Barbara Brown
White Is Pure 2 (Aria/Select)
One of the best techno DJs Montreal has to offer, Misstress Barbara is nothing short of world class. Over the last few years she's skyrocketed to international stardom, giving thousands of punters a taste of her uncompromising techno via several mix CDs and spots at high-profile clubs and music fests around the globe. But if techno is her "love," she says, then house is her love affair. As a prelude to the upcoming Bal en Blanc Party Week, she lets her love affair shine on this excellent mix CD under her house DJ moniker Barbara Brown. Gone is the relentless, pumping techno she is famous for, replaced by funky, Latin-tinged, filtered disco. Expertly mixed and selected, this CD will have you throwing your hands in the air and shaking off the last of your winter blues faster than you can say, "Work it!" Ring in the spring! 9/10 (Raf Katigbak)

Snuff
Disposable Income (Union 2112)
The U.K.'s Snuff do popalicious skate-core as fast, tight and catchy as any bunch of Californians in giant shorts, and after 17 years, they've been doing it longer than most of the SoCal crop. Their latest sees them building a North American nest at our own Union label group - no small score, and soon to be followed by Down by Law, among others. The chugging and soaring of the twin guitars is pretty par for the course, but the big, brash vocal harmonies (Snuff's trademark) genuinely impress. Another plus is Snuff's willingness to digress into things like Guinness-soaked pub-rock ("7 Days"), melancholic dub lament ("Heads You Win Tails You Lose") and organ-fuelled gogo-punk shakedown ("Pages 42-43"). Up to snuff! 7/10 (Rupert Bottenberg)

AFI
Sing the Sorrow (Nitro/Universal)
Oh my God, this is fucking hilarious, perhaps one of the most pretentious records to come out of hardcore since Bad Religion's ultra-dud Into the Unknown. Garbage's Butch Vig pushes the production envelope through the roof, which only steps on toes and insulates any emotion, and Derek Hoff's lyrics sound like he scooped them straight out of Trent Reznor's wastebasket. Check out this doozy: "Recognize one silent call as we all form one dark flame." Eeeyowza, Michael Gira this guy ain't! Hey Hoff, go back to the mall in Orange County that spawned you and leave the serious "art" to the people with the right tools. 3/10 (Johnson Cummins)

Salteens
Let Go of Your Bad Days (Drive-in/No)
Traces of British invasion, Motown and power pop flit through the crisp, joyous sound made by Vancouver's the Salteens. Their sophomore album blends tastefully arranged guitars, strings, horns and falsetto backing vox, as jaunty a mesh as Belle & Sebastian at their most up. But the album's first half is replete with tired, stock pop clichés, and there's the small matter of singer Scott Walker's overly clean, aggro-nerd vocals - so far from the suave '60s crooner of the same name - which are gradually subdued and occasionally cut when bassist Megan Bradfield takes lead. A work in progress… 7/10 (Lorraine Carpenter)

Placebo
Sleeping With Ghosts (Virgin/EMI)
Sticking with the same program that's carried them thus far, Placebo solidify their global rocker status with this flawed fourth album. Recorded by DJ Shadow/UNKLE producer Jim Abbiss, it pulses with electronic undercurrents and creepy keys, overlaid by big rock guitars and the trademark Molko whine. Mediocre overall, with only a few gems to offer, the album rides on familiarity and near-arena appeal. Part brooding, part anthemic, slick, sinewy rock, Placebo's sound is distinctively Placebo, yet '80s enough to satisfy the black-clothed, black-eyelinered kids of the world. 6/10 (Lorraine Carpenter)

Ben Harper
Diamonds on the Inside (Virgin/EMI)
On his fifth album, Harper plays the role of musical chameleon, shifting and defying musical categorization. Part funky Prince, part Hendrix, part experimental juggernaut, he mines musical genres, pulling up buckets of reggae ("With My Own Two Hands"), funk ("Bring the Funk") and folk ("When It's Good"). But he's most successful when his digs pull up different shades of rock. On the title cut, his folk/rock message is gentle, but he's more aggressive on tracks like "So High So Low," wrapping his musical tales around unyielding guitar riffs. Diamonds this interesting are a hard find. 7.5/10 (Gerard Dee)

Zongamin
self-titled (XL/Select)
From Japan via England comes Susumu "Zongamin" Mukai, one of those omni-instrumentalist, solo studio freaks - freaky enough to catch the ear of Playgroup, Soulwax and Andy Weatherall, among others. His warped vision of instrumental pop employs two particular tendencies. One is that damaged disco sound from NYC circa 1980, all rubbery basslines, sparse beats and abrasive guitar licks. The other is the lurid fuzz-rock fun found in the soundtracks to '60s B-movies on the horror-of-biker-beach tip - opener "Make Love Not War" is a Davie Allen & the Arrows cover, while "J. Shivers Theme" nods to soft-core spaghetti sleaze. Compounded by deliberately dirty, raw, right-fucking-there production, this sweetie hits the target more often than not. 8/10 (Rupert Bottenberg)

Savas Pascadilis
Galactic Gigolo (International Deejay Gigolos/Fusion III)
Love 'em or hate 'em, DJ Hell and his International Deejay Gigolos label show no signs of slowing down. Their latest champion is Germany's Pascadilis, top-notch electro-tech producer and label owner in his own right (the shit-hot Laser Gun Records). His sound is driving, cinematic and futuristic (in a retro kinda way), like Giorgio Moroder circa his 1982 Cat People soundtrack but with more edgy dancefloor pump. Lush disco arrangement and harsh synth lines collide into dancefloor mayhem. Think Metro Area if they got belligerently drunk and tag-teamed against Visage and a breakdancing robot in a sweaty Berlin disco. Never too overbearing, Galactic Gigolo is a great little record for fans of all future-retro grooves. 8.5/10 (Raf Katigbak)

King Britt
Adventures in Lo-Fi (BBE/Fusion III)
While King Britt and Ivanna Santilli are holed up somewhere in Philly recording their first official collaborative album, the rest of us get to digest his new music crafted from the open concepts at BBE. Along with longtime friend Rich Medina, King goes for broke with the many styles and moods that he is capable of evoking - with the help of some talented people. Guests include De La, Quasimoto, Bahamadia, Grand Agent, Capitol A, Dice Raw, Alma Horton and of course Ivanna. Although not the strongest release in the Beat Generation series so far, the varied pickings found here make for an enjoyable listen, for sure. 7.5/10 (Scott C)

Meanest Man
Contest Merit (Plug Research/Fusion III)
Didn't quite know what to expect from these guys, but was pleasantly surprised to find that producer Quarterbar and MC Eriksolo had some joints to share. Quarterbar seems to have mad drums at his disposal, employing breaks and chops at every turn, adding to the understated charm of many of his compositions. Most of this record is instrumental, which I prefer to the jaded ramblings of Eriksolo, but dude is clever. This is the kind of sound that begs to be remixed by Prefuse 73 or Madlib. 8/10 (Scott C)

Various
Sunset Nights (Nutone)
Reflecting the fluid and abstract textures of electro-jazz, Nutone Records and DJ Meta4 have chain-linked a bunch of essential gems. There are staples in the Café del Mar vein such as Herbaliser's remodelling of Jaffa's "Elevator," the spiffy Afro-beat of Tony Allen and Boozoo Bajou and the pulsating bossa-nova overhaul of Koop's "Absolute Space" by Jazzanova. There are even tracks with 2-step, U.K. "garridge" and King Britt-style elements that make things here so fresh and well rounded. 8/10 (Peter Lightburn)

Myriam Alter
If (Enja/Justin Time/Fusion III)
John Surman
Free and Equal (ECM/Universal)
If you like the combination of great writing and just-right improvisation, you'll love both these superb but very different releases. The former consists of 10 original compositions by Ms. Alter, a name new to me. All are of a pastel shade, beautifully played by a quintet of bandoneon, clarinet, piano, bass and drums, one that includes Dino Saluzzi and Kenny Werner. The latter is at the other end of the spectrum. Reedman Surman - baritone and soprano saxes and bass clarinet - is aided by Jack DeJohnette on drums or piano, joined, at times, by a 10-piece ensemble, the London Brass. There are nine of Surman's compositions, forming a suite inspired by the rules on human rights laid down by the UN on December 10, 1948 - perfect timing! Both 10/10 (Len Dobbin)

Mini CD Reviews

John Taylor Rosslyn (ECM/Universal) » Pianist Taylor, Marc Johnson and Joey Baron - magnificent trio playing! 10 (LD)

Poets of Rhythm What Goes 'Round (Shadow) » Don't know how I missed this one. They're "Saltin' the Soup" and "Strokin' the Grits" up in here. 9 (SC)

Terre Thaemlitz Lovebomb (Mille Plateaux/Fusion III) » The saddest thing computers have done since that Electric Dreams movie. A tender V/VM. 9 (RK)

Ray Bonneville Roll It Down (Stony Plain) » Bonneville's vocals are front and centre and keeps this train a chuggin' along. Could be the Sunday morning record of the year. 8.5 (JC)

Air/Baricco City Reading (Virgin/EMI) » The Gallic neo-proggers lay a mellow backing for the spaghetti-western yarns of Italian scribe Alessandro Baricco. Pleasant but not essential. 7 (RB)

Plastic Bag Chemical (Friendly Fire/Dep) » Full-blown rawk with a pop edge that could give the Foo Fighters a run for their money. 7 (JC)

Skinjobs Burn Your Rainbow (Bongo Beat) » A piece of unisex Can-con queer punk everyone can be proud of. Basically. 7 (LC)

The Libertines Up the Bracket (Sanctuary/EMI) » As if the Strokes really needed a reply, England's delivers its messy, mediocre answer. Don't believe the hype. 5 (LC)

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