Pharoahe Monch Internal Affairs (Rawkus)
Ramasutra The East Infection (Tox) Local DJ Ram has always mined an eclectic record collection for sets rife with colour and character, employing a confident balance of the sublime and the ridiculous. This he brings to his debut recording, ably assisted by an odd assortment of Montreal musicians (the damn thing's nearly sample-free...). Indian classical flourishes? Check. Creepy electro-squishes? Check. Oozy, overtly sexual jazz vibes? Check. Tough-guy surf riffage? Check. Harpsichord, flamenco guitar, Jesus freak rant-bites, didgeri-damn-doo? Check, check, check-a-dee-check. All this and a genuine sense of songwriting (sadly, a rarity among DJs electing to jump the fence). Oh, and Ram? Mad props for the Lord Love a Duck sample. 8.5/10 (Rupert Bottenberg)
Joe Strummer and los Mescaleros Rock Art and the X-Ray Style(Hellcat/Sonic Unyon) "On the road to rock 'n' roll," sings old man Joe, "there's a lot of wreckage in the ravine." He should know, as he cruises comfortably past and onward. No surprise that he's on Rancid's label--who better than a Clash cover band to pimp his product today? Not that the strangulated crunch of Strummer's former band is present here. And neither is the sense of deadly-accurate urgency. The tunes are chiller, some even filler. Like the latter-day B.A.D. efforts of Clash compadre Mick Jones, Strummer alone only gives half the story. Until the two get over themselves, shake hands and make up, this will have to suffice. And--with its nouveau-beat poetics and internationalist cool--it does, quite nicely. 7.5/10 (Rupert Bottenberg)
Dune Montreal Mix Sessions Vol.3 (Turbo)
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It's seems like I've been waiting for this one forever. After all the troubles Monch had with Organized Confusion over the years, it's nice to see him shaking up both true heads and new heads with some no-nonsense, neck-breaking, lyrically superior shit. If you didn't know, this man is by far the crowned King of serious lyrical flex, and he does not hold back one ounce of skill on this record. The first single "Simon Says" is still busting speakers all over the place as we speak, while other tracks like "Behind Closed Doors" and "The Truth," featuring Common and Talib Kweli, are sure to do the same. There's even a track with Organized cohort Prince Po that sounds good--but I'd just as soon throw on "Fudge Pudge" from their first album and lose my mind. Get the f#$k up and check this. 8.5/10 (Scott C)
For the third installment of the mix CD series devoted to promoting local talent, Turbo recordings has looked to Montreal's third pillar of dance music, drum & bass. And who better to represent it than the intrepid Dune, aka Double A & Twist, whose deck skills rival the Grooveriders of the world. The boys start it off with an easy vocal from Foul Play, but then immediately go for the jugular with tunes like Justice's "Mauve Flow" and Slip's "Boogie Nights." They even get three of their own productions in there. Nice One. 9/10 (Krista)