Discs of the week

Barry Adamson The King of Nothing Hill (Mute/Fusion III)
With only a best-of since ’98’s As Above So Below, it’s been a long wait for the return of Adamson’s swanky malevolence. Since the mid-’80s, when he bailed on Nick Cave’s Bad Seeds, Adamson’s been concocting his masterful mix of, shall we say, soul noir. Couched in the sexy, ambitious orch-funk of the classics ’70s crime films, decorated with a spy-flick lick here, loungey vibe chimes or a spatter of d&b there, all pierced by shivers of bitter humour, religious angst and vulnerability. The King is no exception, just an elaboration, a finessing. The bold groove of “Cinematic Soul” kicks the door open for the hitman’s testament “The Whispering Streets,” an exemplary BA creation. The eerie, frenetic instrumental “The Crime Scene” gives out to the absolution-hungry end game of “Cold Comfort.” And nowhere between does the faintest ray of sunlight intrude. 9/10 (Rupert Bottenberg)

Sahara Hotnights Jennie Bomb (Jetset)
Bringing more good news from Sweden, these foxy female 20-somethings have been playing since pre-pubescence, and this well-timed stateside debut hits girlie bands and Strokes mimers where it hurts. With a voice to match Joan Jett, Maria Anderson spits echo-laden fuel at the sparks of duelling guitars, which range from low-slung new-wave riffs to raw sleazerock. At their frenetic best, the Hotnights recall Siouxsie’s “Love in a Void” or the Stooges’ “I Wanna Be Your Dog,” but the ’80s mega-rock din doesn’t run as well on reduced energy. But, despite its fleeting weaknesses, this album challenges all the world’s Donnas and Tuulis to wise up or shut up. 9/10 (Lorraine Carpenter)

Deride First Round Knockout (The Music Cartel)
Norway’s Deride play power metal with brutal, knockout force. No crazy leads, nutty time signatures, faster-than-light tempos or ambient noises muddying up the mix, just a straight-ahead, bone-crunching assault. Frediablo’s Anselmo-like scream is bubbling over with seething rage—he makes the occasional nod to death vocals, but it’s his scream that really makes First Round Knockout stick out in the glut of Pantera-esque bands. Fans of Pantera, Superjoint Ritual and Down, take note. 8/10 (Johnson Cummins)
Drums & Tuba Mostly Ape (Righteous Babe/Festival)
Taking the tuba out of the Big Easy/Bavarian context it’s long been limited to, the NYC trio (drums and guitar abet the bassy brass burpmonster) generated some primo prog-funk math-a-delia on their last release Vinyl Killer. This new joint sees them on a more rockist tip, sparse, wiry and determined. Chugging riffage and square, relentless grooves give the proceedings a frequent metallic sheen, while judicious use of pedals and knobs maintain the cosmic headspace they’ve conquered. Some tracks, like “The Metrics” and “Air Con Dee,” still have that light, loose funkiness that’s endeared D&T to the jam-band scene, but this shit speaks to a far wider crowd than just that. 8.5/10 (Rupert Bottenberg) At Café Campus, Wed., Sept. 18, 8pm, $6.50)
Aimee Mann Lost in Space (SuperEgo/Outside)
Doing her part to lend relevance to the middle of the road, this seasoned singer-songwriter stays the thoughtful, melancholic course on her fourth solo album. A delicately crafted fresco of strings, keys and multi-purpose guitars—eerily evoking George Harrison on “Humpty Dumpty,” and taking cues from the Beatles throughout—support Mann’s wearily wise drawl, while her lyrics ponder addiction, detachment and interpersonal oddities. Though the songs easily bleed into each other, this album’s intelligence and sonic exploration mercifully sets it apart from the Five for Fightings and the Dave Matthews bland. 7.5/10 (Lorraine Carpenter)
The Blasters Trouble Bound  (Hightone)
L.A.’s legendary neo-roots bands, recorded live with the original line-up, playing together for the first time in 17 years. The Blasters’ take on Sun-style rockabilly and juke joint R&B is top notch, and, listening to this live document, it seems they only got better with each passing year. Guitar god Dave Alvin (X, the Dave Alvin Band) is stellar beyond belief on this. His trademarked frenzied, reverb-drenched string-bending has been replaced with restraint and economy, leaving room for the rest of the band. A couple of great covers here, too, like Little Willie John’s “I’m Shakin’,” Junior Parker’s “Cryin’ for My Baby” and Johnny Watson’s “Too Tired.” This is rock ’n’ roll. 8/10 (Johnson Cummins)
Promatic self-titled (Koch/Contra)
Combining the drug-induced “talents” of Detroit natives and D12 affiliates Proof and Dogmatic, this corny LP romp pretty much covers the same ground as D12’s Devils Night. By that I mean mushrooms, ecstasy, lesbians, freaks, the everyday hustle, haters and non-believers. On the boards, producer Sicknotes gets as close to sounding like every track on an Eminem LP with out any blatant bites—obviously a big fan of his sound. These guys sound like they could pump out a release like this every couple of weeks, as long as they keep up the mushroom intake. They could probably also do well for themselves if they specialized in producing retarded skits and filler for other people’s records. There’s always a demand for that. 6/10 (Scott C)
Various Underground Hip Hop Vol. 1 (Urbnet/EMI)
Looks like Toronto’s Urbnet.com have decided to put it on the line with their new collection of hip hop artists from across the country. Montreal’s Obscure Disorder makes an appearance with their new track “The Grill” and D-Shade and Simahlak light things up with “Space & Time.” I was slightly impressed by T.O.’s DL Incognito and his fine showing on “Head Rush,” as well as the usual cornball genius of D-Sisive’s “Who Wanna Go.” Dan-e-o’s “We & You” get the gas face, ’cause it sounds like Danny can’t choose beats to complement his complex flow. Also expected more from BrassMunk, who need to come with a clear banger that showcases the ill darts and production talents that they have at their disposal. Their song “Get Right (Bring It)”is not quite right. Good comp all around, though, with heads busy across the board. 8/10 (Scott C)
Various French Girls (Catalogue/Fusion III)
From the salacious robotics of Miss Kittin & the Hacker to Scratch Massive’s hazey house to Autour de Lucie’s rich chillout vibes, this classy comp features all mood and manner of keyboard strokin’, baguette totin’ ladies. Remix misters such as Air, Señor Coconut and I:Cube have their way with half the tracks, but bilingual female vocals reign through the beat-driven dancefloor ditties, French pop nouveau and petite music-box musings. All in all, this amply atmospheric disc won’t fail to entertain despite its hollow moments of excessive cucumber-coolness. Quoi. 8/10 (Lorraine Carpenter)
Layo & Bushwacka Night Works (XL/Select)
With more funk than my unwashed socks, acid house casualties Layo & Bushwacka follow up their debut album Low-Life with a beefy slice of breakbeat meat. These guys are infamous for their extended five-hour sets and head-bobbin’ productions, so the dancefloor-rockin’ appeal of Night Works is not surprising. Continuing their low-end theory with heavy-handed monster bass, this time the tracks are softened by melodies and chord progressions that are at once inviting and uneasy. Drawing from influences as varied as free jazz and psychedelic rock and funk, Layo & Bushwacka blend each individual sound into a smooth and funky whole. 7/10 (Raf Katigbak)
Mary Mary Incredible (Sony)
On their sophomore effort, the Mary Mary girls continue to spread the good news via funky beats and positive vibes. The duo turn the funk knob up a notch on this one, thanks to the guiding hands of producers like Mike City and Rodney Jerkins. There’s nothing on this set as infectious as their ubiquitous ’00 breakthrough single “Shackles (Praise You),” though lead single “In the Morning” is reminiscent in its pumped-up energy. Likewise, tracks like “God Bless” and “He Said” will keep this gospel train rocking right on time. 7.5/10 (Gerard Dee)
Azam Ali Portals of Grace (Narada)
Like Ekova’s Dierdre Dubois and Elizabeth Fraser of Cocteau Twins, Indo-Persian L.A. woman Ali delivers imaginary-language lyrics in a style that’s part middle ages, part Middle East. At least, that’s her steez in the abstract worldbeat duo Vas, with percussionist Greg Ellis. Portals of Grace is her solo debut, a detour from Vas, and you could call it a covers album. Exploring the early music that’s so inspired her approach, she digs into sacred works, be they Byzantine, Latin, Sephardic or medieval French. Beyond exposing the links between these various traditions, Ali’s collection generates a spine-tingling sense of the sublime that’s both ancient and immediately accessible. 8/10 (Rupert Bottenberg)
Christophe Schweizer Normal Garden Physique (Omnitone/Fusion III)
This is a CD spotlighting the inventive writing and playing of the trombonist leader. He honed his skills through studies in Europe with Branimir Skolar and on this side of the Atlantic with people like Conrad Herwig and Dave Taylor. He’s been a finalist in the European Jazz Competition in 1991 and the 1998 ASCAP Morton Gould Awards for Young Composers. The varied program here, five originals, is played by some of the more adventurous N.Y. players—a septet of Donny McCaslin, Eric Rasmussen, Alexander Sipiagin, Ethan Iverson, Johannes Weidenmueller and veteran Billy Hart. A most memorable outing! 9/10 (Len Dobbin)

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