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September 2007 - Issue 225

Adema
Kill the Headlights
Immortal Records
Street: 08.21
Adema = Linkin Park – the hip-hop + the leavings of Korn + emo meets n-metal
This review is part rant and part critique; let’s start with the rant. I honestly want to know who still likes or cares about Adema anymore. They’re basically a one- or two-hit wonder band and that was back in 2001. They tried to continue that success and wound up falling flat on their face. That is where it should have ended for the band. Let’s face it: N-metal has basically been dead for quite a while, so why continue with a style that was fleeting to begin with? Although, it’s true this band kind of added what some of the screamo bands are doing right now for this new record and made that style sound even shittier. The band lost their main claim to fame singer Markey Chavez, who is the Korn singer’s half brother—big whoop. The new guy, Bobby Reeves, sounds even lamer than Chavez did, both with his singing and little girl-sounding screaming. Every song here follows the same formula with little success, some heavy parts, some melodic parts, keyboard piddling, stupid lyric followed by stupid lyric. Please, if you have any respect for yourself, ignore this turd-fair of a record, and don’t buy it for your ignorant kid that might not know any better. I didn’t really expect much from this album, but it proceeded to surprise even those low expectations. Stay far, far away from this album, but you don’t even need my advice; this thing stinks so bad it will have you avoiding it even if you just see it at the store. –Bryer Wharton

Against Me!
New Wave
Sire Records
Street: 07.10
Against Me! = Rancid + Bob Dylan
Against Me!’s newest release is a far cry from their previous here full-length albums. New Wave isn’t a bad album, its just that Against Me! seems to have ditched their acoustic guitars and unconventional song structure for a more radio friendly format. The passion and anger are still there, but I found myself becoming bored with the songs on this album, especially when compared to any of the songs on their previous releases. Standout tracks were “American’s Abroad” and “The Ocean”. This album is sure to skyrocket them into the mainstream the rest of the way, but I think older fans will be disappointed –Jeanette Moses

Aiden
Conviction
Victory Records
Street: 08.21
Aiden = pure emo + a gothic undertone
With all honesty I choose to review this new album from Aiden purely because I knew my wife would love it, which she does. That said this isn’t a genre I normally dabble in and is not something I would normally listen to. But we all have to venture outside of our security zone from time to time and experience something different. Though I do have some experience with the band, I saw them open for HIM a while back and have heard their Our Gangs Dark Oath record, which for comparison sake is a different machine than Conviction is. What was once a band that fell more in the realm of screamo with a small bit of punk rock influence has morphed into something more emo but with the spirit of bands like the Cure. This is probably the most pop the band has sounded but it’s not too sugary. The melodies while simple explore a lot of territory and are admittedly pretty catchy. The song “One Love,” which I’m pretty sure is the albums first single considering my wife heard it on the radio, is definitely that, a radio rock song that is going to reel fans of all genres in further putting Aiden into the realm of popular music. These days I’m pretty oblivious to what is popular, if these guys aren’t already topping the charts they will be. For a good comparison I’d put Aiden next to My Chemical Romance who started out simple and blew up to be huge. If there were any record for Aiden to get to that next stage Conviction is that album. –Bryer Wharton

Akercocke
Antichrist
Earache Records
Street: 07.17
Akercocke = Good luck pigeonholing this!
The English gentlemen of Akercocke are quite prolific at this point in their career. The thing I love about this band is they do it all, and they pull it off so very well. There has never been a moment in their music where I’ve thought the songwriting decisions they’ve made were over the top, or weird for the sake of weird. Seamlessly moving from tracks that are mostly grind metal to acoustic track introductions layered with clean vocals and blast beats is actually something they pull off quite successfully, but that example is just one of the many. While the music never lets up in beating the listener’s ears to pulp, it travels to some pretty astonishing places, proving that if musicians would step outside of their comfort zone, some amazing art can be conjured. This album is terrifying, creepy, and beautiful. These gentlemen manage to pull all of this off admirably, while defying any metal theatric clich by donning suits that are straight out of a Sherlock Holmes mystery. This music is highly recommended, not only to those who like forward thinking metal, but also for those who relish in an enlightening musical experience. –Conor Dow

Allegiance
Desperation
Rivalry Records
Street: 07.10
Allegiance = Go it Alone + Life Long Tragedy + Guns Up!
One thing, and one thing only saves desperation from the throws of mediocrity - vocals. The Bay Area has been offering a slew of good bands these days (Life Long Tragedy, Ceremony, Set it Straight) and Allegiance is no exception. There’s something a little different about the bands by the bay. In Allegiance’s case it’s John Stark's distorted, harsh, raspy yelled vocals that are akin to Ray Cappo filtered through Jacob Bannon’s screaming fuzz. Stark concentrates mostly on failed backstabbing friends and the scene in his vocals - which begs the question of hardcore bands: if your friends stab you in the back so much shouldn’t you start picking better friends? – but they serve the album fine. Musically, desperation is turbocharged hardcore punk with the standard breaks for tough guys to bounce around and swing their arms. It’s tight and competent, but not earth shattering. Time will only tell if the Bay Area will be California’s new hotbed of hardcore, but Allegiance and their cohorts are building a strong case. –Peter Fryer

All Teeth and No Knuckles
Club Hits to Hit the Clubs With
Lujo Records
Street Date: 08.07.07
All Teeth and No Knuckles = Ryu vs. M.Bison + Antarctica – The Faint + Big Digits / Dan Deacon + Lord T and Eloise
All Teeth and No Knuckles’ hip-hop electro could definitely be included in the current trend of all-fun, sans leather-jacket-wearing-douchebags scene; which, by the way, should be blowing up relatively soon. The ultra-hip mentality is carefully wielded, kept tongue-in-cheek while maintaining a level of humor that is as acceptable as it is boner-inducing. The album pretty much brings the ruckus, keeping the beats 4/4 and the bass lines danceable so as not to confuse your average partygoer without resorting to dance floor violence. One must keep in the mind the humor and light-heartedness of the album, which carries with it an intended flow of anti-bling, anti-arthouse, and pro-balls-deep ho-banging. -Ryan Powers

Amorphis
Silent Waters
Nuclear Blast
Street: 09.18
Amorphis = Paradise Lost + Moonspell + Borknagar + Finnish folk influence
When I received the new Amorphis for review, I was skeptical, even with the band’s new singer, Tomi Joutsen, who brought death metal vocals back to the fold with 2006’s Eclipse album. Yes, the band will never be the same as they were with the stellar Tales of The Thousand Lakes, which hinged more in the realm of melodic death/doom metal. But much to my surprise, Silent Waters is highly enjoyable to listen to. With the first few songs, the death metal vocals are more prevalent and the songs are ultimately heavier because of this, nixing the boring gothic metal approach that the band had been harboring for such a long time. The last half of the album is heavy with folk influence, lots of acoustic guitar, varied keyboard melodies and utilization of many instruments indicative of folk metal. The all-acoustic song “Enigma” is vibrant and filled with heart, telling a great story. Looking for a hearty, diverse and melody filled escape from the more extreme side of metal? Amorphis have delivered an album finally worthy of praise. –Bryer Wharton

Arsonists Get All The Girls
The Game of Life
Century Media
Street: 08.14
Arsonists Get All The Girls = killwhitneydead + The Locust + Cannibal Corpse
OK, this is more like it. According to the bio, “The Game of Life offers its own take on what happens when a gay train derails on its way to straight town.” That description alone warrants a listen, and the CD doesn’t disappoint. It would be easy to write this band off as just another death-grind-whatever-core band, but this sucker did an extremely good job at holding my attention. Different enough to allow some distance from the pack, this is a band that actually know how to use a keyboard. Now, don’t misunderstand me here … this isn’t something that I would choose to listen to on a regular basis, but any band that can shove youth crew-style backing vocals (done badly) into a grindcore song automatically gets a drunken thumbs up from yours truly. –loveyoudead

A>S>H>S
self-titled
CD Baby
Street: 04.26.06
A>S>H>S = Galactic + Medeski, Martin, & Wood
Combining large doses of jazz with elements of electronic and jam, A>S>H>S (Short for Audible Stellar Hypnotic Situations and pronounced “Ashes”) almost seems a bit too ambitious for its own good. The production values are certainly high, and almost all of the tracks start of with incredibly pleasing and funky bass lines. Unfortunately, as each song progresses, everything becomes much too complicated and busy. All too often was I finding myself wondering when a song I was listening to would end, but on and on it would go for several minutes. I can certainly see the potential A>S>H>S has in a live performance, but their recorded material just consistently falls flat. —Ross Solomon

Atmosphere
Sad Clown Bad Summer Accompanied by Piano
Rhymesayers
Street: 08.21
Sad Clown Series = Felt + Blueprint
This release doesn’t contain anything overtly original from Atmosphere, just classic Slug and Ant, which means it’s great. I mean, why mess with a good formula? Featuring five delightfully upbeat summertime grooves, each one containing some catchy funk or jazz piano variation, Ant’s production is his more traditional God Loves Ugly fare. No experimental “Cats Van Bags” or “The Arrival” tracks here. Toasting, is, of course, handled by the Virgo mack, Sean Daley (a.k.a. Slug). Slug’s lyrics regale with tales of Minnesota puppy love, underage driving and playing hooky, with the tone lying somewhere between the less serious Felt releases and regular Atmosphere full-lengths. “Mattress” will have you up rocking in true Wild Style fashion whilst Slug recounts characteristic relationship woes. This is a more-than-welcome appetizer before next year’s slated full-length release. –Makena Walsh

At the Throne of Judgement
The Arcanum Order
Rise Records
Street: 07.24
ATTOJ = Neuraxis + Darkest Hour + My Bitter End
A quick read through of the postings on message boards about Rise Records does not instill much confidence in the label or its signings. I believe the appropriate term is “ouch”. At the Throne of Judgement does not deserve the vituperative bashings so eagerly doled out by the online community because of their record label contract or their style of hardcore tinged metal – but they don’t deserve copious amounts of praise either. Competently played black/death/metal/hardcore isn’t that hard to find these days and ATTOJ isn’t set apart from the pack by much. The record is tight and the guitar work is spot on. The combination of dark guttural vocals mixed with high pitched black-metal style vocals is successful. It’s a good listen for anyone that’s already predisposed to picking up every release from angry looking, ambiguously Christian metal bands that sing about mythology and use words like “enigmatic” - but for everyone else, this reviewer included, it will probably gather dust on the shelf. Are we really supposed to believe that a line like “and for this I sought the choir to sing aligned. My wrath becomes mine” is a chorus? Good luck. –Peter Fryer

Back After Dawn
Scene Set Fire EP
ITR Studios
Street: 05.23
Back After Dawn = Hot Topic bullshit at its worst
Oh, just fucking shoot me now. This is some of the most pussified bullshit I’ve ever had the displeasure of hearing, and will undoubtedly be huge in the under-15 mall crowd. Singy-singy, screamy-screamy, pissy-pissy, cleany-cleany…formulaic to the point of making me want to fucking vomit. Scene hair, white belts, chick pants…invoking thoughts of homicide. Garbage. –loveyoudead

Billy Harvey
Bear Sick
Gold Record Inc.
Street: 08.07
Billy Harvey = SJ Esau + Daniel Johnston
A few songs from this bedroom album assailed my mind prior to sleep, with strange and flitting melodies that addled my brain and prevented entrance into unconsciousness (“Kaleidoscope Gun”). Like a cult phenomena, you’ll either love it or hate it. Production is of the closet and computer variety, Harvey combining lilting acoustic guitar with heavily distorted electric, subtle viola with catchy grand piano. While interesting, somehow these characteristics only achieve poignancy after the fact, rarely lifting themselves off the ground while you’re listening to them. Becoming accustomed to his affected and overdubbed vocal drone is a feat most will probably not be able to achieve. –Makena Walsh

Blaqk Audio
CexCells
Interscope
Street: 08.14
Blaqk Audio = De/Vision + Covenant + Mesh
Years in the making AFI’s Davey Havok and Jade Puget finally unveil their electronic side project Blaqk Audio. Pulling influence from just about every notable electronic act of the past 25 years Blaqk Audio presents a surprisingly fun album that is consistently entertaining from beginning to end. The first single “Stiff Kittens” pulls Depeche Mode’s gritty pop of the 90’s and marries it to Information Society’s debut. While”Between Breaths” takes cues from various NIN eras, “Snuff on Digital” and “Bitter for Sweet” nod towards Apoptygma Berzerk, Covenant and VNV Nation and so on and so forth. CexCells is epic at times minimalist at others shamelessly crossing ballads with dancefloor singles, analog against digital sounds and ultimately surpassing the recent output of those they are paying tribute to. Blaqk Audio might not have set out to revolutionize electronic music but they certainly might rejuvenate it. ~ryan michael painter

Bob Burns and The Breakups
Terminal Breakdown
Gearhead Records
Street: 06.26
Bob Burns and The Breakups = Fear + D.O.A. + Beat Beat Beat + punk infused rock ‘n’ roll
Thirteen songs spanning just over 28 minutes ends up being just the right amount for BB And The Breakups’ record, Terminal Breakdown. The style relies heavily on an older punk sound with its quick tempos, beats and track lengths. The raw vocals, guitars and drumming-not to mention the lyrics in each song blend together well to create the vibe of music and aesthetic the band are aiming for. While the album’s sound is by no means original or ground breaking, it doesn’t matter because what it lacks in uniqueness is made up in the overall product and the fact that its attitude stomps on the face of its weaknesses. –Jeremy C. Wilkins

Botch
American Nervoso
Hydra Head
Street: 07.10
Botch = Converge + what bands like Norma Jean are trying to do now
This re-issue of Botch’s first album shouldn’t be that hard to review, considering I’ve had the original release of the album for years. But then again trying to critique the magic of what Botch created musically during their short but illustrious career into words is no easy task. I get all nostalgic listening to this record, just remembering when I first discovered them and hearing something truly unique to both metal and hardcore. I was lucky enough to see Botch on their last tour when they opened for the Murder City Devils, and it is still a lingering happy memory. If you are unfortunate enough to have never heard Botch everything the band has released is a must own for anyone. The re-issue has been given the re-mixing treatment as well as addition of three demos an extended version all from the Nervoso album as well as one bonus goodie. The emotion, power and technicality even in the early stage of Botch’s career with this their debut full length is something to hold on to and never let go. “Oma,” and “Thank God For the Worker Bees,” are hands down some of my favorite songs period. There are those records you never get tired of listening to and American Nervoso is one of them. Like I said before trying to put the intensity of Botch or just their sheer brilliance at concocting songs so diverse and just jaw dropping into words other than amazing is near impossible, this is something one needs to experience for themselves, so go buy the fucking thing already if you haven’t done so. –Bryer Wharton

Bridge and Tunnel
Bridge and Tunnel 7”
No Idea Records
Street: 05.09.07
Bridge and Tunnel = Latterman + Hot Water Music + Lemuria
On their self-titled debut 7”, Bridge and Tunnel prove that it's entirely possible to make passionate and emotional music without a single ounce of pretentiousness. That doesn't come as much of a surprise, considering that Bridge and Tunnel features former members of Latterman, another band notable for making raw and honest music without seeming like total douchebags. The powerful male/female vocals draw the listener in, and somehow make the songs seem faster than they really are. The music is definitely rooted in the punk rock ethos, especially evident in opener “Location Location Location” which deals with the subject of community, but the jangly guitar work gives Bridge and Tunnel an indie feel that suits the lyrical content pretty well. Closing track “The Rules of Children's Games” is another highlight, ending with passionately shouted vocals and swirling guitar work. Bridge and Tunnel doesn't quite pack the same punch as Latterman, but their debut proves that they are capable musicians with a lot of potential. – Ricky Vigil

Cabin
I Was Here
Machine Records
Street: 09.01
Cabin = Ben Folds Five + Coldplay
Placid and low energy, this symphonic rock EP contains one song that definitely stands out from the rest. “I Was Here” is so good it could have been on the Garden State soundtrack, but unfortunately, the other four songs aren’t capable of achieving the same mellow hold as the EP’s title track. If they were water, mosquitoes would be growing prolifically. Still, not a bad lyrically PG Coldplay substitute, if you’re looking for something to fall asleep to. –Makena Walsh

Cabrese
Traveling Vampire Show
Spookshow
Street: 06.06
Calabrese = Misfits + Son of Sam + the (early) Offspring
Three actual real life brothers, with the real last name Calabrese, you couldn’t write this any better. Horror punk bands will always be compared to their ghoulish daddy The Misfits. So what do they do if you sound to much like them your just a rip off, and if try a new approach no one will relate to it. Calabrese has found the perfect balance. “Death Eternal” and “Your Ghost” have heavy Misfit elements, but retain their Calabrese charm. This band has been working hard the last couple years getting their music in Hot Topics, getting on to movie soundtracks, and touring with bands like Tiger Army and 45 Grave. The Traveling Vampire Show illustrates that these B-movie horror darlings stand on their own. Horror movie sound clips flow with the band’s melodic blasts of heavy punk. These bloodsucking rockers really encompass you when your listening to this record. The atmosphere of this music comes across so thick its like escapist fantasy. –James Orme

Christus & the Cosmonaughts
From Atop This Hill
Beta-lactam Ring Records
Street: 08.10
Christus & the Cosmonaughts = Gary Numan + Current 93 + Sun Falls on Echoes
Just as expansive and sweeping as looking from atop a hill, Christus & the Cosmonaughts newest album is a dream theatre: picture a dude standing on a hill with a noodling guitar soundtrack playing in the background and a massive synthesizer adding micro textures of Brian Eno-esque soundscapes to a performance at sundown. And God is putting on a laser light show at the same time. It's sometimes hard to take the moodiness of such recordings seriously because of the dramatic flourishes that ambient and spacey electronic music can fall into but songs like “From Atop This Hill” and “Modulating Between Faith and Knowledge” do a good, but not great job, of escaping that trap with a focused musical theme. All in all, this is a spotty recording with the two longest tracks being epic excursions into sound manipulation wankery. If you like your space age robot music with a bit of Guitar Hero (prog rock edition), than dig this album. –Erik Lopez

Cobra Skulls
Sitting Army
Red Scare Industries
Street: 07.10
Cobra Skulls = None More Black + The Falcon + Against Me!
The universe would not let a band with a name as bad-ass as “Cobra Skulls” exist if that band did not make bad-ass music. Cobra Skulls deliver the goods on their debut album, incorporating everything from folk, ska, country, and rockabilly into their bilingual punk rock attack. There's kind of a running gag that all of their song titles have the word “Cobra” or “Cobra Skulls” in them (i.e. “Cobra Skullofornia”, “Anybody Scene My Cobra?”), but the lyrical content is nothing to laugh about. Well, “The Cobra and the Man-Whore” is actually pretty damn funny. It recounts the hilariously sad story of Ted Haggard, a homophobic evangelical preacher who was caught in a hotel room with a male prostitute and a whole hell of a lot of meth. “Hasta Los Cobra Skulls Siempre!” is another notable track, told from the point of view of a Latin American child working in a sweatshop that produces Che Guevara t-shirts and questioning the revolution that Mr. Guevara played such a pivotal role in. The combination of witty, intelligent lyrics, interesting subject matter, and fast and furious energy make Sitting Army a keeper, and Cobra Skulls a band to watch. – Ricky Vigil

Common
Finding Forever
Geffen
Street: 07.31
Common = The Roots + Slum Village
As Common notes on last year’s J. Dilla produced “E=Mc2”, “Since the early ‘80s, I rock the planet daily”. Indeed, he has been around the block a few times, emerging with straight greasy beats, finding favor with his “conscious rap” and deftly rocking over Stereolab, ?uestlove on the same track (“New Wave” from 2002’s Electric Circus). As with a number of MC’s, Common is generally only as strong as his producer, and here we find him as tofu to Kanye West’s rancid miso soup. There are golden moments here such as the bittersweet Lily Allen duet on “Driving Me Wild”, the fists out brawling stomp of “Southside”, the squirrelly synth/hand-clap beat on “Break My Heart” and Dilla’s posthumous scratchy beats on “So Far to Go”. However, the majority of both the music and lyrics are simply clement and marginally interesting. Common’s supple “hey baby, I worship you/don’t get mad” flirtatious implorations don’t leave a lasting impression, and someone needs to place a large magnet West’s “neo soul” hard drive – new shit, please! Newcomers and novices fresh off a Black Eyed Peas trip might find this album interesting, but those who know Common’s potential will leave disappointed. – Dave Madden

C-Rayz Wallz
Chorus Rhyme
Urchin Studios
Street: 09.16
C-Rayz Wallz = MF Doom + Glock Rockwell + Messiah - J
The album starts out: “I’m gangsta, I hold doors open for ladies. I’m gangsta, I love all the babies.” Hmmmmm. I bet he gets smoked out like Hickory and gets dickory dock non-stop with his hippetty hop. It’s hard to take an emcee seriously when he busts out nursery rhymes. Chorus Rhyme is filled with boring cadences, unoriginal instrumentals and low-quality recording. It sounds like he recorded this album in his basement with a shitty microphone. Maybe he did, but with the money he [supposedly] has … he should be able to afford something better than Urchin Studios. The whole album is an attempt to spit punch lines and wreck stages, but falls limp at the songwriting and storytelling. C-Rayz is a very talented freestyle, but this album is just another example of emcees with a knack for freestyle who can’t write meaningful/thoughtful songs and vice versa ... sometimes. –Lance Saunders

Crimson Orchid
Chapter XIII: Nightmares and Fairytales
Self-Released
Street: 2006
Crimson Orchid = Korn + Screamo + A REALLY bad vocalist
After what could very possibly the lamest “intro” to an album I’ve EVER heard (the first track, entitled “Prayer”)…it just gets worse. The music initially seems promising; super crunchy guitars and nicely recorded drums…and then the vocals kick in. Worst. Idea. Ever. Not only is this guy fucking tone-deaf, but he sounds like he should be doing backup (like, WAAAAY in the back) vocals on some shitty 80s hair band’s album. Oh, my. Now he’s trying to scream. Oh, hell. Now he’s invoking Cookie Monster. Wow. Just…plain…wow. And I’m not even going to waste time ragging these guys out for the fucking rapping taking place in the third track…and yes, I fully admit- that’s about the furthest I could make it through this waste of a CD. Note to Crimson Orchid: slap-bass in metal is lame, and you should do the world a favor and de-bark your vocalist if for no other reason than to get him to STOP FUCKING RAPPING. –loveyoudead

Daddy’s Hands
Welcome Kings!
Kill Devil Hills
Street: 03.06
Daddy’s Hands = Girls Against Boys + U.S. Maple + Chavez
I’ll hand it to these guys, they’re damned hard to describe. Daddy’s Hands play a sloppy, deconstructionist take on mid-90s indie rock; loud, somewhat catchy, and impossibly strange. Unfortunately, they haven’t quite got the hang of their ideas. Their songs seem to have structure, something you can hold on to, but are just too skewed or not skewed enough to make everything come together. The result is an extremely frustrating and sometimes irritating listen, and at 32 minutes the record seems too long by half. It’s a shame, as I hear some promise here. If these guys could just tighten up their approach and solidify their ideas a bit more they could have something pretty great going for them. So as it stands, the future may hold good things, but right now there’s not that much to grasp on to. –Jona Gerlach

Daemos
Surface
Self-produced
Street: 06.05
Daemos = Pantera worship + nu metal hopefulness
Daemos deserves credit for being a hard working band, I just can’t give the thumbs up on this release. Vocally, there might be tinges of Mike Patton circa Faith No More, but it only seems to be there for the sake of eccentricity rather than to actually compliment the music. The backing vocals on “Don’t Touch” sound as if they’re doing a David Lee Roth or a Mudvayne impersonation. Musically, the material is definitely solid in places, but most of the time it feels extremely exhausted, with a “been there, done that” experience. If you’re just interested in rocking, this could suffice, but why bother when there’s much better stuff out there? Fraternity boys who throw horns at Metal Gods may enjoy it, but there’s not much deviation from the obvious influences to recommend this otherwise. –Conor Dow

Depressed Mode
Ghosts of Devotion
Firebox Records
Street: 09.17
Depressed Mode = My Dying Bride + Swallow the Sun
I’ve always been picky with funeral doom. It can generally either be completely uninteresting to me or completely enthralling, but nothing in between. Finland’s Depressed Mode, despite the terrible band name, is actually pretty damn good, especially for a first effort. It’s slow and doomy as hell, but has just the right amount of melody and dare I say … pop, in it to make for an enjoyable listen. Natalie from Shape of Despair lends her talents on a handful of songs in this release which also add another rarely used yet interesting dynamic in the always gloomy world of funeral doom-metal. The Burzum cover is an added bonus as well, and despite covering the “token classic,” they pull it off successfully and put on quite the operatic spin, which will make any Burzum fan do a double take, myself included. This album is indeed recommended, and is coming just in time for those gloomier months. –Conor Dow

DevilDriver
The Last Kind Words
Roadrunner Records
Street: 07.31
DevilDriver = metalcore without the “core” and all of the “fuck yeah!”
Maybe it’s because I spent my high-school years listening to Coal Chamber and not talking to anyone at all, but DevilDriver has been a guilty pleasure of mine since 2003. There, I’ve admitted it in print! This new album transcends “guilty pleasure”, and I’m saying that it fucking RULES. Somehow they’ve pulled off an effective combination of American death metal and palatable brutality for all ages. The hooks come in just right without being foreseeable like Lamb of God, the solos wail just quickly enough to let you twirl your hair, and the drumming thumps your skull just enough to want more. Dez’s vocals in my opinion are some of the best in this style, and while maybe having a little extra metalcore in them, the band is structured so far from it, that this doesn’t matter. “Trve” or not, damn if this isn’t a solid listen which I’ll proudly blast with my car windows down. –Conor Dow

Divine Heresy
Bleed the Fifth
Century Media
Street: 08.28
Divine Heresy = Fear Factory + extra heaviness + leads and solos
As much as former Fear Factory guitarist Dino Cazares may want to get away from his roots, there is no escaping them. Then again, why would he want to? He created a guitar sound and helped establish the style of that same guitar sound playing in time with machine-gunning double-bass drums, something that has been repeatedly copied in many bands since. In all honesty, there are parts with the debut of his new band, Divine Heresy, that sound exactly like Fear Factory, then there are parts that sound nothing like his former band. For example, the man that was once known for never playing a guitar solo or even using leads has brought them front and center on Bleed the Fifth. I truly never thought I’d hear solos or leads like this coming from Dino. Let’s not count out the other members of the band—you have drummer Tim Yeung of Vital Remains and Hate Eternal blasting away, along with newcomer vocalist Tommy Vext doing a sort of Burton C. Bell meets the Meshuggah vocalist thing. All in all, with Bleed the Fifth, you have an extremely strong debut effort that will appeal to more than just fans of Fear Factory or Brujeria. This is the best Dino has ever sounded on guitar and I hope he keeps it going. –Bryer Wharton

Down to Nothing
The Most
Revelation Records
Street: 07.17
Down to Nothing = Sick of It All + CIV + Blacklisted
So, apparently Revelation Records is putting out hardcore albums again. It’s always interesting to see what kind of band a legendary label feels is worthy of signing almost 20 years after its foundational releases were put out. Are they worth it? Or has Revelation missed the boat? Well, Revelation hasn’t signed the next Youth of Today or Side by Side, but they certainly didn’t ink a deal with Atreyu either. The Most is a solid hardcore release - nothing more, nothing less, and the kids certainly eat them up when they play. Their brand of straight forward hardcore has more in common with the late 80’s and early 90’s than many other bands of their ilk these days, and it serves them well. The songs are fast and the lyrics hold the same idealistic anti-establishment views of many bands that have come and gone––which is a nice change of pace in a style of music that is so often mired in self loathing. –Peter Fryer

Edward Ka-Spel
Dream Logik Part One
Beta-lactum Ring Records
Street: 07.19
Edward Ka-Spel = Psychic TV + Pierre Schaeffer
Picasso’s wife, Francoise Gilot (a painter herself) once said that great artists make the rules, not break them. Legendary Pink Dots founder Edward Ka-Spel is one such artist who came out of nowhere in 1980, presenting an aesthetic of modern-meets-avant-garde electro-acoustic music that didn’t fit anywhere. Twenty-seven years, over 70 releases with LPD and 20 solo records later, Ka-Spel is still following the same ambiguous muse. Dream Logik Part One is a study in analog and digital synthesis, field recordings, samples, multi-effects processing and new languages for guitar and voice. Still a merchant of minimal ideas, Ka-Spel prefers one or two sounds per track, mutating and spinning them via knob-twiddling and post-production. For example, on “Backyard,” he constructs a percussive texture of clicks and tamed distortion with modular synth wire, shaking before pausing then unleashing oscillator dive-bombs and whatever room ambience his microphone picked up that day. Anyone familiar with Ka-Spel’s oeuvre will read this as par for the course, however, he still knows how to mine unique explorations in his world—an abyss that few can touch. –Dave Madden

Einsturzende Neubauten
Palast Der Republik
MVD Audio
Street: 07.17
Einsturzende Neubauten = destroyed buildings + postmodern decay + fucking great recording equipment
This live document, recorded last year in the legendary Palast der Republik in Berlin, shows that Einsturzende Neubauten, much like their contemporaries Throbbing Gristle, have not slowed down or dried up over the course of their long career; indeed, they sound as vital as ever. Part of this can be credited to the engineers who made this one of the best-sounding live albums I’ve ever heard, but also to the band, who balance strangely beautiful abstract soundscapes and clanging, militaristic noise-beats with a sense of dynamism and intelligence that comes from years of focus and consideration. What’s more, they avoid the usual trappings of live albums by putting thought into the placement and pacing of the songs, resulting in an experience more akin to listening to a great full-length album rather than just a collection of “hits.” Even if you’re not into the whole industrial thing (like me), this is well worth checking out. –Jona Gerlach

Expo ’70
Animism
Kill Shaman
Street: 05.28
Expo ’70 = Ash Ra Temple + Sunn O))) + Tangerine Dream
When Earth 2 came out, I don’t think many people foresaw a time in the future when minimalist guitar drone records would be en vogue. And yet here we are in 2007, and it seems like Earth imitators are a dime a dozen. Expo ’70 manages to separate himself from the pack by drawing not only from dirge metal but also krautrock and space music, making for a somewhat lighter, more lysergic listening experience. The seven tracks here are all improvised on electric guitar, with occasional intervention by acoustic guitars and saxophone, creating an often blissful and sometimes ominous atmosphere of drug-soaked drift. This is a welcome addition to the ever-growing corpus of space-doom-dirge records, and since this is the first non-cd-r release in Expo ‘70’s catalog, one that will hopefully garner him a wider audience. –Jona Gerlach

Fall Of Eden
Dawn of a New Age
Sonic Wave
Street: 01.01
Fall of Eden = Been there, done that, got the t-shirt
Absolutely CRAP metalcore. Move it along folks, there’s nothing to see here. –loveyoudead

The Fire the Flood
Truth Seekers
No Sleep Records
Street: 08.17
The Fire the Flood = They wish they sounded like the RIYL on their promo (Botch, Coalesce, etc.)
New rule: if your promotion company wants to use past bands that are 100% better than your band as a reference point for your sound, you should have to clear it with said band first. In the case of TFTF, Coalesce and Botch (perhaps two of the finest heavy bands of the past 10 years) are referenced as being similar to TFTF. It’s not that they’re not in the same vein, it’s the difference between a Little League team and the New York Yankees. Yes, both are baseball, but only one is pro league—the other gets to eat orange slices at Pizza Hut after the game. Look for TFTF at your local Pizza Hut, and don’t forget a knife to cut the orange slices. –Peter Fryer

Gang Gang Dance
Rawwar EP
The Social Registry
Street: 09.11
Gang Gang Dance = Sunburned Hand of the Man + Mouthus + Double Leopards
Gang Gang Dance has taken a liberating approach to music throughout their varied recorded and live output in the same way that poets like Bruce Andrews and Yedda Morrison have freed language from the confines of signification. On the Rawwar EP, GGD has provided a skeletal framework for another (hopefully) astounding full-length which, in the words of Brian DeGraw (keyboardist) should be somewhere on the scale of epic ala Loveless. The EP's crowning jewel is its grand finale, the sprawling, empty space epic, “The Earthquake That Frees Prisoners,” an homage to dead member Nathan Maddox. Spacy, atmospheric launch pad rhythms give way to tangential melodies and soundscape asides. Like a spaceship, it builds up speed and in a final, convulsive collusion ends in an interrupted and terminated line. Clocking in at over 20 minutes spanned over three songs, it's a good indicator, with some editing, of what to expect of new GGD releases. –Erik Lopez

Ghost House
Departures
Reluctant Recordings
Street: 03.07.06
Ghost House = Minus the Bear + Operation Makeout
Known as one of the best production engineers from the Vancouver area, Jesse Gander had more experience under his belt when the Ghost House project was started than most musicians could say in a lifetime. From the now-defunct project d.b.s. to his current works such as Black Rice and Operation Makeout, quality and listenability has never been a shortcoming in his work. Now, with the debut release of Departures from his most recent project, Ghost House, Gander has again delivered quite a treat to both past fans of his and indie rock fans in general. The sound of Departures is reminiscent of Minus the Bear style rhythms, and combines them with a unique and energy-filled style that is so hard to find in a genre growing oh-so stale. With such potential showing in their first album, Ghost House should certainly be looked into by both previous Gander fans and curious indie fans alike. –Ross Solomon

The Glass
Couples Therapy
Plant Music
The Glass = The Rapture + Justice + Pink Floyd
Street Date: 9.25.2007
Couples Therapy listens like a remix record, blending the distinction between a dance rock record, 70’s psychedelic, and DJ created records/mixes. In some instances (in the songs “Mad at You” and “Come Alive”), the technique is as much of an evolution of rock as it is a new genre altogether, while in other cases, the electro-dance remix format sounds slightly forced over the Pink Floydesque psychadelia that dominates much of the album. I imagine the live shows are much more engaging and lack the filler of the EP, and I am getting the impression that Glass is much more accustomed to producing white-label 12”s as opposed to an EP. However, the DJ approach to songwriting produces some exceptional tracks that I would not be surprised to hear popping up at dance parties with more frequency than a date-rapist at a frat house. – Ryan Powers

HEALTH
HEALTH
Lovepump United
Street:
HEALTH = Aids Wolf + Mika Miko + Abe Vagoda
IT SEEMS ONLY FAIR THAT A NAME THAT ENDS IN A SOFT CONSONANT BE WRITTEN IN ALL CAPS TO ALERT YOU TO HOW IN-YOUR-FACE THEY ARE. FLAILING ARMS, ORGIASTIC DANCING, MOUSTACHE RIDES, DIRTY TANK TOPS AND MALT LIQUOR SHOULD BE PART OF THE EQUATION FOR WHAT THEY SOUND LIKE. MORE TO THE POINT, HOWEVER, ARE REVERBING WORSHIPING SCREAMS, INTENSE DRUM FIRE AND LAMBSKIN CONDOMS WHILE HAVING SEX WITH DISEASE RIDDEN HOOKERS. HEALTH IS PART OF AN ERECTED SCENE OF DANCEABLE NOISE ROCK THAT DEVIATES FROM the Locust AND INSTEAD FOCUSES ON ADDING A LITTLE SHIMMER AND SHOEGAZE TO THEIR SHAKE. ITS WILD LIKE THAT. WHAT THESE DUDES HAVE LOST IN DELICACY THEY HAVE MADE UP FOR IN PHOTOSHOP. FOR FANS OF RYAN POWERS AND JERKS THAT WEAR 80s NEW WAVE CLOTHING. –ERIK LOPEZ

Hemlock
Bleed the Dream
Candlelight
Street: 08.14
Hemlock = Pro-Pain + Hatebreed + some clean singing
Upon first spinning Hemlock’s Bleed the Dream there is no question of Pro-Pain’s influence on the band. That said the band isn’t a knockoff at all they take that thrash power of Pro-Pain add a huge hardcore style, creative drumming, varied vocals and lyrics/chorus lines that invoke you to start screaming along. Right from the get go Hemlock are out to slaughter, opening track “My Eyes Itch,” doesn’t even give you proper time to adjust your neck for proper headbanging procedure, add a groovy bass line to the song and it is even cooler. “The Platinum Lie,” welcomes the clean singing into the record and thank god it is well done because if it sounded emo or whiny at all it would ruin the whole record. Every song on Bleed the Dream is worth listening to repeatedly I catch myself growling to the chorus from “Nobody Knows,” every time I hear it, the song musically is lead by one bad-ass breakdown so fast and heavy you’ll need to do a double take. I honestly can’t get enough of this album it’s massively fun, incessantly and welcomingly brutal. –Bryer Wharton

Himsa
Summon in Thunder
Century Media
Street: 09.18
Himsa = The Haunted + Darkest Hour + Heaven Shall Burn
Without fail, Himsa has yet to disappoint me. Last year’s Hail Horror was a favorite for the year and ultimately showed the more brutal side of the band. Summon in Thunder is a sort of cohesive blend of said album and the record before it, Courting Tragedy and Disaster. It maintains that heaviness that Hail Horror so bluntly brought to the table, but adds the more melodic portions that were prevalent on CTAD. Don’t let that statement fool you, though there is nothing rehashed with the new record; everything is brand-spanking new. If the guitars on this new offering don’t blow your mind, please get your hearing checked. I’ve followed Himsa from the get-go, seeing them before they were known to the world in Seattle, with a fond memory of standing in the front row and being greeted by the vocalist Johnny Pettibone yanking on my now shaved goatee. There is no question that this band has matured and gotten so much better with time, as any good band should. Summon in Thunder is just another success story in a chapter of a band that rose from the underground. I can’t stress enough the intricacies of this band, how hearty and enjoyable the record is. Again, as I’ve said before about other bands, this is something to be experienced firsthand, no question. Talent and power, thy name is Himsa. –Bryer Wharton Jenny Hoyston
Isle Of
Southern Records
Street: 09.15
Jenny Hoyston = Erase Errata + Kim Gordon + Julie Dorian
Sounding more like a collection of cutting-room floor rarities and B-sides off other releases, Jenny Hoyston's first proper solo release is an erratic mix CD of styles and collaborators. While I can appreciate the eclectic taste that Hoyston has to offer, it comes off as confused and distant as Gary Coleman in a turbulent sexual relationship. Songs such as “ruff ... ruff ... /rainbow city” and “even in this day and age” come off as either limp-dicked and druggy singer/songwriter minutia or tired classic open-mic night material. Granted, there are other aspects of this album to appreciate, like its dancier and more garage side, like in songs “i don't need ’em” and “bring back art,” but as a whole, this album is an Isle of Suck. –Erik Lopez

Hurtlocker
Embrace the Fall
Napalm Records
Street: 09.25
Hurtlocker = Destruction + Pantera
How a band from Chicago gets signed to a label from Austria is a story to tell another day. I reviewed last year’s Fear in a Handful of Dust album from these guys and sort of passed it off; something about it just didn’t catch my attention and it seemed sort of run-of-the-mill. Well, Hurtlocker, thanks for taking my perceived notions of you guys and flushing them down the toilet. Embrace the Fall is a thrash-metal masterpiece in its simplicities and complexities. The record blazes along like a five-alarm fire with no hope of being extinguished. The speedy riffing reminds me a lot of German thrash greats Destruction, but then there are some breakdowns that sound like they came straight from Pantera’s Cowboys From Hell record. Add that to a batch of the band’s own creativity and you have a formula for a thrash metal album not to be dismissed by anyone, critic or fan. I love to be proved wrong by a band and Hurtlocker have done just that. So guys, here is my formal apology for not giving you the credit you deserved before, because I went back and listened to Fear in a Handful of Dust after eating every morsel of this new offering up and caught what I missed. No hard feelings, right? –Bryer Wharton

Junius
Junius
Radar Recordings
Street: 10.09
Junius = Joy Division + Duran Duran + ISIS + Mogwai
This was a huge surprise for me. After reading “post-wave” in the press release, I was skeptical, but after listening for five minutes, I was sold. Somehow these gentlemen write a flavor of spacey dark rock in the vein of Joy Division and New Order without being a parody of their contemporaries, who try so very hard to BE those bands. No, Junius has their own way of making slight nods to other experimental influences as well, melding them effectively so that the songs are interesting enough to stand out from one another. This means that there were many moments in this disc where I wanted to listen again just for those specific parts. While digesting those parts, I continued to hear more moments that I wanted to experience over again as well, which is the classic formula of a potentially favorite or even, timeless album. Without hesitation, I definitely consider their upcoming Martyrdom of a Catastrophist one of my most anticipated albums of 2008. –Conor Dow

Kathryn Williams
Leave to Remain
Cheap Lullaby
Street: 08.28
Kathryn Williams = Beth Orton +
The honest truth is, I don’t really care for a lot of folk music, or at least, that is what I keep telling myself. Certainly I only liked Lou Rhodes’ album so much because she was in Lamb. My ever-growing Joni Mitchell collection? Well, she isn’t exactly folk, right? Then Kathryn William waltzes in with Leave to Remain and I’m forced to draw comparisons between her and This Mortal Coil’s Blood in an attempt to justify the fact that I really love these songs. Maybe it’s because Kate St. John lent her talent, Dream Academy were passably brilliant when they brought it all together. Maybe it’s the way Kathryn’s voice carries a certain rasp and yet still comes across as young and innocent. Singing in a whisper, an intimacy comes unexpected and quickly. She sounds like a rainy day spent in bed with a lover; warm and all-consuming. –ryan michael painter

Lisa Germano
Lullaby for Liquid Pig
Young God
Street: 06.18
Lisa Germano = Dresden Dolls – Camp + Unflinching Sincerity
In 2003 there was an album that captivated me with its stark intimacy, lyrical imagery as it explored various aspects of addiction in stark, atmospheric explorations revolving around piano and the occasional strings buoyed up by mist injected keyboards. I placed it among my top 5 albums that year. The only problem is that Lullaby for Liquid Pig was quick to disappear as the record label that housed it collapsed. Fortunately Michael Gira (Angels of Light/Swans) shared my opinion of the record and has re-issued it via his Young God imprint. Expanded to include a bonus album of live recordings and home versions Lullaby suddenly becomes more complex as Lisa’s banter between songs adds color to the cantor that it introduces. An absolute masterpiece. ~ryan michael painter

Malevolent Creation
Doomsday X
Nuclear Blast
Street: 07.17
Malevolent Creation = Suffocation + Behemoth (new) – the relentless
Malevolent Creation has been pumping out the death-metal albums for around 10 years now. Now, while I personally feel that the death metal genre is a dry well, I’m still metal enough to admit when an album has a decent amount of rockin’ in it. The production is one thing worth noting, because it makes the album sound like it was recorded with a microphone hiding inside the snare drum. However, the snare drum is in tune, and I’d much rather have a “dirty” recorded metal album hammering in my ears than an overly processed Pro Tools-infected release. Hell, even Mick from Slipknot gets a chance to prove that he’s not a one-trick mall-metal pony by providing the second solo in “Deliver My Enemy.” When all you’re looking for is well written, not overly hooky metal, this release will not likely disappoint. Listen while punching holes in drywall. –Conor Dow

Martyn Bates
Migraine Inducers Dissonance/Antagonistic Music
Beta-lactam Ring Records
Street: 07.15
Martyn Bates = Merzbow + NWW + The New Blockaders Lez Changez Blockaders
This is music for those who hole themselves up in a small room in a basement with poor lighting as a method towards self-realization. Like other amazingly versatile noise albums that have come AFTER it (Merzbow's Aquamancer comes readily to mind), Migraine Inducers Dissonance/Antagonistic Music is a studied pastiche of all sorts of cultural detritus combed together with acoustic noises, scrapes, soft resonant beeps and short, bursting starry spaces. While not as jazzily punishing as Aquamancer, MID/AM is consistently engaged with blurring the line between background filler noise and a creative ensemble of startling awakeness. I could go on for days praising this album. When I first heard it, my mind kept on dividing itself over and over again with amazement with how fresh this album is, almost 30 years later after its initial cassette-only release. If you fancy yourself a noise connoisseur, pick up this album immediately, as it has reached that mythical status of one of my favorite albums of all time. Comes with a second disc “completing” the original release, a 16-page booklet and some fancy artwork. BOO YA! –Erik Lopez

Matt Pond PA
Last Light
Altitude Records
Street: 09.25
Matt Pond PA = Rouge Wave + Stars + Mates of State
With six critically acclaimed albums under his belt in just nine short years of existence, Matt Pond, along with his backing back Dan Crowell, Steven Jewtt and Matthew Siskin, have created a new album that on first listen instantly stands out as his most vibrant and well-written album yet. The production of the album is immensely different, as Pond himself took over production duties. Sharing the duty with such big names as Neko Case, Rob Schnapf and Mike Stroud of Ratatat, Last Light is a dramatic improvement production-wise from Pond’s last albums. Songs ranging from love to longing fill this album, thematically similar to Pond’s previous efforts. Acoustic-based “Locate the Pieces” sounds very similar to the earlier work of Matt Pond PA, while the fast-paced drug-anthem, “Basement Parties,” sounds much cleaner in quality. While some artists start to struggle with creating fresh albums over a long period of time, Matt Pond, along with his band, created an album that is arguably their best to date. –Tom Carbone Jr.

Melody Club
At Your Service
Saturday Team
Street: 08.21
Melody Club = The Sounds + Rialto
While some might suggest that a marriage between Brit-pop and 80s new wave via the 00s revival would produce undesirable offspring, Melody Club prove otherwise. Consider them a preferable substitute to the boy-band phenomenon (hopefully over, yes?) for those of us who like the occasional sugarcoated summer song; a guilty pleasure that you don’t have to feel guilty about. –ryan michael painter

Modeselektor
Happy Birthday!
BPiTCH Control
Street: 10.09
Modeselektor = Jab Micah Och El + Kraftwerk + Aphex Twin
Admittedly a fan of minimal electro, I was immediately won over by Modeselektor’s distinctly reserved style of ephereal dance jams. Think a shit-ton of analog performing as a symphony orchestra, subsequently run down by a team of assassins, leaving only a quartet of percussive electronics to carry on, and maybe you can imagine the weight each beat and rhythm plays in Happy Birthday. Additionally, guest spots from TTC, Paul St. Hillaire, Thom Yorke, and Maximo Park allow the group to expand the listening palette by highlighting Modeselektor’s contrasting style. At times the fractured beats and wide soundscapes are reminiscient of Aphex Twin, while at other times the overdriven keyboards bring Justice to mind, in the end, pigeonholing the group’s sound becomes an impossible task, and while distinctly electro, the orchestral magnitude of Modeselektor’s compositions will undoubtedly cross more musical niches and sub-genres than any other electro group to date. – Ryan Powers

Mum
Go Go Smear the Poison Ivy
Fat Cat Records
Street: 09.25
Mum = Animal Collective + Bjork + Dntel
What at first sounded as if someone had raided a Salvation Army and played what they found in a music school, Go Go Smear the Poison Ivy isn’t as reductive as that. At its freshest point, it’s excitingly poppy with swashes of keyboard arpeggio and insectual orchestration to bite at any organic pretension that may have rubbed off on them from the hippie-psych revival of Animal Collective. Unfortunately, at many moments, they can’t seem to pull away from the tractor-beam influences of Iceland’s biggest electronic-pop diva Bjork or the huge, hushed sweeps of Sigur Ros. Lyrically as impressive (and more inviting) as Joanna Newsom, Go Go Smear the Poison Ivy bears repeated listens in order to pick up the prettiest bouquet. –Erik Lopez

New Model Army
High
Attack Attack
Street: 09.04
New Model Army = The Alarm – U2
When it comes down to it, New Model Army are a raw-knuckle sort of band. They’re naturally political by nature, working class by heritage and post-punk entirely by accident. While in their native UK, they garnered a passionate fanbase they never quite translated into America. Perhaps they were too devoted to where they came from. Maybe that’s also what made them great in the first place. In all fairness, Justin Sullivan could have been the UK’s Bruce Springsteen, not only in perspective, but also in the way he refused to confine the scope of his music. Sometimes there were epic arrangements offset by bareness often incorporating folk in traditional rock l Mike Scott and his Waterboys, while keeping that gruff sense of strength. High is no different and yet it feels fresh. Despite death and lineup changes some 25 years since their beginning, NMA are still kicking against modern mediocrity, public apathy and a certain country’s continued effort to control the world via “justified” violence. It’s a controlled anger; an intelligent argument rather than mindless fist-pumping and drunken sing-a-longs. There are even touches of psychedelic imagery, cinematic like an approaching apocalypse; calm and furious. –ryan michael painter

Nina Nastasia & Jim White
You Follow Me
Fat Cat Records
Street: 08.14
Nina Nastasia & Jim White = Dogs + Ocean Songs
Separately, Nina Nastasia and Jim White are two great tastes that happen to go great together; something akin to the classic combination of milk and cookies. On this album especially, they have struck a partnership that delicately yet powerfully walks a dynamic line; songs such as “The Day I Would Bury You” and “I've Been Out Walking,” to name just two songs, showcases the tradeoff between Jim White's underscored and accentual drumming and Nastasia's weighty vocal range crooning stories from a frantic urban folktale. It is quite amazing to see such an equivalency and musical connection between such musical powerhouses. Unfortunately, You Follow Me clocks in at around only 30 minutes, making me wish it were longer. –Erik Lopez

Nucultures
Butterflies, Zebras, and Moonbeams
1K Recordings
Street: 09.25
Nucultures = A shining example of quality down-tempo
Having listened to this 2-CD set about a thousand times now, I can still confidently say that it holds a top spot on my list of phenomenal down-tempo albums of the year. The first CD starts off with an absolutely stellar female vocalist on top of an incredibly mellow beat. The beat gradually becomes more defined, culminating in quite an epic climax for just the first song. Even better is the polar extremes each song seems to possess in terms of instrumentation. Some songs might follow a traditional formula of a beat and some vocals, some may possess a multitude of horns, and some leave you tapping your feet to some positively well-crafted acoustic guitar lovin'. All this is often accented by some truly skillful electronic sounds. These qualities are apparent throughout both CDs, and come together flawlessly to create a truly sublime aural experience. –Ross Solomon

Obituary
Xecutioner’s Return
Candlelight
Street: 08.28
Obituary = Florida death metal at its finest
I was literally brimming with excitement a few years back when Obituary announced their return. The band was one of the first death-metal bands I fell in love with. To this day, their albums, like Slowly We Rot, remain as jewels in my CD collection. Their return album, Frozen in Time, while good, lacked something—mainly leads and guitar solos. Thankfully, with Xecutioner’s Return, all that guitar goodness from Trevor Peres has returned. “Evil Ways,” opening with said wicked solo, continues on to melt my brain with death-metal godliness. This album honestly is like no Obituary album before it, but it still retains the classic and unmistakable Obituary sound, mainly due to the fact that John Tardy’s vocals are one-of-a-kind in death-metal land. A few of the songs, though, are faster than usual, which doesn’t leave me complaining a bit—in fact, it just leaves me relishing the songs more. Don’t fret, though, there are still plenty of grungey, slow trademark Obituary tunes awaiting fans, a style that has been repeatedly copied from other bands. While Peres shreds and wails away, the Tardy brothers (brother Don is the drummer) add their own flair to the masterpiece, notably vocalist Tardy’s enunciated growl, not normally what he is known for, especially with the older Obituary albums. You pretty much couldn’t understand a thing he sang, with the exception of the band’s World Demise album. Here is a big sarcastic thanks to Obituary for not stopping in Utah for your tour supporting this new blissful offering, and now a plea for you to come here on your next round of slaughter-fests across the country. –Bryer Wharton

Papermoons
Papermoons 7”
Team Science Records
Street: 07.01
Papermoons = Moneen + Two Gallants
Every now and then, I need a break from the bearded, drunken, balls-out kind of punk rock that I normally listen to. Apparently, so do the folks over at Team Science Records. Normally, they put out stuff like O Pioneers!!!, a band whose brand of gritty folk-punk is a primo example of bearded, sweaty punk rock. Papermoons' debut 7” goes down smooth, though. You can tell just by listening to the sweet vocals that these guys don't sport beards, only drink when absolutely necessary, and definitely don't go around with their balls out. That's not really a bad thing. The band plays stripped-down, mellow indie rock that occasionally gives way to some pretty dense audio effects, but the diverse elements actually make the songs sound even better. Papermoons also throw some folk elements into their material. The harmonica on a couple of the tracks makes for a sort of folk and indie fusion that isn't necessarily my bag, but it makes me feel all warm inside for some reason. Plus, this 7” comes on really cool looking blue-and-orange splattered vinyl. Good stuff. –Ricky Vigil

Plastiscines
LP1
Caroline Records
Street: 09.18
Plastiscines = The Hate Pinks + Avril Lavinge + The Donnas
Bands like the Plastiscines give chick punk bands a bad name. Their cheesy French pop is marketed as Ramones-style punk rock and millions of impressionable young children grow up with the idea that “chick punk” sucks. LP1’s songs have an overly slick production quality about them, the lyrics are boring and the girl’s high-pitched voices are similar to having a high-power nailgun shoot nails into your skull constantly. Having four good-looking French girls that can play their instruments moderately well seems more like an easy marketing ploy and less like a serious musical venture. This may not fool the 14-year-old girls, but hopefully everyone else will catch on. –Jeanette Moses

The Pope
Sports
Wantage USA
Street: 04.17
The Pope = Lightning Bolt + godheadSilo – skills – inspiration
There’s a line between drawing inspiration from and simply copying. I’m not sure how thick or thin that line is, but it has been crossed by The Pope, yet another bass-and-drums noise-rock duo. Just compare the first 30 seconds of Sports to the first 70 seconds of Lightning Bolt’s Wonderful Rainbow. The similarity between the two is absurd, from the quasi-melodic feedback introduction to the “pummeling” riffs to the shouted vocals distorted all to hell in the back of the mix. Of course, these guys probably hate that I’m pointing this out, as their press release hails this album as a diverse, multi-faceted approach to music that is wholly their own. But words lie, and the proof is in the audio. These guys ape; and what’s more, they ape poorly. Part of the reason I take so much offense to this is that they don’t really have the chops of their forebears, nor do they have the ideas that made them so vital and lasting. I know this is harsh, but this is one of the most boring records I’ve heard recently, and I fucking hate being bored. This is another instance where I would recommend digging up old records by the bands in the above equation (what the hell, let’s throw Karp in there too) and give this one a pass. Back to the drawing board, fellas. –Jona Gerlach

Pseudosix
S/T
Sonic Boom Recordings
Street: 08.28
Pseudosix = Bright Eyes + Cloud Cult + Karate
Tim Perry and his pals in Portland are purveyors of a difficult craft: the scathing but slightly upbeat song. On “Apathy and Excess,” the chorus of “there’s nothing in this world worthy of your murderous smile” is sung over minimal instrumentation that carries an old bittersweet melody. It’s apparent that accomplished musicians are kicking it with Tim in his basement—the kind of musicians that know that less is more, and that playing that less with dexterity is even better. On “Enclave,” the guitar harmonization is so in tune with the song it’s hard to imagine why more bands don’t play like this. Watch for Pseudosix on the indie radar, they’ll be the unassuming blip that hits you before you knew it was there. –Peter Fryer

Qui
Love’s Miracle
Ipecac Recordings
Street 09.11
Qui = Scratch Acid + early Helmet + the Unknown Instructors
Qui (pronounced qwee) is a three-piece band from Los Angeles. Originally formed as a duo in 2000, drummer Paul Christensen and guitarist Matt Cronk teamed up with Jesus Lizard/Scratch Acid vocalist David Yow late last year. Since adding Yow, the trio has released a single, staged a brief tour and taken part in Austin’s SXSW festival. Love’s Miracle is the band’s first full-length as a threesome. The disc is steeped heavily in punk, noise and metal, with arrangements and stabs in directions that can only be described as experimental. Add to this the hypnotic, soothing voice of Yow and it is almost like it is 1992 all over again. The music is unyielding and deliberate, and still different enough from Yow’s past projects that you can listen without having to think about how much better the Jesus Lizard was. Not surprisingly, it is not as good as the Jesus Lizard, but it is sizably better than whatever the hell Yow was doing recently with the Melvins. And with a tour in the works, this might be the disc that brings the fanatic frontman back through our fair state. Hell, yes! –James Bennett

The Show is the Rainbow
Gymnasia
SAF Records
Street: 09.03
The Show is the Rainbow = Le Tigre + The Faint
The Show is the Rainbow somehow finds melody over and in betwixt electronic drums, synthesizers, chimes, and a plethora of other eclectic sounds combining to form what sounds like the therapeutic effort of a Riddlin-starved ADD kid. “We dress to kill, and kill to know what next week we’ll call fun,” captures the gist of an album delightfully mocking in its tone, both in lyrics and production. –Makena Walsh

Sir Richard Bishop
Polytheistic Fragments
Drag City
Street: 09.25
Sir Richard Bishop = Django Reinhardt + Sun City Girls + Robbie Basho + je ne sais quoi
Sir Rick is a busy man. This is his second release of the year (first for Drag City) following the excellent, improv-heavy While My Guitar Violently Bleeds. While improvisation does play a key role here, as on the 10+ minute piano meditation “Saraswati,” there is more emphasis on short-form composition, making this similar in spirit to his debut, Salvador Kali. Bishop has not changed his reference points dramatically; there’s still the Django-esque jazz shuffles, mercurial gypsy workouts and ragas, but he seems somewhat more mature (or perhaps tame?) and focused here, even while branching out into electric guitar, oud and the aforementioned piano. While not as immediate and hypnotic as his less-composed work, this is still gorgeous and vibrant stuff, and should add another boost to Bishop’s ever-growing rep. (And to music “journalists” everywhere, just because this is solo acoustic guitar music doesn’t mean it sounds anything like John Fahey. Do your fucking homework.) –Jona Gerlach

Smashing Pumpkins
Zeitgeist
Reprise
Street: 07.10
Smashing Pumpkins = selling out and ruining their legacy
Billy Corgan has finally decided to cash in on his old band name. I guess he was sad that no one was paying any attention to him anymore so he thought he’d destroy anything cool he ever did by putting out a watered down version of something that remotely resembles the Smashing Pumpkins. The only two members that are in the band from the original line up are Corgan and drummer Jimmy Chamberlin. Considering that these two played together in Zwan, The Jimmy Chamberlin Project and Billy Corgan’s solo album, I don’t really see how this album is any different from any of those crappy releases. D’Arcy and James Iha were smart to stay out of this reunion. I guess since Corgan recorded the majority of the guitar and bass on the first three Pumpkins releases he figured he could go on using the band name without those two. But, it just seems cheap. And to top it all off there is a picture of skeezy Paris Hilton on the inside of the cd’s booklet. Needless to say the music isn’t even worth writing about, it’s not very good. Why do band’s that were good back in the day break up then stage emotionless reunions? –Jon Robertson

Spoiler NYC
Grease Fire in Hell’s Kitchen
SOS Records
Street: 06.26
Spoiler NYC = Motorhead + Social Distortion + Angel City Outcasts
Spoiler NYC aimed to create a straight-forward street punk record, but the result is more punk rock n’ roll than anything else. The songs are well played, but the lyrics are badly constructed and kind of boring. A few songs stand out as being catchy and well crafted my favorites were “High Friends in Low Places” and “Every Person is Corrupt”. Spoiler NYC aren’t bad, they just sound like a million other bands influenced by the aforementioned bands. Grease Fire in Hell’s Kitchen lacks the intensity and inspiration that I expect from a damned good punk band. –Jeanette Moses

Still Remains
The Serpent
Roadrunner Records
Street: 07.08
Still Remains = Killswitch Engage + sensitive girl jeans + Pat-a-cake
Look, just because a song has blast beats doesn’t mean it is metal. While there are certainly metal “elements” in what Still Remains writes, it’s only skin deep. Unfortunately they know this, and their career thrives upon it. Perhaps I sometimes wear my monocle too tight when I listen to music, but after wading knee deep through this album for the past few days, I can confidently say that I am nothing but irritated. Is it the incessant melodic vocals interweaving with the guitar and pointless keyboards? Maybe it’s the blatant misuse of “metal” as the medium only to pass on the silent illusion of brutality while serving a healthy plate of melodic bile for nothing but the sake of juxtapose? Regardless, if you’re just getting into “heavy” music, this may serve as a gateway, but if you’re truly seeking artistic integrity, you’ll avoid this like church. Avast! The hackneyed acoustic album outro! –Conor Dow

Strings of Consciousness
Our Moon Is Full
Central Control
Street: 09.18
Strings of Consciousness = Pink Floyd + Jack Kerouac + Dust Brothers
This album is all kinds of profound. With the beginning notes of the first track “Asphodel,” the cinematic sounds begin. The first blaring notes of the saxophone made me think I was in some dark alley, then the breakbeats came down like a furious rainstorm with the creepy robotic vocals of J.G. Thirweell (Foetus) harassing my sanity. I felt like David Gilmore and Roger Waters were sneaking into my room to molest me and this was just the beginning of the album. Every track from the Strings of Consciousness debut is just as intense as the first. The highlight of the album has to be the third track, “Cleanliness Is Next To Godliness;” the guest vocals provided by Eugene Robinson (Oxbow) tells of a man seeking revenge and bustin’ a cap on somebody. Robinson’s tone and inflection in his voice is some serious business. He makes you think that he really did put a bullet in someone. All eight tracks on the album are musical scores that consist of the perfect amounts of jazz, techno, classical and trip-hop; a cacophony of sound. This album is more like a soundtrack then a collection of songs, each one including a different guest vocalist, the majority of them droppin’ some heavy lyrical matter spoken-word style. I can dig man, I can dig it! –Jon Robertson

Sunburned Hand of the Man
Fire Escape
Smalltown Supersound
Street: 10.15
Sunburned Hand of the Man = Four Tet + Spoils of War + Gang Gang Dance
Sound making is all the rage as guitars have become so “1994” in the current vernacular of electronic music. Poised to take over psychedelia as it did dance music, sound is the new Beatles and if sound is the new Beatles, this is the new White Album. What is so rad about this album isn't so much its tight arrangements, hit-yourself-in-the-donger epic escapades but the story behind its conception. Kieran Hebden aka Four Tet is a huge SHOTM fan and as such asked them if he could make a SHOTM record. They agreed and he “envisioned, produced, mixed and edited” the wiley motherfucker and what you see is what you get. Fire Escape is huge on the deep bellowing sound, the urgent time-streached underbelly of the beat and jazzy noise. While it still retains hints of “Hebden sound” its a completely unwieldy animal of a record (in the nature sense). 2007 is the new summer of love. –Erik Lopez

Tegan and Sara
The Con
Vapor/Sire Records
Street: 07.24
Tegan and Sara = Rachael Cantu + Vivek Shraya + Little Birdy (female)
Tegan and Sara have been through so much in the last five years. They pretty much hit the ground running in the music industry. Seriously, who Tours with Neil Young at nineteen years old? Since then, they have worked with Chris Walla (Death Cab For Cutie, The Decemberists), Performed on television shows such as: Jimmy Kimmel, Conan O’ Brien and the Late Show with Craig Ferguson, named one of the top fifty albums by rolling stone, performed at Coachella and Lollapalooza, among other notable accomplishments. So Jealous is the only album I have ever sampled, but I can tell that after just three years their song writing skills have superseded anything I could have imagined. This is a darling little album about heartache and bi-polar feelings toward boys. Recorded in Portland, this album is their most powerful records to date. Complex in emotion and creativity, Tegan and Sara’s distinctive duality proves crucial with The Con. –Lance Saunders

Telephone
Automatic
Cobra Music
Street: 06.17
Telephone = Dandy Warhol + Imperial Teen + David Bowie
I think that when co-founder of The Dandy Warhols Eric Hedford decide to start a new band, he figured that he’d start a band that pretty much sounded like his old band. I have a feeling that during their band practices the band members probably said to each other, “We should start a synth-pop band that sounds like every other synth-pop band. Yipee!” That is exactly what Telephone has done. This album is weak. It sounds a like a a less rhythmic, less creative version of Interpol, which could be tolerable but, Hedford’s vocals stumble out of his mouth like some drunken hipster after too many cosmopolitans. It’s the dreaded talk, sing, no emotion vocals that seem to keep popping up on all these half bouncy albums. It’s driving me bonkers. If you’re going to be an artsy-punk-pop-synth-pop vocalist, sing some melodies. Don’t blather on like every other lame front man with tight pants and Italian leather boots. Sing! –Jon Robertson

Telephone Jim Jesus
Anywhere Out Of the Everything
Anticon Records
Street: 09.25
Telephone Jim Jesus = Sole Beats + Odd Nosdam + DJ Mayonnaise
I almost started to live with the thought that Telephone Jim Jesus would never create and compose another solo album again. Ever since his cult favorite debut, A Point Too Far to Astronaut, he has been making music, but only sporadically dispersing instrumentals to his Anticon compatriots. TJJ is an essential element to the Anticon family. He uses samplers, keyboards, effects processors, bass, guitar and accounts for most of the record label’s highly textured and confidently melodic qualities. Since the culmination of Restiform Bodies, TJJ has been in the limelight and has always generated the desire to explore musical ideas through solo effort and outer influences. TJJ is the most influential vagabond on the Anticon collective. In the past year he has traveled from Spain to London, from the Gulf Coast (post-Katrina) to anti-war demonstrations on Capital Hill. His world travels straight into your ears on Anywhere out of Everything. –Lance Saunders

Terhen
Eyes Unfolded
Firebox
Street: 08.20
Terhen = Paradise Lost + The Sins of Thy Beloved + Dimmu Borgir
While not an entirely bad release, Terhen’s “Eyes Unfolded” crosses the tedium line rather quickly. It’s easy to see what these folks are trying to do, and they do it well, but it lacks the proverbial “spark” that would make it an amazing piece of work. I found myself wishing they had completely left out the synth, tuned the guitars lower, and secured someone other than Cookie Monster to handle vocal duties … they could have been an above-average doom metal band had they made these choices. Instead, we’re left with slow-to-mid-paced gothic doom that does very little to actually grab the listener and force them to listen. All in all, it’s very easy to become distracted while trying to pay attention to this release … now where’d I put my damned keys? –loveyoudead

Th’ Legendary Shack Shakers
Swampblood
YepRoc
Street: 09.18
Th’ Legendary Shack Shakers = Hasil Atkins + Little Walter + A Pentecostal tent revival + a Southern side show you just have to see
These Southern boys consistently release exciting record after exciting record, and the twist, turns and “What the fucks” are sure to be found on any Shack Shakers release. Their new offering, Swampblood, is the perfect example of what they do. Starting out with dirgy dark blues songs like “Hellwater” sets the mood for what’s to come. J.D Wilkes puts in his usual stifling performance that will leave you sore and wanting more. The rest of the band are a pumping train that even at full speed still are in complete control, and jump from country tune to blasting polka romps without blinking. It’s always been remarkable to me that no matter how far out there this band goes, they always manage to make everything sound like it’s at home on their record. The song “Down and Out” is so menacing and performed so viciously I couldn’t imagine anyone else doing anything remotely close to it. While the records are staggering, they still don’t compare to the band’s live show, which hits town Oct. 2 at Burt’s. –James Orme

Various Artists
Instant Karma: The Amnesty International Campaign To Save Darfur
Warner Bros
Street: 06.12
Instant Karma = John Lennon – John Lennon’s voice
Amnesty International (a worldwide human right defender) put out this mix of John Lennon songs redone by new bands to help raise money and awareness of the crisis in Darfur. With big names like: U2, R.E.M., Avril Lavigne, Postal Service, Jackson Browne, The Flaming Lips, Aerosmith, Ben Harper and Green Day you get to experience John Lennon’s lyrical and musical genius in a whole different way. Proceeds from the sale of this album go directly towards stopping the genocide in Darfur, and promoting awareness to the atrocities going on there. Avril’s version of “Imagine” is pretty rockin’ as well as U2’s remake of “Instant Karma,,” but my favorite track is definitely “Give Peace a Chance” redone by Aerosmith with help from Sierra Leone’s Refugee All Stars. So if you like John Lennon and you like supporting good causes go out to your local record shop and pick this album up, it can’t be bad Karma. –Adam Dorobiala

Vic Chesnutt
North Star Deserter
Constellation
Street: 08.27
Vic Chesnutt = Cat Stevens + Bonnie “Prince” Billy
Having worked with everyone from Goo-Goo Dolls, Victoria Williams, Bob Mould, Michael Stipe and Giant Sand, you could say that Vic Chesnutt is an institution. And like many artists elevated to this status, we forgive their missteps, celebrating previous efforts of their glory days. After a few listens to North Star Deserter, all I can think is “What have you done for me lately?” This album, a collaboration of Chesnutt, Thee Silver Mount Zion Memorial Orchestra, Fugazi’s Guy Picciotto and a bunch of other talented people, should be a masterpiece. However, an army is only as strong as the orders from its leader, and Chesnutt’s sleepy folk-rock arpeggios and formulaic introspection provides a crappy centerpiece for the band to frame around. Soft, soft, loud, soft, softer, loud, a few interesting elements (i.e., screaming electronics on “Debriefing,” panned feedback on “Marathon,” the four-track aesthetic of the closer, “Rattler”)—repeat that 12 times and you have this album. Having traversed a number of subtle stylistic shifts, one hopes that Chesnutt’s latest won’t last long. – Dave Madden

Whitechapel
The Somatic Defilement
Candlelight
Street: 07.31
Whitechapel = Dying Fetus + Skinless + Napalm Death
Whitechapel is like comfort food, their style is something that has already been done but I’ll be damned if they didn’t improve upon it and make it mighty tasty. Yes, as clich as it may sound The Somatic Defilement is brutal as all hell. They dish it out in so many ways you won’t know what hit you, be it the uncompromising speed or the oh so many grooves add some guttural vocals from hell and you’re in a happy little land of killing, mayhem, pulsating with all the blood, guts, puss and violence you need to have a grand time listening to brutal grind/death metal. I can’t even imagine how intense these guys are live, when just hearing them on CD can cause you to roll around on the ground in a sonic induced seizure of blasphemy and barbarous movement. Add to the fact they have a cool original name that is violently subtle, if not familiar White Chapel is area that Jack the Ripper went on his notorious killing spree. Thanks Whitechapel for giving me yet another album that make me glad to be an extreme metal fan. –Bryer Wharton