Camera Obscura
Underachievers Please Try Harder (Merge)
The Belle & Sebastian comparison has tailed this Glaswegian septet ever since they spilled onto the scene in 1998, and with good reason. Camera Obscura revel in the '60s-tinted plaintive pop shimmy, with felt guitars and pastel trumpets setting the scene for breezy girl/boy vocals, yet they're hardly mimics, and this album easily bests B&S's recent releases. Tracyanne Campbell takes the lead as echoes of classic girl groups form a striking pattern in their saccharine tapestry, while a country-fied tangent and John Henderson's grey Leonard Cohen homage weave blue and black threads to counter the sugar. 8.5/10 (Lorraine Carpenter) With Pony Up! at la Sala Rossa on Saturday, July 24, 9 p.m., $14

The Hives
Tyrannosaurus Hives (No Fun AB/Universal)
Hot to the touch and tightly clenched in the anal area, this eagerly awaited record is bulging with precision punk and lurid garage rock, some of it instant-classic material, some of it too high on its own supply to really stick. "A Little More for Little You" is one of several practically perfect pop-punk songs, and there'd be more if it weren't for the overly familiar riffs and the smothered production. But despite their album's little flaws, these superstar Swedes have faced the hype and squeezed out a lightning round of passionate rock 'n' roll for the people. 8/10 (Lorraine Carpenter)

Only Crimes
To the Nines (Fat Wreck)
I can't believe I'm listening to a Fat Wreck record and not feeling utterly disgusted! Only Crimes is a punk supergroup featuring members of Good Riddance, Descendents, Converge, Hagfish and GWAR. When they suck, they sound like another poor man's Descendents, but when Aaron Dalbec's dissonant guitar is unleashed, drummer Bill Stevenson's previous band Black Flag comes to mind. Songs like "To the Nines," "On Time" and "Virus" go for the throat with a viscous attack, but unfortunately there's too much mamby-pamby pop/punk to make this completely genius. 7.5/10 (Johnson Cummins)

Burning Brides
Leave No Ashes (V2)
Burning Brides fell to the wayside after ruling SXSW, but this sophomore release is the barnstormer rock 'n' roll record that levels the competition. David Bianco's mix is an assault of guitars, guitars and more guitars, but it's singer Dimitri Coats' melodic howl that makes this stand out from the current crop of sleazy six-string slingers. BB manage to steal all the right elements from early punk rock and grunge, even sneaking in some cool Kyuss sludge on "King of the Demimonde," but it's the Lennon-fronting-Mudhoney sound on songs like "Dance With Devil" that will ensure this never leaves your Discman. 8.5/10 (Johnson Cummins)

Sparta
Porcelain (Geffen/EMI)
A step away from their oh-no-just–about-everything-is-tragic sound, Sparta come off a little happier, if a bit mundane. One half of At the Drive-in (where the Mars Volta is the starship Enterprise's saucer section, Sparta is the rest of the ship), Sparta sprinkle samples sparsely like parsley in Porcelain's sonic salad, and Jeff Ward's vocals aren't as abrasive moulded to Sparta's more mellow sound. A solid sophomore entry for a band born out of intensity, Sparta have made an iffy decision in veering off into a lighter direction. Needless to say, I much prefer the flavour of Sparta's shadows. 7/10 (Lateef Martin)

Slipknot
Vol. 3: The Subliminal Verses (Roadrunner)
Despite some same-sounding mediocrity peppered throughout the album, there are some interesting things going on. Schizophrenia works well for these masked bandits, an apt reflection of today's confused kids. These boys must shred your brain live, but production seems a bit off. I should be bleeding from the relentless onslaught blasting out of my system, but the rage seems subdued, like these subliminal verses. Aah. Maybe that's just it. Subliminal brutality? Or was this album made to play in your bedroom at full blast without waking up Mom and Dad? 7/10 (Lateef Martin)

Fiery Furnaces
Blueberry Boat (Rough Trade)
Siblings Matthew and Eleanor Friedberger give new meaning to the "difficult second album" syndrome the British press loves to talk about. Their long-form, short-attention-span musical moves like a warped merry-go-round, spewing a demented mélange of gritty beats and budget synths, melodic piano and rawk guitar, creepy carnie organ and horror movie ambience. Half the songs are over seven minutes long, giving the disjointed compositions time to cause some serious indigestion. It may feel rough going down, but (after a few listens) the multi-taste sensation justifies the pain. 8/10 (Lorraine Carpenter)

Anthony Rother
Popkiller (Datapunk)
Fans of Rother's electro classics Simulations-zeitalter and Hacker may be thrown off by Popkiller's straight 4/4 beat and main-room club appeal. Indeed, when Rother came to Montreal last November he predicted, "Most people may think this album is more techno and maybe not electro, but I want to define this new style of electro. It's more rough." The result is still pure Rother - a dark man-machine vibe permeates the 11 tracks with cold, William Gibson-esque abandon. While some of the lyrics are utterly forgettable, the production is tight - check the splendid orchestral, Detroit-influenced "10.000 Dancer." 7/10 (Raf Katigbak)

Oren Ambarchi
Grapes From the Estate (Touch)
For his third solo effort, Aussie experimentalist Ambarchi goes beyond his signature prepared guitar explorations into a world of tonal purity and melodic beauty. Clocking in at just under an hour, the first of four tracks begins with a gradual layering of tones that slowly build into a shifting landscape of sound. The second track hits the ground trotting with random melodies of playfully stripped down guitar, drums and Hammond organ. Ambarchi does an amazing job of drawing the casual listener deep into his atmospheric world with a meditative intimacy that does a lot with so little. Minimalism at its most sublime. 9/10 (Raf Katigbak)

Slum Village
Detroit Deli (EMI/Capitol)
When J Dilla left Slum Village, even their most devoted fans couldn't quite see the future without Jay Dee. But here they are again, having survived the LP Trinity and the exit of MC Baatin, and T3 and Elzhi are repping the 313 like it was nothing. This isn't Fantastic Vol. 2 and doesn't try to be, instead opting for the double-edged productions of BR Gunna (Young RJ and Black Milk), providing the podium for the duo's crisp rhymes. Dilla does production on "Do You" and rhymes on "Reunion," outshining other guests like Kanye West and ODB, but the key here is SV's subtle reinvention, a combination of their old style and their dirty new direction. 8/10 (Scott C) With D12 and Goodie Mob at the Dome on Tues., July 27 at 6:30 p.m., $50

Magic Number
That Day (StereoDeluxe/FusionIII)
Apparently the magic number here is one, as Leicester's Ross Hilliard showcases his ability to write and produce a wide array of soulful sides. Just shy of that truly refined German studio sound reserved for outfits like Jazzanova, Hilliard teams up with Atjazz man Martin Iverson for a little spit and polish to his already tight nu-soul repertoire. With singer Jane Hamilton holding down most of the vocal duties, Sonar Kollektiv's Clara Hill also steps up to the plate, while Rachel Foster, Dawn Stewart and Vicki Harrop make for a very pleasurable listen all around. This record could use a good strong male vocal somewhere though. 7/10 (Scott C)

Angie Stone
Stone Love (J/BMG)
On her third release, Angie leaves the industry rants and social commentaries behind and turns to matters of the heart. This is not the watershed album that was '01's Mahogany Soul, but it is an enjoyable love fest with an impressive guest list, including Snoop Dogg, Floetry, Anthony Hamilton and soul veteran Betty Wright. It's not all roses though: Angie's had enough on "U-Haul," warns the haters with "Karma" and comes to terms on "You Don't Love Me." Mainly, this is a joyful occasion, and the horn-driven groove of "Lover's Ghetto" puts the finishing touch on yet another quality Stone jam. 9/10 (Gerard Dee)

Marty Grosz
Ring Dem Bells (Nagel Heyer/Fusion III)
Rhythm Is Our Business (Sackville)
The son of noted artist George Grosz, Marty is a 74-year-old vocalist, guitarist and banjoist, and these are two feel-good CDs from 1995 and 2000–01, respectively. If titles like "Wabash Blues" and "Yellow Dog Blues" and the playing of people like Scott Robinson and Greg Cohen and Chuck Riggs appeal to you, then you'll want the latter. The former features the lesser known Randy Reinhart and Robert Roberscheuten who also acquit themselves quite well on the material at hand. Both contain highly appealing, foot-tapping music. Both 8/10 (Len Dobbin)

Mini CD Reviews

Claude Thornhill The Swing Factory (Discoforme/Fusion III) Studio transcriptions of the music that inspired Miles's Birth of the Cool. 9.5 (LD)

The Bruces Shining Path (Misra) Slimy vibes and fuzzy folk crawl up your spine and nestle in your brain. 8 (LC)

Kimmie Rhodes and Willie Nelson Picture in a Frame (Sunbird) The red-headed stranger just may possess the best voice ever but Ms. Rhodes is nothing to sneeze about either. 8 (JC)

The Delays Faded Seaside Glamour (Rough Trade) A lazy, hazy summer record for Britrock and lush pop-lovers. 7.5 (LC)

VooDooMonx RAW (VDM) Nice debut from this power trio, but we need to put the R-A-W in raw! 7 (SC)

DJ Mark Anthony Red Lite Series (Select) An expert mix of dark prog tech house with a smattering of electro-tech, New York, London, Paris, Laval!(?) 6.5 (RK)

Authority Zero Andiamo (Lava/Wea) "Revolution" coming straight atcha courtesy of those wacky anarchists at the Warner conglomerate. Life sure is funny, huh! 4 (JC)

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