National CD Reviews

Menu

Jun 2008
May 2008
Apr 2008
Mar 2008
Feb 2008
Jan 2008
Dec 2007
Nov 2007
Oct 2007
Sep 2007
Aug 2007
Jul 2007
Jun 2007
May 2007
Apr 2007
Mar 2007
Feb 2007
Jan 2007
Dec 2006
Nov 2006
Oct 2006
Sep 2006
Aug 2006
Jul 2006
Jun 2006
May 2006
Apr 2006
Mar 2006
Feb 2006
Jan 2006

November 2007 - Issue 227

Abacinate / Godrot
Split
Epitomite Productions
Street: 2007
Abacinate = Aborted + County Medical Examiners + Killwhitneydead Godrot = Coalesce + Napalm Death + Carcass
While nothing that totally blows my mind, the Abacinate tracks on this here split are plenty enjoyable. A cut above most standard gore/grind, these kids aren’t afraid to thrown in a catchy hook or some tastefully used samples. The two-vocalist effect particularly is instantly memorable. The Godrot stuff is, simply put, fucking awesome. Nice and lo-fi with clever finger-tapping over absolutely brutal metal, alternating between hyperspeed grindcore blasts and mid-90s-style hardcore … even their clean sing-y parts are pretty damned cool. –loveyoudead

The Absence
Riders of the Plague
Metal Blade
Street: 08.07
The Absence = Behemoth + Hatebreed + Throwdown
Good … but not great. This is what the state of deathmetalcore is nowadays: entirely listenable but done to death. I found myself waiting for that one moment through this entire disc…you know, the moment that instantly grabs your balls, squeezes, and says “here we are, motherfucker!” but it never came. From what I understand, Metal Blade is really pushing these guys, and rightfully so: they’re one of the better bands on the roster. But, at least on this disc, they aren’t doing anything overly creative or interesting. For some reason, I found myself wanting to listen to Septic Death a lot while I was spinning this. Go figure. –loveyoudead

The Agony Scene
Get Damned
Century Media
Street: 10.23
Agony Scene = Your same ol’ metalcore
I’ve decided that metalcore is the white-trash cousin of screamo. The only difference between these to styles of music is the fact that the gnarly metalcore dudes try to act all macho and manly. The Agony Scene is for sure metalcore and the same as every other band in the metalcore genre. I listened to the album three times over trying to let it impress me or catch me with some sort of originality. Halfway through my third listen, I noticed that the majority of the songs start exactly the same. It’s a shame, too, because Mike Williams’ vocals are pretty gravely and pimp-sounding. I just really wish that metalcore and screamo bands would expand their musical horizons because there are a lot of bands such as The Agony Scene that have potential. –Jon Robertson

Akron/Family
Love is Simple
Young God
Street: 09.18
Akron/Family = Luka Bop Records + folk-era Swans
Certainly love is simple when trying to encapsulate Akron/Family’s sound without having to attempt a dissertation. Yes, they play some sort of folk music, but you’d never actually put them in the folk section. Akron/Family don’t break the rules; they never knew they existed. This makes for a different approach than the likes of Tortoise, who apply an element of science to their songwriting. We’ll label it experimental-ethnic-folk without being too committed to the definition it implies. Love is Simple shows a group of extremely talented friends reuniting after a break from each other; it is full of the happy surprises unrepressed by the weight of the little annoyances that grind against us. Label head and former Swans co-conspirator Michael Gira constantly calls them “one of the best bands on the planet”; who am I to disagree with genius? –ryan michael painter

American Steel
Destroy Their Future
Fat Wreck Chords
Street: 10.02
American Steel = Jawbreaker + The Lawrence Arms + Communique
I hadn't listened to American Steel until I found out that they had reunited, signed with Fat, and planned on touring with the Lawrence Arms this fall, but the raw, energetic, emotional punk rock on their early albums was right up my alley. That said, Destroy Their Future is a bit disappointing. Things start off well enough, as “Sons of Avarice” recalls Against Me! (a band that American Steel undoubtedly influenced), but the next track, “Dead and Gone,” is more indicative of the album's sound. Somewhere in between the band's breakup and reformation, they learned how to sing and get nice and tight with their instruments. That's usually a good thing, but what made American Steel appealing to me in the first place was their raw, unbridled energy. Destroy Their Future is by no means a bad album, just not what I wanted out of a new American Steel record. (Burt's Tiki Lounge: 11.13) –Ricky Vigil

Andrew Jackson Jihad
People That Can Eat People are The Luckiest People in the World
Asian Man Records
Street: 07.21
Andrew Jackson Jihad = Bombs and Beating Hearts + any other folk punk that I haven’t heard
I don’t listen to much folk punk. I don’t listen to any folk punk, really. While it’s not my cup of tea, I can still say I like it. The first time I heard locals Bombs and Beating Hearts, my mind was blown. Now that the initial mind-blowing is over, Andrew Jackson Jihad isn’t quite as amazing. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed P.T.C.E.P.A.T.L.P.I.T.W. (I hated the mouthful title) but around track four, it all sounded the same. The harmonica sounds a little too tucked away and it seems like the guitar player knows one song. But all the extra instruments really give the album enough juice to keep it from sucking. It’s worth a listen, but it’s nothing revolutionary. –Josh McGillis

Arch Enemy
Rise of the Tyrant
Century Media
Street: 09.25
Arch Enemy = At the Gates + In Flames
Arch Enemy’s last few albums were a bit watered down, but with Rise of the Tyrant, the band returns to their roots and heavier/faster form. The problem is in the transition; they lost the melodies that made previous records so catchy. The first few songs on this new offering are pretty mediocre, although the Amott brothers’ dual guitar attack usually throws in some interesting solos. But the Arch Enemy I have come to love didn’t show up until the fifth song in. Then a few songs later, the album makes its way back to mediocrity. So yeah, the album has its moments, a lot of Slaughter of the Soul-era At the Gates reminiscing. I just have to say my opinion of this record is tainted due to the label’s attempt to curb illegal downloading from their promo copies by adding an annoying beeping noise every 20 or so seconds (honestly, I counted). I couldn’t tune it out for the life of me, and I can’t help but feel my opinion of the album might be improved if it hadn’t been there, so Century Media, take note: Please don’t use this method again. – Bryer Wharton

Attrition
Esoterica / The Attrition of Reason
Two Gods / Voiceprint
Street: 2007
Attrition = The Soil Bleeds Black + Nostalgia + Switchblade Symphony.
I’ve come to the conclusion that, when your editor hands you two CDs by a band you’ve never heard and then gasps in amazement, it might be a good idea to either a) have their head examined or b) pay attention to what they give you. I chose option b). Unbeknownst to me and my musical sheltered-ness, Attrition have been around since the early 80s, as evidenced by the first of these two reissues, The Attrition of Reason. Really good old-school darkwave, and they use the instruments and programming to prove it. The second of the reissues, Esoteria, is much more ambient. Both have the same overall feel: a bit on the depressing side (for all you goth kids out there) with a touch of repetition for all of you who like a challenging listen. Esoteria is the better of the two, but it’s also nowhere near as dated as The Attrition of Reason. Break out the pre-fashioncore eyeliner, kiddies. –loveyoudead

Axel Rudi Pell
Diamonds Unlocked
SPV
Street: 10.09
Axel Rudi Pell = German virtuoso guitarist reinvented
Cover albums usually turn me off, but I’ve found massive amounts of enjoyment from this gem. Axel Rudi Pell is a renowned guitarist from Germany with 25 years of experience. Most cover albums either don’t change the song much, or totally make it their own. Neither is the case with Diamonds Unlocked. On Michael Bolton’s “Fools Game,” Axel takes it and rocks it the hell out! The same goes for his cover of U2’s “Beautiful Day.” At times, the guitarist at times goes off into wild solos, but they’re so damn good that only an ignorant person would call the axe-man pretentious. –Bryer Wharton

Bedouin Soundclash
Street Gospels
Side One Dummy Records
Street: 08.21
Bedouin Soundclash = Michael W. Smith + Reggae for Beginners
If you are not asleep before the first track of this album ends, then you are likely already comatose. If you managed to listen to the entire album, you would learn that Bedouin Soundclash disappoint from start to finish. They have all the trite trappings of reggae music: simple, steady drumbeats, muted guitars, and uncomplicated bass lines. Yet, instead of simply lackluster reggae, Bedouin Soundclash manage to destroy an already watery sound by adding the worst pop melodies imaginable. Take for instance, “Bells of 59.” This song has a traditional reggae groove at first, but then throws in some odd contemporary Christian music vocals. The tedious, disjointed combination of genres makes the album unbearable. Bedouin Soundclash attempt to channel the historical best of Joe Strummer, Bob Marley and even Rockapella, but end up with a weak amalgam in which the pieces are constantly falling apart because they never fit correctly. –Joey Richards

Beirut
The Flying Club Cup
Ba Da Bing Records
Street: 10.09
Beirut = A Hawk and a Hacksaw + Django Reinhardt + Andrew Bird + The Decemberists
While still the singular, artistic passion of Zach Condor and steeped in the culture of romantic Old World, this album conception has become the efforts of a larger orkestar traveling from Balkan Europe to France. Inspired by a 1910 photograph of a French hot air balloon race, The Flying Club Cup is more layered, more vocal—leaving one with imaginings of a well-produced musical. Like his stellar album, Gulag Orkestar, Zach presents photographic inspirations and included stories this round. Less gypsy-folk but continuing with his signature brass & piano, Zach recorded at home in New Mexico and with Owen Pallet at Arcade Fire's Masonic church studio, where he was allowed use of obscure instruments I'm not sure how to pronounce. Owen added string arrangements to many songs, showcasing violinist Heather Trost (A Hawk and a Hacksaw). A perfect sophomore album that gets better and better; revealing intricacies with each listen. —Jennifer Nielsen

Bell Hollow
Foxgloves
Five03
Street: 11.13
Bell Hollow = The Ocean Blue + The Church
Bell Hollow falls perfectly into the sonic timeline that comes just before Nirvana’s mainstream robbery. The late 80s influence was still lingering, guitarists spinning out their own variations of Robert Smith, Marty Willson-Piper or Johnny Marr. R.E.M. were critical darlings again and The Cure were pop-music sweethearts. Bell Hollow are about nostalgia and as such, Foxgloves works rather well in recreating the sound and mood of an era lost. It reminds me of a myriad of bands without pinning itself to one in particular and, while this can be a positive attribute, it also raises a question: Is being nondescript a good thing? A fine debut, but expectations will be much higher for the sophomore effort. –ryan michael painter

The Black Dahlia Murder
Nocturnal
Metal Blade
Street: 09.18
The Black Dahlia Murder = In Flames + Dissection + The Red Chord.
Back when TBDM released “Unhallowed,” I knew people who spoke of it as if it were something holy. Then they released “Miasma,” which, at least to me, was a disappointment. With “Nocturnal,” TBDM seems to have discovered that, well, European metal sells better than US metal. This sucker absolutely reeks of European influence, sated with just enough US metalcore to shake things up a bit. The cover art almost seems to be a direct rip-off of the Morbid December Moon record. Don’t believe me? Track that fucker down instead of picking this up. OK, that’s probably a bit harsh. This actually is a pretty good deathmetalcore record, and while it’ll never be the first thing I listen to when I want brutality, it’s worthy of at least one good listen and the occasional spin afterwards. Elizabeth Short, stand up and be counted. –loveyoudead

Black Dice
Load Blown
Paw Tracks
Street: 10.23
Black Dice = Excepter + Ravi Shankar in a blender
Their sound has evolved into an almost hippie robot arena, where all walks of machinery come to get high and swirl around in circles to a semi-rhythmic beat. There are no humans in sight, only the sounds created by these various metal parts gently and violently bumping, grinding and at times, loving each other. Unlike their previous releases, the sounds on this album are somewhat personified to be playful and danceable; almost a “leave your brain at the door” mentality. Even though this album is a collection of singles over the last two years, it is their most cohesive release to date. There is still a lot of noise on the periphery, but the heart of Load Blown is very focused and surprisingly optimistic. –Andrew Glassett

The Black Swans
Change!
La Socit Expditionnaire
Street: 11.06
The Black Swans = Tom Waits but way bummed out an mellow
This album is like taking hallucinogens.. It’s totally slow-motion-sounding and warm; and even though singer Jerry DeCicca sings about some sad, depressing stuff, you don’t really care because the music around his lyrics is warm and soothing. DeCicca sounds like a friendly drunk telling me all the bad news he can think of. This album makes me want to be sad but I can’t help but be relaxed and comfortable while listening to it. It’s the music that Jeff Tweedy probably hears in his brains when he’s all mellowed on prescription meds. Under all this slow motion country-tinged alt-rock is a frown waiting to be turned upside down. –Jon Robertson

Bring Back the Guns
Dry Futures
Fanatic Records
Street: 10.02
BBTG = Rancid + Jane’s Addiction + God’s Revolver
Bring Back the Guns’ modus operandi is to channel rage, but mostly ends up agitating the eardrum. While listening to the CD, I picked up on obvious influences from The Toadies, Jane’s Addiction and other melodically screaming rock-guitar-calibrated chorales. While intellectual lyrics make up most of the album, the way they are cut and pasted throughout verse and chorus makes no sense and takes away the power of the song. The guitar licks are simple but sweet. There is a sense of frenetic disillusion on songs like “The Family Name,” while songs like “The Season for Treason” develops successful soundscapes that prove perfect for the nesting of meaningful lyrics. Math rock? Post-Pavement? Anti-cool rock n’ roll? Whatever you want to call it … this album has everything you need for the comprehensive and straightforward rocker in all of us. –Lance Saunders

Busdriver
RoadKillOvercoat
Epitaph
Street: 01.07
Busdriver = Subtitle + Subtle
Regan Farquhar, a.k.a. Busdriver, L.A.’s non-hip-hop/hip-hopper, returns with his first stab at the semi-majors—a stab indeed. He’s odder than ever, his oft-relayed frustrations of the rap game and personal issues (i.e., “Cuz before we met you thought that hoodrats lay eggs”/”Last year I was passing out Green Party leaflets while you’re at the chalet on ski trips”), matched by three-dollar bill Nobody’s production, Daddy Kev and Boom Bip’s mixing and a cameo by CocoRosie’s Bianca Casady (“Go Slow”). Be it stuttering synthpop (“Sun Shower”), neo-crunk ((“Bloody Paw on the) Kill Floor”), jock-jam beats (“Kill Your Employer (Recreational Paranoia Is the Sport of Now”) or clicking folk (“Dream Catcher’s Mitt”), Farquhar can take it, spitting with the precision of a world-record-holding tongue-twisting auctioneer. And, really, isn’t anyone who can use the word “polyglot” and rap “hemorrhages with a carbonated fizz” probably worth a piece of your day? –Dave Madden

The Caribbean
Populations
Hometapes Records
Street: 10.07
The Caribbeans = Ween + Jimmy Buffet + The Narrators
Dense and murky, this record freaks me out. It reminds me of what a stalker would write in his novel: Songs of voyeurism and other people’s stories told in a non-intimate and emotional manner. Myriad sonic details, bizarre guitar tunings and unexplained oddities fill the record with unidentifiable feelings and a hazy range of confusing emotions. This music makes no sense, and why? I can’t put my finger on it. Bad analogy time: think of the “Hippo Story” from Along Came Polly. The hippo paints stripes on himself to blend in with the zebra, but everyone knows he is still a hippo. This album seems out of place, out of genre and out of touch with whatever they are truly trying to convey. It’s not a horrible musical excursion, but not a very enticing one at that. –Lance Saunders

Cass McCombs
Dropping the Writ
Domino Records
Street: 10.09
Cass McCombs = The Velvet Underground + Morrissey
Cass McCombs takes one on an intimate journey whose mellow instrumentation propels his subtle irony in a sneering croon. From the incorruptible earnestness of lines like, “stick a needle in my eye, I’m middle class ’til the day I die (“Lionkiller”) to the REM meets Mary Poppins melody on the especially relevant “Deseret,” McCombs is a noticeably distant prophet, relegating administrative responsibilities to tambourine and acoustic guitar. McComb’s favorite Beatles album is unabashedly Revolver, a preference instantly recognizable by its poster in his basement folk repertoire. –Makena Walsh

Chthonic
A Decade on the Throne
Down Port Music
Street: 06.2007
Chthonic = mid-era Cradle of Filth + Oathean + Sigh (old)
Holy buck futter. Chthonic is a rather bombastic symphonic black metal band from Taiwan who doesn’t hold back on anything when it comes to their art direction, packaging, live performances and of course, music. What we have here is two re-released albums as well as an absolutely gorgeous live DVD/CD package combo A Decade on the Throne, which is laid out like a hardbound book. The thought that went into putting these wonderful packages together only reinforce my love for collecting metal releases that take that extra step. Musically the songs are excellent, and although they maintain obvious black metal roots, they aren’t without heavy Eastern cultural influences with a two-string violin, grandiose keyboards and occasional choral vocals. If you’re tired of Cradle of Filth trying to rewrite Damnation and a Day but still hunger for that dark symphonic chaos, give Chthonic a try. –Conor Dow

Deleted Scenes
Deleted Scenes EP
Echelon Productions
Street: 07.01
Deleted Scenes = Modest Mouse + The Shins
Deleted Scene’s diverse writing style is most often compared to The Dismemberment Plan, also from Washington, D.C. Many of the songs feel as if they were performed by a different and more recognized group. The first thing I noticed listening to Day Off Work was the prominence of drums and percussion, much like recent Modest Mouse albums. Similar to Isaac Brock, songs are smart with irate overtones. Themes like realizing everything was so much easier living at home with mom and dad; not paying rent and no partner to make you wish you were single. Song contradictions remain energetic (“He Just Doesn’t Get It”), yet doubtful like Elliot Smith (“Hyperbaric”): seeming happy in being lonely. –Jennifer Nielsen

Denial Fiend
They Rise
Ibex Moon
Street: 10.16
Denial Fiend = Grave + Autopsy + if the Misfits played death metal
With lyrics vested in themes of horror mainly centered around zombies—arguably the coolest horror movie monster ever—it is hard to make a bad record. Denial Fiend is mainly death metal but is also a hybrid mixing styles of hardcore, punk and thrash. This is due to the strange mixing of band members coming from the likes of Death, Massacre, Nasty Savage, Six Feet Under, Down By Law, Lowbrow, Mantas and Pseudo Heroes: There’s a laundry list of bands for you. The vocals are actually audible even in their death growl state, allowing each song to spread its story of horror, like in the tunes “Son of the Creature from the Black Lagoon” or “Frankenstein Conquers the World.” Opening cut “They Rise” gets things moving and lays down the themes and style of the music for the rest of the album. There are punk-rock chants going on with most of the songs, making singing along spontaneous. There is hope for death metal and it’s bands like these that keep that hope alive. –Bryer Wharton

Destination:Oblivion
December Sun
Apocalypse Machine
Street: 2007
Destination: Oblivion = Marilyn Manson + Ministry + Rammstein
Hmm. I’m positive I’ve heard this entire record before. And done better. Oh, yeah … that’s right: Rammstein did it years ago. This here guy is acceptable industrial-tinged metal, but it’s a bit on the cheesy side. I know, I know … most industrial-metal is cheesy, but this goes above and beyond your standard cheese. Cheese. Fuck, now I’m all hungry. Kids, believe this much: once you get to track three, entitled “Sick,” you’ll be almost positive you’re listening to the best Marilyn Manson/worst Rammstein album ever issued. And please feel free to take me to dinner. I’m broke and hungry. –loveyoudead

Dodsferd
Cursing Your Will to Live
Moribund Cult
Street: 10.09
Dodsferd = Darkthrone + Leviathan + Draugar
“Bless the pain I have inside and curse this world I will never find.” So sayeth Wrath, the creative entity behind Greece’s Dodsferd. While the statement in the CD booklet may seem a bit on the overdramatic side to the casual listener, the CD itself is anything but laughable. In fact, I daresay that Dodsferd is one of the best black metal acts around these days. The Darkthrone worship is obvious, but Wrath manages to work in enough black n’ roll nihilism and downright awesome songwriting to make this release entirely worthwhile. If you’re ready to make the jump from “in-it-to-win-it”-style crap such as Dimmu Borgir, this here’s one hell of a starting point. Do yourself a favor and order from the Moribund Cult. –loveyoudead

Dragons of Zynth
Coronation Thieves
Gigantic Music
Street: 10.02
Dragons of Zynth = Black Sabbath + TV on the Radio
What a strange musical concoction we have here. Many of the later tracks are actually quite pleasurable to listen to, featuring mellow synths, metal grooves, and other fun stuff like that. Conversely, the first few tracks remind me of Ozzy Osbourne playing a show on a week-long drug binge, backed by a group of twentysomethings who just finished an overnight game of D&D. The beginning notwithstanding, Dragons of Zynth have managed to put out a fairly strong (and trippy) debut album. Styles range from funk to pure metal, but never stray too far from a style that is quite unique to this band. Coronation Thieves is produced by David Andrew Sitek, who also did work with TV on the Radio, and his style is certainly apparent throughout. If you're a fan of his work, definitely give these guys a listen. –Ross Solomon

Dukes of Windsor
Dukes of Windsor
iRiver Records
Street: 07.2007
Dukes of Windsor = Ima Robot + The Hives
Oh, Australia, is this the best you can do? Sure, it’s not bad dance music, although the songs are probably better remixed by a DJ. Hit single “The Others” is the best track, only because of a ditty about boys + girls better sung by Blur. The lyrics are inane: “Boys looking for love … licking guitars.” Other lines: “I’m a very handsome man,” or “You’re so beautiful,” with song verses having oohs and aahs preceding choruses. Vocalist Jack Weaving penned the lyrics, and it’s no surprise that their mediocrity matches his tone: at worst (and most often), a squeaky unidentifiable gendered whine, and rarely (at best) sounding like Mars Volta. Loved on the dance floors of Australia, radio critics promote “the Dukes are ready to embrace the US music scene.” I don’t think we’re ready to embrace them. We have better dance music. Or we’ll take the Frenchies’. –Jennifer Nielsen

Dusty Rhodes and the River Band
First You Live
SideOneDummy
Street: 10.09
Dusty Rhodes and the River Band = Dropkick Murphys + The Young Dubliners + Two Gallants + a hint of Axl Rose, county, folk and bluegrass
I’ll have to admit that I was taken aback when I heard the intro to First You Live and the first track. I’d never heard of Dusty Rhodes and the River Band, but before I plopped the disc into my CD player, I noticed the album was coming to me courtesy of SideOneDummy Records, who have released albums by such greats as The Casualties, 7 Seconds and The Suicide Machines, to name a few. With this knowledge, I thought I’d be hearing a punk band with some sort of folk twist, but instead I was blown backward by the frontal assault of straight-up country/folk/rock. The 13 tracks—though they came as a surprise—after a few listens, began to grow on me. Each track is distinctive and has a style all its own and should be taken as seriously as this six-piece take their music. –Jeremy C. Wilkins

Einsturzende Neubauten
Alles Wieder Offen
Potomak
Street: 10.23
Einsturzende Neubauten = Cabaret Voltaire + Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds + Feeding Fingers
While the debate wages on over new business models for the music industry, once again Einsturzende Neubauten have stopped the talk and taken things to a new level. With their new album fortuitously named All Open Again in English, they have let the fans decide what this new album will be like, allowing them input into what gets expanded and what does and does not make it into this new album. The fans aren't as stupid as one might think—the album is a combative compound of moody collapses like tin sheets of metal falling around an empty warehouse and quieter, meditative, almost ritualistic chants and general clamor. If anything, as the famous title of a book by Alain Badiou, this album is a clamor of being ... a new and fascinating direction for an established industrial act. –Erik Lopez

Ellen Fullman + Sean Meehan
Self-titled
Cut
Street: 06.07
Ellen Fullman + Sean Meehan = Terry Riley + Sofia Gubaidulina
The question on everyone’s mind when I describe Ellen Fullman’s 20-meter “Long String Instrument” is “but what does it sound like?” A construction of dozens of metallic strings, the instrument is performed via rosin-covered fingers, the performer pacing up and down to produce sympathetic overtones—much like a sitar. The sound has been compared to “standing inside an enormous grand piano,” although my senses conjure up images of viola choirs. Though lazy reductions of “drone music” plague Fullman’s reviews, her music features much more motion and purpose, a sense of augmentation and release. Sean Meehan’s contribution to these three works is more or less a shadow, his nimble percussive scrapes (“playing the snare drum with cymbals … he produces long, continuous tones from them using a dowel and friction,” says the tear sheet) and supple harmonics generally reach above and below Fullman’s register, adding just the right amount of piquancy. –Dave Madden

Enthroned
Tetra Karcist
Napalm Records
Street: 10.23
Enthroned = Behemoth + Dark Funeral + Marduk.
For some reason, I’ve always regarded Enthroned as “beginner black metal.” You know, the kind of stuff you can buy at F.Y.E. or something, with a cover just evil enough to piss off a teenager’s parents. And while their newest release does little to change that perception, it stands out as much more interesting and, well, pissed off than most mainstream black. The guitars are fuzzy as fuck, and the vocals are more “barked” than “screamed,” if I may take the liberty of using that description. Varying between well-played blasts and mid-tempo gnashing, there is an obvious Immortal influence here, but these childrens still have a long way to go to be held in the same light as Immortal. –loveyoudead

Face the Panic
The Reclamation
Heavy Hitter Inc.
Street: 09.12
Face the Panic = Sick Of It All + Terror + Shockwave – Transformers fetish
Face the Panic are on a mission to reclaim what real hardcore is. In other words, fuck Chiodos, fuck Blessthefall, fuck any other bands with tight jeans and eyeliner, and fuck that Hot Topic shit. It’s quite honorable. The Reclamation is not the most original or most unique hardcore album that’s ever wiggled its way into my ears—like The Warriors’ War Is Hell—but it is definitely a good one. The Reclamation has enough furious beats and balls-to-the-wall rhythm to cut the swoosh off a scene kid’s head. “My Human Tumor” has some sick solos and an incredible, but not exactly standard, breakdown. “Face the Panic” and “El Diablo Blanco” are also top notch. Face The Panic has an honorable cause and a worthy album to back it up. -Josh McGillis

The Fall
Live at the Knitting Factory
MVD Records
Street: 09.18
The Fall = Gang of Four + Wire + P.I.L.
The Fall is too good of a band to have a live record that sounds this shitty. You can barely hear vocalist Mark E. Smith, and saying the instruments sound quite murky is being too polite. The songs are still good, but the sound quality is just so awful that this live album is really hard to enjoy. It feels like you're in the back of a giant room surrounded by a bunch of annoying, drunk people while the band is playing a half-assed set. Only the most diehard of diehard Fall fans should pursue this album. Everyone else should stay the hell away. It's not like there's a real shortage of quality releases by The Fall already out there. Go listen to one of those. –Ricky Vigil

Feu Thrse
a Va Cogner
Constellation
Street: 10.23
Feu Thrse = Cabaret Volatire + The Psychedelic Furs + Bryan Ferry
Somehow, French Canadians know how to make the recently out-of-print a fashionable thing. Several years after the vintage synth revival, Feu Thrse drop this wispy 1981 time-warp. Aiming to cast off the “codified elements of 21st-century electro nostalgia,” the group reaches back to uncompressed, noisy instrumentation and equally miscreant production, all strung together with the post-pop songwriting construction of their lineage (Fly Pan Am, Et Sans). New Order may be no longer (this week), but Feu Thrse pick up between NO’s Low-Life and Technique with the string-padded pre-house of “Nada”; echoes of ethereal, reverb-soaked David Sylvian and Japan-isms seep into the title track. Strains of Planet Earth-era Duran Duran and Fleetwood Mac’s Tusk gleefully fuse together on “Visage Sous Nylon,” while “La Nuit est une Femme” could easily find purchase on The Cure’s Disintegration. A beautiful, respectful and innovative exercise in revision. –Dave Madden

Flobots
Fight With Tools
Self Released
Street: 10.16
Flobots = Sol. Illaquists of Sound + CREST
Live band instrumentals spun with socio-politically conscious rap lyrics, Denver’s Flobots utilizes singing, bass, viola, guitar, trumpet, and drums to create a soundscape evocative of Sol. Illaquists of Sound. There’s liberal soap-boxing of issues from every track, sometimes appropriately (“Handlebars”) and sometimes verging on the preachy. There’s a reason (well, there’s a few) most hip-hop groups don’t employ a full band for their backing beat; it’s like walking a tightrope to provide backing instrumentals that are interesting while not overpowering for the rapper to ply his rhymes. Some manage to flout their mastery of this idea (Heiruspecs), and Flobots is close to overcoming this teetering mechanical bull on nearly half the album, notably on songs like “We Are Winning,” “Anne Braden,” and “Handlebars.” These tracks have something to offer if you’re able to wade through the McDonald’s-jingle guitar riff production of songs like “Same Thing.” –Makena

The Foreshadowing
Days of Nothing
Candlelight
Street: 11.20
The Foreshadowing = Anathema + My Dying Bride + Paradise Lost
If you suffer from insomnia, Days of Nothing will put you out lickety-split. This Italian band plays gothic meets doom metal, but doesn’t deliver the emotion one expects. Their influences are very obvious; borrowing heavily from Anathema’s mid-career, which makes their originality lack in a big way. “Eschaton” is the best track on the record; it sounds the least like the band’s influences and show that there is some potential. Most importantly, I’m not bored as hell when I hear it. Most times, the music is at a snail’s pace with majestic, sweeping keyboard/piano work. The vocals are clean and seem forced. They lack any sort of emotion except for a guy trying to sound like he’s sad. It kind of makes you appreciate Aaron from My Dying Bride, a singer that really sounds as if he’s teetering between tears or anger at any given moment. –Bryer Wharton

Freedom Call
Dimensions
SPV
Street: 10.09
Freedom Call = Blind Guardian + Manowar + Masterplan
There’s nothing like some power metal to generate a laugh and then get stuck in your head. The highlight of Dimensions is “Innocent World;” somebody just spilled the Cheese Whiz on the floor and Freedom Call licked it right up. I dare you to count how many times they sing “freedom” or “innocent”—you could use every metal clich to describe the entire record. But it’s that cheesy, silly quality that actually makes the band appealing, mostly in the lyric department. With the song “United Alliance,” the band boasts how cool they are by chanting, “Raise your hands and chant, ‘We are Freedom Call!’” Add some cool 80s-sounding synths to the awesome leads and speedy guitar licks and you can’t get much more baddass than that. –Bryer Wharton

The Glasspack
Dirty Women
Small Stone
Street: 02.27
Glasspack = Legendary Shack Shakers + Nebula + Skynyrd + Minor Threat
I don’t know any other stoner band who sounds as furious or as punk as The Glasspack. I’ve been following The Glasspack for a few years, ever since I had the unbridled pleasure of encountering Powder Keg while doing CD reviews in the line of duty. Stoner automatically implies a certain laid-back mellowness amidst the naughty, heavy riffs, but Glasspack are downright pissed. Dirty Dave’s snarl is the crowning jewel of their sound; his vocal tone sounds like it could strip paint from a rust-crusted 1971 Mustang. Dirty Women serves up more of what the Glasspack are known for—plus, more blazing guitar soloing! Songs range from the heavier fare of “Fastback” to the laid-back, bluesy strutter, “Lot Lizard.” The Glasspack bleed genuine Southern flair; it’s like they’re actually from Kentucky or something. See them play Nov. 13 at Brewskie’s with local friends (now fellow labelmates) Iota. –Rebecca Vernon

Grayskul
Bloody Radio
Rhymesayers
Street: 09.18
Grayskul = Gravediggaz + Cage
Bloody Radio is the concept album of Rhymesayers duo Count Magnus and Draven, who create their own syndicated radio program under the aforementioned moniker. The record vacillates between peaks of dark poignancy and valleys of synth-pop silliness, all a part of the radio concept which is broadcasting Grayskul’s attempt at unifying hip-hop’s various styles (crunk, screwed, emo, gangsta) into one album. “We basically look at our new album as reversal brainwash—hip-hop music somewhat sounding like all these genres.” An example of the positive effect of this attempt is “Dance The Tragic,” a song with a Nightmare Before Christmas-type chorus sung by Toni Hill and also featuring the usually light-toned Pigeon John with the darkest verse I’ve ever heard from the Californian emcee. Unfortunately, songs like “Us” make it almost unbearable to endure this rap experiment; its chest thumping braggadocio over what sounds like a Jermaine Dupri beat too unbearable to get through, even if it is supposed to be a joke. –Makena Walsh

Greenleaf
Agents of Ahriman
Small Stone Records
Street: 07.10
Greenleaf = Witchcraft + Sabbath + Zeppelin.
Another SOLID fucking release care of Small Stone Records. Honestly, see my comparisons above, and you have this bastard. Maybe I’ve been smoking a bit too much wee lately, but I can’t seem to get enough of this no-frills, whiskey-doused, straight-up 70s rock-influenced mayhem. “Alishan Mountain” alone is worth the purchase price. I have hope that somewhere out there is a kid that will blind-buy this sucker with their hard-earned green instead of picking up the latest Parkway Drive or some such bullshit and will in turn be rewarded with a musical triumph. Buy this fucker, and remember I told you to do so. –loveyoudead

Hail!Hornet
Hail!Hornet
Dwell Records
Street: 07.17
Hail!Hornet = Weedeater + Beaten Back to Pure + Alabama Thunderpussy
“Believe in black” and join the hive, motherfuckers! I had no idea this project even existed until it graced my palms with a sticker reading “Members of Alabama Thunderpussy, Weedeater, Sourvein, and Beaten Back to Pure.” Seeing as how that about covered what I was listening to for almost the entire summer, I absolutely had to check it out. Holy. Fucking. Shit. Self-described “grime metal,” this is one case of a band being greater than the sum of its parts. One of the most devastating releases I’ve heard in a long while, H!H drift back and forth between WAAAY down-tuned Southern sludge and blast-beaty thrash without skipping a beat. If you’re looking for something to absolutely blow your mind, look no further. Trust me. –loveyoudead

Hardingrock
Grimen
Candlelight
Street: 09.25
Hardingrock = Peccatum + Ihsahn
Folk metal fans rise up! Hardingrock is a testament and absolute statement to the genre. The Norwegian band features an exciting lineup of Ihsahn of Emperor, Heidi S. Tveitan of Star of Ash and renowned fiddler Knut Buen. Everything on Grimen comes together in a diverse harmony; vocal snarls and clean singing from Ihsahn, angelic singing from Tveitan, and an almost danceable (Oktoberfest-style) rhythm. The sound is completed with a tinge of black metal and amazing guitar leads, but ultimately, it is the fiddle work that makes this album stand out. There hasn’t been anything done in folk style that’s this instrumentally technical before. –Bryer Wharton

Harlots
Betrayer
Lifeforce Records
Street: 10.16
Harlots = Gaza + Psyopus + Pig Destroyer
Harlots are a fairly interesting techy, grindy band. On one hand, one might quickly pass them off as just another American deathcore project. After delving deeper, however, Harlots prove themselves to be quite the opposite, with dense and dingy atmosphere, mathematically precise instrument performances, a spirited sense of direction, and even some melodic vocals, which fit nicely in “Dried Up Goliathan.” What is special to me about this disc isn’t only the damn good songwriting and frightening atmosphere they’ve achieved, but instead, that they’ve successfully avoided being pigeonholed into one genre of music. When a band accomplishes this, they are certainly worth paying attention to and deserve to be seated towards the top of the heap. –Conor Dow

HIM
Venus Doom
Sire Records
Street: 09.18
HIM = love metal
Throughout the years, there is no question that HIM’s fanbase has grown immensely. The band really hasn’t changed their self-proclaimed love metal style since they began. The music has transcended musical boundaries, bringing in fans of all types of music. There is something to be said about a band with that quality. How can you go wrong writing love songs with a touch of evil? With Venus Doom, there is some difference from previous albums, notably the band has a heavier sound with their guitars and songwriter/vocalist/sex symbol Ville Valo has made some of his vocal parts deeper than his voice has ever sounded, especially on the title track. There is no doubt you will be hearing plenty of songs from this record on the radio due to the fact that they are friendly enough to play over the air and extremely catchy (not a bad thing). The tune “Passions Killing Floor,” is infectious as all hell musically and lyrically; you’ll be singing the chorus, “My heart is a graveyard, baby, and to evil we make love.” There is also the 10-minute opus, “Sleepwalking Past Hope,” that even throws some Black Sabbath worship into the mix. (In The Venue, 11.03)– Bryer Wharton

The Holloways
So This is Great Britian?
TVT
Street: 10.01
The Holloways = The Wonder Stuff + The Specials
It’s hard to tell how seriously this London act takes themselves. One would like to think that they’ve got a keen sense of cynicism, which is hinted at, that connects them with something a bit more substantial than the party music they make. The NME has called them the next great act, but I can’t help but want to listen to something from Miles Hunt or an old Pop Will Eat Itself album, where the pop nature of the music is balanced with a punch of dramatic irony. Nonetheless, The Holloways have produced a nice pop record that will leave audiences bouncing up and down for the entirety of the set while shouting along with the chorus. But the next great act? Sorry, boys, not this time. –ryan michael painter

The Hot Toddies
Smell The Mitten
Asian Man Records
Street: 09.11
The Hot Toddies = The Four Tops + The Chordettes + Happy Surfer-Betty Rock
This album sounds like something off of the Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery Soundtrack. A full fist of happy jingles, cutesy lyrics, dry humor, confessions of being horny … yeah, I said it. Think about this: in the 1950s they sang about how nice it was in summertime and how they loved lollipops, etc. Take the same EXACT type of sound and apply lyrics like “When I’m in Seattle, I need someone to straddle” and “I’m only 15 and you’re 32” –referring to Internet stalkers trying to have sex with little girls. Wow, the times have changed, even though the music hasn’t. However, there is no way anybody can make it through this album without a sense of humor. The songs are silly but darling. Smell the Mitten goes from sexually arousing to kooky and ludicrous. Oh well, at least (from this record) I learned that salt water makes crappy Chai tea. –Lance Saunders

Iggy Pop
Live San Francisco 1981
MVD Audio
Street: 09.18
Iggy Pop = Iggy Pop
This disc features a soundboard recording from Iggy’s tour supporting Party in 1981. Sadly, there is no information about where exactly in San Francisco it was recorded. Even worse, this release suffers from the downfall of many live albums—poor recording quality that doesn’t sound like it’s been re-mastered one bit. The recording quality of the tracks isn’t bad enough to be labeled as un-listenable, but they aren’t good enough to make me want to pick this disc over an Iggy studio album. The 12 live songs blend together into a muddled mush of noise. The final two tracks, “Fire Engine” and “Warrior Tribe,” make the album worth something, though. Both of these were recorded in 1983 and are previously unreleased. The best part: They actually sound good! –Jeanette Moses

Jacobi Wichita
Nada
Thrust Music
Street: 11.06
Jacobi Wichita = Glassjaw + Mars Volta + Coheed & Cambria
It’s about time that a band like Jacobi Wichita came out. I have been waiting for a group to meld an old post hardcore style with a newer sound of progressive brawn. Nada opens with the soaring “Hey, Hey, Hey … Take It Easy” and never comes down. Each track is pleasurable and painful, kind of like a fresh pair of nipple clamps. These dudes are the future of gratuitous rhythms:Imagine Daryl Plaumbo with road rage beating up the whole band of Between the Buried and Me at a Beach Boys concert and leaving them for dead while all the members of Refused run away screaming in high-pitched terror. These guys are all about keeping the pimp hand high. The only complaint I have about this album is that there are only seven tracks. Make a full-length or die. –Jon Robertson

Jana Hunter
Carrion EP
Feow!
Street: 09.18
Jana Hunter = Devendra Banhart + Paul Solecki
Immediately following the start of her recording company, Feow!, Jana Hunter follows up the success of her most recent full-length, There's No Home, with a strikingly melodic and beautiful EP. Carrion features both songs recorded during the same time period and has her previous full-length release, as well as alternate versions of tunes featured on that same album. The songs, six in total, all feature the familiar mellowed guitar meanderings and lullaby-esque lyrics of her previous releases. An excellent prelude to what she has to offer in the future, Carrion only leaves us wanting more from the mind of Jana Hunter. –Ross Solomon

Kim Hiorthoy
My Last Day
Smalltown Supersound
Street: 11.06
Kim Hiorthoy = Matmost + Herbert + Four Tet
Blip Blip on the wall, who’s the most interesting electronic folk artist of them all? In the saturated tide of equidistant electronic/folk/hip-hop (each element blended in a puce mixture), Kim Hiorthoy is making waves. Tucked inside ambient and textural space lies an interesting intersection between a bouncy electronic pop/acid house and what Lol Coxhill has termed as “slow music”—something ethereal yet dense, spacey without air holes. Hiorthoy’s sound on My Last Day is interesting for the way it churns out mood in small yet persistent pushes of distant sounds—piano, simple repetitive, cupped glitches and quiet build-ups. I am in awe of the concentric motion of left-of-center cycles of beats, bumps and what can only be heard as Jeweled Antler Collective melodies (if you can even call them that). Slimy without any of the decay and amateurish in all the best ways, think of Kim Hiorthoy as the best bedroom artist who has made a full house out of a forest. –Erik Lopez

LCD Soundsystem
45:33
DFA Records
Street: 11.13
LCD Soundsystem = Defunkt + Daft Punk + The Rapture – The Faint
Originally marketed as an “exercise album”—whatever the fuck that is—45:33 highlights a 45-minute electro-funk symphony brilliantly mixing LCD Soundsystem melodies, soulfunk vocal tracks and dub-style grooves. Probably better-suited for long drives or “jogging” than the dance floor, the album carries a distinctly retro feel compared to LCD Soundsystem’s other releases. The track would feel right at home amongst The Contortions and Arthur Russell on the infamous New York Noise compilation. The length and gate of the album is a welcome refresher to three-minute radio blips, allowing DFA’s James Murphy to take a much-applauded exercise in creative conducting, taking chances and pushing the envelope further than he’d dare on an LCD Soundsystem album. –Ryan Powers

Light Pupil Dilate
Snake Wine
LifeForce Records
Street: 10.02
Light Pupil Dilate = Helmet + Juliana Theory vocals – the emo pussification
This is a big fat batch of blue-collar rock that could be a fine showcase for many of those stripped-down garage projects out there. Snake Wine has pretty much everything you’d expect from the style, and paired with excellent production, probably won’t be disappointing those who enjoy hard-workin’ rock and roll, but at the same time, will likely not be turning heads, either. Somehow I doubt that the band gives much of a damn if you listen or not. No frills and hard-rockin’ is the word of the day with Georgia’s Light Pupil Dilate. Not a bad release at all, but probably not for those who are searching for something more. –Conor Dow

Limbonic Art
Legacy of Evil
Candlelight
Street: 10.23
Limbonic Art = Dimmu Borgir + Dark Funeral
It’s definitely been a while since Limbonic Art was on the scene. I recall buying into the hype and purchasing their Ad Noctum Dynasty of Death album, and while I enjoyed it, the record grew old after a while. The band called it quits in 2002 after the release of their Ultimate Death Worship record and throughout the five years of inactivity, members participated in bands such as Morfeus in Dimension F3H, Daemon in Sarcoma Inc and Zyklon. For two guys, the amount of musical diversity going on with Legacy of Evil is truly astounding—it sounds like there are multiple guitar tracks with bass, breakneck drumming and plenty of keyboards. While most of the tracks run in similar realms, I enjoy this album better than their other records. If you’re looking for something a bit faster and heavier than the typical Dimmu Borgir, look into Limbonic Art; they carry the same elements, but brandish with them an aggression and emotion that Dimmu lacks. –Bryer Wharton

Lycia
Cold
Silber Records
Street: 09.25
Lycia = Lycia
I can’t seem to figure out what’s up with all the darkwave re-releases lately. Not that I’m complaining: Some of this stuff has been out of print and next to impossible to find for quite some time. But this particular release isn’t all that difficult to track down in its original form. Regardless, Lycia is far and away one of my favorite bands from the depressing darkwave genre, and there is a definite reason why this album is called Cold. From the opening drone of “Frozen” through the final dirge of “Later,” this album never actually allows you to breathe: you literally have the experience of drowning … slowly, but extremely welcome, nonetheless. –loveyoudead

Mariee Sioux
Faces in the Rocks
Press Here Records
Street: 09.18
Mariee Sioux = Mazzy Star + American Indian Influence Portishead + Kate Wolf
This album couldn’t be any less beautiful. Mariee Sioux’s lofty, Native American-inspired melodies and obscure guitar plucks hypnotize you as you walk to the edge of the cliff; her delicate and instantly appealing voice is the force that pushes you over. Faces in the Rocks holds you in everlasting suspended animation and lets you down softly, leaving you with a higher consciousness and lingering jovial feeling. Mariee captivates you with her interpretation of the universe through song. Each track illuminates her poetry and forces you to acknowledge the interconnectedness of the universe and entrances you, instilling a surrounding spirit with her voice to make you feel less lonely. She tells stories of concentrated energy attuned to animals and ancestors. Songs like “Buried in Teeth” delve into your psyche with caddies full of intuitive poetry and a circular guitar style. I am truly in awe with this album. –Lance Saunders Mass Shivers
Ecstatic Eyes Glow Glossy
Sickroom Records
Street: 08.21
Mass Shivers = Can + MC5 + Liars
The second album from Chicago-based Mass Shivers is one that sounds infinitely familiar, though where that familiarity comes from is uncertain. The opener of “Womanizing Metal Studs” sets the stage for the album as a whole; flanged-out, low-end guitars squelch and noodle around a consistently tribal groove. This is a pretty common theme throughout the album as a whole, though the guitars range from the stop-start staccato of Captain Beefheart to thick Stooges growl to straight-up drone. Likewise, while always somewhat tribal, the drums meander between solid rock rhythms and krautrock afrobeat hybrids. What really gets this music to swing, though, are the vocals. They sound like they would nestle most comfortably on some late 70s space-rock album, spouting epic stories of some extinct alien race, vocals equal part cock and soul. Similarly, throughout the album, the campfire and the stadium are found in equal measure. –B. Roller

Moonspell
Under Satanae
SPV
Street: 11.06
Moonspell = Dimmu Borgir + Paradise Lost + Cradle of Filth – Dani Filth
Yet another metal band re-recording old material to fit their current sound; it’s always a gamble. Portugal’s Moonspell have revisited their first record Under the Moonspell, a record that is out of print and extremely hard to find, so kudos to the band for making the material available again, albeit in a new version. Moonspell’s career has progressed from straightforward black metal to incorporating elements of gothic and death metal into the mix. With the record’s title changed to Under Satanae, the music sounds very much like the band’s last album, Memorial, though there is the use of flute, keyboards, acoustic guitars and female vocals giving the album more atmosphere than said recent albums. Though re-titled and re-recorded, making the album come off as something new, I can’t help but think the band ran out of ideas to make a new record. Thus, the band had to rehash/resurrect their oldest material. I would have just settled for a re-release of the actual Under the Moonspell album. –Bryer Wharton

Moving Units
Hexes for Exes
Metropolis Records
Street Date: 10.09
Moving Units = Cut Copy + Glass Candy + The Rapture + Franz Ferdinand
Moving Units helped pioneer the angular guitar neo-no wave disco scene along with The Rapture and The Liars with their EP release in 2003. Hexes for Exes shows a definite progression and recovery from the sophomore slump, Dangerous Dreams. Reverb-soaked vocals and the integration of analog electronics seamlessly add dimension without losing the original charm of primitive dance rock that helped the group originally break through. Although the album isn’t a standout dance club album, the songs carry the distinctive dance-punk sound similar to the vibe of LCD Soundsystem’s album Sound of Silver. Increasing the orchestration of the album brings a new dimension to the group’s repertoire, and helps make this album an extraordinary and complex listening pleasure. –Ryan Powers

mwvm
Rotations
Silber
Street: 09.25
mwvm = Starts of the Lid + Keith Fullerton Whitman
You know the drill here: shimmery, soft-focus ambient prettiness built from loops of processed guitar and bathed in swaths of static. Rotations is an undeniably enjoyable listen, but it doesn’t really offer anything new to my ears. mwvm has neither the imagination of Fennesz or Keith Fullerton Whitman nor the sense of majesty and melody of Stars of the Lid or Tim Hecker. And yet there’s nothing particularly wrong with this release; it’s an adequate, meditative album, sufficiently pretty and fairly unexciting. You could do a lot worse than listening to this, but for the genre, you could do a whole lot better. –Jona Gerlach

Naked Aggression/Die Schwarzen Schafe
Assassin Wanted/Keine Zeit
Campary Records
Street: 2007
Naked Aggression/Die Schwarzen Schafe = one of the best albums this year!
The two bands on this split complement one another perfectly. I’ve always loved Naked Aggression’s fast and aggressive chick-fronted hardcore and now I love Die Schwarzen Schafe’s melodic German street punk. The best part about this album is that it features brand new music from both bands. Each side features 4 incredible tracks—and the liner notes feature German and English translations of both of the bands’ songs. This is definitely one of the best punk albums that’s been released in a while. My favorite track on the album was Naked Aggression’s “Count Down.” This album just renewed my love for modern-day punk rock; it’s that good. –Jeanette Moses

Nedelle
The Locksmith Cometh
Tangram 7s
Street: 08.07
Nedelle = Joanna Newsome + Vashti Bunyan + (low key) Feist
Unfortunately, the key word in this review is “average.” None of these songs are bad by any means. Just boring. It reminds me of Joanna Newsome, Marissa Nadler, a little of St. Vincent. It’s just that it’s not as good. Nedelle’s playing is nice, but she never really pushes anything or experiments. Apparently she has mastered many instruments, but you just don’t ever get that sense here. Again, her singing is very pretty, but she sings as if she’s bored most of the time, like a scene from some Disney musical about the unchallenged indie songstress. If anything stands out, it would be the lyrics, which are sometime poignant, sometimes funny. These are templates for great songs; however, they never reach great, instead leaving you hungry, thinking with each listen, “This time it will satisfy.” But ultimately, you’re left digging through the fridge. –B. Roller

Ohmega Watts
Watts Happening
Ubiquity Records
Street: 10.09
Ohmega Watts = Planet Asia + Pete Rock + Common
I have been somewhat disenchanted as of late when it comes to new hip-hop being released out of the states. Then … along comes a gem like this album. Ubiquity Records continues its role of producing wide-eyed, all-encompassing, and multi-talented artists. Ohmega Watts has been around for a while, but his sound is definitely new to me. Watts Happening is their sophomore effort filled with soul and funk, psychedelic Brazilian sounds and an earful of sticky rhymes. Ohmega brings back classic sayings like “Just think … what if you could just … ” You know the rest. If you are so inclined to ask me, “What has come out lately that you’re excited about?” I’ll drop Ohmega Watt’s name like a fucking anvil. –Lance Saunders

Om
Pilgrimage
Southern Lord
Street: 10.02
Om = Sleep – Matt Pike. Literally.
You know, it’s a bit difficult to put together a coherent review of this album when you’re a bit on the inebriated side and deep in the midst of the first track, “Pilgrimage.” For the uninitiated, Om is two-thirds (Chris Haikus and Al Ciseneros, to be exact) of the defunct and legendary stoner behemoth known as Sleep. While Matt Pike has gone on to form the much-hyped (and deservedly so) High On Fire, as well as the massively under-rated Kalas, his old rhythm section has somewhat quietly been releasing absolute masterpieces under the Om moniker. I absolutely love the first two full-lengths, both available on Holy Mountain, and the split with Current 93 is something to behold, but “Pilgrimage” is ultimately the most insanely … well … “trippy” release these two have unleashed. Have your bong ready and enjoy the ride, kids. –loveyoudead

Os Mutantes
Mutantes Live – Barbican Theatre, London, 2006
Luaka Bop
Street: 09.13
Os Mutantes = Joao Gilberto + Sgt. Pepper + Nuggets
When artists who have been defunct or irrelevant since the early 70s do a comeback tour, it’s usually nothing more than a sad, desperate plea for a little more income and applause in exchange for flaccid renditions of tried-and-true hits. Not so with these guys. Os Mutantes were maybe the best psychedelic band of the 60s; a truly brilliant, sonically omnivorous band far ahead of its time, and this recording finds them sounding just as energetic and fresh as ever. While this two-disc set is certainly no substitute for their first three records (which all of you should start busting your asses to track down right now), and the first disc is a bit heavy on the more proggy later material than I’d like, this serves as a fine introduction to a truly monumental band. –Jona Gerlach

Pentacle
Under the Black Cross
Ibex Moon
Street: 10.16
Pentacle = Obituary + Venom + Malevolent Creation
I find it funny how bands come up with their names sometimes. In the case of Pentacle, I imagine they wanted an evil-sounding name, but Pentagram was already taken by a mighty doom metal band, so they just took that same concept and used another word for it. Pentacle joined in during the early era of Florida death metal (’89, to be precise). I’m not sure if they were influenced by Obituary or vice versa and one of the bands just wound up getting more popular than the other, but Pentacle’s singer sounds a hell of a lot like Jon Tardy from Obituary and so does the music. The band plays pretty standard death metal, nothing too technical with mediocre songwriting. It’s nice background music, but it gets old after a while. The band toured with some big names in metal, but it just seems like they never had the chance to bridge that gap from really underground to a big name in the underground. While Under the Black Cross is a great testament to the Florida scene, it just ends up sounding like so much other stuff and I can’t truly get into it. –Bryer Wharton

POLYSICS
Polysics or Die!!!! Vista
Myspace Records
Street: 10.09
POLYSICS = The Epoxies + Devo + Japan (the country, not the band)
Holy crap, this is some hyper music. This album is all about blips, bloops, and male/female Engrish vocals, and it's a lot of fun in small bursts. Hell, even the cover of “My Sharona” is enjoyable, but I seriously couldn't listen to this album the whole way through. It's too much of the same throughout. The confines of POLYSICS' electro-pop-punk sound is a bit too restrictive and doesn't allow for much deviation. The weird little vocal quirks by both the male and female vocalists also get a bit irritating after a few songs. All in all though, this is a fun little album. Surprising, too, since it was released on Myspace Records, who I would expect to be peddling an entirely different kind of crap upon impressionable teenagers. –Ricky Vigil

Poolside at the Flamingo
This Will End Badly…
Epitome Productions
Street: 07.02
Poolside at the Flamingo = Cephalic Carnage + Ed Gein + XXX Maniak
Jeepers, this was a nice surprise. The album cover displays a bathtub with bloody handprint smears everywhere, conjuring thoughts of “scene girl Myspace photoshoot.” What I got when listening to this is exactly what I want victimizing said girls … pure flesh-shredding chaos and gut-ripping terror. The unrelenting fury performed here barely lets up for more than a few seconds, but somehow the album still manages to maintain some creepy characteristics found only in Ted Bundy’s apartment. Like a lot of grind, the samples are well placed, humorous, and used effectively. The instruments are performed with top-notch professionalism and almost unbelievable accuracy. This being their only release thus far, I really can’t wait to hear what terror awaits those obnoxious scene girls next. –Conor Dow

Porn Sword Tobacco
New Exclusive Olympic Heights
City Centre Offices
Street: 06.19
Porn Sword Tobacco = a.vanvranken + Pink Floyd + ambient Aphex Twin
Absolutely incredible. The entirety of this album, from start to finish and back again, could be considered the pinnacle of ambient beauty. The softer tracks are a parallel to the best of Aphex Twin's ambient work, and others feature samples that could rival even the most prolific work of Pink Floyd. Never does anything sound out of place, lending to the feeling that each track is a fine-tuned masterpiece of sheer simplicity and minimalism. Looped for hours on end, this album would never get old. Only with time do even more of the elegant and subtle nuances make themselves noticed, and the whole experience is elevated beyond the pinnacle of electronic bliss. –Ross Solomon

Quips
Take Two
Translation Loss Records
Street: 10.02
Quips = Bright Eyes + Elliot Smith – singer/songwriter + Silverchair (new)
Quips is certainly a band the girls will like. Yep, this is cutesy rock that doesn’t quite feel like your typical indie band, but still maintains that simplistic minimalism that you might expect from Elliot Smith or even some Bob Dylan. Sleepy vocals croon among often acoustic or clean guitar, occasional piano, and your basic bass guitar and drum structures to create the still developing Quips sound. Both the college student and their parents could casually sway their hips to this without regret while consuming alcohol at a bar show. –Conor Dow

Refugee
Live at Newcastle City Hall (1974)
VoicePrint
Street: 03.26
Refugee = The Nice + Yes
A mid-70s rock experiment gone right, Refugee epitomizes “being in the right place at the wrong time.” In 1973, a few years after Keith Emerson left The Nice, the remaining rhythm section of Brian Davison and Lee Jackson got together with an unknown keyboard virtuoso, Patrick Moraz. In 1974, when Rick Wakeman left Yes, Moraz deserted Refugee and joined up with the progressive colossal. So after just one studio album and a handful of shows, Refugee was no more. Live at Newcastle City Hall is a justifying introduction to this goodie-bag of prog-rock. The matchless grooves of Davison and Jackson fuse perfectly with Moraz’s symphonious style. Jackson’s croaky English groan takes some getting used to but eventually falls right into place. Refugee has a luring peculiarity about them. An epic like the “Grand Canyon Suite” sounds appropriate enough for a Flash Gordon movie. “Papillion,” an upbeat and tightly syncopated piece, really shows off the talent and musicianship of the trio. Certainly a good listen. –Michael DeJohn

Rockfour
Memories of the Never Happened
Anova Records
Street: 05.17
Rockfour = The Beatles + Stephen Brodsky vocals
The Rockfour sounds like what The Beatles would have sounded like in this day and age had they stayed together and half of them not peaced out and died. The beginning intro, “Glued,” made me think that they were going to get psychedelic all up on my business but unfortunately, the first song kicked in and I heard some grungy Brit-pop action instead. I guess I should have expected that, knowing all of Rockfour’s previous work; I was just hoping they were going to break it out crazy style. But besides that, this band is solid and tight. The production value is dirty and distorted with some cool-sounding, overdriven effects. All that being said, the third track, “Because of Damaging Words,” is the Miles Davis of peeing your pants. I’ll give it up to these guys, but just a littler bit. – Jon Robertson

Rosetta
Wake/Lift
Translation Loss Records
Street: 10.02
Rosetta = Mogwai + ISIS + Stars of the Lid + space
Few bands stir my emotions and invigorate my imagination like Rosetta does. With tongue planted in cheek, they are self-described as “space metal” and their last album, The Galilean Satellites, is still a staple in my listening rotation. This release will surely continue this practice with immediate continuity in both lyrical themes and sweeping soundscapes that ever-so-subtly wash over your ears with a calming sense of solitude. You’ll also find a hearty dose of moments so dense and heavy that they could likely crumble small buildings. Drumming that never ceases to be uninteresting, bass guitar looming with atmosphere, lead guitar continually ringing like an encore at a bell-choir concert and roaring vocals that ache with conviction and exigency—Wake/Lift is anything but disappointing. Listening to this could be described as the aural equivalent of the most intense viewing of 2001: A Space Odyssey you’ll ever have. –Conor Dow

The Rosewood Thieves
Lonesome
Self-Released
Street: 11.20
The Rosewood Thieves = Sea Wolf + Kind of Like Spitting + The Shins (acoustic)
These guys play great music for how hairy they are! I can only imagine what kind of music they would play if they had day jobs and had to struggle like, ummm, SLUG writers. Oh wait, I don’t have a day job. Raspy vocal delivery and charming guitar-tickling kicks the shit out of the baby grand on most of the songs. Apparently, The Rosewood Thieves recorded this EP in a cabin located near the Pocomo Mountains north of upstate New York. Snowed in and very “lonesome,” they recorded the whole damn thing by candlelight … weird, because the electricity had to have been working to record. I smell bullshit. It’s a good thing the cabin just so happened to have a full recording studio installed. “Hey guys, we’re snowed in—let’s make an album!” Wow, one could only wish. Regardless, Lonesome is a darling album, perfect for wooing the bipolar art student breezy onto your futon. –Lance Saunders

Satan’s Host
Burning the Born Again… (A New Philosophy)
Moribund
Street: 10.09
Satan’s Host = Celtic Frost + Sodom + pure creativity
There is a long, sad and triumphant history with Satan’s Host. The band began in 1986 in Boulder,’ Colorado, and the band’s original frontman Harry Conklin (a.ka. Leviathan Thisiren) went on to be part of the popular power metal band Jag Panzer. In 1989, original drummer D. Lucifer Steele was murdered, which culminated the end of the band for most of the 90s, searching out new members. Amongst a flurry of death threats, the band prevailed and have been trucking for a while. This newest effort is nothing short of brilliant, a diverse array and mix of traditional thrash metal and black metal, the songs ranging from slower-paced to speedy headbanging thrash, the vocals wicked as the band’s name suggests. Each song is as diverse as the next and actually explores complex melodies and structures rare for the realm of metal that the band plays. The crisp production retains a raw value, especially in the guitar tone, which truly just sounds evil as fuck. –Bryer Wharton

Saturday Looks Good to Me
Fill Up the Room
Polyvinyl Records
Street: 10.23
Saturday Looks Good to Me = The Mountain Goats' vocals + Of Montreal + anything retro
Lo-fi retro recordings and catchy doo-wop indie pop tunes abound—SLGTM continues its legacy of being at the forefront of yesterday. With Fill up the Room, frontman Fred Thomas captures the ideal sound of an indie-pop band and does a fantastic job melding it with incredibly varied and nostalgic 60s-era pop tunes. Some examples are the slow doo-wop tunes early in the album followed with dancy synths and almost anything else a fan of Of Montreal and its ilk could want. Sure, if you're not into the whole retro-pop thing, this album probably won't tickle your fancy. But if hearing The New Pornographers makes you want to cream your pants, most definitely check these guys out. –Ross Solomon

Sear Bliss
The Arcane Odyssey
Candlelight
Street: 11.20
Sear Bliss = Emperor + Therion + a lot of trumpets and horns
With the band’s name and album cover art (even though it was designed by a guy that has done Venom cover art), you would almost judge them to be power metal, but such is not the case. Sear Bliss play blackened symphonic death metal. This album would be run-of-the-mill if it weren’t for the amazing use of brass instruments, which transcends The Arcane Odyssey to a level of extreme metal that stands out from the pack. The guitars are based in black metal, fast and shredding, but the vocals run in more of a death-growl direction. I feel like I’m at a metal symphony, but not the crappy Metallica version, definitely something European. These Hungarians have crafted something that captivates and either has you banging your head or lulling you into bliss with its emotional and diverse melodic passages. This record is a prime example of how to do technical metal right. –Bryer Wharton

Sharaab
Evolution
Undo Recordings
Street: 10.30
Shraraab = Roni Size + DJ Me DJ You + Steinski + Massive Attack
The beginning of this album makes me think of the scene in The Exorcist when the old crotchety priest walks up and stands across from the ghoulish statue in the desert while the sun sets while there is this ferocious sound of two dogs fighting in the background with Middle Eastern music playing. Sharaab’s second album sounds a lot like how that scene is. But instead of an old priest there is a Rastafarian with an English accent bugging out to some desert-sounding techno and preaching doom over the top of it. This CD is the equivalent of what an exorcism would consist of if you were possessed with the evil, ghostly powers of reggae, techno, trip-hop and mysterious Middle Eastern sounds. The power of Christ compels you!! –Jon Robertson

Shawn Lee’s Ping Pong Orchestra
Hits the Hits
Ubiquity
Street 10.09
Shawn Lee’s PPO = Me First and the Gimme Gimmes + a UK DJ + a wellspring of reworkable pop hits
There is something very Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass about recording mostly instrumental versions of popular, sometimes offensive songs and dumbing them down for mass appeal. Where this disc differs from the Herb Alpert model is that most Top 40 music is already sufficiently dumb. This creates a situation where the cover band needs to inject appeal and artistry into some rather dry, cookie-cutter hits. Shawn Lee does a fantastic job of this, applying a classy, retro vibe to a grip of current pop hits. He does tunes by Gwen Stefani, Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake, Outkast and many more. It is an impressive undertaking, and the outcome is very listenable. Where I think the concept breaks up a little is that people who like this disc may not really be familiar with the original recordings, so the irony is mostly lost on them. And then there are the pop-music fans who, having already proven their inability to make good music choices, won’t see any need in having a more stylish version of Outcast’s “Hey Ya.” –James Bennett

Sickening Horror
When Landscapes Bleed Red
Willowtip/Neurotic
Street: 09.11
Sickening Horror = Morbid Angel + Atheist + crazy electronica
Holy shit, Willowtip! I keep getting blown away by bands you are releasing; what would the technical death metal world be like now if it wasn’t for you guys giving these bands a chance? You’ve raised the bar with Sickening Horror; I was thrown a total curveball with When Landscapes Bleed Red. It’s technical, the ravaging guitars make my head spin, the drummer plays circles around everything, then the tune “The Cold Funeral,” rears its head and out of nowhere, there’s this electronic sample that sounds like it came from Nine Inch Nails. More samples pop up in the record, giving it this weird Hellraiser-in-outer-space feeling. This technicality is infused with a jazz rhythm with the bass that takes things to a whole new level. –Bryer Wharton

Signal Quintet
Yamaguchi
Cut
Street: 06.07
Signal Quintet = Jason Kahn + Tomas Korber + Norbert Mslang + Gnter Mller + Christian Weber
In several interviews with the performers on this album, most express the same sentiment: a need to force an audience to put everything aside and just listen to what is being communicated. So what does this quintet of Kahn, Korber, Mslang, Mller and Weber have to say? Yamaguchi, as far as Cut releases goes, borders on verbose, each performer busily (again, a relative term here) contributing to the aural tapestry of mostly non-representational sound, Weber’s contrabass being the only instrument you can pick out of the lineup. Improvised, breath-holding textures comprised of gradually ripening cyclical hum, pops and clicks of all colors, receding drones and stray overtones convene at the pace of a sunrise, ruminating long enough to reach their potential before languidly changing angles, adding pigment or dismantling completely. This is the work of masterful veterans, and possibly the most engaging work the label has released. –Dave Madden

Simian Mobile Disco
Attack Decay Sustain Release
Interscope
Street: 09.18
Simian Mobile Disco = Technotronic + Erasure + La Bouche
After the dance floor anthem “We are Your friends,” Simian Mobile Disco go off the deep end to create an electronic dance album that sounds curiously like 90s house and 70s disco fused together. The live analog tweaks add substantial dimension and awesomability to the sounds, each track begging for a remix. However, something about the Technotronic-style song structures and diva vocals cross the line from parody into actuality. The clean production and presentation of Attack Decay Sustain Release makes me feel like Interscope sucked all of the cutting edge out of this group of accomplished electronic musicians. While the sounds and beats of the album are distinctly “today,” the song structures and musicianship is decidedly reserved and conservative. At the hands of Justice, Van She Tech, or MSTRKRFT, the songs of this album could be fucking amazing, but in their original state, they lack the cutting edge or originality to provide us with any sort of boners and/or moist vaginas. –Ryan Powers

Skallander
Skallander
Type Recordings
Street: 08.21
Skallander = The Ladybug Transistor + Cat Stevens
Skallander thinks it can sing you to sleep and you won’t care. Even more incredulous, it asks you to thank it for the task. To be fair, someone needs to make good sleepy music, and Skallander’s is by no means the worst I’ve heard. Plucking acoustic guitars and deep, soothing vocals lull one into unconsciousness as well as the best bedtime story. The album should carry a warning against driving while listening, an action not sympathetic to the drowsiness it induces. –Makena Walsh

The Soda Pop Kids
Teen Bop Dream
Full Breach Kicks
Street: 11.13
The Soda Pop Kids = New York Dolls + Little Richard + The Pink Spiders + Beat Beat Beat + The Exploding Hearts + The Darkness + The Put Ons
Talk about regurgitated garbage. The Soda Pop Kids tread ground which is oh-so-familiar, in a completely juvenile manner on Teen Bop Dream, their second album. Songs such as “Fell in Love at the Arcade,” “Too Pretty” and “The Soda Pop Sting” conjure up images of prepubescent lovey-dovey puke fests. The worst part of the whole record, though, is that, shockingly enough, between the screechy-bop vocals and poppy, tune-hopping guitar, The Soda Pop Kids have something that is catchy enough to ashamedly enjoy. Where they go wrong is their band name, for one. Call me a purist or a snob, but I could never listen to a band with such a name. Next is the title of the album itself … Teen Bop Dream? Come on, give me a break. Lastly, the lyrics—though not all are as painful as their naming of things—are bubble-gum nightmares. I’ll bet each of these guys had a subscription to Teen Bop magazine in their youth—that is the only reasonable explanation for how grown men could willingly be a part of something this sissy and lame. –Jeremy C. Wilkins

Sodom
The Final Sign of Evil
SPV
Street: 10.09
Sodom = Kreator + Destruction + Venom
I’m always a bit skeptical when a band goes back and decides to re-record early material; when Testament did it, I had mixed feelings. While it was nice to hear the songs better produced, they didn’t have that same classic feel as the originals. In the case of Sodom re-recording their first EP with The Final Sign of Evil, I honestly can’t judge the difference because I’ve never heard the original. But with this re-recording, the band’s vocalist Tom Angelripper brought the original lineup that recorded that first EP to do the re-recording, re-uniting members Grave Viloator and Chris Witchhunter. In addition to the four re-recorded songs from that EP, there is a slew of re-recorded bonus cuts that were never released, giving this release the full-length treatment. While I never heard the original, the feeling from this release is old-school all the way. Sodom has always embraced thrash and black metal, especially with their vocals, and the combo is brilliant. The best part about these re-recordings is, while I’m sure their production value is miles above the original, it is still raw and retains that classic metal feel. Sodom fan or not, this is thrash metal with black metal grimness. – Bryer Wharton

Soldiers
End of Days
Trustkill Records
Street: 10.02
Soldiers = Terror + First Blood + Madball
Working in concert promotion, acts that were part of a larger band would sometimes not want their respective band’s name mentioned in their promotion because they wanted to do it on their own. This didn’t always work. Soldiers take full advantage of the fact that two of its members are in hardcore heavyweights This is Hell. Too bad Soldiers’ straightforward moshtacular hardcore doesn’t have the same grab as This is Hell, and so it fails to stand on its own. End of Days is well executed, the vocal style of singer Rick Jiminez is higher in pitch than many of his tough-guy counterparts, and it’s heavy. To its detriment, though, Soldiers aren’t a terribly interesting take on the crowded tough-guy style, nor is it a progression of the genre. But for those only looking for heavy, this fits the bill. –Peter Fryer

Sole
Sole & The Skyrider Band
anticon.
Street: 10.23
Sole & The Skyrider Band = Sole + The Skyrider Band
Back from international sojourn, Tim Holland (a.k.a. Sole) has retained his pessimism but adopted a less gratingly preachy ego to voice his philosophical ranting in collaboration with The Skyrider Band. The musings of this matured Sole are comfortably despondent—a relaxed and post-apocalyptic pathos that rests on his shoulders like a tailor-made Sean John suit. Representatively revelatory of the album is the contrast of the deep vocalizer used on “The Bones of My Pets,” a dichotomy that will unsettle anyone who’s heard Mike Jone’s sonically similar yet sentimentally opposite use of the same effect. Equally enjoyable are the album’s “beats” (a term whose traditional denotation is perhaps here inappropriate). From the Ewok flute of “On Cavalry” to the borrowed Guy Debord chorus of “In Paradise,” Sole makes it hard to go back to regular hip-hop after this collection of characteristically addictive attention-deficit-disordered songs. –Makena Walsh

S.S.S.P
For Life
Koi Records
Street: 08.01
S.S.S.P. = The Bruisers + Kill Your Idols + Oxymoron
S.S.S.P. (Skinheads Still Scare People) aren’t bad, but they just didn’t manage to reach my expectations. For Life contains a handful of well-crafted songs, but I have a feeling S.S.S.P. would be better enjoyed in a smoky venue with a group of sweaty individuals crammed into a space way too small than in my car. On this release, Mike DeLorenzo and Vinnie Value come off sounding way more toned down then they probably actually are. I’d definitely see this band if they rolled through town, but I don’t think I’ll listen to this album many more times. It takes a lot to capture the intensity of hardcore; sadly, For Life didn’t quite get it. –Jeanette Moses

Starving Daughters
Such Buds: Limited Silk-Screened Edition
Tender Loving Empire
Street 10.10
Starving Daughters = early Pink Floyd + Hum + Built to Spill
This EP, limited to 500 copies, is a reissue of a disc that came out earlier this year. This time around, the packaging has been reworked and the cover and insert booklet have been hand-screen-printed. This certainly adds some pizzazz to the whole thing, making it seem like the artists feel very strongly about their music. This same care has been taken with the writing and recording of the five songs on the EP. And while several of these songs lean toward the “I really like computer games with dragons” side of shoegaze music, the overall feel of the disc is one of soft, floating psychedelia. I’m not usually kind to bands whose entire sound feels ripped from the cold hands of Syd Barrett, but I have to say that I liked this disc more than I thought I would. It’s filled with cool, well-structured songs that never seem to rush as they revisit places formerly inhabited by bands like Deep Purple and Protocol Harem. –James Bennett

Static Radio NJ
One For the Good Guys
Black Numbers
Street: 08.07
Static Radio NJ = Kid Dynamite + Paint It Black + Shook Ones
From the land of Lifetime comes Static Radio NJ, yet another band imitating the brand of melodic hardcore made famous by those Jersey natives over 10 years ago. The cool thing about Static Radio NJ, though, is that they pull off the sound better than most. The vocals are plenty aggressive, the drumbeat is fast as all hell (if a little repetitive), and the songs have some moments of poppiness interspersed. The first few seconds of the title track really set the mood as a steady drumbeat is accelerated just as the gang vocals jump in. The pace and energy don't let up for the entirety of this 10-minute EP. It's short, but it's good enough to keep on repeat for an hour or so, as long as you've got plenty of room to run around and slam into walls and shit. –Ricky Vigil

Steve Aoki
Pillowface & His Airplane Chronicles
Thrive Records / Dim Mak
Street: 10.27
Steve Aoki = Flufftronix – Girl Talk + Diplo + LCD Soundsystem x Justice
We have all been dancing and wished for world-class DJmanship only to be devastated by sub-par beatmatching, asinine song selection, and tired radio hits. The West Coast has Steve Aoki, the East Coast James Murphy, leaving the rest of us to fend for ourselves. Well, fear no more, Pillowface & His Airplane Chronicles provides a solid dance album with an excellent mix of familiar indie dance ( l Justice, Bloc Party, Peaches) gloriously remixed with some less familiar but equally awesome (Goose, Services, Does It Offend You, Yeah?) faces. Steve Aoki’s contribution to this album musically is very subtle, as none of the songs are actually “Steve Aoki Remixes,” rather relying on classic remixes by MSTRKRFT, L.A. Riots and Soulwax. However, a lot of guest vocals and excellent mixing of the songs occur—making this album’s versions unique from any other commercially available mixes. –Ryan Powers

Suicide Silence
The Cleansing
Century Media
Street: 09.18
Suicide Silence = Dying Fetus + Skinless + Cephalic Carnage
Well, you have to hand it to Dying Fetus and Skinless for pretty much redefining what modern grind music is. Suicide Silence borrows heavily on what said bands have made so popular in the grind scene today. The Riverside, CA, band has an almost mathematical precision about their stop-and-go brutality; everything is well executed. Unfortunately, the riffs, breakdowns, drumming and even the vocals all seem way too clean and error-free, it pretty much takes the raw out of what grind music is supposed to be. I’m not saying the album is bland or lacks intensity, because there are some truly great riffs and transitions going on with The Cleansing, but it just seems a bit too rehearsed in every aspect. –Bryer Wharton

Tangerine Dream and the Brandenburg Symphonic Orchestra
Paradiso
Eastgate
Street: 09.25.06
TD & the BSO = that slick, soulless bullshit they play in hip, upscale bistros Wow, this is really awful. I know that Tangerine Dream peaked in the mid-70s (nearly everything post-Rubicon is highly suspect in my book) but this is actually really embarrassing. It starts off nice enough, with beautiful droning strings, but then the drums kick in with a really bad, slick pseudo-house beat, which is soon accompanied by some idiot lady singing terza rimas from the Paradiso. Instead of the sublime visions of heaven conjured by Dante in his masterpiece, I found myself thinking of low-fat lattes, yuppies, $20 martinis and Audis. If that’s not corruption, I don’t know what is. The good news is that a wonderful new translation of the Paradiso by Jean and Robert Hollander was released this year, so Dante’s legacy isn’t actually as fucked as this recording would have you believe. –Jona Gerlach

Ted Nugent
Love Grenade
Eagle Records
Street: 09.04
Ted Nugent = music for adults who read at a third-grade level
Hey guys, remember me? The Amboy Dukes? “Cat Scratch Fever”? Damn Yankees? Kill It and Grill It? I called Heidi Prescott from the Fund for Animals a “worthless whore”? I’m back-pinching out another turd made up of the same soulless rock I’ve been writing for more than 30 years! This time I sing less about awkward sexual innuendos, replacing them with absurd analogies placing myself aside Sitting Bull, Crazy Horse and Geronimo. Them Indians fought for their freedom and so should us Americans! Sure, I wore a shirt adorned with the Confederate flag at a governor’s inaugural, but on THIS album, I’ll state that, “I don’t care about color or religion, me and Martin Luther (King) have a dream!” Hey, speaking of Mother Goose-influenced lyrics: “Love Grenade! I’m about to blow!” You’re gosh-darn right I do! A whole lot! Remember me now? Guys?? Hello?? –Conor Dow

berzone
Ideology
Nitrus
Street: 08.31
berzone = Hybrid + BT
berzone’s 1996 single “Botz” was a refreshing treat to the house/trance music crowd. Though still beat-focused, his penchant for digital squiggles and bit-crushing provided something nice on the dance floor and over headphones. Eleven years later, and six since his last record, Timothy Wiles, a.k.a. Q, returns with a record that’s, well, very similar to the rest of his work. Granted, he worked ahead of his time, but we’ve caught up and moved on—some of us. The production is fabulously pristine and something to geek out over (he both produced and mastered Ideology), but the assemblage of Juno strings, acid squelches and mid-tempo beats is an adverse time warp. Middle-aged BT fanatics—those who keep Crystal Method’s first album on repeat—and anyone who still wears a Dr. Seuss hat might love this, but the album is a disappointment to those anticipating something bold from a supposed progressive artist. –Dave Madden

Uphill Racer
You Will Understand
Normoton
Street: 08.20
Uphill Racer = Thom Yorke + Elbow
The Radiohead comparisons are inevitable, although to be more accurate, You Will Understand has more in common with Thom Yorke’s recent solo outing than anything Radiohead has done in recent years. Using the template of electronic surroundings and an acoustic guitar, Uphill Racer (a.k.a. Oliver Lichtl) differs from Yorke’s approach by smoothing out the beats, creating a warm, dreamlike environment that touches close to the better landscape and stories by Guy Garvey and his outfit Elbow. Uphill Racer definitely deserves your attention. –ryan michael painter

Ulver
Shadows of the Sun
Jester/The End Records
Street: 10.02
Ulver = The best unknown band on earth.
Ulver. Few bands can send shivers down my spine like Ulver can. Trickster G. and company, never a group to rest on their laurels, have returned with “Shadows of the Sun,” which is the most depressing and beautiful release of the year, if you ask me. Better yet, don’t ask me—I’ll just tell you. From their beginnings as one of the Norwegian black metal elite through 2005’s masterpiece Blood Inside, Ulver has released some of the most creative and addictive music I’ve ever heard, and any band that can cover Black Sabbath’s “Solitude” and make it even more dreary is a band I would automatically deem “legendary.” If you consider yourself a fan of music as opposed to a music fan and have not heard Ulver, you’re doing yourself one hell of a disservice. Track this one down. Immediately. –loveyoudead

Valgeir Sigursson
Ekvlibrum
Bedroom Community
Street: 09.11
Valgeir Sigursson = Bjrk + The Books
This album is apropos for staring at the dreary rain outside your dirty window. It maintains a coherent aural plot, leading the listener languidly through lands of loss and love. The vocals of Bonnie “Prince” Billy during “Evolution of Waters” and “Kin” and Dawn McCarthy on “Winter Sleep” provide a somber complement to the doleful, electronic movements. McCarthy’s performance raises the ephemeral, creepy quality of “Winter Sleep” to a deathly, reverent pinnacle. Sigursson uses the click-clack scratch background sounds of The Books to great effect on this album. He supplies a stable, simultaneously chipper and melancholy backbeat, and adds record scratches, found sounds, sparse guitar or piano notes, soft strings, and a patient sound repetition to create a mellifluous menagerie. The final track, “Lungs, for Merrilee,” returns to the contemplative tones of the album’s beginning, leaving the listener in a peacefully anxious state. –Joey Richards

Various Artists
Across the Universe: The Motion Picture
Interscope
Street: 09.14
Across the Universe = a Beatles musical!
I’m not going to pretend to act like I know a lot about musicals, but the film and soundtrack have some serious star power and credits associated with it. Writer/Director Julie Taymor directed such films as Frida, Titus and the massively popular Broadway version of the Lion King and the film’s composer, Elliot Goldenthal, wrote the scores for Drugstore Cowboy and Interview with a Vampire, who for the film worked alongside T Bone Burnett (O Brother Where Art Thou/Walk the Line) rearranging the classic songs. Across the Universe is a musical film which in its basic form is a love story set amongst the turmoil of the 60s and includes imagery inspired by the Beatles songs themselves. I don’t see someone that isn’t a fan of the Beatles getting much enjoyment out of this because while the songs are different from the originals, they are similar and a huge factor in Beatles songs was their lyrics. Bono performs two of the songs for the movie/soundtrack. All of it is extremely well done and fun to listen to. Basically, if you are a fan of the Beatles, you won’t have any problem enjoying this soundtrack. –Bryer Wharton

Various Artists
Dedication Film Soundtrack
Koch Records
Street: 09.11
Decication Soundtrack = Deerhoof + Cat Power + The Strokes + a couple of random old blues songs and Melt Banana
Ah, soundtracks, probably the hardest kind of compilation to appreciate. The only soundtrack that is cool is the soundtrack to the The Crow (the first one). I think it’s too hard to truly appreciate soundtracks without having the collection of songs within the context of the movie. Listening to the songs on a soundtrack without the theatric images always seems to give the songs a different feel from how they made you feel while in the background of the movie. Now that I’ve got my position on soundtracks out of the way, the collection of songs here is fairly entertaining. I hadn’t seen Dedication yet, but listening to this soundtrack made me want to see the movie, especially with the help of some dreamy songs provided by Deerhoof, Cat Power, Fischerspooner and Edward Shearmur. Plus, Mandy Moore is in it and you can’t deny that! –Jon Robertson

Voodoo Glow Skulls
Southern California Street Music
Victory Records
Street: 09.18
Voodoo Glow Skulls = Mighty Mighty Bosstones + Mustard Plug + Buck-O-Nine
Let me give you a summary of the press release that accompanied this copy of the Voodoo Glow Skulls’ new album: “Back and more Mexican (and therefore hard and scarier) than ever, the Voodoo Glow Skulls' new album is undoubtedly mankind's greatest accomplishment!” A more apt press release would’ve read, “This is a Voodoo Glow Skulls album.” For as long as these dudes have been around, they've never really progressed musically. Vocalist Frank Casillas still yells really loudly, the horns and the drums are still really fast, and the guitar and bass still switch from vaguely ska-like to vaguely funky. “Fire in the Dancehall” is pretty good, but nothing else really stands out. If you already like VGS, you'll like Southern California Street Music. If not, this isn't gonna change your mind. –Ricky Vigil

The Warlocks
Heavy Deavy Skull Lover
Tee Pee
Street: 10.23.
The Warlocks = Velvet Underground + My Bloody Valentine
Mid-tour with the Sisters of Mercy, The Warlocks simply stopped existing. Bobby Hecksher & Co were without a label and a foreseeable future. Therefore, Heavy Deavy Skull Lover is somewhat of a surprise. Trimmed back from a ballooning lineup that averaged seven members (the names were always changing; such is the life of chaos) the Warlocks find themselves a foursome (two of which remain drummers, as is their way). The music is as acid-drenched, noisy and atmospheric as always, but the more structured pop elements that were first noticed on Phoenix and then further emphasized on Surgery have been pulled back, making this release more akin to their earliest Bomp! Records releases. The results are predictably dreary, full of drones and distortion which work quite well, the exception being the opening track, “The Valley of Death,” in which I find the vocals, though often lost in the mix, unbearable. Bobby, good to have you back. Stay awhile won’t you? –ryan michael painter

Wolfpack Unleashed
Anthems of Resistance
Napalm
Street: 10.23
Wolfpack Unleashed = Testament + Metallica + Megadeth
Here is a new twist, a European band (they’re from Austria) playing thrash metal in the vein of Bay Area. This well-armed debut album comes out swinging; it’s a great thrash record. Admitting that “all classic thrash riffs had already been written,” guitarist Wops Koch continues, “So we used minor chords and melodies to create a unique sound,” which rings true. The riffing reminds me of what Testament has done, and it’s pretty easy to tell that these guys don’t mind showcasing their influences, but somehow they have created something they can call their own and not come off as total copycats. In the end, you can’t really go wrong with playing a style that has been really successful. Great debut; I’ll be thrashing out to this record for awhile. –Bryer Wharton

Wooden Shjips
Wooden Shjips
Holy Mountain
Street: 09.18
Wooden Shjips = Les Rallizes Denudes + The Black Angels + Spoils of War
More swagger than a bar full of cowboys with ass-less chaps and more visions than the Virgin Mary, the Wooden Shjips have put out an excessive psych-rock album. Each of the album’s five tracks clock in over five minutes and each takes its sweet-ass time plundering the tones of the guitar, taking deliberate steps to create a hot, dry cornucopia of sound. This album goes beyond the easy-breezy pop of most 60s psych and delves into the private press, almost acid-rock, psychedelia of such bands as Sainte Anthony's Fyre and Cauldron. Slow and meticulous and so drone-heavy as to reverberate your entire body, this shit will intoxicate intoxication! –Erik Lopez

Xasthur
Defective Epitaph
Hydrahead Records
Street: 09.25
Xasthur = Everything doom/black metal is and isn’t
Sole proprietor Malefic of Xasthur has made quite a name for himself these past few years since performing with Sunn O))) and signing with Hydrahead Records. One can always count on his bleak, dense material to have a deep, gray atmosphere that won’t relent, echoing misery and torment onward with help from his signature washed-out production. My problem with this album and Xasthur as a whole is that, although the moodiness is consistent, it lacks in any sort of compelling variety. This makes for not necessarily a dull listen, but one with few moments of redeeming value if you’ve heard his older material. Replacing the drum machine, real drums are a rather refreshing adjustment, and my optimistic side hopes that this will open pathways for other creative opportunities. I’m not exactly holding my breath, but it won’t stop me from checking out new material in the future. –Conor Dow

Zolar X
X Marks the Spot
Alternative Tentacles
Street: 09.25
Zolar X = The Epoxies + David Bowie + The Phenomenauts
Zolar X first hit the LA music scene in the early 70s, bringing a unique and slightly bizarre brand of glitter-glam space rock with them. 1981 saw the demise of the band, but in 2004, Jello Biafra released Timeless, a deluxe version of their anthology. Biafra’s enthusiasm inspired the space rockers to reform. Part new wave band and part conceptual art, Zolar X was dressing up like aliens and pretending to be from another planet long before The Epoxies and The Phenomenauts were doing it. I’m not so sure if this obscure band directly influenced those that would come later, but they definitely did it first. The music is paced a bit slower than most glam rock, but filled with some synths and other “space alien” sounds. It’s an interesting release, but I don’t think I’d want to listen to it continuously. I think this release is for the diehards that saw Zolar X back in the 70s. –Jeanette Moses

Zoroaster
Dog Magic
Terminal Doom / Battle Kommand Records
Street: 09.11
Zoroaster = High on Fire + The Melvins + Neurosis
Stoner metal is back in full effect; recognize yourself. Dog Magic is face-melting terror from start to finish. Atlanta Georgia’s Zoroaster is big and nasty and they plan on taking your mom out on a date and telling your dad that his yard could use some work. This is the kind of doom metal that makes me think that a fire-breathing dragon is going to take over my life and chase me around everywhere I go, blowing fire on me and burning up my brand new kicks. Zoroaster is bogus in an apocalyptic way that you can greet with open arms. Their music is so heavy and sludgy that you feel like your brain and eardrums are trapped in a tar pit of no return. As if all the doom wasn’t enough, there’s a picture of a four-headed bleeding dog wearing a tuxedo on the front cover, which definitely means that the Earth’s days are truly numbered. –Jon Robertson