Metro Area
self-titled (Environ/Fusion III)
For the last three years, under the name Metro Area, Morgan Geist and partner Darshan Jesrani have been releasing some of the deepest, funkiest minimal disco 12-inches this side of 1982, much to the delight of DJs and dancefloors everywhere. Far from the proto-ironic fashionista glam currently rehashing ’80s new wave and EBM, Metro Area excavates the deep sound of ’80s disco where wispy synth lines and jazzy piano chords meet punchy bass, percussion and a mid-tempo, four-on-the-floor techno beat. Rather than just re-hashing the sound made popular by names like Patrick Adams and Luther Vandross, Metro Area put their own teched-out spin to the sound. The result? An undeniably understated and funky album of atmospheric and groovy electro-techno-disco that is a definite “must own” for lovers of all things deep and funky. 10/10 (Raf Katigbak)

Badly Drawn Boy
Have You Fed the Fish? (XL/Select)
Scatterbrained and self-indulgent, this third installment of Badly Drawn Boy is a steep step down from the “less personal” About a Boy soundtrack, a hint at this disc’s central flaw. Like Eminem, believe it or not, the hype surrounding tuque-topped Damon Gough has fed a slick, excessive sound—aided and abetted by Tom Rothrock (Beck/Foo Fighters)—and drippy lyrics attempting to reconcile fame and family. Lengthy and poorly sequenced, the album’s handful of solid tunes is undercut by the grotesque arrangements and vaudeville foolishness that prevail. I guess goldfish don’t make good muses. 6/10 (Lorraine Carpenter)

The Meligrove Band
Let It Grow (Endearing/No!)
Winnipeg’s nice white pop label Endearing has been outdoing itself in the last couple of years, with cool albums from the Salteens and Novillero. Add this excellent effort to the list, coming c/o a young Toronto trio. Like any power pop act, they owe a debt to the Beach Boys and the Beatles (bah-bah-bahs aplenty), but there are also echoes here of the Halifax scene at its mid-’90s peak. These guys have the catchy hooks and lyrical flair that once served Sloan so well, and a whole lotta energy too. “Now Look What You’ve Done” and “Take Me to the Sun” stand out as really memorable tunes. 8/10 (Rupert Bottenberg)

The Sights
Got What We Want (Fall of Rome)
Joining the fray of shaggy-headed ’60s-mongers, this Detroit quartet is the newest and youngest to emerge from the hot rock city scene. With noted producer Jim Diamond at the helm, the Sights get all macho on our ass with muscular garage riffs and songs about head, but are equally quick to tackle Herman’s Hermits sweetness (“It’d Be Nice”), Beach Boys piano-plonkin’ pop (“Everyone’s a Poet”), trippy rawkage (“Be Like Normal”) and bluesy laments (“Sick and Tired”). Flawed but fun, these are kids to look out for come album 3. 7/10 (Lorraine Carpenter)

Various
Being Out Rocks (Centaur)
I wouldn’t necessarily label everything on this compilation as rock (Harvey Fierstein singing “I Am What I Am”?—I rest my case), but the cause is a good one. Centaur Records, in its bid to highlight National Coming Out Day, has brought together a bunch of queer and queer-friendly artists to donate various singles to this anthology. Highlights: k.d. lang’s “Summerfling,” Taylor Dayne’s “How Many” and Kevin Aviance’s “Alive.” Erratic, as expected, but still worthwhile for these occasional flashes of the sublime. 8/10 (Matthew Hays)

Cuff the Duke
Life Stories for Minimum Wage (Three Gut)
Proper country collides with grandiose pop on this promising disc by four Oshawa young ’uns. With Pet Sounds on the brain and a soulful twang in the hand, these kids make knees-up rockabilly numbers coloured by handclaps and harmonica, as well as echo-laden hillbilly noir ballads and ambitious, emotive pop tunes, their guitar mosaics beautifully backed by keys and strings. Getting heavier, the rumbling drone of “Anti-social” lies only a few shades away from the Stones’ “Paint It Black,” only to be topped by the crashing finale, “The Trouble and the Truth.” An imperfect but important debut. 7.5/10 (Lorraine Carpenter)

Thievery Corporation
The Richest Man in Babylon (ESL Music/Select)
The American dons of downtempo bring on their third original album, and it’s their most home-listening effort yet. Sadly, that only accentuates the victory of style over substance in the dapper Washington duo’s work. Tunes here draw on Indian, Jamaican, Brazilian, French and various other geographical reference points, but it all gets bogged down in lazy, monotonous beats and soft-focus keys. There’s nothing here to really grab you—except maybe the accompanying booklet, with its spread of gorgeous, often heartbreaking photos from around the world by shutterbugs Daniel Cima, Bill Crandall and Hector Emanuel. The snaps deliver what the disc only promises. 6/10 (Rupert Bottenberg) At the Rialto, Fri., Nov. 15, 9p,. $30, all ages

DJ Mana
Metamers (independent)
There are a lot of cats who could take a note or two from DJ Mana. Dude has been working solid to put this record out for months, and the result is an interesting look into the mind of one of Montreal’s most talented scratch DJs. Mana’s love for electro-inspired grooves is explored fully, balancing the handclaps and sub-bass with his pristine turntable talents. Guest vocalists Mirika, Sarahlicious, Dirty Girl and Genie accompany Mana’s relentless cuts and well-placed plosives, and although there are no MCs here, the DJ says it all. 7.5/10 (Scott C)

Various
Extra Yard (Big Dada/Outside)
Once again, the U.K.’s Big Dada posse has ventured into uncharted waters with their latest push to keep hip hop innovative and unpredictable. If your mind can effectively pack the worlds of dancehall, broken beat, hip hop and leftfield flavours into one busy expression, then you might be interested in Extra Yard. Guys like Roots Manuva, New Flesh, Gamma, Lotek Hifi, Rodney P and Blackitude bust this whole “bouncement movement” wide open with as many takes on this new sound as there are guests on this record. Fuck what ’cha heard, just listen close. 7.5/10 (Scott C) CD launch party with giveaways at Blizzarts, Sun., Nov. 17, 9pm, free

Tipsy
Remix Party (Asphodel/Outside)
One of the first groups to rock the ILM (intelligent lounge music) scene, San Fran’s Tipsy have finally received one of the most prestigious honours bestowed to any music artist—the remix album. It’s like a remix party in your Discman and everyone’s invited! Well, at least everyone who’s anyone in the experimental scene, that is. Included among the guest remixers is a healthy mix of international big names (Matmos, High Llamas and People Like Us) and some lesser-knowns (Dim Dim, Teat Scene and Flaspar) applying their own twisted takes on Tipsy’s already twisted take on lounge music, film noir, go-go and exotica. On the whole, a fun compilation for people who like to take not-being-serious very seriously. 9/10 (Raf Katigbak)

Peven Everett
Studio Confessions (Abb Soul)
This 27-year-old Chicago native is set to do bigger and better things in the coming years, but Studio Confessions is a quick introduction to the many talents of Peven Everett. Professionally proficient in 11 instruments, this classically-trained jazz musician dabbles in soulful grooves, Latin mumblings and straight-up shaggin’ tunes on his Abb Soul debut, but I can’t help but think that the best is yet to come. Sixty per cent of this record is soul-gold, but the rest should have stayed within studio walls, in favour of some more butter shit. This dude can sing and play, and you should listen to what he has to say. 7.5/10 (Scott C)

Hugh Fraser
A Night in Vancouver (Boat House)
Hugh Fraser
Big Works (Boat House)
If you were at Club Soda last week, you’ll want both these items, and if you weren’t, these will give you an idea of the large talent of leader/composer/trombonist/pianist Fraser. Both were recorded in Vancouver in 2001, the former, like the Montreal engagement, has the superb Slide Hampton guesting on trombone, and Ross Taggart on tenor in place of a founding member of the quintet, Phil Dwyer. The other members of this high energy group are Campbell Ryga, Ken Lister and Dave Robbins. The latter gets its title from the fact that it contains two of Fraser’s major works, “Concerto for Jazz Orchestra” and his “Mass in C Minor,” these are played by his large band “Veji” (Vancouver Ensemble of Jazz Improvisation) augmented by strings and voices. Within these pieces you will find many memorable solos from people like Christine Duncan, Ryga, Taggart, Perry White, Brad Turner, Ian McDougall, Robbins, Lister, Tilden Webb and violinist Blaine Dunaway. Two very different and exciting outings from some of the best players in Western Canada. Both 9.5/10 (Len Dobbin)

The Spam Avenger
self-titled (Catch and Release)
I’ve yet to meet anyone who approves of spamming, the equivalent of obnoxious billboards on the information superhighway. This secretive Spam Avenger character takes his contempt for bulk e-mailing to a pathological extreme. Vengeance is his as he rings up firms that deal in spam and subjects their reps to gruelling and humiliating routines. The approach is Jerky Boys, the delivery is somewhere between Steven Wright and Son of Sam—the Avenger’s surreal, off-his-meds requests (claiming to be a professional eel impersonator, for instance) are punctuated by hilarious stretches of awkward silence. Man, you can cut the tension with a knife at points. For the full picture, go to www. thespamavenger.com. 8/10 (Rupert Bottenberg)

Jane Bunnett Cuban Odyssey (Blue Note/EMI) More of what Jane does best and check out her young Cuban piano discovery, David Virelles, on his own composition, “Thinking of Jane!” 9 (LD)

Shifted Phases The Cosmic Memoirs of the Late Great Rupert J. Rosenthrope (Tresor/FusionIII) Born from the bleak, dark, underwater electro sound of Drexciya comes a mysterious mutant side-project shot into the technoid stratosphere and dropping on Detroit headz like rain. 8.5 (RK)

Chris Hercules My Cure EP (independent) » A very clear expression of a deep love for soul, jazz and house music. 8 (SC)

Gotan Project La Revancha del Tango (XL/Select) » Tango meets trip-hop, and taking a straightforward approach—just beats and proper tango instrumentation—works remarkably well. 7.5 (RB)

Michael J. Sheehy No Longer My Concern (Beggars/Select) » Cranes and Cocteaus drop in on Sheehy’s third round-up of cool, underbelly blues. 7.5 (LC)

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