Fischerspooner self-titled (International DJ Gigolo/Fusion III)

The show will leave you confused, amused, or even thrilled, if (God willing) these hipster doofi ever bring it to town, but the musical formula concocted by NYC’s Warren Fischer and Casey Spooner is relatively simple. Just combine the pop melodies, flat synths and tight-assed beats of the ’80s with the precision and intensity of contemporary electronica and you’ve got, in this case anyway, an exhilarating slice of revisionist sonic masturbation they’re calling “electro.” And the pretentiousness of the smuttier lyrics and touches of ridiculous ’80s-isms will let you in on the joke without the frosty rich bitches and feather-bearing butch fags to spell it out with their absurd performance art. 9/10 (Lorraine Carpenter)

Cornelius
Point
(Matador/FAB)
Our simian from Tokyo has done some growing up since his last album, ’98’s Fantasma. That platter was a hyperactive frenzy of rocktronic reconstitution, pushing the Shibuya-kei grab-bag aesthetic to overdrive in an effort to make room for the kitchen sink. The point of Point is quality over quantity, in that the diverse sounds that make up Cornelius’s fractured fairy tales are more carefully selected this time, and used in a far more patient, thorough and thoughtful fashion. Mechano beats, folk-rock flourishes, housey grooves and sounds o’ nature make up the bulk of the raw material here, maintaining the man’s sunny sensibility. In fact, even the bursts of rockist raunch (“I Hate Hate”) can’t conceal his trademarked, childlike good vibes. 9/10 (Rupert Bottenberg)

The Sunshine Fix
Age of the Sun
(Emperor Norton/Outside)
Olivia Tremor Control’s Bill Doss has rounded up members of southern U.S. indie bands Of Montreal, Japancakes, the Four Corners and Hayride for this stunning psychedelic pop blowout. Using the Beatles/Beach Boys sensibility as a base, Doss effectively factors in the weird, whether it be skewed, discordant samples, ill-fitting riffs or rubbery basslines. And this is one of those rare albums that works best as a whole. Not only do the songs merge, but the structure is circular and the sounds and moods are very cohesive and focused—in a kind of out-of-focus, kaleidoscopic way, of course. 8/10 (Lorraine Carpenter)

The Capones
Shut Up and Listen
(World Records)
Local power pop band scores big with a great cross-pollination of vintage Cheap Trick and the glory days of Redd Kross. Crunchy guitars get roped in with careening harmonies and sail down the rails of some strong writing. Check out the Raspberries rock ’n’ roll of “Come On Come On” or “The One” for an illustration of the ol’ “more hooks than a tackle box” adage. All the songs here are aimed straight for modern rock radio but it’s tunes like “Ester June,” “Do You Think You’re Alive” or the lounge bubblegum of “Everything” that make this much more then just radio ga ga. 7/10 (Johnson Cummins) CD launch at Club Zone, Fri., Jan. 25, 9pm, free

Starsailor
Love Is Here
(Capitol/EMI)
The latest act to get the “best new band in Britain” treatment, Starsailor follow the lead of Coldplay (among others) with their open reverence for Jeff Buckley and Nick Drake. But this band—named after an album by Tim Buckley, Jeff’s folk singer dad—is admittedly hippyish, their bare, mid-tempo tunes dominated by piano, acoustic guitar and the love-it-or-hate-it, warbling alto of singer James Walsh. Emotiveness is admirable but, unfortunately, the overall feeling here is overly maudlin and many of the tunes are too weak to keep the dense cargo afloat. 6.5/10 (Lorraine Carpenter) With Charlatans U.K. at Café Campus, Sat., Jan. 26, 8pm, $19.50

Her Space Holiday
Manic Expressive (Tigerstyle)
Yet another bedroom band-of-one, but this Marc Bianchi character, from Frisco, stands apart from the pack. His strength is that his songs are solid and complete, as though democratically assembled by a full band. Lush strings, spare guitar licks and Bianchi’s breathy vocals milk the romantic melancholy over dot-matrix beats, with the rock thud of his previous life in emo-core rarely surfacing (note “Hassle Free Harmony”). Unobtrusive but definitely engaging, Bianchi’s triangulation of post-rock, wistful electropop and laptop loop-dee-loops will appeal to anyone already sold on local act Stars, for instance. 8.5/10 (Rupert Bottenberg) With the Gloria Record at Casa del Popolo, Thurs., Jan. 24, 9pm

Various I am Sam soundtrack (V2/BMG)
What with George’s death and the recent transfer of the Beatles catalogue from the paws of Michael Jackson to the hooves of Sony Corp., is the release of a Beatles cover album alongside an Oscar-grubbing retard movie timely or what? The good news is that these songs—a mid-tempo, largely mid-to-late-period selection—are too good to wreck, although golden throats Eddie Vedder and Paul Westerberg make fair attempts. Artists including the Black Crowes, Grandaddy, Ben Harper, Nick Cave, Sheryl Crow, Stereophonics and our Rufus crank out fairly conservative covers, making for a decent but kinda pointless disc. 7/10 (Lorraine Carpenter)

Entombed Morning Star
(Music For Nations/Koch)
Okay, so their last CD Same Difference wasn’t so hot compared to the genius of To Shoot Straight…, but talk about your comebacks. Continuing on the more rocking side of metal, Entombed give up all the goods with not a dud in the 12 tracks here. The goth chanting in opener “Chief Rebel Angel” is a bit much but the song is saved by the bellowing howl of lead vocalist Alex Hellid. “Ensemble of the Restless” could very well be their career high point thus far. The jury was definitely out after Nicke Hellacopter left the drum seat, especially with their last CD, but Entombed are back in control as the reigning kings of old school power metal. 9/10 (Johnson Cummins)

Jay-Z Unplugged
(Universal)
As far as I can see it, this is a record for guys like me who can recognize Jigga’s lyrical skills as downright genius, but get bored and tend to whine a lot when it comes to his choice of beats and such. Real fans of J might dismiss this as some ol’ happy shit, but it’s all in good fun. With the more than capable Roots backing J up on the acoustic tip, these organic beatmasters add a refreshingly new dimension to Jay-Z’s undeniably confident tone, and ultimately the band, the MC and the listener end up having a good time. Oh yeah, and all the hits are here, flipped nicely for the new “unplugged” generation. 7.5/10 (Scott C)

Nas
Stillmatic
(Columbia/Sony)
Well, well, well. It seems that Dr. Knockboots has decided that it’s high time he got off his ass and showed people why he was at one time considered the second coming of Christ in the hip hop world. It was Written, I Am… and Nastradamus all gave us reason to get depressed about the chosen one’s departure from lyrical truth, but Stillmatic indicates that he had it in him all the time. Taking care of a few obligatory beef rhymes aimed at Jay-Z, and some of his onetime QB compatriots, Nas doesn’t hold back on the wonderfully-woven grit and grime of his inner mind that has escaped recent releases. Oddly enough, the production is strong, and even better, suitable for the lyrical shift back to necessary rhymes. I doubt this will go down in history, but it’s nice to see my boy got his head straight, for now. 7/10 (Scott C)

Joe
Better Days
(BMG)
On his forth disc, Joe Thomas opts for a blend of mid-tempo R&B joints. His writing skills make for some choice material. The Neptunes-produced “Isn’t This the World” finds him struggling to understand loneliness; on “Changed Man,” he sings about turning his life around; and “Ghetto Child” overcomes a guest spot by Shaggy to relay a serious message about self-esteem. On the disc’s strongest track, “What If a Woman,” he takes a page from the R. Kelly songbook and sings from the female perspective. 7.5/10 (Gerard Dee)

L’Infonie
Volume 333
(Mucho Gusto/Fusion III)
Local label Mucho Gusto continues its excavation of Quebec’s forgotten freaknoise, following the first Infonie release with a double-disc dose of the same. This ’72 album was regarded as the band’s finest moment, on par with the better Euro-prog and Krautrock of the day—as tight, technically, but far funnier (if not always unpretentious). The first disc, entitled “Paix,” is divvied up into 50 tiny sections, showcasing the psychedelic funk-rock, free jazz and proto-actuelle chops of the collective. The second disc gets weirder, with some extended, straight-ahead chamber music followed by spoken word and primal mouth music. If nothing else, this disc will confirm rumours that Quebec grows some of the most kick-ass marijuana in the world. 8/10 (Rupert Bottenberg)

Chuck E. Weiss
Old Souls & Wolf Tickets
(Ryko/Slow River/Outside)
He spawned the Rickie Lee Jones song “Chuck E’s in Love” and has been called a master by Tom Waits, so whaddya mean, you haven’t heard of him? Weiss is even such a living legend that he coaxed blues master Willie Dixon out of retirement to play bass on a lot of tracks here. Along with Randy Newman and Mr. Waits, Weiss is one the best barstool prophets and yarn-spinners around. If you like hanging out in bars that flood the room with sunlight every time the front door opens, go get this now because this will go great with a pack of Lucky Strikes, cheap draft and a shot of the cheapest house scotch. 9/10 (Johnson Cummins)