Patrick Wolf
Lycanthropy (Tomlab)
As divorced from the American tradition as it is, this Irish-born 19 year old calls his music folk, a summation of nomadic travels from hillside to treetop to haunted house to the Thames, time spent learning the violin, harpsichord, accordion and laptop, and perfecting his penetrating croon. On this debut LP, plush and gently picked strings, quaint woodwinds, moaning organs, cool loops and dance beats course through a melodic and occasionally melodramatic vein while Wolf tells smart, romantic, disturbing tales of molestation and castration, grey streets and speeding cars, mythological creatures and urban animals. Thoroughly engaging and refreshingly passionate, this wunderkind is one of a kind. 9/10 (Lorraine Carpenter) At Casa del Popolo, Sat., May 8, 9pm, $8

Les Beastfeeders
Déjeuner sur l'herbe (Blow the Fuse/Fusion III)
These local garage stompers are blazing throughout this debut. Instead of sleepwalking through the same Sonics riffs, they keep things interesting by injecting some freakbeat, '60s orch pop and yéyé into the mix. The combination of bubblegum and speed in "Mini jupe et watusi" and "Amoureux solitaires" is perfect, the hypnotic guitar on "Angle mort" has all the sway of early Link Wray and they let the piss and vinegar flow on songs like "Vanille ou fraise dans la steppe" and "Miserats." Their greatest asset is knowing not to overstay their welcome - almost all songs clock out under the three-minute mark. Frug out! 8.5/10 (Johnson Cummins) CD launch at Cabaret, Mon., May 10, 7:30pm, $5

Patti Smith
Trampin' (Columbia/Sony)
With the band that's been by her side since 1996, including her Horses-era compadres Lenny Kaye and Jay Dee Daugherty, Smith pulls off her ninth album with a voice and a politicized punk streak that haven't aged. Despite its arid and tepid tangents, the LP finds Smith at her dramatic best on the epic "Gandhi," "My Blakean Year" and "Radio Baghdad," the inevitable protest song. Subtler energies rule "Trespasses" and the title track, a traditional spiritual that caps the disc with a grace, wisdom and optimism that most ageing (working) rockers can't seem to muster. 7.5/10 (Lorraine Carpenter)

Vanilla Fudge
The Return (Music Avenue/Fusion III)
Every relic of classic-rock radio seems to be crawling out of the woodwork nowadays. While most dinosaur bands have returned to recording studios with less than stellar results, Vanilla Fudge's The Return paves new roads to stinkdom. Not only do the band revisit Rod Stewart's horrendous "Do You Think I'm Sexy" (actually co-written by VF drummer Carmine Appice) but, for reasons beyond my understanding, they take a swing at the Backstreet Boys' "I Want It That Way" and 'Nsync's vile "Tearin' Up My Heart." This could be the worst piece of tripe ever. What kind of banana peels were these guys smoking? 2/10 (Johnson Cummins)

The Real Tuesday Weld
I, Lucifer (Six Degrees/Outside)
In which one Mr. Stephen Coates esq. applies his patented "antique beat" technique to a loose musical adaptation of Glen Duncan's novel concerning a wearied Prince of Darkness footloose in London town. Employing all manner of retrophonic devices, vintage instruments and electronic music boxes from the Far East, and a host of questionable associates (including Martyn Jacques of the Tiger Lillies), Mr. Coates' album of buncombe and balladry, wit and whimsy is suitable for the parlour and the dancehall. Certain to be of particular interest to the carefree spats-and-ascot set one sees gallivanting up the Boulevard. 8/10 (Rupert Bottenberg) At Petit Campus on Saturday, May 8, 8:30pm, $8.50

Various
Memo & Friday Present Holiday Fever (ICM)
As one of the city's busiest, most talented and most populous crews of MCs, DJs and producers, it's clear these guys are serious about standing out from the rest. Holiday Fever stays true to the mix-tape formula that finds the various flows of ICM over both in-house beats and the music of some other hip hop notables. Kudos to June Sixth for stepping up his game while sharing the spotlight with Fat Sak, DJ Mana, Second Thought, Offsides, Memo, Loe Pesci, Rhythmicru, Meta4ce, DJ Twitch, Eye2Eye, and Rayna Shine. My picks here include Pesci and June Sixth on "Every Level" and the D-Ray-produced "Heads Connect," but overall this is a strong effort for this monstrous crew. 8/10 (Scott C)

Lootpack
The Lost Tapes (CDP/Fusion III)
Looks like everybody who missed out on the first wave of Lootpack's underground hip hop genius can now happily nod their head along with the rest of us. You can clearly hear why heads gravitated to the gritty, subterranean sounds of Lootpack, with the prolific moods of beat-maker Madlib in the driver's seat. Along with Wildchild and DJ Romes, Lootpack embodied the hip hop purist, digging deep for sick samples and drums, standing apart lyrically and placing the DJ in a starring role. This is the type of LP I would give any young MC, DJ or producer who was thinking of recording or releasing their own music. If they can make it sound half as engaging as The Lost Tapes, they're definitely on the right track. 9/10 (Scott C)

Wiley
Treddin' on Thin Ice (XL/Select)
As the lead single "Wot Do U Call It?" demands, the terms two-step, garage and urban won't do for this next hot property from the Roll Deep crew, whence came Dizzee Rascal. The rags have tagged this latest (and greatest?) variant of U.K. rap "grime," while Wiley himself - a more thoughtful and collected character than the wound-up Dizzee, lighter in his step but with a darker streak underneath - prefers "eski-beat." Whatever. For Wiley's no-bullshit lyrical bite, his sharp, asymmetrical beats, rousing digital strings and fat, off-key synth burps (plus hockey-rink ricochets!), the phrase "wicked excellent" should suffice. 8.5/10 (Rupert Bottenberg)

Telefon Tel Aviv
Map of What Is Effortless (Hefty)
Certain artists can perfectly capture those grey hours just before the sun comes up, that bittersweet insomniac feeling where sleep deprivation meets the prospect of a new day. Telefon Tel Aviv certainly fits into this category. The first two songs on their latest album capture the serene, electro-organic soundscapes of Kraut post-rock acts like To Rococo Rot but add a bombastic, glitch-filled majesty that is as mindwarping as it is strangely accessible (thanks to the soulful vocalisms of Damon Aaron and Lindsay Anderson). Then, on "My Week Beats Your Year," TTA quickly morphs into an Aphex Twin/Prince hybrid that will certainly get hips swaying. 8/10 (Raf Katigbak)

Glen Branca
Lesson No.1 (Acute)
Did you ever think, "Hey, I like the looping, cascading, minimal motion of a contemporary composer like Philip Glass, but all this flutes-and-oboes shit is kinda weak. I wish there was Steve Reich-style repetitive phrasing, but with a heavy metal edge!" Well, influential no wave guitarist Glen Branca's first composition for guitar (from 1980) is just that, hypnotic heavy-mental music that still sounds fresh to this day. Angular guitar riffs spin around your head while the music slowly crescendos in an epic godspeed! style, leaving you feeling euphoric and dizzy (not unlike the time you took too much Vicodin and proclaimed yourself "the Locust King" from your front balcony). And that's only the first track! 8.5/10 (Raf Katigbak)

Louie Vega
Elements of Life (Vega)
Half of the fabled tandem Masters at Work, Vega makes an ornate statement about who he is and where he's at on his debut as a solo artist. Afro-Latin stylings with a jazzy, soulful arc are painstakingly assembled. The broth thickens when "Quimbombo" and "Summer Night in Spanish Harlem" pay tribute to Vega's uncle, legendary Fania All-Star alumnus Héctor Lavoe. The album also has Louie enlisting his wife Anané and pals Raúl Midón and Domingo Quiñones for the vocal chores. The title track and "Brand New Day" are anthemic Brazilian housers featuring collaborations with the one and only Blaze. A pulsating triumph. 9/10 (Peter Lightburn)

Jacksoul
Resurrected (BMG)
On their third album, this Canadian five-piece opts to reference early '70s soul. Anchored once again by lead singer Haydain Neale's gruff vocals, this classic soul style is a perfect fit for Jacksoul's jazzy/pop approach. There's some beautiful stuff here, from the acoustic "Yaz" to the lush "The River," each delivering messages of harmony - religious and racial, respectively. On the lighter side, "Still Believe in Love" wraps a comical romantic tale in a thick, horn-driven rhythm, while the brilliant "Shady Day" smoothly marries vintage soul with contemporary jazz. In essence, Jacksoul resurrects a retro vibe, but makes it sound brand new. 7.5/10 (Gerard Dee)

Shtreiml
Spicy Paprikash (independent)
It's not just that Montreal's Jason Rosenblatt hauls his harmonica and Hammond into the klezmer arena, a rather novel angle. It's that his mastery of the mouth harp dispels any sense of gimmickry. While much neo-klezmer has gone a more abstract and challenging route, Rosenblatt and his cohorts conversely aim for a more friendly sound, with bits of dancefloor jazz adding to an already light and lively feel (Rosenblatt's crisp production helps too). While firmly in touch with the roots of the music, Shtreiml might just be the first klezmer act to really crack the jam-band scene. 8.5/10 (Rupert Bottenberg) CD launch at El Salon, Sun., May 9, 8pm

Charlie Haden
The Montreal Tapes (Verve/Universal)
This year, the Montreal Jazz Fest celebrates its 25th anniversary. One of the events always looked forward to is the Invitation series, which began in '89 with eight concerts featuring bassist Charlie Haden joined by Geri Allen, Paul Bley, Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Pat Metheny, Egberto Gismonti, Don Cherry and the Liberation Music Orchestra. The very first concert in the series is only being released now - strangely enough, as that concert featuring the late tenorman Joe Henderson and drummer Al Foster was one of the best. Released as a "Tribute to Joe Henderson," it contains four extended tracks of improvisation at its best on compositions by Haden, Jerome Kern, Monk and Charlie Parker. 10/10 (Len Dobbin)

Mini CD Reviews

Paul Bley Nothing to Declare (Justin Time/Fusion III) Four extended tracks of solo piano from (arguably) the most influential musician ever produced in Canada. 10 (LD)

Howlin' Wolf Come Back Home (Snapper/EMI) Twenty vintage songs taken from his early years on Sun. Listen to the desperation in Wolf's voice before Chicago came calling. 9.5 (JC)

Suffocation Souls to Deny (Relapse/Koch) The return of death metal's true legends. 9 (JC)

Califone Heron King Blues (Thrill Jockey) The old folks at home are locked in an opiate fog and twisted on alien vibrations (and loving it). 8 (LC) With Bell Orchestre at El Salon, Fri., May 7, $10–$12

Beanfield Seek (Compost/Fusion III) Masters of the soul-tinged downtempo sound, Beanfield drop another smoky, late-night broken beat tour de force. 7 (RK)

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