Antibalas
Who Is This America? (Ropeadope/Outside)
In a brief chat I recently had with Fela Kuti's legendary drummer Tony Allen, he expressed that Afrobeat, although potent and important music, had caught on too late to be fully realized. In 2004, the 14-piece Brooklyn band responsible for reintroducing that musical power are dropping bombs. Who Is This America? catches up with the pundits of the Antibalas Afrobeat Orchestra as they question American foreign policy, capitalist bravado and the powers that be with a frenzied fusion of funk, highlife, Latin, jazz and Afrobeat. This is perhaps their strongest release to date, showcasing growth in songwriting and stamina, and the use of humour to add yet another dimension to their continued dissection of the Bush administration. Take the dusty charm and relevant immediacy of "Indictment," where names are called, charges are laid and we dance. 9/10 (Scott C) At le Medley, Tues., July 20, 8pm, $20.87

The Hidden Cameras
Mississauga Goddam (Evil Evil/Outside)
Smalltown boy Joel Gibb teabags the gods with this sophomore album, the Hidden Cameras' first proper dispatch from pop heaven. The more you listen to songs like "Doot Doot Plot" and "In the Union of Wine," the more the melodies slither under your skin, the more the soaring currents of harps, cellos and tambourines plant perennials in your brain. Gibb's snottier vocal attributes tend to chafe (as on "B Boy"), but rough exceptions seem to prove the silken rule. Climaxing with a gently blasphemous portrait of suburban ennui, this record is one for the ages. 9/10 (Lorraine Carpenter) At la Sala Rossa, Sun., July 25, 9pm, $12

The Polyphonic Spree
Together We're Heavy (Good/Universal)
Hallelujah, hosanna and holy mackerel, the titanic Texan mega-band returns with not only a solid full-length follow-up to their name-making EPs but a bonus DVD featuring a game, an interview with PS patriarch Tom DeLaughter (once of Tripping Daisy), the stupefying video for "Light & Day" and a bunch of liveness. While it's on stage that this 20-member pop orchestra/cult o' fun truly shine, with their matching robes and unmatched exuberance, Together We're Heavy does justice to their inspired assembly of glorious pomp on the Brian Wilson/George Martin tip and ersatz hippie-Christian overload, tighter and more focused then ever. Amen! 8.5/10 (Rupert Bottenberg)

Neurosis
The Eye of Every Storm (Neurot)
Once again Neurosis pair up with Steve Albini and, like most of their work reserved for Neurot (there own label - Relapse is their home away from home), lean toward a psychedelic vein. After 20 years, the band has never sounded more inspired. Neurosis have nothing to prove when it comes to being one of the most dynamically rich, brutally crushing bands ever. But the distortion is kept to a minimum as they reach for different tools to hit dizzying new heights, creating cacophonous peaks only to expertly let the moments implode into stark, hypnotic introspection. Neurosis have the talent to singlehandedly change the face of heavy music. 9/10 (Johnson Cummins)

Antony and the Johnsons
self-titled (Secretly Canadian)
If the world's rancid pits of darkness and desperation are getting you down, just stop for a moment and thank a higher power that we live in a time and a continent where an infernal sex mime can walk the streets in peace. Enter Antony, a Bryan Ferry impersonator from NYC who warbles gaudily about Hitler and Divine and other drama queens, oozing his emo vibrato over velvet beds of piano, woodwinds, strings and horns. "Flamboyant" is Antony's middle and last name but, while his gay clown cabaret may be an acquired taste, this is a beautiful album. 8/10 (Lorraine Carpenter)

Molasses
Trouble at Jinx Hotel (Alien8)
Last year's double CD Slow Messe was easily one of the best Montreal records to come out in a long time and main songwriter Scott Chernoff proves that was no fluke. Chernoff is a master of wedding found sounds and inspired experimental moments while comfortably leaning on the shoulders of Americana. With a whispered Nick Drake vocal, he lays out some pearls on the war in Iraq in "La la la, Amerika." Not all credit can go to Chernoff, though, as the dense backdrop of strings, bowed saws, tuned guitars, found samples and amazing background vocals makes Molasses stick out from the alt-country pack. Every note here is pure beauty. 9/10 (Johnson Cummins)

Wagon Christ
Sorry I Make You Lush (Ninja Tune/Outside)
Luke Vibert tackles many types of electronic dance music, always a bit at odds (and more than a bit odd) with each. His Ninja Tune project Wagon Christ distorts the familiar template of funky, mid-tempo beats, wiggly keys and goofy old soundbites, adding up to cute, silly kitsch-beat with an eerie verge-of-nausea lilt to it. Several tracks fall flat here and the spoken samples off hi-fi instruction albums are long since plain tired, but busy, unpredictable tunes like the suitably-titled "The Funnies" and the title track simultaneously amuse, amaze and activate your dance gland. 7.5/10 (Rupert Bottenberg)

Murcof
Utopia (Leaf/Fusion 3)
With melodies as elusive as a Tijuana donkey show, Mexico's ambient maestro Murcof returns with an 11-track teaser for his forthcoming full-length (due out in September). Collected here are a few 12-inch-only releases as well as remixes by artists like San Fran's Sutekh, who provides a driven microhouse remix of Murcof's heavily romantic washes of sound. Icarus's mix of "Maiz" takes the classical-based original and adds wild, glitchy overtones that bring a twisted dimension to the original's serenity. Colleen (who dropped the amazingly organic Everyone Alive Wants Answers on Leaf) delivers her first remix, a wonderfully delicate tide of tones and moods. 7.5/10 (Raf Katigbak)

Alexander Rishaug
Possible Landscape (Asphodel)
Using a bevy of "self-playing instruments" (programmed software patches), Norway's Rishaug manages to make the most insanely bleepy sounds and electronic hums seem somehow inviting. Processed field recordings twist the familiar into alien landscapes that invite the listener to explore their delicate, icy surfaces. With seven tracks clocking in at over an hour, expect some nice, long, drawn-out sound sketches, each slowly building to a sweeping chorus of digital clicks and stutters. While Rishaug's restraint seems to sometimes work against him (only the patient listener will be rewarded) this is still a great album, a must for fans of artists like Mileece and Colleen. 7.5/10 (Raf Katigbak)

Jadakiss
Kiss of Death (RuffRyders)
Has Jadakiss proven that he can rock style, presence and power with his raspy flow and long list of one-line killers? Yes. Has he held his own on the mic alongside heavyweights like Jay-Z, Nas and Biggie, not even breaking a sweat while he lays it down? Yes. Is Jada ready to don the crown of the new king of New York rap shit? Not exactly. While he has all the tools he needs, Kiss of Death illustrates that Jadakiss is great at keeping it gutter (guns, girls and drama), but doesn't seem to have anywhere else to go after that. Tracks like "Why" and "Still Feel Me" show that J has the ability to speak on the bigger picture, but I wish he would do this a little more often than he does. This is what is going to set him apart from the rest. Beats, please! 7.5/10 (Scott C)

Teena Marie
La Dona (Universal)
Back in the '80s, Lady T's distinctive vocals powered rump-shaking funk like "Behind the Groove" and "Square Biz" straight to the top. Now she returns, showcasing a fresh take on her classic style. The ridiculous opening skit, and the sub par Rick James collaboration "I Got You" aside, this ranks with her best work. An inspired pairing with Gerald Levert on the seductive "A Rose by Any Other Name," is one of many standouts. And her impressive producing and writing skills still allow her to move between mid-tempo ("I'm Still in Love"), slow ("My Body's Hungry") and jazzy grooves ("Hit Me Where I Live") with finesse. 8.5/10 (Gerard Dee)

Joao Bosco
20 Musicas Do Deculo (Mercury/Universal)
Lila Downes
Una Sangre/One Blood (Narada/EMI)
These two are a pair of exceptional artists who were introduced to me at the recently ended 25th edition of the Jazz Fest - Bosco on a wonderful bill with Cuban pianist Gonzalo Rubalcaba that ran to over two hours of simply marvellous music. This CD contains 20 tracks, the majority written by Bosco. Brazil at its best! Downes, the hit of the vocal series at Club Soda, is the daughter of a American father and a Mexican mother. She combines the music of both countries into something distinctive and a listen to her versions of well-known items like "La Bamba" and "La Cucaracha" here will leave you wanting more. Both 9.5/10 (Len Dobbin)

Abdullah Chhadeh and Nara
self-titled (ABYC)
Syria's Chhadeh has proven himself a prodigious master of the qanun, an 81-string Arabic zither, his dexterous plucking unlocking the instrument's potential to scintillate and shine. Moreover, Chhadeh has a penchant for cultural crossovers that seem fluid and natural - the interplay here with the Greek lyra, the rubbery acoustic bass of an Irish jazzman and the trio of Kurdish percussionists is never forced or self-conscious. Recorded live at Berlin's WOMEX in 2001, the three original Chhadeh compositions carry a weary weight of memory punctuated by an undertone of hope, while a fourth traditional piece, "Lama-Bada," is graced by the voice of pop princess Natacha Atlas. 8/10 (Rupert Bottenberg) At Lion d'Or, Fri., July 16, 8:30pm, $20.87

Mini CD Reviews

Peggy Lee I Get Ideas (Proper/SRI) Twenty-five of her best, including the entire 1953 sessions with Pete Candoli and Jimmy Rowles. 9.5 (LD)

The Hives Your New Favourite Band (Warner) This 30-minute CD and 90-minute DVD summarizes this Swedish band's story so far, lest we forget before the new release next week. 8.5 (LC)

Mystic Chords of Memory self-titled (Rough Trade/BMG) Another Beechwood Sparks offshoot, this one floating in a sweet nebulous space around hippie chamber pop. 7.5 (LC)

Tangerine Dream Live Montreal-April 9th 1977 (TDC) To think that CHOM would broadcast this juggernaut of dark, epic psychedelia live… oh, the '70s. 7.5 (RB)

Malik Flavors Ugly Beauty (Stones Throw) Malik is back with a big, moody, post-traumatic-stress-induced segue. 7 (SC)

Carl Cox Pure Intec (Intec/fusion III) This mix of throbbing Intec-only tech-house could use a little more "quiet is the new loud" dynamics. 6 (RK)

Eighteen Visions Obsession (Trust Kill/Sony) What's up with the sudden rush of pouty boys in mascara and Flock of Seagulls haircuts playing screamo? Did I miss a memo or something? 5 (JC)

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