Fuzzy pop that fits the name of the band very well. Lots of distortion, and no shortage of hooks, even if they get a bit on the drony side of things. Yeah, just a load of that pseudo-psychedelic grunge pop.

I can't believe I just committed label-itis like that. Ah well, it fits the band, anyway. Kinda like Pearl Jam after a couple joints. Below Sound has a nice feel, but I do wish the songs would go somewhere sometime.

Like with the 7", the production is good, dirty enough to keep the feel the band obviously wants. And each part operates well within its space. I'd simply be happier if this didn't degenerate into mellow Seattle-type stuff so often.

Good, but not hyper-affecting. Nothing to rip on, particularly, but the effort never rises above workmanlike. I can't hear the inspiration.

Fairly commercial-sounding rawkin stuff. The tunes on Redwood are rather catchy, while the second tape of two songs is more contemplative fare.

The sound on Redwood is kinda muddy, which makes discerning the bass from guitar difficult. The songs are good without getting too tricky. Nothing spectacular, but fine.

A change at bass later, Acoustic Interlude presents an all-acoustic version of the power-ballad "Waiting", which also appeared on the earlier EP. The second tune, "Break Down", is a more-uptempo rootsy thing, but the faster guitar work is also somewhat disguised by the poor sound of the tape.

There's potential in these here woods, but the Buzz Prophets have a good amount of work ahead before they find their sound and their own road.

Fleshed-out folk, with that sparse sound reminiscent of Michelle Shocked's first album after the tapes. Clair's voice and guitar work are nothing spectacular, but his observations are much more impressive.

Irony is out in full force, as are the leaner views from the curb of everyday life. Clair paints portraits of hopeful despair that can't help but grab your ear. And even when he cranks up the amplifiers and goes electric (as on "Anything Will Do"), nothing changes much.

As the disc rolls on, Clair's voice bounces about even more, and I wonder why didn't go for a new take on some of the songs. Studio time couldn't have been that precious. Even these missteps, however, don't overly mar this album.

Affecting and effective, even with Clair's performing shortcomings. He certainly knows how to write (and produce) a good tune.

All the signs of Euro-glam: female singer clad in leather and fishnets, guys with long hair and pouty expressions, songs with titles like "Castle of Dreams", not to mention the name of band itself.

And your idea of that sort of thing is 60s Deep Purple or 70s Scorpions, you're in the right place. Lots of pseudo-psychedelic guitar noodlings (sometimes even progressing into riffs) and rather silly melodramatic lyrics. And production values that make Bleach sound like in comparison.

Still, the appalling lo-fi sound almost works. The songs are really high-concept (and often way too long), and to be best appreciated, I would imagine a fuller sound is necessary. The bass barely exists, and Anja Fritzsche's vocals are awfully overdone. The guitar and drums merely try to keep time.

I haven't heard anyone try to replicate this sound in ages, and I appreciate the effort. But Fuckin Wild (a woefully inappropriate name for a band playing this music, which rarely works itself above dirge tempo) needs more cash, more studio time and somewhat stronger songwriting before it can really do justice to the form.

A background singer and keyboardist for such folks as Debbie Harry and Ashford and Simpson, Valerie Ghent shows she knows how to write, record and perform good music. The synclavier-based songs have that mid-eighties pop sound (think "Lucky Star" or Maniac") that sounds kinda artificial, but is still burned into your memory.

Ghent is no great shakes as a songwriter (much of this album fits into that pop pabulum area), but she pulls off this limited material well. Her voice and production talents are the stars of this disc.

This is the stuff I heard on the radio when I was going to high school in New Mexico. All we had was country or top 40, and so I can quite identify with the lush yet brittle sound Ghent has formed. It's not where I'm at now, but her ability as a singer is unquestionable.

Songwriting is another matter, though there's a pretty big market out there for stuff that plays it fairly safe. Not my cup of tea, but still obviously rather good.

An original and a cover each from a couple of new wave ska bands.

Goldfinger's tune, "Superman" is passable ska. Nothing spectacular. And the cover of Squeeze's "Up the Junction" sounds just like the original, with very little ska additions.

Reel Big Fish covers "Take on Me" with some aplomb. Fairly fun, if predictable. "In the Pit" is at least somewhat amusing, if nothing more. At least the horns have some oomph.

Neither band impressed me much, though Reel Big Fish definitely has the edge. Nothing Goldfinger did moved me at all. There's better ska to be had elsewhere.

Kinda jangly pop, though the sound is quite sparse. Six songs, none varying much from the norm.

Garage rock that hasn't opened the door yet. The Happy Scene rips off chunks of life and doesn't refine either the music or the lyrics much. And the production has left nearly everything in the background, save the vocals and the occasional distortion-heavy lead lick.

None of it is terribly compelling, either. The musicianship, the songwriting and the production are all sub-par. There is something earnest in the way the band plays, but it still sounds terrible.

Perhaps the Happy Scene should do a little more work behind closed doors.

Hill grew up playing country and pop from the 60's, and then discovered Euro-pop during a four-year army stint (so sez the bio, anyway). The result is something akin to Timothy B. Schmidt fronting R.E.M., which isn't the worst idea in the world.

Running morose, hand-wringing lyrics through a lazy roots-rock groove, Hill has managed to find some original purchase in a well-mined area. His lyrics are a bit silly and over-the-top, and the song arrangements are a bit too tame, but you can hear swatches of glory here and there.

He hasn't quite reached his artistic destination. But Hill has put together some good songs, and I figure he can only continue to improve. The sound here is a bit better than usual demo quality, though the mush factor does exist. Hill's voice is rather reedy, which is probably a good match for his songs. All-in-all, an admirable start.

A lot like Scorn, without the sequenced beat tracks (Hovercraft uses a real drummer who doesn't stick to regular grooves much). Hovercraft likes to throw a lot into its sonic sculptures, and the results are more than impressive.

A definite Pink Floyd influence running through here, but this is territory the Floyd hasn't seen in almost 30 years. Yeah, there's a good bit of sampling and sequencing, but that stuff generally comes in the form of overlays which lie on top of the "live" tracks.

Very spontaneous and refreshing. Hovercraft is creative enough to appeal to those in the noise set, but this is very definitely on the edge of mainstream rock traditions. That's not a bad thing, by the way. The band bridges quite a few gaps very nicely.

This trio is a good counterpoint to Dirty Three. They don't sound anything like each other, but the attempts to create new and adventurous sounds within the context of rock music inexorably bind them together. Hovercraft likes crawling out on the limb and testing its weight. The bough hasn't broken yet.

I just re-read my cliche-ridden review of the Humpers' first Epitaph effort, and everything I said there goes twice here.

Perfectly fun punk that never even considers pretentious arrogance. Johnny Thunders would be proud of the way these guys throw themselves into some of the sillier songs on the planet. Just makes the brio that much more infectious.

The fun just keeps rolling off the stereo, track by track. After a quick listen back, I'd judge this album to be a notch more solid than the last one, Live Forever or Die Trying. Of course, you can't go wrong with that one, either.

If these folk aren't the reincarnation of some of our dearly departed punk idols, I'm not sure how to explain the pure insouciant thrill I get when I hear these tunes. Just this smirk that creeps onto my face right before I go bounce around for a bit. And don't even get me started about aerobics classes for old punx.

Simple, roots-tinged alterna-pop, just like you might expect from an Austin band. And as the Texas Instruments and Javelin Boot are perhaps the epitome of this sound, no one should be surprised.

Now, comparisons to folk like the Connells are obvious, too, and I'm sure the Javelin Boot guys wouldn't be insulted. Sweet choruses with just enough harmony action, the sort of thing that makes spring afternoons so perfect.

The title of the album is a perfect description of its contents. This is precisely what I expected, no better and no worse. Javelin Boot won't change the world with its music, but perhaps a few people will smile just a little longer for having heard it.

There are worse fates.

Nicely throbbing chaos that never quite exterminates life as we know it. Although I'm sure the band isn't opposed to the concept. Certainly a musical revolution is in order.

June of '44 has all the requisite Touch and Go touches, guitars that would make Kepone proud, and a puslating rhythm section that is reminiscent of the Jesus Lizard's finest hours. There is a reason for all that, by the way.

This is a little taste to keep the huddles masses salivating for the next full-length, which is due sometime next year. Certainly keeps me in my place. Good stuff, man.

Klank is Daren Diolosa, and he has cranked out a cool set of industrial tunes that merge club beats and metal conventions quite well.

Yeah, this is a common tack these days, and Klank isn't the most innovative industrial act around. Still, Diolosa has managed to infuse his music with enough bells and whistles to keep folks interested. And the songwriting sticks to tight grooves, which is always best with this sort of thing.

Vicious and impure, Klank riffs through plenty of fine songs. Nothing astonishing or brilliant, but certainly plenty in the very good category. And when obvious influences such as Fear Factory and NIN are so masterfully integrated, well, it's hard not to get a little excited.

This one is good. Give Diolosa some more time, and he make may Klank great.

If there's actually something called the "Kalamazoo sound", the Love Offering is a fairly good representation. Bands like Twitch and the God Bullies took equal parts hardcore and grunge (even before it was known as grunge) to craft this sorta rust belt rock.

And I like this divergence a little better than average grunge, though the Love Offering does get into the "hair dance" riffs a bit too often. Still, the songs are well written, and the production is great. Everything that needs to be sharp has been milled to a razor-like edge, and the rest has just a bit of a sonic blur.

In other words, people who know what the fuck they're doing. And perhaps a bit of that crafting could be discarded in favor of some raw emotion, but that's probably quibbling.

It's been a while since I thought of my 1993-94 stomping grounds, and this brings a lot of it back to me. And a solid disc to boot. I can't complain.

Smooth pop hardcore, in the fine tradition of Bad Religion and latter-day NOFX. Lotsa oozin-ahs, lotsa cogent lyrics. Plenty of great tunes.

Obviously, this sound has become universal. Earlier this year some guys from Sweden (Millencolin) did a great run-though of this sound, and MxPx proves that the punk spirit is still alive in the Seattle area. Not only that; these guys move the mass forward a touch.

Without borrowing too much from the obvious influences, MxPx also avoids sounding too much like a Pacific NW punk outfit (though the guitar lines occasionally find a D.O.A. groove). A good introduction to the band, this disc was released last year. Now I get to move on to the new album and really roll some heads.

Just as earnest and upbeat as its predecessor, this MxPx outing shows just a bit of maturing in the songwriting area (less reliance on easy tricks, with more focused tunesmithing). The lyrics are as astute as before, which bodes well.

Plenty of songs once again. These albums have 19 and 17 tracks, respectively, running over 40 minutes each. Almost epochal by punk standards. And still no sign of pretentious preachiness. Amazing.

Taken on its own, this is a most impressive album. The band is tight (which doesn't always happen with punk trios, for some reason) and the songs are great. And this one got recorded West Beach, which means some folks are taking an interest in these boys. Not surprising.

High quality all the way. MxPx has the tools that it takes to take the next step. Now all the guys need is a little luck.

The last stuff I got from Cold Meat was the latest Mortiis, which is certainly unusual. Cruel Moon is a new Cold Meat imprint, dedicated to "dark medieval folk ambiental music." Those are their words, folks.

And Proscription fits that bill, as improbable as that might seem. Lots of tape loops and sampled stuff riffed over and under each other, with an odd fascination with the pastoral life. Sure, there are parts actually played by a band, but by and large the main effects achieved by Proscription came by way of post-production.

Not a bad thing, of course, and this is certainly one of the more unusual albums I've heard in a while. The band (such as it is) ranges far afield tunewise, sometimes hitting and sometimes missing its mark. Gotta like folks who take chances, in any case.

I have no idea where Proscription was going, or where this album ends up. It is certainly a muddled mess. But plenty of the parts are wildly inventive, and as I said, you have to reward the risktaker. If you want a wildy varied ride, jump on here.

Very sweet pop music that verges on the sickly. But Rex Daisy always manages to squeeze some out-of-tune guitar lick or sour vocal note to keep the stuff down.

Still, folks who like their pop on the edgy side shouldn't be stopping here. Rex Daisy won't be accused of alternative attitude any time soon, though this stuff is probably just a bit too "strange" for MTV. What's a band to do?

I dunno. I liked the album, though the production really is too bright. There are very few variances from the norm, and the peppy knob job just emphasizes how banal Rex Daisy could get.

Nice enough, but far too light to stick around for very long. Just a few more chances, though, and Rex Daisy could be right back in the ring.

I bitched somewhat about the production on the 7", and I was informed that this is exactly what the band and producer wanted. Thick sludginess that obscures any subtlety in the performance.

But Scissorfight isn't in the game to be subtle. This is Eyehategod territory, except that this band has a knack for making the extreme sound almost accessible. I mean, it's got a beat and I can dance to it...

And that's really the surprise here. There have been plenty of hardcore sludge bands come out of the northeast (my personal favorite is Glazed Baby, though Sam Black Church and obviously Seka--Mind Bomb, whatever--also come to mind), but Scissorfight really twists the concept into a whole new shape.

A good shape, by the way. This is pure fun, and any other reaction is silly. Off the scale on the amusement factor. Okay, so it's low-class crap that makes Killdozer sound sophisticated. Doesn't mean you can't have a good laugh. I think the boys would approve.

Blue-collar hardcore. No mincing of words or riffs; indeed, many songs are short on both. But the attitude and driving rhythm section will keep you straight.

Nothing spectacular, just old school hardcore riffs and a throbbing beat. Quite honestly, there ain't much else here. And yet, it's more than enough.

Everything is dirty and understated, from the guitar-playing to the production. The grimy sound fits the band and its songs, though, so no complaints on that measure.

Not a whole lot more to say. Workmanlike punk rawk that impresses on the merits of its sweat. Must be a great bar show.

Much more than just an ambient collection. City of Tribes seems to specialize in getting these folks who practice a form of experimental music that bridges the world beat and ambient worlds.

Yeah, I like folks like Loop Guru, who take all this and add addictive dance grooves. But the artists here rely much more on unusual instrumentation and a live-sounding arrangement to make their musical points. Whereas almost all ambient music has definite sequencer roots, these songs are much earthier.

Not to say that this stuff wasn't cribbed together in studios. Of course it was. But great care was taken to keep this music grounded in the "real", as it were. And that care has real results.

Ten different artists, ten different tracks. All impressive, which makes this set indispensable to anyone who cares about innovative music. One of the most impressive compilations I've heard this year.

A 26-track set of some of the finest stuff to pass through Revelation's doors. All tracks are previously released, so you can't get too excited. But the suggested price is $4.99, so perhaps a little agitation is in order.

Bands like Iceburn, State of the Nation, Engine Kid, Into Another, Texas Is the Reason, Sense Field and Farside. Oh, and if you didn't know it, Quicksand recorded these folk, too. An early track is here.

The quality of the music is undeniable. If you haven't yet gotten into the RevHQ stable, then this set provides the perfect opportunity. The converted need not venture in, but then, that's not who these sets are aimed at, anyway.

A nice stack of quality tunes from easily the most successful and quite possibly the best punk label in the world.

With a current roster that includes NOFX, the Voodoo Glow Skulls, New Bomb Turks and Pennywise, with catalog action from Rancid, the Offspring and Bad Religion, well, I'm not sure how you could doubt the quality. All of this stuff has already been released (with the exception of the Humpers, which comes out in a couple months, and the Thought Control), so collectors don't need to worry too much.

Still, a fine celebration of the glories of Epitaph. A nice little trinket to stuff in Bobby's stocking.

In the enclosed press stuff, the Rev boys tried to convince everyone that Whirlpool wasn't too weird. This from the label that houses Iceburn...

So no apologies necessary. Stop it. Whirlpool rips out all sorts of stuff, from atmospheric pop to balls-out rockers. Rachel Stolte takes most of the vocal duties, but Rodney Sellars provides nice counterpoints from time to time. This stuff has been crafted with exquisite care, and yet sounds as raucous as a drunken brawl. Quite the accomplishment.

Inside Glass just keeps coming on as the songs roll by. What a great album to end the reviews. Simply a joy to hear. I'm sorry, am I non-sequituring you to death?

Then quit reading me and go do something else! Whirlpool is truly wonderful, and you can ignore all of my other flowery prose. Just get thee to a record store and hear this for yourself. Awe-inspiring.