Snapcase
Bright Flashes (Victory/Koch)
Along with Raised Fist and Converge, Snapcase are one of the most vital hardcore bands happening right now. They're only too conscious of hardcore music eating its own tail and constantly push their limits with every release, this time by utilizing programming and weaving in noisescapes from traditional rock. Even though this is all rare singles and outtakes from their last record End Transmission, it's hardly a collection of mongrels, as the tracks sit together perfectly and the overall vision of the record is crystal clear. The covers of Helmet, Devo and Jane's Addiction alone make this essential. 9/10 (Johnson Cummins)

The Shins
Chutes Too Narrow (Sub Pop/ Warner)
Albuquerque's finest are back in brighter colours, outshining the muted tones of their debut album the way a Hollywood sequel ups the explosions. Singer-songwriter James Mercer has penned more airborne pop melodies and painted more abstract scenes of knotted romance and social oddity, his lyrics all the more audible without the gauzy bubble wrapped around Oh, Inverted World. But, as a result, he sometimes hits too hard, moves too fast and packs too much verbiage into his songs, throwing a bit of the magic away with the mystery. 8/10 (Lorraine Carpenter)

The Creatures
Hái! (Instinct)
Recorded in Japan, inspired by bits and pieces of Japanese culture (from Shinto to Godzilla) and built around an improv session with renowned Taiko drummer Leonard Eto, the Banshees duo's fourth (and first self-produced) album finds them more confident and focused than ever, if, at times, a little dry. Far from the pop-industrial material off '98's Anima Animus, Hái! recalls their relatively stripped-down '80s work, with xylophones, bells and rushes of cymbals forming a lush cushion for Budgie and Eto's assertive tribal beats and Siouxsie's towering chants and slithering poetry. 8/10 (Lorraine Carpenter)

Living Colour
Collideoscope (Sanctuary)
It seems like time hasn't passed at all since Living Colour's last album Stain back in 1993. Corey Glover's voice is still crisp and soulful, while Vernon Reid's guitars are still blistering, backed by the solid rhythm section of Calhoun and Wimbish. As with Stain, samples are generously sprinkled throughout. This time a little drum & bass is added to the mix in the angry anti-war songs "In Your Name" and "Sacred Ground." Reggae riddims are also present in the cyberpunk tale "Nightmare City." Collidescope is another chapter in Living Colour's multi-faceted approach to music and facing the ills of America - and ya gotta love the cover of AC/DC's "Back In Black." 8/10 (Lateef Martin)

P!nk
Try This (Arista/BMG)
The rose-toned, chain-smoking un-Britney's new one sees her pretty much dropping the urban routine - only the substandard "Catch Me While I'm Sleeping" breaches R&B turf. Mostly P!nk's going for a punky, if danceable, alt-rock angle, enlisting Rancid's Tim Armstrong for an assist on a half-dozen songs and rock-chick svengalietta Linda Perry on several more (the ones that sound like Heart or Sheryl Crow, sadly). The strongest tunes aren't the singles, though. They're the electro-salsa fun of "Feel Good Time," the kickin' "Humble Neighborhoods" and a booby trap in "Oh My God," P!nk and Peaches' steamy cunnilingus anthem. 7/10 (Rupert Bottenberg)

Sam Fox
Watching You, Watching Me (Tox)
In 1986, they'd only been on the planet for 20 years and measured an impressive 36DD. They were still young, perky and a little mischievous, if not already exposed for the camera then forever threatening to pop out from their hiding place. They were truly magnificent. Today they've been surgically reduced and their proud owner is closing in on 40, hawking a collection of predictable remixes from her late-'90s effort 21st Century Fox. Except these 1990s tracks have been mixed to sound straight out of the '80s. The result is just perfect - assuming you're solely interested in kitsch, that is. 7/10 (Chris Barry)

Kid Rock
self-titled (Atlantic/Warner)
He's not speaking to the music as much on this album - but when he does, well, he really shouldn't. Mixing ridiculous live guitars from slide to acoustic to electric, real drums, fake drums, ho-hums and a lot of leftover crumbs, Kid Rock goes a bit country but keeps with the overdone pseudo-soul. Don't forget the rock, it's still here, ballads too. So if overdone backwater country-rock slip-flop is your thang, you won't be disappointed. In truth, Kid Rock makes for a better singer than MC. And by the way, rhyming slow and simple isn't an "old school flow." 4/10 (Lateef Martin)

Tupac
Resurrection (Interscope/Universal)
I can't help but think that Tupac has to be sitting up with Elvis somewhere, laughing about all the money they've made since they've died. That's right, this is yet another Tupac Resurrection situation, with new and old music from the motion picture of the same name. Along with songs produced by and featuring Eminem, there's a duet with Biggie and a duet with 50 Cent. Apart from the desperate couplings with popular rappers and an iconic dead MC, this is a slightly unimpressive record that doesn't live up to the legacy that refuses to die. I'm still waiting for one unreleased Tupac track to fittingly capture what gave this thug icon the legs to warrant multiple releases after his death. 7.5/10 (Scott C)

Will.I.Am
Must B 21 (BBE/Fusion III)
For some reason, Will.I.Am and his Black Eyed Peas seem to be making more of a pop effort this year, so I thought Must B 21 would be where all his soulful, underground sensibilities would come out. Unlike his first LP, Lost Change, Must B 21 is rife with sugary, upbeat joggers and too many hooks. Despite appearances by KRS One, Planet Asia, MC Lyte, Tash, Supernatural and even Phife, this record is a little light on protein and a little too sweet for its own good. Will's cartoonish productions are light and laughable, but lacking in strong songs that can stand the test of time. Plus, you don't even have to be 12 to enjoy this. 7/10 (Scott C)

Apparat
Duplex (Shitkatapult)
Using randomly triggered and granulated sonic artifacts tastefully over a sweetly melodic undulation (and sometimes even vocals), Duplex's attempt to combine the organic and electronic succeeds where many fail. Each track seamlessly blends crunched-out and clicky percussive elements with solo guitar, distorted horns and misty-eyed synth chords, providing a nice contrast to label partner T.Raumschmiere's chugging, over-the-top, bare-bones techno-punk. An excellent, bittersweet IDM pop album and further confirmation of Shitkatapult's place as one of the new leaders in minimal electronics. 8/10 (Raf Katigbak) With T.Raumschmiere and Ellen Allien at SAT, Fri., Nov. 14, 9pm, $20

The Mitgang Audio
The View From Your New Home (Suction)
They say variety is the spice of life. If that's so, then the latest effort from Brooklyn's Ray Sweeten (aka Mitgang Audio) is one spicy piece of electro-pop. Sweeten combines elements of Ultravox, Moroder, Wendy Carlos and VG disco for a varied yet solid album where throbbing electro-disco anthems sit perfectly next to robo-emo ballads sung in vocoded English and Italian. For DJs, the driving arpeggiated bassline of "Stelle Di Radio" would sound perfect in a Deejay Gigolos-type set while slower tracks like "Passenger Perspective" might interest fans of Fischerspooner's cover of Wire's "The 15th." 7/10 (Raf Katigbak)

Meshell Ndegeocello
Comfort Woman (Maverick/Warner)
I just love this complicated woman. Never one to deliver a song in a predictable style, she constantly finds innovative ways to present familiar messages. Like '99s Bitter, her latest is more about emotion than political rage or social justice, the driving forces behind her three best sets, Plantation Lullabies, Peace Beyond Passion and last year's Cookie. But whereas the songs on Bitter reinforce the title, the tracks on this set are clearly dedicated to love, and the best here - "Come Smoke My Herb" and "Andromeda & the Milky Way" - are also luxurious odes to passion. And what's not to love about that? 8/10 (Gerard Dee)

Frank D'Rone After the Ball (Verve/Universal)
Ian Shaw A World Still Turning (441)
The first is a reissue of a 1960 session where this first-rank singer (and guitarist) out of Chicago is backed by a swinging big band led by Billy May. It's great to have this session by a sadly under-appreciated artist back on the market - songs by Cole Porter, Harold Arlen, Matt Dennis and Frank Loesser are treated properly. Ian Shaw I know little about, but this is a fine release on a new label. His vocal approach reminds me of Jay Leonhart and he's joined by people like Eric Alexander and Billy Childs on a mix of items by writers like Kurt Weill, David Bowie, Horace Silver and Bobby Blue Bland (where he's joined by Mark Murphy). Both 9/10 (Len Dobbin)

Thomas Mapfumo & the Blacks
Unlimited Toi Toi (Anonym)
At 58, the inexhaustible Lion of Zimbabwe bangs out yet another batch of sour grapes for that fucker Mugabe. For decades, Mapfumo has been refining his trademarked, politically-charged chimurenga style (the name means "struggle" in the Shona tongue, just as the title means "protest"). If not as forceful as Fela's Afrobeat, Mapfumo's music is wire-taut and tough under the pretty trickle of guitar licks and thumb-piano trills. Lyrically, he's taking some pretty bold stances - linking HIV to irresponsible womanizers and questioning the validity of ethnic nationalism. His roar is rich and inviting, but beware the lion's bite. 8.5/10 (Rupert Bottenberg) At Kola Note, Sun., Nov. 16, 7pm, $25

Mini CD Reviews

Harry Allen A Night at Birdland Vol. 2 (Nagel Heyer/Fusion III) Some swinging tenor abetted by the drums of the late Oliver Jackson. 8.5 (LD)

Tuatara The Loading Program (Fast Horse) The cinematic psyche-world supergroup (alumni of REM, Los Lobos and Screaming Trees), remixed by the likes of Michael Franti and DJs Sppoky, Wally and Logic. Apocryphal but way cool. 8.5 (RB)

P-Love "Fob Lights"/"Clausland Mtn Rd" 7" (Bully) P Lover joins the 7" fray with two subdued tunes for smoking bowls or sensual massage. 8 (SC)

Raising the Fawn By the Warmth of Your Flame (Sonic Unyon) A fistful of strong, stirring post-rock songs from an arm of the Broken Social Scene. 8 (LC)

Gorky's Zygotic Mynci Sleep/Holiday (Sanctuary) The Welsh ensemble emits more fuzzy, pastoral pop, with one rawkin' ode to lawn mowing. 7.5 (LC)

310 Recessional (Leaf) Sample-heavy downtempo with elements of found sound, hip hop, Eastern music, indie guitar and jazzy loops. Sure, some of the vocals are wack, but the music is pretty dope. 7 (RK)

Various Chicken Lips DJ Kicks (!K7/Fusion III) A blitz of twisted disco sickness, lovingly assembled by London's Chicken Lips trio. 7 (RB)

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