Daniel Johnston / Rejected Unknown / Gammon Improved medication has given Daniel Johnston peace and the ability to function, but Rejected Unknown, his first solo record in seven years, remains a musical journey created by an artistic nut. No matter how healthy he may now be, the spectrum of deeply felt emotions that he wrenches from his songs far exceeds the parameters experienced by normal folk. Morrissey's girlfriends in comas can never hold back their grins, but Johnston's girl at the funeral is drop-dead depressing...more» FEATURED ON THE BOOMBOX!
		One Time Angels / Sound of a Restless City / Adeline While there's certainly no dearth of bands plowing the fields of crunchy, melodic pop-punk, for those of still hooked on guitar rock there's an undeniable joy in hearing it done well. On their first full-length, One Time Angels hit all the right notes within the confines of a traditional instrumental line-up (guitar/bass/drums plus occasional keyboards), from uplifting sing-along choruses to hints at the darker corners of urban life. "Soul Rebel Sound" opens Sound of a Restless City with a static-laden burst of feedback...more» FEATURED ON THE BOOMBOX!
		Tokidoki / Self-Titled / Sky Blue/Sunday While it bears a passing resemblance to Ida, Tokidoki's music sounds even more like Mates of State and the late, lamented BusyToby -- specifically, their chiming-sweetness vibe and use of organs. The combination of Peter and Nora's voices, acoustic guitar and organ (keyboard) is so twee it might be over-sweet-- but you know that they mean every word, and you can't help but respond to their emotional entreaties. It doesn't hurt that unlike Ida, Tokidoki seems happy as hell...more» FEATURED ON THE BOOMBOX!
		Ziakas / The Theory of Everything / Institute of Hi-Fidelity Imagine Sonic Youth playing light-hearted, unpretentious pop songs. Imagine the B-52s produced by Steve Albini. Imagine Hole covering the Spice Girls. Any of these descriptions fits, to some extent. Vocalist Erin updates the punk rock girl singer archetype, alternating between sweet, coquettish cheer and sneering scorn. Though Erin seems more than willing to stray off-key if the song's prevailing attitude requires it, she's a solid musical presence...more» FEATURED ON THE BOOMBOX!
		ANTiSEEN / The Boys from Brutalsville / TKO On The Boys From Brutalsville, Clayton and company sound just as primeval as they did on previous recordings, evoking the power of firepower ("Guns Ablazin'") and tenacious anti-government sentiment ("Run My World"). Joe Young's sludged-out guitar paves the way on "Babyface Killer", leaving a trail of battered bodies and irritated eardrums behind it. Sure to rile up any non-backwoods, pro-diversity citizen, "Melting Pot" is like an updated version of SOD's "Speak English or Die"...more»
		Boxhead Ensemble / Two Brothers / Truckstop Michael Krassner (The Lofty Pillars) not only provides empirical guidance for the group, but also alters it stimulus by gradually adding and removing musicians. These dynamic shifts help steer Two Brothers clear of the majority of possible creative ruts. It also helps that the album isn't another helping of bog-standard, jazz-derived post-rock noodling. Instead, it walks a crooked path between neo- (and not-so-neo) classical structure and the aching angst of early-1900s folk music...more»
		The Fartz / What's In A Name? / Alternative Tentacles Some people might remember The Fartz because Duff McKagan (best known for being a member of Guns N’ Roses) played drums for them. But you should remember them, or at least know them, because they are what punk is all about: foul-mouthed, trash talking, political, in your face, crusty brats rocking out without the major label deal, the corporate sponsorship, the posh tour bus,and all the other things one associates with punk in this post-Dookie world we live in...more»
		Lupine Howl / The Carnivorous Lunar Activities of... / Beggars Banquet Ironically, the group’s debut long-player boasts an affinity for the acid-fried guitar freak-outs of which their former employer’s seminal Spacemen 3 outfit was so fond. Production duties on the album were shared by Mike Mooney and Sean Cook, resulting in a record that’s steeped in psychedelic '60s grandeur, but utilizes every luxury a modern studio has to offer. Imagine, if you will, The Creation, 13th Floor Elevators and Bruce Haack allowed to run wild in Abbey Road studios for two weeks...more»
		Maya Shore / Farewell to Introductions / The Music Fellowship Armed with a lovely melodies, gentle vocals (which, wisely, are placed up-front in the mix to compensate for their relative lack of energy) and occasional assistance from a string section, Farewell To Introductions doesn't contain the sort of music that will blow you away with either innovation or blistering intensity. Instead, it offers a return to a more simplistic, yet equally powerful sound -- one I've found to be quite welcoming...more»
		Melochrome / Stay A Little Longer / Loose Thread Few things better match a beautiful summer day than blasting a song like U2's "Beautiful Day" from your stereo. Continuing in this vein, Melochrome sound like they got together for the sole purpose of creating music made to be played on warm summer nights, for those times when you and your friends are just sitting around on a porch enjoying cool drinks and a good conversation. Everything about Stay A Little Longer is perfect for a warm August evening...more»
		Midsummer / Moon Shadow / Self-Released Basically, this is a concept record that takes us from the "shade of the bloodless moon", around the solar system and back to eclipse the "sanguine sun". The lyrics are far more grandiose, fantastical and down right ridiculous than anything Peter Sinfield used his medieval fountain pen to inscribe for King Crimson circa In the Court of the Crimson King or In the Wake of Poseidon. The four songs join for a single poem, filled with awkward lines like "Borne away on winds I can’t rescind/on pleadings terse for eclipse reversed"...more»
		Peter Murphy / Alive Just For Love / Metropolis When he sings "These words I know are bound and stuck," the crowd calls out at the contradiction between the text's meaning and its lively tone. When he holds his note on the line "With you I'm in no danger," Murphy connects instantly with the crowd; the line takes on a double meaning in which he thanks his adoring audience. As this sinks in, the crowd erupts at the gap revealed in Murphy's otherwise severe emotional armor. Such emotional disclosures were the primary goal of this recording...more»
		Sanford Arms / Too Loud for the Snowman / Pattern 25 Many of these songs, particularly from the album's first half, feature slow and simple background music, led by Ben London's dreamy, sometimes sighing voice. He sings of those days and nights when you feel that something's wrong, or at least a little bit "off", but you can't really tell what it is that's bothering you. Take, for example, this lyric from "Ohio Summer's End": "The silence is uncomfortable, for someone who likes to speak...3:00 in the morning, or 3:00 in the afternoon, I felt like someone else"...more»
		The Seven Dreams of the Leviathan / Self-Titled / Self-Released At 11:00 a.m. today, I sat down to type my review of The Seven Dreams of the Leviathan...and was almost immediately summoned to the kitchen to aid with the bringing-in of the groceries. After fifteen minutes, during which I diligently transferred a cartload of food from car to kitchen, I was finally able to return to the album. I was initially shocked by the vocals, which employ the sort of sonic crescendo effects that usually imply major technical punching-up...more»
		Visitor Jim / Self-Titled / Fortune The band includes Jim Greer (no, not the one from Guided by Voices), who is a talented solo artist in his own right; was I about to listen to a vanity project? Was this little-known, (but quite talented) singer-songwriter creating his own -- gasp -- Mike and the Mechanics? No. As it turns out, my fears were misplaced. All three of the Visitors Jim are, in reality, Jameses or Jims. What I had mistaken for vanity was simply pop music serendipity. More importantly, this is not the sound of a solo performer with a backing band...more»