<<rinôçérôse>> Music Kills Me (V2/BMG)
Spooked by a Concorde crash (one such jet graced the cover of the last CD) and a nonet of Pearl Jam fans dying concurrently to their own second-stage set at a rock fest, <<rinôçérôse>> have developed a morbid fascination with, well, death. The lugubrious theme is deliberately contrasted against this album’s groovy vivaciousness. The live house-music band from Montpellier, France continues to dynamite the disco/riff-rock dichotomy (two sensibilities that are supposed to be dead, anyway), investing ominously-titled tracks like “Professeur Suicide,” “Dead Flowers” and “Brian Jones: Last Picture” with an almost absurd joie-de-vivre. An encyclopedic grasp of la historia de la musica rock, compounded by the fierce and funny intellects of core duo J.P. and Patou and nailed to the wall by contoured club grooves that just won’t quit—that’s the formula that’ll make <<rinôçérôse>> the next Daft Punk. 10/10 (Rupert Bottenberg)

Human League Secrets
(L Music)
Even if this eighth Human League album were garbage, these folks would still deserve credit for great timing. With recent “’80s futurist” bands like Ladytron and the ever-erupting electro-tech volcano, this Sheffield trio has had their name dropped like an international hot potato, finally getting the props they deserve. And this album clearly recalls the band’s original, vaguely seedy electropop sound, with contemporary beat collages and nouveau sheen giving it a breath of new life. Brilliant but brief instrumentals form song-to-song segues, and, as with New Order’s latest, not every track is a gem but the disc will leave early ’80s enthusiasts with a good, good feeling. 8/10 (Lorraine Carpenter)

Electrelane
Rock it to the Moon (Mr. Lady)
V For Vendetta Beneath This Mask Another Mask
(Mr. Lady)
Electrelane is a female quartet from Brighton, England, an instrumental act who sidestep easy classification with their chaotic collage of Krautrock, post-rock, punk, surf and abstract soundscaping. This schizoid creation features Farfisa, guitar, bass, drums and occasional chanting, but horns and strings drop in for big orchestral melées as well as cold, ambient wanderings. At times difficult and overdrawn, this is nevertheless an impressive debut, perhaps more so than that of Providence, RI’s V For Vendetta, whose unnerving prog-rock stylings and poorly produced vocals leave much to be desired. This said, V4V’s math-rock tunes still turn out a few engaging equations along the way. Electrelane 7/10, V4V 5/10 (Lorraine Carpenter)

The Unireverse Plays the Music Vol. II: Explosions d’Etoiles
(Total Zero)
More Moog madness and transcendental foolishness from Montreal’s budgetronic blastronauts. As with the first Plays the Music…, there are the expansive/reductive, idiot/savant reinterpretations of the klassix—good ol’ “Cocaine,” Human League’s “Hard Times” and a version of Donna Summer’s “I Feel Love” that borders on religious epiphany. Filling out this five-pack are a pair of originals, the brilliantly titled “Block Rockin’ Stockhausen” and the titular “Explosions d’Etoiles,” suitable for crack dens and planetariums. If you like your trips long and strange, plus cheap, heavy and silly, the Unireverse are in your corner. 9/10 (Rupert Bottenberg)

KRS-One Spiritual Minded (Koch)
Uh-oh. After a few years of struggling to get the kids to listen to the “teachings of the philosopher,” hip hop legend KRS-One decides to drop a whole lot of knowledge on unsuspecting teens everywhere. Old-school cats are left wondering when the big man is gonna get back to crafting some serious songs, as opposed to beating us over the head with knowledge over wack beats. This is KRS talking about God and Christ and empowering oneself against unbeatable odds. Great message, but I’m just not feeling it like I probably should. Unfortunately, this record may wind up on that growing pile of crappy/sappy music created in the wake of Sept. 11. Let’s just hope that KRS has no intention of staying there. 5/10 (Scott C)

John Kong & Moonstarr
“Future Vision” 12”
(Fluid Ounce)
Moonstarr Dupont
(Public Transit)
Toronto’s electronic darling of the moment, Moonstarr, is now reaping the benefits of his basement productions with the release of the single “Future Vision” on broken-beat barometer Fluid Ounce. The song, produced with frequent cohort John Kong, is a Rhodes-laden broken bossa with acoustic bass for good measure. The B-side sports the all-important remix by zero dB (aka 2-step don Zed Bias) just to round things out. Moonstarr’s EP Dupont is a little less produced and more all over the place, featuring a few house tracks and some ridiculous hip hop cut-ups. This record has a pretty dirty feel to it, and although it managed to make Gilles Peterson’s top 100 records of 2001, I’m still waiting to see what Moonstarr will do next. “Future Vison” 7.5/10, Dupont 7/10 (Scott C)

Pheek
Paysages matriciels
(Epsilonlab/Fusion III)
Warm, breezy electronics are what Montreal’s Jean-Patrice Rémillard, the man behind Pheek, decides to tease us with while we anxiously await the first signs of spring. If it wasn’t for the sultry tech/house beats, I would swear this was a sounds-of-nature rest ’n’ relaxation album. Produced in collaboration with fellow Montrealer Mateo Murphy, this second release is packed with feel-good mellow grooves, danceable rhythms and the oh-so-sweet sounds of summer, rolling thunder included. 8/10 (Heidi Chapson) CD launch at SAT, Sat., Mar. 9

Hood
Cold House
(Aesthetics)
Using various facets of warped psychedelia as a base, this Brit quartet paints lazy acoustic strokes with dabs of hip hop rhythms, micro beats and delicate orchestration on this, their fifth album. Though it risks being overbearing, Cold House factors in experimental textures and pop passages, organic and fabricated sounds, analog and digital, and manages to strike an easy, chill balance. Fey, whitewashed Brit vocals are layered, chopped and sometimes offered straight-up, while guest MCs Dose One and Why? are evenly woven and effect-ed on the closing track. 8/10 (Lorraine Carpenter) With Buck 65 at Sala Rossa, Tues., Mar. 12

Various Casa Congo (MRP)
Quilted together by MRP Music out of Scarborough, Ontario, Casa Congo features the best and brightest house producers out of the land of La Dolce Vita. Eleven cuts display a keyboard-laden potpourri of Afro-Latin and Brazilian riddims that have been fuelling dancefloors worlwide. Standout thumpers include Cormain’s “El Sol,” a favourite from Louie Vega’s crate, and House Lover’s “Congo,” which features Cico Cicognani, the ex-bassist from noted jazz-funk collective JestoFunk. Italians have been making a dent in club music since the ’80s. With Casa Congo, they still are. 9/10 (Peter Lightburn)

Remy Shand
The Way I Feel
(Universal)
If D’Angelo or Maxwell had been born in Winnipeg to white parents, they might very well have become Remy Shand. Lineage aside, Shand falls in line with the current wave of nouveau soul sweeping the musical landscape. Aside from being producer and writer on his debut disc, this multi-talented vocalist plays a variety of instruments, including guitar and piano. The result is a self-contained project that boasts satisfying tracks like the deeply soulful “Burning Bridges,” the beautiful “The Color of the Day” and the groovy lead single “Take a Message.” Sweet. 8/10 (Gerard Dee)

Antibalas
Talkatif
(Ninja Tune/Outside)
Brooklyn’s Afro-beat preservationists return, some 17 members strong, flying the Fela flag high. The spirit of late Fela Kuti, Nigeria’s pope of politicized pop, is present throughout—from the jacket illo by Ghariokwu Lemi (who did all of Fela’s records) to the pin-point-precise polyrhythms, percolating guitar and requisite freight-train brass that defined Fela’s original mid-’70s sound. Blessed with a seamless collectivity that underscores their people-power message, Antibalas are all the more necessary these days, as the U.S. creeps ever closer to being a militarized police state. 9/10 (Rupert Bottenberg)

Various Big Bad Love soundtrack (Nonesuch/Warner)
Big Bad Love is based on the short stories of Southern fiction writer Larry Brown, which usually take place in barren southern locales where survival is considered a privilege. That considered, what better contributors can you get than Fat Possum’s all-stars, like the late Junior Kimbrough, R.L. Burnside and T Model Ford, as well as Steve Earle, Buddy Guy, Tom Waits and the unlikely appearance of Television’s Tom Verlaine with the Kronos Quartet. R.L.’s gruff howl sits nicely alongside the Kronos Quartet’s restraint while the songwriting genius of Earle and Waits complements more than competes. Usually a compilation with this much diversity can suffer from a lack of focus but in this case, all of the songs all come from the same place—the gut. 9.5/10 (Johnson Cummins)

The Maritime Jazz Orchestra
Now and Now Again
(Justin Time/Fusion III)
This is a fine band from Canada’s East Coast, a large ensemble that includes Greg Carter, Kirk MacDonald, Mike Murley, Jim Vivian and a couple of Montreal-based musicians, Jocelyn Couture and Dave Grott. For a second time on CD, the band is joined by three first-rate musicians based in England, namely trumpeter Kenny Wheeler, pianist John Taylor and singer Norma Winstone. The music this time around includes “Pure and Simple” by Taylor, “Sweet Ruby Suite” and the title piece by Canadian-born Wheeler, a renowned jazz composer. Another winner for this important label. 10/10 (Len Dobbin)