Welcome to A&A. There are 41 reviews in this issue. Click on an artist to jump to the review, or simply scroll through the list. If you want information on any particular release, check out the Label info page. All reviews are written by Jon Worley unless otherwise noted.

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A&A #197 reviews
(3/27/2000)

  • Anthropile Take (self-released)
  • Aurora Plastics Company Low Noise (self-released)
  • Brain Transplant/Panicsville split 7" (Nihilist)
  • Calibos Calibos (Arlingtone)
  • Cash Audio (AKA Cash Money) Green Bullet (Touch and Go)
  • Cinnamon Vertigo (March Records)
  • Clambake The Kouch Kronicles (self-released)
  • The Congos Live at Maritime Hall (2B1)
  • Corporal Blossom Corporal Blossom (self-released)
  • The Delta 72 000 (Touch and Go)
  • English Earl Find Yourself (Flat Five Press)
  • Errortype:11/Gameface What's Up, Bro? split EP (Revelation)
  • Fake Brain Department of Our Ways (self-released)
  • Farces Wanna Mo Recording @ Home Plus Seven (self-released)
  • The For Carnation The For Carnation (Touch and Go)
  • Fury of Five This Time It's Personal (Victory)
  • Greyarea Fanbelt Algebra (Victory)
  • The Judas Factor Kiss Suicide EP (Revelation)
  • Christian Kiefer Welcome to Hard Times (Extreme)
  • Wayne Morris Alive! (City Folk)
  • New Americans New Americans (David Fufkin)
  • No Merit Fomunda (Flat Five Press)
  • One Man Army Last Word Spoken (Adeline)
  • Panicsville/Rubber Cement split LP (Nihilist)
  • Panoply Academy Corps of Engineers Concentus (Secretly Canadian)
  • The Parasites Compost (Go-Kart)
  • Plan A Project Spirit of a Soldier (Go Kart)
  • Rhapsody Legendary Tales (SPV)
  • Rhapsody Symphony of Enchanted Lands (SPV)
  • SFB The LAst Dance... (self-released)
  • Six by Seven The Closer You Get (Beggars Banquet)
  • The Steepwater Band Goin' Back Home EP (self-released)
  • Transatlantic SMPT:E (Radiant-Metal Blade)
  • Luca Turilli King of the Nordic Twilight (SPV)
  • Under the Sun Under the Sun (Magna Carta)
  • Uranium 235 Cultural Minority (Mystic-Lightyear/WEA)
  • Valve Parallel You (Mood Food)
  • Various Artists Getting into the Grooves (Vitamin-CMH)
  • Various Artists Go-Kart vs. the Corporate Giant (Go-Kart)
  • Various Artists Victory Style 4 (Victory)
  • Virginia Coalition Townbirg (Flat Five Press)


    Anthropile
    Take
    (self-released)

    Kind of a retro industrial sound. Bryan Tewell Hughes is the man behind Anthropile, and he's collected a large, um, pile of samples and assembled them over a crunchy pseudo-German engineered bunch of techno guitar riffage.

    It's a bit thin-sounding, but that is the style. I dunno. I really like this grand, almost operatic take on the industrial feel. Hughes has a lot to say, and he says it quite well.

    Plus, this is a gas to hear. Sure, you have to have your ears in the same space as me, but that's not a small group of folks. Hughes did a great job of splicing this project together. It sounds seamless.

    Alright, perhaps this isn't the most commercially-appealing sound. I don't think Hughes cares. He's put together a solid set of songs, stuff that really works. That's good enough for me.


    Aurora Plastics Company
    Low Noise
    (self-released)

    Aurora Plastics Company operates in the realm of vibration. Well, hell, you say, so does every band. I mean, that's what sound waves are, right?

    Right.

    But anyway, this duo whips out some seriously wonderful improvisations. Mostly accomplished through the use of electronics or unusual electronic instruments (say, a theremin) or amplifiers. Etc. The pieces are long and rather unfocused. Just the sort of guide I prefer when traveling this direction.

    'Cause, see, when Anne Heller of APC talks about vibration in the liners, it's not really about the physical mechanics of sound. It's about the psychic mechanics of the mind. What makes your mind vibrate. What makes you think in unexpected directions. That sorta thing.

    And, well, this is exactly the sort of disc that facilitates that kinda journey. Lots of strange byways to explore, lots of ideas you've never encountered before. Lots and lots, with no repeats. Pretty damned cool that way.


    Brain Transplant/Panicsville
    split 7"
    (Nihilist)

    If you've read the reviews of these two acts in the archives, you know that there is nothing expected. Not one thing. I drop the needle on Panicsville or Brain Transplant and I have no idea what will come out.

    The Panicsville songs are fairly restrained, well-assembled collages of clicks and squeals. Nothing that will torch your speakers or anything, just some cool sounds.

    The Brain Transplant songs are a bit more melodic, but just as experimental. The notes say the pieces were performed on demo software, which is pretty impressive (I've messed with some of that stuff and I haven't come up with anything nearly this cool).

    Just a journey to the edges of electronic experimental music. The only expectation is a sense of wonder. This small slab comes through with that and more.


    Calibos
    Calibos
    (Arlingtone)

    Vaguely loopy emo. In the modern style, which means there are a few melodic enhancers, particularly in the lead guitar. The pieces sound kinda light in the pocket at first, but there is an underlying depth.

    It's not in the vocals or lyrics, though. Those are fine, mind you, but not earthshattering. Nope, Calibos just gets cooking every once in a while. It's the band thing. Where the three pieces get together and simply transcend the basic emo trio sound.

    The disc sounds good, too. A dully sharp sound (how's that for a moronic oxymoron?) that blends the instruments just enough to create the illusion of a larger band. Part of that is also the interaction, of course. But the knob guy deserves a hand.

    What seemed slight at first really blossomed into something cool. Calibos just bounds. That's all. Bounding around and about. Like a sunny day in an isolated meadow.


    Cash Audio
    Green Bullet
    (Touch and Go)

    Adding a full-time harmonica player and changing the name (something about a lawsuit from the Cash Money record label), the rechristened Cash Audio lurches back on the scene.

    The blues are still ragged, but David Passow's wailing on the harmonica lends a totally new direction to the chaos. I like that, myself. These guys are loose. Real damned loose. That's not to say they can't play; that would be a lie. But the focus is on making the music make sense, no matter how anarchic it might get.

    That's really the trick, see, to get off-track just enough to convey some emotion while still making music that's recognizable to the average folks. Cash Audio gets way off track (and nicely so), and doesn't quite get back. I figure that's okay by these guys.

    (Warning: Racial stereotyping ahead!) Most white guy blues bands are too focused on either power or technical prowess. Cash Audio certainly doesn't shy away from either, but the most attention is paid to the music itself. Yeah, here it's down and dirty (grimy, really), but hell, where else would you want the guys to be?


    Cinnamon
    Vertigo
    (March Records)

    My wife got the first Cinnamon album at her newspaper. I thought about reviewing it, but I didn't like it. In fact, I thought it was one of the worst albums I've ever heard. So... I get this thing.

    But since I don't remember what I didn't like about that first album, I think I can be objective. Mostly. Here's what I can tell you: Cinnamon wants to be Stereolab. Real bad. But it's not.

    The faux-Bacharachian tunes (replete with strings and horns) aren't horrible, but they aren't particular interesting, either. The arrangements are nice, but not inspiring. Frieda Diesen's voice is okay as well, but while she does wispy alright, there's not much supporting that.

    Not the worst album I've ever heard. By a long shot. Perhaps I misjudged that first effort. But this isn't worthy of legions of cult fans, either. It's merely alright.


    Clambake
    The Kouch Kronicles
    (self-released)

    Just some guys trying to do the whole 70s funk/r&b/roots rock thing. Dominated by a keyboard, which probably isn't the way to go.

    The songs themselves are fine, but generally undistinguished. Part of that is in the recording and/or mix, which pretty much left the guitar (or the bass) out in the cold on a few songs. It's strange; on the songs the guitar dominates the bass just drops out, while the keyboards are all over the place when the guitar take a break..

    And while a piano sound worked real well on "Primitive Man," a song that also benefited from guitar presence, the keyboard sound seems kinda alien to the songs. The band also needs to find a spark in the studio, translate live success to tape. This is a bit too sterile for the sorta music Clambake is playing.

    I'd run a lot closer to the guitar and base the songs even more around that. And make sure you can hear the thing.


    The Congos
    Live at Maritime Hall
    (2B1)
    reviewed in issue #197, 3/27/00

    Some bands don't have it after 25 years. And, well, the Congos did use a backing band. But that band sounds great, and the vocal work from the Congos is exactly what you'd hope for on a live set.

    Cedric Myton and Watty Burnett comprise 2/3 of the original Congos line-up, and they're still singing with fire. The songs, often Biblically based, have a sort of reggae gospel feel. And, indeed, one of the strengths of the songs (and this backing band) is the ability to draw on a number of influences.

    And instead of resorting to medleys and other cheap ways of getting through a set quickly, the Congos actually extend the pieces, using the live setting to explore the music.

    Again, that's kinda what you're supposed to do, I think. A top-notch set, well-recorded. Fine work all the way around.


    Corporal Blossom
    Corporal Blossom
    (self-released)

    Back in the olden days, artists (painters and such) had to hope that people recognized the references to other great works within their paintings. After about a hundred years, though, a lot of those names tend to get muddled in the murky logs of history. Thus, we have art appreciation classes.

    The modern day is so much better. Such that something like Corporal Blossom (instigated by Layng Martine III) can take the beats and pieces of our sonic culture and whip them into a rather tasty little stew.

    He did some of the work on this disc in Brooklyn, which puts him somewhere in the proximity of the Wordsound crew. In fact, this album would be right at home with such projects as Slotek and Prince Charming. First rule: Always find the groove. Next rule: Always do the unexpected (but stay within the groove). Last rule: Make it sound great.

    I really do dig this bass-oriented electronic collage stuff. The low end puts you in a hypnotic state, so as to better experience the rest of the affair. Corporal Blossom has plenty of backways to explore, places that need repeat visits.


    The Delta 72
    000
    (Touch and Go)

    It has to be said: The Delta 72 has smoothed out a few rough edges. Yeah, these guys were always about a raucous approach to soul and blues, but the sound bordered on incoherent at times in the early years.

    That a band like this is still around to contemplate "early years" is amazing. Perhaps the most interesting thing is that in smoothing out the sound in the studio, the Delta 72 was merely getting closer to its live jam sound. And so an album like this arrives.

    There's a bit more of a 60s garage pop sound here, but the blistering blues still come across beautifully. In fact, there are a number of "pretty" moments on this disc, times when just about everything comes together just about perfectly.

    I'd say this is as close as the band has come to recording the album it always knew it had in it. This is one of those "I'm driving for 10 hours with the top down and just this disc in the car" albums. That pretty much says it all.


    English Earl
    Find Yourself
    (Flat Five Press)

    Utilizing an insistent, slow burn bass line, English Earl (aka Earl Bland) and his band of merrymakers roll through a set of love songs (and other things). Reminds me a bit of the Bludgers, though without the awe-inspiring lyrics.

    Even if English Earl is a bit more down-to-earth, that doesn't mean he's insipid. Hardly. These songs are earnest pieces of a heart, emotions laid out unprotected.

    The sound is just a bit cluttered, with the instruments straying from their bounds a bit. Works very well with the sound, that sorta cool rock thing. Adds an extra dimension to the songs, fleshing them out a bit more. I like that.

    An enjoyable disc. The band doesn't quite leap out from the everyday, but it sure does what it does in a more than solid fashion. And perhaps this stuff doesn't need additional style. Perhaps just a bit more soul.


    Errortype:11/Gameface
    What's Up Bro? split EP
    (Revelation)

    A very appropriate pairing. Both bands are on the melodic side of emo (or what used to be known as the raucous side of power pop). Both bands can find a tasty hook and make it stick. And each takes three shots at that ideal here.

    Boy, and do they. Gameface leads off, and its relatively understated style sets up the disc well. The songs are thoughtful and tuneful, in that nicely raggedy sorta way. Cool stuff.

    Then Errortype:11 takes over, shifting the music into overdrive. It's the same, really, just more. More speed, more distortion, more oomph! All in the best ways, of course.

    Six really great songs. These bands have never been in better form, and that says something right there. Most worthy of mass perusal.


    Fake Brain
    Department of Our Ways
    (self-released)

    The kind of fuzzy, eccentric rock that I've found my mind wandering toward at the strangest times. Fake Brain usually sticks close to pop conventions, except for one or two small parts in each song, which creates this othrworldly feel to many of the pieces.

    And the fuzz... You know, it seems like an easy thing, just add a little disortion to the guitar and everything sounds more intimate. It's not, though. A lot of band don't quite have the right touch. Fake Brain does.

    My only real suggestion (if the band is really interested in big success rather than kudos from idiots like me) would be to shave the idiosyncratic moments down and tighten up a nothc.

    Of course, if Fake Brain did that, then I wouldn't like the band any more. It's a risk many have taken without looking back. Anyway, adventurous popsters really ought to give this a scoping. There's a lot to love.


    Farces Wanna Mo
    Recording @ Home Plus Seven
    (self-released)

    Some very strange ideas in pop music, as fronted by a Jello Biafra wannabe. The title track (as such) is a fairly straightforward song, traditional in structure if not in performance. The rest of the pieces get weird very fast.

    Structure kinda takes a holiday and what sounded like mere odd thoughts at first rush to the fore. At times, the music sorta peters out, replaced by the occasional chord or beat and an assortment of vocals.

    I'm not kidding. This is warped material. Which, as faithful readers know, means I really like it. It's horribly incomplete at times, and that sort of thing does have an almost unimaginable appeal to me.

    While not on the outer fringe, Farces Wanna Mo (does the band name tell you anything?) certainly is nowhere near staid reality. Dip your toes in, the water is mauve.


    The For Carnation
    The For Carnation
    (Touch and Go)

    Yes, this is another of those post-Slint/Louisville legacy albums. Specifically, the For Carnation revolves Brian McMahan (not to be confused with Brian McMahon), who may also be remembered as an integral member of Squirrel Bait.

    In any case, a couple of previous For Carnation albums came out on Matador a while back, but McMahan has revamped the band (once again) and enlisted a lot of vaguely famous friends (once again) to create this album that is "intended for mature music fans."

    Maybe the press notes said that because the sound is complex and moody (gosh, what a stupid and overused word!). The stuff moves to quiet but insistent bass lines intertwined with keyboards, guitar, strings and whatnot (there's a good amount of whatnot here)

    I'm starting to worry that the highly idiosyncratic nature of this review will lead you to think that I don't like this disc. On the contrary. It's just that the music is reacting to me on such a visceral level that I'm having difficulty translating that transcendent experience into words. What I'm saying is that the problem is mine and mine alone. My wonderment exceeds my scribal abilities.


    Fury of Five
    This Time It's Personal
    (Victory)

    Well-executed metalcore. Somewhere between old Suicidal and Biohazard, though with a modern sheen. Perhaps it's that top layer that bugs me, maybe it's something else. But I'm a bit uneasy listening to this.

    Not in a "my world is melting" way, but Fury of Five just doesn't do it for me. I hear all of the pieces a bit too distinctly; maybe that's it. The delivery, while well-processed, doesn't melt together well. Each influence remains distinct.

    Still, this is a serious adrenaline rush. Lots of pounding riffage, lots of hawdkoa action, if you know what I mean.

    That's gotta be it. Fury of Five is so many things for so many people that it forget to find itself in the mix. There's a lot of good things here; I just don't hear a cohesive band.


    Greyarea
    Fanbelt Algebra
    (Victory)

    Plenty of speed, plenty of attitude. Greyarea isn't yet typical Victory band. The guys care about hooks (even though they're awful rushed) and the sound is extremely sparse. Sounds more like an Epitaph band to me.

    Though there's no reason why Greyarea can't do well with Victory. In fact, with more albums like this, well... Greyarea should do great. The tight, linear riffage never lets up, and the tempos just don't lag.

    There's also the plus that you can sing along if you like. This isn't pain-inflicting music. It's more thought-inducing. If, of course, you actually can slow down while this music is racing.

    The sorta disc that leaves me breathless. I know I'm a sucker for this kinda thing, but hell, the execution is dead on. Greyarea does melodic hardcore as well as anyone I've heard in ages. I'm enlisting for another tour.


    The Judas Factor
    Kiss Suicide EP
    (Revelation)

    A set of six songs that kinda hit on that moment when reality crushes idealism (or sometimes, when the world snuffs out life itself). The stridency of the hardcore adds to the drama of the lyrics, which are simply stunning.

    The power of the ideas expressed on this short set is astonishing. Not merely poetic, the words come together with the music to create something even more arresting. And by attacking this situation from many angles, the Judas Factor has created a many-layered picture.

    Sure I'd love to hear a full-length, but I'm not sure if this concept could be extended that far. I think the Judas Factor hit it just right here. This disc simply blew me away.


    Christian Kiefer
    Welcome to Hard Times
    (Extreme)

    A concept album, full of heavy thinking about the American West. This is kind of a statement against the myth of the West as propagated by Hollywood. And it's also a stylized statement about one man's personal vision of the West.

    What's probably most interesting about the disc is the way Kiefer veers from neo-classical pieces to clunky folk jobs and lots of spots in between. And he stretches as much with his lyrics, emulating some of the very scholars and writers he studied in preparation for the album.

    Fans of bands like Calexico or the Dirty Three (particularly the Horse Stories album) will immediately leap into Kiefer's work. Despite all the study and preparation, he has created an earthy, accessible sound. A lot of that has to do with the wide variety of instruments used from song to song, and credit must also go to engineer Michael Madden, who gave the recording a warm feel.

    This may be an album that is bought by more history professors (and avant garde music fans) than regular folks. That doesn't take away from Kiefer's accomplishment here. I was a bit worried that this disc might come off as stagey or somehow stifled. Not at all. The vision is whole and complete, and so is the sound.


    Wayne Morris
    Alive!
    (City Folk)

    There's this notion among many that folk rock is this sickly-sweet stuff with cheesy easy-listening acoustic guitar licks and sing-songy vocals. Wayne Morris goes the other way, taking more of an R.E.M. approach to the sound.

    That means less focus on strict construction and more emphasis on using the music to make a point. Indeed, Morris even sounds a bit like Michael Stipe at times (which kinda gets a bit unnerving), so the comparison is easy.

    But while I'm sure even Morris would admit the influence, this isn't rip-off fare. Indeed, the one cover is of an Amy Ray tune, though this rendition moves past the Indigo Girls version.

    Alright, alright, there's still an incestuous Athens connection (strange, I guess, for a guy from Vancouver). And there are times I wish Morris had worked a little harder to find his own sound. Even so, this is hardly pedestrian fare.

    The ambition and drive are apparent, and Morris obviously isn't afraid of taking chances (when he goes into the R.E.M. bag, he borrows from the band's less commercial side). A thoroughly enjoyable set, with some solid writing and performances.


    New Americans
    New Americans
    (David Fufkin)

    The liners tell a tale of two guys who love listening to American pop music. so they start a band and begin playing it. The band name, apparently, is simply a way of acknowledging an influence. Alright. So you know where these guys are coming from, in any case.

    More Bread than Alex Chilton, or perhaps more accurately, more Jeff Tweedy than Matthew Sweet (all of these and many more were listed in the liners). The hooks are a little ragged, but the musical sound is sort of a rootsy easy-listening style.

    I haven't really heard anything quite like it. Now, I'm not sure I like it entirely, but when the guys break into a particularly Jayhawks or Chris Stamey-sounding song (like "Take Me Back"), well, I can appreciate that.

    Not quite a "No Depression" band, New Americans has positioned itself in what might be a good spot along the road. These guys do have commercial potential, and the recording is top-notch. It's not quite what I groove on, necessarily, but it's pretty good.


    No Merit
    Fomunda
    (Flat Five Press)

    When the jam band gets grungy. No Merit has a lot of the feel of a prog band wanting to go roots by way of Seattle. It's certainly a unique sound.

    I'm not sure it works. For starters, the grunge elements dominate (by default), so the intricate bass and guitar work get kinda washed over by distortion. And the hooky harmonies never take flight because they can't get past the background noise.

    Perhaps it's a function of the recording, but I don't think so. The band hasn't quite gotten a handle on what it wants to do, and so when crunch time comes, the grunge is an easy crutch. Just lurch into a few bars of cheap riffage and distortion and the kiddies cheer real loud.

    Damn, that was unnecessary on my part. Sorry. Anyway, No Merit has a lot going for it. But it needs to decide what it wants to sound like and then work toward that feel. Right now it's simply wallowing, and I can hear a lot more potential than that.


    One Man Army
    Last Word Spoken
    (Adeline)

    The first song is titled "The Old Songs," and that's the way One Man Army plays. Loose and sloppy in the British pub punk style. Though I'm pretty sure these guys aren't from the U.K.

    It really doesn't matter where they're from, you know? There are two important elements to this style: A consistent fast tempo and choruses than can be sung even when utterly blitzed. One Many Army comes through with flying colors.

    Is it particularly distinguished? Nope. Is it even distinguishable from other bands of its ilk? Kinda, but not as much as I might like. Doesn't matter a lot, though, 'cause all I did was bound along. Not much to do, really.

    Just a pleasant, fun set. No grand agendas, absolutely nothing new. But One Man Army plays its game as well as anyone. Being faceless is just part of the sound. All you have to do is turn it up and start drinking. It'll work every time.


    Panicsville/Rubber Cement
    split LP
    (Nihilist)

    A lot to love here. Each artist gets a well-proportioned album side with which to play. Panicsville stays mostly within the "mad scientist" sound of burbling electronic chatter and other baubles (certainly a more active sound than that found on the 7").

    But it's where the sound surprises that always marks a Panicsville project. Here it comes in the middle of its side, where there is some wonderful interplay between what suffices as a bass line and some upper-range "melodic" lines. Just another example of the Panicsville oeuvre, I guess.

    The Rubber Cement side takes a more aggressively adventurous path Using much the same sort of electronic disturbance noise as Panicsville, Rubber Cement is more likely to use stark juxtaposition and worry less about, um, coherent structure.

    The results are surprisingly similar. I mean, it's not like either of these artists is going to be mistaken for Sting. When you combine the wonderfully experimental fare on the vinyl with the handmade album cover, well, I can't think of a more welcome package in my house.


    Panoply Academy Corps of Engineers
    Concentus
    (Secretly Canadian)

    I really don't understand why bands feel the need to kinda change their names. Yes, there might be some sort of band member switch, but if you were that insistent on a new moniker, why not get a totally new name?

    This is a pointless argument. Particularly since music by Panoply Academy Glee Club or Panoply Academy Corps of Engineers or whatever is great stuff. This disc finds the band tightening up its song structures, and the resulting increase in coherence also brings with it more planned dissonance.

    I guess another way of saying this is that the guys now know what they're doing. Or, at least, they're managing the chaos better. The tunes still sound a bit jumbled up, but that rumpled pop sound has glimmers of intent. There is a reason behind the raucous ruminations.

    Name change or not, this is a fine disc. I've never been disappointed by a Panoply set, and quite honestly this one exceeds my expectations. An evolution in all the right directions.


    Parasites
    Compost
    (Go-Kart)

    Something of a career retrospective, with a few new songs and some old ones "substantially remixed." The one thing that shines through is the band's ability to crank out some sweet hooks.

    These boys sure do know how to work that pop punk thing. There's enough character to give the sound a face and enough power to keep the punksters interested.

    Eighteen whole songs, too, and most of them are pretty durned good. Oh, there's a couple that I might have left off, but I guess if you're trying to be something of a completist then you've gotta have a little of everything. I won't question that stuff.

    Is there anything past a good time here? Probably not. But why worry? Just kick back, sing along if you like and generally let the stuff wash over you. A smile will develop, I promise.


    Plan A Project
    Spirit of a Soldier
    (Go-Kart)

    They cover "White Riot" and don't change the arrangement much. Plan A Project wants to badly to be the Clash (circa '77 or so) that even the backing vocals have bad British accents. Sometimes. I guess Jersey boys and Madonna have something in common there.

    It's fairly decent, as sloppy punk goes. There is a great energy to the writing and the performances, and it's impossible to fault that. After a while, though, I just started wondering when the guys would branch out into a more original sound.

    They don't. And so if you're looking for a band that's not quite early Clash, well, Plan A Project should serve nicely. I always hope that a band wants to reach somewhere past its heroes. This one doesn't.


    Rhapsody
    Legendary Tales
    (SPV)

    A sticker on the front proclaims Rhapsody "The new hope of symphonic epic power metal." Wow. That sounds pretty cool.

    And you know what? It is. Yeah, I'm an utter sucker for overlaid, throaty vocals and dramatic guitar and keyboard music. The bastardization of classical music doesn't bother me so much.

    Rhapsody is so keyboard centered, though, that at times the power level drops. Yeah, it always comes back, but for a few seconds there I wonder where the tuneage went. Some keyboard magic is always necessary, but not always this much.

    As long as you accept that this is the music that Spinal Tap skewered so beautifully, then feel free to groove on through. Yeah, it's over the top and almost comically excessive. So what? This is one of those guy things. We love the fast guitars and guys that sing high and loud. Must be in the genes.


    Rhapsody
    Symphony of Enchanted Lands
    (SPV)

    Disc #2 from this now defunct act. This album continues the swords and sorcery Algalord Chronicles begun on Legendary Tales. The same caveats apply, of course.

    In general, the songs are a bit tighter, with fewer excessive breaks by either the keyboards or guitar. There are also more "maiden by the water" breaks (acoustic classical guitar accompanied by flute and the sound of birds chirping), but they serve more as brackets than interludes within songs.

    The boys also refer to themselves as "mighty warriors of metal." You know, if I really didn't have an awful jones for this kinda music, I'd be laughing my ass off. But I do like it, and even with all of the fru-fru window treatments, Rhapsody plays this stuff as well as anyone.

    In fact, this stuff sounds great. Majestic and powerful (and perhaps just the slightest bit overblown), Rhapsody marches straight to glory. Yes, you've got to buy into it. I do, and I know plenty of other folks who do as well. Inspiring stuff.


    SFB
    The Last Dance...
    (self-released)

    Grunge in its most technically proficient form. Plenty of prog influences, with the odd spaces nod as well. This is extremely well-played; the musicians hit their marks throughout. It's the marks themselves I have a problem with.

    You knew there had to be something. Well, this sound just doesn't excite me the way Skin Yard did some 10 or more years ago. Yes, these guys are more sharply produced. But maybe that's the issue.

    At times it sounds like the band has disassociated itself from its song subject. The emotion gets lost behind a wall of guitars and effects. Turning up the volume doesn't necessarily increase the visceral attack.

    To put it simply, I'd like to hear the band get into the songs a bit more. Right now, the guys are playing the pieces (very well, as I noted up top), but there just isn't that emotional hook that grabs. I need something to draw me in.


    Six by Seven
    The Closer You Get
    (Beggars Banquet)

    Imagine a Britpop band that embraced the entire noise and rhythm revolutions that have swept up the U.S. the past five years or so. These ARE traditional pop songs. They're just dressed up in some amazingly complex and discordant clothes.

    Goddamn if it doesn't work. I mentioned My Bloody Valentine when I reviewed the band's three-song EP a while back, but that only conveys one part of the sound. There's so much more to this than simple distortion overload.

    The trigger for the music is the band's manic energy. Even when the songs slow down to midtempo, they swirl and whoosh like dervishes. There's so much going on it is almost impossible to catch all of it in one or two glances.

    And that's the mark of great music. The kind of sounds that demand repeat listens. At times like this, I've just gotta obey my instincts. Hit repeat and get slammed all over again.


    The Steepwater Band
    Goin' Back Home EP
    (self-released)

    Some young guys from Chicago way who love the blues. And not the over-amped, under-souled blues that seems to be in vogue these days. Indeed, the boys plus two Muddy Water tunes and an Elmore James piece among the five on this disc.

    What's impressive is that the band didn't cover obvious songs. Also, the original material fits right in with the classics. There's not an obvious dropoff in song quality between any of the tracks.

    Which leads to my #1 observation: Write some more songs, boys! You obviously know how to get inside the blues, so toot your own horn a bit more. Everything on this disc is excellent, from the song choice to the playing to the production. I just need more; more original stuff, more songs...more, more, more! That's all.


    Transatlantic
    SMPT:E
    (Radiant-Metal Blade)

    This could be termed just another of those Dream Theater side projects (Mike Portnoy plays drums), but the other players are impressive in their own rights. Neal Morse is from Spock's Beard, Roine Stolt is in the Flower Kings and Pete Trewavas is a member of Marillion.

    Even with a solid prog pedigree like that, kicking off an album with a 30-minute song (in six movements) is pretty ambitious. Gotta really work at not losing people. And Transatlantic does pretty well, in general avoiding the prog trap of grinding the gears and jamming incompatible riffs right up next to each other.

    Indeed, while this has the feel of an improvised album, the songs are fairly carefully written. And as the album ventures into more traditional rock sounds (like a nicely understated ballad), it's not likely to satisfy hardcore progheads.

    In fact, I'm sure some Dream Theater fans will be a bit distressed by moments here and there. Which is a good thing. Musicians, like all artists, need to stretch out. Projects like this allow them to do just that. For a five-song album that's almost 80 minutes long, this puppy flies by like a breeze. I had a good time. Perhaps it isn't the most substantial meal in the world. Transatlantic is thoroughly enjoyable.


    Luca Turilli
    King of the Nordic Twilight
    (SPV)

    This album is labeled "epic fantasy metal" so as to distinguish itself from the "symphonic epic power metal" of Turilli's old band, Rhapsody. To be honest, the only difference I can hear is that the guitar is more pronounced and the melodies are just slightly simpler.

    Reminds me even more of Helloween and Gamma Ray than the Rhapsody did. There aren't as many silly new age interludes (though they do persist somewhat), and there isn't quite the sense of a band. This sounds a bit more sterile, I guess in the way that a solo project should.

    Turilli still doesn't sing, but he wrote all of the songs and played all the guitar (and some keyboards). There is the feel of a more singular vision, and that is for better and worse. Better in that Turilli is more focused on a straightforward sound. Worse in that some of his idiosyncrasies are more pronounced on this album.

    Call it epic fantasy or symphonic epic power metal. I still love the stuff, and Turilli has amply proven that he can write and play it. Not many folks in the U.S. are trying to make music like this these days. It's too bad, because into every life some operatic metal should fall.


    Under the Sun
    Under the Sun
    (Magna Carta)

    I was wondering how long into the first track ("This Golden Voyage") it would take for Under the Sun to start sounding like a Magna Carta band. At about the four-minute mark, the heavy prog artillery came out. Well, that's not right. Let's call it the light prog weaponry instead.

    Because Under the Sun isn't about excessive technical prowess. These songs have a great coherence, and even as the jamming players spin and wheel through their solos, the overall vision of the song is not lost. In other words, the music (in a pure sense) comes first.

    Don't get me wrong; these boys can play. It's just that they write even better, and the songs come together in ways that I couldn't anticipate. I like to be surprised, and Under the Sun consistently moves in unexpected ways.

    Yeah, it's prog, and those with a severe aversion should probably stay away. But if you've been searching for a more accessible prog band, Under the Sun fits the bill perfectly. This is a fine album, well-crafted and smartly played. The heart, though, is what does most of the selling.


    Uranium 235
    Cultural Minority
    (Mystic-Lightyear/WEA)

    You know that whole cold wave/industrial/metal thing that Clay People does so well? Uranium 235 is horning in on the territory. These songs are almost criminally catchy, and they're awful crunchy as well. At times, the production is a bit glitzy (the third or fourth overdub on the choruses grates at times), but it generally doesn't get in the way.

    And since this is a major label-distributed project, it does have to have a few commercial bones thrown into the mix. There is the tres-KMFDM feel to a song like "Stimulation," and a cover of "You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)."

    KMFDM commercial? Yeah. When sports talk radio is using your stuff as intro music for national shows, you've backed into the mainstream. U235 is commercial, but don't let some little kiddie at the Sam Goody scare you away from this disc. That wouldn't be fair.

    Because these guys do this music extremely well. Clay People well? Almost, though U235 does wallow in the disco beats a bit more than thus moves itself into a slightly different category. This is simply crunchy music that's equally useful as dance music and adrenaline riding. Nothing wrong with that at all.


    Valve
    Parallel You
    (Mood Food)

    I must say that I've never heard of Valve before, so the fact that this is something of a reunion album doesn't do much for me. What does impress me is the music itself, which is just about as great as the gushy press notes claim.

    If this is the reunion, how come I never heard of these guys before? Just a question. Anyway, Valve plays vaguely atmospheric pop (basic song construction with the occasional intrusion of strings or keyboards or whatever) in a refreshingly straightforward way.

    But that simple method of presentation doesn't lead to simplistic songwriting. In fact, Valve takes advantage of its spartan skeleton to wander around a bit (though never getting far from the nest). There's a nice undercurrent to each song, a piece that runs contrary to conventional theory. Perhaps it's a slightly off hi-hat cymbal or a bass line that bounces oddly every once in a while. Just enough to really hook a listener.

    Boy, I am impressed. This is some fine stuff. I don't know where Valve has been, but I'm glad I got to have this taste. I think delve back in now for a deeper meal.


    Various Artists
    Getting into the Grooves
    (Vitamin-CMH)

    Another tribute set from Vitamin; this one, obviously enough, involves Madonna. Much like the NIN and Floyd sets, some folks take the old songs and place them in current electronic settings, often without much in the way of new arrangements.

    Actually, that's not entirely true. Often enough, the only vocal parts of songs to survive are the choruses. This tends to undercut what was already rather lightweight material.

    Now, some of the pieces are extremely creative and take a new approach to the originals. Some, as might be expected, are closer to dance remixes than anything new.

    In terms of quality and vision, this set falls between the Floyd and NIN tributes. I'm not sure a new picture of Madonna emerges from these renditions (and that's the main point of a tribute, I think ), but this disc is fairly engaging.


    Various Artists
    Go-Kart vs. the Corporate Giant 2
    (Go-Kart)

    Yeah, it's yer usual label sampler, complete with tabloid-style liners and even a few unreleased tracks. With the disc bulging at 25 songs, there's a whole lotta stuff here.

    And Go-Kart has some names: Down By Law, Buzzcocks, Lunachicks, Vision of Disorder and plenty more. If you haven't taken the times to scope out the rather diverse punk sounds expounded by Go-Kart bands, well, this is a fine primer.

    The unreleased tracks are nice additions, but probably only of interest to completists. The main attraction here is the breadth of the Go-Kart lineup. That is what truly impresses.


    Various Artists
    Victory Style 4
    (Victory)

    Victory is best known for bands like Snapcase, Earth Crisis, Hatebreed and the like. This samplers contains tracks from all of those, and some of the more eclectic (in a manner of speaking) Victory bands.

    Most of the stuff here easily qualifies as extreme hardcore. That's one of the reasons many of these bands hit the road with more traditional metal acts. The aggro riffage and ragged vocals fit right in.

    But there are also bands like Greyarea, which I discussed in the review earlier in this issue, bands that stretch the Victory format a bit. This is just a sampler; no unreleased tracks or anything. The selections are quite good (often exactly the song I would choose from an album), and if you want a taste, this should overwhelm.


    Virginia Coalition
    Townburg
    (Flat Five Press)

    Just a groove band looking to find its sound. Virginia Coalition bounces around, from vaguely soulful to simple hippie rock to understated funk. The main thing is, the guys never commit to one sound (or one singer, near as I can tell).

    Sure, it's a given that this isn't my favorite approach to music. Rather than truly dabble, Virginia Coalition sounds like it is taking small tastes and then homogenizing them. Another way to say that, though, is that the band is simply imcorporating the various influences into a band sound. It's a sound that doesn't quite become singular, but I guess I can appreciate that point of view.

    The production on this is good. It fills out when the songs need that strength, but in general it stays in the background and lets the songs do the talking.

    This doesn't come together for me, partly because I just don't like what the guys are trying to do and partly because I don't think the sound is quite coherent. Still, the writing itself is good and the playing even better. Virginia Coalition doesn't give enough of a case as to why you should like it better than any number of other bands, but at least it's headed in the right direction.


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