Agoraphobic Nosebleed
PCP Torpedo/ANBRX (Hydra Head Records, www.hydrahead.com)

This is a reissue of some early five-inch they released. I'm not even sure why they're reissuing this. This is not peak AN; they totally got better as time passed. The remix CD that comes with it doesn't make sense either, because only the DJ Speedranch and Justin Broadrick remixes are any good. In fact, the Merzbow remix is terrible, proving my current thesis that Merzbow is old and boring now and people who go to see him in concert and shit are fooling the fuck out of themselves.
Download some Agoraphobic Nosebleed if you are thinking of buying some Merzbow.

- Matt Collins

File next to: Cashing in on getting a hammer to the forehead.

=======================

Amanda Mabro and The Cabaret Band
'˜Superwoman in the Making' (XXI-21 Records, www.XXI-21.com, www.amandamabro.com)

Much attention has been focused on Amanda Mabro's charismatic vocals; that, along with her lounge-noir presentation, seems to have become the one and only selling point of this band. Alas, the myth of solitary genius has been lost on people. Mabro's singing is indeed seductive, and along with the inescapable force of her Cabaret Band to cementing their signature sound, you might find yourself in love and grooving along. The one weakness of Superwoman in the Making, lyrics dripping in poppy emotion, luckily falls second to musicality here. Once you make it past the loving diatribes, the album becomes a series of syncopated dances, like jazz reincarnated for the generation of instant gratification. Nonetheless, it is a worthwhile listen; Mabro and her Cabaret Band mesh well together, and the impressive talent of this young group is hard to turn a blind eye to. Mabro might just succeed in introducing a curious listener to the wide and ever intriguing world of jazz and its incestuous genres. Seducing! We can only hope, right?

-Gena Meldazy

File next to: all that sexed up groove you have in your life, darlins'

=======================

Bo$$ Hog Barbarian$
Every Hog Has It's Day (Hog Cabin Ent., www.zonesite.net)

J-Zone aka Captain Back$lap is back to form the Bo$$ Hog Barbarian$ with the booming-voiced Celph Titled as his partner in rhyme. The modus here is misogyny and ignorance at it's tongue in cheek best, minus the fraud and spectacle prevalent in this aesthetic today. The two share mic time as well as production duties on this album, which benefits from the diversified approach. J-Zone has been honing his sample-based beats for a while now, and the ones he laces this album with do not disappoint. Whether stuttering funk or a deep bass bounce, the head-nod factor is high. Celph Titled's keyboard-based productions are a little more basic but work well enough within context. Content-wise the creativity on display here is unprecedented for an ignan't rap album; concept tracks abound, where surreal scenarios like Celph Titled as a reverend are expounded upon. The lyrics habitually cross the line of good taste, but the results are pure comedy and given the name of the group you can't say you weren't warned. Ice-T once said, 'œRap is really funny, man. But if you don't see that it's funny, it will scare the shit out of you,'? and that pretty much sums up this album.

-Malcolm Smith

File next to: As far away from your mom as possible.

=======================

The Coup
Pick A Bigger Weapon (Epitaph, www.epitaph.com)

From Boots Riley's opening lines of the new album by The Coup, you know it's on. The Bay Area revolutionaries are back with another disc of thick, bottom-heavy beats, and lyrics to spark a riot. Boots is known for bridging the political to the personal, and this album is no different; instead of the boring platitudes and generalities that most 'conscious' rap settles for he manages to instill the broader messages in stories and terms that resonate in everyday life. The music either bumps with a mean funk or is sublimely smooth, and Boots' lyrics are thought provoking or hilarious, often both. The funny skits in the middle of the album elaborate the theme of the tracks and link them so well that they bear up to repeated listening. Boots' delivery is also excellent, the way he stretches syllables and matches his cadence to the track is rap ear-candy. Hip-hop needs more albums like this; ready to soundtrack a party as much as a revolution.

-Malcolm Smith

File next to: Parliament, Public Enemy

=======================

Danielson
Ships (Secretly Canadian, www.secretlycanadian.com)

Danielson started, modestly enough, as a senior thesis project eleven years ago for a university student, Daniel Smith. Now on their seventh album, Ships, Danielson collaborate with the likes of Sufjan Stevens and Deerhoof, parlaying Smith's dippy imagination into a playful, inventive pop record that yields as many gleeful surprises as it does comforting hooks. Armed with an arsenal of flutes, guitars, oboes, trumpets, handclaps, and trombones, this record is a vigourous assault on the traditional notion of song structure, filled with stops and starts and yelps and wails. What is most compelling about Ships, though, is its wide-eyed innocence '“ it's all youth and hope and joy and thank you's and confusion and wonder. Is earnestness the new post modernism then? Wait, who cares? Just be prepared for one of the unexpected bests of the year that will bliss you the fuck out.

-Prasanna Rajagopalan

File next to: Pop you don't have to feel guilty about liking, childhood.

=======================

Darling Arms
All The Ghosts (Blue Skies Turn Black, www.blueskiesturnblack.com)

Darling Arms is the love child of Montreal's One Candle Power, and DC's Cassettes, bringing together Cristina Frances of the former, and Shelby Cinca of the later, to create a sonically sparse collaboration. Not in depth or context, but in the intentionally empty sound which is then contrasted with Frances' overly-empathetic and gut-wrenching vocals. She acts as another instrument in a band that doesn't seem to play on the album a lot anyway, and this concept works in their favour. The sound is sparse but not emotionally void, desperate but not personally invasive. There is such sadness on '˜All The Ghosts', that it somehow creates a pleasurable listening experience. On a bad day (like the one I have been drenched in for the past 22 hours) Darling Arms will rip you apart and quietly observe your demise. On a good day, this album will stand beside you as you take on the world.

- Gena Meldazy

File next to: an empty room, full of nostalgia

=======================

David and the Citizens
s/t (Friendly Fire Records, www.friendlyfirerecords.com)

It's not that we haven't noticed David and the Citizens, just that we haven't been formally introduced. That's a general and assumptive '˜we'. The band has spent more than five years touring, recording, receiving high praise, and releasing albums in Europe. This self-titled album is (finally!) their official North American debut. It could be considered somewhat of a greatest hits compilation from across their lengthy career. They have a post-disco pop rock sound, the youthful zeal of The Arctic Monkeys crossed with the dancing fever of ABBA. If you can dig the solemn attitude of '˜Now She Sleeps in a Box in the Good Soil of Denmark', then the rest is excellent material for constant stereo rotation.

- Gena Meldazy

File next to: scene things and dancing shoes

=======================

The Daybreak
These Lines in Your Eyes (Pure Violet Records, www.thedaybreak.net)

This album is fabulously annoying, as if Geddy Lee started a side project but forgot about aesthetics. Vocally, Sumon Mukherjee leaves too much to be desired, and the rest of the band plays in the typical (and sad) fashion of background noise. Mukherjee doesn't deserve as much attention or play time as he gets, and his voice whitewashes the talent of his band. Yet the album is still fantastic; its high radio rotation and rad reviews around town are testament to this. For all its weak points--an infuriating singer, the hidden musical potential, and the images of Rush that might well invade your head--The Daybreak have released, again, another solid attempt.

- Gena Meldazy

File next to: whatever'¦it's not that important

=======================

DJ Task/Various Artists
Hello'¦ Tuphan? (independent release, www.djtask.info)

Hailing from Toronto, Tom Kuo aka DJ Task has been at the forefront of the techno scene in T-Dot since '˜98. Task is a member of the internationally respected Wabi crew, a group of designers, architects, visual artists and musicians who are known for their inspired events where warehouses, galleries and nightclubs are transformed to create one-of-a-kind celebration spaces. Task has eagerly collaborated with many artists and musicians over the years on countless projects, including the release of 'œHello'¦ Tuphan?'? which features visual work by respected graffiti writer, Toye, and design by Elysha and Sayla Seeds. This DJ mix is a seamless exploration of the dark, acidic and otherworldly aspects of dance-floor techno music inspired by the twisted voodoo beats of No Future from the UK. Task's mixing is on point in terms of matching rhythms and feelings of tracks, creating new musical magic in that tension between similar sonic ideas. And although many individual songs stand out on their own, in this case, the whole is much greater than the sum of its parts, using records to build the story of Tuphan the trickster. 'œHello'¦ Tuphan?'? is a stellar mix of underground goodies packaged as a hand printed silk-screened story book, put together with much love and care; it's got the kind of passion that you can hear in the mix and coming out of your speakers!

-Marinko Jareb

File next to: Sound as Design, EBM

=======================

Dr. Octagon
The Return of Dr. Octagon (Casual Records, www.casuallondon.com)

A new Kool Keith record. Is he going to hurt our ears with self-produced Casio keyboard beats or work with producers who can bring some heat? Will he phone in his vocals or actually rap something clever and on beat? This one is a shock. The electro-pop production is somewhere he's never gone before and didn't intend to (the label bought out the album and had the production redone somewhere in Europe). But given the self-produced garbage he's put out lately, it's actually refreshing. It's mostly bombastic and loud, and the vocals are sometimes sprinkled ad-lib style as an afterthought. Lots of random babble and weird anecdotes that are vintage Kool Keith madness. He's still on the simplistic style that he's been doing the past few years but this time around it actually works ok. It's a fun listen, just don't expect anything heavyweight, and definitely don't expect anything like the original.

- Malcolm Smith

File next to: A crazy homeless dude babbling about whatever.

=======================

Drop The Lime
Shot Shot Hearts (tigerbeat6, www.dropthelime.com)

If you were wondering what the soundtrack would be to rich and bored city kids killing people for fun, this is it.

- Matt Collins

File next to: Expensive clubs crossed with River's Edge.

===================

El-P
Everything Must Go (Definitive Jux, www.definitivejux.net)

This is probably the first single off of the forthcoming El-P album, and it's a pants-shitter. El-P rips the world a new one over the one of the hardest, filthiest beats he's ever produced. Massive drums, huge dirty synths and a shitload of old school cowbells and handclaps are the backdrop for one angry polemic. Download now.

- Malcolm Smith

File next to: The end of the world

=======================

I Love You But I've Chosen Darkness
Fear Is On Our Side (Secretly Canadian/Sonic Unyon, www.chosendarkness.com)

This CD is an emotional rollercoaster taking the listener to such varied locations as 'œhey, this is pretty awesome!'? to 'œI'm falling asleep angrily'?. If I was a vampire or one of the smart zombies from Land of the Dead (which sometimes I pretend I am), I would definitely upload this CD to my iPod before I went out for a night of stalking and lurking and being a creep. The songs that fall into that category are rad. But then other songs come on and I'll be lying on my bed, perfectly fine and suddenly feel like I just found out my wife was cheating on me or got killed and I get really sad and wanna drive a Camaro late at night down the DVP and have an external camera film the reflection of the streetlights race across my windshield as the screen slowly fades to black. In conclusion, sometimes this CD is great and other times it is really depressing and slow and un-great.

-Spencer Butt

File next to: Explosions in the Sky, Interpol, Bauhaus, Express Rising

=======================

Iron Bitchface
Pulse Pounding Cyber Slam (Slut Factory, www.ironbitchface.com)

This CD is, for me, the Sgt. Pepper's of our time. It encapsulates all of our noise all at once and turns it into a charming, better thing. I was confused at first by this one until I realized that suave and debonaire were what K Rot was going for, because he's becoming a storyteller. Maybe this is more like the "Death Of A Ladies Man" of our time, only instead of Manhattan and Montreal and drinking, it's Kitchener and the history of video gaming. Total fucking mindblow.

- Matt Collins

File next to: Songs From A Room.

=======================

Jesu
Silver EP (Sonic Unyon/Hydra Head, www.avalancheinc.co.uk/jesu.html)

For metal fans, Justin Broadrick is worshipped as a god, having found influential bands Napalm Death and Godflesh. Last year Jesu's self-titled full-length was well-received in critical circles. He returns with the Silver EP, a half-hour of intense industrial dreamscapes spread out over four giant thundercloud tracks. The drum programming is tight and punishing, but not enough to pull listeners from the murky haze of detuned distorted guitars and ocean sized keyboard swells. Broadrick's hazy voice comes across somewhere between Low's Alan Sparhawk and Blink 182's Tim Armstrong, an interesting choice for this dark, plodding musical project, where screaming and tortured growling would fit in perfectly. Leather-bound Nine Inch Nails fans will dig Jesu's dark downtrodden techno vibe, and the laidback Mogwai fans will appreciate the tempered passion of the louder tracks on the EP.

- Tyrone Warner

File next to: Nine Inch Nails, Mogwai and M83

=======================

Landesvatter
Lax (Normoton.de)

Lax is the latest from Joachim Landesvatter who is known for making deep minimal techno. Many of the songs on Lax have a micro sample aesthetic with chopped up sounds skipping and fluttering in and out of the mix, but the results flow smoothly rather than being angular and jagged. Landesvatter's music is somewhat monotonous, but that is part of the attraction; the compositions drift in and out of focus due to their simplicity yet the attention to detail allows the listener to find delightful little surprises in each song on subsequent listens. Lax is more about groove and contemplation than dance-floor boom but that doesn't mean that the tracks wouldn't work in the club, and it is likely that more adventurous house and techno djs will drop this into the mix. Lax is an interesting and elegant album that is guaranteed to please the minimalist in us all.

- Marinko Jareb

File next to: Richie Hawtin, Mutek minimalism

=======================

Meatus Murder
More Songs About Balling and Food (Independent, squirted@gmail.com)

This is more like it. You should go get this and stick with it until his cover of Against All Odds. If you throw out your sad sack whatever-it-is you listen to when you want to feel relaxed I will send you five dollars in the mail. Because this music is right and you even admitted you're kind of wrong. Oh hey, I finally heard Eliot Smith and it sounded exactly like The Grapes Of Wrath. You guys: go listen to the Grapes Of Wrath, it'll BLOW YOUR MIND.You might not like this, it's out of tune and lo-fi. Which is why I like it, and not your crybaby Beatlesesque songwriter crap.

- Matt Collins

File next to: Amazing crooning over clattering mess.

=======================

Milosh
Meme (Plug Research, www.plugresearch.com)

One of the first times I got high on LSD, somehow my girlfriend and I ended up at a suburban strip mall at 4 a.m., slow dancing to barely audible romantic 'œmuzak'? emitting from a blown speaker under the fuzzy glow of the neon tooth in the dentist's office. Us lovers melted together as waves of distorted, crunchy 70's love songs washed over us. It was a truly magical moment that burned itself deep into my consciousness, but I've never really heard music that quite captured that sensation until now. Toronto's Milosh is a singer / songwriter who makes IDM love songs with a highly developed sense of melody, inventive rhythms and great lyrics. His last album, 2004's You Make Me Feel, was highly acclaimed and Meme is more of the same; warm, futuristic electro-soul with a pop sensibility. Milosh's music is somewhat similar to another Canadian electronic singer / songwriter, Vitamins For You. If you like Boards Of Canada but your girlfriend prefers Dido, Milosh is likely to be the common ground that you could build a relationship on, or at least trip out to.

-Marinko Jareb

File next to: Vitamins For You, love songs

==========================

Mr. Lif
Mo'Mega (Definitive Jux, www.definitivejux.net)

Lif's new record is a lot less cohesive than his last album. Maybe I got used to the idea of Lif deconstructing a theme over the course of an album and this hit me by surprise. Regardless there's a lot of good stuff here mixed with a bit of average. 9 out of 11 tracks here are produced by El-P with most of them being heavy beatdowns. Lif is a bit of a mixed bag, his political observations are showing signs of triteness here, the heavy handed illusion-smashing he is loved for isn't quite as trenchant it was last time around (with the exception of 'The Fries', one of the best Lif tracks to date). Surprisingly it's the lighter-hearted tracks that are the most consistent; The Edan produced track with Murs is a perfect fast rap burner. There are definitely a few tracks I'll skip on this one but it's a solid effort with some real highs.

- Malcolm Smith

File next to: Sticking it to the man, one song at a time

=======================

Navy
The New Blue (TIK TOK MUSIC, www.tiktoktiktok.com)

While the band's generic name may send fans aimlessly scouring search engines, lovers of the new "punk" music will find "The New Blue" worth the hunt. Navy effortlessly legitimizes suburbia's new version of meat and potatoes emo-rock with a handful of great songs with some loud guitars. However, if you have a weak stomach for Faux-Cal teenager patois, you may be easily turned off. But anyone who loves to pound their chest and scream into the air will love this CD. I won't admit to being a fan of this style of Chart-approved "emo" (though I dig what Boys Night Out are up to these days), but if all the kids on the Spadina streetcar with their "punk" designer haircuts listen to this band and eventually discover bands like Jawbreaker and Sunny Day Real Estate, then I suppose it's all worth it in the end, right?

-Tyrone Warner

File next to: I just don't keep up with the kids these days.

=======================

The Oxfam Glamour Models
Kick out the Grams (Marquis Cha Cha, www.theoxfamglamourmodels.co.uk)

In the press release for The Oxfam Glamour Models, the anonymous writer says the band "don't come from Sheffield, don't smoke crack, and don't wear silly hats." Despite what the release says, I'm going to go out on a limp and hypothesize that the Models are the type of British band to sport silly hats and scarves, don track suits, do their fair share of drugs and live the supposed "rock and roll" lifestyle. Odds are they are snotty and bratty and you probably couldn't pick them out of a lineup alongside the Libertines and the Arctic Monkeys. It's easy to be turned off this band on this single alone, which is a supposed attack on "coking teenagers," despite the band's relentless imitating of whatever kind of music these teens would listen to in the first place; a self-mutilating, insincere appropriation of what is supposed to pass for clichéd cool.

- Tyrone Warner

File next to: Stacks of recycled NME magazines.

=======================

Sir Alice
? (Tigersushi / Kwaidan Records)

This is the second full-length release from French duo Sir Alice consisting of Alice Daquet working in conjunction with producer Marc Collin (Nouvelle Vague, Volga Select, Avril). Sir Alice comfortably straddles the terrain between serious art, punky noise and technological exploration; she could be destined to take the cyber-punk throne from Miss Kitten, Ellen Alien and fellow Sir Alice collaborators Chicks on Speed if it weren't for her almost complete rejection of the electro genre. Instead, Alice dives deep into the murky, schizophrenic underworld of disturbing no-wave; at times difficult to listen to, sometimes impenetrable, her voice cutting through the mix like a razor. The music is very experimental and although there are a few songs that could cut it on a more adventurous dance floor, this is more of a listening album that comes across as sonic poetry more than pop music. Most of the vocals are French, and although I only understand bits and pieces of the language, the ebb and flow of Daquet's tongue from soft lullaby to atonal, raging screams transcends the words she is saying. On the downside, there is an undercurrent of self-indulgence that could stand to be constrained in the editing room, Alice's vocals are often too hot in the mix and simply too much at times. This is an interesting album by a young artist full of promise; she just needs to learn a little about control and constraint in order to perfect her craft.

-Marinko Jareb

File next to: Diamanda Galas, Miss Kitten

=======================

Sleeping Kings of Iona
We Found A Love In The Streets But It Was Not Ours (Harvest Sum, www.harvestsum.com/skoi/)

Named after the Scottish Isle where medieval kings were once laid to rest, Sleeping Kings of Iona create mysterious music that mixes live instrumentation with minimalist programming. The Buffalo quartet's most immediate feature is possibly the striking voice of Molly Grace, whose pained wail brings to mind the brilliant Maura Davis from the short-lived band Denali. On "We Found Love in the Streets But it Was Not Ours," the band comes across like a Zero 7 for the M83 and Sigur Ros crowd. The band's icy-cool exterior creates a perfect introspective soundtrack for a cold and grey rainy afternoon, despite being sexy enough to serve as bedroom background music during a passionate midnight tryst. The intricate interplay between subtle drum programming and live instruments makes for rewarding listens, along with the vintage sounding keyboards that wash the album in a melancholy moonlight glow.

-Tyrone Warner

File next to: Mercury Rev, M83, Mogwai

=======================

Wilderness
'˜Vessel States' (Jagjaguwar, www.jagjaguwar.com)

Baltimore has never lacked for eclectic and noteworthy bands, many who gracefully slide under the popular radar. The most recent product of beauty is Wilderness' '˜Vessel States', whose laissez-faire approach, along with consistent and melodramatic repetition, work wonders. They possess an old Joy-Division art rock vibe, with political undertones that set the stage for the lyrics on the entire album. Instead of rushing through each song in the minimal amount of time, the typical '˜wham-bam-thank you ma'am' crap, these pieces require your critical attention to be understood. What a harsh notion, an album that is not dumbed-down pop art for the masses! This is not one for the nostalgic listener. The low-key demeanor of '˜Vessel States' is like anticipating a musical climax that will never come. It goes and it goes and it goes, and your ears will bleed slowly if you don't think along with it. But that obscure approach is part of its beauty. Wilderness succeed so well at creating a soft, balanced, progression through the eight tracks on '˜Vessel States,' that no matter one's personal feelings on alternative rock, one will surely fell inclined to listen. After that, you're on your own.

-Gena Meldazy

File next to: old Joy Division albums, or the ones you bought new and claimed were old'¦

=======================

Various Artists
Holocene Music Remix Compilation Vol. 1 (Holocene Music, www.holocene.org. www.holocenemusic.com)

Holocene, Portland club and restaurant, has become the epicenter of cultural cross-pollination since opening in 2003. The artificial boundaries outlining the aural terrain of various genres have been transcended with this, their debut release, allowing punk, folk, hip hop and techno to peacefully coexist and even hit it. Music is music again as laptop geeks and indie rockers gleefully hang out and work together with smashing results. Holocene matches Portland's best bands with the city's emerging electronic talent for remix duty, creating a fusion of styles that would fit well with the DFA roster and though the music is undeniably now, one can't help but associate the sound with 80's synth-punk or no-wave. Standout tracks include Blitzen Trapper's super funky remix by Kittenz, Alan Singley's drifting folk song with treatment by DJ Tant, The Kingdom remixed by Copy, (reminiscent of Hot Chip with more bite), and Toothfairy's turbo-folk remix of Bobby Birdman. This is an excellent album and hopefully the first of many to come.

-Marinko Jareb

File next to: DFA, Karaoke Kalk