Erykah Badu
World Wide Underground (Motown/Universal)
Anyone expecting Erykah to continue down the road of lyrical prose she explored in 2000's Mama's Gun is in for a surprise. Instead, Badu - or rather her alter-ego Nazled Hazle - makes a detour through the land of the good groove, declares neo-soul dead and raises the stature of the bass back to its glory days of '70s funk. This tight EP proves that less is sometimes more, while building on a rhythmic stream of consciousness that features a female empowerment session with Queen Latifah, Angie Stone and Bahamadia on "Love of My Life Worldwide," and some funky guitar licks from Lenny Kravitz on "Back in the Day." Long live soul. 9/10 (Gerard Dee)

The Finger
We Are Fuck You (One Little Indian/Warner)
What you aren't supposed to know is that this is indie god Ryan Adams' and Degeneration's Jesse Matlin's piss take on early '80s hardcore. Redd Kross beat them to the faux hardcore punch with their offshoot Anarchy 6, but while the Finger prove to be less funny than Anarchy 6, they manage to stifle the chortles as they absolutely nail '80s hardcore. They've got the Darby Crash vocals, indecipherable lyrics, shit production and Greg Ginn dissonance and even nail the visual side with a great rip-off of Raymond Pettibone's graphic work for Black Flag. Yes, tongues are pressed firmly in cheek and a heaping helping of irony is served up, but this is still light years better than most of the "real" hardcore happening right now. Sad, isn't it? 8.5/10 (Johnson Cummins)

Peaches
Fatherfucker (XL/Select)
Lock up your dads, kids, Peaches is back, grooveboxing and hotboxing her way into susceptible hearts. As on The Teaches of Peaches, the "Canadian jackass" monarch sometimes substitutes shock comedy for quality - check the Joan Jett-based "I Don't Give A" - but this is a better record. She's fleshed out her electropunk formula with jabs of bootylicious hip hop, rockabilly, breaks, Iggy Pop (they duet on "Kick It") and singing (!) while maintaining the minimal grit and hot talk that made her an underground star. More beard, more beef, but (duh) Peaches doesn't catch the commercial bug with Fatherfucker. 8/10 (Lorraine Carpenter) With Electrocute and the World Provider at Club Soda, Wed., Oct. 8, 9pm, $20

Frank Black and the Catholics
Show Me Your Tears (Sonic Unyon)
The recent Pixies reunion rumour might be nothing more than hype for this album (a minor white lie, if that's what it is, compared with the scams Hollywood scum will pull to pimp their shit), but if it's true, maybe it'll take Mr. Black away from the Catholics long enough to conceive a decent record. Drawing from bar band blues and teary, beery country, he's written his road-worn, scorned man album and it's dull as dust and as insincere as Sean Connery in a B-movie. As Black sings, "For the first time in my life, I just don't care." 4/10 (Lorraine Carpenter)

The Fire Theft
self-titled (Ryko/Outside)
The Fire Theft is made up of three-quarters of emo pioneers Sunny Day Real Estate but don't expect the straightahead sound of that band's seminal '94 debut here. In fact, the Fire Theft are going to win more points with Radiohead fans, or more accurately Who or Beatles fans, than screamo nerds. The Fire Theft push the production envelope through the roof and reach new panoramic heights with epic proportions while managing to land safely. Lush orchestrations sit comfortably underneath weaving dynamics, and Jeremy Enigk's trademarked hushed vocals are guaranteed to give your heartstrings a good tugging. 8.5/10 (Johnson Cummins)

The Gay
You Know the Rules (Mint/Outside)
They're not getting married and they're not telling you how to dress. They're probably not even homos. They're four gals and a dude, members of Vancouver bands past and present (Maow, Superconductor, Tennessee Twin, etc) fusing yer standard guitar, bass and drums with keys, in modern indie pop fashion. No synths or '80-isms, mind you (aside from a song called "Robert Smith"), but accordion and piano, careening choruses, playful rhythm, rhyme and harmony. They could stand to tighten up here and sprawl out there, and here's hoping songs like the ace "Opulent Canine" will rule the Gay's next disc. 7/10 (Lorraine Carpenter)

Limp Bizkit
Results May Vary (Interscope/Universal)
Wow, I'm astounded. The intro alone caused aneurysms. The first few seconds of their first track sounds like Tool - y'know, the one in the bottom of your big red metal box. The one you bought at the dollar store discount bin, a pseudo-funk music machine programmed for snatch-style mode. Interesting how on the album artwork of Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water, they had an image of a baby in a drug-induced environment, and on this album you're assaulted with the propaganda of Limp Bizkit pills. Take two and call yo' mama in the morning. Care though, results may vary. 3/10 (Lateef Martin)

Ozomatli
Coming Up EP (Concord/Koch)
I've generally been partial to Ozomatli's punky cumbia party, with its assorted global accessories, Jurassic 5 assists and clear Angeleno flavour. They struck me as a West Coast American answer to the politically charged globo-Latin massive outta France, Manu Chao, P17 and all that. Well, with a mere taste of their next album, a six-pack featuring a live one and a jam with A.B. Quintanilla III, the Ozos not only confirm my faith but raise it. The songwriting, for instance on the sweet and chunky "Let Me Dream," is finally right in the pocket, without compromising the wild energy. 8/10 (Rupert Bottenberg) With All-American Rejects, Hoobastank and Diffuser at le Spectrum, Fri., Oct. 3, 8pm, $25, all ages

Obie Trice
Cheers (Shady/Universal)
While it appears that Detroit native Obie Trice is poised to follow in the much hyped footsteps of 50 Cent as Eminem's newest protégé, it seems this exceptional MC got rooked. Cheers is the perfect example of Obie's range and versatility, but problems arise with Eminem on production. Marshall Mathers laces Obie with beats more suited to the next Slim Shady release instead of tracks that truly compliment his style. This record will still be well received, but if you think this is hot, just wait until Obie finds his groove. 7.5/10 (Scott C)

Colder
Again (Output/Fusion III)
More product from Trevor "Playgroup" Jackson's Output label, so you can fully expect the new-school disco-punk template - ominous toms, trampoline basslines, dirty synth jabs and shadowy, drifting dub - albeit in chilled-out, post-club sofa mode. The dope first single (and first track on the disc), "Crazy Love," exemplifies this and adds medicated vocal musings to the mix. It's all entirely the work of Paris-based artist Marc Nguyen Tran, who also created the various videos on the bonus DVD. Nice animation (especially the cartoon running man for "Crazy Love") and digital wallpaper, but the vids are just gravy. The meat's in the music. 8/10 (Rupert Bottenberg)

Ricardo Villalobos
Alcachofa (Playhouse/Fusion III)
Already hailed as contender for techno album of the year by guys like Akufen and Michael Mayer, Ricardo Villalobos's Alcachofa (that's "artichoke" to you non-Spanish speakers) is nine tracks of long, drawn-out, darkly melodic and lightly percussive minimal house. Two years in the making, Alcachofa is a compilation of several previously released 12-inches (like the devastating, melancholy, vocoded opener "Easy Lee") and some fresh new material. Champion of the melodic micro-house movement, Villalobos's ability to introduce several musical ideas into each track allows him to extend each one well past the seven-minute mark without sounding redundant. 8.5/10 (Raf Katigbak)

Swayzak
Fabric 11 (Fabric/Fusion III)
Okay, so I'm the first to admit the last Swayzak album didn't age too well after the electro-backlash (they too admit the album was rushed), but their latest mix, for England's hottest club Fabric, serves as an engaging check-in to see what the U.K. duo is listening to and most likely what they're up to next. A showcase of their eclectic side, the mix is part slinky micro-disco à la Akufen, Luomo and Herbert, as well as dubby '90s dance care of Rockers Hi-Fi and electro disco punk from LCD Soundsystem and a DFA remix of Metro Area. Funky synth workouts from Mr. Oizo and MMM and a taste of the original synth pop from Thomas Dolby round out the mix. Very nice indeed. 8/10 (Raf Katigbak)

Georg Levin
Can't Hold Back (Sonar Kollektiv)
The great thing about the blue-eyed soul of Georg Levin involves a slight appreciation for the studio sound of Steely Dan, the compressed warmth of so many records in the CTI Jazz catalog and a voice that you can't quite place. If Remy Shand was carpooling with Jazzanova, and wasn't aiming for the radio, this is what he might sound like. Can't Hold Back excels in soul swells and subtle dancefloor nuance, showcasing Levin's uniquely nasal pipes and his impressive production and arrangement skills. 8.5/10 (Scott C)

Allen Eager
In the Land of Oo-Bla-Dee (Uptown/Fusion III)
Subtitled 1947–1953, this is the recently deceased tenorman at his peak. Once again Montreal-based doctor Bob Sunenblick has done a lot of digging and come up with some memorable and important music and released same with the usual (for this label) booklet of 60-odd pages. There's a 1953 radio broadcast from a session at the Hi-Hat in Boston that has the ill-fated Dick Twardzik on piano, a 1949 WNEW jam session and a number of 1947 sessions recorded at the photo studio of one Milton H. Greene. Those sessions include not only Serge Chaloff and John Carisi but also some great playing from two giants of the bebop era, Charlie Parker and Bud Powell. Bird and Eager swap hours on one piece and Powell is at the top of his game. Another one for this year's top 10 list. 10/10 (Len Dobbin)

Mini CD Reviews

Charles McPherson Live at the Cellar (Maximum Jazz/Universal) Great bebop alto with Ross Taggart, Jodi Proznick and Blaine Wikjord assisting. 9 (LD)

The Quill Hooray! It's a Death Trip (Steamhammer/Fusion III) The Quill are your new favourite stoner-rock band! 8.5 (JC)

L.A. Carnaval "Pose a Question" 7" (Now Again) More 45 RPM pressure from L.A.'s Now Again. Hot funk on the A, soul ballad on the B. 8 (SC)

Guided By Voices Earthquake Glue (Matador/Select) Another year, another GBV album, another prize for the fans, another lukewarm review. 6.5 (LC)

Alice Cooper The Eyes of Alice Cooper (Eagle Rock) Oh, how the mighty have fallen. Do yourself a favour and pick up used copies of Killer and Love It to Death and call it a day. 6 (JC)

Jackmate The Prodigal Son (Resopal/Fusion III) His futuristic take on Chicago house doesn't go far enough. Instead, peep the originators and innovators like Farley Jackmaster Funk and anything on Trax Records. 4 (RK)

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