PJ Harvey
Uh Huh Her (Island/Universal)
Veering away from the polished, popular appeal of her last album, the excellent trans-Atlantic project Stories From the Sea, Harvey has returned to familiar territory with a low-down, guttural one-woman show (with the perennial Rob Ellis on drums). Though not nearly as rubbed-raw as 1993's Rid of Me, the album goes back to subterranean blues and banshee punk basics, reflecting a climate of brooding anger and despair that seems so audible these days. Harvey keeps it personal rather than political, but manic songs like "Who the Fuck?" suggest catharsis for both worlds. 8.5/10 (Lorraine Carpenter)

Sonic Youth
Sonic Nurse (Geffen/Universal)
Aside from the experimental trappings of their side projects and nearly annual appearances at Victoriaville, Sonic Youth have become less adventurous with age, yet they've aged well. The quintet rarely strays from the confines of their established subjects, sounds and structures, hence the heady nostalgia emanating from this album, which is being compared to Daydream Nation left and right. Surrounding their strident guitar theatrics with pretty pop stage dressing, the band has reassembled their key preoccupations, producing one of their koolest things in years. 8/10 (Lorraine Carpenter)

The Forsaken
Traces of the Past (Century)
Fans of At the Gates and In Flames are going to be all over this. Sweden's Forsaken mix black and power metal perfectly while keeping the precise, technical attack stuff dazzling. Time signatures play tug-of-war while twin guitars pull back on the reins of the ensuing chaos. The grind beats in "Glitches Will Tell" and "God of Demise" are devastating but they also prove just as effective with weighted slow blows. The real bonus here, though, is the limited special edition that lets the band's old-school roots shine through with covers of Metallica's "Blackened" and "Creeping Death," Slayer's "Spirit in Black" and Grave's "You'll Never See." 8/10 (Johnson Cummins)

Part Chimp
Chart Pimp (Monitor)
Mojo and Kerrang love these Scots, as they well should. Part Chimp have listened closely to their Am Rep records, but manage to sneak in some melody under their sonic assault. Lying under a cloud of distortion, Part Chimp throw editing out the window and just pulverize riffs into submission. The thick assault of "Iron Pond" is crushing but the vocal melody softens the blow to the point of being downright catchy. If you're missing the glory days of bands like Surgery and Arcwelder, here's your new band. Honey and vinegar never tasted so good. 8.5/10 (Johnson Cummins)

Mixel Pixel
Rainbow Panda (Mental Monkey)
What started as a lo-fi, cassette-pet pass-around project has blossomed into a remarkable band, a bright spot in this year's Suoni programming. A Brooklyn-based trio, Mixel Pixel bring on a rich, Crayola-coloured whirl of idiosyncratic electro-folk, Britoid guitar splash, Ween-flavoured weirdness and no shortage of old-school video-arcade biddle-dee-boop. The amalgam holds together because under all the intermingled oddballistics are sweet, cool, honest psych-pop songs. Off kilter but right on the money. 8.5/10 (Rupert Bottenberg) With More Dogs, themoonstealingproject, Tobias C. Van Veen and VJ Esther B at Casa del Popolo, Fri., June 11, 9pm, $7

Crackhaus
Spells Disaster… (Mutek_Rec)
After dropping a killer EP on Germany's Onitor label and a ridiculously infectious single on Montreal's Musique Risquée, the longtime friends and collaborators give another seven reasons why they should be Montreal's next big microhouse stars. Crackhaus waste no time getting right down to business and kick off the CD by cutting up a sample of producer/sample expert Herbert talking about sampling (get it?) and turning it into one of their signature, playful rhythmic flourishes. The energetic pair also include remixes by four close and talented friends. The results are stellar as Mole, Mike Shannon, Egg and Flabbergast perfectly round out an already solid listen. 8.5/10 (Raf Katigbak)

Dieselboy
The Dungeonmaster's Guide (Nettwerk)
Clawing his way to the top of the blunt, bloody-minded American drum & bass heap wasn't enough for Philly's Dieselboy. Now he's choosing a new adventure, one which consists of, firstly, getting tracks from trance figures like BT, Tiesto and Josh Wink. Those he's had remixed by D&B upstarts like Kaos and Gridlok. Finally, he's assembled a mix thereof and spruced it up with narration by Peter Cullen (the voice of Optimus Prime on Transformers) - that's where the Dungeons & Dragons angle comes in. Personally, I would have liked more fantasy RPG stuff, like Drow chants or the death rattle of a platinum dragon, if that's the intended theme. But I'll give this half-orc assassin serious Intelligence and Dexterity points anyway. 7.5/10 (Rupert Bottenberg)

Bell
Seven Types of Six (Soul Jazz/Fusion III)
The only trouble with this release of dark, minimal U.K. electro-funk is trying to figure out when it's trying to be cheeky. Sure, in Quebec it's easy to tell an ironic fashion mullet from a genuine coupe Longueuil, but in this world of post-ironic music, it's not always easy to tell which producers are kidding and which aren't. Is Bell completely oblivious to the triteness of a breathy diva sample going, "It's time to get funk-ay" and a Kraftwerkian robo-voice going "Rhythm… mah-chine" - or is the fact that they're using these obvious devices a comment on sampling itself? Does it even matter, given that the music is a solid blend of driving techno, electro breaks and funky disco? You be the judge. 7/10 (Raf Katigbak)

Various
Underground Hip Hop Volume 2 (Urbnet)
Urbnet Records return with the second volume of homegrown MCs trying to make their mark on both Canadian and international ears, ranging from the classic, roots-tinged "Rude Boy" by Tru Paz to Arabesque's well-put warning on "Brace Yourself" and "One Rhyme" by Montreal's own Offsides. Standouts include the weirdo-beat of "Puzzle Piece Unfitted," where Anonymous Twist lock down the personality and presence award, but the ill, must-have joint on this LP has got to be Mathematik's solid "Was Is Will," an insane banger that is the perfect precursor to his new album, to be released in the near future. Check for dat. 7.5/10 (Scott C)

Vast Aire
Look Mom... No Hands (Chocolate Industries)
Those of you familiar with the rough-assed rhymes of Vast Aire from back when Cannibal Ox was still together would probably expect this record to be on some breakup beef. Instead, it's a strangely consistent mix of freaked, spaced-out raps and equally jarring production. While VA and RJD2 seem to make the perfect combo, when this MC dips into the world of Madlib on the title track, you'd think that they were blood brothers, with Vast Aire taking the beautifully dirty beat to new heights. "Pegasus" is also ill, and lets this powerhouse MC do his best work, while tracks like "Viewtiful Flow" and "Could You Be?" show that Vast also has a truly soulful side. A fresh, new take on the talents of a real MC. 8/10 (Scott C)

Candi Staton
self-titled (Capitol/EMI)
Best known for her '75 disco hit "Young Hearts Run Free," this Alabama native is actually a soul singer of Aretha Franklin proportions. Culled from six years of recordings she did for the Alabama-based Fame label in the late '60s and early '70s, this set is a living testament to genuine Southern soul. These previously hard-to-find gems oscillate between witty relationship commentaries ("I'd Rather Be an Old Man's Sweetheart (Than a Young Man's Fool") and social anthems truly reflective of the era ("In the Ghetto"). And, like Aretha, Staton was also a master at conveying love's highs ("He Called Me Baby") and lows ("Too Hurt to Cry"). Classic. 8/10 (Gerard Dee)

Bebel Gilberto
self-titled (Six Degrees/Outside)
Dad's shadow falls no longer. João Gilberto's daughter has not only made her own name in modern Brazilian pop, she's become one of the brightest lights in that field. Her self-titled sophomore eases up a bit on the downtempo electronic elements which marked her debut Tanto Tempo and which pave the way for most Brazilian export sounds of late. Carefully produced by Marius de Vries, who's worked with Madonna and Björk, this one's a gorgeous, bilingual, largely acoustic effort with a light but sure touch. Standouts include the glittering "Aganjú," written by Carlinhos Brown, and Bebel's own lush "River Song." 7.5/10 (Rupert Bottenberg)

Rich Rabnett
Reclamation (Maximum Jazz/Universal)
The band heard on this new release is called Rabnett Five and consists of the guitarist leader, Kiyoshi Elkuf on tenor, Ian Cox at the piano, Mike Kennedy on bass and Dan Gaucher, drums. They're based in Vancouver and are presently on a cross-Canada tour which included a successful appearance at Upstairs last weekend. Eight tracks, seven originals by Rabnett and one, "Silent Partner," a group effort. The second track "Slippery" reminds me of the group that Chico Hamilton had with Charles Lloyd and Gabor Szabo, while "Are We There Yet?" takes us into the Twilight Zone. Quite impressive. 8.5/10 (Len Dobbin)

Mini CD Reviews

Michael Rabinowitz Ocean Eyes (Music Group) Michael again comes out with bassoon a blazin' in a quartet setting with Diana Herold on vibes. 8.5 (LD)

The Pink Mountaintops self-titled (Jagjaguwar/Scratch) Guitars, keys and beats get baked and get it on in the wilds of B.C., for the sleazebag and the sadsack in all of us. 8 (LC)

Two Dollar Pistols Hands Up! (Yeproc/Outside) John Howie Jr.'s voice is a meeting of X's John Doe and Hank Williams. Lucky bastard. 7.5 (JC)

Fingathing And the Big Red Nebula Band (Grand Central/Fusion III) A bumpy romp through instrumental hip hop on a slaphappy sci-fi tip. Too bad they play their best card ("Walk in Space") first. 7 (RB)

Icarus I Tweet the Birdy Electric (Leaf/Fusion III) Sounds like Squarepusher if he grew a goatee and started getting into free jazz. Fragile and organic but almost too noodley for its own good. 7 (RK)

McLusky The Difference Between Me and You Is That I'm Not on Fire (Too Pure/Select) They've tamed their vocals and tempos somewhat, but the strident sarcasm and Albini-moulded bite still hurts. 7 (LC)

Beatnuts Hot (Penalty/Ryko) The Nuts don't really make beats like they used to anymore. They do, however, rhyme exactly the same. Not hot. 6 (SC)

Br. Danielson Brother: Son (Secretly Canadian) Home recording is killing music. Enough already! 5 (JC)

>> Music Listings