Elbow
The Seldom Seen Kid
Fiction/Geffen
Street: 04.22
Elbow = Doves – dramatics + obtrusive melancholy
For awhile now, Elbow have been one of my sweethearts. They write dreamlike Brit-pop drones with haphazard poetry that when executed, come across as the aural version of a Wong Kar Wai film: rich in imagery and beautifully drenched in a wash of longing and disappointment. Sadly, The Seldom Seen Kid leaves me feeling just that; a little disappointed. All the elements seem to be there—lyrical whispers and atmosphere aplenty—and yet I can’t help but feel like I’ve been here one time too many. Sure, there are obvious blues influences that seem new, and the campy “The Fix” with Richard Hawley nods towards an apocalyptic carnival. It is certainly entertaining, but nothing holds me quite like it should. I guess I’m still waiting for all that potential to pay off. –Ryan Michael Painter

Eivind Opsvik
Overseas III
Loyal
Street: 05.06
Eivind Opsvik = Joe Zawinul + Crazyhorse
There exist associations with certain instruments and the occasional artist who can break their spell: Björk and Zeena Parkins can turn the anticipation of the harp (i.e., a fey ballad) upside down into a squiggling glitch mob; Jonny Greenwood flipped the banjo’s Dixieland image into a neo-Gothic rhythmic method on the Bodysong soundtrack. Now jazzer/bassist Eivind Opsvik expects us to accept the pedal steel into jazz? Well, alright. Throughout Overseas III, said instrument (ably performed by Larry Campbell of Bob Dylan fame) slathers these otherwise NYC Downtown-flavored ballads with sustained prairie colors, juxtaposing the guitar’s usual alliance over the top of even the more Coltrane/Sanders-esque saxuality (“Breath of Bark”). Jarring? Opsvik and company make this genre-hopping seem natural, even naming one of the track “Ginger Rogers.” –Dave Madden

eRikm & akosh S.
Zufall
Ronda Label
Street: 05.08
Zufall = nonnon (collegiate days) + Evan Parker
A coffeeshop in the 90s in San Francisco never sounded so good! But seriously, experimental music is hard to quantify. Or is it codify? This is classical experimentation in which the artists combine two seemingly unrelated sound platforms and mash them together into a slurry of disjointed sounds and ideas, riffing off each other and at times leading one another to various modes of existence. eRikm heads up the turntables and samples and akosh S. squelches the sax and various other percussive elements. They are incredibly talented at what they do, but for some reason, I just don’t seem to care as much as I feel like I should. Maybe it is a little too academic for us common folk. It is obvious to me that this is the type of music that must absolutely be experienced live, so that the listener is able to see the interplay between these two talented Parisians. –Andrew Glassett

The Estranged
Static Thoughts
Dirtnap Records
Street: 06.10
The Estranged = The Briefs + Heavens + Exploding Hearts + Warsaw
After listening to this album a few times, I was still undecided about my opinion of it, so I decided to provide both a positive and a negative review for you, the faithful SLUG reader. Some would say that The Estranged's combination of bouncy northwestern pop-punk with the dark ambience of early post-punk is an interesting and exciting new formula. Others would call it entirely derivative and indebted to earlier, better bands. Some would say the jagged guitar riffs, snotty vocals and steady, creeping beats delivered consistently throughout the album create a lasting, persistent mood. Others would say all the songs kinda sound the same. Some would say The Estranged have a unique sound that merely needs to be more fully developed for them to stand apart from the pack. Others would say Ian Curtis is already influencing enough mediocre bands. Both opinions are probably right. –Ricky Vigil

Evil Angel
Unholy Fight for Metal
Crush Until Madness Records
Street: 05.01
Evil Angel = early Sodom + early Destruction + Sleeveless denim splattered with beer vomit
This release by Finnish youngsters Evil Angel embodies many of the stereotypes and foolishness of heavy metal, and it is initially hard to take seriously. The band has a generic-sounding name and typical song titles that've been endlessly recycled since 1982, like "Worship Death" and "Demonical Blasphemies." But even though I feel like I've heard thousands of hours of this band's music before even finishing the first song, I can't help but be charmed by Unholy Fight for Metal. True, you don't really need this album if you haven't exhausted yourself on the best albums by Possessed, Bathory, Sodom, Destruction, Hellhammer, et al, but I'd honestly suggest local metalheads search this out before rather than settling for another wacky-thrash album or hybridized emocore abomination. Even if it’s formulaic, Evil Angel still serve up 30-odd minutes of authentic denim and leather beer-swilling authenticity. And you can't go wrong supporting boutique labels like Ohio's Crush Until Madness, who're doing it for love, not trying to move units. Just take care not to hurt yourself. –Ben West