Highly calculated noise pop, sorta like a less ambitious Brainiac. Baboon whips out all sorts of vocal styles and guitar lines, always keeping the percussion moving, if not always completely coherent. A good way to mix things up.

Everything is supertight. Even spots where I think the band maybe oughta get a bit dirty are spic and span. This puppy is primed for mass acceptance. And I guess that's where I'm disappointed.

Baboon does a lot of things well, but the production and final execution of these songs are so antiseptic, I'm just not finding a purchase point. No handholds or nooks to jam a shim.

Which is why the shorter songs like "Numb" and "Time Wounds All Heals" work best. No exposition, no fucking around. But when Baboon gets beyond short shouts of noisy fury, the excess really gets, well, excessive.

There's too much good stuff here to rip it badly, but Baboon was on the cusp of greatness, and the band let someone in A&R (or worse, themselves) clean things up. A damned shame.

A glance at the title and the cover and you might think you're getting another of those dreary goth sorts. But instead, the sound is a lot more reminiscent of the Lee Harvey Oswald Band (though less produced), and while the tunes are basic pop that ventures occasionally into gothic territory, if anything, the Brickbats are planting a well-placed right to the jaw of the new dark wave.

Silly as hell (song titles include "(I'm Not) Starting With You (A Dieting Cannibal)", "Black Dress Girl" and "Hell House"), the Brickbats simply rip through some goofy material and then fade away. A little more cheesy than the Groovie Ghoulies, and even less serious (as if that's possible).

The production has left the sound a bit flat, but nothing horrible. With stuff like this, the emphasis should be on basic melody and lyrics, and that's where it sits here. Pleasant enough.

Fairly funny, though not much more. I'll give the Brickbats points for their goth parody, and hope the band finds a few less easy laughs next time.

Featuring characters like "Herb the Herb" and sporting a rather metallized psychedelic feel, Buddha Stick seems to be trying to evoke another night of the living smokeheads.

Simply a punched up rehash of Jefferson Airplane, Sly and the Family Stone, Iron Butterfly and other bands that really have nothing to do with each other. The overall feel is intended to have that "acid rock" feel, I guess, but the ring is fake. Fools gold.

As for all the pot propaganda, I'm sympathetic, except that all this merely seems like a marketing decision. I see guys in suits saying "Smoke is in this year" and thus approving the project.

But even if this is an honest attempt by real-life stoners trying to make a point, the music still sucks. And that's the main reason for the existence of any CD, I think.

Texas blooze 'n' boogie, filtered through a heavy psychedelic filter. Featuring Jeff Pinkus, he once of the Butthole Surfers, which makes sense once you hear this.

Kinda like if Kiss (with Gene singing) played ZZ Top, with Kramer producing. It sounds like a good idea, but the execution leaves a lot to be desired. The songs are not terribly well fleshed out, and the production has left everything under this layer of haze.

Alright if you really like this sort of thing (and old Surfers fans just might, though I'm not betting on it), but just too mundane for me. Daddy Longhead simply never gets anywhere.

And I'm not sure if the guys are really trying that much. Stirring the sludge is an interesting experiment, but it doesn't cut it with me here.

Noisy and raucous pop, punctuated with a nice punk feel. Really messy, though that does lend a sort of charm

The real problem is that Deathstar never really seems to kick out a very good song. Oh, there are occasional good moments, but nothing even close to great. And even the good moments are easily overrun by the mediocre.

I do like the sound, though. Very live and very touchable. This slab of vinyl makes it sound like Deathstar is really playing in my living room. Off-kilter harmonies, guitar squeals and all.

But still nothing exciting in the songwriting department. And to be honest, the playing is just average. Good things going on, but not enough to make me care all that much.

Back when there was such a thing as "college rock", Dumm-Dumms would have come across as one of the perfect incarnations. Three white guys with guitars, singing in sorta harmony about somewhat erudite subjects and not paying complete attention to things like structure, though accessible enough for sorority girls to like. Toad the Wet Sprocket, anyone?

Well, Dumm-Dumms are a little more interesting than that, but not by a lot. The most galling thing is that most songs get introduced by a drum track, and that track has about three settings. So that while the songs themselves don't sound alike, the first thirty seconds of each bear striking resemblances.

Now, as I'm sucking on the Dum-Dums sucker they taped to the tape (lemon, not a favorite but certainly acceptable), I'd better say something nice, I guess. The easiest compliment is that the band members are quite good musicians, and they've put together a very professional-sounding album. The real lack is in the inspiration (I've been saying that too much already this week).

If you like alterna-rock by the numbers, Dumm-Dumms fit perfectly. I just want something more. Mere competence isn't enough.

I simply sat and listened to this for quite a while, unable to figure it out. Perhaps because in the end, Fiction Damage is really quite simple.

Probably most resembling Gilby Clarke's old band Kill for Thrills (though with some really ugly Journey and Triumph references), Fiction Damage cranks out vintage power rock. Everything is above board and on track. Even a 10-year-old could tell you what the next key change will be.

Not so much bad as merely uninteresting. Fiction Damage pounds out song after song, some prettier than others, without breaking any new ground. Anyone could have done this, and what I want to know is why Fiction Damage did.

Listening became painful by the end. And while I think I figured it out, I still can't understand why.

Fine noise pop, and unlike the Baboon reviewed earlier, this stuff was given the proper lo-fi treatment. Gapeseed likes to crank up the speed wagons as much as the next band, and the results are some giddily crashing tunes.

And sometimes just crashes. This is high-risk music making territory, and Gapeseed does better than many. But on songs like the lead track "His Is the Acetate Scepter" (an inexplicable intro to the band, in my book), the proceedings often simply halt, leaving me to survey the damage.

Much nicer is stuff like "Distance", which has just enough inertia to keep the ball of confusion rolling. Gapeseed refuses to play in the same sandbox, and the small breaks in the pandemonium are nice.

Meticulous chaos. I can hear the work and pain, and the final results are often very good. Skip the first track, and you'll be that much more impressed. There's some serious talent rolling around here.

The Gapeseed track is titled "Raise the Calculus Lude". It's much less produced than the album I just reviewed, though the basic elements of the band are still evident. This puppy is quite messy, but a lot of fun within the chaos. A worthy song, by all accounts

Gerling is Australian, and the note with this says that Stillwater is trying to release a bunch of split 7"s with U.S. and Aussie bands combining. And interesting idea, indeed.

The Gerling track, "Mother Mary", is much more mainstream-sounding. Still in the same basic area, but with more of an emphasis on structure. The noise comes more from the way the instruments are (or aren't) played). A real wall-of-sound here; the song starts off with a bass riff, and the attack doesn't cease until the end.

A cool, adventurous 7". This is exactly what small vinyl was invented to propagate.

The name is appropriate. The Gladhands play happy-sounding pop music with some amusing lyrics ("Gore Girls (Gimme More)" is but one example). Simply way too punched up, though.

The sound is full enough to impress George Martin, and the little bits and pieces are very nice. But the whole feel is just a bit sickly-sweet. Too much candy.

And that's the only way they play. Even on slower, more contemplative songs, the Gladhands are still way too up. I just want to slap the guys upside the head and say "Some days suck. Write just one song about that, okay?"

Awful calculated, though fairly well-executed. The Gladhands need to find another note.

Groove jazz that should satisfy just about everyone. Junk refuses to stick to any particular form, although most songs have an r&b/jazz base and then move from there.

I've always liked the instrumental side of acid jazz. It's the singers who want to be Whitney Houston that bug me. Junk is much more than just acid jazz, but you get the idea of the roots.

Smooth, rough, ragged and simply sublime. Junk plows through the cliches and delivers solid, accessible sax and guitar grooves. Nothing is sacred. The band simply appropriates what it needs and moves on.

The sound is amazing. A wonderful live mix, combined with accents on the right instruments at the right time. A fine job of knob twisting by two members of the band. Hey, they know what they wanted, and they got it in full.

A fine amalgam of American music. Junk has a beautiful feel for creating unity from diversity, and Continuation of Madness is a brilliant testament to the band's future.

Very mechanical-sounding coldwave stuff. Almost everything sounds sythesized, from the guitars to the vocals. Obviously the beats are programmed. With that much in the computer, the input had better be good.

The songs generally start off in halting fashion, but once they get going, I like them much more. This makes some sense; if the stuff is really programmed to a major extent, the only problem areas are the beginning and the end. The middle is where everything is working overtime.

Luxt structures its songs in basic industrial fashion, and that's a problem for me. I'd like to hear a bit more creativity. I like the synthesized sound in general, but a little artifical sponteniety would go a long way.

The Yaz cover is somewhat telling; perhaps main members Erie Loch and Anna Christine want nothing more than to create another Upstairs at Eric's. Not a bad inspiration, really, but Luxt needs to refine the songwriting to match the programming if it really wants to break out.

Some rootsy anthems with the right riffage for faux hippies wanting follow last year's trend.

I'm really ripping on serious fans of stuff like this than the band itself. I mean, yeah, I'm not a fan of unsigned bands following the latest hit like sheep. And if Medicine Hat doesn't have a big-ass poster of Collective Soul adorning its rehearsal space, I'd be shocked.

The playing is acceptable, though the raspy vocals are just a bit too much, really. And this tape does have that "demo sound", though it's not as bad as some I've heard.

I simply don't like bombastic music that makes its point with bluster instead of inspiration. I'm done here.

It's been a couple years since I've heard these guys, and they're still treading the same waters. For those who don't remember, that's Louder than Love-era Soundgarden. With a touch of the Skin Yard, though I don't hear that as much.

And, in fact, Moss Dog has gotten a bit more melodic and a bit less plodding (which probably explains the lessening of the Skin Yard vibe). Honestly, this is the sort of thing that I generally can't stand, but Moss Dog does something right, because I kinda like stuff. Just like before.

Sure, this puppy sounds good (and better when really cranked), but the music is really dated. I'll just have to chalk up another guilty pleasure, I suppose.

Moss Dog probably won't get too far keeping this sound, but hell, it sounds okay to me. As far as the whole post-grunge thing goes, I'll take Moss Dog over about anyone else.

Competent metalcore that manages to intelligently attack a few critical issues. Yeah, there's some dreck, and sometimes the music doesn't quite jump out at me, but overall I'd say I'm impressed.

The thing I like best is Open Defiance's refusal to stick to the program. This is a band that's willing to take a few chances and mess around a bit with an established sound. I know, that's the only way to get anywhere, but you'd be surprised how many bands don't know that.

Or maybe not. Anyway, OD needs to go even further in its exploration of this style of music, and some better consistency in the songwriting couldn't hurt. There are some definite filler moments.

A good sound, though, and a good tape. With enough work and the right direction, Open Defiance just might keep moving up.

Complex, eclectic pop (verging on emo-core) that would sound a lot more at home in Chicago than San Diego. But then, that's where mass media comes in, I guess.

Each song is defined by a single guitar line, around which everything else eventually falls in. Everyone from Pavement to the Silver Jews to Boys Life incorporates this concept with varying degrees of success. Ruby Falls is better than most.

The only real clue is in the lyrics (and, obviously, the voices), but Ruby Falls is made up of four women. I hesitate to bring such a loaded observation into a review, but some folks like to know. That fact certainly doesn't affect the quality of the music in any way (for better or worse), but, like I said, the lyrics are somewhat indicative.

Ruby Falls has crafted a fine set of songs, at once raging and contemplative. It takes talent, inspiration and hard work to come to an achievement like this, and the band is due all praise. A revealing and impressive accomplishment.

A dose of that college-boy funk a la Billy Goat, Trip Shakespeare or Blues Traveler, though with a level of complexity that all those bands lack.

Sharply produced, Year of the Elephant flips though more range than the average band of this sort, and the various background textures add immensely to the overall sound. Most impressive is the virtuosity exhibited on all sorts of stringed instruments. Astonishing at times.

The basic construction of the songs is still bogged down in that form I mentioned at the top. This reliance on just a few rhythms is a problem, though the band does overcome it somewhat with all the other work.

And perhaps this is better for the average consumer. Sages of Memphis can offer both artistic experimentation and a sense of the familiar. I wish the band was a bit more "out there", but I'll happily settle for this. I never know I could like this sort of thing.

Scar Tissue is a band that knows exactly what it wants to do, and then goes about fulfilling that ambition, usually with complete success.

Almost sound construction posing as songs. This is fully realized in the final 13 tracks, collectively called "The Devices". The listener is advised to either listen to the set as a piece or as filler in a random play situation.

It works both ways, and the rest of the album is pretty damned good, too. Scar Tissue is one of the rare industrial-type bands to really understand the power of dynamics. Silence can be just as devastating as a woofer-blowing assault. The use of subtlety is underappreciated these days, and an album such as this one point that out only too much.

A wondrous labor, even more incredible when you consider Scar Tissue's last album came out a little more than six months ago. To realize works of such power in such a short period of time is amazing. There is far too much happening here to give full credit. Suffice to say this is one of those "important" albums.

Absolutely refusing to pigeonhole itself, Star Period Star fairly insists upon playing wildly disparate styles of pop and rock.

Because while the band usually sticks to the outer limits of the alternapop sound (with nicely looping guitar lines and complimentary rhythm work), there are delicate songs like "Drowning" which add nice counterpoints.

Some of the explanation for this is the rapid turnover in the band, just on the songs on this disc. The only member who appears on all the tracks is Dan Sweigert (guitar and vocals), and the current bass player didn't play here at all. All this turmoil might have helped craft the nice juxtaposition in sound, though by the end (and the tracks seems to run somewhat chronologically) a more coherent vision of Star Period Star has emerged. I'd put the stuff toward the end solidly in the Chicago eclectic noise pop category, though there are still some pretensions toward accessibility.

Maddening in a way, but also satisfying. The one certain thing is that Star Period Star should continue to be a vital musical force, no matter exactly where the pursuit of music takes the band.

Among other Seattle luminaries, Posie Jon Auer helped out on the boards here. Tube Top sounds exactly like what you'd expect with such a revelation: moody pop with exquisite harmonies.

Indeed, this sounds a lot more Posies-like than the 7". While I like the sound, I'm not so sure that's the best thing for the band. Yeah, this is a nice trip in Big Star-style pop, but that's been done a lot.

I've got to say the execution is pretty damned good, though. As much as my rational side tries to tell me Tubetop's just a bit too derivative, my emotional mind just keeps jumping up and down. This is a big wad of fun.

Well, you know what you're gonna get here. Make up your own mind.

Raw hardcore techno industrial sorta stuff. Vaughn brings in all sorts of electronic sounds and sets the blender to puree. A nice bit of aggro for the angry young man.

There isn't a whole lot of range to the sound of the finished product, even with all the different styles utilized. Vaughn simply liquifies the original concepts and emerges with his own style.

Wild, thrashing and dangerous. This is the sort of music that can change established forms. Cool experimentation from a man who knows exactly what he wants to do.

A big fat load of pain and suffering. Vaughn is someone to keep a real eye on. Like I said, this sort of radical music-shifting can have amazing consequences.

The Verge flips through a variety of takes on the folk-pop idea, from full-on electric power to acoustic jams completed by off-key vocals.

Is it supposed to be kinda pretty or kinda annoying? I'm not sure. The Verge never settles into the same groove twice, and that's the band's saving grace. S o a rambling, too-long lick like "Rhonda Mae & Jackie Clay" gets followed up by a clunky take on the Beatles with "Everyone Creams".

Everything is damned sloppy, particularly during the acoustic moments when such habits are most obvious. The Verge actually sounds the best when it cranks up the volume and hides the cracks in its armor.

The guys are trying hard to make unusual music, and I applaud that. I just wish the results were more satisfying.

There's a big wall of sound, but X25 (once known as Xanax 25 before a certain pharmaceutical concern got wind and sicced some lawyers on the boys) seems to be hiding behind the chaos it creates.

There's a lot of pain gong on here. X25 isn't a grunge band (the sound is bass-heavy, but in a more NYC style, if unowhutimean), but the themes are similar. More personal, though, and X25 always seems to punt when the song is begging for anthemic overdrive.

All reasons I should really dig this, but I don't. First, the lack of diversity in the music sound (even when the guys are trying something different, as on "Will and Time", the feel is the same). I just don't hear a search for creative new sounds.

On the other hand, the lyrical explorations are quite good. In fact, that's the mean reason I'd recommend this disc. The music is never better than middling, but the lyrics sometimes are exquisite.