Bludgeon
World Controlled
(Magic Circle Music/Fusion 3)

B

Website: www.bludgeon.tv

The Coup
Pick a Bigger Weapon
(Epitaph)

A



Website: www.thecoupmusic.net

This hip hop album is fantastic. Basically, it’s all summed up in the crazily infectious Laugh/Love/Fuck. Let’s break it down. Laugh because these tunes are downright hilarious at times — in a witty way, not a funny-the-first-time-Slim-Shady way. Take Ass-Breath Killers, where Boots Riley speaks of pills that will keep you from kissing ass. Love because Ijustwannalay-aroundalldayinbedwithyou is as about as lovely as a song can get, with Boots describing how his commitment to The Man can’t keep him from being with his special lady. And fuck... well, fuck — this record kicks. My Favorite Mutiny rolls like one of those Rocky-soundtrack songs. It’s uplifting, adrenaline-flowing, movie-montage stuff. And I dare you not to sing along to the chorus of We Are the Ones. My grandma would sing to it, and she doesn’t know what hip hop is.
Jared Story

DJ Kicks
Four Tet
(!K7)

B-



Website: www.k7.com

Cross R2D2 on acid and the sped-up sounds of a Nintendo game and you’ll get something like this mix. Or is it the sound of retro Curtis Mayfield tracks spruced up with heavy beats? Kieran Hebden’s mashing of electronic and organic sounds doesn’t always sound pleasant, but it’s always interesting. Example: the wavering horns and off-kilter beats on the improvisational Out-Rock from Heiner Stadler. Avoid the jerky starts and stops on Heldon’s Les Soucoupes volantes vertes and Akufen’s Psychometry 3.2 if you have a weak heart. Instead take in the eerily calm chanting on Animal Collective’s Baby Day. Hip Hop Beats, or listen as Eastern flavours fuse on Madvillain’s Figaro. This disc isn’t for relaxing — there are too many nightmare-causing and anxiety-inducing moments, as on Model 500’s Psychosomatic. Give it a try and call in sick tomorrow.
Shannon Ander

Elefant
The Black Magic Show
(Hollywood Records)

B-



Website: www.elefantweb.com

If everything old is new again, then fine, U.S. new-groovers Elefant have brilliantly refashioned a newer wave with The Black Magic Show. What makes this quartet at least as interesting as the next band that treads the same magical mile is its ability to craft an effervescent song. Crooning vocalist Diego Garcia wrote everything here and has to be given full credit for at least making this album flow like a roiling stream. Elefant is by no means unique —more than a few bands have hit the ground running lately with this same melodic sense — but while this album is playing you have no choice but to nod your pop head in agreement with the group’s easy-to-get-caught-on hooks. It may not replace New Order’s Power, Corruption and Lies in your life, but these days close almost counts as a win.
Jeff Monk

From the CD cover and booklet to the Ken Andrews-produced tracks, Mae has created an incredible audio and visual package. After a few moments of soft music, a calm, soothing voice instructs you to follow along with the lyrics. Slowly Mae starts to bring you into its world, and you expect The Everglow to become an unforgettable musical experience. Wrong! Once the dainty indie pop begins your excitement will vanish. The Everglow is a Christian emo–rock concept album that doesn’t deserve repeat listens. The whole concept thing just doesn’t seem to work. The band downplays the religious aspect, but it’s so painfully obvious. It’s so squeaky clean that it makes The Housemartins look like Slayer. Mae should be applauded for trying to take this genre of music to new heights, but unfortunately only emo kids and fans of Christian rock will appreciate this.
Ashley McCurdy

Frontman for the country rockers Old 97’s, Rhett Miller has released a pop-flavoured solo album in The Believer. Help Me, Suzanne and Meteor Shower are sugary-sweet summer singles, while Ain’t That Strange is a big ol’ rock song that will have you spinning around, arms flying, while doing your best Bowie impressions. The Believer is Rhett’s tribute to the late Elliott Smith, and it’s painful and poignant. This record is a sprawling soundscape that contains elements of folk, rock, pop, country and punk without becoming a mess. A certain focus here suggests to me that Rhett allows the songs to dictate the style rather than force his songs to conform to a format. There is only a single cover on the album (I Believe She’s Lying by Jon Brion) and one shared vocal performance with Rachael Yamagata, on Fireflies.
Chris Brown

Sweet, cool, outrageous, tight and swaggering could very well provide a new acronym for South Carolina’s SCOTS. Led by the nimble-fingered guitar twangler Rick Miller, this trio has gone from strength to strength over the course of its career, and this hot live album really captures its ass-shaking power. Recorded at neighbourhood chicken shack The Local 506 in Chapel Hill, the album finds the band giving its howling homies plenty to scream about — and they do so for a solid 50-plus minutes. Miller and band rip through a cross-section of their best, focusing on their recent Yep Roc rebel yell, Mojo Box. Miller heaves up tons of great licks, and his live sound on these tracks has a little more bite than the studio counterparts, making D&L a degree or two hotter — as all great live albums should be.
Jeff Monk

Australian Xavier Rudd has been described as a one-man band because he often plays a host of instruments at the same time. While that’s a good parlour trick, the real deal here is the strength of Rudd’s songs, which explore the environment, the plight of aboriginal peoples, relationships and the state of our world. This is folk music, but with modern themes and non-traditional instrumentation. Reminiscent of Paul Simon’s Graceland period, Rudd voices his concerns over the direction America’s leaders have chosen and empathizes with the average American — whom he believes is scared and confused by the larger world. Rudd has a natural affinity toward native causes, making Food in the Belly a call for understanding and compassion. Many tracks have an underlying reggae feel, too, which gives this folk-based music a groove and rhythm that will be a sure hit with audiences.
Chris Brown