Rock's dead, eh? Someone forgot to invite Dave Grohl and his Foo Fighters to the funeral. Their seventh album, Wasting Light, is a call to all mourners - a fast 'n' furious (and occasionally funky) explosion of catharsis. From the opening scribbles of Burning Bridge, the Foos -with guest appearances by Grohl's former Nirvana bandmate, bassist Krist Novoselic, guitarist Pat Smear and Husker Du's Bob Mould -will help you shake off the winter doldrums and attack the world with a fist in the air and a giddy smile on your face. The first five songs are killer -including Dear Rosemary, a fuzzy groovefest, and White Limo, a driving number punctuated with Grohl's shrieks. Arlandria, which sounds like an angry letter to Grohl's alter ego, is the perfect example of the band's winning formula -a mix of sawing riffs, bittersweet melodies, and defiant lyrics. "Fame, fame go away!" yowls Grohl. "Come again some other day!" The next six (and slower) tunes aren't quite-as-direct hits -they'll need a few spins to work their magic, but once they do, they'll be impossible to lodge from your brain. These Days sounds like the Foos doing their best impressions of the Barenaked Ladies, I Should Have Known is a symphonic-rock lullaby offering no apologies, perhaps directed at Nirvana's late frontman, while Walk is Grohl's own challenge to the Grim Reaper. "Never wanna die!" he yells. "I'm dancing on my grave!" Wasting Light could very well be the feel-good record of the year. Not only will the Foos make you feel on top of the world, but you'll also want to cheer for Grohl. After years of talking up his albums -2005's In Your Honor was his "most ambitious project," while 2007's Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace was "a really big powerful rock record" -and failing to deliver, the Foos finally nail it with Wasting Light.

Wasting Light

Foo Fighters

(RCA)

Rating: 4 (out of 5)

Sandra Sperounes, Edmonton Journal

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Like the Foo Fighters, singer-songwriter Tyler Butler tackles the subject of death on his latest album, Winter King, but the local product doesn't come out on top. "She said, 'I saw your brother drowning / I saw his eyes widen in the water,' " he warbles on Barghest, a sparse acoustic lament as fragile as melting ice. Anguish and loneliness are Butler's main companions on this eight-track journey, which feels like a slow, and often tragic, meander through the city's river valley on a cold spring day. Butler performs Tuesday at Wunderbar Hofbrauhaus, 8120 101st St, with Caity Fisher and DoT. Doors open at 8: 30 p.m.

Winter King

Tyler Butler

(Old Ugly)

Rating: 3

Sandra Sperounes, Edmonton Journal

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On her solo debut Mellow Drama, Vancouver's Louise Burns wears her influences on her sleeve. The bassist and co-founder of all-girl rock band Lillix wholeheartedly embraces '50s and '60s soul-pop on Mellow Drama, adding a little bit of twang here and there thanks to subtle touches of ukulele. The result is a record that sounds as if it had been recorded half a century ago and just recently dusted off, Burns' soulful, smoky vocals finding a perfect groove within her shuffly, moody melodies. Hints of Buddy Holly (What Do You Wanna Do) float alongside old-timey country-folk sensibilities (Island Vacation), with fuzzy, psychedeliainfused pop (Paper Cup) and post-punk/new wave textures (Street Walking) giving the album a bit of an edge. Imagine if someone had taken a bunch of seven-inch singles from an old jukebox and mixed it all up on one album. Louise Burns did just that on Mellow Drama, and it sounds pretty amazing.

Mellow Drama

Louise Burns

(Light Organ)

Rating: 4

François Marchand, Vancouver Sun

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As good as Jill Barber's Mischievous Moon is, it's an album that requires a willingness by the listener to fully immerse in what's sure to be alien territory for many fans of soul-baring singer-songwriter fare or indie-pop turmoil. After 2008's Chances, her excellent, careerchanging swerve toward elegant pop and early jazz, this one-time folkie now seems intent on offering her own wide-eyed entries into the Great American Songbook. Luckily, what keeps this from being an overly precious academic exercise is her songs -which are sturdy enough to shoulder such ambitions -and perceptive production from guitarist Les Cooper. Barber's girlish purr, combined with tasteful jazz guitar, twinkling piano and swelling strings, make romantic musings about cupids, daydreamin' and lullabies sung "just for you" sound sincere. Even when she does shake up the blueprint with poppier numbers such as Took Me By Surprise and Any Fool Can Fall in Love, the strains of soft soul and bossa nova are so light and frothy, they seem on the verge of floating off into the ether.

Mischievous Moon

Jill Barber

(Outside)

Rating: 4

Eric Volmers, Calgary Herald

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If Colin Stetson had nothing to offer other than bionic lungs and ceaseless spirals of brass blasts, the Montreal horn player's album would be a testament to exceptional technique. But more important than Stetson's proficiency or the recording regimen -single takes, minimal overdubs, complex miking -is the emotional truth Stetson weaves into his (mostly) oneman performances. The Tom Waits and TV on the Radio associate's circular trills on The Stars in His Head are mesmerizing; the lonely foghorn distress signals in Awake on Foreign Shores and the menacing metallic funk of Red Horse (Judges II) are more so. Laurie Anderson's end-of-days narration on A Dream of Water and Shara Worden's old-soul despair on Lord I Just Can't Keep from Crying Sometimes add mystery and drama to a singular album that isn't short on either.

New History Warfare Vol. 2: Judges

Colin Stetson

(Constellation)

Rating: 3

Jordan Zivitz, Montreal Gazette

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Snoop's metamorphosis over the past two decades from the quietly menacing Crip who first turned heads on Dr. Dre's The Chronic in 1992 to rap's cuddly, weed-worshipping mascot might have been a boon to his bottom line, but it's also been a one-way road to creative irrelevance. It's tough to get too worked up one way or another by the overstuffed Doggumentary (21 tracks! 22 featured guests!) or its warmedover G-funk beats and tired chronic-obsessed rhymes. Granted, it's amusing to hear Snoop trade (sung) verses with fellow professional weed smoker Willie Nelson on Superman, but that would probably be far more entertaining as a reality show -as would most of Snoop's shtick these days, come to think of it.

Doggumentary

Snoop Dogg

(EMI)

Rating: 2 1/2

Basem Boshra, Montreal Gazette