Gordon Lightfoot Book, Music and More!

African musicians performing to raise money in the fight against AIDS while paying tribute to U2 is a clever idea. Not only does it recognize Bono’s contributions on behalf of Africa, it also shows how well artists from Angélique Kidjo to Sierra Leone’s Refugee All-Stars can reinvent the Irish band’s repertoire. Les Nubians turn up the dub on “With or Without You,” while the Soweto Gospel Choir gets righteous on “Pride (In the Name of Love).” But best of all is Vieux Farka Touré’s incandescent “Bullet the Blue Sky.” Apr. 1

It’s easy for indie bands to get stuck in a shoe-gazing rut. The Coast’s dreamy 2006 EP drew comparisons to Britpop faves like the Verve. But the Toronto quartet’s debut album is a refreshing shot of panoramic pop that touches on more diverse influences. “No Secret Why” is driving country-rock, while the shimmering “Floodlight” has flashes of Broken Social Scene. Expatriate invites listeners to dive headlong into The Coast’s windswept sound. As the jangly guitar-driven “Tightrope” asks: “What are you waiting for?” Apr. 1

Like the White Stripes, the Black Keys is a minimalist blues-rock duo. But where the Stripes went mainstream, the Keys have remained underground—until now. The band’s fifth album gets Gnarls Barkley-fied by producer Danger Mouse, who adds wacky Jethro Tull-like flutes and Tangerine Dream-ish moogs into songs like “Same Old Thing” and “Remember When (Side A).” And the Keys’ Dan Auerbach duets with hillbilly teenager Jessica Lea Mayfield on the smoldering blues “Things Ain’t Like They Used to Be.”    Apr. 1

The tiny, bald vegan one is feeling nostalgic these days, returning to the DJ-ing ways of his misspent youth in New Youth’s Future Shock club. Moby’s latest is an homage to the ’80s when disco, rave, house and hip-hop all segued into one funky groove in the Big Apple. Although the hip-hop tracks “Alice” and “I Love to Move in Here,” featuring Nigerian rapper S.O. Simple and Grandmaster Cas (of “Rapper’s Delight” fame) respectively, rule, one longs for Moby’s cooler, blues-sampling days of Play and 18. Apr. 1

Frontman Yannis Philippakis’ previous band was called the Edmund Fitzgerald, but there’s nothing Lightfootish about Foals, a smart-rock outfit from Oxford, England, home of fellow braniacs Radiohead. Like America’s Vampire Weekend, Foals has a taste for African music—check out the rhythmic romance of “Red Sock Pugie” and the closing, anthemic “Tron,” featuring the horns of Afrobeat big band Antibalas. And the infectious “Cassius,” which references the fall of Rome, is guaranteed to dancefloors everywhere. Apr. 8   

With their taste for musical mashups and penchant for pop-culture, it’s no wonder that Cee-Lo and Danger Mouse have named their new slab of psychedelic-garage-soul after a ’70s sitcom. While there’s nothing as instantly classic as “Crazy,” their latest features at least one track that comes close: the soulful, sinister ballad “Who’s Gonna Save My Soul.” Then there’s “Run,” a driving slice of soul-pop that sounds like CCR’s “Fortunate Son” crossed with Sam & Dave’s “Hold On, I’m Coming.” Odd, yes, but brilliantly so. Apr. 8    

Like Gnarls Barkley, Clinic likes to wrap itself in mystery: the members of this Liverpool quartet favor Beatlesque costumes while covering their faces in creepy surgical masks. Clinic’s fifth album offers more surreal art-punk, from the demented blues of “Tomorrow” to the twisted lounge music of “Emotions.” Frontman Ade Blackburn describes yet another track, “Corpus Christi,” as “a jug-band take on Can,” which is about right. But the album’s spookiest numbers are “The Witch” and “Winged Wheel.” Apr. 8   

Recorded at the Kinks’ Konk Studio, the Kooks’ second album has shades of Ray Davies wit on “Mr. Maker,” a sunny afternoon take on “Well Respected Man.” Otherwise, chief Kook Luke Pritchard and his bandmates make a strong case for themselves as Britpop’s most melodically gifted quartet. Pritchard sounds like a younger Jim Morrison with come-on numbers like the sexy “Do You Wanna” and the surefire hit “Always Where I Need to Be.” And the hidden track “All Over Town” offers some sweet acoustic reggae. Apr. 15   

It’s a fitting title, since Bragg has always mixed romance with politics. Bragg has never shied from wearing his left-wing sympathies on his sleeve—he even recorded a collection of union and communist anthems called The Internationale. His latest features flag-wavers like “O Freedom” and “The Johnny Carcinogenic Show,” a Joe Strummer-style tune about Big Tobacco. But it’s his love songs that stand out, including the gorgeous “I Keep Faith,” where he’s joined by singer Robert Wyatt and Faces organist Ian McLagan. Apr. 8

The spirit of Neil Young is never far from these indie-rock heroes, who cover Young in their Horsey Craze side project. The Toronto band’s fourth album boasts raging, Crazy Horse-like guitar, but it’s more cerebral than visceral. From the shimmering “I Will Not Sing a Hateful Song” to the sweet closer “Do What You Can Do,” these are thoughtful songs of hope. “Some people’s love isn’t strong enough,” sings Bry Webb on the stirring opener “Hard Feelings.” The Cons’ collective heart, however, remains a powerhouse. Apr. 15