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 Various
Black Man’s Cry:
The Inspiration of Fela Kuti (Now Again)
Nigerian icon Fela Kuti’s influence stretches throughout Africa, across Europe, over to the United States, down to the Caribbean, Latin America and beyond. This lovingly compiled collection draws these links with care (as demonstrated by the extensive liner notes by Egon, from the Stones Throw label). Afrobeat, deep funk, steelpan orchestra, cumbia—all inspired by Fela. And this isn’t just an exercise in musicology. Every track, some incredibly obscure (6th Infantry Brigade of the Nigerian Army?), is an absolute gem. 10/10 Trial Track: Phirpo y sus Caribes, “Commencemos” (Erin MacLeod)
 Owen Pallett
Heartland (For Great Justice)
The former Mr. Final Fantasy has shed the borrowed stage name but not the penchant for authentic and effective reconciliation of classical music and savvy art pop, for superior melodies and for elaborate, layered conceits delivered with cryptic, sesquipedalian lyrics (yeah, look it up). Heartland draws further from the imaginary land concocted for the 2008 Spectrum, 14th Century EP. Setting aside the deciphering, it’s a rich, exciting and memorable listen right through. 9.5/10 Trial Track: “Keep the Dog Quiet” (Rupert Bottenberg)
 Vampire Weekend
Contra (XL/Select)
One year after their over-hyped debut, Vampire Weekend’s new joint will brighten another winter for those inclined toward whitewashed Afro-pop, reggaeton and baile funk rhythms, conservatory strings, thumb pianos and new wave guitars. Though they sound a bit like Animal Collective’s older brothers losing their virginity on safari in the ’80s, there are enough tight tunes here to earn an above average grade. 7/10 Trial Track: “Giving Up the Gun” (Lorraine Carpenter)
Hawksley Workman
Meat (Isadora)
Workman’s first of a not-so-kosher pair of releases—the other, more dance-oriented Milk is being issued digitally over five months—is more cheese than meat. Those familiar with this eccentric Can-rocker’s manic manoeuvres will appreciate (or at least tolerate) his excessive vocal and guitar theatrics, but the relatively subtle moments carry enough universal magic to move the masses, from the R&B-inflected rhythms to the sing-along pop choruses to the schmaltz balladry. 6/10 Trial Track: “(The Happiest Day I Know Is a) Tokyo Bicycle” (Lorraine Carpenter)
Beach House
Teen Dream (Sub Pop)
This Baltimore duo evoke the mystery and ethereal peacefulness of that rustic summer cottage by the lake. The boy-girl harmonies and wind chiming percussion are suitably haunting, although don’t associate visions of a starlit Saranac with generic postcard timidity. Like a quiet summer though, you’ll pine for the hustle and bustle before it’s through. 7/10 Trial Track: “Walk in the Park” (Erik Leijon)
Yukon Blonde
self-titled (Nevado/Bumstead)
Granted, musicians have been mining ’60s psychedelic pop with increasing frequency. This B.C. quartet, however, recognize the timelessness of those original sunny trailblazers came not in an aesthetic but in crisp melodies. Whether it’s the folkish, all-together harmonizing on “Wind Blows” or a bouncier cut like the soaring closer, Yukon Blonde’s eponymous debut is elegant yet straightforward. 8.5/10 Trial Track: “Wind Blows” (Erik Leijon)
 Sigh
Scenes From Hell (The End)
Among the originators of the second wave of black metal, Japan’s Sigh really changed the playing field with 2001’s blackened symphonic masterpiece, Imaginary Soundscape. Nine years later, the band continues to increase their panorama with dense mixes of orchestral instruments and brash brass standing shoulder to shoulder with their blackened vocal shrieks, blast beats and chugging, blitzkrieg guitars. Definitely not for the metal myopic but for the rest of you wanting to take a dip in uncharted waters… 8/10 Trial Track: “The Soul Grave” (Johnson Cummins)
 Bodo Elsel
Mein Haus EP (Turbo)
Dusty, murmuring acid bass synth, steady mid-tempo thuds and claps, and a German-accented guy’s deadpan repetition of the word “haus,” released on vinyl only, by an obscure analog guru who was apparently retired until the label goaded him back into action. This is old-school fetishism. It spans the super groovy title track, a piano-loop cut and a deep, freaky, mechanical basement jam. Trial Track “Mein Haus” 8.5/10 (Jack Oatmon) EP launch with Thomas Von Party, Mike Mind at Velvet, Sat., Jan. 16, 10 p.m., $10
 Various
Real City’s Finest. Vol. 2 (Escape MTL)
Although not absolutely definitive, the second volume of this city-wide compilation of local artists including over 20 names is the closest look you’ll get at the current hip hop scene in Montreal, from the Narcicyst to Magnum 357. It shows the diversity coming out of the city and the often slept-on talent that is bubbling underground. 9/10 Trial Track: Dialekt feat. D-Shade, Gundei & Manchilde, “Throwback” (Morgan Steiker)
 Birdman
Pricele$$ (Cash Money)
Even though this is Birdman’s album, the main reason to check for it is to hear what his label’s star players, Lil Wayne and newcomer Drake, have been cooking up in the studio. Every highlight on the album comes from one or the other, and they are many. “Money to Blow,” “Play Ball” and “Mo Milly” give us hints at what radio will sound like in the next few months. It sounds good. 7/10 Trial Track: “Money to Blow” feat. Lil Wayne & Drake (Morgan Steiker)
Alicia Keys
The Element of Freedom (J Records/Sony)
Keys’ latest follows the same formula as her previous sets, winding elements of soul and pop into piano-driven melodies that address issues of either personal love (“Doesn’t Mean Anything“) or the universal kind (“How It Feels to Fly”). She bumps up the beat briefly with Beyoncé on “Put It in a Love Song,” but mainly she sticks to familiar mid-tempo grooves. 8/10 Trial Track: “Wait Till You See My Smile” (Gerard Dee)
 Various
Daptone Gold (Daptone)
The last decade has seen a grand revival of classic soul and funk sounds, and while Amy Winehouse was the poster girl, since 2001, the real hustle sprang from Brooklyn bassist/producer Gabriel Roth and his Daptone label cronies. Daptone Gold gathers standout R&B scorchers (Lee Fields), funk shakers (Sharon Jones) and Afrobeat heat (Budos Band), with nary a dud among its two dozen tunes. 9/10 Trial Track: Antibalas feat. Mayra Vega, “Che Che Cole Makossa” (Rupert Bottenberg)
Tenterhooks
self-titled (Bug Incision)
When dedicated improvisers combine speed, restraint and empathy, the result is an open field. That’s what we hear on Tenterhooks, one of the latest from Calgary’s vibrant Bug Incision label. The quartet of Jack and Ben Wright, Mike Pride and Nate Wooley is on edge, never receding into the comfort zone, and the music remains lucid, detailed and to the point throughout. 8/10 Trial Track: “Tenterhooks” (Gordon Allen)
MINI CD REVIEWS
Various Casual Victim Pile: Austin 2010 (Matador/Select) Comps are for little girls and soccer moms, but this hour-long collection from Austin’s raunchiest—the Golden Boys, Flesh Lights, Moven Bones, the Stuffies and more—rocks like a kickass mixtape. 8.5 (JC)
Elvis Presley Elvis 75: Good Rockin’ Tonight (Sony Legacy) Marking what would have been the King’s 75th birthday last week, a four-disc, career-spanning, chronological set that’s heavy on ’50s sweetness, light on #1 hits and predictably lame after the midway point. 7 (LC)
Chris Page A Date With a Smoke Machine (Kelp/Outside) Early contender for album cover art of 2010. Inside contains distinctly Canadian man-and-his-guitar songwriting. 6 (EL)
Basement Jaxx Zephyr (XL/Select) This downtempo sidekick to last year’s Scars is typically weird, moist and woozy, but an apocryphal footnote at best. 5 (RB)
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