Allison likes to use a wide variety of sounds to express his ideas and thoughts. That he traffics in jazz is almost an afterthought. And while Allison is a bassist, his compositions provide plenty of room for the rest of the players to spread their wings.

The basic themes on this album revolve around city life. Whether exploring blind street noise, specific references to rude clubbers or the bat cave, Allison encourages his mates and the listener to suspend any concepts of "regular" jazz, preferring instead to create music.

Not so free as to be incomprehensible, but adventurous enough to enable a sense of exploration. This is the guts of music, pretty and profane, the power to evoke a mood, a place and most importantly, an idea. Wild and free, restrained and refined, Allison sails between each of these shoals, crafting his own vision of music.

Most of all, contemplative. A daring album which is still reasonably accessible. Toss this on and let the mind skip away. That's the only way to go.

Still mired in that grunge-hardcore mode, Both Worlds has worked hard on the songwriting front. These tunes are much more crafted and compehensible. Less mess and more emphasis on the groove. Good moves.

In fact, the grooves are the best part. The lyrics have improved; they match up with the music better and in general help the songs. The tight rhythm work is rather impressive, and even the riffage has found some original elements.

Still middle-of-the-road. The songs have not improved to the point that they make for good anthems (and why use grunge riffs if you're not able to kick the song over the top?), and often the competing hardcore impulse simply complicates matters when what's needed is simplification.

On the whole, though, this is a big improvement. Both Worlds shows here that it is willing to work its ass off and craft a finer sound. Hey, if this progression continues, these guys could be great.

A jam album, putting together some fairly legendary names: Terry Bozzio, Steve Stevens and Tony Levin (by coincidence, I've got one more Bozzio and two more Levin discs to review in this issue). Spacey stuff in general, as often ruled by Bozzio's deft percussion as Stevens's guitar mastery.

And to leave out Levin's bass work would be to miss the glue of the project. Levin doesn't often take the forefront, but his interplay between the guitar and drums cements the deal.

Not a perfect improv album, as a few overdubs were added later. But the basic tracks were played live to tape, with minor planning beforehand. Levin had four days, and this album was recorded in four days. A sense of desperate creativity flows.

A lot of folks probably haven't heard Steve Stevens play in such a restrained manner. Oh, there are a few pyro moments, but nothing excessive. He obviously has learned that less can be more. And in the case of these three, a lot more. A cool, meandering and wonderfully introspective album. Time to get lost.

Bill Bruford and Tony Levin have been getting together fairly often of late. They're both members of the extended King Crimson family, and as such worked on the soon to be released Projeckt One "fractal" of that group. And there's this disc, with Chris Botti along on trumpet and David Torn picking up the guitar and doing some technology duty.

Much like Bruford's solo album last year with Ralph Towner and Eddie Gomez, the result is a prog take on jazz. A more expansive and straightforward approach to the form than is usually heard, but certainly much more sophisticated than the average "rock guy plays jazz" album.

Much more sophisticated than the average "jazz guy plays jazz" album, for that matter. Bruford and Levin lay down seductive, intricate grooves, and Botti and Torn flit about over the top. The interplay is impressive, and when some of Torn's looping comes into play, the songs get downright involved.

Laid back, for the most part, but also incredibly dense. There are tons of ideas expressed, all begging to be noticed. In finest prog tradition, this is encouraged, not repressed. And in finest artistic tradition, these men are talented enough to turn a melange into music. An incredible listen.

As a member of the Plimsouls, Case helped reshape the sound of pop music, even if not many folks noticed at the time. His subsequent career has followed much the same path: intriguing and innovative tuns that a relative few have bothered to hear.

Too bad, because songwriters like Case don't come along very often. Painfully direct lyrics which celebrate or excoriate life, depending on the whim of the moment. The instrumentation is extensive (fiddles, organ, harmonica and more alongside the general acoustic guitar, bass and drums), but the feel folksy. Case spins his voice smooth or raspy dependent on need, and the songs themselves quickly take flight under their own power.

A carefully constructed album by a great craftsman. But even with all the detail, the music is loose and inviting. A soul cry can be a sonnet or a scream. Case may be a creature of craft, but his performance packs an emotional whallop.

There are good albums and there are great albums. This one is at the top of the great list. I'm gonna be listening to this puppy for years to come. As should everyone else.

I haven't heard anything from these guys since 1993, a C/Z album called Body Love Body Hate. The funny thing is, not much has changed. The songs are still plodding, cacophonous rambles which somehow manage to be strangely beguiling. Rampant pop excess in all its forms, and yet it still sounds great.

Accidental music, if you ask me. Oh, I'm sure Caustic Resin plans these things like a motherfucker, but the songs sound like they just kinda popped out of the monitors some rainy day. Without much effort or forethought. A very good attribute.

With some humor. Argent's "Hold Your Head Up" is appended to the end of one song ("Mysteries of..."), though the song becomes recognizable only after some attentive listening. Post-apocalyptic pop can do that to even the most famous of guitar anthems.

A complete and utter mess. Precisely why Caustic Resin is so damned impressive.

Two versions of the title track, one basic techno and one amped up a bit and called the "club version". Two other songs, "Control" and "Sample Start". All told, three more reasons why Covenant is a master of what some call dark techno.

Inventive melodies and rhythms are only the start. Covenant is the rare electronic band that seems hell-bent on innovation. Even when that experimentation doesn't quite pan out. On this single, though, no problem.

"Final Man" is basic enough, but "Control" is steeped in gothic overtones, and "Sample Start" is a distortion-heavy romp through the land of dance beats. Not much more than beats, but what beats and what a racket!

All hail and revere. Three songs are not enough, but I'll take them for now.

Pop punk, played with an infectious sense of fun. Nothing is sacred, and nothing is spared in an attempt to crack a smile. The band's last EP ended with a drunken attempt at "Don't Stop Believin'". The words were only half there, and the band quit halfway through. Still, you gotta admire the moxie in actually releasing such a ball of goo.

This full-length crams 23 songs into 48 minutes, and once again ends with something of a goof. Not quite so silly, and it's the band's own composition, but still. I have to say that relying on the crutch of "the result of way too much Budweiser" is a bit weak, but still funny.

And given the lo-tech sound (guitar and bass that function more as fuzzy percussion points than melodic constructs), gotta find something somewhere. The songs are consistently hilarious, even as the tunes are rather hackneyed. A funnier version of the Ramones, with less musical talent and no big-name producers.

And hell, if you can't laugh at a song like "Got Caught Cheating on My S.A.T.s", then you might as well give up. Life's just no good for you anymore. There's always room for busting a gut.

The surest way for a major label to co-opt a musical movement is to score a distribution deal with an indie label. Little risk for the big boys, with al the gains. An old story, and one that has been playing itself out in the new electronic landscape over the last year.

And so DJ? Acucrack (a.k.a. Acumen and Acumen Nation) gets a wider stage for its music. Stuff that's centered in the whole "electronica" complex, but with a good many subtle shadings. Indeed, Acumen (etc.) has always been about toning down the noise.

Even while propagating it further. The songs follow the familiar building format, but with more of an emphasis on soundscapes than sampled guitar riffs and drum machine breakbeats. Even more toward than ambient than I've heard from this outfit in the past.

A solid album. Probably too weird and fuzzy for the masses to wrap their collective mind around, but that just means the stuff is good.

Songs a la Cape Verde, a former Portuguese colony of islands off the west coast of Africa. Fantcha's luxurious voice is at home on torch-style songs and dance numbers. And with all the African, Brazilian (another former Portuguese colony) and Portuguese influences, there's always a reason to dance.

Even when the music kicks in fast and furious, Fantcha's voice is always at the forefront. She is in control of the song, and her producer made that possible. The arrangements are full, but not overwhelming. The instrumentation is mostly traditional, with only the occasional hint of keyboard.

And so the result is a pop album that radiates the joys of many musical heritages. And, of course, Fantcha's astonishing voice. A wonder that should never cease. Obviously aimed at a mass audience, this disc has more than enough depth to attract the attention of more demanding listeners as well.

Lotsa hollerin', lotsa screamin' guitars and not a whole lot of sense. These are sloppy hardcore girls-done wrong songs. Maybe that should be grrrls. But you know how I hate validating fake trends that are five years old.

Angst. a big-ass load of it. The lyrics are interesting from a primal scream point of view. Artless, of course, but so is the entire exercise. It's music, but so completely unplanned and uncrafted that Free Verse songs resemble an incoming baseball bat. Right before the splat.

Can I dig it? Yeah, if I'm pissed off enough at the time. The noise can be amusing at times, but I kept hoping for something, well, something that might put this in perspective.

I know. Hoping for too much. Well, as angst-riddled shrieking goes, Free Verse is right up there. I'm just not much for the form, I guess.

Four tunes, and 7 remixes by X Marks the Pedwalk, New Mind, Download and Empirion. The original pieces show a nice touch on orchestral techno (kinda like X Marks), with lots of cool melodic and harmonic experimentation.

Indeed, this is crafty fare, indeed. Each of the four songs is distinct from the others, and yet Hyperdex-1-Sect has still managed to notch its own sound. Well done.

The remixes are innovative as the acts who made them. Complimentary, and yet completely new visions of the songs. This is a cool set which shows the potential for variations on a theme, as practiced by good mixers.

A wide variety of remix styles prevail. Jestofunk (near as I can tell, since I haven't heard the originals) works in a fairly commercial house style, and the remixes are generally quite club accessible.

The MC Turbo sax mix of "I'm Gonna Love You" has a cool sax lick laid over a house groove. The rest of the song is kinda dull, but the sax and the beats work well. This inconsistency within individual remixes is common, and it's troubling.

If a mix isn't utterly ripping something off ("JB 2000" takes a Disposable Heroes beat track and sample pattern without changing a thing), then it's merely adding a few cliches. Hey, if you can use a sample and make it something new, great. When you simply use someone else's work to power your own stuff, that's when I begin to get testy.

And the thing is, the stuff doesn't even work that well. Instead of sticking to a good groove, the mixers more often break the songs up with a variety of threadbare beats and bass lines. Tired is a good word.

As opposed to fusion, obviously. And Johansson doesn't really bother to mess with jazz constructs or conventions. This is a fairly spacey prog record, though less aggravating than a keyboard-led such project might seem. Johansson relies extensively on his backing band (his brother Anders on drums and Shawn Lane and Mike Stern on guitars) and merely guides them through his complicated compositions.

Complicated? Yeah. Johansson plays with meter and much more. You can read the liners if you really want to try and understand what a "basic 14/16" is (well, it's something like 7/8, of course, the same way 6/8 is something like 3/4). I find that stuff pretty damned fascinating myself, and the notes helped me understand the mathematical underpinnings to this dense and unusual music.

On the surface, this sounds like any basic prog project. But a little scrutiny of the percussion and beat lines yields a much different picture. Lots of vaguely-connected lines, all held together by unusual (for rock music, anyway) time signatures. Yeah, the performances are more technical than emotional, but the mathematical ideas are so involved I'm willing to forgive, just this once.

Definitely one of those "musician's album for musicians". Johansson isn't afraid to express odd ideas, and that fearlessness has brought forth a truly intriguing album.

Tony Levin (again), John Petrucci, Mike Portnoy and Jordan Rudess. Portnoy assembled this band for this one album, much like the circumstances surrounding the Bozzio Levin Stevens disc. After a couple failed attempts (which might have heard Billy Sheehan on bass and any number of guitarists), this lineup came together (Portnoy "settling" for Dream Theater partner Petrucci on guitar) for a week and put these songs together.

Adventurous, particularly in the rhythm areas. The keyboards are basic stock prog stuff, well-played, but nothing terribly surprising. Petrucci has some nice licks, but he, too, generally sticks closer to an ordinary (if extraordinarily pretty) style.

The songs take off when Portnoy blasts his way through some seriously creative drum licks and Levin skips along, sometimes leading, sometimes following (since most of the drum tracks were recorded first, I guess Levin was merely playing around with Portnoy's ideas, though this is some masterful playing). And then there's the last five tracks, which consist of an extended (28 1/2 minute) unedited jam session. A mess, if you pay attention to construction, but there's some serious shit flying in parts. It probably could have been edited down, but to hear it like this is to understand why musicians must play with other musicians.

Too rote in too many places, this "supergroup" side project still travels to many fascinating ports of call. Not great, but in the presence of greatness. Sometimes flashes will have to do.

A collection of 12 tracks from three European albums recorded by Tony Hymas (keyboards), Terry Bozzio (drums), Hugh Burns (guitar) and Tony Cole (sax). Their approach to jazz fusion was more of a humanizing one. The playing, of course, is virtuoso, but the influences come from folk songs and dances as much as rock and jazz.

And so while the playing gets very intense, the songs are generally gentle, not menacing. No one player gets out of line; the group acts together with focus and fierce intent.

Obviously, each member does take a turn or two in the forefront. The intent is musical exploration however, and not personal aggrandizement. A collective in the best sense. The members of the Lonely Bears do seem to bring out the best in each other.

I'd love to hear all three of the albums from which these songs were culled. This disc should more than whet the appetites for an American audience.

Throbbing, gut-ripping buzz-saw pop from just down the road (I-83, to be precise) in Baltimore. Big-time producer Ed Stasium has provided the band with a monster sound, and the band did the rest.

There's a lot to that rest. Wonderfully ragged hooks and just-short-of-a-crash song structure. Alright, a two-point deduction for the strangely lacking-in-irony power ballad "If You Go Away", but other than that Love Nut kicks out some serious power pop.

Filter early Beatles through the seventies and add just a dash of that punky stuff that's still floating about. The songs are great, and the sound is dead on. This thing has a ton of commercial potential.

And it's good enough to prick up the ears of folks on the other side of the tracks as well. Quite a package, even if it was fairly self-consciously assembled.

Drenched in noise and rising up from the dark depths of the cold wave, Luxt powers its compositions with simple but strong beat patterns and melodic ideas. Most often, the music is heavily distorted, but it's always comprehensible.

Anna Christine's fairly unaffected vocals power through the wall, emphasizing the strength of the songs. The environment is completely sterile, but engaging nonetheless. A tough trick to turn.

There's even a Led Zep cover that manages to capture the feel of the original even while taking a new tack. Christine's vocals are a bit too Plant-like, but the musical arrangement is very cool.

A complete world unto itself. Once entering, leaving becomes difficult. Reality has a different scent. Life itself takes on a new dimension. I've always liked mind-altering music, myself.

Nicely doomy death metal, heavy vocals but more friendly riffage. I can't quite hear this as well as I'd like (that demo-sound tape muffle), but it takes me back a ways.

To cool bands like Morgoth. Folks who understood the power of a good riff and yet still weren't afraid to kick out the speed every now and again. Necronomicon's greatest asset is its versatility. This is a band that has a strong sense of what it wants to do, and obviously the playing is good enough to accomplish those goals.

I really do wish the sound was a bit clearer, but what I hear is great. This is a band with a top-notch feel for the power of death metal. Simply more proof that heavy doesn't equal stupid.

I'm always suspicious of credits on a live album which read "lead and backing vocals". Hunh? Overdubs, I guess. So this isn't terribly live? I dunno.

The songs are mostly from his two recent solo albums, with a couple covers thrown in for the hell of it. Recorded in Japan, of course. Probably the only place a big enough crowd could be found. If it wasn't, though, I guess they could just dub in crowd screaming.

Alright, alright, I'll calm down. A little. The playing and even the singing are competent, but the songs are horrible, and the covers are simply run-throughs. A complete lack of emotion. No soul to be found.

And if not on a live album, then where?

Precious is, for all intents and purposes, Lars Tetens, who is described in the accompanying press as some sort of cigar magnate/general businessman extraordinaire. This might explain why all the folks in the liner pictures are holding cigars. Tetens wrote the songs, he sang and played guitar on every track. He played drums on most of the songs. He even produced some of the time.

Heavy fuzz, in a general pop-rock way. Lots of power, not much subtlety. Teten's sense of humor isn't the greatest, but most of the time he sticks to more serious thoughts.

And that works often enough. I really like the king-hell fuzz sound that pervades the disc, and he does a good job of playing his drum licks off his guitar playing. Sounds odd, I know. A good thing onetheless.

The songs themeselves sound somewhat unfinished or underwritten, though. Almost there, but not quite. I can't quite define why I feel this way, but the songs just aren't complete. Still, I like the direction they're going.

Power metal, with lots of the expected prog touches (heavy keys, intricate guitar lines). And some of the unexpected: a strangely gothic feel to some of the melodies (yeah, I know, just a minor key). Well, it's all so overwrought, so why worry?

Reminds me a lot of Kai Hansen's Gamma Ray project, in the ultra-thick sound, tight harmonies on the vocals and the flying straight ahead song construction. Kinda the ultimate extension of the whole Euro-metal thing. Candy for my brain.

Oh, man, this is just what I need. Mindless (for me, anyway), timeless fun. Just latch on to the soaring, operatic vocals and ride the stormwinds. Despite all the elements, this is not complicated music. All of the pieces point to one whole. Addictive stuff.

One of my true weaknesses. Oh yeah, Royal Hunt is into excess of all kinds, but in a way so as to pump out a great melodic metal sound. Takes me back 15 years or more, and I'm not returning any time soon. A complete rush.

Lots of band changes and some lean years behind, Savatage returns with its (really?) 15th album, another way-too-ambitious rock opera. Hey, gotta give the guys credit for thinking big.

It doesn't work, really, either in terms of drama or music. Much of the music is sacrificed for plot advancement, and even then much of the ideas and conflict seem contrived. A lot of cribbed riffs and artificial situations.

Still, there are some nice spots. I've always liked the Savatage style of Euro-metal (though, of course, the band hails from Florida), and even if some of the music lurches into cliches, the overall power metal sound is pretty cool. I wish just one song had come together for me, but snatches are all I can find.

Probably not as far away as I think. The guys put a ton of work into this album, and it's very easy to hear all the care and craft. Perhaps a little less of that and some more emotion might have helped. I don't know. It's so frustrating to hear an album that has many nice bits, but nothing substantial to show off.

Somewhat clunky guitar pop, infused with a very overt religious message. Not a particularly preachy one, but just a lot of ideas. Those ideas are the best part of the disc.

Because the music is not great. James Taylor thrice rebuked, or something like that. But Scheer Energy is a "good news" spreader, and that fairly non-judgmental message is refreshing to hear.

Even on the title track, the lyrics don't condemn, but attempt to enlighten. A much more effective way of operating, if you ask me. Alright, there's a bit too much "Lord Jesus" for my tastes (us born-again atheists are a strange breed). But the presentation is fairly good.

The music, though, is just too milquetoast. The melodies aren't particularly good, and the nuts and bolts in the rhythm department can get downright awful. Still, the message is well-presented, if not coupled with good tunage.

A Minneapolis threesome which has been studying the British application of the American application of the British application of the original American innovation (insert the names "Blur", "Big Star", "Beatles" and "The Isley Brothers", and maybe that last bit will make a little more sense). Gorgeous, ringing pop songs with loads of subtext. The kinda stuff that has to be heard over and over again.

The back cover photo shows the masking tape track notations from the mixdown (I'm assuming there) of the album. Lots of shit inside these deceptively simple-sounding songs.

I've heard a lot of good pop albums the past couple of years, and yet with the possible exception of the Wrens (who play a much more rough-and-tumble version of pop), I haven't heard anything approaching the sophistication and, well, perfection on exhibition here. Another song issues forth, and my mind is blown all over again.

I'd be worried about the whole "instant attraction" problem, but Semisonic has so many layers to its songs that there's no fear of getting quickly bored. Brilliance defined. An album that will entrance anyone who hears but a snatch of sound. Truly, an amazing achievement.

He's a speed merchant, no doubt about that, but Stump manages to humanize his pyrotechnics with a real feel for crafting a meaningful song. Not in a weepy or other such way, but just good, solid writing.

Many of the songs are still too long, but Stump manages to keep my interest even through the longest of the pieces. I'd edit, but hell, he's the artist. My ideas really shouldn't count.

The music does not transcend many of the limitations of the instrumental rock guitar album, but Stump is as good anyone out there. Alright, I wish the drums didn't sound like machines (though I think at least some of them are skinned), but that's a minor quibble.

Another solid album. Stump hasn't broken through, but he's proven his consistency. Always a good way to start.

Another set of covers. A fine list of songs, some that didn't become famous as blues songs ("Taxman" being the obvious example), but in general a romp through a who's who of blues writers.

But the breezy spirit and perceptive production which has helped a couple of his recent albums are missing. Much like his last album, this thing is overblown and just too much in general.

Is Pat feeling the blues? I don't hear it. He's wailing away, both with his voice and guitar, but there's just isn't that much feeling to what he's performing.

Walkthroughs, particularly of songs like these, are not permitted. Nope. No way.

Some more dance music from Italy. Nice, mindless stuff that the frat boys down at the local meat market will like, I suppose. No chances taken, and no advantage gained.

It's all so generic. Oh some songs are better than others, but nothing breaks out of the mediocre realm. This is the sort of stuff that puts me to sleep if I'm at a bar. Monotonous and safe. Bleah.

Only for those who are interested in cheesy Italian electronic music. I'm sure there's a market. I just don't want to think of what it is.

Uh, the title sez it all. Like the Houseptic disc, this is Italian dance music. A bit more experimental, particularly in the beat department, but still nothing astonishing.

I do like this one better, mostly because I wish more folks would try out innovative beat patterns. Now, granted, this stuff is still dreadfully safe when compared to many of the better-known British and American electronic acts, but at least I can hear sparks of life.

There are moments that almost won me over. But on the whole, this set still lies too far down the safe lane.

Lots of bands from the more melodic side of hardcore. H2O, CIV, Samsara, Orange 9mm, Killing Time, Shades Apart, Sweet Diesel, etc. The tracks generally aren't up to the various bands's standard levels, but they're better than your usual soundtrack stuff.

By a hair. This wouldn't impress me as a mix tape (unlike, say, the brilliant Godmoney soundtrack), but it's pretty good as a soundtrack. Wait a minute. Does that sound whiny or something?

I dunno. The plain fact is that these songs are not up to snuff. The band selection is fine, but this disc will not set anyone's mind on fire.