Blacktop
I Got a Baaad Feelin' About This (In the Red)
If the White Stripes and Little Stevie have started whetting your appetite for trashy garage, it's about time you graduate to Mick Collins. He originally cut his teeth with the minimalist sounds of the Gories and is best known for his current band the Dirtbombs, but between these two monumental bands is the often overlooked Blacktop. Mick's trademark croon is all over this and works perfectly over Darin Lin Wood's Birthday Party guitar discordance and Janet Walker's primal Mo Tucker beats. You may have the original 1995 record, but In the Red has collected the band's entire catalogue and stuffed it onto one CD. In fact, the best stuff is the B-sides, which have them covering some obscure '60s stompers. All hail Collins, the king of the garage! 9/10 (Johnson Cummins)

Belle & Sebastian
Dear Catastrophe Waitress (Sanctuary/EMI)
By album six, most indie pop/rock bands skew their formula, usually in a more abstract electronic direction. Belle & Sebastian have gone the other route, chucking the "sad bastard" sound and making a silly, peppy pop record. Those who always preferred the band's uppity moments will find plenty to latch on to but their darker, rougher edges have been smoothed out, due in part to their collaboration with Trevor Horn - Buggles member and producer of ABC, Frankie Goes to Hollywood and Tatu. The lyrics have largely gone dizzy but the '60s-tinted chamber pop instrumentation and tag team vocals remain, and overall, the sunny California pop escapade may have done these pale-faced Scots some good. 7.5/10 (Lorraine Carpenter)

Stereolab
Instant O in the Universe (Elektra/Warner)
This EP is the Lab's first release since member Mary Hansen died in a bicycling accident last year, but it's no glum lament. Instant O's five songs (or rather 10, as the "groop" now flips every track over into a freaky non-sequitur halfway through) are focused, vivacious and notably optimistic. Guess they figured "Mary would have wanted it that way." The band's built-for-comfort avant-pop doesn't stray far from where the last few discs were at - the aforementioned flip-flops, the frequent essays at tough cop-show funk and, conversely, the cranking of the whimsy meter. Does that make this superfluous? Nope, just super. 8.5/10 (Rupert Bottenberg)

Pretty Girls Make Graves
The New Romance (Matador/Select)
Contrast is everything for this Seattle quintet, forging ahead with their emo/rock/new wave-derived pop punk on their sophomore album, produced by Phil Ek (Modest Mouse, Built to Spill). They'll make sharp turns, switching time signatures or swerving from an ace electronic intro into an impassioned punk anthem, negotiate disturbing tension with dancefloor-ready grooves, and never sound muddled or unkempt. Lyrically, they sometimes tread dangerously close to bad teenage poetry but, regardless, the guitar interplay and infectious rhythm spin a sweet web to catch Andrea Zollo's towering vocals, while keys add a dash of bright colour to a sound that never threatens to turn grey. 7.5/10 (Lorraine Carpenter)

Jet
Get Born (Elektra/Warner)
Here's the latest over-hyped New Zealand rockers to invade our shores. Is it good? You bet your Slade records it is. No re-invention of the wheel here, but Jet bring the party, aping classic rock's better moments while keeping things chugging right along. To stick out a bit from rock's current bashers and crashers, Jet pepper the record with five ballads that are some of the best weepers this side of Badfinger. Their biggest asset is that they know how to pen a tune but don't get mucked up in self-indulgent slop, and know when to pull out all stops. Barkmarket's D. Sardy mans the production here, keeping things raw and just letting the band shine through. 8.5/10 (Johnson Cummins)

Slan
Electric Blues (Last Gang)
If you've been wondering where MuchMusic's Sook-Yin Lee got to, or for that matter where Maximum 60 from Dream Warriors went, here's the answer. With fellow T-dot producer Rumble, Max 60's fashioned a classy, modernized blend of vintage spy-fi cool (think John Barry) and grim Gallic elegance (Gainsbourg, etc.) well suited to Lee's chilly, understated crooning. Upping the energy for "Testify" is a successful move - I smell a hit single here - but Rumble's own attempts at alt-rock glory ("You Don't Love Me," "Heartbreaker") fall flat. Nonetheless a strong debut overall, stylish, reserved and knowledgeable. 7.5/10 (Rupert Bottenberg)

K.C. Accidental
Captured Anthems for an Empty Bathtub (Noise Factory/Outside)
K.C. Accidental is one piece of the Broken Social Scene puzzle - or two pieces, namely Kevin Drew and Charles Spearin. This is the pair's second release, six disparate instrumentals carried by robust currents of krautrock, jazz (and memories of trumpet, à la St-Germain), morose and melodic post-rock, party breaks and fun samples, including one song's keyboard part fed through Bell's answering service. Drew and Spearin lend a heartfelt spin to the conventional sounds and structures of modern instrumental rock, yet they forgo the epic lengths, allowing just enough time for each idea to breathe and flower, and occasionally climax, without cramping or hitting the wall. 8/10 (Lorraine Carpenter)

Bubba Sparxxx
Deliverance (Beat Club/ Universal)
As hip hop's other production powerhouse after the Neptunes, Timbaland might not get around as much as Pharrell and Chad, but he puts in work. Production on the new Bubba Sparxxx piece is split between Organized Noize and Tim, for that extra country bump and lots of subsonic inbreeding. Bubba hasn't really veered from his white-boy POV, doing his part to build on the steady infiltration of southern slang into bass bins everywhere, but I believe his appeal lies almost entirely in Timbaland's signature sound. Bluegrass and fiddles are strong on Deliverance, making for a love-it-or-hate-it marriage between the gruff tones of this backwoods boy and what I like to call "blang-blang." 7/10 (Scott C)

No Luck Club
Happiness (Ill Boogie)
In the spirit of West Coast turntable fun, the Chan Brothers have crafted Happiness, a light, well-produced vinyl addict's odyssey that is as clever as it is funny. From "Rock Guitar," a cut and paste primer on riffs and licks, to the radio drama chops on "Crime Story," the Bros. demonstrate their comfort and skill on the decks while highlighting their sense of humour. Unlike a lot of scratch or battle records, Happiness is a collection of self-contained bits, all approaching the art of scratching, sequencing, arrangement and record collecting from a screwy vantage point, with kooky and sometimes laughable results. 7.5/10 (Scott C)

Matmos
The Civil War (Matador/Select)
Okay, so how much does Matmos rule? Instead of dropping yet another minimal techno album made up of obscure medical sounds, their latest takes it waaaay back to the old school. Or should I say "ye olde school," since they're talking folk-tronica on the 15th-century tip, complete with hurdy-gurdy, recorder, bassoon and a few jigs thrown in for good measure. Add to that some guest musicians including Louisville natives David Grubbs, Keenan Lawler and the sweet bluesy-folk guitar of ex-Acetone Mark Lightcap and you've got yerself a humorous yet emotive album that sometimes sounds like the soundtrack to The Wicker Man via the Kompakt crew. Wicked! 8/10 (Raf Katigbak)

Pointer Sisters
"Pinball Number Count" 12" (Ninja Tune/Outside)
I can remember watching Sesame Street and running to crank the volume when the pinball bit would come on. It was funky and crazy, with nutty animation that was always way too short. Well, DJ Food has taken it upon himself to re-edit this classic joint from 1975 that had never been released on any record anywhere, and it feels good. Although the quality is low, I can play it louder than I ever could off of the TV, singing "1-2-3,4,5-6-7,8,9,10-11-12" at the top of my lungs. Peep Cookie Monster with Larry Levan on the B-side doing a disco version of "C Is for Cookie." Apparently it was Larry's first mix ever back in 1978. Who knew? 8.5/10 (Scott C)

Javier
self-titled (Capitol/EMI)
With the groovy single "Crazy" leading the way, the debut by 25-year-old soul singer Javier shows solid potential. Though vocally he's best compared to a wider-ranged Brian McKnight, musically he leans towards the experimental tendencies of Prince or D'Angelo, especially on the jazzy "Beautiful U R" and the life-gone-wrong song "Hey Little Sister." Elsewhere, he shines vocally and lyrically on the heartfelt "Song for Your Tears" and his tour de force "October Sky." With some help from jazz trumpeter Roy Hargrove, the latter track builds into a composition worthy of a much more seasoned musician. That alone makes Javier one to watch. 7.5/10 (Gerard Dee)

Mark Masters Ensemble
The Clifford Brown Project (Capri)
As the title suggests, this is a tribute to the late, influential trumpeter who died in a car accident at the age of 25 in 1956. With the exception of Benny Golson's beautiful ballad, "I Remember Clifford," Brown penned all the music heard here, played by a big band led by arranger-composer Masters who, with the exception of three penned by Jack Montrose, scored the session. "Joy Spring," "Sandu" and "Swingin'" are here along with the lesser known "Minor Mood" and a "Georgia Brown" contra fact, "Sweet Clifford." When you add topnotch soloists like Tim Hagans, Gary Smulyan, Montrose, Cecilia Coleman, Putter Smith and Joe LaBarbera, it adds up to a memorable outing. 10/10 (Len Dobbin)

Mini CD Reviews

Michel Donato Jazz en Liberté (Just a Memory/Fusion III) A great 1969 document with Brian Barley, Alan Penfold and Claude Ranger and the bassist-leader. 10 (LD)

Country Teasers Full Moon Empty Sportsbag (In the Red) Could be one of the funniest and most irritating records since Jon Wayne's Texas Funeral. Luscious! 9 (JC)

Marcos Valle Parabens (Far Out/Fusion III) Another gem from the Brazilian master. Bugz in the Attic flip the shit out on the B, too. 9 (SC)

Steve Earle Just an American Boy (Artemis) This two-CD live document proves that since the passing of Johnny Cash, Earle is the greatest living American songwriter. 9 (JC)

Television Marquee Moon (Rhino/Warner) The '77 classic by these NYC pre-punk post-punk torchbearers (a major influence on the Strokes) reissued with yummy extras. Essential! 9 (RB)

I'm a Robot self-titled (Virgin/EMI) Members of Beck's back-up band revolt, showing that they can do it just as well as their hu-mon leader. Well, not really. 6 (LC)

Armin Van Buuren 76 (Ultra) You know those people who hang out "glowsticking" next to their iced-out Civics long after the afterhours club closed? This is what they're listening to. Go home guys, party's over. 2 (RK)

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