I'm sure the guys are tired of hearing it, but boy, does this stuff remind me of Loveless. I've noticed how the distortion-drenched sound has been coming back lately, and I'm always amazed at how few people actually got the point: If you're gonna virtually destroy your songs, they'd better be pretty damned good in the first place. Trickery will not make a bad song good.

Alcian Blue writes good songs. And then it takes the pieces, runs them through a barrage of blenders and emerges with squalls of noise punctuated by the occasional moment of clarity. Precisely on point, of course.

I do wish the folks would work a little harder to define their own sound--the final product could be called derivative, though I wouldn't say that--but the four tunes here are exhilarating rides through the turbulent ether. Quite fine.

Contact:
301 South Washington St.
Alexandria, VA 22314
e-mail: alcianblue@hotmail.com
www: http://www.alcianblue.net

In most ways (okay, in about every way), the Buttfrenchers are a generic garage band. They do have an infectious energy, and they know how to write a decent, punchy song or three, but there's nothing particularly great here.

Except for the fact that this is on a slab of vinyl. I can't explain it, but that makes all the difference in the world. The medium doesn't improve the music, but it does measurably kick up the vibe. All of a sudden, this stuff feels oh-so-real.

Anyway, the Buttfrenchers do sound cooler when their music rolls off a turntable. There's no rational reason for it, but then, music criticism isn't a purely rational act. Emotions factor in strongly, and my personal investment in the future of the turntable made average music sound great. Shoot me or something.

Contact:
R Styles Records
3935 NE 7th Ave.
Portland, OR 97212
Phone (503) 881-4593
e-mail: rstyles@rtylesrecords.com
www: http://www.rstylesrecords.com

Political punk is back with a vengeance, and the Casualties seem to be saying, "Yer damned right!" This album starts off blistering and then just ratchets up the pressure. There's little subtlety to be found, and that's most appropriate. We hardly live in subtle times.

The songs themselves are breakneck mini-apocalypses, with speed and riffage far outweighing melody and structure. That's cool, though. The energy is simply overwhelming.

The production is professional--and that's also a good thing. With songs this fast and loud, it helps to be able to tell the guitar from the bass. But the songs don't come off with some preprocessed shine; they simply sound good.

The Casualties don't play complicated songs. They don't sing about moral quandaries. The vision presented here is black and white, noise or silence. Sometimes, that's exactly what we need.

Contact:
Side One Dummy
P.O. Box 2350
Hollywood, CA 90078
www: http://www.sideonedummy.com

The members of Ghost are more artists than musicians. Yes, they play music (most of the time, anyway), but that music is being played to elicit a certain effect. I happen to find this approach cool and interesting, but I'm saying this right up front so as to make sure everyone knows what the hell I'm talking about.

Which would make one of us, because Ghost doesn't exactly travel in a the real world. There are ethereal moments that are right out of Dead Can Dance, and there are shocking incidents of sonic violence. Then things get weird.

Want to know how odd this gets? Ghost recasts Syd Barrett's lyrics to "Dominoes" with new music. And this new setting is even more disconcerting, even though it has many echoes of the original.

In all, a typical Drag City release. Adventurous music for those who are willing to hike the back trails. The journey is most worthwhile; Ghost holds many jewels within its cape. Just don't give up before the end.

Contact:
Drag City
2000 West Carroll St. #201
Chicago, IL 60612
Phone (312) 455-1015
Fax [312] 455-1057
e-mail: dragcity@mcs.com

So if the post-rock revolution went and invaded the prog-folk scene, well, the Glass would probably rise up from the ashes of the battlefield. These guys remind me of nothing less than the bastard child of 16 Horsepower and June of 44. And that ain't bad at all.

There are plenty of references to "old school" alt. country, especially Brad Bailey's vocals, which sounds a bit like a mixture of Gary Louris and Jay Farrar. There's a tender fragility to his singing that is immediately arresting.

But the music is the star. This stuff is well-conceived and highly crafted. The Glass didn't just waltz into some studio and thrash out an album. This puppy was baked with care. But it's not overdone. There are enough raw notes to convey plenty of emotion. A tough balance, but one that the Glass succeeds in creating.

For such a tight album, this puppy sure does swing. The Glass contains both accomplished songwriters and players, and the result here is a transcendent album. Most impressive.

Contact:
Makeshift Music
P.O. Box 40043
Memphis, TN 38174-0043
e-mail: makeshift_music@hotmail.com
www: http://www.makeshiftmusic.com

I suppose that Hospital Grade falls into the whole emo category--that is, if you can remember when bands like Jawbox and Treepeople and Superchunk were considered seminal influences. This is conceptual rock with a punk edge. Kinda like if moderately-melodic punk music smashed into that whole post-rock thing.

Built to Spill also comes to mind (though, of course, I did already mention Treepeople), but only the punchier stuff. Hospital Grade always keeps a sharp edge on these songs. There's nothing soft or round about them. Always a knife scraping across a blackboard. Keeps you awake.

These are songs that make sense the fifth or fiftieth time you hear them. It's not that they're impossibly complex or anything, it's just such an unusual sound that it takes a while for your ears to adjust fully. But once they do...

That's right. Total bliss. Put in the effort, and ye shall be rewarded. Or something like that. Hospital Grade is, indeed, of the finest quality.

Contact:
Urinine Records
P.O. Box 413903
Kansas City, MO 64141
www: http://www.urinine.com

The vocal warblings are very Shins-y, but the music is decidedly more out there. Loch Lomond plays with beats, samples, loops, and more traditional sounds. Sometimes it's a band, and sometimes the pieces sound much more like a one-man project.

But Loch Lomond is more a collective than a functioning outfit. Well, sort of. Richie Young and Rob Oberdorfer started work on this album, and in the end a good chunk of the Portland music scene stopped by to add one thing or another. Then Young officially joined the Standard, which picked up stakes and moved to my neck of the woods down here in the New South.

You don't need to know all that to like the album, however. Yeah, a lot of these pieces are a trip--that's a good thing. Apparently Young, Oberdorfer and Kate O'Brien and Ryan Cross of Iretsu actually learned how to play these songs live and did a few club gigs. That's probably not happening again any time soon.

But there is this album, see. And it's really good. The sort of album that takes creativity and then gets creative. Okay, so that sounds stupid, but you know what I mean. There are so many layers to these songs that it's impossible to peel them away in the short amount of time I have to review the disc. So I'll just have to play this one again a few hundred times.

Contact:
In Music We Trust
15213 SE Bevington Ave.
Portland, OR 97267-3355
www: http://www.inmusicwetrust.com

Patton has that "breathy vocals floating above neo-folk" sound down, even though Patton's conception of neo-folk is much more Beck than, say, Fairport Convention. And Patton isn't against letting loose and rocking out every now and again.

I like those louder moments best. That's when Patton sounds most at ease and where he also finds a space he can call his own. Which is not to say that the folkier stuff sucks; it doesn't. In fact, it compares well to Nick Drake and his ilk. But it's been done, and I just keep hearing dead people.

The production is impressive, making this album sound a lot fuller than your average one-man effort. Yeah, Patton has some help, but he does most of the heavy work here. Not that you could tell from the sound.

Just a nice, comfy set of songs. Patton refuses to tie himself to any one sound or idea, and I like that sense of adventure. That he generally succeeds is even more impressive.

Contact:
Merlin Pool Music
540 St. John's Pl.
Suite 4G
Brooklyn, NY 11238
e-mail: bqtp@aol.com
www: http://www.brandonpatton.com

Two lengthy outbursts from these boys. Jaime Fenelly, Chris Forsyth and Fritz Welch make up psi, and it seems all three save some of their strangest and most intense ideas for this project.

Electronic noise, guitar and percussion are the base, and the ideas flow from there. As anyone who is familiar with these guys knows, this is hardly music for the casual listener. psi demands attention. It challenges and probes in an attempt to redefine the nature of music itself.

Okay, so maybe that's going a bit too far. Still, this is the sort of stuff that could sterilize cockroaches from 50 yards, so neophytes beware. Some serious experimentation is going on.

It's been a while since my prefrontal lobes have had a workout this nice. Tap in and ride the wire. You won't be bored.

Contact:
Evolving Ear
326 St. Johns Pl. #D1
Brooklyn, NY 11238
Phone (718) 622-7607
e-mail: info@evolvingear.com

Raqui Danziger plays middle-eastern drums and bowed instruments. Most often she plays the dumbek (which is also known as the tabla, among other names), but she's more than proficient on a bewildering array of pieces.

Her husband, Liron Peled, is her main collaborator (he most often plays guitars or a Moog that is specially set up to play "in-between" western notes). Together, they play traditional songs, stuff from modern masters and their own compositions. It isn't that easy to figure out which is which just by listening--proof that they know what they're doing.

There's a palpable intensity to these songs, but also a delightful playfulness, which keeps everything on an even keel. There's no use playing music if you can't have fun with it. Same goes for listening.

I know jack about this kind of music, but I like what I hear. Raquy has a fine sense of adventure, and these pieces are well-arranged and played. This disc makes it easy to step into another world.

Contact:
e-mail: raquy@raquy.com
www: http://www.raquy.com

Years and years ago, a good friend of mine tried to turn me on to Rasputina. "You'll dig them, Jon. They...well, I can't tell you what they sound like, but there's these two women singing and then cellos start playing." It's likely my friend didn't use the word "women," but otherwise that's pretty much verbatim. But as I am pretty much overwhelmed by what arrives in my mailbox, I never searched out Rasputina.

Turns out my friend was pretty dead on. It's difficult to describe exactly what Rasputina sounds like, though with the female vocals and cellos, well, there is a certain goth vibe. Goth as in Love and Rockets, I guess. In fact, I think that's about the best touchpoint I can come up with, though the two outfits don't sound a whit like each other.

Except for their willingness to be very loud or very soft at any given moment. The songs themselves are quite conventional in construction, but the requisite cello arrangements (generally augmented by more traditional rock instrumentation) often turn the songs on their heads. And that's what so cool.

Perhaps the centerpiece here is "If Your Kisses Can't Hold the Man You Love," a loopy song filled with asides and non-sequiturs. Somehow it all holds together, until it peters out at the end. This odd sense of anti-climax and general disdain for pandering to the audience has earned Rasputina a devoted (if small) following. This album should more than satisfy the devotees, and might even prick up the ears of a new novices.

Contact:
Instinct
26 W. 17th St. #502
New York, NY 10011

New name (formerly the Leeches), new singer, same old sound. Somewhere in the dingy new wave-meets-rockabilly world of the Cramps, or, as the band itself seems to like, Blondie meets the Cramps.

That's not a bad comparison, actually. The songs are nice and sleazy, but there's an underlying cohesion that keeps the songs inexorably rolling forward. This does sometimes give the impression that you've heard a particular song before--but I was having such a good time I barely noticed.

The formula is simple: Husky female vocals, a tight rhythms section and a couple doses of spooky guitar. The songs aren't jokey--like, say, Deadbolt--but the music sometimes is. That's cool. Keep things loose, man.

This is the second album from these folks that I've reviewed, and I still can't quite explain why I like what I hear. There's just a vibe running through this stuff that tickles my fancy. Maybe it's the strangely slavish devotion to the understated hook. Or maybe I'm thinking too much. Better get back to the fun and forget all this silly analysis.

Contact:
235 E. 22nd St.
Apt. 20
New York, NY 10010
e-mail: squeal@thescreeches.com
www: http://www.thescreeches.com

Sylvia Ryder and Ben Bohm are Sugarplum Fairies, Ryder is a willowy blonde who does the singing, and Bohm focuses on everything that's behind her. Sounds a bit like Luna, eh?

Yeah, it does. But in a good way. And anyway, there are differences. For one, Bohm never takes the front mike (and doesn't sing much in the background, either). Also, as Bohm runs essentially a one-man band, the music is a bit less lush and dreamy. There are sharp edges from time to time.

One shared characteristic is solid songwriting. If you want to succeed in the whole soft-pop genre, you'd better have a serious wit and some real musical chops. Both are on full display here. Ryder and Bohm fill this disc with perceptive lyrics and music.

Yeah, I'd advise them to work a bit harder on a more unique sound. But this album is a fine example of the form. Sugarplum Fairies have plenty of skill. Now they have to go out and make something of themselves.

Contact:
www: http://www.sugarplumfairies.com

Just some Cleveland boys who like to kick out a little extreme hardcore. And the way these guys play, they can kick out as much as they damn well please.

These guys play songs with more than one tempo. I know, that's not exactly revolutionary, but it does reduce the faceless factor. More importantly, 13 Faces realizes that this sort of music is all about the riffage. If the rhythm section is good, then the rest will follow.

And the riffs are tight and tasty. The sound is just fuzzy enough to impart a definite taste of doom, but still sharp enough to leave a vicious bite. As for the playing, well, it's intense enough to keep this album rolling along at a fair clip.

Nothing complicated or revolutionary. Just solid loud music. 13 Faces probably won't set the world on fire, but with music like this, it will make more than a few people very happy.

Contact:
Bandaloop
565 Garden Road
Columbus, OH 43214
e-mail: info@bandalooprecords.com

Also recommended:

Paul Alves Sousalves EP (Messin' With Records)
Longtime NYC scenester Alves tosses out three solo tracks. He's been a member of such outfits as Drill and Electric Turn to Me, but these acoustic songs are miles away from those bands. That's cool. Alves has a highly expressive style, and even though these songs are essentially him and his guitar, the intensity is almost overwhelming.

Arms of Kismet Eponymous (Wampus Multimedia)
Anyone who gets Jon Astley to master their album is always worth a listen or two. I know, it's just making sure everything sounds cool, but still... Anyway, Arms of Kismet plays the sort of eclectic, loopy pop music that ought to have made Astley (no relation to Rick) smile. Which is more than good enough for me.

Bipolaroid Transparent Make-Believe (self-released)
Soft-charging pop songs with enough psychedelic references to make me dust off my beaded jeans. The sound is a bit too squishy, but the songs themselves are quite impressive. It's 1967 all over again, and aren't you glad?
Contact:
P.O. Box 50131
New Orleans, LA 70151
www: http://bipolaroid.com

The Boxing Lesson Radiation (Send Me Your Head Records)
The sort of languid, ever-evolving stuff that should prick up the ears of Tortoise and June of 44 fans. It's a bit less involved than those bands, of course (what isn't?), but the Boxing Lesson mixes vibraphone and Moog and guitars to a smashing effect. I didn't even notice how long the songs were until the end of the album.

Chubby Is It Time? (Gigantic Music)
Big, loud, and, ultimately, by-the-book anthemic rock and roll. Tons of bands used to play this stuff, but Chubby is better than most. And since this overblown AOR kinda stuff isn't exactly trendy these days, I must admit feeling a bit of nostalgia while listening to these folks. Much better than this review would lead you to believe.

Descendents 'Merican (Fat Wreck Chords)
Two tunes from the forthcoming Fat release, and two more just for the hell of it. The stars are the title track (which is on the album and ought to be a big hit on this summer's "Rock Against Bush" festival tour) and "I Quit," which is one of the funniest anti-rock star rants I've heard in ages. The boys may be pushing 40 (or more), but the fire still burns brightly.

Endgames Daybreak to Sunset (self-released)
Clangy, reedy nerd-pop. I'm pretty sure I've never used that description before, and that's because I haven't heard a band exactly like these boys. There's just enough guitar action to keep the songs moving, but these pieces are more about melody (even though the vocals are astonishingly thin) and mood. Even so, they're pop songs, and the hooks are understated but solid. A late-running charmer.
Contact:
e-mail: mike@endgamesmusic.com
www: http://www.endgamesmusic.com

Harris New Morning Pulse. EP (Urinine)
Churning, roiling, throbbing emo-ish stuff. I always hate using that label, but "angst-ridden pop-punk" uses too many characters. Anyway, Harris writes some really great songs, and the production is spot-on--sharp enough to impress, but not overbroad and excessive. A fun little ride.

The Lot Six Major Fables (Tarantulas Records)
Screechy, almost shrill stuff. But rhythmic as hell, and that sterling sense of rhythm wrings melody out of more recalcitrant members of the band. The production populates the songs with all sorts of cool extras, which also tends to reduce the noise at the extremities. Kinda like the Jesus Lizard meets the Wrens--in the abstract. In the real world, the Lot Six isn't that good, but still solid enough to impress.

Sarah Rabdau Benevolent Apollo (self-released)
Somewhere between minimalist electronic, anti-folk and (for lack of a better word) chick rock, Sarah Rabdau works very hard to try and make all of her constituencies happy. Sarah McLachlan has succeeded in rowing similar waters, but Rabdau refuses to make her songs as easily accessible. And that's cool by me. Challenging the listeners is always a good idea, and Rabdau refuses to pander. A little more polish in the songwriting area, and she could really have something.
Contact:
e-mail: me@sarahrabdau.com
www: http://www.sarahrabdau.com

The Speeds The Speeds EP (self-released)
Utterly charming punchy pop. Nothing unusual or particularly original, just solid stuff. The kinda disc that makes me smile from the first chord. A fresh blast of summer in the middle of an ice storm. And that's just fine with me.
Contact:
Phone (724) 272-1830
www: http://www.thespeeds.net

Various Artists Makeshift #3 (Makeshift Records)
Twenty-two songs from Memphis artists. There's all kinds of stuff here, and most of it is surprisingly good. Makeshift seems to have a feel for offbeat, yet accessible, folks. Quite a cool little set.