Rule 62 Self-titled (Maverick/Warner)

Maybe I'm a bit out of line here, but would it be to much to ask for someone to break Madonna's fingers so she would stop signing crap like this and Candlebox? Rule 62 piss in their own tepid pool of alterna-rock for bored housewives. Paint-by-number songs like "I Wish I Was" illustrate lack of imagination and predictability to the point of nausea. Madonna proves that her worst acting role is that of an A&R person. 3.5/10 (Johnson Cummins)

Sinclair La Bonne Attitude (Virgin/EMI)

What with Daft Punk in dance, Laetitia in Stereolab and even ol' Serge Gainsbourg as king of the retro thing these days, it's nice to see France finally take its place in the pantheon of pop. Sinclair might never get to anglophones like the above artists, but if you jump to Jamiroquai there's no reason you shouldn't get off on this, his just-as-good Gallic equivalent. A little more funk and a little less Roy Ayers than Jam', Sinclair uses his strings for lotsa ballads here. Laisse-toi te ballader. 7/10 (Chris Yurkiw)

X25 Tidy (Paradigm)

I wonder if anyone has ever seen X25 vocalist Jaik Miller and Jethro Tull's Ian Anderson in the same room together, because the vocal similarity is uncanny. This is kind of like Jethro Tull without that pesky flute. X25 dance dangerously near the prog rock edge without falling in head first. Hardly the pioneers of the new sound but there is enough heartfelt sentiment and honesty to make this worthwhile listening. 6.5/10 (Johnson Cummins) At Café Chaos, 1637 St-Denis, on Friday, August 1, 10pm

The Dambuilders Against the Stars (EastWest/WEA)

There are a number of eerie similarities between this Boston-based band and our own Pest 5000 (sorry, PK5). There's a violin, a Hawaiian-born guitar player, a tongue-in-cheek "new wave" schtick and of course the off-centre pop song structures. But where Pest are sincere and inviting, the Dambuilders squeeze a harsh rock tone out of the metallic clang of the guitars and the drums' sharp snap. And the outcome is often less than successful. 6/10 (Rupert Bottenberg) more discs...