On the Record

The Roots, Portishead and Torche.

Roots

Rank: Excellent, like John Oates’ mustache.

The planet’s best hip-hop group follow up 2006’s Game Theory with another lean, grim affair. So why the long faces? Political dissent and moody production don’t mean this album is any less hearty a meal. “75 Bars (Black’s Reconstruction)” finds Black Thought swept up in delivery even more breathless than usual, while ?uestlove’s influence emerges more elsewhere. Guests come and go—including Talib Kweli and Mos Def on separate tracks and a returning Peedi Crakk and Dice Raw—but on this 10th album, the Roots are a miraculous machine that needs no oiling. (Doug Wallen)

Portishead

Third (Island)

Rank: Excellent, like John Oates’ mustache.

This is sublime stuff. Beth Gibbons, sounding as if she’s permanently on the verge of a nervous breakdown, is in startling form throughout. She’s the torch song singer from hell and all the better for it. However, those expecting Dummy part three are in for a big disappointment. The beats are sparser, the guitar lines more discordant, the overall mood bleaker than ever. A nervy, skeletal riposte to the head-nodding cliches of ’90s trip-hop, it’s guaranteed to put a dampener on any smug thirtysomething dinner party and destined to give tokers looking for aural wallpaper a severe case of fear. (Neil Ferguson)

Torche

Meanderthal (Hydra Head)

Rank: Instant classic, like Edgar Allan Poe.

Torche may have released the best album all year, in any genre. Absolutely no one else has figured out the secret to being as punishing Purchase your discounted tickets to see Kaiju Big Battel at the Trocadero on June 1 ly heavy and unforgettably catchy at the same time. There isn’t a track on the album that doesn’t slay. Fortunately, Torche have figured out how to harness the might of their live shows, and all while creating music memorable for being both visceral and emotionally uplifting at the same time. This is Torche’s masterpiece, and they’re just getting started. Who cares what you’re into? Meanderthal will win you over. Believe it. (John Cramer)