Various
Jamais sans mon pot vol. 1 (Indica/Outside)
The Bloc Pot needs to scrounge up 20 grand to finance a spot on the upcoming Quebec election ballot. They’re doing a dinner at Restaurant l’Opinel (Gilford and St-Denis) on Dec. 2 at $60 a plate, but the price of a dimebag will get you this bumper crop of Québécois spliff riffs. There’s lively, percolating reggae from Kaliroots, Kulcha Connection and Dobacaracol, funky franco-heaviosity (Ludger, Karkwa) and some hopped-up old-world folksiness—hats off to the bumpin’ orientalism of Tomàs Jensen’s “Saïda.” Les frères à Ch’val contribute the spaghetti-western goof “El Ganja,” and there’s a funny solo number from Bloc Pot founder Boris St-Maurice (doing his best Neil Young) and a slow-burning Latin reggae/rock jam from Colectivo. Bonus CD-ROM material includes videos from that rascal Mononc’ Serge and Kalembourg and a bunch of Bloc Pot agit-prop. A good cause doesn’t excuse weak tunes, and this time it doesn’t have to. 8.5/10 (Rupert Bottenberg)

Motorpsycho
It’s a Love Cult (Stickman/Fusion III)
Leaping from droning Krautrock to waltzing folk to light, improv-esque jazz to cheesy orchestral ballads to peppy go-go pop to twee neo-prog to hearty Nordic rawk, the 14th album by this Norwegian trio is a schizo grab-bag, but surprisingly successful at what it attempts. Formed in 1989, the band is known for their slow-boiling acid rock, but there’s little of that here. Instead, with a fleet of keys, strings, horns, rock ’n’ roll standbys and neat gadgets (theremin!), they experiment with genres they’ve never tackled, with predominantly positive results. The album’s epic centrepiece, “Carousel,” is a definite exception. 7.5/10 (Lorraine Carpenter)

A Mighty Tugboat
self-titled EP (Sinking Ship)
Five precise math-rock instrumentals from five local kids make up this debut disc from A Mighty Tugboat. Brawn isn’t the basis here, despite the band name, so there’s no meaty chugga-chug and no climactic eruptions via the distortion pedal. This is all about maintaining a steady tension, like a pot just short of boiling over, and to that end, the three guitars weave their nervous, needling patterns into a rich counterpoint. Ponderous at moments, but when A Mighty Tugboat’s pieces fall into place right, this is pretty moving and effective stuff. 7/10 (Rupert Bottenberg) CD launch with guests the Field Register at Petit Campus, Sat. Nov. 30, 9pm

The Mountain Goats
Tallahassee (4AD/Select)
Just as Morrissey wallows in permanent teenager-dom and its inherent black comedy, the Mountain Goats’ John Darnielle can’t get enough of disastrous marriage. On album eight, his mutually destructive “Alpha couple” comes to life via straight, sad ballads, jokey folk and more intense rock flirtations, the musical tension matching the anecdotal blow-outs. Darnielle’s nasal Yank twang is backed by acoustic guitar and bass, with spots of electric guitar, keys, drums, bells and harmonica, a prettier mix than previous lo-fi recordings. But, despite this, Darnielle’s schtick is unlikely to draw many new converts. 7/10 (Lorraine Carpenter)

Beth Gibbons & Rustin Man
Out of Season (Go Beat/Universal)
Rumour has it that Portishead are back at work, but impatient devotees can satiate themselves with this side-project, joining long-silent Beth Gibbons and ex-Talk Talk bassist Paul Webb (aka lameass pseudonym). Though it’s probably too miserable for the Diana Krall set, the album’s minimal, late-night arrangements don’t approach Portishead’s subterranean character, despite drop-ins by Adrian Utley. A handful of decent tunes and some effective touches (the otherworldly backup singers, the ’70s horn swells) help Gibbons steer the ship, but her Billie Holiday/Sandy Denny act can’t quite carry a smooth solo sail. 6.5/10 (Lorraine Carpenter)

Sepultura
Under a Pale Grey Sky (Roadrunner/Universal)
Crowd-surfing can be a perilous, head-splitting endeavour. With the mosh pit as departure and destination point, Sepultura is the menacing soundtrack. Brutal beats cupping eardrum-shredding riffage wrapped around Cavalera’s scorching throat-blasts tears through the crowds captured on this live double CD. Under A Pale Grey Sky is a collection of songs captured on various tours, back when singer/guitarist Max Cavalera fronted things. From the folkish bounce preceding “Roots Bloody Roots” to the bludgeoning wall of distorted guitars on, well hell, every song, Sepultura probably dropped this to remind the heads who tore shit up live. 7/10 (Lateef Martin)

GI Joe Killaz
self-titled (Cobra/Sonic Unyon)
Those of you with a sense of humour and an ear for dope production should check out the latest from the mysterious GI Joe Killaz. Taking gangsta rap to its illogical extreme, GI Joe Killaz (MC Destro, Baroness, and DJ Cobra Commander aka Tomas Jirku) spit out tales of Cobra’s ventures into disorganized crime over some ill laptop hip hop and digital electro tomfoolery (thanks to Jirku). Track subjects range widely from the global (“Money to Burn” features Cobra’s brilliant plan to replace the earth’s currencies with Cobra Money) to the more intimate (“Who Spilled the Juice” is a rap about the consequences of staining the Cobra HQ’s prized camouflage couch). Needless to say if you take shit too seriously then you might want to skip this one, but if you’re looking for a good laugh, then seek it out at www.gijoekillaz.com. Co-braaaaah! 8/10 (Raf Katigbak)

Various
N.W.A Legacy 2 (Priority/EMI)
Here we have part two of a clever collection that showcases artists and musical offspring of all that gangsta shit that N.W.A. blew up in their heyday, including songs from the L.A. icons themselves. Although I miss a nice verse from MC Ren, I’ve pretty much had my fill of the Eastsidaz, Kokane and the Westside Connection. Gems here come in the form of the D.O.C.’s “Grand Finale,” DJ Quik’s “Born and Raised in Compton,” Ice Cube’s “Amerikkka’s Most Wanted,” and Eazy E’s “Eazy-Duz-It.” Lots of Snoop and Dre featured here, as well as some Ant Banks, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, Kurupt, Nate Dogg and even MC Eiht. Wesside! 7/10 (Scott C)

Nobukazu Takemura
10th (Thrill Jockey)
Repetition features heavily in the latest effort 10th, by Japanese producer Nobukazu Takemura. On the heels of last year’s solid Sign EP, Takemura continues along the same musical line, taking his sorrowful singing computer vocals, Steve Reich percussive melodies, Oval-esque skipping CD sounds, broken beats and experimental DSP steez to whole new heights. At once rhythmically complex and melodically simple, Takemura achieves an engaging balance between the heady and the pretty, offering up a moody experimental pop album that sits perfectly amongst the rest of the Thrill Jockey roster. 9/10 (Raf Katigbak)

Various
California Soul (Luv N’ Haight/Outside)
Steady crate-diggers on the West Coast slide this next bit of crumpet under the door, once again providing us with a prime list of people we’ve never heard before. With 14 tracks of soul, Latin and funk reaching from the ’60s to the ’80s, I sometimes get a headache thinking of all the lost music from L.A., San Francisco and the Bay Area that the dudes at Ubiquity have at their fingertips. The Sweet Stuff version of “Freaky (To You)” sounds every bit as good as the original, and then some. Orchestra Esencia laces “Carnaval” with flavour, while other artists like Sons and Daughters of Lite, Ike White, Rokk, and Cool Benny cover all bases of California’s lost musical history. Another great comp from the West. 8/10 (Scott C)

Craig David
Slicker Than Your Average (Warner)
On his sophomore set, British soul singer Craig David is, at times, a little too slick. Lead single “What’s Your Flava?” as well as the title track and the simplistic “Fast Cars” are one step away from commercial filler. Thankfully, there is some saving grace: the joyful “Hidden Agenda” and the heartfelt “You Don’t Miss the Water” expertly showcase David’s artistry. But perhaps the set’s most interesting track, “Rise & Fall,” builds on a sample of Sting’s “Shape of My Heart” and features the man himself. Moments like these shine because David puts “slick” on the back burner. 7/10 (Gerard Dee)

Ray Brown
Ray Brown, Monty Alexander, Russell Malone (Telarc/Universal)
Ray Brown
The Best of the Concord Years (Concord/Koch)
Brown, along with Oscar Pettiford, a great bassist from the bebop era, died on July 2 at the age of 75. The former was recorded in March in one of his last CD appearances in what was a prolific career. It’s in the best piano-guitar-bass trio tradition championed by Nat Cole and later Oscar Peterson. Adding to its value is a bonus CD consisting of titles dating from 1993. Handpicked by their producer, Elaine Martone, they find Ray joined by people like Ahmad Jamal, Geoff Keezer and Benny Green. The latter is a two-CD cross-section of material recorded for Concord between ’74 and ’90 with a wide range of musicians including Joe Pass, Jimmy Rowles, Harry Edison, Laurindo Almeida and Ralph Moore. The 2002 material makes the Telarc release the choice here, particularly if you already have an extensive Ray Brown collection. Brown/Alexander/Malone 9.5/10, Best of… 9/10 (Len Dobbin)

Ragleela
Caravan (independent)
Diverting from his Sitarissimo project, local German transplant Uwe Neumann applies his sitar skills to a more fusion-oriented project. Recorded in India, Germany and Canada, Neumann’s Caravan compositions start from trad Indian ragas. They’re simplified, injected with a noticeable Indonesian gamelan flavour (thanks to Neumann’s doubling on the African sansa thumb piano, and Tilman Uhl’s marimba) and recalibrated to accept Western tonalities and, by extension, mild prog-rock elements. The best accessory, though, is a recording of birds and peacocks that underlies “Ganeyesha.” From here to India via Africa, Germany, Latin America and Bali is a roundabout route, but the arrival is a pleasant one. 8/10 (Rupert Bottenberg)

Carl Orff Trionfi (Deutsche Grammophon/Universal) » The triptych of “Carmina Burana,” “Catulli Carmina” and “Trionfo di Afrodite” on a gorgeous double CD, with Eugen Jochum directing. 10 (LD)

Boards of Canada Twoism (Warp/Outside) » Music has the right to parents, too, and this primordial, ultra-rare EP from ’95 (at last re-released) is what gave birth to BoC’s organo-tronic excellence. 8.5 (RB)

Various Off the Shelf (Far Out/Fusion III) » 4hero, Azymuth, Da Lata and Flytronix round out this Brazilian-tinged dip to the dancefloor. 8 (SC)

Human Breed Among Millions of Faceless Human Beings (Tuned to You) »More of that heavy dramatic sad metal. It’s great, but we need more singing, less screaming. 7 (LM)

Yo La Tengo Nuclear War (Matador/Fusion III) » Record-breaking? Yo La do Sun Ra four times over, say “ass” 115 times! In other news, little kids get to yell “Motherfucker!” 7 (LC)

Alek Stark Highway to Disko (DiskoB/Fusion III) » If I have to hear one more distorted electro German voice sing about how robots have feelings too, I swear I’m going to hurt somebody. 6 (RK)

Robbie Williams Escapology (EMI) » Imagine a horrible fusion of Oasis, Billy Joel and Enrique, and this entity’s subsequent, ballad-anthem atrocities. So bad. 1 (LC)

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