time (Merge)
On his fourth solo album for Merge (and seventh overall), M. Ward casts his songs in sepia tones and surrounds himself with guests: his other half in the recent She & Him project, Zooey Deschanel, as well as Lucinda Williams, ex-Grandaddy frontman Jason Lytle and DeVotchka’s Tom Hagerman. His familiar, friendly flirtation with roots music suits the bittersweet ballads and stoic instrumentals just fine, but more vibrant fare takes the shape of early rock ’n’ roll, from spindly rockabilly to Motown grandeur, reverberant riffs to luscious strings. At once a fresh and dynamic collection of new tunes and a nostalgic summation of antique sounds, Hold Time will keep your crush on M. Ward aflame. 8.5/10 Trial Track: “Never Had Nobody Like You” (Lorraine Carpenter)

Darius Rucker
Learn to Live (Capitol/EMI)
On his second solo effort, the Hootie & the Blowfish frontman takes a sharp left turn from the neo-soul of 2002’s Back to Then and goes full-on country. In a sense, it’s less of a departure for him, since the Blowfish specialized in a kind of roots-styled rock. The sound here is big and brash, while the subject matter tends towards uncomplicated tales of everyday life. Occasionally, he gets a little too saccharine, like on “If I Had Wings.” But when he takes a page from the Hootie handbook and delivers good-time songs like “Drinkin’ and Dialin’,” he really hits his stride. 7/10 Trial Track: “Be Wary of a Woman” (Gerard Dee)

Shout Out Out Out Out Reintegration Time (Normals Welcome)
Following assorted 12-inches and stuff, the City of Champions’ champs of expansive electro-rock offer their sophomore album, the sequel to 2006’s Not Saying/Just Saying. Nothing entirely unexpected here—squelchy funk to Bang one’s Ed to, swoosh-haired new romanticism revisited and fortified, and straight-up Krautrock bookends (opener “Run” recalls the mellifluousity of Cluster and Harmonia, while the long, titular closer totally takes after Tangerine Dream). A rousing drum breakdown on the nimbly percussive “How to Maintain Pt. 2” and a visit from fellow Edmontonian Cadence Weapon, building to a blowout on “Coming Home,” are highlights of this worthy effort. 8/10 Trial Track: “Guilt Trips Sink Ships” (Rupert Bottenberg)

The Faunts Feel.Love.Thinking.Of (Friendly Fire)
Echoes of New Order ring out around the third record by Edmonton’s Faunts, but for all their melancholy synths, thin but wiry guitars, pitter-pattering beats and ’80s ornamentation, a distinctly contemporary indie pop drive propels the band forward, beyond hackneyed revivalism. There are perhaps some overly pale and wan elements of their aesthetic, embedding dull lulls in their soundscape—deadpan vocals and forgettable lyrics, for example, cast the band’s frontman into the shadows, if not the wallpaper, and the glacial ballad “So Far Away” feels uncomfortably “Human.” But the bulk of this album brims with melodies to swoon to, and rhythms for dancing feet. 8/10 Trial Track: “Feel.Love.Thinking.Of” (Lorraine Carpenter)

Zombi Spirit Animal (Relapse/E1)
This Pittsburgh instrumental duo has always stuck out on the Relapse roster as they have more to do with horror-film soundtrack masters Goblin and Spaghetti Western genius Ennio Morricone than with pioneering black metalists Venom. This new anthemic masterpiece further draws the line in the sand with the average length of each piece of music reaching 15 minutes. Ethereal synths lead the charge on the uplifting title track while Zombi lets their prog roots shine through on the polyrhythmic King Crimson/Trans Am-esque “Spirit Warrior.” Not for dyed-in-the-wool, myopic metalheads, but just perfect for the rest of us. 8/10 Trial Track: “Cosmic Powers” (Johnson Cummins)

Gnaw This Face (Conspiracy)
Featuring members of Khanate, Atavist, Yard and Burning Witch, expectations run feverishly high for this one, and within the first minute, this slab of molten hatred pays off in spades. The industrial soundscapes, extreme high and low frequencies, tribal percussion and the expert work of sound design artists Jun Mitzumachi and Brian Beatrice makes this a truly unnerving listen. If you are looking for the perfect merging of brutal noise, bleak industrial beats and charred black metal vocals, or just general dementia locking horns with pure evil, look no further. 8.5/10 Trial Track: “Talking Mirrors” (Johnson Cummins)

Ten Second Epic Hometown (Black Box)
Cue Andy Rooney moment: what is it with rock bands today performing unlikely duets with female singers? Ten Second Epic may not exactly display aggressive revellery beneath their finely polished exteriors, but employing horrid Toronto singer Lights to date-ify “Every Day” à la Ja Rule/J-Lo circa 2000 seems like an instance of clear kowtowing to GTA-area focus groups. Ten Second Epic is as pedestrian as they come in the teen-oriented pop punk world, their call-and-response refrains and Zellers-ad guitar riffs barely removed from their styrofoam containers, but the increasingly popular date-punk song is a worrying trend in record packaging. 3.5/10 Trial Track: “Stand Up” (Erik Leijon)

Tranie Tronic Transmission (independent)
Half a decade after Montreal’s Atif Siddiqi initiated Tranie Tronic as a performance art project, a cheeky challenge to standard gender norms, he and his musical collaborator Steve Orton deliver an album of unabashed electroclash loaded with none too subtle lasciviousness. While Siddiqi might be loosely placed on the sexual spectrum—if anything, he could wander farther across it with this persona—there is an either/or he and Orton really should contend with. Amp up the beats and go full dancefloor or turn back to their p-art roots, taking Tranie Tronic’s eerie sci-fi textures and inherent theatricality all the way. 6/10 Trial Track: “BU2B4” (Rupert Bottenberg) CD launch at le Cocktail (1669 Ste-Catherine E.), Fri., Feb. 27, 7 p.m., free

The Whitest Boy Alive Rules (Bubbles)
Rules is the second outing of Berlin’s Whitest Boy Alive, fronted by Norwegian-born guitarist/vocalist Erlend Øye, also of Kings of Convenience and noted for his tendency to croon over his DJ sets in his lilting, soothing voice. The mellow ’60s lounge funk and light synth hooks haven’t strayed far from 2006’s Dreams. The sound is more practiced and coherent, to the slight detriment of its quirkiness but to the overwhelming advantage of its catchiness and staying power. The album drags a bit, with no real stylistic variability to speak of over 11 tracks, but is nevertheless a retro gem. 8/10 Trial Track: “High on the Heels” (Jack Oatmon)

The Bran Flakes I Have Hands(Illegal Art)
The label, home to Girl Talk and Steinski, should offer a clue as to the modus operandi of Montreal’s Otis Fodder and Seattle’s Mildred Pitt, the pair who make up this nutritious breakfast. They boost bits from countless kiddie culture and retard rock records and whip it all into a vivacious goofball stew. Yes, they do some mash-ups—the Dolly Parton/Survivor jam “Stumble Out of Bed” is a neat one—but where Girl Talk is cocaine on Saturday night, Bran Flakes are cartoons that morning, closer to Coldcut or pioneering sound pilferers Negativland at their most playful. Fun-loving criminals, and God bless ’em for it. 8/10 Trial Track: “Make a Funny Sound” (Rupert Bottenberg)

Benaissa Tables Turn (Silver Kamel)
Who knew that the Netherlands had a reggae scene this good? First there was Holland’s Ziggi and his dancehall styles, and now here’s Benaissa. This record, predominantly combination tunes, introduces listeners to Benaissa alongside Jamaican artists Lady G and General Degree as well as a whole gang of his fellow Dutch. There’s a range of vibes on this album, from the soft sounds of “Have Me Princess” (with General Degree) and “So Long” (with TinQ) to the harder “Sodom and Gomorrah” (with Ayya—would be nice to hear more from this artist!). On “Amstahdam,” he bigs up where he’s from, all the while reminding reggae lovers that they should take a closer look at tunes that may not come from where these fans might expect. 8/10 Trial Track: “Voodoo” (Erin MacLeod)

Dupree Bolton
Fireball (Uptown)
Thelonious Monk
Complete Live at the Five Spot (Lone Hill)
Bolton, like Twardzik (reviewed on this page), is another underappreciated musician. Recordings by the trumpeter are rare items indeed, making this release all the more valuable. Material by groups led by Curtis Amy from 1962 and Earl Anderza from ’63, and the Oklahoma Prison Band of 1980, are again feathers in the cap of researcher and label owner Bob Sunenblick. The Monk double-disc set includes the two “Five Spot” Riverside sessions with Johnny Griffin from 1958 and, as a bonus, “Coming on the Hudson,” the only track recorded on a 1958 Monk session that became a Johnny Griffin Sextet release with Kenny Drew replacing Monk, one that also included Pepper Adams and Donald Byrd. Both 9/10 Trial Tracks: Bolton “Midnight Lament,” Monk “Coming on the Hudson” (Len Dobbin)

Mini CD Reviews

Dick Twardzik Trio Complete Recordings (Lone Hill) This great pianist/composer died at the age of 24 in 1955, and this disc makes a perfect companion to a new book by Toronto’s Jack Chambers, Bouncin’ With Bartok, on Twardzik’s short life. 10 (LD)

Kid Cudi A Kid Named Cudi Mixtape (independent) The Cleveland MC may be upset that the Crookers remix of “Day N Nite” is more popular than his original version, but his slurring drawl lends itself quite well to unique arrangements. 8.5 (EL)

Gentleman Reg Jet Black (Arts & Crafts) Four years in the making, Reg’s third LP is easy on the ears and endearingly eclectic, packed with folk-pop, glam rock and even disco. 8 (LC)

Myles Deck and the Fuzz “Police Cops” (From Here to There) This seven-inch recalls what vintage Dictators and Lime Spiders brought to the party. Further proof that Maritimers are the new kings of rock. 7 (JC)