Masters at Work Present West End Records 25th Anniversary Edition Mastermix (West End)
Since the late ’70s, crucial NYC disco figure Mel Cheren and his West End Records have maintained a legacy of envelope-pushing club music that is hard to quantify. Whether it’s uptempo, avant-garde cuts like Loose Joints’ “Is It All Over My Face” or quirky funk bombs such as Ednah Holt’s “Sirious Sirious Space Party,” these Paradise Garage anthems been redited and remixed by garage house icons Masters at Work (Louie Vega and Kenny Dope) in a 25th-anniversary mega-mix. Over two discs in a handsome silver box, the Masters chart the history of a great label and secure their own place in dance music lore. A timeless package. 9.5/10 (Peter Lightburn)

Andrew W.K.
I Get Wet
(Island Def Jam/Universal)
Just look at this guy. This is a man, a deadly serious, 22-year-old man, who believes in living life to the brink of mental and physical collapse, a philosophy that extends to his adrenal musical oeuvre. Take the most brash rock anthems of the ’80s, pump them full of dense but distinct, rapid-fire metal noise and slap on a chorus of testosterone-crazy monsters telling you, “It’s time to party!” Even if you think this self-described “explosion of human life” is utter shit, you can’t help but admire W.K.’s genuinely full-on, idiot heaviosity. 8/10 (Lorraine Carpenter)

Greg MacPherson Band
Good Times Coming Back Again
(G7 Welcoming Committee)
G7 is definitely one of Canada’s better labels, just for having the sheer balls to have a roster so diverse, from the commiecore of the Weakerthans to the grindcore of Malefaction. Greg MacPherson furthers the clouding of G7’s guidelines with some diamond-sharp song-writing skills that go straight for the heart. Remember the first time you heard Uncle Tupelo, Steve Earle or Alejandro Escovedo? Well, Macpherson will take you back there and have all hairs on your body standing at attention. His wicked vibrato vocal delivery paints incredible lyrical pictures that never stoop to self-indulgence. Keep your eyes on this boy, he’s going to be huge—whether he likes it or not. 9/10 (Johnson Cummins)

Robin Black &
the Intergalactic Rock Stars Planet: Fame (Sextant/EMI)
There’s nothing wrong with obnoxious men in obnoxious make-up and obnoxious clothes as long as they’re doing something right. And these self-proclaimed saviours of Canadian music can certainly put on a show, a pyromaniacal, sex-addicted, super-affected spectacle that’s worth seeing once in your life. But Robin “Fucking” Black’s glam metal cheesebag of a debut album is pretty much negligible. Fans will recognize some of the tried-and-tired tunes from the two-track, “star-shaped” single and, of course, the show. In fact, Planet: Fame is kinda like the show, minus your friends, pyrotechnics and beer goggles. 6/10 (Lorraine Carpenter)

Dressy Bessy
Sound Go Round (Kindercore)
Bubblegum-chewing cardigan-wearers, please take note (and this isn’t about Belle and Sebastian): lightly fuzzy guitars and rhythm, tambourine, handclaps and fleeting appearances of old-tyme keyboards shape this collegiate Colorado band’s lo-fi pop process. Sharing guitarist John Hill with the Apples in Stereo, Dressy Bessy’s melodic riffs ride confidently alongside singer Tammy Ealom’s headstrong, girlish harmonies. Despite some mid-album loose ends and a few clumsy bum notes, this sophomore album doesn’t fail to keep up, throwing a cool curve ball whenever things threaten to taper off. 8/10 (Lorraine Carpenter)

The Quill Voodoo Caravan (SPV/Fusion III)
If you long for the days of Kyuss and Saint Vitus, the Quill have come to fill the void with syrupy Sabbath riffs galore. Sabbath is a good starting point, but probably not the Sabbath you have in mind. Once singer Magnus Ekvall’s Ian Gillan/Bruce Dickinson wail comes in, it’s definitely Dio- and Gillan-era Sabbath. If heavy metal vocal gymnastics don’t scare you then this is the shit. It is quite doubtful that these longhaired Swedish trolls have ever heard grunge or death metal and thank God for it. It’s all about Maiden and mid-period Sabbath, but what did you expect from a band called the Quill? 8/10 (Johnson Cummins)

Sex Mob Does Bond
(Rope-a-Dope/Outside)
Nobody does it better, when it comes to unpretentious, hormone-charged jazz wizardry, than NYC’s Sex Mob. In this latest adventure, the quartet (with a choral trio and the great John Medeski in tow) tackle the scores that John Barry created for the early James Bond flicks, leaving them strange, deranged and rearranged. That Barry was an astoundingly inventive and populist composer is, by now, a given. That Mob boss Steven Bernstein is more than equipped to take Barry’s work into a lurid, psychedelic zone, reeking of pot and pussy, is now likewise confirmed. The centrepiece is Bernstein’s own tooting on his slide trumpet, a nasty lil’ fucker of an instrument. I suspect that more than one 007 fan will hear this as the way the Bond themes always sounded in their heads. 8.5/10 (Rupert Bottenberg)

Abdominal and DJ Fase
Flowtation Device (Tune Up)
Abs and Fase have at long last decided to throw caution to the wind and release an EP, giving the world an eight-track glimpse into the musical minds of this Toronto duo. Abs is a strong MC, leaning mostly on a storytelling style that almost always ends in laughter. Much like his last single, “Ill Culinary Behavior,” with DJ Format, Abs and his penchant for gastronomic delights take centre stage on the lead track “Fast Food.” Fase makes understated beats that balance nicely with his lippy partner’s verbal escapades, opting to keep it simple rather than overproduced. All in all, this is just a quick taste of what’s to come from these two word-flippin’, drum-choppin’, Elizabeth-lovin’ cats, who just want to share their point of view. 7/10 (Scott C)

FOG self-titled (Ninja Tune/Outside)
Yes, Ninja Tune has managed to create a mini-empire built on challenging us to listen to new and innovative sounds in electronic music, but it is with an emphatic “No!” that I dismiss all challenges issued by their new FOG release. Whether I like it or not, this angst-ridden journey into depression (served with a single ray of light) is a sort of sad post-rock eulogy delivered on a turntable platter. From the creepy ambiance of “The Smell of Failure,” which features a scratch-fest over a foetal heartbeat, to other songs like “Truth and Laughing Gas,” “We’re a Mess,” and the utterly pathetic drone of “And Stay Out,” this is unlike anything I’ve heard before. Further attempts at open-minded listening on my part only produced a severely contorted face, but if that makes you want to check this out, God help you. 6.5/10 (Scott C)

Marco Carola Open System (Statra/Fusion III)
It’s encouraging to hear people actually make albums that have some kind of variety to them. From organic tribal rhythms to breakbeats to pumping tech-house, Marco Carola’s mish-mash of groove-laden electronics is neatly packaged in one smooth transition from beginning to end. This Italian native even manages to flirt with downtempo, melodic electro (if that’s possible), along with experimental sounds overlaid with fat beats, and minimal house. The sounds are nothing groundbreaking, but at least each song is not a carbon copy of the previous track. It’s techno with mass appeal. 7.5/10 (Heidi Chapson)

Dianne Reeves
The Best of…
(Blue Note/EMI)
For anyone unfamiliar with jazz singer Dianne Reeves’ work, this is a great intro. Culled from six albums, this best-of compilation showcases a singer at home in her art. Nothing pretentious or over the top, Reeves simply infuses her steady, straightforward vocal style into a collection of mainly original material. Her best-known track, “Better Days” (aka “The Grandma Song,”) is front and centre and like most tracks on this set, it’s an insightful slice of contemporary jazz, served as only Reeves can. 7.5/10 (Gerard Dee)

Thomas Mapfumo & the Blacks Unlimited Chimurenga Explosion (Anonym)
Mapfumo is the architect of the Zimbabwean chimurenga (“struggle”) sound, taking the same name as the guerillas who drove out white rule in 1980. But ethnocentric it’s not—rolling along with a soft, easy buoyancy, Mapfumo’s music refracts touches of reggae, South African jazz and American soul. As his music once challenged white Rhodesia, so it now challenges the corrupt Mugabe, but it’s political by default. The baseline is a humble, positive uplifting of Shona culture and values, which is why guitars, drums and horns take a back seat to the unassuming little mbira finger piano. For all his prominence back home, Mapfumo’s no firebrand—more like a firefly, piercing the darkness around him with flashes of light and joy. 8/10 (Rupert Bottenberg) At Kola Note, Sat., Feb. 23, 9pm, $30

James Scott The Complete Works 1903–1922 (Basta)
Dutch math teacher and pianist Guido Nielsen faithfully performs every piece of music known to have been written by great, little-known ragtime composer Scott on this beautiful two-disc set. It’s almost worth buying for the packaging alone; designed by Chris Ware, the booklet, case and discs themselves are lavishly illustrated in the meticulously designed, old-timey style familiar to readers of Ware’s Acme Novelty Library comic. A beautiful release, for rag enthusiasts and neophytes alike. 9/10 (Mark Slutsky)

The Sandole Brothers & Guests (Fantasy/Universal)
The Sandole Brothers—Dennis, a guitarist, and Adolph, a baritone saxophonist—were also composers, teachers, movers and shakers in their hometown of Philadelphia. They’re mentioned in Barry Ulanov’s 1950 book, A History of Jazz in America, but little known outside of Philly. This rare 1956 recorded document is therefore all the more welcome. They are joined by the likes of Art Farmer, John LaPorta, Teo Macero and Wendell Marshall on 10 original tracks, including two exquisite miniatures that clock in at under a minute. Four equally rare clarinet trio sides from 1956 by LaPorta are added here. 9.5/10 (Len Dobbin)