Prince
Musicology (Columbia/Sony)
It's a crazy, mixed-up world when Michael's baby sis is public enemy number one and the guy who liked to wear bikini underwear on stage is now a card-carrying Jehovah Witness. Whatever works, I guess. And this return to vintage form definitely works for the Purple One. He doesn't break any new ground here, but he revisits terrain he hasn't stood on in a long time. And where he stands on social and political issues still makes for a smart, playful and ultimately satisfying musical diatribe. The album's best song is the deliciously funky title track, a shout-out to soul legends like Earth, Wind & Fire and James Brown. It's a list Prince, no doubt, belongs on. 9/10 (Gerard Dee)

Jean Leloup
Exit (La Tribu/Select)
That's right, Quebec's clown prince of manic mondo-pop has called it quits, dropping rock in favour of future filmmaking plans. To go out with a bang and not a long, drawn-out whimper, Leloup offers this three-disc farewell note. The centrepiece is the DVD of the film La mygale jaune, final-concert footage mixed with surreal musings on his big decision and a ritualistic road trip that culminates in the sacrificial burning of his vintage guitar, boots and trademark top hat. A soundtrack disc, capturing clearly that last show, joins one of extras c/o the Leloup Big Band. A big bunch of vivacious fun, coloured by a note of sad finality. 8/10 (Rupert Bottenberg)

The Ponys
Laced With Romance (In the Red)
THIS IS A MIRROR ROCK 'N' ROLL ALERT. The Ponys are a new Chicago quartet who link the fuzz and vigour of garage and post-punk with classic pop power, channelling the Byrds, the Jesus & Mary Chain, the Velvet Underground, Echo and the Bunnymen and so on. Yet they do it without "borrowing" to the degree that the likes of the Raveonettes and the Strokes do, and when they are derivative, the homage is Crystals clear (check out "Fall Inn"). Overall, their stylistic bridges are cleverly built with resounding guitars, ringing Farfisa, bludgeoning rhythm and mystery vocals, à la Kingsmen. Do yourself a favour… 9/10 (Lorraine Carpenter)

Raising the Fawn
The North Sea (Sonic Unyon)
Glacial beauty meets rock-dwelling beast on this undeniably epic LP by another Toronto band from the Broken Social Scene fold. Recorded nearly two years ago, before last year's By the Warmth of Your Flame EP (long story), this is probably a less effective package than its predecessor, but it offers a more thorough picture of what the band is capable of. Slow-boiling Western ballads, melancholic marching tunes, straight-up, single-worthy indie pop and unhinged, cacophonic rock - an ambitious collection that unfolds like a tragic narrative. 7.5/10 (Lorraine Carpenter) With Sebadoh and Mia Verko at la Sala Rossa, Sat., April 24, 9pm, $12

The Hiss
Panic Movement (Sanctuary)
Okay, it's official, rock is back - which leaves us sorry bastards to sort through every mediocre coatrider dressed up in bellbottoms. The Hiss will blow holes through most of the new crop of rock with these '70s-styled stompers, but don't get too excited. Strange that these Atlanta natives have been the toast of the U.K. rags (producer Owen Morris of Oasis and the Verve fame mans the board) before doing anything here, but this could be their year. The boys pack a wallop, their Southern roots shine through, but it's the tunefulness, smacking a bit too much of late '80s Brit rock that has the limeys all excited. 7/10 (Johnson Cummins)

The Standard
Wire Post to Wire (Yep Roc)
The Standard continue to outgrow their name with this truly three-dimensional third album, crafted under the wing of producer Jeff Saltzman (Sleater-Kinney, Malkmus etc.). With damaged vocals, propulsive rhythm and talkative, sporadically loudmouth guitar, the Portland-based quintet has something of an indie rock bark, but their bite is more Tindersticks than Pavement. Their murky lyrics deal in anxiety, depression and desperation, poetry elevated from the dumps on celestial planes of piano, synth and cello, creating a rousing, string-laden rock sound to swoon to. 8/10 (Lorraine Carpenter)

The Free Design
Kites Are Fun (Light in the Attic/Outside)
This overlooked, ambitious folk-pop family affair from the late '60s has been nodded to enough by the likes of Beck, Cornelius and Stereolab that this CD reissue and the later albums that will follow are long overdue. Don't be put off by initial impressions of excruciating sweetness and light. It was the '60s after all and, soft and sunny as this stuff is, the jawdropping beauty and complexity of the Dedrick siblings' vocal harmonizing, equal parts Beach Boys and medieval rounds, wins one over fast. Remarkable, ornate originals like the title track and "The Proper Ornaments" are buttressed by a brilliant take on the Beatles' "Michelle." Watch also for the remix EP, with Madlib, Mellow and the dude from Belle & Sebastian (who owe these guys their left kidneys). 8.5/10 (Rupert Bottenberg)

Dilated Peoples
Neighborhood Watch (Capitol/EMI)
Self-proclaimed champions of the underground, Dilated Peoples couldn't be caught drifting into the mainstream any more clearly than they are here. Neighborhood Watch bears an astonishing resemblance to a dull knife, with MCs Evidence and Rakaa scrambling to find some sort of edge. Production duties fall surprisingly heavy on the shoulders of the Alchemist, whose beats are hit and miss at best but at least bring some energy to two of the world's most predictable MCs. Babu gets away unscathed, while appearances by Defari, Phil Da Agony, Planet Asia and even hip hop messiah Kanye West amount to amazingly mediocre cameos. Hopefully next time Dilated come around, they'll have something new to bring to the table. 7/10 (Scott C)

Various
Norman Jay MBE Giant 45 (BBC/Fusion III)
As one of BBC London 94.9FM's greatest shows, Norman Jay's Giant 45 can be heard every Sunday evening - a meaningful selection of new and classic black music mixing great tracks with what Jay calls "a haunting quality." I've heard the show and, to be honest, this first volume in what seems to be a projected series simply has a few too many easy tracks. Not that the songs are bad, it's just stuff that you've heard a little too often, like Barry White's "Playing Your Game Baby" or songs from the Temptations, Aretha Franklin and Marvin Gaye. The flipside has him including great new songs by Izzy Dunn, Ty and D'Nell. 8/10 (Scott C)

Einstürzende Neubauten
Perpetuum Mobile (Mute)
Blixa and his not-so-merry dudes of Deutschland are back, continuing their flirtation with traditional song structure that began on 2000's amazing Silence Is Sexy. They tone down the metal-on-metal clank of the past while delving further into actual form, but EN can still wake the neighbours with a cacophony. Bargeld's traded his trademark automaton vocals for a Germanic Cohen/Gainsbourg croon. The 14-minute krautrocker title track is a special treat, but Bargeld's time served as a Bad Seed has rubbed off on the wicked torch ballad "Ein Leichtes Leises Sausein." After almost 25 years Einstürzende Neubaten can still reinvent themselves with every release. 9/10 (Johnson Cummins) At Club Soda, Tues., April 27, 8pm, $23.50

Pigeon Funk
Proptronix Presents (Proptronix/Onitor)
Frisco techno supergroup Pigeon Funk (aka Kit Clayton, Sutekh and Safety Scissors) have finally put out a CD comp of their demented, dynamite 12-inches. At just under an hour, it features 16 of the funkiest, dirtiest, silliest electronic tunes this side of the Atlantic. From the elastic baselines and squelchy digital chirpings of "Fly the Coop" to the noise bursts, vinyl crackles and random tones of "Pigeon Lips," or even "Pombo Doente" (with its veterinarian's guide to sick pigeons over a sonic backdrop that switches from disco to funk to static to techno, like a hyperactive child on a radio dial), Pigeon Funk are proof that birds of a feather rock together. 8/10 (Raf Katigbak)

Erlend Oyé
DJ Kicks (K7/Fusion III)
Kings of Convenience frontman- cum-DJ Erlend Oyé has just raised the bar on the mix CD with this unreasonably good techno comp. First, take a fresh pair of ears untainted by strict, genre-based programming. Then, have 'em select and mix some cool-as-cucumber tracks from Kompakt, Cornelius, Phoenix, Avenue D, the Rapture, Ricardo Villalobos and Royksopp. Finally, why not one-up the mash-up craze by getting the DJ to sing Bananarama, Opus 3 and the Smiths a capellas over some instrumental techno tracks? Ladies and gentlemen, the soundtrack to the summer has arrived. Lemme hear you say, "OYÉ!" 9/10 (Raf Katigbak)

Christine Fawson
Happy Talk (www.christinefawson.com)
I was in Boston last Friday to see Phil Wilson receive an honorary doctorate from the Berklee College of Music, a reward for 40 years of "passing it on." That night Phil also directed the Rainbow Band, an impressive group of young students who were joined by pianist Tony Germain, fellow trombonist Dennis Wilson, the voice of Alisa Miles and Syncopation, a vocal quartet. On a romp on "Cherokee," Christine Fawson, a member of that quartet, pulled out a trumpet and played a crackling solo. That all leads us to the CD at hand, which shows off both sides of Christine's talent, joined here by her mentor Wilson as well as Tony Germain and, in a delightful vocal duet on "I Wonder Why?", Alisa Miles. Phil also did the arranging here. Well worth searching for. 8.5/10 (Len Dobbin)

Mini CD Reviews

Jean Beaudet Trio Les Danseurs (Elephant/Local) An overdue outing by an important pianist and his new trio, including his "Too Many Penguins" and Ellington's "Heaven." 9 (LD)

A Man Called Warwick Turning Point: Tropical Funk (independent) Warwick scours the bins for a worldly collection of gritty, danceable funk that you just can't buy anywhere. 8.5 (SC)

Kid Commando Holy Kid Commando (Ache/Scratch) "I will teach you a new kind of rhythm," claim three dishevelled, post-funk punks from Sweden. 8 (LC)

Various Another Country 2 (Agenda/Fusion III) Iron & Wine, Black Heart Procession, Giant Sand - whadda y'all waitin'for? 8 (JC)

Oxia 24 Heures (Goodlife) French electro impresario melds John Carpenter, Germany's Basic Channel, Detroit bass and Dutch electro into one dark, slick album. 7.5 (RK)

Space Elevator self-titled (Rocket to Rock) Co-ed T.O. trio play rock 'n' roll with pep in its step. 7.5 (LC) With the Spins at Casa del Popolo, Sat., April 24

Powderfinger Vulture Street (Universal) Tarnishing the title of one of Neil Young's greatest songs. You bastards! 5 (JC)

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