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 The Beatles
Remastered (Apple/EMI)
Timed to coincide with the much-hyped video game, The Beatles: Rock Band, the Fab Four’s full album catalogue—a dozen LPs plus the two Past Masters collections—has been given the deluxe treatment it sorely lacked for over two decades. The remastering, a game attempt to recapture the rich warmth that the 1987 CD releases failed to transpose from vinyl, is noticeable but hardly revelatory, though lavish liner notes and bonus making-of mini-docs sweeten the deal. A much-deserved overhaul for arguably the best, and unquestionably the most important, pop-rock band in history. 10/10 Trial Track: “A Day in the Life” (Rupert Bottenberg)
 Nadja
The Bungled and The Botched (Blocks
Recording Club)
Thank God that these two epic tracks, originally released last year in a limited edition, get a second crack as they prove to be the weightiest, most beautiful pieces Nadja have ever done. Plunging deeper into their ocean of distortion, the melodic moments surface even more majestically, with nary a dull moment over the 45 minutes here. My vote for record of the year has been cast. 9/10 Trial Track: “Absorbed in You” (Johnson Cummins) CD launch with Aun and Thisquietarmy at Casa Del Popolo on Wednesday, Sept. 16, 9 p.m.
 Valleys
Sometimes Water Kills People (Semprini)
Formerly There Were Valleys, Montrealers Marc St. Louis, Matilda Perks & co. continue along a gloomy path, still pretty around the edges but blacker and more foreboding at its core. Whether employing ambient synths and beats, acoustic guitar and voice or post-rock drones and squalls, they unify their songs with downbeat harmonies, narrative guitars and an uneasy ambiance. (Out Sept. 22.) 8/10 Trial Track: “Tan Lines” (Lorraine Carpenter) CD launch with Cotton Mouth, the Shivers at Casa del Popolo, Fri., Sept. 11, 9 p.m.
The Clean
Mister Pop (Merge)
From Dunedin, New Zealand, brothers David and Hamish Kilgour and Bob Scott—who, aside from their own musical achievements since 1978, inspired the founding of landmark indie label Flying Nun and heavily influenced the likes of Pavement and Sonic Youth—return with their first album in eight years. While its quality is fairly consistent, the record’s styles range from hot-box pop to playful VU/Kraftwerk pastiches. 7.5/10 Trial Track: “Tensile” (Lorraine Carpenter)
 Laudanum
The Coronation (20 Buck Spin)
If you are digging the steady stream of devastating sludge and doom releases of late, you’re definitely going to want to put this on your shopping/download list. Bleak industrial noise à la Throbbing Gristle meets punishing Neurosis/Sunn O))))-style pummelling, with some seriously disturbed vocals courtesy of Graves At Sea singer Nathan Misterek upping the ante. This could be the ultimate cross-pollination of extreme noise and doom yet. 8.5/10 Trial Track: “Apotheosis” (Johnson Cummins)
 Maserati
Passages (Temporary Residence)
This Athens, GA quintet is Trans Am’s heir apparent, not only in the automotive moniker but also for the sleek, chug-based rock abstracts it implies. Passages is a placeholder between albums, rare tracks and remixes that mimic Tangerine Dream’s panoramic synth grids on occasion but are more often extended workouts of delayed guitar jangle over sturdy, blocky and rather colourless grooves. 7/10 Trial Track: “Monoliths” (Rupert Bottenberg)
The Used
Artwork (Reprise/Warner)
Self-important theological musings surrounded by their edgiest hard rock guitar work yet, the Utah group’s latest is middle American, Christ-fearing, teenaged angst to a tee. Artwork is an impenetrable mass of screamo that’s really too much for anyone to take, but the group is pretty consistent in bringing the anguish, blood-curdling screams and automatic-rifle guitar barrages. 4/10 Trial Track: “The Best of Me” (Erik Leijon)
 Chevelle
Sci-Fi Crimes (Epic/Sony BMG)
The poor man’s Tool prove it is possible for a nu-metal band to have a sense of humour, writing about haunted houses, UFOs and even an ode to the individual who stole their music equipment. Sure, these tales are told in an obtuse, personal-pronoun-heavy way, but adding a more light-hearted approach to artsy alternative rock makes the medicine go down. 6/10 Trial Track: “Roswell’s Spell” (Erik Leijon)
Shantel
Planet Paprika (Crammed Discs)
There are several levels upon which this disc is dope. Superficially, the combination of wailing, raucous Balkan gypsy brass orchestra with Euro-pop is addictive and refreshing. Secondly, between the absurd press materials and foolish, light-hearted vocals, the kitsch factor is enormous. Finally, it’s technically excellent, from masterfully delivered, finicky brass lines to warm, detailed production. 9/10 Trial Track: “Usti, Usti Baba” (Jack Oatmon)
 Tommy McCook and the Supersonic
Pleasure Dub (Pressure Sounds)
If you didn’t get enough rocksteady this summer at the Jazz Fest, sit back, relax and throw on this 1974 collection of tunes from Skatalite McCook’s band, all dubbed out by Errol Brown, Duke Reid’s nephew. Some well-known tracks (“Tide is High”), thrown in with some should-be-known tracks (“Scrubit”) make this a worthwhile reissue. 7/10 Trial Track: “I See Your Face Version” (Erin MacLeod)
Jay-Z
Blueprint III (Roc Nation)
This record will disappoint the purists who consider the first Blueprint a classic. After a decent first half of an album, which includes “D.O.A.,” the kill-Auto-Tune anthem, and a couple other honest hip hop tracks like “Thank You” and “Empire State of Mind,” it all goes downhill with sub-par “big name” production and a heavy hand from Kanye that hurts more than it helps. 4/10 Trial Track: “D.O.A.” (Morgan Steiker)
 La Coka Nostra
A Brand You Can Trust
(Suburban Noize)
This white-rapper all-star act, with members of House of Pain plus Brooklyn’s own Ill Bill and Boston underground champ Slain, is one of the hardest “supergroups” of the year at this point. The sound often jumps from rap to rock while staying loyal to its darker edge and strong boom-bap backdrop. “I’m an American” and “Choose Your Side,” with a surprising cameo from Bun B, are highlights. 7.5/10 Trial Track: “Choose Your Side” (Morgan Steiker)
 Whitney Houston
I Look To You (Arista/Sony BMG)
Houston’s first album in seven years is a polished production that works around her diminished vocal capacity. The Alicia Keys-penned lead single “Million Dollar Bill” introduces a well-rounded set that includes the requisite ballads (the title track, “I Didn’t Know My Own Strength”), dance tracks (“For The Lovers,” a high-NRG “A Song For You”) and some well-placed past references (“Nothin’ But Love,” “Salute”). 8/10 Trial Track: “For The Lovers” (Gerard Dee)
MINI CD REVIEWS
Various Island 50 Reggae (Island/Universal) The label that blew Jamaican sounds wide open worldwide toasts a half-century with crucial tracks from Jimmy Cliff and Toots & the Maytals up through Buju Banton and Luciano. 9 (RB)
The Gates of Slumber Hymns of Blood and Thunder (Rise Above) If Iron Maiden played doom, it might sound like this. Whether that’s a good thing or not is up to you. 7 (JC)
Sondre Lerche Heartbeat Radio (Rounder) Both whimsical and wistful, neither retro nor contemporary, Brooklyn’s brightest Norwegian singer-songwriter strikes again. 7 (LC) With JBM at Petit Campus, Tues., Sept. 15, 8:30 p.m., $18.50
Alberta Cross Broken Side of Time (ATO) It’s about time the Yanks finally showed Red Rider the respect they’re due. 6 (EL)
The Most Serene Republic …And the Ever Expanding Universe (Arts & Crafts) “Gadzooks!” Despite their rich vocabulary and stacked arrangements, this Milton (Milton?) outfit suffers from quantity over quality. 6 (LC)
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