Sort of an expansion on stuff Quorthon was working with back in the late 80s. Which is probably why it sounds much more interesting than recent Bathory efforts.

Requiem and Octagon were exercises in the futility of repeating yourself (and the same riff over and over and...). But, thankfully, this release has more of the European melodic lines and less of the cheesy drum machine. I've always thought Bathory was at its finest when really wrapping itself around a grand project. And Blood on Ice is meant to be an epic.

Okay, so some of the songs are middling (probably the later stuff, written to flesh out the core, but I really can't tell). It's just nice to listen to a Bathory album that I like. It has been a while.

His days of trailblazing over, Quorthon might as well content himself with keeping Bathory reasonably up-to-date. And an odd good album isn't too much to ask.

Alt pop in the later Camper Van style, with Laura Arias' vocals kinda oozing about. Pleasant, without any guilt.

Nothing stunning or jarring, just simple pop music with the odd jangly guitar break. Like earlier Transvision Vamp, I guess. Though not as pretentious or silly.

I'm really struggling here. I like the disc well enough, and I can't find any real problems. But I also can't get into rave mode. Something's missing, and I can't place it. This isn't overly generic or dull, and some of the hooks are really great. But still...

I can think of many better albums, but popheads will probably bliss out over this one. Wish I could explain myself better. That would really help.

Big fans of the dbs, Chris Stamey (yes, I know...) and all that. Pop licks that rev between acid and joyous, but always dripping with emotion.

For an album that was obviously produced on a shoestring budget, Cardinal Woolsey (Kris Woolsey and friends) managed to create a wildly lush sound. Strings and horns in the right spots, playing point-counterpoint with the melodic ideas. This is even more difficult than it sounds.

Not to stereotype or anything, but this is not the sound of a band from the greater NYC area. Cardinal Woolsey sounds like an Athens (Ga.) pop band (Matthew Sweet and Uncle Green also come to mind). These are hardly bad influences, I might note.

Nerves stripped bare, emotions laid flat on the table. All with simply awesome pop songwriting surrounding the whole mess. I don't know if these folk have been doing this consistently or if this is a lucky shot in the dark. That wouldn't make much difference, anyway.

Easily one of the best pop albums I've heard since Secaucus. In a completely different style, of course. I can't imagine a future without this disc getting played a lot. Simple as that.

A real departure from the usual cybercore (Chase's word, not mine) propagated by Reconstriction. The man who calls himself Statik has imbibed heavily upon European techno and spewed a sheen of minimalist dance music (approaching trance at times) behind the ethereal vocals of Miss Karin.

Well, just Karin, I suppose. Anyway, I wish the production allowed her to sing a bit more fully, to contrast better with the near-anarchic music. That would really kick this into a whole new level of originality.

On the other hand, songs like the title track really show off Statik's talent for crafting a massively attractive sound. The music and vocals build slowly around a pulsating beat, culminating with a orgy of sonic delights. Ooof.

Maybe some of the other songs don't live up to that promise. Maybe Statik gets a little too happy with his knob twisting skills. Maybe I was just too blissed out at the time I reviewed this. Whatever. I really dig the album, flaws and all. Collide attempts a lot, and succeeds enough of the time to please me. And when it works, the sound is simply gorgeous.

First came the tour. Then a Dischord 7". And now the big bucks as Touch and Go recording artists. Um, well, let's not overstate the point or anything.

There are vocals and lyrics here, I guess. Not like they're intelligible or anything. Not like I care. Equal parts squeal guitar, thump bass, backbeat drums and mellowtron keys, with a side of harp. Goodness, how the time flies.

Yeah, so this puppy flies on attitude airlines. If the band wasn't so "in yer face" about the proceedings, then I suppose it wouldn't kick ass so much. But woulda couldas won't get us anywhere. The Delta 72 is pounding on your door. Whatcha gonna do?

With any intelligence, you'll let the folks in. Boy-girl-boy-girl, so they can slide right into any dinner party you're planning. And if you feed them well and ask nicely, I'd bet they might even play a little music for your guests. And if you like that highly modulated hip-swingin' toss yer best girl over your back kinda 60s pop (with the added benefit of 90s distortion), then you just might have found heaven.

Highly holy shit. Coming in buckets.

If you're an aggro industrial pop act from Vancouver, you really have only one choice of producers. If you're any good, that is.

And so Rhys Fulber of FLA added his considerable booth talents (and a few keys) to the proceedings. Econoline Crush is a bit too enamored of that whole "monster riff" concept, I suppose, but Fulber's hand keeps the songs varied and interesting.

I'm not impressed much by the songwriting, but the band and Fulber have found a reasonably good sound. And I can hear more than a few FLA inferences, which is almost always a good thing.

Without the keys and strong guiding hand, I'm not sure where Econoline Crush would be. But this is a decent album, if nothing spectacular. The guys should get off that reliance on the heavy guitar sound and try and write more diverse stuff. But that's what artistic evolution is all about.

Gosh, another pop-punk trio with stuff that tries like hell to be hooky. And one of those fake British accents, too.

Well, to be nice, Fifteen finds a hook now and again. Once in a while. But not close to enough to keep me interested. This has the feel of guys who cheesed out to make money, and they couldn't quite do that right, either. Writing hooky pop songs is one of the harder things in the world. Like physical comedy, you might think it's damned easy. Sorry to burst the balloon.

The guys get credit for trying. And they're earnestly trying to be cool and write good music. It just didn't work. Time for plan B.

Whatever that might be. Burger King. Stockbroker. President. I dunno. Just something other than punk rock superheroes.

Jim O'Rourke and David Grubbs back at the ready, with plenty of weird friends on hand to help out. Maybe that's causing this persistent erection.

Well, it can't be that silly trailer for the latest Alec Baldwin flop that's all over the Stanley Cup playoffs. Anyway, if you don't know what Gastr Del Sol is, then just get out of the way. This is completely inexplicable, and tends to frighten away all but small children and insane adults.

Being the journalist sorts, my wife and I had a party election night 1994. A bad night. But I had Gastr Del Sol's Crookt, Crackt, or Fly in the discer, and it pushed a couple people over the edge. That and my taunting folks about liking Texas (but that's a whole different issue).

The first track is a strangely orchestral piece (which would be why it's titled "Our Exquisite Replica of 'Eternity' "). The rest are more representative piano and guitar noodlings (with the requisite guest appearances and strange production effects).

This music scares people. It makes their skin crawl and their minds itch. We're thinking of using it on a local member of the God Squad. But not before full enjoyment is achieved by ourselves. If you have any interest in the experimental side of music, then this is the place to be. Perfectly astounding.

A Japanese pop trio, doing it's damnedest to sound like a mellow version of Sonic Youth.

And do we need this? I don't think so. Alright, if you get stoned a lot and like atonal wanderings without much in the way of interesting feedback (and almost no real playing), then this might be for you. Oh, and Pavement freaks will probably like much of this.

All that leaves me out of the equation. There's simply nothing here that I can get into in the slightest. No real songwriting, silly lyrics and the absence of discernible creative thought. Sometimes if it sounds like shit, it really is.

Another gawdawful mess. Kinda like Brainiac without the coherence, or Arcwelder put in a blender.

But strangely appealing nonetheless. I'm not at all convinced that these folk have any real talent, but there are moments that do keep me listening. And sometimes the stuff is really quite good. If still pretty ragged.

Not to kid anyone. Hippopotamus is too weird to be accepted by even a small number of music fans, and the members aren't good enough to really warrant much attention. But sometimes the sheer accumulation of effort and inspiration here does create what the snobs call "art".

The sheer preponderance of evidence (18 songs, almost an hour) gives Hippopotamus the benefit of the doubt. I still don't think the band has a future (if it keeps on this path), but this moment was nice.

While American bands have stolen the sound and made off like bandits, the old Noise warriors Kreator and Coroner (the latter signed to U.S. biggie now) apparently still have to prove their worth.

As part of the Noise campaign to retake the U.S. (and reintroduce such stalwarts as Kreator), this 16-song retrospective is offered. A few live tracks replace better studio work, but for the most part this is a solid collection.

Ever wonder where the Pantallica came from? Well, this might give you an answer. I've not liked everything the band has done, but this set picks out the best bits. Anyone who cares about history and the roots of the current metal scene would do well to study Kreator.

Decent pop from the fertile fields of Madison. Maybe fertile lake is more appropriate. Whatever.

Falling into that whole Edsel/Treepeople kinda upbeat punk-pop scene, Loomis has enough creativity to crank some vitality into the sound. Many of the songs sound like they're about to launch into a great hook and then stall (aargh!!), but that's not a fatal flaw. Just means the guys have to learn how to write such things.

And it's the little things that hold Loomis back. I hear a lot of potential in this stuff. A little more work, more playing and just a bit more crafting of the songs should serve the guys well. I'm almost very impressed.

It's an old saw, but Loomis simply needs time. I can hear the pieces assembling. Just a little bit longer, now.

Tania Maria (Correa Reis) sings and plays keyboards. She's got a cool alto voice with just enough character to make the silly lyrics sound almost credible.

The better pieces here are the instrumentals, though, which allow the band to really jam on whatever groove has been presented. This could have been cranked into insipid "smooth jazz", but Tania Maria does a good job of keeping things on the side of good taste.

But still on the pop side. Folks looking for adventurous playing or a unique perspective won't find such things here. This is good for what it is, but not much more.

Fun, easy and not overly annoying. Can't ask for much more from this kinda approach.

I've heard this before. From better. Who did better. Oh, it's some sort of industrial metal thing, with weird glam overtones. Well, they try to be catchy, but it ends up whiny.

The first problem is the production, which left everything awash, sounding very weak. I'm not sure who could do much with the sound that exists here. Second, the songwriting is really derivative, and even the lyrics are boring.

This has the feel of a band trying like hell to sell out, and not even accomplishing that successfully. Simply painful to hear.

Folks who are absolutely clueless. I admire the effort, but I can't stand it.

Eight bands, two songs from each. Generally in that pop way, by way of punk.

Widely varying in sound, too. Bands like Fluorescin and the Negro Problem make some really gorgeous pop music, while Velouria and Pop Defect crank out the punk gems. Extra Fancy throws in a couple more experimental pieces. Lutefisk, Touch Candy and Snap-Her complete the line-up.

The only thing that keeps this set together is the geographic area. And that serves well enough. None of the songs suck, and many are quite good. Honestly, this is much better than I expected, even though I already liked a couple of the bands here.

Much cooler than anticipated.

Ten renditions of songs, most of them from Kiss albums and not even all of those written by Ace. Excuse me?

And the renditions are carbon copies, except that whatever life Kiss (or Ace) managed to put into them is gone now. The low point might be the Ron Young/Jeff Watson collaboration on "Hard Luck Woman", which actually makes Garth Brooks' version sound good. Yeah, Young is barely able to get the words out of his mouth, so he's a fair replacement for Peter Criss, I guess. But why?

As the recent Kiss Unplugged proved, the whole phenomenon wasn't about the music or even playing well. It was all attitude, ripping off anthem after anthem without slowing the beat down. And almost every song here is noticeably slower than the original, with the exception of "Cold Gin". And that song was cool because it was so slow, it sounded like a breakdown waiting to happen.

Should never have been conceived, contemplated or completed. Perfectly dreadful.