Colorformed, Plastics Hi-Fi, The Lynnfield Pioneers, Jocelyn Robert, The Secretions
Jo & Joe & Friends, The Pietasters, Monolithic Minds, Vol. I, Rod Poole Trio, Rico Bell and the Snake Handlers
Kathy Fleischmann, Stereolab & Brigitte Fontaine, Cathode Bob, Blood for Blood

	Colorformed / The Ice Cracks / Colorformed (CD) Sample 30 seconds of "Gauged" The Ice Cracks may be a home-made, self-released CD-R type affair, but the music is far from amateurish. Colorformed, a rock four-piece, display great songwriting depth and musical ability on these 10 tracks. In a post-modern-rock kind of way (reminiscent of Radiohead, in fact) the lads finesse their way through beautiful, emotive songs complete with angst-ridden, bordering-on-epic vocals. The songs are quite evocative in a brooding kind of way, and I was really moved by the disc. I'd love to hear these guys on a more polished release! -- nw
	Plastics Hi-Fi / The Man with X-Ray Vision / Squared Circle (7") Sample 30 seconds of "The Man with X-Ray Vision" At long last, my favorite Chicago psychedelicists have returned, and with brand new tunes in tow. "The Man With X-Ray Vision" does the early Pink Floyd slash T. Rex glam-trippy thing with shameless brilliance; its catchy chorus reserves a table in your mind and hogs it clear through the lunch and dinner shifts, no matter how much you try to give it hints by no longer refilling its coffee cup. Meanwhile, the subtler flipside wields a slow-burning, undulating groove and enough fake endings to choke a small, easily-choked New England town. Thoroughly and unreservedly recommended. -- gz
	The Lynnfield Pioneers / Free Popcorn / Matador (CD) Sample 30 seconds of "Astral Plane" Merging super-white-boy funk with a streamlined sidebar of noisy guitar flagellation, this trio creates a lo-fi production of powerful proportions. These Pioneers preach the merits of overdriven amps and ritualistic Moog-worshipping on their second Matador release. Whiny, over-the-top vocals top off your serving of Free Popcorn with a buttery sloppiness that’s tastefully conceived. -- am
	Jocelyn Robert / Canned Gods / OHM Editions/DAME (CD) Sample 30 seconds of "Street" On this relatively short outing, Jocelyn Robert has composed a symphony of sound effects -- an assortment of vivid sound-snapshots assembled from, apparently, pre-produced audio material. These tracks run the gamut from street ambience to animal sounds, mixing human and mechanical interaction into a sort of iconographic stew. Don't assume that this is "natural" sound, though -- for while the disc's subtitle describes these tracks as "a typical afternoon in the backyard in Phoenix, Arizona," it must be Phoenix as envisioned by Salvador Dali. As with all Ohm releases, Canned Gods is an intriguing and thought-provoking work of aural art -- perfect for listeners who've gone without a challenge for too long. -- gz
	The Secretions / Fluid / The Secretions (CD) Sample 30 seconds of "Red Hot Burning" If you were to stumble across a label-less copy of Fluid, you might mistake it for a lost Spinal Tap album -- it has the same over-the-top, power-rock, mega-superstar sound that Spinal Tap spoofs. I'll grant that the production on this disc is very professional; these guys get great (if somewhat nostalgic) sound out of their instruments. For some reason I'm reminded of mid-eighties albums by the likes of Andy Taylor or Steve Jones -- kind of guitar-renegade-cum-Joe-Satriani, if you know what I mean (and you may not!). Hey, at least it rocks! -- nw
	Jo & Joe & Friends / Songs 98 / Jo & Joe Music (CD) Sample 30 seconds of "Deeper" Fueled by a feeling that the music industry has become overly formulaic and homogenized, Jo & Joe & Friends create improvisational music without any regard for labels or styles. It's a spontaneous, adventuresome approach, full of all the "happy accidents" inherent in live recordings. There is no editing or second takes, and yet the music does not sound so spontaneous that it lacks form, structure or integrity. Indeed, it's hard to believe that these twelve tracks were recorded on the spot, because they sound incredibly polished. Though no two songs are alike, there's an overall feeling of mellow and jazzy pop. The icing on the cake is Jo's vocals, which are surprisingly strong and soulful. Jo's voice has a very wide range, and she never hits a sour note. Songs 98 is a masterful accomplishment all around. -- cc
	The Pietasters / Awesome Mix Tape #6 / Hellcat (CD) Sample 30 seconds of "Chain Reaction" If you're bound and determined to listen to ska, you'd better listen to something good. Awesome Mix Tape #6 is a step in the right direction. The sixth (I'm pretty sure) full length from these DC rudesters, AMT#6 folds dub, surf and punk-rock influences into its mass and then adds a whole lotta soul, creating a laid-back siesta-style mood that's capable of exploding into skronking action at a moment's notice. For those who can't go thirty minutes without a pure punk fix, "Somebody" offers a pogo-friendly palate cleanser at the disc's tail end. This is definitely a party-friendly disc, even for ska-haters, but try not to listen too closely if misogynistic lyrics get your goat. -- gz
	Various Artists / Monolithic Minds, Vol. I / Primal (CD) Sample 30 seconds of Eclectic Bob's "Blended" Would you know what to expect from a compilation of Swedish drum'n'bass? I wasn't quite sure what was coming -- perhaps drumbeats replaced by sampled crunching shredded wheat, or something equally esoteric. But no, Swedish d'n'b is more or less the same as other d'n'b, though falling on the Harsh, Mechanical Beats side of the drum and bass fence as opposed to the Deep, Soulful Rhythms side (where Goldie lives). I'm pleased to say that none of these ten tracks sounded overwhelmingly tired and dull, but only Eclectic Bob's "Blended", which features a rhythm built from the sampled songs of crickets, really leapt out at me. The other nine won't put you to sleep, though. -- gz
	Rod Poole Trio / Iasis / Transparency (CD single) Sample 30 seconds of "Iasis" Iasis is the first output from microtonal guitarist Rod Poole and collaborators Douglas Williford and Joseph Hammer, although Poole had a couple of well-received solo guitar recordings out on Win Records. Poole plays an acoustic guitar fretted in just intonation (which results in mostly "pure" intervals, instead of the slightly de-tuned ones you get with a normal equal tempered guitar), while both Williford and Hammer play bowed guitars. The sound they create is lush and droney, with ongoing plucked and strummed flourishes from Poole. Poole's playing meshes well with the bowed drones, and while his guitar is always out on top, it's clear that the players are constantly listening and reacting to one another. Fans of pretty, drone-based music will find a lot to like here. -- ib
	Rico Bell and the Snake Handlers / Dark Side of the Mersey / Bloodshot (CD) Sample 30 seconds of "Merseysong" Raspy-voiced Bell's second album heads into Original Material territory. You can almost hear the Mekons accordianist and his Snake Handlers leaping back and forth over the fence between rock and country as they deliver these twelve tracks of jangly twang. The presence of harmonica, fiddle, melodion and (of course) accordian gives cuts like the humbly anthemic "Cold Comfort" a folksy, hard-drinking charm that's picturesque enough to be cinematic; drop any of these songs into a working class romantic comedy and it'll kick the arse of any wussy-ass ballad in sight. Though it's not as overtly "country" as many other Bloodshot releases, Dark Side of the Mersey delivers the same boisterous good time. -- gz
	Kathy Fleischmann / Ten Doors Down / Chess With Death (CD) Sample 30 seconds of "Like Christ" An electro-acoustic offering that’s principally concerned with spotlighting the confident vocals of Kathy Fleischmann, Ten Doors Down ranges from gentle to rockin’. With over 10 years of bluesy-folk experience, Fleischmann’s not afraid to belt out a stinging emotional line of lyrics, and then take a sharp turn on the acoustic guitar and sing a melodic chorus. Combine Chrisse Hynde’s independent rock ethos with the intelligent, mind-numbing poignancy of Joni Mitchell and you get the very talented Ms. Fleischmann, guitar in hand and armed to the teeth with stellar lyrics. -- am
	Stereolab & Brigitte Fontaine / Caliméro / Duophonic (CD) Sample 30 seconds of "Caliméro" Apparently the introduction of French chanteuse Brigitte Fontaine is as much equation-alteration as Stereolab thinks their fans can handle, because other than switching back and forth between two very different melodies, the musical portion of the six-and-a-half-minute "Caliméro" is pretty much bog-standard 'Lab. A full-length collaboration with Fontaine might yield more interesting fruit. On the metaphorical flipside, Laetitia Sadier returns to her Monade alter ego for the mysterious and (eventually) somber "Cache Cache," which sheds melodic elements until only its dirgelike bassline remains. If you're not a slobbering, mouth-foaming Stereolab fanatic, wait for the new album. -- gz
	Cathode Bob / Envy the Numb / One Mad Son Music (CD) Sample 30 seconds of "Medicine Man" Cathode Bob's gruff, loud, riffy garage rock sounds a lot like Hüsker Dü might have sounded had Bob Mould's demons not been quite so twisted and angry. There are some pretty catchy tunes here ("Medicine Man" and "Meaningless" are standouts), although I can never quite convince myself that I haven't heard them somewhere else before, particularly on the three-chord sing-along numbers. Hmmm...maybe if Mr. Mould got into yoga and started hanging out with the Ramones... (a boy can dream). Cathode Bob puts some nice simmering, just-about-to-blow energy into their songs, and they come across as a band that would be fun to hear live. There's nothing too new on Envy the Numb, but it's a fun listen. -- ib
	Blood for Blood / Livin' in Exile / Victory (CD) Sample 30 seconds of "Cheap Wine" With a vocalist who probably gargles with gravel before layin' down his vocals tracks, these hardcore mainstays chug forward with a blend of groove-laden metal that'd probably be more at home in Brooklyn with Biohazard than in their home town of Boston. Blood for Blood unleashes the frustration and hatred of society's roadblocks with a deft combination of vicious street-cred and beefy riffs. Uncompromising and convincingly genuine, even if I had something bad to say about BFB, I'd be too scared, 'cause they'd probably waste nary a moment before coming over and breaking my pretty face. Gulp. Chalk up another one for Blood for Blood. -- am