The Inbreds "Moustache" 7" (Murderecords)

This 7" finds the Inbreds out of their major-label headache (Tag/Atlantic) and landing firmly on their feet. Moustache has all the essential ingredients for the perfect A-side pop ditty: naïveté, innocence and jangly hooks are bound together by an infectious melody. B-side "Reason Why I'm Shy" is a great four-track recording which shows the band pilfering through the Big Star songbook. But by the end of this catchy, intimate number, you are left with a signature which is undeniably theirs. 8.5/10 (Johnson Cummins)

Reflection Eternal Fortified Live 12"(Rawkus)

The lyrics roll out on this single, moving along with an effortless flow. Talib, Mr. Man, and the soon-to-be-large Mos Def bring that "freestyle from the basement" feel right to the front on Fortified Live, while the B-side is easily my favourite beat going now--a rich, filtered piano roll that is both harmonic and hypnotic and reminds me of why I love hip hop in the first place. This is not something you want to miss. 8/10 (Scott C)

Goldie featuring KRS-1 Digital (ffrr)

Considering how badly most attempts at fusing rap and drum & bass turn out, it'll be interesting to see how well this one will go down. It could go a long way to helping break drum & bass in America, or it could be dismissed as a novelty. I would bet on the latter. The production is uninspiring and the lyrics are tired. Which still makes it a lot better than Armand Van Helden's remix... at 40 grand a pop, you'd think he'd try to do something different for a change. 5/10 (Mateo)

Copyright Liberation Front: Highly illegal mixed tape of the week!

DJ XL Digital Vol. 1: Live at Sona

Another link in the Live at Sona chain of mixies currently dominating the tape market. To describe XL's post-Van Helden high-energy house selection, I'll only say this: about once a year you get a tape that you know is not the most "quality" selection of tunes, nor most deftly mixed. But for some reason, it's the one you keep going back to. And I'll be coming back to this for years, whenever I want to remember what a big club felt like in 1997. Big, big live energy. You can practically smell the sweat. Spot on. 9/10 (Mireille Silcott)