Well, when you want to change gears...

John Napier, most recently a guitarist in Nitzer Ebb, and more famously the singer for Ethyl Meatplow, leads this trio through the paces. Of what, well, I'm still not sure.

There are traces of that thing called "emo-core", but honestly, e.coli's sound is too lush for that. And anyway, where much of that stuff appeals to me, this really doesn't. It's not that e.coli sucks. Not at all. The band can play and the songs are competently written.

I just don't find them that interesting. Well, except for the couple of songs that sound just like '79 Buzzcocks. Those were kinda nice. But all the plodding, fuzzy stuff? Napier's voice just clashes with the whole concept.

Not cheesy enough to accuse of cashing in on a trend, e.coli isn't good enough to rise above whatever it is attempting. Merely middling fare.

A nicely revved-up version of acid rock coming out of London. With some cool harmonica work, to boot.

God knows, the MC5 have been used before, but not necessarily to such a decent effect. The Heads have the whole "cool bass" concept down flat, and the astonishingly lo-fi production merely adds to the mystique.

Singer Simon Price growls his vocals, a la Scott McCloud of Girls Against Boys, and that also updates the idea quite nicely. And actually, the way the songs roll on and on makes this almost as appealing as GvsB at times.

Post-punk acid rock tripmeister heroes. Well, all I can say is that it works for me. There is something hypnotic in the rhythm section, and when that happens, all I can say is watch out. If the Heads get under your skin, they may never leave.

There is always good reason to celebrate new stuff from Pitch Shifter. These folk manipulate and mutilate the very concept of sonic fusion. Drum machine beats coming from all over the musical spectrum merged with sprawling guitar screams and screeches. And enough aggro attitude to sterilize the rat that resides in my attic.

Actually, and this isn't a joke, the damned thing ran out as soon as I put this disc on. And since I like the album so much, maybe blasting it 24 hours a day will cure me of my rodent problem. That and arsenic.

Anyway, Pitch Shifter has moved on along the highway of musical expression. Yeah, the vicious nature of the music hasn't changed, but the astonishing rhythm tracks leave me breathless. Even more cool than the last Grotus record for AT.

I've liked this band for some time. Desensitized was a great album, and Infotainment? takes the whole concept a step further. Some people know how to make original and appealing music. I mean, who ever thought a sound like this would be so damned catchy? Tastes like candy, but satisfies like take-out from Bryant's barbecue. Doesn't get much better.

One of the better metal-industrial complexes around. Skrew winds back with its usual mix of commercial guitar flailings and pounding production. A combo well-appreciated in these parts.

Especially since the recent Ministry sucked so badly. So it's nice to see Skrew can be counted on for consistency. Fans of old will like the new. Maybe not love it, but certainly be pleased, nonetheless.

My main gripe is that many of these songs are about a minute (or a minute-and-a-half) too long. There are nice ideas that work for a three or four-minute song. But not the five-and-a-half minute average that sits here. It's just excess, and some editing would be nice.

Still, the sound is great, and I like the way many of the songs get going. Skrew has always been a fairly inventive band (as far as this stuff goes), and that continues nicely. I detect just a bit of silly pretentiousness sidling in, and that doesn't make me happy. But that will have to be addressed next time out, when trends become clearer. For now, just turn it up.

The Smears have always had some of the funniest lyrics extant in music today. I mean, song titles here give some evidence of that: "Not Fucking Happy", "I'm a Whore" and "Cheat on Boyfriend" are just the beginning. But there's something I didn't expect.

Fairly tight production, which proves that, indeed, the Smears have learned how to play their instruments. Rather well, actually. And the harmonies are harmonies, rather than alley-cat screeching. And the songs are actually written, sounding pretty cool. Whoa.

I think the production may have taken just a notch out of the attitude kicked out by the Smears on previous efforts, but as a piece of music, Like Hell is way ahead of anything that came before. And it's still damned amusing.

Surprisingly good. I got what I expected, and a big chunk more. This isn't a classic punk record or anything, but it's a damned good one. which is ahead of where I put the Smears before.

Taking the whole grunge guitar thing and infusing it with a poppy drum beat, Stavesacre almost makes something really cool.

I like that backbeat-style of drumming, particularly behind loud music. But Stavesacre drops it a lot, in order to bring in more grunge-metal convention. Like the guys wanted to secure a big record deal. Too bad. Sometimes bucking the tend is cool.

Way too much of this is just average trendy-sounding stuff. It doesn't suck, really, but I just can't get myself interested. I've heard hundreds of bands like this, and with the exception of the cool drumming from time to time, Stavesacre isn't moving the concept anywhere.

Too bad. I almost got exited. And then banality kicked in.

I remember the EP. It wasn't good. At least this isn't bad.

It does rip off everyone from Nirvana to Green Day, but then, that's what the kids today want, right? Strange purports to be a pop-punk band, but even one from Laramie should have a better idea how to write hooks.

Again, this is much improved over the EP, which washed way too much metal over the pop stuff. Not to mention some really dreary songs. The writing here is better, though just moving things up to the "tepid" level.

Strange may not be bad, but I can list over a hundred bands (off the top of my head) who do this better. Strange may be a good band someday. I can hear some potential. But the boys need time to work and write. And I'm afraid they won't be getting it.

Instrumental guitar by one ugly motherfucker. But luckily, Stump's hands are much prettier.

Yeah, he plays really damned fast most of the time, but that seems aimed more at advancing the music than impressing the listener. See, Stump actually seems to have a handle on how to write stuff for a solo guitar. He jumps around stylistically and isn't afraid to take a few chances.

This is the best such album I've heard in quite a while. Yeah, Stump could use a little editing from time to time. But I'd rather listen to a seven-minute Stump tune than most other folks' four-minute songs.

I'm impressed. Folks told me I would like his stuff, and they were right. More than adequate.

The latest from Kalamazoo's finest. I actually ran into these guys when I was stationed in Battle Creek, and they were rather cool. Had real ideas on how to change music. Weren't too concerned about fitting their stuff into a mold.

Which is good, because I have no idea how to characterize Thought Industry's music. I suppose it fits somewhere in that whole "prog rock" thing, though fans of Yes and Pink Floyd probably wouldn't like this stuff at all. Old Into Another fans, on the other hand, already love it.

The songwriting is at once more coherent and much more diverse than before. Thought Industry hasn't changed its musical concept much from Songs for Insects, but the guys have kept incorporating more and more into the base, and have managed to season the stew just that much better successive times out.

As always, a truly wonderful conglomeration of sounds. And that's not even discussing the lyrics, which are among the most thoughtful and literate in music today. And actually, to call the music literate would be accurate as well.

If you like simple music for facile minds, go buy an Alice in Chains album. If you prefer to be challenged, I can't imagine a better band than Thought Industry. I wish I could say more, but I want to listen to the disc one more time.