Pop from the big tent, replete with offbeat lyrics and unusual arrangements. Not convoluted, but certainly complex. The sort of sound which quickly draws a listener in to the music.

In other words, music with intent. The basic group plays the standard instruments, with a fair emphasis on piano as a rhythm device, but there's plenty of horns and other things thrown into the mix as well.

Pretentious, in that Belloluna is definitely going for it. But really, this is just easygoing pop music dressed up in tails. References to all sorts of sounds (heavy on the seventies, from fuzz guitar to Burt Bacharach), always fresh and inventive.

An album which simply doesn't let up. Heavy on the craftsmanship, but so smooth it sounds like it was recorded live to tape. Quite the listen, indeed.

The nicely arrogant letter I got with this disc says "It's better than what you're listening to now. I promise." Moxie. I like that. And you know, if I had been listening to something before I slapped this in (turns out it was the first review of the day), well, the letter might have been right.

Stuttering, surging stuff, with lots of drum work on the toms and guitar chords on the off beats. Strong stuff, though, not wanky faux funk. No, this is something like what grunge pop might sound like if played by a Louisville band. Except, of course, Blinder is from the Jersey side of New York.

Don't matter, don't matter. The three songs here are amazingly strong, ripping through reams of territory and still managing to stick together. Aggressive, arrogant and altogether satisfying.

The band is looking for a label. I'd think labels would be queuing up for an audience.

Another licensee from Burning Heart in Sweden (home of Millencolin and Refused, among others). A lot more in the Refused vein, an arty (and messy) approach to hardcore.

Fans of Fudge Tunnel, it sounds like. The riffs are basic and screeching, with a heavy emphasis on pile-driving rhythms. Pain is the aim, and Breach provides plenty. Man, right down the mainline.

A throbbing maelstrom of power which simply doesn't let up. The pounding continues and continues without respite, a glorious testament to the innate strength of hardcore. Noise which will no be denied.

Yes, yes, the rush is complete. Heart-stopping, almost. I'm awe-struck, sitting here letting the waves of aggression wash over me. Powerless, and yet feeling strangely potent. I've taken the tonic; now it is time to act.

Ten songs, each from a succeeding decade. Paquito D'Rivera generally plays the soprano saxophone, but he also picks up an alto and a clarinet from time to time. These songs were popular hits of their times, which means they aren't necessarily the most sophisticated tunes around. Could make for some treacly listening.

Sometimes, particularly on the pieces which feature a full string orchestra, but producer Bob Belden generally manages to imbue his arrangements with more of a jazz feel than they probably had originally. D'Rivera does his part, providing soulful playing without pandering. These are songs which, indeed, express the many lights of love.

An ever-complex subject, and these renditions are faithful to both the originals and the intent of the project. To provide an introduction to the wide influence Latin music has had on "American" culture. I recognized many of these songs, even some of the older ones, and these performances are certainly the best I've heard.

High on the schlock potentiometer, D'Rivera, Belden and company instead deliver a fine album with all the grace and beauty such an endeavor requires. Difficult, but mission accomplished nonetheless.

The first disc is a re-issue of the first Dogon album, Notdunjusta. This set of songs has never been available on a mass basis until now. The second disc is a set of remixes and other side projects for the act. Oh, what does Dogon do? Merely skim across the cream of the electronic ambient world. And while my review of The Sirius Expeditions is a bit vague on the matter, Dogon is Miguel Noya and Paul Godwin. Just so you know.

Noodling, in that uncanny introspective fashion which inevitably results in contemplation. And like the best in this area, Dogon refuses to stick to any single idea, song structure or sound. While often understated, Dogon will, from time to time, come down (relatively) hard. The first disc is exactly what I anticipated, extremely creative electronic journeys into the deep recesses of the mind.

The second disc, containing a few side projects, odds and ends and such, is at least as impressive as the first. Never afraid to chart new territory, the members of Dogon, together and separately, meander about in search of new forms of electronic expression.

I can't recommend this one enough. The wealth of sounds leaves me gasping.

A bit more than 40 minutes from the band's performance at the 1974 California Jam, and substantially more from live shows the past couple of years.

The liners point out that the California Jam introduced the band to a wide audience vie the ABC late-night program In Concert. Judging by the quality of sound here, I'm guessing the stuff barely even came across on television, which is hardly the best medium for presenting music.

Anyway, while the Jam performances are typical ELP (virtuosic, self-absorbed and arrogantly lengthy), the sound sucks. The newer live performances sound a lot better, and the members haven't lost a step talent-wise. They're still doing what the audience seems to want: play loud and long, with lots of pyrotechnics.

Many rock critics have laughed at the band's attempts to utilize music from the classical canon. I'm not gonna chunk that brick, but I will say that ELP's take on "21st Century Schizoid Man" (complete with a sloppy interpolation of "America" from West Side Story) is so over the top even Lake's old mates in King Crimson would cringe. ELP, for better and worse, is up to its old tricks.

Right on the heels of the 7" which knocked me out so. More achingly long songs. More elliptic genius.

Like Mineral, this band's genesis, the Gloria Record travels along the more ethereal side of emo. In fact, this disc never really crunches out. Melody plays a key role, something not usually heard in this sound.

But the evolution is welcome to my ears. Honestly, this is just an extension of the Mineral sound, and a great one at that. The songwriting is even more introspective and textured, the music that much more, well, emotive.

Sometimes an album comes along and grabs you by the balls. The music may not be hyper aggressive, but the result is the same. The Gloria Record takes hold and doesn't let go. An album of extraordinary power and grace.

Well, the Brits love Groop Dogdrill, and it's pretty easy to hear why. Lots of heavy-duty phraseology and crashing guitar riffs laid over a basic noise punk base. A pretty package on the surface. But there's just nothing underneath.

It's about time some Brits acknowledged the debt current "alternative" music owes Jesus Lizard. But see, us ugly 'mericans have heard this sort of thing, and better, too. Try 6L6 or Kepone and then listen to this. No fucking comparison. The production values here are somewhat better (more cash always helps), but I'll take a rawer, more intense sound any day.

I have to say I do like this better than the EP I heard. I couldn't quite make out where the band was going. This album makes it completely clear. Just like when KMFDM took Einsturzende Neubauten theory and made it sell, Groop Dogdrill takes that Chicago hardcore sound and add a brand-new commercial shine.

This doesn't suck. But, geez, let's not start dripping spoo, either. Us yanks still know how to do this better than anyone.

You've been there. A wedding or some other party with a DJ, and a really annoying medley comes on. Personally, I've been subjected to the "Grease medley" more times than I wish to count. Medleys are a cheap way of inciting a crowd. All cream, and no salt to balance.

Isaacs was once a very influential reggae artist and impresario. But now, he's taking it easy. Lots of medleys here, and none of them particularly cohesive. The stand-alone songs are truncated, sometimes not getting through full versions.

The sound, other than Isaacs's voice and the keyboards, is bad. The horns are hard to hear, and the bass is so muffled it is often relegated to a vague rumbling sensation way behind the sound.

Hey, I know why this disc exists. But Isaacs just isn't the performer he used to be, and unfortunately, this album doesn't hide that fact. This disc doesn't do much even for nostalgia.

The Newlydeads is Taime Downe's gothic/industrial project. The debut album was quite good (surprised the shit out of me, actually), and the original versions of these songs (except for one) appeared on that disc.

In general, the mixes add a couple layers of electronic beats and punch up the pieces a bit. Nothing extreme, but nice jobs all the way through. highly enjoyable, moving the Newlydeads right into the clubs.

This disc (and the follow-up Newlydeads album, due soon) has been held up for some time. I'm now just in a holding pattern waiting for that second full-length. I continue to be most impressed.

Fuzzed out sludge rock. Stuff that moves, though, so maybe we can call that thin sludge. Or something. Imagine an AmRep band with uptempo songs and slick production. You know what I mean.

I'm not entirely sold. I like the sound, actually, but Pedler has a way of killing any positive motion in songs. He kills the grooves. Like he's hunting them down and has to obliterate them one by one. Almost inexplicable.

Maybe he's making a point with this carnage. I can't make it out if he is. The songs sound like clunkers from where I'm sitting. Pedler is really pissed off about a lot of things, but he doesn't have to wreck decent tuneage to get that idea across.

Search me. This one just doesn't make sense. That happens.

Prince Charming's first disc, Psychotropical Heatwave introduced me to Wordsound. I was so knocked out I didn't pay close enough attention, using the name of the album as the name of the artist. Oh well.

Heavy in the use of samples, thick in the groove, Prince Charming is back. Sure, trip-heavy, too. This music is mind-altering. Never mind what the performers and producers were on, the sounds themselves are capable of lifting a listener higher.

Randomly brilliant. As if out of nowhere, the grooves throb on. I think it would be fair to compare Prince Charming to Vampire Rodents, at least in the way that the beats are constructed. The main difference is that Prince Charming always, always lays down the funk. Electronically constructed sound sculpture, sure, but always with the funk.

At least as mind-blowing as the first disc. The use of technology to create entirely new forms of sound. Is the appropriate reaction intellectual or visceral? Both, and that's where the genius lies. An ambush of epic proportions.

The whole idea behind the gothic scene originated in classical music (say, with Bach's Toccatta and Fugue). The Protagonist (a.k.a. Magnus Sundstrom) takes that relationship a bit further than most, incorporating classical construction and instrumentation (well, electronic substitutes, but hell, Frank Zappa is considered a classical composer, and he often used a Synclavier) into his pieces.

Resulting in an enveloping sound. Wonderful atmosphere and stirring themes. The notes say "The Puritan" is inspired by the work of Leni Riefenstahl. There is an air of majestic tragedy about many of these pieces. And what is goth if not, um, majestically overwrought tragedy.

Sometimes a vocal or spoken word section breaks up the instrumental emphasis. but the music never relegates itself to the background. The music says more than the words. It is far more textured and expressive.

Pretty damned cool. Sundstrom used all the electronic tools at his disposal to make a very real-sounding album. Amazing what we can do these days.

Now that I'm actually moving into the area, Merge sends me something. Well, actually, it's not fair for me to bitch like that. I'm so horrible at keeping up with folks I have no room to go off. But anyway, a package from Merge is always welcome in my house.

And this re-emerging Seaweed (gone from SubPop to a major and now with Meerge) is another in a long line of buzzsaw punk pop bands (that description can be applied to at least one other Merge act). A good buzzsaw punk pop band, just so we're clear. Basic construction, but nicely emotive riffage and stream-of-consciousness lyrics. Rollicking fare which is always perceptive and thought-provoking.

Proof that the Seattle area has always been a pop haven. Well, since folks like the Young Fresh Fellows picked up instruments. Anyway, Seaweed mixes in dirty hooks and effervescent rhythms to fine effect. Like that "other" Merge band, though, again, I must insist on stating that Seaweed does have its own distinctive sound. There's just a few similarities.

And when stuff is done this well, those are merely referred to as influences. Well worth a few listens.

The sort of pop music that swept through college radio stations in the late 80s and early 90s. Swann is obviously a huge Robyn Hitchcock fan (nothing wrong with that, indeed), and his songs incorporate the same electric/acoustic guitar combos and rolling hook styles.

Swann even sometimes seems to affect a British accent, though that might be my mind playing tricks on me. In any case, he's got this sound down cold. The keyboards rush just when they should, and the guitars kick out just when things start to drag. Ace craftsmanship, both in the writing and the production.

And really, for such a cribbed together project (the players list is lengthy, and the recording took place at a number of studios), Swann managed to create a wonderfully cohesive disc. From the song sequencing to the liners, everything is done just right. A top-notch project.

Takes me back, indeed. I can see all the kids in black drinking coffee and smoking, this disc blaring out over speakers in the commons. A little nostalgia trip I am more than happy to take.

Here's a band that has opened for the likes of Dokken and the Nixons. And lots of bands in between. Sybil's Machine avoids sticking to any one sound or genre. And with 35 songs across two disc, there's plenty of space to fill out.

Most of the songs have a good nugget or two. Some work quite well all the way through. But most of the time, I keep wondering what might have happened with a little more focus, some more work. Sometimes the groove gets dropped midstream, sometimes the lyrics don't fit well over the music and sometimes the songs never really get going.

While the band reaches out for a variety of sounds, nearly everything is filtered through a vague glam metal filter. Certainly the fuzzy falsetto of lead singer Jeff Skocdopole has something to do with that. It's not a bad sound at all. I like the way the guys take chances. Even if they don't work out every time.

Still, if I was advising, I'd suggest paring this down to a single disc and really crafting the 17 or 18 songs to be used. Too many of these tunes sound unfinished, not quite complete. I like to hear ambitious bands, though, even when the ambition isn't realized.

Another dose. Still working that anthemic Bad Religion groove (which I'm not gonna bitch about, oh no), with a somewhat sparser sound. The songs are still laden with muscular hooks, and the lyrics still have a catchy cogency.

And the band spreads its wings a bit, experimenting somewhat here and there. Take the intro to "Another Half Apology". Hell, the fact that there is an intro makes it experimental in a punk context. The band threw in only what worked. I like that sort of attention to detail.

I mentioned the sparse production sound. Each instrument and each vocal is clear and distinct, with not much in the way of distortion or mess in any way. Clean and clear. It works quite well with that the band is doing.

Wow. This has been a fall of great punk albums. Some nice numbers from Asian Man, Fat Wreck and of course, Epitaph. Don't know who to credit with this resurgence in punk quality, but I'm more than willing to reap the rewards. This is easily the best Ten Foot Pole album, and that's saying something.

By now, you should know that Melted puts out only the finest in power punk pop. 30 Amp Fuse is a bit heavier (fuzzier, anyway) than the usual Melted band, but when you've got the chance to release an album this strong, well, it seems to me you've got to do it.

Like plush velvet, 30 Amp Fuse plys fuzzy riffage into gorgeous power pop. Sure, it's easy to hear references to Husker Du many more greats, but these guys have their own sound. And a wide load of great songs.

Just keep a rolling, too. All the way through. I let the songs fly by, each one a piece of chocolate for my ears. Tasty, and even somewhat filling. God, I love the guitar sound on this puppy.

One of those primal need discs. 30 Amp Fuse satisfies my desire for hooky power pop with shag riffs. Well, for a couple minutes, anyway. This stuff is way more addictive than crack.

Complete with a comic book. I guess this is a companion to that, or something. Folks like the Supersuckers, Samiam, the Havalinas, Likehell, Puff Daddy & the Family (um, yeah) and Kirk St. James. Songs which have something to do with the comic book, for the most part.

A pretty boring comic book, despite all the sex and such. Sorta like a lame take on the Crow. As for the songs, well, this plays like a soundtrack. A wide variety of sounds, mostly filler. I'm not particularly impressed.

If you want to see a project where comics and music come together in good ways, check out the Skin Graft AC/DC "sides" cover series. Innovative drawing and generally interesting tunage. Stuff you won't find here.

Almost 20 songs from a disparate group of artists. Silkworm, Lustre King, The Goblins, Sweep the Leg Johnny, C-Clamp and more. Some originals, some covers. Some traditional, some contemporary. Some well-produced, some, um, not.

Like the first track, mastered from a cart (old radio hacks will know what I'm talking about here). But I'm not gonna complain. Because this is easily the weirdest and most expansive Christmas (or whatever) set I've ever heard.

Take Atom & His Package's "What WE Do on Christmas", which details how the world Jewish conspiracy uses Christmas as its annual planning day. Way too funny to miss out on. Or you might want to try on "Santa Claus Is Coming (and You're on His List)" , "(I Was) Drunk (on Christmas Eve)" or "Something's in the Chimney". Reverent, it ain't.

But it is a big-ass load of fun. Incoherent, perhaps. A total mess? At times. But still worth lots of smiles. And be sure to turn up "Please, Daddy (Don't Get Drunk This Christmas)" when the folks arrive.

Simply proof that my taste in music is about exactly the opposite of the general public. I had a few nice things to say about the first installment in this series, but generally, I deplored the whole lounge revival.

And I still don't like it. But once again, I do get the sense that some of the acts here are making fun of the trend, and some are dead-up serious. For example, "Zap the World", brought to us by Death by Chocolate, a quirky electronic act. A wonderfully goofy song.

But there's not enough of that, and way too much cheesy soft-rock guitar lines which would embarrass even the great Burt B. For true trend-setters only (if this sound is still trendy, that is).

Combining elements of prog rock, grunge and the Dead again movement, Wooster Sang manages to crib together a really cool sound. Sort of a modern version of the Doors, without a dreadfully excessive singer.

Naw, just songs which move along nicely, with some kick ass organ and guitar work. Separately, the pieces of this sound really annoy me. But in this package, well, I'm very impressed.

A small suggestion. I read the info (because this is the first package I got in Durham, and I didn't have anything else to read) and I didn't want to hear the album. Too slick, too much marketing crap. I dunno, maybe that's how you get the big deal (and Wooster Sang has a big enough sound to get some real buckage that way), but it turned me off.

Of course, I always let the music do the talking. And here, Wooster Sang's music says more than enough.

Another reggae legend. And like the Gregory Isaacs set, there are more medleys here than regular songs. Yellowman does flesh out the songs within the medleys a bit more (the pieces are more slurred together than edited down), but I still have a problem.

What does come across is Yellowman's passion. He's been around, but he still loves playing and singing. His energy is infectious.

Wish I could say that about the sound, which is pretty muddled. Past Yellowman's voice and the keyboards, the sound is catch as catch can. Very much a hit-and-miss proposition.

I'd rather go back to the studio albums, I guess. This isn't bad, but I had hoped for more.

Coming into this after reviewing the Dogon album just isn't fair. David Z does a nice job of balancing a variety of sounds in his electronic compositions, but he just doesn't have the subtlety. Ah, well, that doesn't keep this disc from being enjoyable.

Indeed, from a strictly commercial standpoint, David Z might have the advantage. His use of more generic club rhythms, while a bit stultifying for me, could attract more folks to his sound. I'm not being facetious or rude, either. He keeps a groove pretty well and layers his keyboard sections quite nicely. The songs are straightforward and easy to wrap a head around.

And I like the way he's overdubbed some real-time instruments, adding a bit of sonic texture that way. Not the most complex music around, but certainly worth hearing.

A solid, if unspectacular set. Again, this one is aimed more at the mass market, and fans of Tangerine Dream and the like would do well to check David Z out.