Situation

This Canadian avant-rap guy has been angling for an American breakthrough for a few years now. That effort culminated in 2005's V2 overview "This Right Here Is Buck 65," which actually ended up doing a better job reminding core supporters of past import-only glories than it did of introducing Aesop Rock fans to Buck's unique folk-hop charms. His last studio disc, "Secret House Against the World," featured arty, synthed-up collaborations with Tortoise, but on "Situation," Buck keeps things relatively stripped down, embroidering vintage-sounding boom-bap beats with just enough detail to keep your ear engaged between his wordy verses, which he values far more than catchy choruses. Of course, that's not to suggest that "Situation" lacks for complexity: On "Shutter Buggin'," for instance, Buck imbues a play-by-play of a pornographer's workday with an emotion more ambivalent than clubland ebullience.—Mikeal Wood