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Welcome to A&A. There are 14 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. If you have any problems, criticisms or suggestions, drop me a line.
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A&A #268 reviews (September 2005)
 Between the Buried and
MeAlaska (Victory) Exquisite extreme hardcore churned with proggy Euro-metal and strikingly thoughtful (if often unintelligible) lyrics. Reminds me of a more coherent At the Gates. A more extreme At the Gates as well. This album is positively brutal--plenty of double bass drum licks, crashing riffage and throat-throttling howls. The impressive mix of styles and ideas reminds me of early Fear Factory, though almost completely different in content and tone. Between the Buried and Me is a direct descendent of some of those fine Century Media and Nuclear Blast bands from the early 90s, European death metal types who couldn't quite give up on melody. Now, we're not talking about Tiamat--these boys are much, much meaner--but more like Asphyx, Grave, Meshuggah, that sort of thing. But again, much, much harsher on the back of the throat. I've been preaching this gospel for almost 15 years, but it's still true: Smart people do play loud music. And some very smart people play some excellent loud music. This album is the perfect case study.
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 CarolineWhere's My Love? CD5 (Temporary Residence) Two songs, and a remix of the title track. That's it. And that's more than enough to fall for Caroline. Rising from the world of homespun laptop pop, this professionally-produced short set artfully transposes the minimalist world of personal electronic music into one that somehow manages to sound sleek, efficient and otherworldly. And yes, Caroline's voice has a lot to do with that last bit. Her take on ethereal vocals has steel underpinnings. There's no doubt about the strength that lies behind these songs. The future cannot come soon enough for my ears.
Contact:
 The
DivorceThe Gifted Program (Made in Mexico) Somewhere between Icicle Works, the Cars and Joe Jackson lies the Divorce. That's one hell of a love triangle, don't you think? And yes, despite the obvious Brit influences, these boys are fully 'merican. Kinda like the Wrens--and that's a reference I don't let fly idly. The depth of these songs can often be measured in fathoms. There's a lot going on in a really tight space. 'Cause we are talking about rockin' pop songs. Stuff that blisters, burns and then scrapes off the goo. Damn. I haven't heard cruelty that sounded this sweet in years. These boys aren't nice, but they're damned fine. Kicks my ass so many ways I can't even begin to count. Albums that immediately impress me like this don't come along very often. Albums that have this sort of lasting appeal are even rarer. I'm a slave to my musical taste, of course, but I simply can't imagine anyone failing to respond to these guys. Quality of the highest order.
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 The DriftNoumena (Temporary Residence) Some wide-ranging, vaguely abstract bands are almost impossible to write about. "They sound weird, but they sound cool," is what I end up writing. The Drift is not nearly so difficult. In part because these boys simply refuse to play the same song (and sometimes, it seems, the same sound) twice, and in part because there's just so much here to mine. These are compositions, not stuff that is (or resembles) improvisations. There is a solid structure behind even the most loopy piece, and the Drift has obviously given these songs a solid workout. And yes, I suppose this does lie in the world of Tortoise and the like, but to be honest, I don't hear a lot of that. There is a member of Tarantel (Danny Grody), but again, these songs are tight compositions. Some may sound languid, but they're never lost. Damn. I guess I didn't get much past "they sound weird, but they sound cool." Except that the Drift is hardly weird and exceptionally cool. Instrumental rock can take all sorts of forms, and the Drift seems to have chiseled its own. For all the disparate ideas and sounds, each song here sounds like it was played by the Drift. And that may be the most impressive thing (of so many) about this album.
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Bert LamsNascent (self-released) Subtitled "Bach Preludes on the steel string guitar," and that's exactly what's here. I sat listening for a minute and I'm like...I know that guitar. I've heard it somewhere. And then the liners tell me what I already knew (but couldn't remember): Lams is a member of the California Guitar Trio. That meticulous, yet supple, fingerwork. The way these pieces sound so natural springing from a guitar. Of course. The sound is incredible. None of that amateurish tin string sound that has become an unfortunate hallmark of acoustic guitar recordings. These strings ring richly true, and the sound is as full and lush as can be imagined. The sound fills the room without crowding, and there's never a false note. Beautiful. Amazing. Precise, yet always expressive. Lams has some impressive technical ability, but his real talent is in making the material his own. Little touches mean so much. This is one of the the finest classical guitar albums I've heard. Absolutely first rate from beginning to end.
The Life and TimesSuburban Hymns (DeSoto) Ah, some luscious, heavy-handed power pop. Not as much distortion and dissonance as seems to be popular these days, but still shrouded in just enough mystery to keep everyone interested. And that wonderful Bonham-esque up-and-down drumming style. Gives this stuff the majestic feel it deserves. Kinda epochal that way. Makes me feel like I'm listening to the last will and testament of rock and roll itself. Well, maybe not quite. But this stuff is wonderfully evocative, and the dirty hooks that inhabit these songs are just the sort of slutty pleasure I need to get through these dark days. What a throb these songs have! Sounds too simple to be true. The Life and Times take some basic ideas and smear them up nicely into one hell of an impressionistic work. Little pieces that come together into some amazing pictures. Listen in awe.
Contact:
 P.J.
OlssonBeautifully Insane (Brash) Arrogantly silly, both in music and lyrics, P.J. Olsson is extremely difficult to take seriously. He whips though so many styles and ideas--skewering just about everything he touches--that it can be hard to imagine the mind behind the madness. But man, this stuff is so much fun. The worldview is utterly cockeyed, not so much upside-down or underground as simply sideways with a vengeance. Quite refreshing that way. And there is no club that would accept Olsson as a member. He says enough here (with a smile) to offend anyone who takes themselves seriously. And yet, for filling this disc with absolutely loony concepts, there's obviously something driving Olsson. I can't say what, but I sure enjoyed the ride. The sound of this album is almost innocuous--until you actual pay attention to what he's saying and playing, of course. Perhaps the most subversive album I've heard in years.
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 OxesEP (Monitor) The usual twisted behind-the-scenes scenario (this one involving major labels, a woman and foreign intrigue)...the usual throbbing, pounding, utterly brain-leveling Oxes output. Crunchy riffage that simply doesn't let up. These songs are all red meat. You want roughage, go to some fruity salad restaurant. There's a reason there's a dead animal on the cover of this disc. Um, yeah, these boys do know how to tell a joke or few. And they have a knack for slyly slipping in a few audio yuks amidst the carnage. Nothing obvious, mind you, just a slight reference here and there. The equivalent of a wink, I suppose. If Killdozer wasn't quite so deadpan and had an actual sense of melody, it might have sounded something like this. But hey, Oxes fans are used to the mess. Indeed, would it be Oxes without a big pile? I think not.
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 Patient ZeroSeemingly So... (self-released) Back in the "olden" days, we would have called this prog/hard rock/jam/whatever sort of pastiche "post metal" and been done with it. Patient Zero is a bit more melodic than, say, Mind Over Four, but we're still talking about the same ballpark. I didn't know anyone was still trying to play this kinda thing. But I'm glad these guys are. Anthemic prog licks are really cool, especially when combined with some real sonic pounding. I suppose some folks would just call this "post-grunge" and be done with it, but there is a lot more going on here. Not quite so whacked as Thought Industry (another great PM band), the keyboard and electronic elements are nonetheless similarly impressive. Patient Zero takes the time to create an atmosphere for each song, and then the piece progresses from that kernel of thought. It's a nice way to do things. I suppose the clearest touchpoint for these boys is another old band called Last Crack. The leaps of melodic fancy and overall heightened sense of drama are about the same. I still listen to my Last Crack albums nearly 15 years after they were recorded, and I think these boys have some staying power that way, too.
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 Pattern Is MovementStowaway (NFI) Lovely math-y stuff that always stays in motion, no matter how off-kilter. I particularly like the way the unusual melodic lines crash into the ever-shifting drumming. Cool effect. That sort of devotion to stomach-wrenching rhythms does make this album a bit difficult for the novice, but that's just the way it goes. Some folks have what it takes, and the others hurl over the side of the boat. Needless to say, the band picked out one hell of a name for itself. Pitch perfect, really. These songs evolve in unusual ways, but always according to some internal logic. One a piece is finished, I'm generally able to piece it together. Of course, I really like to do that sort of thing. Music that makes you think. Hey, some of us really dig it. And since it appears that thinking just might be coming back into style on a national basis, maybe these boys are getting this album out at just the right time. Um, right. Still, I'm impressed.. There are plenty of nooks here for my brain to hide a while.
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 Tina SchlieskeSlow Burn (self-released) A few folks in my neck of the woods wondered what the hell Tift Merritt was doing last year when she released the funky country soul of Tambourine last year. I'm sure a few of Tina Schlieske's fans might be wondering the same thing when they hear this. The longtime leader of Tina and the B-Sides steps out solo here, and she gets much, much more soulful than any of her previous albums even thought about going. There's just no holding back, and Schlieske proves herself to be one hell of a soul belter. Perhaps it is the, shall we say, indelicate timbre of Schlieske's vocals that make this modest shift in sound even more remarkable. She's got power, but not a lot of subtlety. But that's okay. She lets the background singers do their work, and she simply wails. Comparisons to Janis Joplin or Melissa Etheridge are obvious (especially considering her "regular" gig as a lesbian activist), but Schlieske has a feel all her own. She can pull back from time to time, and she's more roots and soul than Etheridge ever was. A better comparison would be Bonnie Raitt--without the stinging guitar, of course. Schlieske sticks to acoustic work, and she uses that guitar quite well. By any measure, this is the most mature and assured album of her career. Quite a step forward. Contact:
SilversteinDiscovering the Waterfront (Victory) I love Victory's lineup, everything from peppy pop tunesters to some of the most extreme hardcore around. Silverstein does a nice job of bridging the gap. By and large, this is melodic--and rather complex--math-y emo stuff. And then these hoarse, almost vomited vocals blast through for a few bars. Not just a nice counterpoint, either. Every piece of these songs seems to have been calculated for its fullest effect. I'm not slagging with that comment, either. Silverstein is exceptionally efficient with its work. And so, yes, there's the occasional feeling that these songs have been manufactured rather than written. But I think critics hear more of that than most folks, and in any case the energy in these songs burns away any misgivings in no time at all. Most impressive. Few bands would try to accomplish as much as Silverstein actually does. Highly enjoyable, and wonderfully complicated as well. Well done. Contact:
 Beth
Snellings/YehuditDifferent Strokes...Live (Jazzheads/Edgetone) I'm always a bit nervous reviewing jazz records. And an album largely made up of standards played by an electric violinist and cellist? Yeesh. Anything I write is likely to be wrong, somehow. Still, I have to say that I like what this duo does with the songs here. Any time you remake a song with but two players, you have lots of choices to make. Snellings and Yehudit have, by and large, chosen to keep the most recognizable parts of the songs while still incorporating as many tidbits as possible. The notes say this was recorded live in concert, but either the audience was completely stoned or somehow the engineer kept all noise (applause included) out. I dunno. In any case, the sound is superb. Yehudit's electric violin has a fine resonance, and Snelling's cello is clear, distinct and supple. A very enjoyable album. Even if you don't know all the works here (and Yehudit and Snellings include some of their own as well), the artistry in the arrangements ought to win you over. These pieces were crafted to please--in a good way. They find the core essence of each song and then play a bit. Sounds a lot like a definition of jazz I once read. Contact:
 Summer BlanketWhisper Louder (Pop Up) Summer Blanket is Keith Michaud and a somewhat evolving circle of friends (all of whom play in other bands). The songs do have that somewhat eccentric "one-man band" feel to them--something that used to be a curse but seems to be coming into style. Me, I always like the idea of popping into someone else's head for a while. True band efforts generally have greater depth, but these projects headed by a single person (not always a man, of course) generally have a sense of deviant genius to them. The good ones, anyway. And yes, we are talking about the stereotypical slightly loopy pop sound. I guess that's the sound that makes the most sense to such people. Michaud is smart enough to make sure this album has a lush feel--a nice bit of unease mashed up against the singular writing. These songs never quite stay on even keel. Which is why I like it, of course. Quite solid writing and fine playing. Summer Blanket isn't yer typical south Florida effort. But then, typical doesn't make the cut with me. This one is special. Contact:
Also recommended: Aemae The Helical
World (self-released)
Mitchell Froom A Thousand Days (Kontext)
Grandaddy Excerpts from the Diary of Todd Zilla EP (V2)
Gutpuppet Gutpuppet II EP (Woetone)
Immaculate Machine Ones and Zeros (Mint)
The Jena Campaign The Jena Campaign (self-released)
The Mathletes Jest & Earnest 2xCD (Asaurus)
Thollem McDonas Solo Piano (Pax Recordings)
Ken Michaels Sit in the Sun EP (Zomo)
The Pope Jazzman Cometh (Wantage USA-Kill Shaman)
Songs of Water Songs of Water (self-released)
The Tom Collins Daylight Tonight (Terminus)
Various Artists Gospel for J.F.P. III: Tribute to Jaco Pastorius
(Moonjune)
Various Artists Primosonic Rhythms Vol. 2 (Rivercidal
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