Tomas Jirku Entropy (Intr_version/Fusion III)

From Montreal’s own Intr_version label comes the latest release by minimal techno Canuck Tomas Jirku, whom you may remember from his amazing releases on Force-Inc. and Substractif. Now the TO artist returns with 11 tracks of rinsed-out minimal tech madness. Take the dubbiness of the Chain Reaction label, the click-hop shuffle of SND and then turn the lights waaaay down low and you’re halfway there. Micro-sound inna King tubby stylee. Perfect for decompressing during that post 6 a.m. comedown, this is yet another release cementing Intr_version’s place as one of the strongest experimental labels around. 9/10 (Raf Katigbak)

Paintbox Here’s to Modern Living (Fuligoh/independent)
Tight pop songwriting, beard-stroking proficiency and a clever welding of influences equals props for this TO-based band’s sophomore LP. Part psychedelic rock—the band’s name was lifted from a Pink Floyd song—part guitar pop, Paintbox bounce from casually moody textures to no-frills indie pop, recalling Sloan or Blur at their most up. Revealing another influence on “Hedonistic” with the line “put on an album that sounds like Ride/comin’ down again,” the band make no bones of their Brit-miming past, but extra schooling has produced a sweet present. 8/10 (Lorraine Carpenter)

At the Jupiter Room on Sat., Aug. 17

Ozma The Doubble Donkey Disc (Kung Fu)
This disc finds L.A. Weezer buddies Ozma fusing two old, oddly conceived EPs. The first half, “Russian Coldfusion,” leads muted vocals and slight acoustic guitar into a militaristic marching beat. Medieval harps and cartoon goth melodies collide with boyish vocals and cranked up punk basslines, while quietly tense jaggedness springs out into big pop choruses. “Bootytraps,” drawn from Ozma’s infatuation with the word “booty,” places straight-out rock on a heavy synth base, with the occasional pouty number bringing a tear to the eye. An engaging effort, but variety provides much of the spice. 7.5/10 (Lorraine Carpenter)

With the Warped Tour at Parc Jean-Drapeau, Fri., Aug. 16, 1pm, $31.29–36.29

Snapcase End Transmission (Victory/Koch)
Snapcase have always been the great white hope of hardcore, so all eyes are on this one. And the Buffalo quintet make good, delivering some of the most groundbreaking h.c. since Refused’s The Shape of Punk to Come or At the Drive-In’s Relationship of Command. Knowing that plowing away full tilt will only give us ear fatigue, Snapcase lean back in the Deftones-esque “Ten A.M.” before slamming into the Quicksand groove of “First Word.” “End Transmission” shows these clean-cut boys on the cusp of something real big and, with a new throng of heavy music fans, 2002 could prove to be their year. 8.5/10 (Johnson Cummins)

With Strung Out, Rise Against & the Line at the Medley on Sat., Aug. 24,7pm, $17

Ralph Myerz & the Jack Herren Band A Special EP (Emperor Norton/Outside)
The names are a put-on—“Herren” was Russ Meyers’s cameraman, and who knows where Norwegian DJ Erlend Sellevold got “Myerz.” “Nikita,” the debut bow from this DJ/drums/percussion trio, has already graced VW ads and Playboy comps. It’s a simple but effective dubpop number, built around an eerily beautiful vocal loop from some old ’70s German flick. Next in line for public attention is “Clouds,” a plush, Rhodes-based confection, but I’m liking “A Special Morning” with its spaghetti-Western whistle bit. All told, solid downtempo fun that’s never too precious and slick. Album’s due by spring. Should be good. 8.5/10 (Rupert Bottenberg)

David Kristian My Three Suns (Piehead Records)
David Kristian has been a staple in local techno for over a decade, producing some of the most innovative and beautiful music for labels like Leaf, Schematic, Alien8, Lo Recordings, and Tigerbeat6. My Three Suns moves away from the abstract sound design of his Cricklewood and Room Tone albums and brings in a more accessible, beat-driven and subtly sci-fi sound as on his Sawdust, Sinedust, Squaredust album. His melodies are understated, delicate and haunting, the creepiest moment being guest vocals by fellow Montreal experimental artist [sic] on tracks 10 and 12. Limited to 311 copies, only available at www.pieheadrecords.com. 9/10 (Raf Katigbak)

With Andrew Duke, I8U & Naw at Casa Del Popolo on Fri., Aug. 16, 9pm, $10

DJ Wreck Presents Wreck “O” Mand (Opus Recordings)
Fans of Wreck’s last mix, Wreckonize, know that he likes to get inventive with no-holds-barred underground bangers. Employing the verbal skills of MC Bless, Wreck has come up with a tight mix that’s big on variety and devoid of no-brainer hits. Names like Ed O.G. and Ill Bill are found here, as well as J-Live, Non-Phixion, O.C., T.T.C, Cocoa Brovaz, Rascalz and J-Live. Wreck sounds fresh and free, letting the songs breathe while keeping things on the move, and Bless drops yet another taste for the skeptics with a freestyle that shows where he’s coming from. 8.5/10 (Scott C)

Blu Rum 13 Vaguely Familiar (Jazz Fudge)
Looks like Montreal’s Blu Rum 13 can sit proud on his debut full length of slightly left-of-centre hip hop on DJ Vadim’s U.K. label. His relaxed delivery goes through the paces on this record, where he leaves lots of room for himself to experiment with his distinct voice. Production from Vadim, Kid Koala and Grandtheft allow Blu Rum to serve up his contribution with style, while providing anything but generic hip hop. Hopefully Jazz Fudge will fork out the dough for some ill remixes and a nice push for this local MC, who could become internationally known. 7.5/10 (Scott C)

Various Spiritual Life Music vol. 1 (Spiritual Life/Fusion III)
When New York DJ Joe Claussell isn’t whipping dance floors into rapturous arrest, he owns and runs Spiritual Life Music with Kamati Pinkston. Spiritual has been an inimitable force in world/dance music circles since Jephte Guillaume’s “Lakoua” in ’96. In this exquisite scrapbook, polyrhythmic sounds from all corners of the earth blur genre lines, displaying the superb percussion of Mexico’s Daniel Moreno and ex-Fela drummer Ola Jagun. Three Generations Walking shows a blueprint for the future in their delicate fusion of microchips and global rhythms. With its anthropological undertow and humanity-embracing values, Spiritual Life vol. 1 is essential. 9.5/10 (Peter Lightburn)

Alejandro Escovedo Gravity (Lone Star/Fusion III)
This 1993 debut solo record from Escovedo hardly shows a man testing the waters, but rather a fully realized artist with the rudder firmly in hand. The Gravity reissue features bonus tracks and a stunning live CD from ’93. In fact, it’s the live disc that makes this essential listening. In the small confines of a club, Escovedo’s lyrics hide behind nothing but an acoustic guitar, cello, violin and harmonica and strikes like an arrow to the heart. It’s these stripped down versions of “She Doesn’t Live Here Anymore” and “Pyramid of Tears” that really soars. Truly one of the greatest living writers around. 9/10 (Johnson Cummins)

Quinimine Filaments (GreyFlat)
From the creatively prolific streets of Mile-End comes another brooding, earthbound ensemble, their melancholic riffs meeting organ, banjo and Gary Jansz’s pensive vocals, sometimes in harmony with Alice Cautine. Also featuring Sofa’s Keith Marchand on skins, as well as a spot of cello by A Silver Mt. Zion’s Beckie Foon, this five-track EP bridges sombre urban malaise and hardline rural simplicity. Covers of Kurt Weill’s “September Song” and the traditional murder ballad “Knoxville Girl” leave a burning ember in the fire and a creeping chill in the air. 8/10 (Lorraine Carpenter)

With Paul Burnett and Harris Newman at La Sala Rossa on Fri., Aug. 16, 9:30pm, $5

Jason Rosenblatt & Shtreiml Harmonica Galitzianer (independent)
Montreal local Rosenblatt takes on an unusual challenge with this project: leading a four-piece klezmer band with a harmonica. This has apparently never really been done before and, amazingly enough, it works. Though it’s a bit disconcerting to hear parts that would otherwise be played on a clarinet interpreted by a mouth harp, Rosenblatt succeeds, through techniques described as “note bending, overblowing and overdrawing,” in making the harmonica a klezmer instrument. With able backers Thierry Arsenault, Ariel Harrod and Josh Dolgin. 8/10 (Mark Slutsky)

Branford Marsalis Footsteps of Four Fathers (Rounder/Universal)
My favourite by far of the frères Marsalis, Branford pays tribute here to four important musician–composers. His very together trio, with Eric Revis and Jeff “Tain” Watts, is joined at times by superb pianist Joey Calderazzo. Ornette Coleman’s “Giggin’,” John Lewis’s “Concorde” and two extended works, John Coltrane’s “A Love Supreme” and Sonny Rollins’ “Freedom Suite,” are all treated with respect and played with passion. A number of U.S. DJs have complained that, because of the labelling, they can’t tell where the compositions begin—My God! If you don’t know these compositions by now, what are you doing hosting a jazz program? 10/10
(Len Dobbin)

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