The Creatures, Subterra, Groop Dogdrill, Joe Hardin and Rotcod Zzaj
Darren Copeland, Spite, Suck it and See, Sick Of It All

	The Creatures / Anima Animus / Instinct (CD) Sample 30 seconds of "2nd Floor" Even Siouxsie Sioux needs a hobby, right? As with prior chapters in Creatures history, Anima Animus is rife with percussion -- Budgie's fondness for metallic drumming brings to mind collaborations with Stomp, or the #(*@%& Riverdance cast practicing in a dumpster. Techno-cum-darkwave trappings and cyberpunkish lyrics have been encouraged because...well, because Siouxsie's been leaning that way for a while, and because it makes people buy your records who otherwise wouldn't. Despite my cynicism, Anima Animus is actually pretty entertaining, if conceptually cumbersome -- if you grew up listening to Siouxsie's music, you'll find she's aged better than most. -- gz
	Subterra / The Speed of Pain / American Horse (CD) Sample 30 seconds of "I Never Cared For You" Plodding singer-songwriter types with hints of Neil Young and Crazy Horse, Subterra hash through familiar blues-rock territory at a mid-tempo pace. Love-loss and love-troubled topics criss-cross the surface of The Speed of Pain, as primary writer Howie Doyle obviously has some soul searching to do. An inspired cover of Willie Nelson's "I Never Cared For You" deserves recognition, but other tunes have puzzling lyrics and derivative musical progressions that could use more honing. -- am
	Groop Dogdrill / Half Nelson / Beggars Banquet (CD) Sample 30 seconds of "Silver Boots" The press materials on Groop Dogdrill makes a great deal out of their rock'n'roll habits -- the drinking, the sex, the unfocused anger, etc. Countless bands with Groop Dogdrill's attitude spit out tepid albums full of calculated rage -- uninspired and uninspiring. Groop Dogdrill are different. They understand how punk rock songs can flatten you like a locomotive while retaining a hummable melody. They understand the importance of chaos -- observe the avalanche of rhythms and strangulated vocals on "Silver Boots". Honestly, Half Nelson is a lot better than the lame-ass post grunge rubbish you've been conditioned to expect. -- gz
	Joe Hardin & Rotcod Zzaj / The Scarab Polemic / Zzaj Productions (CD) Sample 30 seconds of "'92 Boogie" I'm not sure what to think of The Scarab Polemic. On the one hand there is a certain intrinsic camp value to the jazzy electric organ compositions that make up the CD. I'm certain that this is not the intended effect, though, and so I'll set it aside. On the other hand I heartily endorse the whole spirit of the CD and its d.i.y. trappings; it comes as a CD-R with a bubblejet-printed CD label and insert. To describe the music I turn your attention to Jazz From Hell and propose that this is something akin to Jazz from Limbo. It is quirky and you're never quite sure where it's going -- so, for me, sometimes it hits and sometimes it misses. Give a listen to the soundclip of "'92 Boogie" and see what you think. -- nw
	Darren Copeland / Rendu Visible / empreintes DIGITALes (CD) Sample 30 seconds of "Night Camera: Vanishing At Sea" I can't really tell what elements Copeland uses to paint his white-noise pictures. Often the source material sounds watery -- tides, rainstorms, etc. -- but evolves into collages of industrial noise and the altered soundscapes of public spaces. Sometimes he layers storm upon storm, or warps and loops sounds that sound almost familiar but fail, despite persistent concentration, to resolve themselves into a distinct and recognizable pattern. These electroacoustic compositions make perfect listening while reading or relaxing -- they're passive enough to sooth, but full of details ready to ensnare a mind ripe for sonic distraction. -- gz
	Spite / Bastard Complex / Prosthetic (CD) Sample 30 seconds of "Box of Chocolates" Here's some hard-hitting metal offering equal parts punchy bass and fuzzed out guitar to massage your forehead. This quartet from North Carolina makes a cacophonous roar with ringing harmonics, tight, stop-start riffs and sing-shout vocals. Add some uncompromising lyrics, and Spite will most assuredly be either the next band to offend you or to bring a glowing smirk to your face. -- am
	Various Artists / Suck it and See / Palm Pictures (CD) Sample 30 seconds of Fantastic Plastic Machine's "Green Door" This recent Pussyfoot Records compilation is a salute to pornography -- not so much the industry or its related products as the concept and the emotions and responses it creates. The bevy of electronic and electronic-ish artists represented -- some familiar, some relatively obscure -- produce everything from hypergeneric, tongue-in-cheek porn flick funk to sultry trip-hop to x-rated sample collages. Some of it works, and some of it's a bit dull, though the second disc, which features Chari Chari's "Strictly Porn" (encompassing loops from "The Stripper", "Mood Indigo" and others) justifies the purchase price. -- gz
	Sick Of It All / Call To Arms / Fat Wreck Chords (CD) Sample 30 seconds of "Let Go" With Call To Arms New York hardcore mainstays Sick Of It All have graced us with another collection of bombastic metal mania. It may not be rocket science but it is finely crafted music to slam dance by, and there's a tasty irony in the lyrics as well. "Let Go" is a nice example of Sick's wares -- it's a bitter dirge documenting the end of a relationship, ending with the phrase "All I ever wanted was some fucking peace." I'm ever on the lookout for good hardcore and Call To Arms fits the bill perfectly. -- nw

nw - noah wane | gz - george zahora | am - andrew magilow