Rocket From the Tombs
Rocket Redux (Smog Veil)
The only existing RFTT document from "back in the day" (the late '70s), The Day the Earth Met Rocket From the Tombs, finally got a legitimate release last year. It was an early punk rock touchstone, but it lacked the production muscle it truly deserved. So, after three original members recently reunited and brought Pere Ubu's Steve Mehlman and Television's Richard Lloyd along, the band finally went into a studio to do justice to these original songs, which Pere Ubu and the Dead Boys had turned into punk rock staples. Thirty years after the fact, they've actually transcended the original versions. The real stars here are Pere Ubu's David Thomas, as full of piss and vinegar as ever, and Richard Lloyd, playing at his zenith. If you are looking for the roots of punk rock, look no further 'cause it's all here - "Sonic Reducer," "Final Solution," "Life Stinks," need I say more? 9.5/10 (Johnson Cummins)

Air
Talkie Walkie (Virgin/EMI)
After the prog-rock sprawl of 10,000Hz Legend and other odd tangents, the French duo of Jean-Benoît Dunckel and Nicolas Godin return to whence they came. Their latest sees them back in the safe and comfy confines of the same breezy, stars-and-hearts pop confectionery that gave us '98's big splash, Moon Safari. True, they've got Radiohead producer Nigel Goodrich at the board, and the expected billowy synths are supplemented by more guitar and other stuff - note the banjo, whistling and faux-raga riffs on "Alpha Beta Gaga." The pair sing more too, which is why the two instrumentals, lacking Dunckel's precious pixie pipes, come off so strong. Fact is, though, there's no "Sexy Boy" here, no really amazing moments at all. A pleasant but utterly uneventful ride. 7/10 (Rupert Bottenberg)

Oneida
Secret Wars (Three Gut)
Incorporating a bluesy ballad and a Middle Eastern horror movie theme-in-waiting (for good measure?), this Brooklyn-based trio has perfected their primal, psychedelic noise attack. Picture them as Shy Child's guitar-wielding jock cousins, bearing a similar organ drone and crudely melodic plonk, bang and clatter, but playing a bit faster, a bit harder and with '70s influences more classic rock than prog. Their vocals aren't so much sung as recited like mantras crossed with schoolyard taunts, but fans will surely appreciate the instrumental finale, a brilliant, 14-minute blowout with hypnotic hooks and hallucinatory patterns amid the cacophony. 8/10 (Lorraine Carpenter)

Beef Terminal
The Isolationist (Noise Factory)
In a perverse frame of mind, Toronto's MD Matheson named his one-man music project after the neighbourhood slaughterhouse, but his albums thus far (this is his third) are more morose than macabre. His exquisitely evocative instrumentals, fertile concoctions of guitars and beats, reflect both the everyday (absurd dreams, winter sun) and momentous, painful events (his mother's death, 9/11). Haunting strains of melody and half-buried samples of pirated cell-phone calls flit around behind skipping-stone beats and guitar lines, sometimes lush and layered, sometimes as stark and beautifully garbled as Neil Young's Dead Man score. 8.5/10 (Lorraine Carpenter)

Tanakh
Dieu Dieuil (Alien8/Sonic Unyon)
First off, a tip of the hat to local label Alien8. In these times when indies are feeling the pressure to be genre-specific just to survive (Relapse, Bloodshot, etc.), Alien 8 remains as eclectic as ever, proving that its only mandate is quality. Tanakh maintain that their roots are '70s U.K. folk like John Martyn and Fairport Convention, but it seems they have also been caught thumbing through Wire magazine. Funeral dirges, psychedelic ragas, gypsy folk and great improvisational passages all intermingle in a lush, dense sound. Fans of local label-mates Shalabi Effect's psychedelic sprawl and Mollasses's minor-chord dirges, or even Galaxie 500's seminal On Fire, will absolutely love this. Soft and lulling at all times, Tanakh let songs meander and careen while anchoring things down with fragile male/female harmonies. This could be the perfect record for rainy Sunday afternoons. 9/10 (Johnson Cummins)

Millimetrik
Variety Is the Spice of Life (Statik)
This ambient electronic project of Quebec indie-rock drummer Pascal Asselin suggests influences like Austin lullaby duo Stars of the Lid and Spanish sombre-hombre Murcof, straddling the line between post-rock sentimentality and IDM obscurity. On track 2, haunting flute arrangements reminiscent of Boards of Canada are layered over sparse beatbox chirps and 808 snares, while track 3 uses live drums over melodramatic orchestra samples to create a swirling neo-psychedelic epic. While for the most part, Asselin is rather adventurous with the rhythms - the only drawback is his liberal use of the oft-heard canned analog drum machine samples. Otherwise, this is a great effort by a talented new producer that would not look out of place in a Mutek lineup. 7/10 (Raf Katigbak)

More or Les
I Only Stop for Red Ants (Villain Worship)
Yay. Somebody making hip hop out of Toronto who actually has a sense of humour. More or Les is a real jack of all trades, crafting funky, sample-heavy beats backed with well-delivered cornball rhymes strictly for the haters. I like "Curry Chicken & Rice," "A Little Too Much (Weed)" and the clever "LEStalk." In an unprecedented move, he even threw me for a loop with a little tune he likes to call "Walkerton Inquiries," for those of you who read the news. Nice to hear some light-hearted shit from someone who actually has the skill to pull it off. Dude is a funny guy. 7.5/10 (Scott C)

Romanowski
Steady Rocking (Future Primitive Sound)
This album, or rather this five-song EP with a trio of remixes, shows what happens when a capable West Coast hip hop deck-nician indulges his love of rock steady. The latter being the Jamaican soul sound of the second half of the '60s, that sweet spot between ska and reggae. Zurich-born San Franciscan Romanowski, with help from friends in the noted Poets of Rhythm, marries contemporary beat-cobbling with the melodic flavour of the era, plus a substantial dose of humour and character. "Why?" is a particular standout on a record that'll speak to rude boys and rap heads alike. 8/10 (Rupert Bottenberg)

Les Nubians
One Step Forward (Virgin/EMI)
If you've ever listened to the simple harmonies of les Nubians, you know that these two African sisters aren't exactly the strongest or most versatile vocalists out there today, but they do have a charm that sets them apart. This new record finds them back in the mix, fusing their rootsy, organic vibe with some great producers. Teaming up with I.G. Culture, Morgan Heritage, Talib Kweli, Ray Lema, Manu Dibango and world-music don Mounir Belkhir, makes for some varied soulful sounds. Check the title track or prime cut "Le Guerre" for the heads up. 8/10 (Scott C)

Dani Siciliano
Likes… (K7!/Fusion III)
Many of you already know Siciliano as the wispy voice behind many of Matthew Herbert's productions. Now, from out of the shadows, Siciliano enlists the help of Herbert, Max De Warner and Mugison for her genre-bending debut album. On Likes…, Siciliano blends elements of jazz, hip hop, French horn and Herbert's found-sound shenanigans for a slickly produced slice of intimate electronic music. While her voice always seemed a little too clean for my taste, she has developed her own sound and the production deserves kudos for its offbeat and catchy minimalist quality (except for the Nirvana cover "Come As You Are"). 7/10 (Raf Katigbak)

Anthony Hamilton
Comin' From Where I'm From (Arista/BMG)
Calvin Richardson
2:35 PM (Hollywood/Universal)
Both of these North Carolina natives had impressive cameos before dropping their respective sets (Hamilton on the Nappy Roots' "Po' Folks," Richardson on Angie Stone's "More Than a Woman"), and both possess rough vocal styles reminiscent of powerful soul singers like Sam Cooke and Bobby Womack. Of the two, Richardson is more forceful, driving cuts like "Keep on Pushin'" and "I've Got to Move" to the limit. But Hamilton has the edge, using his just-got-up-in-the-morning vocals to add persuasive timbre to the down-and-out title track and the countrified "Since I Seen't You." Both of these refreshingly unpolished sets successfully reinterpret '70s groove. It's solid soul times two. Richardson 8/10, Hamilton 8.5/10 (Gerard Dee)

Harvie S
Texas Rumba (Zoho)
Pablo Aslan
Avantango (Zoho)
A new label presents two albums with two bass-playing leaders (the former aka Swartz). For jazz fans with a penchant for different rhythms, the former is closer to what we usually refer to as Latin jazz, the latter of more appeal to those who prefer the nuevo tango. There are many fine players here, none, other than Mr. S, of great renown. Harvie wrote the majority of the material on the first, which also includes Thelonius' [sic] "Monk's Mood" while the second features the writing of its leader and Astor Piazzolla. Both well worth a listen. Both 8.5/10 (Len Dobbin)

Mini CD Reviews

Shelly Manne Yesterdays (Pablo) One of the drummer's better combos, one with Richie Kamuca and Joe Gordon, "live" in Zurich. 9 (LD)

Various Gilles Peterson Eclectic Vol. 2 (TrusttheDJ/Fusion III) Yet another stacked Gilles comp! Ayro, Nick Holder, Alison Crockett, Buscemi, Only Child and more. 9 (SC)

Volebeats Country Favorites (Turquoise Mountain/Fusion III) Gram Parsons-inspired country covers of Abba, 13th Floor Elevators and Serge Gainsbourg - their take on Funkadelic and Slayer are out of this world. 9 (JC)

Southern Culture on the Skids Mojo Box (Yep Roc/Outside) Older, better and swampier. 8.5 (JC)

Crackhaus "Blame Canada" 12" (Musique Risquée) Another dancefloor stomper by hometown duo of Deadbeat and Steve Beaupré. "Blow Brotha Blow" is a bumpin' blast of harmonica-fuelled house, while the B-side is strum-a-licious gospel funk. 8 (RK)

The Special Interest Group Bright Occasion (independent) Sweet and substantial folk-pop terroire, recalling VU ballads, the Arcade Fire and the Be Good Tanyas. 7.5 (LC)

Texas Careful What You Wish For (Mercury/Universal) Hurray, another tepid LP by a band that's been chasing bandwagons around the U.K. mainstream forever. Who wished for this? 4 (LC)

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