Review: Brian Bond - Fire & Gold

Label: self-released

Released: March 10, 2009

Folk and punk has found some common ground over the years. From Billy Bragg's incendiary love and politics to Elliott Smith's dark beauty, the two genres have occasionally met in strange ways that have never been entirely one genre or the other, yet clearly rooted in both.

Brian Bond is a similar artist in a sense. Musically, he's clearly a folk artist. The songs are gentle and quiet. At times, you can hear Elliot Smith's heartfelt hooks, only with a warmer, more open, perhaps more innocent heart. In addition, these songs have had time to develop over the two years it took to write and record them. It's clear, because nothing is rushed or incomplete. By taking the time to get it right, Bond gains the benefits of well thought out songs that, at the same time, don't lose their sense of spontaneity.

But somewhere in the spirit of this album is a fierce independence and DIY ethic that is clearly punk. Some of that stems from the album's simplicity. These songs are essentially Bond and his guitar. Though most songs feature accompaniment, it is crafted so as to enhance, but never overshadow Bond's performance. Fire & Gold follows its own path, one that runs musically parallel to folk, but spiritually intersects with the strengths of punk and indie music. It is a quiet moment for punks and a shot in the arm for folk.

This isn't the folk-punk thing that you get from a Chuck Reagan or a Defiance, Ohio. It's fundamentally (and beautifully) folk with a punk heart underneath.

Ratings
Satriani: 7/10
Zappa: 7/10
Dylan: 7/10
Aretha: 8/10
Overall: 7/10

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Review: Everyone Everywhere - A Lot of Weird People Standing Around

Label: Evil Weevil Records

Released: April 7, 2009

I'd almost forgotten what emo was like before it became a dirty word, but Everyone Everywhere is a clear reminder. Sure, the mohawk crowd is still going to find this to be too sappy, but it never devolves into the self-conscious and saccharine whine-fest that consumes the genre today. The vocals, sensitive, but never over-dramatic, ride the catchy fuzz and jangle of the guitar and a driving beat. It's been a long time since I've heard a song with the catchy punch of "Cool Pool Keg Toss Pete" that didn't seem like it was just aiming at the arenas. With just enough mix between loose and precise, each track on A Lot of Weird People Standing Around keeps the EP from getting too settled and easy which goes along way to show how emo was once kinda cool.

Grab this one quickly, because it's a nice package and it's limited to 200 (100 clear/100 blue).

Ratings
Satriani: 6/10
Zappa: 6/10
Dylan: 7/10
Aretha: 7/10
Overall: 7/10

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Review: John Scofield - Piety Street

Label: Emarcy

Released: March 31, 2009

Over the years, John Scofield has worked with a who's who of jazz and fusion artists. He has established himself as one of the top names in jazz guitar and is almost as well known outside of jazz circles as he is within. He's one of those artists who finds himself in the unique position of being able to try whatever he wants. While that position many times finds artists releasing ego-driven nonsense, Scofield chooses instead to make an album that is an interesting experiment, showcasing the music far more than the formidable players who made it.

Piety Street find the jazz guitarist and his band making bluesy renditions of gospel songs. More than a few times, it fails to break with the conventionality of straightforward blues, sucking much of the gospel elements he supposedly wanted to capture out of the music. However, Scofield and company more often find a place where jazz, blues and gospel sing in unison. Once or twice, it's downright amazing as on "It's a Big Army," a Scofield original that sounds like a rediscovered old-time gospel gem, but generally the album is fairly understated, illustrating the band's total trust in the music itself.

Piety Street is certainly not Scofield's best work, but it is an interesting change-up. Rather than either sticking to the tried-and-true or running off on some silly ego trip, he chooses to explore some of the music he loves even if it isn't the genre for which he's best known. He assembled a top-notch band to navigate this musical adventure with him and the result is, a few weak spots aside, a very interesting listen.

Ratings
Satriani: 10/10
Zappa: 8/10
Dylan: 7/10
Aretha: 7/10
Overall: 7/10

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Review: Kate Mann - Things Look Different When the Sun Goes Down

Label: Orange Dress Records

Released: March 17, 2009

On the surface, Kate Mann finds herself channeling a bit of Joni Mitchell and a bit of Janis Joplin, her music swinging gently across the short space between folk and blues. While it is that bit of Joni that shows up in a clever musical phrase here and there, it also manifests itself in the albums lighter, less compelling moments. But Mann's reliance on Janis makes up for those underwhelming spots with songs that have teeth to bite and hands to touch the soul.

The best example of what Mann offers though is made clear on "Robert Johnson Knew." Ever since Johnson sang about his encounter at the crossroads, the idea of selling one's soul has been oddly glorified in popular music (much like suicide and drug addiction), but just about everyone misses the point. The crossroads isn't a place for the happy or even the hedonistic. It is a place of torture and a moment of terrible decision. Mann questions if she'll really have to sign in blood. She wonders how long is forever. She isn't fabricating her demons, but vacillating between exorcising them or joining them. Honest dealing like this is at odds with the shallow lexicon of pop culture imagery. It is also Mann's greatest strength. I hope she makes it back, soul intact, because I think she may just know a thing or two herself.

Ratings
Satriani: 7/10
Zappa: 7/10
Dylan: 7/10
Aretha: 7/10
Overall: 7/10

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Review: Buried in Leather - We Are Gone

Label: Teenage Heart Records

Released: August 11, 2008

Perhaps nowhere did the earliest marriages of punk and metal produce better material than in Boston. The early 80s found the likes of Gang Green and the FUs infusing their street punk with more than just a hint of metal. A lot of this was forgotten later in the decade as thrash became the principal vehicle for the punk/metal crossover, but it's nice to see that the same spirit that produced these bands is still alive in Boston. Buried in Leather pour on an intense, yet fun attack of thrashy punk rock with just a little metal riffage for good measure. Even on mid-tempo tracks like the somewhat hard rock-influenced "More Dirty Places," they manage to amp things up to the max. On others, like the album closing "No Ninjas," they move from a lumbering start right into the breakneck energy for which punk has long been known. While We Are Gone may not exactly be a bold new future, it injects fantastic energy into a genre whose day was way too short the first time around. It feels just as fresh as This Is Boston Not LA did 25 years ago.

Ratings
Satriani: 6/10
Zappa: 5/10
Dylan: 6/10
Aretha: 8/10
Overall: 7/10

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Review: Benard/Worn in Red - Split 7"

Label: Alaska Records/No Breaks

Released: July 2008

If one word could describe this 7", it would be visceral. Nothing seems calculated or planned. Benard blasts through two songs of dissonance, frantic rhythms and pure passion in just under five and a half minutes. In that short time, they leave everything out there, their hearts on their post-hardcore sleeves.

Saying that Worn in Red is less intense than Benard is kind of like saying the Hiroshima blast was less intense than the Bravo explosion. Both will obliterate you. Still, Worn in Red reins it in ever so slightly, resulting in something a bit more fluid, ebbing and flowing (and then hitting you over the head).

The result is a great split with two bands that are on the same page, but perhaps a different paragraph. Both have full-throttle energy with Benard hitting a bit harder and Worn in Red a bit more dynamically.

Ratings
Satriani: 7/10
Zappa: 6/10
Dylan: 6/10
Aretha: 8/10
Overall: 7/10

Benard:
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Review: Buffalo Killers - Let It Ride

Label: Alive Naturalsound

Released: July 8, 2008

It would be easy to get tired of hearing the 70s rehashed over and over if there weren't a few bands really doing something special with it. Buffalo Killers is just one of those bands. Though not quite as raw as their debut, Let It Ride turns up the soul, an ingredient not only missing from many of today's retro bands, but also from many of the originals. They have a fair bit in common with the Black Crowes (with whom they recently toured), but they're grittier with a dirtier sense of the blues. They master both power and mellowness whether taking on the understated "Give and Give" or the driving boogie of "On the Prowl." Let It Ride has more breadth than most of its peers and it keeps me from getting too tired of the 70s just yet.

Ratings
Satriani: 6/10
Zappa: 6/10
Dylan: 7/10
Aretha: 8/10
Overall: 7/10

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Review: Fall Horsie - Devil (e) Danger

Label: Youth Club Records

Released: October 28, 2008

There is a lot of music out there that isn't rock music in any way, shape or form...and yet it thoroughly rocks. None of this is headed for mainstream success, but it is often some of the most interesting music in even the broadest sense of the rock sphere. Fall Horsie is one of these bands. While the music itself ranges from chamber music to cabaret (having moments reminiscent of the Decemberists) and uses the very un-rock violin and viola, yet in its wildness and boldness it is very much a rock record. Fall Horsie's style will make them difficult for the average rock fan, but rock fans (albeit not average ones) must make up the core of their audience. That may not turn into a big cash in, but it has turned out a fine album.

Ratings
Satriani: 7/10
Zappa: 8/10
Dylan: 6/10
Aretha: 7/10
Overall: 7/10

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Review: Various Artists - A Blackheart Christmas

Label: Blackheart Records

Released: November 18, 2008

Every year at Christmastime we're treated (or subjected) to another collection of rock artists' takes on our favorite holiday songs. These albums tend to be a mixed bag made up of songs that will appeal to fans of the particular artists at least as novelties and others that are real bombs. The best case scenario might even include one or two renditions that are truly special.

A Blackheart Christmas does not have any real misses, but most of the tracks don't really transcend happy novelties for fans of the bands appearing. The Vacancies take on "Father Christmas," perhaps the best rock Christmas tune ever, is a fine listen, but doesn't go anywhere special. The drunken swagger of the Cute Lepers' "Christmas is the Time to Say I Love You" is a fun option for a non-traditional holiday. The rough edges on Thommy Price and Nefertiti Jones' "Winter Wonderland" give it punk appeal without losing its "happy holiday" sentiment.

Unlike most holiday comps though, A Blackheart Christmas has a pair of really special tracks that, in a (less-than-perfect) perfect world, might become Christmas classics. The Dollyrots give "Santa Baby" a snotty punk treatment, in lieu of its traditional sexy swing, as if it was meant to be about a down-and-out misfit rather than a well-to-do diva. Better still, Girl in a Coma turn "I'll Be Home for Christmas" into something dark and foreboding rather than hopeful. These are the Christmas carols for the "other half" in a sense.

Will this album replace Bing's "Little Drummer Boy" or Nat's "O Holy Night?" Probably not, but there's always room for a few more Christmas classics, especially when the might reach out to listeners whose world may not be so idyllic.

Rating: 7/10

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Review: Wilderness - (k)no(w)here

Label: Jagjaguwar

Released: November 4, 2008

Over the years, the term art rock hasn't had a real solid definition, but it has consistently included bands that push creative limits even if some sacrifice the raw ability to rock in the process. To not call Wilderness an art rock band would be a mistake, but to limit them to the trappings of any single era of that shifting genre would be just as incorrect.

If (k)no(w)here has a fault, it's that it tends to be art for art's sake, abandoning the structure of pop music for more esoteric designs. That makes the album a difficult listen, but the challenge has its rewards. Taking everything from Velvet Underground to PiL in varying doses, Wilderness runs through the spectrum of the "high art" of rock music without settling in any one spot. Aside from "Strand the Test of Time," which might as well be a lost Joy Division song, the album never gets into a rut of borrowing heavily from this or that. The result is an album both steeped in the art rock tradition and breaking out on its own, it's challenge well worth accepting. Besides, arty or not, it rocks on its own terms.

Ratings
Satriani: 7/10
Zappa: 7/10
Dylan: 7/10
Aretha: 7/10
Overall: 7/10

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Review: Nikka Costa - Pebble to a Pearl

Label: Stax

Released: October 14, 2008

Soul has become a genre dominated by artists that have a real shortage of, well, soul. Sure, there's Jill Scott and a renaissance for Sharon Jones and Bettye Levette. That first Joss Stone album a few years back was even pretty good. But for each of these artists, there seems to be bazillions of good voices over bad beats and samples that are completely devoid of anything that could even be mistaken for soul.

Into this scene steps Nikka Costa on her new album, Pebble to a Pearl. The first thing that's striking is how retro her sound is. She draws largely from 60s soul and 70s funk, but what really ties her to those days, even more than the arrangements, is that her music is so warm and organic. Costa's voice has the ability to be pristine one moment and sultry the next. She can put enough power into a song to make it undeniably moving. The backing band doesn't have that stiff studio musician sound either. Costa and her band move together in the music, something generally absent from the genre today.

Costa doesn't nail every song on Pebble to a Pearl. She's at her best when she draws on the raw emotion of her 60s predecessors than she is reliving the tighter funkiness of the 70s, but her voice alone is a pleasure even on the worst of the tracks. On the songs that really cut her loose though, she a powerful confidence that demands she be taken more seriously than most of her peers.

Ratings
Satriani: 8/10
Zappa: 6/10
Dylan: 6/10
Aretha: 8/10
Overall: 7/10

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Review: Guns N Roses - Chinese Democracy

Label: Geffen

Released: November 23, 2008

Chinese Democracy is an album almost a decade and a half in the making. For this album alone, Axl Rose and his revolving door of musicians that make up what he still calls Guns N Roses have been at it longer than most bands take for an entire career. The Beatles changed the face of rock music in (considerably) less time. The cost of recording the album approaches the GNP of a small country. Throw in the promise of a free Dr Pepper for everyone in America (minus Buckethead and Slash, of course) and perhaps no album in history has had more hype. Frankly, I really thought democracy would come to China before Chinese Democracy would come to stores and it seemed like Axl had let it become so much larger than a rock album that he couldn't win by releasing it. It had become a joke.

As it turns out though, the album is not a joke at all. Unlike so may recent hard rock albums that have come out after long layoffs, this one actually shows that he's been up to something all this time. The album takes some chances and incorporates new sounds without losing sight of what GnR really is. That was particularly surprising, because most of GnR is in Velvet Revolver now. Nonetheless, Axl has stayed true to GnR's core without becoming stagnant. He wears a lot of his influences on his sleeve of course. His love for Elton John's over-the-top piano rock is no secret and it's in fine form here. The addition (at least at times) of NIN touring guitarist Robin Finck shows prevalently. Not every chance he takes works of course and after over a decade, the missteps should have been resolved. However, take the time and money out of the equation and Chinese Democracy is a very good record when compared to something recorded for a normal price and in a normal timeframe.

I have to say that I'm a bit disappointed in Chinese Democracy though. I was hoping that the joke it had become would play out nicely in a train wreck and provide at least a few more weeks of laughing at Axl's expense. But the joke's over. The album is solid, interesting and a bit adventurous and I guess that's better than the joke anyway.

Ratings
Satriani: 8/10
Zappa: 7/10
Dylan: 6/10
Aretha: 6/10
Overall: 7/10

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Review: David Gilmour - Live in Gdansk

Label: Sony

Released: September 16, 2008

I had a few preconceptions coming into this one: David Gilmour is easily in my top 20 guitarists of all time. He clearly did great work in Pink Floyd and his diminished role on the Waters-dominated albums of the late 70s and early 80s show just how vital he (and Rick Wright) were to the band's sound and emotional quality. That being said, Gilmour's post-Waters work is a mixed bag. His eponymous solo album has some good moments and Division Bell is Floyd's best work since at least Animals (Shut up Wall fans, you've been deceived). The Bob Ezrin-dominated Momentary Lapse of Reason is, a few tracks aside, pretty near unlistenable, About Face is terrible and 2006's On an Island is only slightly better. Gilmour has his moments, they're just not all good.

To top that off, I saw Gilmour's Floyd on their 1994 tour. It was pretty easy to be taken in by the light show. Playing "Astronomy Domine" didn't hurt either. But it didn't take long for the smoke to clear and I saw it for what it was: old men going through the motions. They might as well have just played the records. Looking back, it might be the worst concert I ever saw.

So, I brought my baggage along, good and bad, for the Live in Gdansk ride. And here we go, David Gilmour, a favorite guitarist who hasn't done much that is notable in 30 years, is performing in the Gdansk Shipyards, famed birthplace of the Polish Solidarity movement that ultimately changed the face of Europe. Oh yeah, the Baltic Philharmonic showed up too. This has the making or either greatness or disaster!

Unlike my previous live experience with Gilmour, Live in Gdansk is not a sterile, note-for-note regurgitation of the material (mostly Floyd tunes, by the way). Gilmour's sound is so clean and yet here, he manages to make it warm and rich and natural. It doesn't always work perfectly. He changes the pace of "Astonomy Domine" and the result seems rushed, stealing some of its psychedelic thunder. However, that is the exception. For the most part, Gilmour breathes unique life into these old songs. None replace the originals, but many stand in their own light. Perhaps no challenge was more formidable than "Echoes" and it's there that he really shines. After being taken aback initially, this version's very different energy had a manic sense all its own, making it quite clear that Glimour, despite many recent stumbles, has a lot left to give.

This is not Gilmour's and certainly not the Gdansk shipyard's top moment, but both have a rich history that would be hard to eclipse. Gilmour's set is, however, worthy of this place and time, providing some fine new takes on old classics.

Ratings
Satriani: 8/10
Zappa: 6/10
Dylan: 8/10
Aretha: 7/10
Overall: 7/10

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Review: Polysics - We Ate the Machine

Label: Myspace Records

Released: September 30, 2008

Polysics make no secret of their love for Devo. The jumpsuits, the scientist-rock image, it all points to one thing. Their music however, goes further. Devo is clearly in the mix on this collection of synth-heavy, agitated new wave tunes and the result is fun, energetic...and entirely contrived. But they mix that 80s electronic pop with punk energy and more than just a small dose of old Japanese noisecore and that healthy dose of crazy keeps them from being trapped by their own hipness (a dangerous snare that many rehashers of the 80s have failed to avoid).

The vinyl comes as a double album that includes Polysics' previous album, Karate House, which was unavailable in the US. While things have been polished up a bit on their US debut, Polysics seems more in their element on Karate House. Their love of Devo was evident then too, but the album achieves a greater sense of craziness by being more fully under the spell of noisecore. The album is less accessible by far and still struggles a bit with its own identity, but the fun factor increases proportionately with their wonderful sense of nuttiness.

Ratings
Satriani: 6/10
Zappa: 7/10
Dylan: 5/10
Aretha: 7/10
Overall: 7/10

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Review: Girl in a Coma - Both Before I Die

Label: Blackheart Records

Released: May 15, 2007

Being a female band on Blackheart Records, the expectation would be that Girl in a Coma would follow in Joan Jett's footsteps. Unlike so many of Jett's followers though, Girl in a Coma didn't forget that attitude and hooks aren't mutually exclusive. Besides, they're a lot closer to Blondie's edgey punkish pop than to Jett's rather mundane punkish hard rock.

Girl in a Coma have more in common with Blondie or Concrete Blonde even than Jett. Like the former, they capture that same breathy sultriness and show that it can happen without coming across as weak or fragile. They also share Johnette Naploitano's ability to be touching yet dark. There is an unmistakable punk element on Both Before I Die, but unlike most pop-punk of today, these songs have deeper hooks that feel like more than just a facade. "Their Cell" taps into the early 60s girl group sound, yet extends well beyond the two minute pop song enough to exude a dark inner toughness that is the core of why the album is believable.

Girl in a Coma mixes gritty, raw richness with an abrasive edge that finds that happy (or not so happy) middle ground between punk and polish. Their mix of punk's angry aesthetic with pop accessibility rings truer than most in that same game these days.


Ratings
Satriani: 5/10
Zappa: 5/10
Dylan: 7/10
Aretha: 7/10
Overall: 7/10

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Review: Flatfoot 56 - Jungle of the Midwest Sea

Label: Flicker Records

Released: May 15, 2007

When a band merges punk and Irish folk, the first influence that comes to mind is the Pogues, but Shane McGowan and company were more a folk band with punk attitude. The real origin of the more punk-leaning mixture is the Stiff Little Fingers. While the bands today tend to wear their Irish hearts on the sleeves (despite not actually being from Ireland in many cases) with a bagpipe here or a tin whistle there, the gritty, honest folk nature of their brand of punk rock is what really ties them to the older folk tradition. It is people's music.

Flatfoot 56 are undoubtedly a punk band and have no small debt to the likes of SLF, but unlike their peers, they owe an even greater debt to the Pogues. They offer more than just a few nods to Irish folk music, with many centered on a tradition that goes back a good many years farther than "Alternative Ulster." It's a natural occurrence for Flatfoot 56, because punk itself has much in common spiritually with folk and they run with that instinctively. That being said, Jungle of the Midwest Sea does have its share of Oi singalongs and raw guitar melodies making it dominated as much by punk as it is by folk.

On "Hoity Toity," they sing, "There is a struggle between doing what you want and doing your own thing." Musically, they resolve the struggle, because they do fit into an old, old tradition where singalong choruses encourage a pub-like atmosphere of community. In the process of meeting that tradition, they have indeed found themselves though.

Ratings:
Satriani 6/10
Zappa 6/10
Dylan 7/10
Aretha 8/10
Overall 7/10

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Review: The Dark Romantics - Heartbreaker

Label: Lujo Records

Released: September 9, 2008

In the early 80s, Wall of Voodoo made some dark, moody and strangely captivating music out of a peculiar meeting of post-punk, synth pop and the roots of rock n roll. On Heartbreaker, the Dark Romantics find themselves at the same point where these influences flow together and they make music that is deliberately at odds with itself, nervous, pleading vocals and trebly guitar or stark piano poking through smooth synth textures.

It is an album that comes together only to pull itself apart into an unsettled restlessness. "The Death of You" is part synth pop and part "Ghostriders in the Sky," like a post-Armageddon cowboy song. "Never Been Loved" is reminiscent of "Careless Whispers" (yeah, the Wham song) only with a tangible madness and even the slick disco of the chorus doesn't diminish its humanity. The album's darkness grows into the coldness of the title track which knocks on Nick Cave door to insanity.

These songs believe that joy exists, but only in someone else's world. They are love songs for the unloved, breakup songs for those with no one to break with. Heartbreaker is for the broken heart that never had the opportunity to fully love. The discord yearns for beauty in a way that is, as the band name itself explains, quite romantic and entirely dark.

"Hush Your Mouth" mp3

"Let's Ride" mp3

Ratings
Satriani: 6/10
Zappa: 6/10
Dylan: 7/10
Aretha: 7/10
Overall: 7/10

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Review: The Treat - Phonography

Label: Rockular Recordings

Released: 2007

On Phonography, the Treat not only incorporate a lot of British rock styles from the late 60s and early 70s, but they manage to do it seamlessly and make it fresh. They draw on everything from the raw bluesiness of Led Zeppelin to the grandiose prog of Genesis. Starting off an album with as much bombast as "Fanfare for a King," sets high expectations. In this game, there isn't much room between perfection and silliness and there's no doubt that the Treat are over the top, but what they pull off over the course of the album is rivaled today perhaps only by Bigelf.

The 70s are a curious time in rock history. In the wake of the Beatles-inspired experimentation of the late 60s, a lot of the music began trading its youthful energy for big, fat bombast. So often bands that rehash the 70s fail to correct that problem (and exacerbate it instead), but The Treat tap into only the very best and re-energize it. I can imagine a song like "Too Late," their homage to the Who and Faces, fizzling in the hands of the average purveyor of nostalgia despite being a fantastic song. But The Treat do more than just remake the sounds of the past, they relive them. And they live such a broad range too. They follow up "Too Late" by taking on King Crimson and Genesis. Earlier they live up to Sabbath and Cream and later to Traffic. "Black Cat Whites" jumps back and forth between Syd Barrett and Sweet without missing a beat. It just shows how good a handle they have on the music they love.

Their influences are a who's who of great British rock. Though they do occasionally slip into AOR flatness (for a few moments here and there, not for a few songs), but it's their energy and love that makes the album so exciting. Phonography does pretend that nothing has happened since 1975, but that's not the end of the story. Whether you like Zeppelin or Genesis, Cream or Procol Harem, Jethro Tull or Traffic, Syd Barrett or Sweet, the Who or Queen (I could really just keep going), the Treat has a reinterpretation that is more appreciation than copy.

Ratings
Satriani: 8/10
Zappa: 5/10
Dylan: 7/10
Aretha: 7/10
Overall: 7/10

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Review: Play - s/t

Label: self-released

Released: November 18, 2008

Anyone who thinks the head is more important than the heart in rock n roll pretty much misses the point. It's the reason that the MC5 were better than Emerson, Lake and Palmer, the Ramones were better than Steely Dan and the Replacements were better than Def Leppard. Sure, there are bands that give us the best of both worlds, but forced to choose, heart always counts more than head, because we feel the music, we don't reason through it.

On their self-titled debut, Play clearly understands this. This isn't the next big thing, but the thing that's always been. Twenty-five years ago, the American rock underground overflowed with this kind of band: the Replacements, the Del Fuegos, the Smithereens, the Long Ryders and others made a buyers' market for raw melodies and simple hooks. Today, most raw rock n roll falls into one of several niches, but bands putting soul into basic bar band rock are few and far between. Play goes some way toward filling that void. They aren't refined, they aren't brilliant and they aren't (thank God) perfect, but their pulse is that back beat you can't lose.

Ratings
Satriani: 6/10
Zappa: 5/10
Dylan: 7/10
Aretha: 8/10
Overall: 7/10

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Review: Billy Joel - The Stranger (30th Anniversary Deluxe Edition)

Label: Sony Legacy

Released: July 8, 2008

Billy Joel is a top-notch songwriter, but there's always been something that I just didn't like. Maybe it's the showtune quality of many of his songs, maybe it's that many are geared toward adults, maybe it's because he often tells the stories of characters I just can't bring myself to care about. Anyway I look at it, I can appreciate him, but I can't get into him.

That being said, I don't think I need to go into the details of The Stranger. If you don't know these songs, you must have spent the last 30 years in a fallout shelter or something. They're practically anthems of the post-60s Baby Boomers who had cut their hair, forgotten their protests and were gearing up to vote for Reagan in a few years. The Stranger is, as it always has been, a great album...if you like that kind of thing.

So, the question with this Deluxe 30th Anniversary Edition is, "Does this re-packaging make it worth buying again?" Well, if you have a thing for nice vinyl, this is your opportunity to get The Stranger in all of its 180 gram glory. The LP only includes the original tracks, but it does come with a download code for the album as well as the bonus disc, a show recorded at Carnegie Hall in 1977. It is always nice to get a live recording that comprises a single show, but it's also nice to get one that shows an artist freed from the studio and firing on all cylinders. While the Carnegie Hall show does occasionally find Joel in fine form, it is largely no more spontaneous that his studio records. None of the banter gives any insight into Joel himself or the songs. It's a good bonus for serious Billy Joel fans, but non-essential for the rest of us. The CD version also comes with a live DVD of Joel's 1978 appearance on the BBC's Old Grey Whistle Test. Because I have the LP, I can't comment on the DVD, but I suspect the high-quality vinyl is a bigger attraction than his BBC appearance. Either way, Billy Joel fans get something good, but most of us can probably live with our old copy of The Stranger.

Original Album:
Ratings
Satriani: 7/10
Zappa: 6/10
Dylan: 8/10
Aretha: 5/10
Overall: 7/10

Carnegie Hall Bonus Material:
Ratings
Satriani: 7/10
Zappa: 6/10
Dylan: 8/10
Aretha: 3/10
Overall: 6/10

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Review: Annabel - Now That We're Alive

Label: self-released

Released: Summer 2008

My wife is a great cook. When she makes something, it tastes great, but it also looks great. She tells me that the appearance is important, that the appearance shows that she cares about what she's prepared for us to eat. I may never have thought of that had she not brought it to my attention. I'm too busy stuffing myself with Hippy Burritos to notice, so she doesn't do it to entice me to eat, she does it because she cares about what she's doing.

What does this have to do with record reviews, you ask? Everything if the record is Annabel's Now That We're Alive. You see, before even playing the album, it's clear that they care about what they've done. The CD and card come in a handmade cloth pouch. When was the last time you got a CD in something like that? Probably never, because you just don't come across that many bands who care that deeply for what they've produced and choose to honor their work in a similar fashion. So, before even listening, I'm already impressed.

Of course, the album (like the burritos) has to have more than just a nice exterior or the appearance, no matter how much care went into it, is meaningless. So the question still remains: How is the music?

Annabel play a low-key indie rock that combines hints of both noise and twee pop. The jangley guitars and throbbing bass line of the opening track are instantly engaging, but that does nothing to prepare your ears for "Castles in the Air," a more understated twee-oriented song whose sublime pop sense would make Brian Wilson jealous. They push the pop envelope even further on "Bouquet Mines" whose Woo-ooo's layer pre-Bealtes AM pop over angular rhythms. It says a lot about those two tracks that the Casiotone pop of "...And Elsewhere," which is nearly on par with the Postal Service, is actually a bit of a let down. While the album finishes, as it began, on an edgier note, it's the pair of songs in the middle that make it.

So, like one of my wife's meals, Annabel not only shows that they care enough about their music to wrap it up in a unique and personal package, but that the music itself is worthy of that honor. Better yet, it's great in a way that's almost impossible to pinpoint, so don't bother thinking, just let the pop wash over you.

Ratings
Satriani: 6/10
Zappa: 8/10
Dylan: 8/10
Aretha: 7/10
Overall: 7/10

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Contact me if you want the recipe. They're seriously good.

Review: New Found Glory - Tip of the Iceberg / International Superheroes of Hardcore - Takin' It Ova

Label: Bridge Nine

Released: April 29, 2008

This release finds the latest EP from pop-punks New Found Glory and a full-length from NFG side-project International Superheroes of Hardcore. Without a doubt, NFG are a band that could use a fresh start and a return to writing meaningful songs rather than the sap that made up their major label years. ISHC had a limited release that preceded this, but this is their first exposure to a broader world. So, both bands have something to prove.

NFG's Tip of the Iceberg EP certainly shows more heart than the band has exhibited since 1999's Nothing Gold Can Stay and for the first time, it's more punk than pop. While NFG members have been in these waters before, the band has never been here on record. Most of the songs still have a heavy dose of pop, but it doesn't drown the punk element like NFG have done for years.

The six songs on Tip of the Iceberg include three covers. NFG lighten up Gorilla Biscuits' "No Reason Why" to something akin to early 7 Seconds, but they're even more at home taking on one of Shelter's more melodic moments on "Here We Go Again." But every track, covers and originals alike, certainly has more substance than the band has had in quite some time.

ISHC waste no time separating themselves from NFG's lighter legacy. With a blistering pace and aggressive vocals, they lay down some serious East Coast hardcore grooves along the lines of Madball. It's not the most original work in the genre, but they could hold their own with all but perhaps the top handful of hardcore bands. It's full of heart-on-the-sleeve songs about the scene and the meaning of hardcore and what it means to really live the life. Still, they also exhibit a sense of humor on songs like "Screamo Gotta Go" and that's always refreshing in the all-too-serious world of hardcore.

Tip of the Iceberg/Takin' It Ova is an interesting packaging with pop-punk that hardcore fans can stomach and hardcore that won't scare the pop out of anyone. Both discs show bands at the top of their game and, for NFG anyway, that's somewhere they haven't been in a long time.

Ratings
Satriani: 6/10
Zappa: 5/10
Dylan: 6/10
Aretha: 7/10
Overall: 6/10

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Review: Protest the Hero - Fortress

Label: Vagrant Records

Released: February 11, 2008

There is a musical gray area that exists between good bands that live within their limitations and great bands that have no limitations. Bands in that gray area are clearly very, very good and deserve credit for their willingness to push the envelope of their sound. At the same time, they get dinged for lacking the self-knowledge to know when to stop pushing and to start concentrating on songwriting rather than theory. These bands avoid the perfection that can be achieved on either side of them and the degree to which they avoid it determines whether their album flirts with greatness or disaster.

Protest the Hero's second full-length album, Fortress, certainly falls into that gray area. These guys' chops far exceed most of their peers'. The rhythms are tight and dynamic, their dual guitar attack can be both lightning fast and beautifully melodic and Rody Walker's vocals are as effective when smooth as when brutal. They incorporate hardcore's brutality and thrash's speed with moments of symphonic metal that actually aren't all that gratuitous. In their best moments they knock on the door of the Mars Volta, but unlike Volta, their songs often lack the cohesiveness that turns experimentation into song. That and perhaps the thinness of the production are the limiting factors of the soaring potential of Fortress.

All members of Protest the Hero are under the legal drinking age (here in the US, but not in their Canadian home), yet they've been playing together for nine years. That may account for both their incredible ability to play together as well as their struggle to write focused songs. For such a young band, they are incredibly literate, writing lyrics that sensible enough to get a feel for the song, yet cryptic enough to keep you guessing. If they could translate that same ability into the music, they would get out of that gray area and do more than just flirt with greatness.

Ratings
Satriani: 10/10
Zappa: 7/10
Dylan: 4/10
Aretha: 7/10
Overall: 7/10

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Review: War of Ages - Arise & Conquer

Label: Facedown Records

Released: July 22, 2008

Over the past decade or so, the old notion that Christian rock was just a watered-down attempt to infiltrate youth culture has been dispelled by a new breed of Christian band. Not one that's trying to evangelize by tapping into the latest thing, but one who's intensity is the very expression of their own religious experience. Unlike the Petras and Strypers of the old days, these new bands can reach out to Christians and non-Christians alike, because you can get into the details of the message or just the vibe of their righteous anger and love.

Among this new breed, War of Ages has upped the ante in both aggression and skill, making them a conversion experience unto themselves. That conversion can be anything the listener needs it to be. While their themes are largely religious, they speak in musical terms that anyone can understand. There is a war, between right and wrong, good and evil, truth and lies, and Arise & Conquer brings that war to your stereo. This isn't about out of control anger either. While the whole album just boils over, it is also incredibly tight and uses melody well. The aggression is controlled, but not tempered.

Don't be fooled by the album art either. While it may bring to mind World of Warcraft, this album is not a game. It's the real thing.

Ratings
Satriani: 8/10
Zappa: 6/10
Dylan: 6/10
Aretha: 8/10
Overall: 7/10

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Review: Static Radio NJ - An Evening of Bad Decisions

Label: Black Numbers

Released: September 9, 2008

Back in the early 80s, Minor Threat discovered something about hardcore: Melody and intensity aren't mutually exclusive. As seminal as MacKaye and company were, that's still a lesson that's been lost on a lot of bands. But not Static Radio NJ.

An Evening of Bad Decisions finds Static Radio NJ progressing from solid, but common hardcore to the top of the game. They haven't jumped on the metal-core, post-hardcore or (thank God) emo bandwagons. This is hardcore the way it's meant to be played, just a bit more on the melodic side. Sure, songs like "Places" back away from the edge a bit, but even there the emotional level of the record stays high. Unlike so many hardcore albums, this one sings to you, not at you.

The bottom line is the sound is crunchy, the tempo fast and the vocals passionate. All that and you can sing along as well. It's not the next big thing, but it is just about the best thing going.

Ratings
Satriani: 6/10
Zappa: 6/10
Dylan: 7/10
Aretha: 8/10
Overall: 7/10

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Review: Violent Femmes - Crazy

Label: The Secret of Life Records

Released: June 24, 2008

The Violent Femmes return the favor to Gnarls Barkley (who covered "Gone Daddy Gone" on 2006's St Elsewhere) with this EP containing a cover of "Crazy." The trouble with Gnarls Barkley's offering was that it left the song entirely too intact. It sounds fine, but simply does too little to be truly interesting. "Crazy," on the other hand, gets a much larger injection of the Femmes wildly imperfect version of American roots music.

Gordon Gano's voice leaves an indelible mark on everything he touches and this is no exception. The a cappella version (which is really just the vocal track, not a vocal-only arrangement as I had vainly hoped) shows Gano's weaknesses as a vocalist, but as always, those weaknesses are strengths within the Femmes.

The loose sloppiness of the Femmes is certainly a departure from the technically superior Gnarls Barkley version, but even here it would have been nice had they taken it a bit further and really gone out on a limb to create something that has greater standalone value. Nonetheless, theirs is a version worth hearing and the "you cover my song, I'll cover yours" relationship makes this a great novelty (as does the limited edition, beautiful baby blue vinyl!).

Oh yeah, don't be put off if you don't have a turntable, because the fine folks at the label throw in a CD as well.

Ratings
Satriani: 6/10
Zappa: 7/10
Dylan: 8/10
Aretha: 7/10
Overall: 7/10

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Review: 28 Degrees Taurus - How Do You Like Your Love?

Label: self-released

Released: 2008

William Blake divided his poems into Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience to reflect his view of the world before and after that crucial point at which the ugliness of the world becomes apparent. However, Blake left out that gray area in between as experience opens doors (the doors of perception perhaps?), but hasn't yet jaded the eyes and mind and heart.

Capturing both the darkness (check out the harshness of "Crash & Burn") and naiveté of the journey into the unknown gives this whole album the hippie-trippy sense of 60s psychedelia. While songs like "Freeze, Die, Come Back to Life" keep one foot firmly in that 60s haze, How Do You Like Your Love? musically falls more into line with the noise pop of My Bloody Valentine as well as the haunting, ethereal vocals and ambient textures of Lush. Like the echo-drenched voice(s) of "Endless Sea," it is at once both an ambling and persistent advance into a world whose deepening chaos is both frightening and enticing.

Ratings
Satriani: 6/10
Zappa: 7/10
Dylan: 6/10
Aretha: 7/10
Overall: 7/10

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Review: Caesars - Strawberry Weed

Label: Astralwerks

Released: August 19, 2008

From the opening seconds of Strawberry Weed, Caesars make it clear that they're not afraid to make noise. Committed to the mod tradition of the Who, they are loud, abrasive and willing to run wild, yet they never lose their raw pop sense. They tap into that point in rock history when bands realized they should play really loud before the equipment was ready for it. The music here is loud, but in anything other than a hard rock way.

Caesars beat bubblegum pop over the head with the title track and "Boo Boo Go Goo." They hit up garagey R&B on "Turn It Off" and go for the psych out on "Crystal." Even the brit pop leanings of the album's last few tracks ride on straightforward rhythms and rough-hewn energy.

Strawberry Weed embodies rock n roll's perfection of imperfection. If you have any wildness in your heart, this will appeal to you. It isn't about revolution or even rebellion, just about a desire to break out and be free.

Ratings
Satriani: 6/10
Zappa: 6/10
Dylan: 7/10
Aretha: 8/10
Overall: 7/10

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Review: Canine 10 - Don't Be Boring

Label: self-released

Released: 2008

Ah, pop punk the way it was meant to be played. No sappy, whiny singer fronting a band with all the punch of Muzak. No songs by a band more interested in posing as "sensitive guys" than in expressing discontent. No boring, fake sentiments. No calculations to "make it." Yeah, Canine 10 is the real deal. Infectious from the first seconds of "Sorry, Sorry" (the album's catchiest and best song), Don't Be Boring keeps punk's pop roots as well as its frantic edginess. The album does borrow significantly from the Buzzcocks (and the Adverts and Vibrators when they scale back the hooks a bit), but like their punk rock mentors, they represent a vision of punk disaffectedness that isn't overtly angry so much as it is sarcastic...and fun.

Ratings
Satriani: 5/10
Zappa: 5/10
Dylan: 7/10
Aretha: 7/10
Overall: 7/10

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Review: New York Dolls - Live at the Fillmore East

Label: Sony BMG

Released: May 27, 2008

Live at the Fillmore East was recorded only a little over a month before I saw the Dolls play in Baltimore, so I had a good idea of the potential this release had. Despite my feelings about One Day It Will Please Us to Remember Even This, I found the show to be warm, exciting and just plain fun. The question wasn't whether the Dolls were good live, but whether they could be captured on the album.

If Live at the Fillmore East has a fault, it's brevity. The album has only 10 tracks culled from two shows. They rely heavily on their first (and best) record while only taking two a piece from its follow-up and their reunion album. For those who found One Day It Will Please Us... refreshing, it may be a bit disappointing to miss "Fishnets & Cigarettes" or "Dancing on the Edge of a Volcano" and even I was a bit disappointed that the focus here was on the past. Nonetheless, the Dolls don't sound like old men here. They're excited and energetic and the album captures a good bit of the warmth they exude in their live show. Sure, much of the funny banter is missing (Sylvain is pretty funny), but human beauty (yeah, they're beautiful in their own way) is still there. The dedication of "Lonely Planet Boy" to Johnny Thunders is touching even (or as touching as a bunch of old punks can be).

Like any live album, this is no substitute for seeing the real thing, so get out there and catch these guys while you can. In the meantime though, Live at the Fillmore East should hold you over. And if you've already seen them, it serves as a great memory.

Ratings
Satriani: 6/10
Zappa: 6/10
Dylan: 7/10
Aretha: 8/10
Overall: 7/10

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Review: Dead Man - Euphoria

Label: Crusher Records

Released: May 5, 2008

For outsiders, prog rock really seems like a limited genre full of musicians whose musical narcisism takes center stage, relegating things like hooks, emotion and all things rock n roll to the background. That may be true to some extent, but prog has also expanded rock's palette in many ways. A band like Emerson, Lake and Palmer is heavy on the classical, while King Crimson incorporates angular jazz and Mahavishnu Orchestra is as much a fusion band as a rock band. Jethro Tull stamps their prog with a heavy gothic brand. Voi Vod puts prog in a fast and heavy format and the Mars Volta even approaches their music from a hardcore background. The really great thing about Dead Man's Euphoria is that it brings many of the things these bands did individually into a single package (okay, not the hardcore bit) and even add touches of hard rock and jam band folk (a lá the Grateful Dead). They are thoroughly a prog band, yet it is difficult to pin down just one or two influences.

The album is a dynamic ride with surprises around each corner. Occasionally, those surprises aren't so great (like when "Footsteps" had me thinking about fairies and wizards), but generally they keep the album out of the stagnation that plagues so many complex, technical bands. As a matter of fact, the playing on Euphoria is often quite understated, letting the music stand on its own rather than as a vehicle to show off the bandmembers' chops. The vocals, by prog standards at least, are flat at times, but it gives the album an earthiness that escapes many of its genre-mates. None of this makes the music any less grand. In fact, it comes across nearly as big as the classics of the genre. Dead Man doesn't transcend prog itself, nor do they extend its boundaries (except perhaps on the very country, yet very fitting "A Pinch of Salt"), but they do manage to add another album to the must have list of the world's thousands of prog rock fans. While it might be hiding behind many of the musical turns on the album, Euphoria does manage to put the rock in prog rock.

Ratings:
Satriani: 8/10
Zappa: 6/10
Dylan: 7/10
Aretha: 6/10
Overall: 7/10

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Review: Shuteye Unison

Label: Parks and Records

Released: Spring/Summer 2008

About six or seven years ago, I bought a 7" on whim. It was only a few bucks and on colored vinyl, so I couldn't go wrong. Still nothing prepared me for what I was about to hear. That 7" was Rum Diary's Mileage EP and the title song so rejuvenated my interest in music that I began buying more music based on wild guesses than on research. I even bought an extra copy (just in case, you never know). The promise of that little EP was tremendous, but, despite several really good albums, Rum Diary never fully delivered on that promise until 2005's We're Afraid of Heights Tonight...and then they broke up.

Needless to say the reunion of Rum Diary's Jon Fee and Daniel Mackenzie in Shuteye Unison was ripe with excitement for me. After all, it was going to be another chance to hear one of those beautiful unknowns. But time had past and the lineup had changed, so how would Shuteye Unison fit into the legacy?

Shuteye Unison shares Rum Diary's ambling indie approach with wild movement beneath the surface. It's full of odd time signatures and layers that work as counterpoint to each other, giving the album a very non-pop buoyancy and driving it into post-something/anything territory.

The album is flexible on many levels. It's complicated enough to be dissected if you're so disposed, but can just as easily be experienced as a passive ride. It's broad and expansive, yet simultaneously intimate. It is every bit as complicated as you want it to be, yet no more so than you'd like (no matter where you choose to draw that line). Shuteye Unison is one of those rare bands that seems poised for film scoring. They capture moods without being focused on hooks or cleverness. It's not a riff, but a feeling that this album burns into your brain.

So, does Shuteye Unison deliver on the promise of Rum Diary, embodied in that little EP I bought years ago? Yes, absolutely. But more importantly, it makes new promises, not tied to its roots, but to its wide open future.

Ratings
Satriani: 8/10
Zappa: 7/10
Dylan: 8/10
Aretha: 7/10
Overall: 8/10

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Review: Means - To Keep Me From Sinking

Label: Facedown Records

Released: May 27, 2008

The metallic hardcore that Means offer on To Keep Me From Sinking has had a lot of practitioners over the last two decades or so and as expected, some do it better than others. The better bands are either tighter, more intense or occasionally even more creative. Means can compete with the best hardcore has to offer on technical skill and they leverage that in a cohesive way. The album may not have non-stop intensity, but when they kick in full force, they're a force to be reckoned with. It's really their creativity that sets them apart though.

Sure, Dylan Johnstone spends a little too much time growling and some of the riffs are common fare for the genre, but a lot of times they break free of the standard hardcore moorings. Their ability to incorporate melodic lines into the hardest hitting sections and to alter the pace seemlessly is remarkable. Even "Steadily," the album's ballad fits perfectly into place. Means manages to add delicacy without compromising (even if it occasionally strays a bit close to emo land) and they make a great case for hardcore being a living, breathing, changing genre.

Ratings
Satriani: 8/10
Zappa: 7/10
Dylan: 7/10
Aretha: 7/10
Overall: 7/10

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Review: Take It Back - Can't Fight Robots

Label: Facedown Records

Released: June 24, 2008

Can't Fight Robots, the debut album from Arkansas' Take It Back, finds a good mix between crunch and melody. It draws heavily on bands that defined the punk rock of the 90s like Pennywise and (ironically) Bad Religion and thickens that sound up with more hardcore tendencies. The vocals have a gritty power and the frequent addition of backing vocals outside of the choruses makes for quite a few singalong moments. The guitars might be a little too clean, but their melodic lines are the source of much of the album's catchiness.

Take It Back takes a few chances on the album. The slow churn of "A Struggle to Stay Standing" exhibits their ability to drive home the point just as much as its faster counterparts. The arena-leaning keyboard part in "Together Burning Bright" and a decidedly non-hardcore guitar riff and piano part in "Lights in This Town" both take a stroll outside the walls that have been constructed over the last 20+ years. Often when bands take these little walks, they seem forced, as if they're embarrassed to be who they are, but Take It Back seem to be simply following their muse where it leads them. They keep the energy level high across the album, but these little things provide enough variance to avoid being one-dimensional.

Perhaps Take It Back's biggest strength is their ability to create both hooks and sentiments that stick with you. This isn't fluffy pop-punk by a long stretch, yet the songs are as catchy as they are aggressive and the message is positive. They've created an album that's inviting because of its emotions, not in spite of them. Can't Fight Robots leaves us with these words in the final track, "Fill us with passion and burning desire, hearts that are holy." I think the band's prayers have already been answered.

Ratings
Satriani: 7/10
Zappa: 6/10
Dylan: 6/10
Aretha: 8/10
Overall: 7/10

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Review: Dead Leaf Echo - Pale Fire

Label: self-released

Released: 2008

Dead Leaf Echo offers up layers of heavy reverb, subtle, fluid rhythms and ambling, mopey vocals in the true shoegazing tradition. At times, they find interesting ways to get the vocals to work in concert with the rhythms and it's strikingly good. They don't get there consistently, but when they do, they really shine.

The fuzzy punch at the end of "Thought Talk" explodes out of the song's quiet, changing the energy without changing the song. Pale Fire's title track is reminiscent of U2's "Out of Control," only pushed to the extreme. "Reflex Motion" taps into the carefully constructed moods of late Joy Division.

Dead Leaf Echo ambles through echoy, fluid and darkly trippy songs that give a strong nod to 80s guitar and noise pop and occasionally find some of the same ambient ground that Radiohead did in their mid-90s prime (albeit by a somewhat different route). Pale Fire is an album focused on flow, not hooks, and its charms take time to sink through the density of the sound. Be patient though, because the mood that comes with the album is quite vivid in its best moments.

Ratings
Satriani: 7/10
Zappa: 6/10
Dylan: 6/10
Aretha: 7/10
Overall: 7/10

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Review: Shin Jin Rui - Zutiqua

Label: Ex Libris Records

Released: April 14, 2008

With a lot of bands, it's fairly easy to discern their influences and use those influences to describe the band's sound. I could try that with Shin Jin Rui. At times I hear Gang of Four and at others the Stooges. Sometimes the Fall, Syd-era Pink Floyd, the Velvet Underground, Ziggy-era Bowie. I hear the Kinks, Flipper, Meat Puppets and the Talking Heads. I even heard a hint of the Clash at one point. Do you get the picture yet? I didn't think so.

What Shin Jin Rui does on Zutiqua is draw on just about every raw and wild rock n roll influence of the last 40 or so years and roll it into their own brand of cacophony that is under constant threat of disintegration, yet always manages to hold itself together. The album walks that fine line between live energy and studio sound successfully and that's a considerable achievement. Most importantly, there is a madness that runs throughout. It's not a dark and brooding madness, but more of the likable, happy-go-lucky madness of the Cheshire Cat. I just hope Shin Jin Rui doesn't disappear.

Ratings
Satriani: 6/10
Zappa: 7/10
Dylan: 6/10
Aretha: 7/10
Overall: 7/10

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Review: The Briggs - Come All You Madmen

Label: SideOneDummy Records

Released: June 17, 2008

When British punk got into the hands of working class kids in the late 70s who married its anger to pub singalongs and soccer chants, Oi was born. It is a thoroughly British (okay, the Irish can pull it off also) phenomenon that American bands have had a hard time copying. Being able to trust the band is perhaps more important in punk rock than in any other genre and any questions raised about credibility or honesty can be tough to overcome. The Briggs music is so tightly tied to Oi that it's hard to separate the two. Because the band is from L.A. (and even sings an ode to their hometown on this album), it instantly raises the question of whether their music is true or just posturing.

Over the first half of Come All You Madmen, the Briggs churn out their energetic and infectious anthems. The songs, in fact, are so likable that I found it every bit as difficult to dismiss them as I did to buy into the Oi shtick. However, the second half of the album takes a very different tone. Musically, it's not quite as exciting, but lyrically it rings true. "Oblivion" and "Final Words" in particular have a sense of mortality and repentance that are human and genuine. True, the hooks aren't there down the backstretch, but this is the part I needed to hear to make the album one I could believe. Going back for a second listen, even their pub singalong about Los Angeles seems on the money.

Ratings
Satriani: 6/10
Zappa: 4/10
Dylan: 7/10
Aretha: 7/10
Overall: 7/10

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Review: Left Lane Cruiser - Bring Yo Ass to the Table

Label: Alive Naturalsound

Released: January 8, 2008

"Billy Gibbons, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways." That's likely what goes through Left Lane Cruiser guitarist Freddy J IV's head as he pines away for his guitar hero. Gibbons' influence on Freddy's playing is unmistakable and perhaps wearing his influences on his sleeve like that should count against him to some extent, but...well, how many people have imitated that fat, rich, dirty ZZ Top guitar tone? Not many. And done it this well? Perhaps none.

The bottom line here is that Left Lane Cruiser takes ZZ Top's Texas boogie (you know, the stuff they did on the early records, before the pop sheen of "Tube Snake Boogie" or "Legs"), strips it down to the lo-fi garage rock approach it was meant for and throws in a little bit of psychobilly craziness. True, it's somewhat limited in scope, but the sound fully fills its intended space.

Ratings
Satriani: 7/10
Zappa: 6/10
Dylan: 6/10
Aretha: 8/10
Overall: 7/10

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Review: Title Fight - Kingston

Label: Flightplan Records

Released: January 29, 2008

Some time in the 90s, pop punk generally began placing the pop over the punk in its approach to the point that it might be difficult to tell the difference between A New Found Glory and Avril Lavigne. That's sad, because punk has a long pop tradition that dates back at least to the Ramones' love affair with early 60s AM pop. The passion and anger and edginess of punk shouldn't have to be sacrificed for a hook. The Ramones, the Pistols, the Buzzcocks, and so many others created great music that was fully both pop and punk.

Title Fight understands this. Kingston, their three song 7" is catchy. The melodies are rough ones, but memorable. "Memorial Field" and "Loud and Clear" have some of the best guitar hooks this side of the Descendents and still beat with the heart of punk rock. Good as those tracks are, "Youreyeah" has their heart beating harder still as they delve into a bit of Stiff Little Fingers' raw, but catchy passion.

For those who've given up on pop punk, the time to come back is now and the reason to come back is Title Fight. Their brand of pop punk is every bit as catchy as the rest, but they bring back all the punch and abrasiveness of real, genuine punk rock as well.

Ratings
Satriani: 6/10
Zappa: 5/10
Dylan: 6/10
Aretha: 8/10
Overall: 7/10

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Review: Moving Mountains - Pneuma

Label: Deep Elm Records

Released: May 13, 2008

Pneuma is an album that works more in noise than structure. Ambient layers and ambling indie rock rhythms are grounded by a more common vocal approach that alternates between whining and screeching and screaming. There is nothing pretentious about Moving Mountains' deconstruction of rock though. It is experimental, but not simply for the sake of experiment. They haven't spent time forcing complexity so much as simply following a different path to great songs.

They can be stark and thin as the quiet heart-beat, piano and murmurs of "Fourth." They can build layer upon ambient layer in "8105" and occasionally break through the density with horns. They can be more structured in an acoustic ballad like "Sol Solis" and bring soul to a genre that often forgets it. They can be beautifully imperfect in the closing moments of the album. They can be grand without being grandiose. They can be both esoteric and inviting. They can do all of these things, because they focus on the music, not the experiment. They do push the boundaries, but that is only incidental to making great music. Moving Mountains succeeds at what many have failed it. Pneuma is ambient music gone wild.

Ratings
Satriani: 8/10
Zappa: 7/10
Dylan: 7/10
Aretha: 6/10
Overall: 7/10

Deep Elm is running a contest to win a copy of Pneuma (plus 22 other CDs). Click below for details.


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Review: Pomegranates - Everything Is Alive

Label: Lujo Records

Released: May 13, 2008

The liner notes of Everything Is Alive sent me into a wonderful daydream. As the opening drum loop circled through my ears, I read the line, "We experienced the hospitality of strangers letting us spend the night on their couches or their floors." I was immediately taken to a pleasant picture of the band curled up in sleeping bags amidst my menagerie of fuzzy dogs, basking in the afterglow of a great show at the Ottobar as we all took turns playing our favorite albums on the crappy little stereo in my living room.

Then the vocals kicked in, and my fantasy fell apart. Even though I listened to their EP, Two Eyes, I forgot about the singer with the really cute voice. My goodness, I really forgot how cute her voice is. Where will she sleep? Does she get my bed? If so, I guess I have to sleep on the floor, and my back gets all wonky when I sleep on the floor. And what if she's dating one of the guys in the band? I don't really want them getting it on in my bed, but I'm not going to be a jerk about it either. Who am I to stand in the way of young love?

And then I remembered. There are only guys in Pomegranates. Great. So Everything Is Alive is a near-perfect indie-pop gem that has me totally questioning my sexuality.

Okay, seriously, I really like this album, but it is a bit disconcerting that one of the singers -- I don't know if it's Isaac Karns or Joey Cook -- has an incredibly cute voice that makes me think of holding hands and running through the park in summertime. Don't get me wrong, he's got a good voice. It just reminds me a lot of Palomar. And that's cool, because I like Palomar, and frankly, getting compared to Palomar is a high compliment coming from me. Palomar knows pop, and Pomegranates know it almost as well. Pomegranates are a little bit heavy sometimes and a little jangly at other times, but at their core, they make fun and upbeat indie pop with the kind of hooks that you don't remember until you put the album on for the second time, and then you sing along with every single song because you remember them all. This is pop, in a way that crappy American Idol wishes it could be pop.

Everything Is Alive is a very good record. It makes me excited for their next album, because these guys just might have a great record in them.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I think I need to go call my shrink and tell him why I'm having dreams about skipping through Central Park as I'm holding hands with an indie rock boy in a sundress.

Ratings
Satriani: 6/10
Zappa: 5/10
Dylan: 7/10
Aretha: 7/10
Overall: 7/10

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Review: Brass - Set & Drift

Label: self-released

Released: January 25, 2008

I seem to be using the word "angular" an awful lot these days and while that usually means I'm listening to something I enjoy, the post-punk influence is becoming so commonplace that it also begs the question, "What's special about this one?" With Brass, the answer is that they take their mathy angles and smooth them out with fluid bass lines and pleading vocals. Although slightly reminiscent of Michael Stipe at times, the vocals never cross the line into whininess. What's great is that the music is patient. It's agitated but never frantic as if it's coming to a boil, but not quite boiling. It shakes without jarring. The album comes in just under 30 minutes, but seems so much longer, not because it's boring, but because it accomplishes so much in that time. It's so much bigger than what usually comes out of a half hour.

Ratings
Satriani: 7/10
Zappa: 8/10
Dylan: 7/10
Aretha: 7/10
Overall: 7/10

Don't forget to check out Brass' new digital EP, A Small Breath.

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Review: History - Ghosts in the City

Label: 24 Hour Service Station

Released: December 7, 2007

What happens when Fugazi meets Black Sabbath? History. Okay, so time will tell if History the band actually makes history, but there's no denying that the potential is there. Their album, Ghosts in the City, isn't just the result of these influences slapped together in some random fashion, but a natural meeting of the former's mathed up passion and the latter's heavy groove (tempered perhaps into a less sludgy though no less compelling hard rock sound). Add to this the airy effects of two keyboards and their sound finds an even more unique voice for itself. What really makes the album great though is that it provides both the frenzied excitement of calculated hardcore and the pumping, thumping heaviness whose legacy is at the root of pretty much any decent hard rock and heavy metal, all with more than a touch of madness.

Ratings
Satriani: 7/10
Zappa: 8/10
Dylan: 7/10
Aretha: 7/10
Overall: 7/10

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Review: Trever Keith - Melancholics Anonymous

Label: self-released (digital only)

Released: February 2008

In the mid-90s, Trever Keith's band Face to Face was releasing some of the best pop punk around. Big Choice still finds itself in at least my semi-regular rotation. However, they lost me with Ignorance is Bliss at the end of the decade and I never really came back. Now I find myself with Keith's latest work, the solo Melancholics Anonymous.

While Legion of Doom, Keith's mash up project, was, like most mash ups, a mixed bag at best, the benefits of his work on that as well as in production are pretty clear on this new album. His production and remix experience lead to an album that smoothly mixes the synthetic and the natural, using effects, but in proper doses and never gratuitously. Keith will drive a song with artificial rhythms and then use the bumps and lumps in his own voice to humanize the music.

At times, he draws on U2's delay-drenched guitar work and simple rhythms. At others, he dips into 90s Brit Pop. While it seldom even hints at his Face to Face days, Melancholics Anonymous does have one thing in common with that past: The recognition that songs don't have to be profound to make real connections. The album doesn't go down the shadowy roads of post-this or post-that, but instead is very good in the here and now. Unlike maudlin emo, this melancholy pop record has something that rings true.

Keith has a collection of good songs and good performances, but the album as a whole is better than just that. His ability to use the synthetic to enhance the album's emotional truths rather than hide its rough edges makes Melancholics Anonymous a subtle bit of honesty.

Ratings
Satriani: 7/10
Zappa: 6/10
Dylan: 6/10
Aretha: 7/10
Overall: 7/10

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Review: THe BAcksliders - You're Welcome

Label: self-released

Released: June 3, 2008

When most people think of the Bangles, they think of "Walk Like an Egyptian" or "If She Knew What She Wants," but before they caved into commercialism, they were an edgy band making garage rock with a great 60s girl group flair. THe BAcksliders aren't playing an entirely different game from the pre-Different Light Bangles. They lean a little more toward garage and away from pop and they add a hint of country twang that gives the tunes a distinctive flavor, but by and large they're doing a lot of the same things. Let's just hope THe BAcksliders don't get wooed away to play Liam Sternberg and Jules Shear songs.

There is little doubt that You're Welcome is a rocker, distilled into its purest form. It doesn't get bogged down in guitar solos or vocal gymnastics. Driven by Taylor Young's poor man's Keith Moon and Nolan Theis' catchy bass lines, the songs drive home with almost Who-like energy. Chris Bonner fattens up the sound with his fuzzy jangle and Kim Pendleton's gritty, vaguely country voice is the music's heart.

For the most part THe BAcksliders split the difference between pop pleasure and raw rock n roll. They do miss on the overly Stonesy "Fat Girls," but they even nail the tracks that depart the straightforward rock n roll approach with cabaret ("Love Field") and folk ("Someone Has Broken"). There really aren't many better raw rockers than "Under the Moonlight" or "Serves You Right" or most of the rest of the album for that matter and "Cry" pours on the soul to finish the album.

You're Welcome is one of those albums that sounds like so many other garage acts on one level, yet stand apart in an almost intangible way. By the title, I guess they already knew I'd be saying, "Thank you."

Ratings
Satriani: 6/10
Zappa: 6/10
Dylan: 6/10
Aretha: 7/10
Overall: 7/10

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Forgotten: Stranger Than Fiction - Motherfungus

Label: self-released

Released: 1991

Baltimore metal fans are probably familiar with Meatjack, but perhaps fewer know of the Daniloski brothers' first band, Stranger Than Fiction. Their Motherfungus demo was released in 1991 (when the brothers were in their early 20s). These were the days just before a band could make a professional sounding demo cheaply, so the thin production dates this every bit as much as the fact that it came on a cassette. However, the tape explores a sinister silliness (à la early Butthole Surfers) using a kind of lo-fi, punk/prog and even free jazz at times. Don't expect prog and jazz chops on Motherfungus though. It's more the grand, avant garde spirit of those genres that lives here in a strange symbiosis with DIY energy and simplicity.

The tape's first side is a tougher listen as it delves deepest into experimentation. Their live version of "God of Thunder" at the end of Side 1 is a turning point. It maintains the over-the-top hard rock appeal of Kiss, yet it's also infused with the strange craziness that pervades the whole album. The second side doesn't stray so far into the bizarre, though it is still a far cry from what was typically coming out of garages in the late 80s and early 90s. The album's finale, "A Little Off the Top," is reminiscent of Henry Rollins' spoken word material on Family Man, where more effort was put into shock than substance, but the music helps by conveying an increasing madness as the song winds through it's nearly 10 minute story of what happens after a man snaps. Motherfungus is anything but a pop album, being more concerned with crazy than catchy. While the Daniloskis' current work isn't exactly in the mainstream, it is not nearly the free, open (and unfocused) work from whence they came.

Ratings
Satriani: 6/10
Zappa: 9/10
Dylan: 5/10
Aretha: 7/10
Overall: 7/10

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Review: The Griefs - Throwing a Tempo Tantrum

Label: Spoonful Records

Released: 2007

The Griefs channel the Who's manic drums, big power chords and brutal loudness in a catchy package. Sometimes there's fuzz and other times there's jangle, but from start to finish, this is an album of loud melodies and rock n roll bombast that many have copied, but few have done this successfully. Throwing a Tempo Tantrum has the hooks of 60s pop without reining in any of garage rock's energy, creating a loud, abrasive vehicle for their wonderful pop songs. They do little if anything to update what came out of garages 40 years ago, but they capture the essence of that period's raw creative insanity as well as its sweet pop sensibility in a way that is seldom matched today. It kinda makes you wanna hum along and bounce off the walls at the same time!

Ratings
Satriani: 6/10
Zappa: 5/10
Dylan: 7/10
Aretha: 8/10
Overall: 7/10

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Review: Clams - EP

Label: self-released

Released: 2007

Many bands take the Great Leap Forwards approach to modernization, taking an older sound and dragging it kicking and screaming through recent history into the present. Clams doesn't take that road though. Their self-titled EP channels 70s hard rock without forcing anything unnatural to happen. Whether the rhythms are driving or more laid back, the riffs are monsters with plenty of swagger and the vocals are emotional without overwhelming the music. They have plenty of crunch, but don't avoid hooks for the sake of heaviness. Even their nod to the 90s on the Alice in Chains-ish "Dead to the World" doesn't feel like they're alt rock-ifying their sound so much as just taking a natural path. "Fractures" is their most ambitious track, showing that they are equally adept at straightforward rock and prog meanderings. While this EP isn't breaking much new ground, it takes a pattern that is oft misused and sets it straight.

Ratings
Satriani: 7/10
Zappa: 4/10
Dylan: 6/10
Aretha: 7/10
Overall: 7/10

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Review: Fight - K5 (The War of Words Demos)

Label: Metal God Entertainment

Released: January 8, 2008

At the time, Judas Priest's Painkiller seemed like a breath of fresh air. Ram It Down was a decent album, but not enough to assure metalheads that Turbo was a mistake Priest wouldn't make again. Painkiller, on the other hand, seemed like Priest had not only abandoned their pop metal ambitions, but were attempting to fuse their sound with the 80s underground metal that they helped influence earlier in that decade. But that was then. Now Painkiller shows a band struggling a bit for relevance without simply reliving their past. It was a noble effort, but their thrash and hardcore leanings (largely courtesy of new drummer Scott Travis' playing) never really gelled with the remnants of the old Judas Priest sound.

Three years later, Fight's War of Words gave Halford and Travis the opportunity to explore their higher energy approach unencumbered by the Judas Priest sound hanging over their heads. The result was even more refreshing than Painkiller seemed...and it's held up much better. The album generally sounds much more natural, because the new sound isn't being superimposed onto the past. However, War of Words had plenty of support behind it and the end product just may be a bit too polished.

Enter K5 14 years later. These are the demos that Fight recorded before it was cleaned up for radio, MTV and mass consumption. These raw sessions tap into the thrash and hardcore for which Halford and company formed Fight in the first place. K5 trims two and a half songs from the War of Words track list, but they're songs that had less of the new Fight sound. These are replaced by four songs that never made the original album, all of which are nice additions. "Jesus Saves," a track hidden in War of Words' final track, stands on its own for the first time on K5.

K5 is not essential, but for those of us who wanted to know what these songs sounded like before they were cleaned up to be sold, it's an interesting window and, in a sense, a better album that gets at the essence of what Halford was trying to achieve with Fight. While it might be construed as a filler release, just remember Judas Priest is working on a concept album about Nostradamus, so this is the best we're gonna get out of Halford for awhile.

Ratings
Satriani: 7/10
Zappa: 6/10
Dylan: 6/10
Aretha: 7/10
Overall: 7/10

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Review: Russians - s/t EP

Label: self-released

Released: October 2007

The Russians' founder Scott Janovitz is a veteran of the Boston music scene and recently lent his talents to Graham Parker as one of the Latest Clowns, so the well-crafted pop of their second EP should come as no surprise. They aren't shy about their love of the Beatles (even segueing each song into the next a la side two of Abbey Road), but they draw on a range from vaudeville and baroque pop to power pop to ambient. The best part is that they find their own voice in their hooks. They might draw a lot from some great bands, but in the end, it's their signature catchiness that makes this EP a great listen.

Ratings
Satriani: 7/10
Zappa: 6/10
Dylan: 7/10
Aretha: 7/10
Overall: 7/10

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Review: Pretendo - ][

Label: Country Club Records

Released: March 4, 2008

Pretendo play a dark angular pop that revolves around its rhythms, whether that is principally percussion, bass or guitar (or most often the interplay between them), while keyboard or guitar build an unsettling ambiance. The songs vary from the subtley Stones-influenced swagger of "Chronicle a Free Subletting" to the post-punk/dance meld of "Angsti Nervosa" to the Floyd-ish trippiness (and peculiar lyrics) of "Mindy." They manage to draw a variety of small pieces from across decades into a sound that's very modern, allowing them to move forward into the future without abandoning the past. Even within a song, they manage to traverse influences. "Smoking Pipe to Dance" has a short guitar solo that starts off bluesy and finds its way into post-punk quickly and seamlessly. The dirge-like "Cynthia" slows the album's pace with its seedy desperation without derailing its energy. Pretendo realize their potential to push the psychedelic envelope on "Sherman Speaks," a freakout that Syd Barrett may well have been proud of, and even push a bit over the edge of the album's tortured closer, "Pong." Over the course of the album, they shift the musical landscape without shifting their focus, keeping the scenery interesting without losing their way in the process.

Ratings
Satriani: 7/10
Zappa: 7/10
Dylan: 6/10
Aretha: 7/10
Overall: 7/10

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Review: Thieves & Liars - When Dreams Become Reality

Label: Facedown Records/Dreamt Music

Released: January 22, 2008

When Dreams Become Reality would be an ambitious album even if it was the fourth or fifth release for San Diego's Thieves & Liars. As a debut, it's even more impressive. They draw on a lot of influences, some of which entrench them in hard rock and others which allow them to step outside. The music sits on a solid hard rock basis that ties the album together. From there, they reach out to a variety of influences. At times, they focus on the space rock freak-outs of early-to-mid-period Pink Floyd and at others on the powerful energy of Led Zeppelin. The album has no shortage of heavy power trio riffing, but still makes room for occasional touches of both Deep Purple and Motorhead. I suppose I could do without the overblown, power ballad strings on "Alone," though, oddly enough, not on "Forgotten," which expands well beyond the silly 80s soft-side-of-hard-rock conventions. Still, these are minor points. The biggest trouble is that, despite their ability to maintain a consistent sound beneath the overt influences, they never seem to bring several things together at once. Instead, it tends to be more like Thieves & Liars & Floyd on one track, followed by Thieves & Liars & Zeppelin on the next. They certainly have the ability to incorporate some of the best heavy and trippy rock in history into their sound, they merely need to stir it up a bit more. Does this keep the album from being good? Certainly not. It is very good and perhaps a few tweaks short of great.

As if bringing together a variety of sounds wasn't ambitious enough, When Dreams Become Reality is a concept album. It follows the story of St. Joseph as he is faced with the difficult decision of being engaged to a pregnant girl. Remember, this was a time and place where adultery resulted in some unpleasantness, often stoning. Joseph is given a mission from God and yet he can decide to ignore that if he chooses. For Christians and non-Christians alike, the story is an inspiring one, particularly in trying times when the right path isn't always the easy one. The concept album is tricky territory for even a more experienced band and often results in either the music being compromised or the concept itself becoming muddled. Thieves & Liars avoid both difficulties, producing music that can both stand on its on and work within the story. Most importantly, particularly for a young band, Thieves & Liars don't get bogged down being something they're not. Sure they have some trouble mixing their influences at times, but through it all, they always manage to sound like themselves.

Rating: 7/10

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Review: A Wilhelm Scream - Career Suicide

Label:

Released: October 9, 2007

A Wilhelm Scream doesn't exactly break down all the walls on Career Suicide, but they do manage to put forth a solid album that isn't the same old fare over and over again. The album is largely a metally hardcore affair, but its layered sound (particularly the guitar parts) gives it far greater dimension than their average peer in the genre. This layered approach and their melodic moments do give them a bit of an emo feel at times, but they usually attack the songs with rhythms too blistering to be sappy. In the less metal moments, they tend a bit toward the agility, though not the fun, of late Descendants material (which is no surprise as the album was co-produced by Descendants drummer Bill Stevenson). Already a cut above the average hardcore/emocore band out there, A Wilhelm Scream get another step on the competition with lyrics that are a bit more clever than most that deal with the common theme of disillusionment. They may not be on the verge of greatness here, but you could do a whole lot worse than to pick up a copy of Career Suicide. Actually, in hardcore, you couldn't do much better.

Rating: 7/10

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Review: Watts - One Below the All Time Low

Label: Self-released; buy it at CD Baby or Not Lame

Released: September 4, 2007

Watts took their name from the drummer of perhaps the most over-rated rock band in history. However, the part of the Stones that they tap into is that of the band in its hungry 60s prime, not the bloated dinosaur of the last 35 years. And the Stones aren't the only band that Boston's Watts channels. Occasionally, they stray into the catchy punk territory of the Descendents, but most often, they hit up the Replacements, not just in sound, but on a deeper level as well. One Below the All Time Low might not live up to the Replacements very best work, but it's certainly on par with the 'Mats album cuts and that's not half bad. Most importantly, they play that down-to-earth rock n roll that resonates in our hearts. This isn't an album of optimism or cynicism, but one about that place where we all live, not romanticized, just reality in all its gritty here-and-now glory.

Rating: 7/10

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Review: Hackman - The New Normal

Label: Small Stone Records

Released: May 29, 2007

The heavy sludge that is the principle ingredient in Hackman's sound isn't necessarily a hot commodity these days. In order to stand out, bands have to incorporate more than just a love for Black Sabbath and Hackman does just that. The album starts off slow and heavy, but doesn't stay that way. It really opens up with "You Can't Ever Get What You Want," keeping the heaviness, but with a quicker, upbeat rhythm. From there, they dabble a bit in Helmet's post-hardcore rhythms and even touch on the slow end of 80s thrash. The vocals are sparse, but they tend toward a hardcore growl that might be overbearing if they were as dominant as they are on everyone else's albums. Hackman has the good sense to not let the vocals drive their sound, making what might be a weakness into a strength. On top of all this is a space rock freakiness that, though common in the stoner scene, adds yet another dimension. Hackman doesn't cross their genre line, but they at least make it interesting.

Rating: 7/10

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Review: Bad Habit - demo

Label: self-released

Released:

Like many great punk records, this one's almost over before it starts. While this isn't quite great, it does cover all the hardcore bases: fast, loud, aggressive. The four song demo clocks in at just 5:39, but it lets up very little over that time. Bad Habit draws a lot from Minor Threat with just a slightly looser approach a la early Black Flag. They throw in a bit more melody on "Cancer" and it sows the seeds of being more than just another young punk band playing fast and angry. Remembering that this is a demo, a preview of the future so to speak, and that they've only been together about six months, it's an exciting listen. The production is acceptable, but not exceptional and the performance is passionate and honest. Lyrically, they cover the typical topics of frustration, alienation and family breakdown and while the lyrics aren't poetry (c'mon, it's hardcore not folk music), they're heartfelt. To keep things from getting too serious (something so many hardcore bands forget to do), they also throw in "Israeli Girl," an ode to the girl of their dreams, Natalie Portman. I wonder if she's heard it...

The entire demo is available on their Myspace page, but contact the band for a hard copy with lyrics (and a funny drawing of a hot dog).

Rating: 7/10

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Review: Classic African American Gospel from Smithsonian Folkways

Label: Smithsonian Folkways

Released: January 29, 2008

I attended a memorial service for a coworker's husband a few years ago. The chapel was small, and the service was filled with speeches and laughter and the occasional gut-wrenching sob from the front of the room. It was touching, but as someone who didn't know the dead man, it was relatively mundane.

But then God came down and paid His respects.

God came in the form of an unassuming man who stood behind a keyboard at the front of the room and sang. His voice was like a mixture of Al Green and Marvin Gaye, but it was bigger than either of those two giants. I'm not a religious man, but as the light was streaming through the stained glass windows and the music was pouring out of this man's soul, I truly felt that God was in the room.

Unfortunately, God doesn't make many appearances on Classic African American Gospel from Smithsonian Folkways. There are certainly some powerful performances, but few performances that channel a higher power.

Many of the songs on Classic African American Gospel are hopeful odes sung by people who have suffered more than anyone should suffer. As Two Gospel Keys sing, "You may be crippled, you cannot walk, you may be blind and you cannot see, when the Lord gets ready, you've got to move." This is an album about moving in the name of God. This is music that was born from pain and strives for joy. This is powerful music, and it's great in its own, human way.

But that's the problem with so much religious music. It is filled with humanity instead of divinity -- and not even the best parts of humanity. Most religious music is conservatively dressed and well-behaved and concerned with appearances, when it should be powerful and passionate and a little bit crazy. It should be covered with mud and blood and hope and despair and love, and it should possess all the things that drive us to feed the hungry or help the poor or start a revolution. Most religious music is so concerned with honoring God that it never invites Him to sing along.

Only one performance on Classic African American Gospel sounds as if the musicians invited God to join in the song. The instrumental rendition of "It's Time to Make a Change" by Madison's Lively Stones is passionate and inspired, and the musicians' enthusiasm for both God and music is evident. The liner notes say that this is a "shout" band, and "shouting (is) an ecstatic state that involves speaking in tongues, improvised dancing, and singing/performing on a musical instrument. ... (They) perform not only at Sunday church services, they also praise the Lord at funerals, church convocations, parades, and baptisms." These sound like people who invite God to participate in every aspect of their lives, including their music. Especially their music.

Classic African American Gospel from Smithsonian Folkways is a good collection of spiritual music. It's just disappointing that God wasn't around for more of these recordings.

Rating: 7/10

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Review: Juno Soundtrack

Label: Rhino

Released: January 8, 2008

When I first saw Kimya Dawson several years ago opening for They Might Be Giants, there was nothing that made me think that her music would eventually be the soundtrack to a successful movie. Don't get me wrong, I liked her...a lot. She can't sing, she can't play, her songs are simple, yet she has an undeniable charm that comes from a bizarre off-color and childlike innocence. As such, she is perhaps the perfect person to make the music for a film with characters whose innocence isn't candy-coated.

For those not familiar with Dawson or the anti-folk movement in which she is quite prevalent, the songs are typically off-key little ditties with a point of view that may seem a bit skewed to the rest of the world. It would be easy to dismiss her work, yet so many people who actually get to hear it can't. Why? Because in all of her quirkiness, there's a charming honesty, an honesty we can admire even as we wonder if she's for real. Dawson contributes five songs to the soundtrack plus one with Moldy Peaches and two with Antsy Pants, all odd little tunes that are as awkward and beautiful as the journey through adolescence. The soundtrack actually begins with "All I Want Is You," a tune by children's artist Barry Louis Polisar which forms a nice bookend with the Moldy Peaches' "Anyone Else But You" as performed by actors Michael Cera and Ellen Page at the close of the film. The open, naive beauty of the first fits almost perfectly with the irony and sweetness of the closer, bringing the album, like the movie itself, full circle. In between, there are, as with most soundtracks, songs that fit the album without the movie and songs that don't. The Kinks' "A Well Respected Man" and Mott the Hoople's "All the Young Dudes" are surely perfect in the film, yet they stick out like sore thumbs when the soundtrack is taken on its own. Just in case you didn't catch the indie credibility of including Kimya Dawson, Jason Reitman and company make their claim with everyone's first choice in instant hipper-than-thou cred, Sonic Youth. Frankly, I could live the rest of my life without hearing "Superstar," the noise rock version here or any other, and its inclusion only hurt the soundtrack. At least "I'm Sticking with You" wasn't the typical Velvet Underground pick, redeeming at least a little from that Sonic Youth misstep. A couple tracks from Belle & Sebastian fit in nicely as does Buddy Holly's "Dearest." While Cat Power's take on the classic "Sea of Love" isn't essential, it's a worthy effort that's worth hearing.

As with all soundtracks, it is difficult to make something that stands on its own outside of the film. A song that may fit perfectly within the context of the movie may be lost without the visual and the story. The Juno soundtrack is no exception. However, instead of the typical b-side quality music that ends up in so many films, Juno provides mainstream exposure to the work of an amazing yet unknown artist to a broad (and hopefully receptive) audience. It's a bit of an erratic ride, but worth the effort to hear nonetheless.

Rating: 7/10

Review: The Sailplanes - A Second, or Ten Years Later

Label: Red Headed Stepchild Records

Released: July 1, 2007

In listening to A Second, or Ten Years Later, two influences kept cropping up: New Model Army and Joy Division. There really couldn't be two things more different than New Model Army's warm, human, folky anger and Joy Division's cold, stark, dark emptiness, yet the Sailplanes manage to work both into their music. That ability to juxtapose such seemingly different things is a subtle, yet powerful strength. It's not just passion and desperation that they place side by side either. They align fuzzy, sludgy bass and ringing guitar with the driving precision of the percussion. Their sharp, angular sound sits on top of smooth, ambient keyboards. They butt the harsh up against the clean. They even alternate between male and female vocals. All of these contrasts run parallel to one another as if the two sides of the music are the two sides of the human heart and soul. The album's weakness is that it wears its influences a bit too much on its sleeve. However, hints of Berlin-period Bowie/Eno (and a recent move to that city) might be just the thing to bring their sound together without inhibiting the natural conflicts that makes it so good.

Rating: 7/10

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Review: Soho Roses - Whatever Happened To...

Label: Full Breach Kicks

Released: August 21, 2007

Here in the US, when most people think of glam, they think of Sunset Strip scene of the late 80s where hairspray had more to do with a band's success than their music. Little known to so many on this side of the Atlantic, there was another glam scene across the ocean that ran concurrently. With Hanoi Rocks as its kings, bands like Dogs D'Amour and (London) Quireboys were only known by a handful of rocks fans over here. These bands weren't just a bunch of pop bands with big hair and over-indulgent guitar solos. They were rooted in real glam like T Rex, Sweet and Slade as well as the punk rock of the New York Dolls, the Sex Pistols and the Buzzcocks. Many of these bands did just fine for themselves in the UK and Europe, but failed to make a dent over here. One of these bands, Soho Roses, was an almost complete unknown in the US, much like their highly influential predecessor Slade was during glam's first wave.

During a short run in the late 80s, Soho Roses recorded two EPs (a 7" and a 12") and one LP, all of which are obviously out of print. Almost 20 years later, the material is finally being re-issued. Don't be put off by the glam tag if you associate it with LA, because Soho Roses' music is dirtier and grittier. As they say themselves, it isn't "Sunset Strip crap." While the subject matter isn't exactly rocket science, the music is played with true rock n roll swagger rather than silly staged theatrics. Their cover of the Buzzcocks' "What Do I Get" shows that they were, as glam truly was, more at home with punk than metal. While they aren't the caliber of Hanoi Rocks, they're at very least in the ballpark of Dogs D'Amour. They're a fine treat for anyone who prefers a little bit of real rock n roll over the corporate business rock that put on some lipstick and eyeliner over here in the 80s and they're downright essential for fans of real glam.

Rating: 7/10

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Review: The Ark - Prayer for the Weekend

Label: Roxy Recordings

Released: April 16, 2007

The Ark don't do a single original thing on Prayer for the Weekend, but how many bands really do? To understand a band like the Ark is to understand their influences. In their best moments they channel the likes of Queen, Sweet and T Rex. They have a huge arena-sized sound and all the necessary bombast to pull that off. Whether they're recreating the dance-infused rock of Queen's "Another One Bites the Dust" on the title track or the simultaneously silly and heartfelt teen anthem of Sweet's "Teenage Rampage" on "New Pollution," the Ark can can bring the best of big 70s rock into their tunes. Like their early glam influences, the Ark also successfully marries a big rock sound with candy-coated pop hooks and even the heavy hints of ELO's slick strings work well for them. Oddly enough, the Ark is at their best when they're completely over the top just like the early arena rock bands they emulate. At times, they rein themselves in and the more subdued approach hurts the album. More often though, they draw enough from the best of some of rock's most grandiose bands and package it together in a way that makes their revival pretty easy to buy into. Frankly, this is not typically my thing and yet I found myself engaged by Prayer for the Weekend rather than appalled by it.

Rating: 7/10

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Review: The Bowmans - Far From Home

Label: Mother West

Released: April 10, 2007

The Bowmans aren't your typical Americana band. Like the more widely known Avett Brothers, they work from a broader palette than many of their peers. The Bowmans maintain a rootsy feel throughout despite breaking away from traditional folk style and augmenting their sound at times with electricity.

The vocals are the centerpiece of the music. Sarah and Claire Bowman's harmonies are rich and colorful. Best of all, they really use those harmonies to make the songs bold. It's not just something they save for the chorus, but something they use to create the ebb and flow of their music. They often incorporate a hint of jazz and it's the cadence of their voices that makes everything swing. While it may all revolve around their voices, the music behind is often responsible for some of the subtleties that make the album shine. Much of the album's understated catchiness and quirkiness is in the backing band. It is these very things that make it sneak up and grab you. In addition to the indie folk of their Americana base and the jazziness that runs through it, the Bowman's also manage to throw in some rock, with one flat out rocker, and even dabble in chamber music and vaudeville at times. They finish it all off Abbey Road-style with a fun little ditty called "Porker Song" (although unlike "Her Majesty," this one actually has a message).

Far from Home is essentially a rootsy Americana record, but it isn't old-timey by any means. At its worst, it's still fine folk music for the indie crowd, but at its best, it brings a lot more to the table and has a much broader rock appeal that throws out the limitations typically seen in the genre.

Rating: 7/10

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Review: Dusty Rhodes and the River Band - First You Live

Label: SideOneDummy Records

Released: October 9, 2007

With the popularity of the whole folk-punk thing, whether it draws on American folk music like Defiance, Ohio or European folk like Gogol Bordello, it isn't surprising to see another band throw their hats into the ring, but it does beg the question, "What does this new band bring?"

Dusty Rhodes and the River Band tap into a variety of rootsy lines, from folk to country to zydeco to cabaret to gospel even. But instead of just throwing it all together in a ramshackle way or simply speeding it up and adding electric guitars, Dusty and company add the sloppy rock n roll of the Replacements and even enough arena rock to create a big sound ("Street Fighter" even borders on prog). Instead of pulling it off in a traditional manner, they bring their old influences into the present and create what is essentially a rock album with a roots feel. As they incorporate all of these influences, it is the folk nature behind it all that makes First You Live such a cohesive album.

Rating: 7/10

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Review: Clare and the Reasons

Label: Frog Stand Records

Released: September 4, 2007

Clare and the Reasons find their inspiration somewhere between the old pop standards of the 40s and 50s and a vaudeville show, but their music is only partially a revival because they bring their modern selves into the mix. It's clearly intended to have a retro feel, yet all the years of pop music that have intervened are not ignored. There is a shiny, happy veneer and there's a darker side with a kind of film noir feel beneath (that's a bit less obvious than it is on the cover art). This duality runs throughout, but is most prominent in Clare's voice which is sexy, but more coy on the surface than overt. They avoid being too slick and occasionally little oddities give them a sense of independence and rebelliousness. With The Movie, Clare and the Reasons have gone back through pop music's past and applied an off-kilter sense of modern indie music that turns it slightly away from center. The result is is an album with a subtly dark undercurrent that successfully plays to both the past and present.

Rating: 7/10

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Review: Buffalo Killers - s/t

Label: Alive Natural Sound Records

Released: 2006

Formed out of the ashes their previous band, Thee Shams, which was limited to some extent by its love of the Stones, the Gabbard brothers find a much more expansive, heavier sound with Buffalo Killers. They dip generously into the heavy psychedelia of Cream and Hendrix and alternate that with a dose of the Allman Brothers' southern soul. Just a dash of the Beatles adds a hint of pop accessibility without tempering the heaviness or groove.

Buffalo Killers' debut is not about technical prowess (even though they're good players), but about free and wild expression. The rhythms aren't complex, the riffs aren't flashy and the vocals aren't dynamic. Whether playing heavy psych or garagey soul, the band as a whole shuns the pristine in favor of digging down and unleashing a power that pushes rather than punches. The whole is in fact greater than the sum of its parts.

Rating: 7/10

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DVD: Kiss - Kissology Vol 3 1992-2000

Label: VH1 Classic Records

Released: December 18, 2007

Frankly, I expected the third volume of the Kissology to be the least essential. While the Revenge tour material was likely to be decent and the Unplugged reunion with Ace and Peter shouldn't be missed, the rest followed them through their years of touring with the make-up back on and the stage show back in all its supposed splendor in what can only be explained as an attempt to milk both their first generation fans for another go around as well as a new brood of mesmerized adolescents. I mean didn't they bring back Eric Singer at one point and have him put on the cat costume?

So, my hopes were low, but I had forgotten how exciting the Unplugged performance was and how that electricity extended into the initial reunion tour in 1996. Whether it was a money-grubbing scheme or not, they did bring their best and those performances show it, particularly the MTV VMA awards show under the Brooklyn Bridge. Disc three shows them at their worst (at least since the Elder) as everyone but Paul seems to be going through more of an ordeal than a good time. To Paul's credit, despite Kiss' numerous blatant money-making ploys, he seems to have always tried to adhere to the old Motown model of making a fortune by making the best product possible. However, his audience had become nostalgic middle-aged guys, evidenced by the crowd shots (did you see that goofball with his one sleeve rolled up to show off his the Kiss Army tattoo?) and that almost never produces good rock n roll.

Disc four was a nice surprise. It's Kiss' earliest filmed performance from December 1973. Why wasn't it included on Vol. 1? In typical Kiss fashion, they're more concerned with presentation than anything else and it was felt that the footage was too raw to kick the project off. It ended up being a good decision. Kiss, love them or hate them, had a long, successful run and it would be sad to see it end with a farewell tour where their hearts weren't entirely in it (once again with the exception of Paul). After the waning energy of the Farewell Tour show from 2000 which shows them as innocuous as apple pie (though not nearly as good), it's nice to be blown away by how shocking they must've been 27 years earlier. Can you imagine having been there?

None can compete with the first volume which finds Kiss first hungry to succeed and then at their peek where they still believed that the best way to make money was to produce a quality product, but Vol. 3 really does have some essential moments, even for the cursory fan.

Rating: 7/10

DVD: Rat Skates - Born in the Basement

Label: Kundrat Productions

Released: December 11, 2007

Born in the Basement is original Overkill drummer Rat Skates' documentary about the early days of thrash metal, from its punk rock and New Wave of British Heavy Metal roots to the days of its major label success. While there is some mention of other thrash bands like Metallica and Slayer, Skates focuses his attention on his own scene in NYC. And that focus is narrowed even further, because the documentary is really just an extended interview with Skates himself interspersed with video and stills. That limits the film's breadth, but also allows it dig deep into its limited subject matter and touch on details and bands that are likely unknown to anyone who wasn't there.

Because the film only shows the perspective of one man, albeit one who was as thoroughly involved in the birth of thrash as anyone could probably be, its total truth comes into question. At times, Skates almost seems to imply that his hard work and go-for-it approach were the primary factor in Overkill's and thrash's success. It's difficult to tell if he's trying to overstate his role or if this is simply the result of the same personality that drove his success the first time around. The production is amateur, but it would likely seem disingenuous to make a slick film about the DIY ethic.

Despite a few obvious weaknesses, Born in the Basement has plenty of real value. It provides a view into just how much effort was involved in making the music that many of us felt so close to at the time by making us privy to everything that happened behind the scenes. These guys worked like crazy for something they loved, regardless of whether it would ever pay off. It also shows how things have changed. Gone are the days of the Xerox machine. They've been replaced by the advent of iTunes and Myspace. While there are still bands that put their own album art together and screen print their own shirts, they do so by choice. Skates and his peers did it out of necessity.

Rating: 7/10

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Review: Van Morrison - Still on Top - The Greatest Hits

Label: Exile Productions Ltd.

Released: November 6, 2007

In over 40 years of performing, Van Morrison has released records on a variety of labels. Until now, there has apparently not been a best of culled from his entire catalog. Still on Top is a single volume anthology of Van the Man's hits ranging from his time in the mid-60s with Them up to 2005's Magic Time. As such, it is a bit inconsistent as were the times.

The album is organized chronologically and while that isn't terribly creative, it avoids the trap of using some indecipherable organization into which so many anthologies fall. Without a doubt, the best material on the album comes early. There are no surprises in the track selection other than the absence of a few favorites like "Into the Mystic." The first batch of songs ends in 1973 and the next picks up in 1978. A lot changed in those intervening years, for Morrison and music in general. He still sounds great, but the songs, both the writing and arranging, date themselves, making that period, which runs up into the late 80s, his weakest. Morrison did return to form in the 90s and 00s and happily some of that is reflected on this collection, providing a strong finish.

Because it's only a single disc, there are plenty of great songs left out and because it tries to be career-spanning, there are some weaker ones included. However, this isn't some hack stumbling his way through the material, the is Van Morrison. So while there is a lull in the middle, it's largely only because he's reached deep into his soul for so many of the songs on either side.

Rating: 7/10

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Review: Gang Green - You Got It, Older...Budweiser, Can't Live Without It

Label: Metal Mind Productions

Re-issued: 2007

Metal Mind Productions has recently re-issued Gang Green's Roadrunner catalog on limited edition CDs. While this period may be just past their prime (1985's Another Wasted Night), they still find Gang Green in high gear. You Got It is a lot closer to its predecessor than I remembered and it remains one of the best albums in the skate rock sub-genre. 1989's Older...Budweiser finds the band drifting a little further down the metal path, but not to the point of being bloated and lethargic as many punk-cum-metal outfits had. The bonus tracks are none other that the hilariously-titled Van Halen parody, I81B4U EP. The only trouble is that it fits better with the punk-oriented You Got It, but that's just a minor complaint. Can't Live Without It, their 1990 live album and their last release for Roadrunner, was a first time listen for me and it reminded me of why I regret never having seen Gang Green live. All of their wild rebellious fun is captured here in all its glory. The album errs on the side of energy rather than quality, but I can't imagine anyone who would want it otherwise.

These three re-issues are a reminder of a band that may have been lost in the historical shuffle over the years, but not so easily forgotten by punks and skaters who grew up in the 80s. Gang Green should have no trouble resonating with a new generation of kids as, for better of worse, punk, skateboarding, beer, anger and fun seem to be as popular as ever.

Rating:
You Got It - 8/10
Older...Budweiser - 6/10
Can't Live Without It - 7/10

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Review: Lizzy Borden - Appointment with Death

Label: Metal Blade Records

Released: October 2, 2007

When I saw that Lizzy Borden had a new album coming out, I had mixed expectations. While I liked several of their early albums despite the silly theatrics, I began to lose interest in the late 80s and didn't even pay attention to their thin output over the last 17 or so years. Face it, odds are that a band who faded out of their prime and then had huge recording gaps in their catalog isn't going to put together anything all that exciting. Still, I had some hope and that hope was rewarded with Appointment with Death.

This is the first Lizzy Borden album in seven years (unless you count the Starwood album from 2004) and all I know is they must've been resting up for this one, because it flat out rocks with a nearly live energy. It isn't without its flash, especially some of the Maiden-esque dual guitar leads and Lizzy's still strong voice, but none of that feels gratuitous as it does with so many metal artists. While a lot of metal has become more angular, only using melody to counter dissonance and crunch, Lizzy Borden walks the fine line between metal heaviness and hard rock melody. With little exception, it is an 80s metal album, yet the band's enthusiasm keeps it from feeling old.

While it's solid, it may not brilliant musically and it certainly is not brilliant lyrically. The album's theme obviously revolves around death which is frankly rather silly. However, despite its attempt to bare Lizzy's dark side, it's more fun than anything else. There's no doubt that it's a one-dimensional album, but the band does thrive in that dimension. It's unusual for an album to not offer anything new and still be worthwhile, but Lizzy Borden has served up an exception with Appointment with Death.

Rating: 7/10

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Review: Cheater Pint - Dark Side of the Pint

Label: Kinger Recordings

Released: September 11, 2007

Considering the album cover, a not-so-clever Pink Floyd parody, I had relatively low expectations for Cheater Pint. It didn't take long for the music to change that though. Cheater Pint play raw tunes that at times conjure up images of X, the Replacements, the Ramones, Cheap Trick and late-Angry Samoans even. The common denominator is that all of these influences strip away the pretensions of more complex bands, exposing honest what-you-see-is-what-get music.

The simple melodies are delivered with an edge that is engaging and even angry at times, but never bitter. The musicianship isn't what comes from a book or a school, but from playing together and knowing each other and its loose ramblings must work even better live. Like the cover implies, there's a drunken, devil-may-care nature to Dark Side of the Pint, but while that's often shakey ground, Cheater Pint manages to stay on solid footing throughout. This isn't an album that will change the face of rock music, but it may just remind you of why you started listening in the first place.

Rating: 7/10

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Review: Agnostic Front - Warriors

Label: Nuclear Blast

Released: November 6, 2007

One of the earliest NYHC bands, Agnostic Front was also one of the first to cross over into metal back in the mid 80s. The 90s found them getting away from the heavy riffs and more into the singalong Oi! that influenced hardcore in the first place. Their latest release finds them returning to their early hardcore and crossover roots.

Warriors actually finds itself somewhere between the pure hardcore of Victim in Pain and its metallic follow-up, Cause for Alarm. Despite being almost 25 years since they first got together, Miret, Stigma and company are relentless on this album. Driving rhythms, chunky power chords and Miret's now deeper growl unleash AF's positive force. Their strength is still their self-reliance which came from the streets and stays with them to this day. Production courtesy of Miret's brother, Madball vocalist Freddy Cricien is crisp without toning down the raw power.

Agnostic Front has been able to pull off just about everything they've tried over the years from hardcore to metal to Oi! without raising questions about their conviction. Warriors finds them coming full circle back to their hardcore roots with a dash of metal to account for the other side of their early sound. They do it without missing a beat.

Rating: 7/10

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Review: Prize Country - Lottery of Recognition

Label: Exigent Records

Released: 2007

Prize Country's Lottery of Recognition comes off as a mix between the post-hardcore leanings of Fugazi and the dense hardcore of Quicksand. Or perhaps as the dark side of Hot Water Music. However, you describe it, their music is simply unrelenting. Its noisiness belies the band's tightness. They are riffy, but without any of the hard rock connotations that riffy typically implies. Instead, they are as odd and angular as the Fall or Bauhaus, yet nearly as heavy as modern hardcore. A melodic undercurrent adds texture to music that seems to be bursting at the seams throughout.

Prize Country have rightly focused on anger and emotion, allowing focus to fall upon their art as a whole, not its component parts in isolation. Like so many great rock n roll albums before it, Lottery of Recognition doesn't hold anything back. It's pure visceral, angry energy.

Rating: 7/10

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Review: Avenged Sevenfold - s/t

Label: Warner Bros.

Released: October 30, 2007

Avenged Sevenfold are one of those bands that makes me wonder what all the hype is about. It's not that they're bad, just that they don't seem to really separate themselves from the pack so to speak. Their self-titled follow-up to their major label break-though, City of Evil, both justifies my question about them and answers it.

The album jumps right into their metalcore bread and butter, but by the second track, they bring a sense of hooky melody that begins to show just why they may have a platinum record on their hands this time. They incorporate everything from hardcore to melodic hard rock to pop to classical. They even close with a country-tinged ballad that only works based on the strength of the rest of the album. Extremely tight throughout, they show that their music works with delicate string arrangements as well as harsh, aggressive rockers. They do have a miscue on "Lost." The song itself fits well, but no one who wants to be taken seriously should employ an effect that reminds anyone of a bad Cher song (you know the one). Still the album shows that Avenged Sevenfold graduated into being a versatile rock band that plays music big enough for arenas, not just another run-of-the-mill metalcore act. The music is certainly grand, but it's also fairly safe.

Other bands are out there taking their small sub-genre and making great big rock records. If bands like My Chemical Romance and Chiodos are the Queens of this generation, then Avenged Sevenfold are the Foreigner. That doesn't make them a bad band, it just means that they aren't pushing the limits of what a rock band can do. While MCR and Chiodos are both the present and the future, Avenged Sevenfold are simply the here and now, so enjoy them while you can.

Rating: 7/10

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Review: Remove the Veil - Another Way Home

Label: Facedown Records

Released: October 16, 2007

Unlike most of the Facedown stable, Remove the Veil takes it's cues from gritty hard rock, grunge and stoner rock rather than more technical metal. Interestingly enough, the album still fits well with the label's catalog. Their ability to use this in a powerful hardcore format sets them apart from their peers.

The album's nod to hard rock shouldn't be taken as an indicator that they're lite compared to other bands in the scene. Their down-to-earth riffs and heavy grooves make the album more accessible, but no less intense. Their use of vocal harmonies is reminiscent of the interplay between Layne Staley and Jerry Cantrell that made Alice in Chains a stand-out in the 90s. Vocalist Mark Hendrix's voice does have a tendency to get witchy in the more frantic sections where he isn't harmonizing, but while it's grating at first, it settles in with the music over the course of the album. Unlike the cold technical riffs of their contemporaries, Remove the Veil mixes in southern rock licks that make a more direct connection that the esoteric noodlings that are so prominent today. They get a little too pedestrian on the title track which all but rips off "Wanted Dead of Alive," but they otherwise walk the line between melodic accessibility and sludgey heaviness with much success.

The result is an album that is equal parts Black Sabbath, Alice in Chains and generic hard rock with perhaps a dash of the Allman Brothers. Another Way Home maintains a consistent energy level across pace changes, giving it both punch and passion that easily connects with listeners.

Rating: 7/10

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Remove the Veil is currently on tour to support the album:

Oct 31 - Phenix City, AL @ Halloween Ho-down @ Champion's Den
Nov 2 - Elizabethtown, KY @ Reno Starks
Nov 3 - Herrin, IL @ Hitts
Nov 5 - Ocala, FL @ The Capitol
Nov 6 - Tampa, FL @ Transitions Art Gallery
Nov 7 - Homestead, FL @ Life Pointe Church Homestead, FL
Nov 9 - Mobile, AL @ The Mug
Nov 10 - Cleveland, GA @ Real Hope Fest '07
Nov 12 - Oklahoma City, OK @ The Factory
Nov 13 - Bartlesville, OK @ The Warehouse
Nov 15 - Memphis, TN @ The Dregs
Nov 17 - Douglasville, GA @ BBQ Fest '07 @ the 7 Venue
Nov 18 - Greenville, SC @ The Unknown Venue
Nov 19 - Kernersville, NC @ Creation Skatepark
Nov 20 - Berea, KY @ Berea Folk Center
Dec 1 - Greenville, NC @ Silver Bullet
Dec 2 - Raleigh, NC @ The Brewery
Dec 4 - Melbourne, FL @ The Melbourne Jaycees
Dec 5 - Winter Park, FL @ Island Oasis
Dec 6 - Ocala, FL @ The Capitol
Dec 7 - Buchanan, GA @ The Hangar
Dec 8 - Mobile, AL @ The Chiropractor Building
Dec 10 - Baton Rouge, LA @ The Darkroom
Dec 11 - Corpus Christi, TX @ The Compound
Dec 13 - San Antonio, TX @ The White Rabbit
Dec 15 - Stockbridge, GA @ The R.O.C.K. Show at First Christian Church
Dec 18 - Corinth, MS @ Cruzin' Cones
Dec 19 - Douglasville, GA @ The 7 Venue
Jan 1 - Fredricksburg, VA @ Revelation Fest
Feb 16 - Clyattville, GA @ WoodFest @ War House Of Prayer

Review: Chain Shot - Black September

Label: Irish Voodoo Records

Released: October 31, 2007

Chain Shot plays hardcore like they don't often make it anymore. It isn't overly metally or technical, just fast, hard and angry. They forgo the indulgent solos and the now dime-a-dozen growls. Instead, they stick to the raw passion that made hardcore exciting in the first place. The sons aren't complex, but they have a structure that holds them together and keeps them from falling into chaos. Chain Shot does have a tough time getting a groove going and that's the biggest thing that separates them from top tier old school hardcore like Madball. They end being fairly one-dimensional as a result, but that isn't exactly the cardinal sin of hardcore.

Unfortunately, the production on Black September leaves a lot to be desired. The minor success it has in getting a generally good hardcore guitar sound is more than canceled out by overbearing drums. It's never good to be bludgeoned by the snare (yeah, I did say the snare, not the kick drum or the toms).

All in all, Black September is a visceral album that is meant to be a release of anger and energy. It isn't meant to be over-analyzed. While it won't change the face of hardcore, it is a healthy escape from the riffs, growls and breakdowns that dominate the genre today. Using Thomas Tew's pirate flag for the cover doesn't hurt either. Arghhh!

Rating: 7/10

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Review: Radio Moscow - s/t

Label: Alive Natural Sound Records

Released: February 27, 2007

Radio Moscow is a modern day power trio whose influence reaches back to the days when the sub-genre first reared its head with the likes of the Jimi Hendrix Experience and Cream. Radio Moscow don't ignore everything that's happened since the late 60s, but their influences don't stretch too far beyond that time.

The thick fuzzy sounds of Hendrix are the biggest influence on Radio Moscow's debut and like their mentor, they have that innate ability to really feel their music. They play as a band not as individuals. The vocals aren't superb, but they don't hold anything back either and while no one is a great technician, the songs' riffs and grooves are monsters. They also draw some of their fat guitar tone from early ZZ Top and Wishbone Ash (when both were good) and throw in some of the bluesy trippiness of LA Woman-ear Doors for good measure. The acoustic blues of "Lickskillet" is as good as anything this side of Zeppelin III. Radio Moscow also brings a bit of swing to their rock n roll swagger, giving the album very subtle hints of jazz. In general, Radio Moscow plays loosely, but hold everything together in a strong groove. But the album's finale, "Fuse," just rips loose and instead of drawing to a close, they explode! It makes the whole album seem like a live set rather than a studio album.

This is blues rock as it was meant to be played, not as it was watered down by the hairspray-conscious acts of the 80s. The production, courtesy of the Black Keys' Dan Auerbach, is deliberately raw and the album has a decidedly live energy. However, unlike a lot of lo-fi recordings, this one is masterfully done, rough but free of noisiness and clipping.

If this was Radio Moscow's third or fourth album, I'd still be impressed with both their energy and their execution, but this is the debut! It may be a revival, but it is most certainly worthy of the past into which it taps. It's down to earth approach makes it easily accessible for anyone who simply likes their rock n roll a little on the raw side.

Rating: 7/10

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Review: The Cult - Born Into This

Label: Roadrunner Records

Released: October 2, 2007

In the late 80s, the Cult released a string of amazing records: Love, a psychdelic goth-rocker; Electric, their simple hard rock riff factory; and Sonic Temple, the album that exploded into the middle ground between its two predecessors. As successful as they were, several misguided, unfocused efforts in the 90s derailed their progress. That made 2001's Beyond Good and Evil such a huge surprise and that surprise in turn made the follow-up, some six years later, a tough act to chase.

On Born Into This, the Cult don't quite bring the same energy level that they shocked us with six years ago (or at least they don't bring it in the same way) and that makes the first listen a little disappointing. However, subsequent passes leave that last album in its time as the Cult rediscover a more distant past. This album isn't as consistent as most Cult albums. Instead of really melding their hard rock and goth egos, they alternate with one side dominating and then ceding control to the other on the next track.

Those expecting a primarily hard rock album (i.e., the Electric fans) might be disappointed, because the songs that lean their direction are the the weakest tracks. Songs like "Dirty Little Rockstar" only work because the Cult can bring their tremendous performance power to bear on even a mediocre song. It's really the songs influenced by their pre-Electric recordings that shine the brightest along with "Holy Mountain" which finds Ian Astbury doing '68 Comeback-era Elvis with conviction. However, the Cult's half step back from the hard rock with which they'd found so much success doesn't mean the album doesn't rock every bit as much once you get on board with the new (old) direction.

Although the production is weak and doesn't help the album really take off and while Duffy and the new members may not be quite in peak form, Astbury still walks that line between the dark poetry of Morrison and the cartoonish bombast of Danzig. Overall, the Cult finds its groove and captures the shamanistic feel that has made their best work seem more like a tribal experience than just a rock record.

Rating: 7/10

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Review: Mick Jagger - The Very Best of Mick Jagger...and contest!

Label: Atlantic/Rhino

Released: October 2, 2007

Don't miss the opportunity to win a copy of this CD. See the bottom of this review for details.

Other than a song here and there, the Rolling Stones haven't done anything worthwhile since 1972's Exile on Main Street (don't whine to me about Some Girls or Tattoo You, either). Their last album, seen as a return to form by many, was merely the Stones as a cover band of themselves 35+ years earlier. In some ways, it was their most pathetic album, because it showed them trying to be who they once were, as if the passage of time had no effect. The problem with the Stones isn't that Mick and Keith don't have anything left to offer, just that they aren't the Stones anymore and they fail when they try to be. That's why both have been able to release some fantastic solo material during a period when the they've embarrassed themselves in the band.

The Very Best of Mick Jagger collects a number of his songs from his solo albums over the last 22 years. It glosses over She's the Boss and Primitive Cool, drawing only three of its 17 tracks from those two albums. Mick's stronger material from 1993's Rick Rubin-produced Wandering Spirit and 2001's excellent Goddess in the Doorway, two albums that show a definite evolution from the drugs and sex and rock and roll stupidity of his youth, account for seven tracks. Now the math doesn't add up there, does it? That's a good thing, because the remaining seven tracks are either unreleased or likely absent from many people's collections.

Three songs are new to our ears although not newly recorded. "Charmed Life" (recorded in 1992) sounds more like it was recorded in 1979 with the inspiration of Queen's successful foray into disco. The same year gives us "Checkin' Up With My Baby," a Sonny Boy Williamson blues number. From all the way back in 1973 comes "To Many Cooks (Spoil the Soup)," a soul number featuring Al Kooper and Jack Bruce and produced by John Lennon. Two others come from soundtracks. "Old Habits Die Hard" from Alfie (2004) is an emotional ballad with Dave Stewart that finds Mick in his best voice. "Memo from Turner," from 1970's Performance, is another interesting obscure selection. Also included is "(You Got to Walk and) Don't Look Back," Jagger's contibution to Peter Tosh's reggae classic, Bush Doctor. Unfortunately, Jagger's cover of "Dancing in the Streets" with David Bowie also found space on this album. When it was released back in 1985, it had the excuse of being a charity single, but not now. It's almost as embarrassing as Dirty Work or Bridges to Babylon.

All in all, this is a nice collection of Mick's Stones-free work. After listening to the tracks from Wandering Spirit and Goddess in the Doorway, I'd think you'd want to pick those up on their own. However, The Very Best of Mick Jagger still provides enough extra material to make it worthwhile. Plus, it's a lot better than listening to anything the Stones did in the same time frame.

Rating: 7/10

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Contest: Mick Jagger and David Bowie covered "Dancing in the Streets" to benefit the Live Aid charity. They also planned to do it as a duet at the concert, but those plans fell through. Why? Don't put the answer in the comments. Instead, click here to send it to me. I'll announce the winner on October 15, 2007.

Review: Blue Cheer - What Doesn't Kill You...

Label: Rainman Records

Released: August 21, 2007

Most people probably fall into one of two camps regarding their expectations for Blue Cheer's latest album, What Doesn't Kill You: One group expects this album, featuring 2/3 of the Vincebus Eruptum lineup, to be an amazing return to past form, proving that Blue Cheer is as vital today amongst their stoner rock devotees as they were in 1968. The other group expects this, their first album since 1991 (first in the US since 1984), to be just another in a sporadic run of attempts to relive past glory. The truth is that neither is correct.

What Doesn't Kill You does stick largely to what Blue Cheer always did best, slow, heavy, psychedelic grooves. Their mind-altering power doesn't burn quite as brightly as it once did (although the lyrics imply that it is not for lack of drug use) and by and large the new album takes a bluesier turn without abandoning all of their fuzzed out thunder. The opening track is a bit of a shock initially, sounding as though they had spent some part of the last few years listening to Motorhead, but it turns out to be an anomaly. "Young Lions in Paradise," their take on a rock ballad is the album's only misfire, but even there they achieve some degree of heaviness.

For those expecting Vincebus Eruptum, this album won't measure up, but for those fearing a disaster, this will be more than just a pleasant surprise. Blue Cheer does fail to match their past, but in trying they show why they're still imitated almost 40 years later.

Rating: 7/10

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For another opinion on this one, check out the Heavy Metal Time Machine.

Megadeth - That One Night

Label: Image Entertainment

Released: September 4, 2007

Live albums often fail to walk the fine line between "so live that I can't hear it" and "so clean that it sounds like the studio." Megadeth's That One Night, recorded in Buenos Aires in 2005, is not one of them. It is the rare live album that walks that line almost perfectly.

That One Night offers a Megadeth set that draws from nearly all of their albums (only Killing Is My Business and the not released at the time United Abominations make no contributions) with a slight preference for their late 80s/early 90s prime. Megadeth, despite the many line-up changes over the years, has always been a remarkably tight band and this makes it quite evident that it's not just a matter of studio tricks. They're really that good even 20 years down the road.

The one problem with the album is that it doesn't quite compel me to keep listening so much as it makes me think about listening to the studio albums. It does everything right, yet still doesn't offer much to entice the less-than-diehard Megadeth fan to keep coming back. It's not that the album doesn't capture Megadeth's live energy so much as their live energy doesn't offer more than their studio albums. To be fair, that's true of most live albums though.

Rating: 7/10

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Review: Wooly Mammoth - The Temporary Nature

Label: Underdogma Records

Released: November 28, 2006

With a name like Wooly Mammoth, this band has a lot to live up to. They either have to live up to the name literally as the heaviest of the heavy or ironically as light and fluffy pop. Few will be displeased that they opt for the former even if they don't fully live up to that heaviness.

While I was expecting Wooly Mammoth to take on the extremes of the stoner/doom sub-genre with extended drone jams in the mold of Sleep, they're a much more straightforward band. Like most stoner bands, they have a strong affinity for 70s hard rock, Black Sabbath in particular, and they stay truer to that with heavy riffs and songs that actually move along at a decent clip rather than the experimentalism of their more extreme peers. Occasionally, they drift more into the realm of grunge (a la Louder Than Love-era Soundgarden) which shows that they're rooted more in rock than far out theories. The Temporary Nature does stretch out at times and manages to walk that line between cutting loose and coming unglued, showing it to be both wild and disciplined at the same time.

Wooly Mammoth isn't the band that pushes the limits of heavy music, but without bands that are somewhat grounded, it makes pushing a moot point. On The Temporary Nature, they take heed of the challenges from those who do push without forcing those challenges all at once upon unsuspecting listeners.

Rating: 7/10

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Review: Shocking Pinks - s/t

Label: Astralwerks

Released: September 25, 2007

The latest project of New Zealand's Nick Harte, Shocking Pinks' self-titled album is actually songs collected from the two previous albums. It's a rhythm-based indie rock affair whose ambling beats support yet don't drive it's layers of ambient noise and dream pop. The album has bits of Joy Division and pieces of My Bloody Valentine, giving it both a dark undercurrent and a good pop sense that grounds it despite its oddness. There are only a few outright dance tracks, yet the whole album is in a sense vaguely danceable. When they succeed, the songs are near perfect snippets of moods. When they fail, they are merely disorganized pop songs. Luckily, there is enough of the former to make this album worth hearing.

Rating: 7/10

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Review: Pocus Whiteface - But It's Home b/w This Room Spins

Label: self-released

Released: May 23, 2007

After releasing a free internet only EP earlier in the year (which you will get on the CD that accompanies this 7"), London trio, Pocus Whiteface returns with this two song 7". Both songs draw from loose garage rock and tight, angular post-punk. "But It's Home" is a bit catchier and more instantly likable. It starts thin and builds in density, ultimately coming across much like the Buzzcocks meet the Stooges. "This Room Spins" is similar but abandons much of the pop sense of its predecessor. Instead, it's angular and agitated, with a dragging rhythm that creates tension within the song itself. After a few listens, it clicks and is a much more enduring track than "But It's Home."

This EP has decent variety for only two songs and it shows Pocus Whiteface's ability vary their sound without losing their sense of who they are. If that isn't enough to interest you, the 7" comes in a beautiful heavy cardboard sleeve and is pressed on heavy (180 gram)* vinyl.

Rating: 7/10

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* [This was an error on my part. Apparently 180 gram vinyl applies only to 12 inches and would be unbelievably thick as a 7". Still, the vinyl they used is very high quality, so while the comment was incorrect, you get the point.]

Review: Nathaniel Mayer - Why Don't You Give It to Me?

Label: Alive Naturalsound Records

Released: August 21, 2007

Nathaniel Mayer is a legend in soul music, though lesser known outside of the genre. Once known for his sweet soulful voice, there is little of that remaining on his latest effort, released 45 years after his most famous song, "Village of Love." His now thin, raspy voice may not be what older fans recall, but the raw Detroit soul recorded here should still take them back to the days when the town's soul was so heavy that it influenced the burgeoning garage rock scene as much as it did the slicker Motown sound. In a sense, this record has as much to do with Mayer's influence on the MC5 as it does with his influence on R&B and soul.

Why Don't You Give It to Me? starts off with the title track, a straight blues number, and Mayer's vocals are shocking to the point that it seems like a novelty. His voice is thin and gravely and fails to convey much. However, the ride changes its character as Mayer's voice both improves and grows on you over the remaining eight tracks. Most of these take on a dark garage approach to soul msuic with loose, emotive rhythms and bluesy, psychedelic guitar. Mayer's band is filled out with some exceptional musicians, most notably Dan Auerbach of garage rock purists, the Black Keys. It is Auerbach's playing as much as Mayer's voice that brings the most out of these songs and it's no surprise that seven of the songs are group compositions. The closer is a cover of Delroy Wilson's reggae classic, "Dancing Mood." It may seem an odd choice until you hear Mayer and company nail it as a reggae-tinged garage soul number. If nothing else, it solidifies the idea that the initial misgivings with the opener are misplaced.

The production on Why Don't You Give It to Me? is poor to say the least...and it would be a crucial mistake to have it any other way. The album finds its way in walking that fine line between chaos and lifelessness, avoiding both and coming up with an album of tremendous energy. Mayer's voice may never quite resonate with all listeners, but taking some time to appreciate it as it is and to dig into the music that backs it will prove to be a worthwhile effort.

Rating: 7/10

Review: Pink Floyd - Piper at the Gates of Dawn (40th Anniversary Edition)

Label: Capitol-EMI (2 CD and 3 CD)

Released: September 4, 2007 (originally released August 5, 1967)

Piper at the Gates of Dawn is almost universally accepted as a great album. Certainly, "Astronomy Domine" is amazing in its own right. The three group compositions in the middle of the album are good, though somewhat underdeveloped, indicators of where Pink Floyd would be headed after Syd's departure. Otherwise, the album consists of Barrett compositions that are still firmly rooted in the British Invasion and baroque pop of the 60s. No doubt, they too give some inkling of the future and, dated as they are, still have a good deal of freak out quality to them, but had they not led to Meddle, to Dark Side of the Moon, to Wish You Were Here, they would likely have fallen into the pack of psychedelic experimentation that defined the time in which they were written. Don't get me wrong, Piper at the Gates of Dawn is a very good album and it should get extra points for laying the groundwork for Floyd's greatness to come, but it also has to be judged on its own to some degree, something that likely hasn't happened since Dark Side of the Moon changed the face of rock music less than six years after Piper's release.

As far as the re-issue is concerned, the only thing the new two disc edition gives you is the mono version of the album and new, poorly modified artwork (why would they do such a thing?) all for about $5 more give or take. However, there is also a limited three disc release that also includes all of Pink Floyd’s singles from 1967 (“Arnold Layne,” “See Emily Play,” and “Apples And Oranges”), the B-sides “Candy and a Current Bun” and “Paintbox,” as well as an exclusive edit of “Interstellar Overdrive,” (previously available only on an EP released in France) and the 1967 stereo version of “Apples And Oranges” (which is seeing the official light of day for the first time). If that isn't enough, it also comes with an eight page reproduction of one of Syd's notebooks (which either provides many insights into the mind of a drug-addled lunatic or is entirely incomprehensible, I'll bet on the latter). All in all though, it seems that while the two disc edition offers little other than added expense, the three disc edition provides some nice bonus material for the more serious Floyd fan.

Rating: 7/10

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If you're interested in winning a copy of the two disc set, check out my contest.

Review: Eli "Paperboy" Reed and the True Loves - The Satisfier b/w It's Easier

Label: Q Division

Released: June 2007

Soul and R&B have in many cases become so wrapped up in the influence of hip-hop that they've forgotten their own identities. When things like this happen, sometimes it's best to hear someone get back to basics to reclaim a genre that's losing itself. Eli "Paperboy" Reed and the True Loves may be just such a band.

Don't get me wrong, they won't save soul singlehandedly, but they should at least remind the purveyors of modern soul what they're missing. "Paperboy" doesn't have a technically amazing voice. It's very, very good, but what really makes him a fantastic singer is that he really digs in like he's singing these songs from the tips of his toes. This is on top of a band that is thoroughly solid. The True Loves know themselves and what they want to be and they succeed.

"The Satisfier" is an upbeat soul song that beams with emotion and fun. The flipside, "It's Easier" is a ballad that shows off the group's real abilities on a song that wouldn't hide any inadequacies. Together, they show the group's ability to convey energy at both ends of the spectrum.

Eli "Paperboy" Reed and the True Loves are perhaps a bit like an evened out James Brown or a rough Marvin Gaye. That may sound like a backhanded compliment, but it's not, because they're a lot closer to Brown and Gaye than they are to much of what passes for soul today. One listen makes it clear that they mean what they sing; they really are the "satisifer."

Rating: 7/10

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Review: Johnny Cash - The Great Lost Performance

Label: Island Records

Released: July 24, 2007

Frankly, I'm not sure why this is the great lost performance. Surely, in a career as long as Johnny Cash's, there were many performances that didn't get recorded or where the tapes were lost. Obviously, this is the one that managed to get itself found, but that only makes it the found performance, not the great one.

This album, recorded at the Paramount Theatre in Asbury Park, NJ in the summer of 1990, finds Johnny Cash on his way back up. He was working with Kris Kristofferson, Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings on the Highwaymen's second album during this time and had just finished working on Will the Circle Be Unbroken Vol. 2 with the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and a host of country music legends (including June) the year before. He was just a few years away from what may have been the best work of his career in the American Recordings series. This was not the shell of Johnny Cash that did variety shows in the 70s, but a very vital artist. All of this points in one direction: a fine performance. And that's just what was uncovered here.

Cash sounds good, the band sounds good, the audience even sounds good. He hits the standards like "Ring of Fire," "Folsom Prison Blues" and "I Walk the Line" with loose vigor. He includes some of the less common greats like "Hey Porter" and "Ghost Riders in the Sky." He even throws in a few newer ones. June sounds tremendous in her duet of "Jackson" with Johnny. Best of all, he treats us to a few of his stories, the ones that reveal his honesty, his integrity, his humanity. However, at times the whole thing feels a bit too safe. Like they're all going through the motions just a little bit. Granted, Johnny Cash going through the motions has more heart than most artists would if they were singing with a gun to their head. Still, to be great, it should feel 100% on and it doesn't.

Don't get me wrong, The Great Lost Performance is worth hearing even if it's slightly mistitled. Somehow, I just doubt that this would be picked for the live release if there wasn't the hype of it being "lost."

Rating: 7/10

Review: Bridge and Tunnel - 7 inch EP

Label: No Idea Records

Released: May 9, 2007

A superficial listen to Bridge and Tunnel's debut EP gives the impression that they're just one of many bands out there now in the mold created by Hot Water Music, with passionate songs and a raw and catchy yet complex sound. So many bands have run with that and just taken a bit of the edge off for accessibility that it's become a bit of a tired sub-genre. While Bridge and Tunnel don't break away from that entirely, a closer listen reveals a subtle intricacy in their music that gives them their own piece of that sound. Vocal harmonies, at times sweet, at others dissonant, beautiful and fluid guitar interplay and varying rhythms all combine to make music with life and movement and passion. Bridge and Tunnel bring quite a pedigree of prior work in other bands together to create something really special, if not entirely new. Just don't assume it's the same old thing, because while it may not break the mold, it certainly comes out of that mold as its own thing.

Rating: 7/10

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Review: War of Ages - Fire from the Tomb

Label: Facedown Records

Released: July 24, 2007

This is not an entirely new album, nor is it a re-issue. Rather, it's a re-recording of War of Ages' first album with a bonus track. I hadn't heard the original recording, but the band felt it didn't do the songs justice and opted to take another shot. If the recording quality was truly an issue, then they certainly had reason to release this, because the sound quality is excellent and the songs for the most part are intricate enough to warrant good production.

Fire from the Tomb doesn't rewrite the rules of hardcore, but they do put a particularly technical spin on it. While the vocals stick to the standard guttoral growl, the rest of the music carries War of Ages at times into the realm of the hardcore elite. The tight, brutal rhythm section sets a pace varied and creative enough to keep the songs fresh. The two-guitar attack provides both chunky rhythm as well as some downright beautiful melodic leads. Occasionally, the album does get bogged down with a song that can't seem to rise above generic, flat hardcore, but those instances are clearly an exception.

Lyrically, the band relies on many of the stalwarts of hardcore imagery: battle, strength, solitude, pride, brotherhood; but they also express a more personal (though by no means emo) side related particularly to their Christian faith. Many "positive" bands have a tendency to become preachy, expressing a black and white, fundamentalist view of the world. War of Ages steers clear of this, dealing more with their struggles and, when they do point the finger, it's at other "Christians" who fail to be true and thereby fuel anti-Christian arguments. This resonates with me as a Christian, but also has the potential to do the same with non-Christians and that's something that few bands with these intense feelings (on any side in the spectrum of religion, atheist to devout) can accomplish.

Fire from the Tomb puts War of Ages very close to the top of the hardcore game and gives them enough crossover appeal that they should have a significant fan base in the metal camp as well. With their second shot at these songs, they've created a record that is brutal and occasionally even beautiful.

Rating: 7/10

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Review: Elvis Presley - Viva Las Vegas

Label: Sony BMG

Released: July 31, 2007

With a title like Viva Las Vegas, I suspect many people's expectations are very low, associating this with the lounge lizard Elvis. However, that turns out to be an off-base assumption. The truth is this album captures Elvis during his second-wind. True, the young, hungry singer from the days before the Army and the movies is gone, but he still had an awful lot of performance left in him and these 16 tracks, all but one recorded live between 1970 and 1972, find his great voice backed by a much bigger sound.

It does get a little over the top at times, foreshadowing the fat bloated days soon to come. "Release Me" and "You've Lost That Loving Feeling" both take a step or so over the line and I can't imagine why the limply patriotic "An American Trilogy" ever appealed to anyone (even the anti-anti-establishment Elvis fans of the sixties), but most of the album shows that Elvis could still pull off a fine and moving performance. The bands backing him generally show a lot of vigor, especially considering that they're just Vegas house bands. It really shows the power that Elvis still commanded.

If you're expecting the Elvis whose arteries were clogged with bacon fat, just waiting for a bout of constipation to stop his heart, you're in for a real surprise. While this isn't the Elvis of 1956, its energy is closer to those days than to what he'd become a few short years later as drugs and obesity took their toll.

Rating: 7/10

Review: Lozen - Enemies Against Power

Label: Australian Cattle God

Released: May 15, 2007

Lozen, a two-piece from Tacoma, Washington, take their name from an female Apache warrior and prophet. The name fits, because the music is simple, making a visceral connection more akin to prophecy than science. Enemies Against Power doesn't rely on complex rhythms or highly technical playing. Instead it sticks to simple riffs and pace changes. The result though is anything but dull.

Over the course of seven tracks that stretch to almost 50 minutes, Justine Valdez's plodding drums drive its meandering pace. Hozoji Matheson's guitar work is heavy, overdriven and often phased for great psychedelic effect. At the emotional peaks, her riffs are reminiscent of Greg Ginn's work on Black Flag instrumentals of the mid-80s, only simplified. The rest of the time she chugs along in the basic, yet moving stoner tradition. Her vocals are rich, but disturbing, occasionally straying into Perry Farrell's twisted trippiness.

The overall effect is a dark, tribal album. It isn't the type of thing that becomes a steady diet, but it will definitely find its times for those of us who need a break from the shiny, happy sheen of pop music.

Rating: 7/10

Lozen Myspace

Review: Dear Tonight - We're Not Men

Label: Red Leader Records

Released: July 3, 2007

Because Dear Tonight hails from Brooklyn, I suspected they'd be at least somewhat about hipster cool cleverness and indie rock irreverence. The reality though is that there's no sheen of cool over this band. In fact, there's no sheen of anything at all. This is hardcore at its genuine, honest best.

Following in the footsteps of Fugazi and Hot Water Music, Dear Tonight has created a multi-faceted record of both crunch and complexity as well as delicacy and simplicity. Each song is an unstoppable force upon which rides angular grooves and subtly melodic guitar lines. The vocal interplay is far from the sappy whine and scream of emo. Instead, the gritty lead vocals are backed at times by screams, melodic whoa-ohhs and deliberately imperfect harmonies. The music moves like a machine having various moving parts with a common goal. The overall picture is that everything is ready to explode, but the anger, from personal to political, acts as the gravity that holds it all together.

Dear Tonight doesn't quite break free of its post-hardcore genre nor does it redefine it. What it does is to purify it and distill it into beautiful punk rock imperfection.

Rating: 7/10

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Review: Against Me - New Wave

Label: Sire

Released: July 10, 2007

It's always weird when a band you liked from their early days ends up with a major label deal and a lot of hype to back it up. Such is the case with Against Me! From the days of Reinventing Axl Rose, they showed a passion that few bands can match, but their real charm came from their raw, awkward approach. The question now that they're on Sire is, "Can they walk that line between their charming awkwardness and major label slickness?"

The answer seems to be yes. New Wave is certainly more polished that previous efforts, but that's just a bigger jump in what has been a gradual track for the band. The songwriting is more consistent. It doesn't quite reach the heights of As the Eternal Cowboy, but it also fills in the lows. The result is an album that, rather than splitting the difference, overall comes out better. In order to reach this even ground, Against Me! doesn't smooth out all of the edges though. Some of the lyrics have those lines that thrive on awkwardness, yet they wouldn't be as good if they fit better. The sound is still gritty, just bigger. There are a few tracks that depart from the past a bit. "Stop!" reminds me more of the dance-oriented new wave of Frankie Goes to Hollywood than it does of punk rock and "Bourne on the FM Waves of the Heart" has all the bombast of an 80s power ballad. But all in all, the band has simply tweaked its sound in way that retains its punk roots and will allow them to play arenas.

So, they can walk that line. There is little on New Wave that should alienate Against Me!'s old fans aside from the new label and there is plenty that should attract an even broader fan base. They've managed to make their sound arena-sized without becoming impersonal and detached and that's quite a feat.

Rating: 7/10

Review: Various Artists - Mystic Radio Presents Covers

Label: Mystic Records

Released: 1985

Punk covers albums are a dime a dozen these days, but back in 1985 this album was a pretty good novelty. Twenty mostly fine efforts were committed to vinyl under the tag line, "Our favorite bands mutilate your favorite songs." How true that was.

Some of the covers are typical choices and some are more obscure. Some of the bands are still remembered and others largely forgotten. There are a few real oddities like Governemnt Issue covering the Seeds' "Wild Blood," Stukas Over Bedrock turning Pink Floyd's "Careful With That Axe Eugene" really crazy and Love Canal's wild ride doing the Eyes' "Don't Talk." A few others don't really matter. Scared Straight would have done well to do something other than just speed up "Born to Be Wild" and Don't No chose "Earache My Eye" which probably can't be anything but generic. But for every one of these misses, there are several that the bands really nail. The Idiot Pills rip through the Runaways classic "Cherry Bomb." Acid Head not only turn "Love Child" from Motown to punk rock, but also finish it off by tacking on the end of "Babe, I'm Gonna Leave You" just for good measure. The Membranes keep some of the funkiness of "Super Freak" while infusing it with plenty of punk energy. Ill Repute tear "Taking Care of Business" to shreds. NOFX doesn't abandon Black Sabbath entirely to put their signature on "Iron Man." Even SWA's "100 Bottles of Beer" and Plainwrap's version of the Disney song "It's a Small World" are a lot of fun.

This good time comp from Mystic Records may not be essential, but it's a precursor to what has now become an exhausted punk trend. Not only did it come first, it's also much better than any other collection of punk covers I've heard to this day.

Rating: 7/10

Review: Up Up Down Down Left Right Left Right B A Start - Worst Band Name Ever

Label: self-released

Released: June 2007

They certainly got the title right. Pop culture Nintendo reference aside, the name is just awful. But the music is another story and that's how they get away with it. Building on their layered indie rock past, Up Up Down Down (I'm skipping the rest for the sake of brevity) take significant strides forward with their latest release, Worst Band Name Ever.

Several free internet-only EPs offered up by the band over the last several years are as solid as they are ordinary. There's nothing wrong per se, just nothing that stretches beyond the confines of the genre. That can't be said about Worst Band Name Ever though. The songwriting strives for Death Cab for Cutie and while it fails to reach that level (like everyone else who tries to match Ben Gibbard), it does reach a much higher bar than most of Up Up Down Down's peers. Best of all though, Up Up Down Down is much more than just a poor man's Death Cab. They mix up the rhythms with some odd time signatures and a general sense of being slightly, though certainly not entirely, off-balance. It feels like a lonely music geek in physics class (and understanding it).

Much of the album alternates between soft and loud, but the music is so carefully understated that even the loudest parts seem like a wall of quiet. Up Up Down Down are so laid-back in their craft that the songs are memorable without any distinct hooks. Rather than rely on a simple phrase that sticks, the band weaves a web of layered sound between the soft, sweet and vaguely sad and the nervous, edgy and clearly unsettled.

There is no question whose records have spent a lot of time on Up Up Down Down's turntable, but unlike so many others, while they wear that influence on their sleeve, they don't just spit the same thing back out. Their road, while parallel to Death Cab's, is still very much their own.

Rating: 7/10

Review: Ox - American Lo Fi

Label: Weewerk

Released: October 17, 2006

You know it's a fine album when a band pulls off a cover of a song like "Surrender" and it's not even the album's best track. Ox offers up this indie alt-country should-be classic that weaves its way from rock to country and back with a few detours along the way, all held together with low-key ambling rhythms and subtle ambience.

Most of American Lo Fi doesn't stray too far from center, making it a perfect fit for the rural emo of roots-influenced indie rock, but there are a few tracks that help it beat its peers by at least a nose. They turn their cover of Cheap Trick's classic entirely into their own rural take on the suburban theme without losing its essence, but that's not even the best it has to offer. With its old-time folk style, "1913" is as genuine as it would have been had it been written by a copper miner himself. "Marta's Song," with it's peculiar female lead vocal and vaudeville appeal turns oddly both dark and hopeful as a haunting rendition of "Merry Xmas (War is Over)" drops in as a background vocal. "Awkward Beauty" is a self-fulfilling prophesy for the album's closer, a vibrato-soaked, quirky bit of blues. The album's real gem though is "Sugar Cane." It's here that the albums hooks meet its soul in scratchy, beautiful and sublime vocal harmonies.

American Lo Fi is equal parts Neil Young, Gram Parsons and Death Cab for Cutie all adding up an album that's slightly better than its peers, in a genre where those peers set a pretty high standard. That standard isn't reached by any kind of superficial perfection, but by the very heart of the music itself and American Lo Fi has that heart cut deep into its grooves.

Rating: 7/10

Review: John P. Strohm/Dylan in the Movies - So Long City Skies

Label: American Laundromat Records

Released: July 23, 2007

One of American Laundromat's latest split 7 inches, So Long City Skies finds unjustly lesser-known alt rocker John P. Strohm (formerly of the equally unjustly lesser-known Blake Babies) channeling the Jayhawks. "The Long So Long" is a mild countrified indie rock song that's so subtle you might not catch it on the first listen, but its sublime soul picks away and works its way in with sparse perfection and sweet harmonies.

The flipside, "City Skies" is well-crafted emo/indie pop from Boston's Dylan in the Movies. It's a decent match for Strohm's contribution, but lacks the balance between clean and raw of the first side, erring on the side of being just a bit too nice and neat. Certainly for the right mood (maybe late at night and alone, but not lonely?), it's a nice fit, but it doesn't have the subtlety of "The Long So Long" which finds its way into life in general.

While this record won't have as much in store outside of its target audience, it does hold a good bit of appeal for lovers of both alt country and low-key indie pop. Vinyl lovers can pick up one of 500 hand-numbered copies. The less fortunate can still get it on iTunes.

Rating: 7/10

Review: Picastro - Whore Luck

Label: Polyvinyl Records

Released: September 11, 2007

Some albums are great, because you always want to listen to them and others are great, because sometimes you want to listen to nothing else. Picastro's third album, Whore Luck, is the latter. It's a questionable state of mind that would want a steady diet of this album, yet there are likely times for everyone when it's perfect.

The Toronto-based band combines elements of classical, folk and rock into a unique mix of low-key songs for those less than excitable moments. Straying away from typical rock instrumentation, Picastro employs cello and violin in addition to guitar, piano and drums to provide their odd comfort to the melancholy. Though frequently compared to Godspeed You! Black Emperor, the connection is little more than tenuous, based only on both band's low-key rock that dabbles heavily in avant-garde classical. Okay, that's a little more than tenuous, but the comparison should not be overstated. The mood for Godspeed is not the mood for Picastro. Whore Luck is more personal, emotional and accessible than anything Godspeed has offered and that difference is significant. Picastro's sound is so uniquely theirs, that they pull off covers of both Roky Erickson and the Fall seamlessly, almost as if they weren't covers at all. Attempts at comparisons will always fail, because there really is no good fit. While this may not make them a hit, they have the potential to appeal to anyone willing to either take the time to pay close attention or abandon themselves to Picastro's sad beauty.

Liz Hysen's vocals are subdued and range from shaky and nervous to haunting. Her thin voice doesn't exhibit a lot of range, but proves to be deceptively dynamic as the cornerstone of the music. The strings provide the drone that drives the songs (to the extent that they are driven) often at several layers, with articulate, but understated percussion acting more as off-kilter accents. The piano is a vehicle of dissonance rather than harmony and guitars add both reassuring jangle and grating noise. Each part on its own would fall, which is likely the source of the music's madness, while together they buttress each other, which is in turn the source of its comfort. The album's controlled noise is the soundtrack to being centered in a wobbly world.

Don't expect this album to be in constant rotation. It doesn't work that way. But when you need it, when you're sad or lonely or out of sorts or even just generally melancholy, there will be few albums better than Whore Luck. It won't pick you up out of your funk, but it will sit with you like a good friend who knows when things need to run their course.

Rating: 7/10

Note: Check out Whole Lotta Album Covers to see my review of the album cover.