The Angel / No Gravity / Supa Crucial A few key collaborators in the vocal department help put the finishing touches on The Angel's deft, downtempo, urban sound. Pharcyde's Tre Hardson drops the rhymes on "Make it Betta", Mystic performs lyrical magic on "Baltimore", and Freestylers' Navigator fires verbal ammunition on several tracks. Smart urban music like this, of the same ilk as De La Soul, Digable Planets or Black Eyed Peas, doesn't get the market attention it deserves these days...more» FEATURED ON THE BOOMBOX!
		DQE / The Queen of Mean / Dark Beloved Cloud Ms. Braun isn't afraid to sing a bit off key. She's more concerned with getting into your head, and the genuineness of her music is an apt vehicle for this easy journey. Bursting full of energy and a drive to stick it to you ‘til the end of every tune, Braun clearly loves her music, whether you fancy it or not. As a matter of fact, as Braun's voice crosses the speakers, you feel a strange yet comfortably strong connection to her; she truly represents the innocent fun that music can bring...more» FEATURED ON THE BOOMBOX!
		Lesser / Gearhound / Matador The majority of Gearhound seems to have been designed to irritate people. Intractable sound-clashing gives way to nagging familiarity, ear-piercing noise segues into pop song samples and seemingly aimless clamor gradually reveals the presence of a strict rhythmic structure. This Lesser guy -- purportedly J Dserck, a touring member of Matmos, a cohort of noise boffin Kid 606, a recording studio terrorist and much more -- seems to enjoy getting under people's skins...more» FEATURED ON THE BOOMBOX!
		The Bigger Lovers / How I Learned to Stop Worrying / Black Dog The record opens with the big guitar burst of "Catch & Release", followed by an easy Beach Boys feel on "I'm Here"; both of these tracks end with a smattering of clapping and whistles, providing a live-in-a-small-club atmosphere. The live effects disappear thereafter, and a number of other songs have an odd feel about them, as if they were all recorded in different places. This isn't the case, apparently, as the album was recorded in Delaware at the end of 1999, with Daniel Presley producing...more»
		Dashboard Confessional / The Places You Have Come to Fear the Most / Vagrant Following closely in the footsteps of its predecessor, The Swiss Army Romance, The Places... once again finds Chris Carrabba baring his soul, armed with little more than an acoustic guitar and his thoughts and feelings about life, loss and love. The first track, "The Brilliant Dance", is so gorgeous it just might make you cry, especially if you’ve recently experienced the end of a relationship. I'm not talking about wussy emo kid crying, either, but whack-you-over-the-head style real-world relevance...more»
		The Disappointments / In a Bitter Mood / TTSCC The Disappointments are a bit of a disappointment in the lyric department, although they're not a totally lost cause. While cringers like "My arms on you have been removed like a stain/Now it's time for me to prove I'm not in pain" look pretty bad on paper, they end up working just fine in practice. That's largely because these boys put so much tweaky charm and energy into their tunes that you'll be too busy just trying to keep up with the music to actually think about what you're singing along to...more»
		Edie Sedgwick / First Reflections / Mud Memory First Reflections melds two-minute songs with structured punk improvisation to form a sound not unlike a Fugazi practice-session. In Edie Sedgwick's case, rather than ebulliating emotional strife to the listener, the lyrical expression of feelings comes in relation to celebrities. Singer Justin Moyer delivers absurd lyrics like "I don't want to grow up in pampers, jockstraps, condoms/with Wendy Tinkerbell/in Never Never Land" with such unassuming zeal that it's easy to get lost in the energetic throes of the music...more»
		Frog Holler / Idiots / Record Cellar In the spirit of the Gourds, Wilco and Whiskytown, Frog Holler's second CD laces great hooks with sweet harmonies. Some -- such as "Stray", which weaves an introspective tale of a lost hippie chick who, like Snoop Dogg, takes comfort in gin and juice, among other things -- lure listeners with their elegant licks and catchy choruses. Others, including "Pennsylvania", tip the hat to traditional bluegrass. Loaded with rich harmonies and a competent, if subdued, fiddle solo, this cut casts the same net as the Soggy Bottom Boys' "Man of Constant Sorrow"...more»
		Robert Kramer / Blood on the Full Moon / iBob Digital Despite the fact that the opening track, "Blood on the Full Moon", sounds like a Sting song circa Dream of the Blue Turtles, its slightly Jamaican roll, catchy chorus and jazz overtones are a delight. This stinging influence continues on the fantastic "Dona", a tune which borrows elements of the King of Pain's best work with the Police. Here, a pared-down verse butts up against a jumping chorus, with an unrelenting piano motif running throughout...more»
		Maren Ord / Waiting / Nettwerk Ord has played at some music festival called Lilith Fair, and she's on the same label as the festival's founder, Sarah McLachlan. However, while she's still very girly, Ord's voice is stronger and more substantial than McLachlan's pipes. Her lyrics are strongly rooted in Top40 pop sensibility; they mostly tackle relationships -- broken or unrealized -- and are fairly abstract, the better to make everyone relate to the words. She's accompanied mainly by her own piano and guitar work...more»
		The Queers / Today / Lookout! Today maintains the Queers' knack for hooks, but it eliminates (or at least blunts) the group's pointed offensiveness. Sure, a girlfriend gets called "retarded" and a "bitch" in the first song, but that's quaint compared to Joe Queer's previous addiction to the word "cunt". Here, everything sounds radio-friendly, with nothing that dares God to prove His wrath by cutting off their dicks. That Casey Kasem might now get a long-distance request for The Queers is not necessarily a bad thing...more»
		Rydell / Per Ardua Ad Astra / Cargo Oh my god, the British do emo?! Just kidding. Comprised of ex-members of some well known UK hardcore bands, Rydell's members have collectively played over 800 hardcore shows, making them something of an English emo supergroup. And they feel things deeply and poignantly. This is as obvious from wistful song titles like "All My Neighbors Have Moved" and "Why Couldn't We Have Met In Summer" as it is from the trademark mournful hardcore scream of the lead-singer...more»