Various Puro Eskañol: Latin Ska Underground Vol. 1 (Aztlan)

Outbursts from dozens of pochos locos in pork pies. Starts with a few tracks of guitarish skacore by the likes of Voodoo Glow Skulls, but relaxes a third of the way in. A central three-song block stands out with strong numbers by Los Hooligans, King Chango and Yeska. Three decades of ska history and three continents' worth of stylistic shadings prove that two-tone means more than just black and white. 8/10 (Rupert Bottenberg)

Warren G Take A Look Over Your Shoulder (Reality/Def Jam/Polygram)

Warren G continues to work his familiar brand of G-funk--think Fresh Prince with balls. Included are two mixes of last summer's "What's Love Got To Do With It" featuring Adina Howard and a double dose of current jammy "I Shot The Sheriff." Best potential honours go to "Smokin' Me Out" featuring Ronald Isley, a standout track on a set that slides in at just around average. 7/10 (Gerard Dee)

Snapcase Progression Through Unlearning (Victory/Cargo)

Just when you think hardcore has heaved its final sigh, along comes Snapcase to the rescue. Snapcase may have borrowed their stop/start formula from Quicksand and Helmet, but their vocalist Daryl Taberski's caterwaul wail leaves them head and shoulders above any of the Epifat tribe. Make no mistake about it: this is 100 per cent blistering hardcore with the intensity of early Negative Approach but without the speed. 9/10 (Johnson Cummins)

Depeche Mode Ultra (Mute/Reprise/Warner)

The last time we saw Depeche Mode, singer Dave Gahan had grown his hair long and seemed to be quite enjoying playing up the '70s-style stadium star that matched the band's rockier sound. But the last time we heard about him he didn't seem to be enjoying the rock star life at all: a heroin addict, he tried to kill himself. Possibly a great story of redemption--if this didn't sound like late Spandau Ballet. 6/10 (Chris Yurkiw) more discs...