Coming from Paul Van Dyk, a superstar DJ oft-hailed as progressive, this collection of bouncy house music is pretty vapid. Most tracks manage to work in some sleek New Age effects amid their Eurodisco beats and good-timey vibes, but the only place most non-E addicts should ever have to hear this is while shopping at the Gap. (CHRISTIAN HOARD)

Richard X Presents His X-Factor, Vol. 1 (Astralwerks)

Under the name of Girls on Top, Richard X perfected the bootleg mash-up -- Whitney Houston vs. Kraftwerk, the Normal vs. Missy Elliott -- then abandoned it before last year's deluge of unauthorized remixes on the Internet. His sound-clashes cohered because he understood the link between the digital dance floor of the early Eighties and the overproduced sass of modern urban radio. On his album debut as a proper producer, he replicates some of the magic of Eighties club music with quantized, breathy vocals and merciless synth runs, as exemplified by the stellar "Finest Dreams," featuring Kelis. He's even more fun as a pop archivist, re-imagining "Walk On By" as a Star Wars fugue and enticing the angelic Sugababes into an industrial take on Adina Howard's frothy "Freak Like Me." For Richard X, yesterday isn't history; it's a template for manipulating today. (JON CARAMANICA)

Scout This Soft Life (ModMusic)

Queens, New York trio Scout combine indie fervor and old school pop in tightly crafted, mildly morose songs on This Soft Life. Vocalist/songwriter Ashen Keilyn is dispassionate in the best way -- she could be ordering eggs or expressing a longing for affection (or cash) but her vocal indifference is wrapped in sinewy melodies, and band mates' Brian Silverman (guitar) and Nigel Rawles' (drums) cozy support. Whether on ashen tracks like "Come On + Go" or "Here Come the Waterworks," or getting her jollies off in the Joan Jett/Cheap Trick inspired "All We Ever Wanted," Keilyn cushions her reflections with urgent intensity. The album closer "Fly on the Window" is miserably gorgeous, a rainy-day fantasy of steel guitar and mumbled vocals that sounds like warm chocolate chip cookies taste. (KEN MICALLEF)

The Dismemberment Plan A People's History of the Dismemberment Plan (DeSoto)

This farewell effort, comprised almost entirely of remixes by fans, is a testament to the dedicated relationship between genre-bending post pop phenomenon the Dismemberment Plan and its cultish public enjoyed over the last decade. Each mix sheds a uniquely different light on some of the Plan's most-loved tracks. Standouts include Tigerbeat6 member Cex's "Academy Award," which bends the danceable original into a dark, industrial shadow of its former self, and relative-unknown Erik Gundel's stripped-down approach to "Superpowers," easily the most deconstructed remix. Gundel removes all trotting disco percussion and funk-inspired guitar work from the song, leaving Travis Morrison's vocals to lay alone over a looped acoustic riff inspired by the Faces' "Ooh La La." The resulting funerary ambiance magnifies the lyrical despair in quiet lines like "No one is going to save the world/from what I see." A beautiful and fitting finale. (JOAN HILLER)

David Dondero The Transient (Future Farmer)

David Dondero doesn't care if the glass is half-full or half-empty. The point is: The glass is dirty. Alcohol, cocaine, oppressive sunshine and blue skies all filter their way into Dondero's angry laments. He often sounds like Paul Westerberg after a vicious beating, but where Westy places rays of hope, Dondero puts his foot down, quashing any chance for redemption. As a result, The Transient the story of a street musician passing from town to town, is one heavy-handed downer trip. The Transient is fueled with thorny acoustic guitars pricking up against intrusive drums and an occasionally over-amped electric guitar. The addition of Bright Eyes contributors -- Tiffany Kowalski on violin, producer Mike Mogis on keys, glockenspiel and slide and Conor Oberst singing backup -- softens things slightly, but Dondero's determined to rub up his alt-country to the point of abrasion. (ROB O'CONNOR)

Robert Earl Keen Farm Fresh Onions (Audium/Koch)

Texas songwriter Robert Earl Keen has two faces: the insightful poet who conjures up heartfelt, sepia-toned American parables, and the redneck shit-kicker whose comic party tunes have made him a sort of Grateful Dead for frat guys. Both are present on his tenth album, Farm Fresh Onions. On the party side is the irreverently funky "Floppy Shoes," the bayou-flavored "Gone On" and the startlingly entertaining title track, with its whacked out guitar solo, creepy ascending chords, hollering Mary Clayton-like background vocals and sassy organ of guest Ian MacLagan. On the sensitive side, Keen is backed a solitary tremolo-soaked guitar on the somber "Famous Words," while the buoyant hook on "All I Have Is Today" contrasts the reckless hope of the lyrics. The album's only cover, a take on James McMurtry's "Out Here in the Middle" aided by the lovely harmonies of Shawn Colvin, is a postcard from the heartland that promises relative peace to work-a-day city folk who are tired of the foibles of urban living. And Keen's trademark acerbic humor makes all the emotional transitions seamless. (MEREDITH OCHS)

The Singles Better Than Before (Rainbow Quartz)

The Singles are no mere Detroit garage band, they're capable rock historians. Wearing 1960's pop/rock influences proudly on their sleeves, this Vincent Frederick-fronted combo nods to everyone from Buddy Holly ("See You Again") to the Zombies ("Until You Came Along") to the Who circa '65 ("I'm In Love With You"). These originals may not be that original, but skillfully constructed, Byrds-derived pop like "Since You've Been Gone" is impossible to resist. And "It'll Never Be the Same Again" pilfers the guitar hook from the Flamin' Groovies staple "Shake Some Action" with exemplary results. Still, the centerpiece of Better Than Before, produced by White Stripes vet Jim Diamond, is "I'm Coming Home to You," a gorgeous lament that's also the least derivative tune here. The Singles aren't breaking any new ground, and at times the retro material gets a bit redundant, but rarely has a history lesson been this fun. (JOHN D. LUERSSEN)

Midwest Product World Series of Love (Ghostly International)

On their follow-up to 2002's Specifics EP, Midwest Product joyfully pepper their dirty Detroit-style techno beats with splashes of hooky indie-pop, down-home hip-hop rhythms and cool new wave tones. The group nimbly manages its sophisticated library of preprogrammed sound around fanciful pop overtones that permeate their forceful beats, making bubblegum touches sound as solid as a rock. Simply named tracks like "Umbrella" mirror New Order's dark energy, while the appearance of vocoder-laden vocals, lighthearted synths and live drums in "Bank" resonate with the pulse of Devo. With this effort, Midwest Product further emerge as an eclectic force in the Motor City's too-often uniform scene. (JOAN HILLER)

(October 6, 2003)