The Bastard Noise / The Endless Blockade

A spinoff of treasured "power-violence" hardcore group Man is the Bastard, The Bastard Noise is approaching its 20th anniversary of creating noisy electro-doom brutality.

To its credit, The Bastard Noise continues to push boundaries, and for this split release with hardcore/punk experimentalists The Endless Blockade, the group utilizes the trademark drum-and-bass style of Man is the Bastard in combination with its far-out sounds.

Death-metal growls and demonic shrieks cover doom riffs and crushing bass chords, which quickly shift into progressive leads. Squealing, whirring electronic sounds further the ominous style — one that fans of the genre surely will love.

The Endless Blockade contributes three tracks to the release — one 14-minute epic and two avant-garde remixes. In "Deuteronomy," the marathon jam, hardcore/punk aggression gives way to circular, high-pitched effects and sludge breakdowns.

The first remix, "Advanced Directive," is an interpretation by Noah Creshevsky, a peerless patchwork composer/re-arranger who just released his own disc of inspired creations. The result, to say the least, is wild.

The Bastard Noise: "Mutant World of Shame / Underworld"
The Bastard Noise: \"Mutant World of Shame / Underworld\"

Freeway & Jake One: The Stimulus Package (Rhymesayers)

Continuing his life after Roc-A-Fella Records, former freestyle star Freeway now makes his debut on Rhymesayers, a fitting new home — if only temporary before a move to Cash Money.

Fellow Rhymesayers standout Jake One provides a funky, malleable backdrop for Freeway's fiery delivery and lyrics that are alternately personal and light in content. And though Freeway deserves his accolades, Jake One's production is the MVP of this collaboration.

Jake One's capabilities are on display from the get-go, as the party jam "Throw Your Hands Up" follows a soulful R&B intro track. A few tracks later, "Never Gonna Change" presents one of the most unique tracks on the album with a shifting rhythm (4/4 to 3/4 and back), glockenspiel, harmonized backing vocals, and sampled strings.

If you dig the music, be sure to pick up a physical copy. The Stimulus Package comes complete with awesome monetarily themed packaging.

Freeway & Jake One: "Know What I Mean"
Freeway & Jake One: \"Know What I Mean\"

The Souljazz Orchestra: Rising Sun (Strut)

Ottawa's Souljazz Orchestra, now with a quartet of expertly delivered albums, is much more than just another Afro-jazz ensemble.

With just six core members, the group uses its newest full-length — its first all-acoustic effort — to twirl through funk, Latin, African, down-tempo jazz, and big-band bits.

After a stirring piano-led intro and the full-blown Afrobeat of "Agbara" (heard below), "Negus Negast" vies for the title of album's best with a grooving marching-funk foundation that supports a dazzling Asian flavor.

Rising Sun is challenging but accessible, and it never loses sight of its inherent mission: to get listeners moving. When 2010 comes to a close, this should stand among the best jazz-crossover discs of the year.

The Souljazz Orchestra: "Agbara"
The Souljazz Orchestra: \"Agbara\"

Mako Sica: Dual Horizon LP (La Société Expéditionnaire)

A translation of the phrase "land bad," Mako Sica has more than a nominal Native American influence; the trio's distant vocal reverberations and dirge-inspired tunes recall the spirituality of America's original inhabitants.

Between the vocalizations of Brent Fuscaldo, the melodies of guitarist Przemyslaw Krys Drazek, and the rhythms of drummer Michael J. Kendrick, Mako Sica maintains a strong balance of abilities — with a brooding combination of jangly guitars, reverberated vociferation, and instrumental dynamics.

Though this is just the trio's debut, Mako Sica already has been featured on NPR's acclaimed world-music program, Radio M — and it won't be the last time if the band continues what it started on Dual Horizon.

Mako Sica: I'Itoi
Mako Sica: \"I\'Itoi\"

Carolina Chocolate Drops: Genuine Negro Jig (Nonesuch)

Beholden to the traditions of Americana and early African-American folk, the string trio Carolina Chocolate Drops continues blurring the lines of old and new.

On Genuine Negro Jig, the group's fifth album, a few original numbers and a trove of traditionals take root in banjo, fiddle, and percussion. Three-part harmonies shimmer on the famous folk tune "Trouble in Your Mind," and simplicity shines on gripping renditions of "Why Don't You Do Right?" by Kansas Joe McCoy and "Trampled Rose" by Tom Waits.

Most surprisingly, Genuine Negro Jig includes an enjoyable rendition of "Hit 'Em Up Style," an unintentionally farcical pop hit by Blu Cantrell, a multi-talented producer who is best known as an early-2000s one-hit wonder. Easily the most mainstream cut on the disc, the song (reenacted with beat-boxing) describes the shopping-spree revenge of a woman who gets back at her unfaithful man by snatching his credit cards.

Carolina Chocolate Drops: "Hit 'Em Up Style" (excerpt)
Carolina Chocolate Drops: \"Hit \'Em Up Style\" (excerpt)

Honorable Mentions

Dday One: Heavy Migration LP reissue (Crosstalk Int.)

The Seven Fields of Aphelion: Periphery (Graveface)

V/A: Next Stop Soweto: Township Sounds From The Golden Age Of Mbaqanga (Strut)

Debashish Bhattacharya

With his second album in 14 months, Indian slide-guitar master Debashish Bhattacharya issues his take on musical adaptations of the mythological Hindu figure Shakuntala.  Using one of his twangy, self-made creations, Bhattacharya mixes Hindustani and Karnatic music in a style that, at times, distantly resembles Western slide music.

Debashish Bhattacharya: "Chahat"

Debashish Bhattacharya: \"Chahat\"

Sleep: Hesitation Wounds (Strange Famous)

A co-founder of hip-hop collective Oldominion, emcee Sleep has made a name for himself in the Pacific Northwest with high-energy, quick-tongued rhymes, diverse samples, and an often-downbeat sound.  This follow-up to his 2005 LP Christopher is his debut on Sage Francis' Strange Famous label, and it features guest spots by Del tha Funky Homosapien and Grayskul.

Obvious disclaimer: this Sleep is unrelated to the über-heavy stoner-metal group of the same name.

Amber Asylum: Bitter River (Profound Lore)

This vocally driven neoclassical project is led by multi-instrumentalist Kris Force, a Gothically inspired songstress with no relation to ALARM head honcho Chris Force.

A pairing of cello and violin roots Bitter River in a brooding, eerie minimalism, which is completed with Force's powerful range.  Previous Amber Asylum contributors have included Steve Von Till (Neurosis) and Tim Green (The Fucking Champs); the group's current collaborators include Eric Wood (Bastard Noise / Man is the Bastard), Jackie Perez-Gratz (Giant Squid), Leila Abdul-Rauf (Saros), and more.

Amber Asylum: "Bitter River"

Amber Asylum: \"Bitter River\"

The Bastard Noise

Borne as a side project from pioneering industrial hardcore outfit Man is the Bastard, this electro-noise trio provides a surprisingly accessible soundtrack to the Armageddon. Crackling, squealing, and howling electronics surround steady bass rhythms and eerie ambience, often while notable guest contributions — in this case, the unmistakable screams of The Locust vocalist Justin Pearson — add to the unsettling doom.

The Bastard Noise: "Tyranny Beyond Earth Epilogue"
The Bastard Noise: \"Tyranny Beyond Earth Epilogue\"

The Low Frequency in Stereo: Futuro (Rune Grammofon)

Norwegian rock quintet The Low Frequency in Stereo create unabashed pop tunes with enough appeal to make even emotionally hardened metal heads tap along. The group's electronic/rock hybrid of fuzzy, tremoloed guitar riffs, dancing organs, grooved-out melodies, and loaded effects draw parallels to plenty of contemporaries, but The Low Frequency in Stereo accomplishes this mixture in a unique fashion.

Lymbyc Systym: Carved by Glaciers [reissue] (Magic Bullet)

Before their beautiful full-length debut of Love Your Abuser on Mush Records, brothers Mike and Jared Bell made well-crafted, keyboard-driven post-rock for their Carved by Glaciers EP. The duo's heartening tunes employ piano, synthesizers, organs, xylophones, brass instruments, and much more to provide a gorgeous multi-layered mix. Coinciding with a separate split release with This Will Destroy You, also on Magic Bullet, Lymbyc Systym now has its debut EP reissued.

Lymbyc Systym: "Carved by Glaciers"
Lymbyc Systym: \"Carved by Glaciers\"

Drew Brown: Tiago La is Losing the Plot [US release] (Lex)

Though Lex Records' website would have one believe that this album doesn't exist, amazon.com begs to differ. Brown's MySpace page has a scant trio of songs, but they exhibit the eclectic singer/songwriter possibilities of this EP.

Quatre Tete: Art of the State (Sickroom)

With two EPs and a full-length album under its belt, this Chicago trio returns with its unadulterated, math-influenced mid-'90s-style rock. Fans of hard-hitting guitar/bass/drums configurations would do well to pick up Art of the State, recorded by engineer Bob Weston.

The album draws a bit of sonic inspiration from Weston's most famous group, Shellac, as well as musical brethren like The Jesus Lizard and Dianogah.

Quatre Tete: "Mouth of the Rattlesnake"
Quatre Tete: \"Mouth of the Rattlesnake\"