Gordon Lightfoot Book, Music and More!

Comparisons to the Arcade Fire and Broken Social Scene have dogged this indie-rock collective. Mind you, it’s not bad company to be in. And it’s easy why the comparisons keep coming up. TGID’s sound leans heavily on trumpets, violins, organs and almost evangelical sing-alongs. The group’s debut album, recorded at Toronto Island’s Gas Station Studios, features a joyous ode to growing old together (“We’ll Make It”) and such wonder-filled lines as the title track’s “every time we see the stars, we feel the charge.” June 19

With Jack White’s recently revealed relationship to Canada’s Natalie MacMaster and Ashley MacIsaac (distant cousins), you might expect to hear some Celtic fiddle on the Stripes’ latest release. Instead, we get bagpipes on tracks like “St. Andrew (This Battle is in the Air)” and the anthemic “Prickly Thorn, But Sweetly Worn.” There’s also mariachi trumpet on the wacky “Conquest,” once sung by Patti Page. But mostly, it’s another blues-drenched, deliciously thumping classic from the Motor City’s best garage-rock duo. June 19

Moore came up in the shadows of Britney Spears, Jessica Simpson and others, and was treated with even less respect than those pop tarts. Moore’s acting career hasn’t fared much better. But the 23-year-old is now making a serious stab at musical credibility with this collection of songs co-written with the Weepies, Lori McKenna, Rachael Yamagata and Chantal Kreviazuk. Although hardly provocative, the substance of “Extraordinary,” “Gardenia” and “Ladies Choice” is the promising sound of a pop princess growing up. June 19

What is it about Vancouver and Black Sabbath? First there was Black Mountain and its lo-fi offshoot Pink Mountaintops, both of which clearly worshipped at the altar of Britain’s gods of noize. Now along comes this new four-piece band that is equally indebted to Sabbath’s heavy-metal thunder. Pride Tiger’s debut album is a modern metalhead’s dream, from the boisterous opener “Let It Go” and the boogie workout “What It Is” to the voodoo crunch of “White Witch Woman Blues.” Ozzy’s progeny. June 19

Through the ’90s, Cox dominated the Junos as Canada’s top r&b vocalist. Then the Toronto-born songbird, a former Céline Dion backup singer, flew south to further her career. Now, following acting roles and taking the lead turn in Elton John and Tim Rice’s Aida, Cox is back with this tribute to her childhood idol Dinah Washington. Featuring big-band numbers (“All of Me”), sultry blues (“Misery”) and evocative ballads (“This Bitter Earth”), the album stretches Cox’s range and proves her versatility as a vocalist. June 19

The first breakout act of electronica is also the movement’s longest surviving one. Tom Rowlands and Ed Simons have kept their block-rockin’ beats fresh by collaborating with artists as diverse as Oasis’ Noel Gallagher, the Flaming Lips and k-os. On their sixth album, the Grammy winning duo teams up with the Pharcyde’s Fatlip on the zany “Salmon Dance,” singer-songwriter Willy Mason on the hypnotic “Battle Scars” and U.K. buzzband the Klaxons on the dizzying psych-synth workout “All Rights Reserved.” June 19    

Yes, they favor heavy-duty riffage and jackhammer beats. But QOTSA are no hard-rock Neanderthals. There’s an intelligence to Josh Homme’s modus operandi that even pop queens like Nelly Furtado find appealing. The band’s fifth album offers the usual serving of thrashy tracks such as “3’s & 7’s,” the corrosive “Battery Acid” and the frenetic “Sick, Sick, Sick,” featuring the Strokes’ Julian Casablancas. But there are also such softer psych sounds like “Into the Hollow” and the oh-so-sweet-and-sexy “Make It Wit Chu.” June 12

Like Tal Bachman, Adam Cohen and Rufus Wainwright, Titcomb has impressive musical genes (Liam’s father is singer-songwriter Brent Titcomb). Songs like “It’s You” and the title track nod to his dad’s folky influence. But most of this second album aims for a more upbeat stance—with mixed results. Songs like “Nothing at All” and “Life Me Up” strive too hard for commerciality. Better are spirited numbers like “Got a Lot,” co-written with Craig Northey (the Odds), and “That’s All for Now, which truly rock out. June 5   

“Come over to the sick side,” sings Wiley. Clearly his producer, Los Lobos’ Steve Berlin, welcomed the invitation to get a little weird and funky on the P.E.I. singer-songwriter’s third album. From the voodoo blues of “One Bad Woman” and the junkyard dub of “Wouldn’t You” to the moody, drum-laden title track, Wiley displays a penchant for not only Dick Dale and Tom Waits but Lee “Scratch” Perry. He also knows his way around sweet ballads like “Back to Bed.” But Wiley’s darker side is the real revelation here. May 29

Céline has ruled Caesar’s Palace since 2003. By year’s end, Canada’s ultimate diva will be leaving Las Vegas and resuming her mega-selling recording career (175 million albums and counting). A new English album and a duet with Annie Lennox are planned, but in the meantime the former child star releases this collection of songs by female writers from France and Quebec. Power ballads like “Et s’il n’en restait qu’une (je serais celle-là)” prove that La Dion is still a more convincing singer in French than in English. May 22