Jurassic 5 Power in Numbers (Interscope/Universal) » Damn. I can’t even tell you how much this record surprised me! Yeah, J5 get props for holding down the extended crew (four MCs, two DJs) and consistent approach to skills, but somewhere along there they were getting corny. Only two tracks to dismiss here. First, there’s the first single, “What’s Golden?” (or “What’s Corny,” as I like to call it) and the Nelly Furtado co-op, “Thin Line.” Why? The rest of the record is pure joints. Nu-Mark, Cut Chemist and Juju from the Beatnuts hook up some big drums, ill loops and cuts for days. The perfect setup for Chali 2NA, Zaakir, Marc 7 and Akil to set it off the best way they know how. Check “One of Them” featuring Juju and “A Day at the Races” with Big Daddy Kane for the ill picks. 9/10 (Scott C)

The Dears Protest EP (independent) » Tears, goosebumps, confusion, “the creeps,” everything goes with Protest (available at www.thedears.org), a beautifully understated epic despite its heavy-handed framework and heightened noir. Presented in three movements (“Heaven Have Mercy on Us,” “Summer of Protest” and “No Hope Before Construction”), the disc opens with a sparse organ melody, setting the stage for a rolling crescendo backed by theatrical chanting which swiftly scatters, re-emerging with a “Psycho Killer” bassline, building to an unsettling yet melodious, dark and deadpan song proper. Only the coda revisits Dears-world, with Murray Lightburn’s openly emotive vocals building, then breaking, sealed with a piano scale that’ll gnaw at your insides. Again, respect. 9.5/10 (Lorraine Carpenter)

New Bomb Turks The Night Before the Day the Earth Stood Still (Gearhead) » Back when the Hives were still picking out ascots, the New Bomb Turks were paving the road in the post-grunge years, kicking up dirt and grease with their hyper blend of punk and rock ’n’ roll. Since their Crypt days, the Rolling Stones have come a bit more to the forefront of the NBT sound, and production has been cleaned up, but this new one is chock full of the same swagger they’ve always had. If anything, they’ve gotten a bit crafty with the songwriting, without mucking it up by trying to reinvent the wheel. Keep your eye on the Gearhead label as they’ve got rock ’n’ roll by the balls right now. If there is any justice, every redblooded Hives fan will drop this newspaper and buy this CD right now! 9/10 (Johnson Cummins) At la Sala Rossa on Thurs., Oct. 24, 9pm, $12

Ben Folds Ben Folds Live (Epic/Sony) » Captured live on his Ben Folds and a Piano 2002 tour, the Gen-X Randy Newman proves that all he needs to rock the house is two hands and a Baldwin baby grand. High points include “Zak and Sara” and “Not the Same” off his recent solo effort, as well as “Army,” “One Angry Dwarf” and “Philosophy” (which detours into “Misirlou,” for laughs) from his days with Ben Folds Five. The bass and drums of that stuff isn’t noticeably absent here, and where “Army” is supposed to break into its big brass attack midway, Folds leads the crowd in a spontaneous collective “buh-ba-ba-baaaah” that’s just gleeful. The bonus DVD gathers some cool live footage, including “Ascent of Stan” (not on the CD), and showcases Folds’ debatable choice in headgear. 8/10 (Rupert Bottenberg)

Hot Water Music Caution (Epitaph/Sonic Unyon) » HWM have been called by some the saving grace of punk giant Epitaph and are easily head and shoulders above their labelmates. Caution shows the band continuing in their Leatherface-meets-Jawbreaker sound, but something seems to be maturing here. HWM know their real ace in the hole is expert songwriting and the twin vocal attack of Chuck Ragan and Chris Wollard, and play it to the hilt. An extra treat is special guest Brian Baker (Bad Religion), who also lays down some guitar work that shines with diamond brilliance. These Floridians prove that a musical greying around the temples doesn’t mean you can’t hit with heartfelt urgency. 8/10 (Johnson Cummins)

Alexis O’Hara In Abulia (Grenadine/FAB) » O’Hara’s a familiar figure in the local spoken word scene, but carefully contrived chatter is just one of the many elements which make up this curious disc. There are sing-song bits, eerie found-sound-scapes, budgetronic bleep-ditties and radio theatre of the absurd present here. With the help of homies Jon Asencio, Rob Stephens and Rick Rigby, she’s tackling various obsessions (nurses seem to fascinate her) in a manner that’s at once clever and obscure, funny and creepy and sad. In Abulia requires careful attention from the listener as it’s full of hidden tricks and tripwires, but it pays off in the end. 8/10 (Rupert Bottenberg) CD launch with guests at la Sala Rossa tonight, Thurs., Oct. 17, 9pm, $6

Dear Nora The New Year EP (Magic Marker) » As a trio, recorded by the Aisler’s Set’s Amy Linton, San Francisco’s Dear Nora were compared to ’60s girl group the Shirelles. Frontwoman Katy Davidson retains the moniker and the warm, classic pop melodies for this second solo release. The sound, however, is stripped down to layered vocals and acoustic guitar with sporadic drums (by Marci Martinez, ex-Team Dresch) and a flute solo, all home-recorded on eight-track. Meant to evoke the changing of seasons, this intimate, unpretentious disc does so shortly and sweetly. 7.5/10 (Lorraine Carpenter) With Family Outing & “that girl band” at Barfly tonight, Thurs., Oct. 17, 9pm, $6 w/ retro shades, $7 w/out

The Ukrainians Respublika (Omnium/Outside) » Fusing traditional eastern-European sounds with rock (if not punk rock) since 1990, this Wedding Present spin-off act has weathered its novelty status with a surprisingly prolific catalogue of original LPs and cover EPs (Smiths! Prince!). With distinctive, fast and furious guitars, violin, electric mandolin and Slavic tongue, this disc features traditional Uki numbers and two Sex Pistols songs, “Anarchy in the UK” and “Pretty Vacant,” jointly representing the band’s ethnic mix and celebrating the struggle for independence and validity. Nazdarovia to that. 8/10 (Lorraine Carpenter)

Large Professor 1st Class (Matador/Fusion III) » This little nugget took so long to see the light of day that I had to actually bite the CD to see if it was real. It’s real. Now, all respect due to Extra P has been duly noted, and to my knowledge, properly allocated, so his rep is legendary. But when a producer has had so much influence over hip hop production that his merits run down like a holy scripture, we tend expect a tiny bit more from the comeback. I’ve got no complaints about Large Pro’s simple but effective rhyme style, because it’s always worked for him. I do, however, miss some of the extra care usually given to breaks and samples in his beats. Nice to see Busta, Q-Tip and Nas and Akinyele supporting the dude who put them on. I think if Paul Sea could see what Scott see, he’d see what I mean. 7.5/10 (Scott C)

DJ Oil Le Son de la grenouille vol. 1 (Allissam/Fusion III) » One third of the Marseille downtempo group Troublemakers, DJ Oil takes it back to ’96 and kicks off his eclectic DJ mix with a quirky downtempo ditty by Doctor Rockit (Herbert’s experimental pseudonym). From there Oil moves through the many moods of innovative deep downtempo, both past and present, with tracks by Quantic, Flytronix, Cinematic Orchestra and Boards of Canada, topping it all off with a track by ’50s sonic innovator Moondog. Unlike many of the other generic downtempo compilations found filling up record store shelves, Oil’s mix is cleverly arranged, well researched and funky as last week’s socks. 8/10 (Raf Katigbak) Troublemakers play with M83, Luciano and more at SAT, Sat., Oct. 26, 9pm, $20

Proffessor Undressor A Brief Visit to the Metal Hospital (Kelp) » The robot revolution continues, having reached Fredericton, NB. The Proffessor here is one Jason Arnold, tinkering about with dubby, tuneful, lower-case glitchno. One primary influence here is actually cartoonist Chris Ware—if you know his stuff, you’ll recognize not only the jacket image but also the subtly funny exploration of loneliness and heartbreak that informs P.U.’s musical tale of a robot’s medical experiences. This album is in “quadaural hi-tech/no-fi robo sound,” meaning it comes with a second disc of background noise, to be played concurrently with the music. A clever and creative effort that doesn’t spare listenability in favour of “concept.” 8/10 (Rupert Bottenberg)

Andreas Tilliander Elit (Mille Plateaux/Fusion III) » With his third album this year, Swedish minimal techno producer Andreas Tilliander is one busy guy. But unlike other techno artists whose albums sound like two great singles sandwiched between obvious sub-par filler, Tilliander once again manages to pull a nice album out of that prolific Swedish meatball of his. Although Elit retains the same abstracted clickiness of his previous effort Ljud, it differs slightly in its distinctly accessible pop approach, with guest vocals by Jay Jay Johansen and rhymes by Fu Dogg. Cold, melodic and, to a point, funky, this is Nordic techno at its finest. 8.5/10 (Raf Katigbak)

3rd Storee Get With Me (Def Soul/Universal) » The latest entry into the urban boy-band genre combines the attitude of B2K with the singing prowess of Boyz II Men. They’re actually closer to B2K in musical style, relying on heavy beats and clever hooks to see them through tracks like “Get With Me” and “Superstar.” But their vocal style comes to light when they slow things down and let tracks like “Now I Can Breathe” and the a cappella “Don’t Lose Hope” work their magic. More tracks like these will ensure the story continues. 7.5/10 (Gerard Dee)

Christine Jensen A Shorter Distance (Effendi/SRI) » The leader is an extremely warm player on both alto and soprano sax and a composer of the first rank. On her second CD for this label, her music is played by some of the better musicians on the North American jazz scene. Heard in various combinations are John Sadowy, Fraser Hollins, Jon Wikan, Joel Miller, Kenny Bibace finally getting his due recognition, and sister Ingrid Jensen, one of the top 10 trumpet players currently on the scene. Eight tracks here, six written by the leader and one each by Hollins and George Gershwin and while only the title piece is a direct dedication to him, there is a Wayne Shorter feel to most of the release (far from a bad thing). This is a superb CD—my only carp is in the design, one which makes the liner notes unreadable. Try black on white next time! Here’s hoping a big-band CD is in the cards. 10/10 (Len Dobbin)

Eyes Adrift self-titled (Spin Art/BMG) » You bet this pot-fest, assembling Nirvana’s Krist Novoselic, Meat Puppets’ Curt Kirkwood and Sublime’s Bud Gaugh, is good. 8 (JC)

Ivy Guestroom (Minty Fresh/Fusion III) » Top electropop act tackles the likes of the Cure, Gainsbourg, Steely Dan and the Ronettes on this rare beast, an A-okay cover album. 8 (LC)

Sinista & Crossphader Large Pro Mix 2002 (independent) » Main Source classics, must-have Large Pro projects and some extra stinky joints that have no business there at all. 8 (SC)

Sixty Stories Anthem Red (Smallman) » Catchy pop that will stick to you like bubblegum on Chuck Taylors. Could Winnipeg be the new Halifax? 8 (JC)

Gold Chains self-titled (Pias/Select) » Bloody-minded self-aggrandizement in a crude, chunky punk-hop package. Rude, stupid, funny and funky in a fat-pixelled Atari kinda way. 7.5 (RB)

Luna Close Cover Before Striking (Jetset) » Rolling off Romantica, covering Kraftwerk, this seven-track mini album finds the NYC four in classic, moonshinin’ form. 7.5 (LC)

Spacefunk Spectrum: A DJ Mix (V2/BMG) » A disappointingly sub-par, pumping tech-house mix from these mash-up innovators. I guess that’s what happens when you actually have to pay out copyrights. 5 (RK)

Brad Mehldau Largo (Warner) » A forgettable outing from a great musician. If you love his trio, you’ll want to pass on this one. 4.5 (LD)

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