Boban Markovic Orkestar Live in Belgrade (Piranha/Fusion III) The Guca festival in Serbia has been nicknamed the “Woodstock of brass bands,” and Markovic has taken top trumpet honours there five times running. Moreover, his dozen-strong, Serbian-Gypsy “Orkestar” earned equivalent accolades in 2000. Here’s living, breathing evidence why, recorded just last year. Keeping the faith with the Balkan brass-band traditions, Markovic leads his boys through romps of full-bodied funkiness, cemented by Sasa Alisanovic’s bowel-shaking blasts on the tuba-like helicon. The sheer force of it all is such that the occasional slow, sorrowful vocal interludes (oh, yeah, Boban can sing real sweet, too) serve as almost necessary moments of respite. Nice take on “Hava Naguila,” to boot. If you can’t make the show tonight, this is the next best thing. 9.5/10 (Rupert Bottenberg) At Petit Campus tonight, Thurs., Oct. 3, 11pm, $18.50

Supergrass Life on Other Planets (EMI) Still indulging in the joyous rock-of-old that has carried them since their first frenetic outburst, Oxford, England’s Supergrass sound relaxed and refreshed on album four. Fans of their last two albums will dig the happy combo of bubbling basslines, rollicking guitars and piano, celestial synths, cheery handclaps and falsetto fixin’s, all the glam rock, psychedelic and punk influences in their right place (the Beatles, Bowie and the Stranglers come to mind). It’s nice to see a band from the Britpop crop weather its storms and droughts, drawing fresh earth and new life on familiar ground. 8/10 (Lorraine Carpenter)

La Motta self-titled (Boss Tuneage) Now firmly entrenched in the wilds of West Hollywood, former local boy Sean Freisen of the Asexuals hits his stride once again with this latest collection of smash hits, a little faster and a little louder than the latter-day Asexuals. Freisen has always possessed an intrinsic talent for writing catchy pop songs in the Replacements vein, and with La Motta he is clearly at the top of his game. Helped out on guitar by ex-Pixie Joey Santiago, stand out tracks like “Harry’s Game,” “Night Sun” and a blistering re-working of the Asexuals classic “Black Sugar” are as good as this genre of rock ’n’ roll gets. Now if only anybody was paying attention. 9/10 (Chris Barry)

Suede A New Morning (Columbia/Sony) Pardon me for getting personal, but this neo-glam act was my teenage obsession, so I’m very disappointed and increasingly nostalgic for the night before. Suede’s fifth album is tainted by tired lyrical refrains and vocal melodies, and a dull sonic sheen by, of all people, Smiths/Blur producer Stephen Street. The kick-off song and single “Positivity” is pathetically weak, but one sweet ballad (“Lost in TV”) and one swaggering rocker (“Beautiful Loser”) still sound like Suede at the top of their game, or at least near it. By all means, check out albums one through three, but leave this to its discount-bin destiny. 6/10 (Lorraine Carpenter)

Tigre Benvie Bankruptcy (1.7/Sonic Unyon) The weird and the wonderful collide in the measured, eclectic compositions of this Halifax-born control freak. Word is that Benvie pulled a Prince-style, one-man job on this sophomore record after a year of sexual abstinence—hence the disc’s disturbed, uptight undercurrent. Apart from a few hard-to-swallow lyrics, he doesn’t misuse his blueball powers as a whining, teenage emo-ite might. From one song to the next, the carefully textured tracks swerve from noize-rawk to dub to R&B to indie pop, employing synths and sad piano, gargantuan electric and straight acoustic guitar, vocodered vocals and bare, emotive singing. And, somehow, it all makes sense. 8/10 (Lorraine Carpenter)

Sixty Watt Shaman Reason to Live (Spitfire/EMI) Sixty Watt Shaman combine heaviosity, blues and southern rock, all slammed home with an intensity and groove that is sorely lacking in heavy music today. Produced by Scott Reeder (ex-Kyuss, Unida), the wallop this packs is devastating. Reeder is the perfect man for the job as there are quite a lot of Kyuss-isms here, but instead of pot, SWS pound back Southern Comfort by the quart. An extra treat is half of the Obsessed (Reeder and Wino Weinrich) reuniting for the song “All Things Come to Pass.” If you dig Clutch, C.O.C., Crowbar, Down or Karma To Burn, you are going to be all over this. Trust me. 9/10 (Johnson Cummins)

Joe McDuphrey Experience Experience EP (Stones Throw) Madlib’s at it again. This time under the guise of Joe McDuphrey, our West Coast ace in the whole has produced an emotive and living piece of music that once again shows that hip hop culture is indeed a full circle. With what sounds like a cross between Les McCann, Weldon Irvine and Large Professor, the listener is treated to a true meeting of hip hop sensibility and soulful jazz, right down to the bone. Although we know that contributing musicians Joe McDuphrey, Russel Jenkins and Otis Jackson Jr. only exist in the creative genius of Madlib’s subconscious, I hope they continue to crank out instant classics like this one, quietly making hip hop history like no one else. 9/10 (Scott C)

Djinji Brown Surround Sound (7 Heads) As son of jazz alto-saxophonist Marion Brown, Djinji has grown up surrounded by a world of improvisational expression and musical creativity. The New York-based producer has parlayed that experience into a varied mix of soundscapes and layered grooves that resist classification and genre. Be prepared for some house, hip hop, drum & bass, Afro-Caribbean and Brazilian interpretations that both invite and repel the normal notions of what you should expect from a hip hop label out of NYC. Guests include Aheru and Blue Black, Fila Brazillia, La Bruja and Marion Brown. 7.5/10 (Scott C)

Squarepusher Do You Know Squarepusher (Warp/Outside) Yes, the crown prince of programming is back and he’s still got it. From the clinically-precise, fractured beats and icy melodies of glitch-hop openers “Do You Know Squarepusher” and “F-Train,” to the super-processed, hyperactive drill & bass style your neighbours hate him for on “Ansromm-Feck 4,” to the moodiness of the 10-minute ambient closer “Mutilation,” this is all classic Tom Jenkinson. Add to that a second CD, recorded live in Japan, and a cover of Joy Division’s “Love Will Tear Us Apart” and you’ve got yourself a must-have release for experimental techno fans. 8.5/10 (Raf Katigbak)

Denise Benson Gay: Obscene Underground Vol. 5 (Stickman/Fusion III) Denise Benson comes on strong with Gay, the fifth in the Obscene Underground series of mix CDs by Canadian talent. Don’t let the name fool you, this ain’t no “big, sweaty pit boys massaging each other in the centre of a big circuit party” anthem-type compilation. Rather, it’s a 70-minute musical journey through the many moods of house. Ranging from deep and soulful to more banging and techy, Benson has drawn upon her many years plugged into the T.O. music scene as a writer, promoter, musician, DJ and radio host, and comes out with a solid mix of (notably, mostly Canadian) tracks that flow wonderfully. 8/10 (Raf Katigbak) With the New Deal at Club Soda, Thurs., Oct. 3, 9pm, $16, all ages

Ryan Adams Demolition (Lost Highway/Universal) Ex-Whiskeytown member and No Depression magazine pin-up star Adams could live up to the hype with mere demos and B-sides. Adams has the penmanship power without all of the schmaltz bogging down the current state of C&W and, without an ounce of the irony so common in y’all-ternative country. On songs like “You Will Always Be the Same,” “Desire” and “Tennessee Sucks,” Adams comes across like an updated version of John Prine. A lot of people are pulling for Adams to pull country out of its pop depths and with this collection of stray songs, it seems like Adams could be the one to put real country/folk back on the map. 8/10 (Johnson Cummins)

James Cotton Midnight Creeper (Just a Memory/Fusion III) The year is 1967, the place: the New Penelope Café in Montreal. On this two-CD set, Cotton takes the stage and commands awe throughout the whopping 34 songs here. Cotton copped his chops on harmonica from legend Sonny Boy Williamson II, eventually replacing him as one of Muddy Waters’ sidemen, as well as serving a stint with Howlin’ Wolf. Cotton was not afraid to mix it up, running from hellraising R&B to slow, down-and-dirty Chicago blues. “Mystery Train,” “Knock on Wood,” “Stormy Monday” and “I Can’t Quit You Baby,” all in the same set? Cotton made these difficult transitions look easy while still challenging the purists. 9/10 (Johnson Cummins)

Mary Lou Williams Live at Keystone Korner (HighNote/Fusion III) The “First Lady of American jazz,” Mary Lou Williams died in 1981 at the age of 71. Hers was a long and varied career. Beginning with her work with Andy Kirk as a pianist and arranger, she built an unparallelled reputation among musicians. At the onset of the bebop evolution, many of its leading lights, like Thelonious Monk , Tadd Dameron and Dizzy Gillespie, would gather at her NYC apartment seeking musical wisdom from this lady. This superb live 1977 session from San Francisco, with Larry Gales and Eddie Marshall, is indeed a trip through jazz history, with aspects of ragtime, boogie woogie, Ellington and bebop looked at by an expert, one who had experienced these styles firsthand. Start a Mary Lou Williams collection today, it will be most rewarding! 10/10 (Len Dobbin)

Bobby Sanabria !Quarteto Ache! (Khaeon) Drummer Sanabria combines with Jay Collins, John DiMartino and Boris Koslov for a fine Latin jazz outing that includes “Shaw ’Nuff” and other delights. 9 (LD)

Nile In Their Darkened Shrines (Relapse/Koch) Nile carve out death metal to such epic proportions that they eliminate competition altogether. 8 (JC)

Waiwan Changes (Earth Project) Manchester’s own mixes a tight shuffle for the middle of the night. 8 (SC)

The Forty-Fives Fight Dirty (Yep Roc) Customized with buzzin’ organ action, this meaty garage-punk from Atlanta, GA, offers heightened accuracy and superior stopping power. 7.5 (RB)

California Guitar Trio C63+2 (Inside Out/Fusion III) King Crimson members Tony Levin and Pat Mastelotto team up with three different guitarists. You bet it’s wanky. 7 (JC)

Cassius Au Rêve (Astralwerks/EMI) Rockin’ vocal disco-house featuring mega-divas like Jocelyn Brown, Gladys Gambie and, uh, Ghostface Killah. 7 (RK)

Galore Parader (Tidemark/EMI) Ex-Cool Blue Halo singer Barry Walsh bangs a gong while ex-Conscience Pilate players get it on for this T.O. glitter-rock roundup. 7 (LC)

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