GILBERTO GIL
Banda Larga Cordel
(Warner)

In between his meetings and speeches as the world’s most famous Minister of Culture, Brazilian legend Gilberto Gil has somehow found time to record a new album and embark on a global tour that brings him to Tokyo this week. Band Larga Cordel (rough translation: “broadband”) is a trawl through Brazilian culture from the bossa nova of its past through the samba of its shantytowns to the high-tech grooves of its fast-paced urban culture. Gil’s voice—still supple at 66—leads the listener through songs that are sometimes philosophical (“Nao Tenho Medo da Morte”—”I’m Not Afraid of Death”), sometimes whimsical (“Os Pais” begins with a Skype ringtone), and sometimes delicate (“Samba de Los Angeles”). Throughout, he is never anything less than completely in control. Sep 11 at Tokyo International Forum, Sep 15 at Akarenga Park. DG

ABURADAKO
Aburadako
(P-Vine)

Legendary for naming every single one of its albums after itself, Aburadako (“greasy octopus”) is one of those off-kilter underground Japanese rock bands about which little is known but much is said. The new Aburadako caps the development of the group since its 1983 founding from young punk rebel rousers to more thoughtful—if still dissonant—experimentalists. Mixed by Soichiro Nakamura (known for his work with Yura Yura Teikoku), the band is led by Hirotomo Hasegawa, who, with his otherworldly theremin playing and ear-rending screams, is always ready to push the comfort threshold. Disjointed freakouts, washes of guitar distortion and herky-jerky meters are punctuated by strange but appealing melodies. Not for the faint of heart, but recommended for adventurous listeners. Sep 6 at Aoyama Cay. DG

JOHN CLEARY & THE ABSOLUTE MONSTER GENTLEMEN
Mo Hippa
(FHQ/Buffalo)

New Orleans, you might say, is as much a state of mind as a physical place. British-born John Cleary may be an adopted son, but on Mo Hippa it’s apparent that the funk and strut of traditional New Orleans boogie-woogie has suffused his soul. Recorded live in Sydney, the disc sees Cleary giving Dr John a run for his money on stomping numbers from the Professor Longhair standard “Tipitina” to soulful originals like “Port Street Blues.” A veteran session musician who’s backed the likes of B.B. King, Cleary shines as a frontman, and his veteran Absolute Monster Gentlemen are more than able accompanists. Together they work the Aussie crowd into a lather—a promising taste of what’s to come in their upcoming Japan tour. Oct 14 at Thumbs Up, Oct 15 at Club Quattro. DG

THE BUG
London Zoo
(Ninja Tune/Beat)

Kevin Martin’s music isn’t for softies. His third album under The Bug moniker finds the veteran sonic terrorist pushing his trademark blend of dancehall, dub and electronica to ever more punishing excesses. “Poison Dart” boasts the kind of bass drop that could stop an army in its tracks, while “Angry” and “Insane” are thrillingly intense floor fillers. The roster of MCs is every bit as fierce as the music itself, with rabble-rousing turns from the likes of Warrior Queen and Flowdan. Best of all is dub poet Spaceape, who ditches his usually laconic delivery on “Fuckaz” to rail against the world’s liars, haters and “all dem people whose only purpose in life is to mine a permanent state of hesitancy.” Consider yourself warned. James Hadfield


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