Air / 10,000 Hz Legend / Astralwerks 10,000 Hz Legend comes from the same dark place as last year's Virgin Suicides soundtrack, but it's a far less harrowing experience. The humor, such as it is, has been restored, resulting in tunes like the opening "Electronic Performers", in which throbbing beats and keyboards back a slowed-down vocorder voice that repeats phrases like "We are the synchronizers. We are electronic performers." A plaintive piano melody gives the song a peculiar emotional heft...more» FEATURED ON THE BOOMBOX!
		Fabulous Disaster / Put Out Or Get Out / Pink and Black Why haven't I heard of Fabulous Disaster before this week? I feel as though I've been missing out on something. Sounding like a fusion of the Go-Gos and Joan Jett with a little bit of Sleater-Kinney on the side, Put Out Or Get Out immediately captures the style that Sleater-Kinney has taken a handful of albums to perfect -- that is, they create a blend of full-on, driving punk contrasted with consistent melodies and harmonies. This becomes especially impressive when you learn that this is Fabulous Disaster's first official release...more» FEATURED ON THE BOOMBOX!
		Knoxville Girls / In A Paper Suit / In The Red Once again, Knoxville Girls have impressed me. In fact, I think it’s safe to say their second studio album, In A Paper Suit, has captured my undivided attention. I actually have a funny story about this album. Two weeks ago I had to rent a car to get to DC. It had a CD player in it, so before I even pulled out of the Budget Rent-a-Car lot, I popped In a Paper Suit into the player. One hundred and fifty miles later I was still listening to it, as the stereo was on the fritz and wouldn’t eject the disc...more» FEATURED ON THE BOOMBOX!
		The Alpha Conspiracy / Cipher / Diffusion A large part of Cipher's captivating appeal is in the disc's well-considered pacing. For example, consider the way the tracks "Black Sunrise", "Winter", "Skeptopotamus" and "Glass" work together. The first is a prime example of solid club dance; beginning with arpeggiated melodies combined with ephemeral string pads over top of a solid back beat, the rhythm pushes forward until it lets up in a sigh of relief at the end. This same pattern makes a brief return at the beginning of "Winter"...more»
		Astropop 3 / Eclipsing Binary Star / Planting Seeds Eclipsing Binary Star starts off, unfortunately, on a weak foot; the sickly-sweet acoustic lead track, "The Courage to be Great Lies in Every One of Us", is the aural equivalent of a "Hang in There!" kitten poster. Astropop frontman (and seemingly only permanent member) Dan Villanueva has been at this since 1995, though, and his experience quickly comes to the fore as the album begins to acquire some bite in the midst of its dreamy, jubilant pop...more»
		Michael Barrett / Couches and Carpet / Planting Seeds Over eighteen songs, two bonus tracks and more than sixty minutes, Barrett's individually modest strengths gel into some of the most consistently pleasing folk pop I've heard. The melodies are sharp, the music playful and the vocals as soothing as a Monkees TV marathon on a sick day. It's as if Barrett is trying to make listeners happy or get them to feel better -- even when he's just doting upon allusions to songs gone by and to the definitively mundane...more»
		Chapter 13 / The World From Heaven / Drive-In/Saltwater Chapter 13 seem determined to squeeze themselves onto the shelf that holds Ultravox, mid-period Depeche Mode, the first couple of New Order records and numerous other worthies. Their songs are full of deep, pulsating bass lines, twankily cheerful analog melodies, the metallic pitter-patter of anemic drum loops and low, sorrowful male vocals. However, while The World From Heaven will sound familiar to anyone who was old enough to buy records in 1984, it doesn't come across as deliberately retro...more»
		Lemon Jelly / Lemonjelly.ky / Beggars Banquet/XL While they're one of the groups currently dodging the "British Air" tag, Fred Deakin and Nick Franglin (a DJ and a graphic designer, respectively) have more in common with another pair of Frenchmen, Parisian dance pranksters Daft Punk. Neither group appears as themselves in any of their press photos, and both groups possess a decadently odd sense of humor that is immediately evident in their music. Furthermore, both groups have the synthesis of image and sound down to a tee...more»
		Matmos / A Chance to Cut is a Chance to Cure / Matador This San Francisco duo takes sampling to the ultimate level. It may sicken, startle or stimulate your senses; they've recorded actual surgical procedures and cut, pasted and layered them over ambient, sweeping washes of sound. Both of the men behind Matmos are born of doctors, so it's rather fitting that they follow in their fathers' footsteps, no? Take the opening number, "Lipostudio...and so on", which utilizes Gramm's Medical Liposuction Equipment...more»
		Tom Nunn / Burning Palms / Garuda Nunn's musical style is soundly in the experimental camp. He has little use for traditional melodies or harmonies. Instead, his works rely on gesture and motion, on texture and timbre. Some tracks on Burning Palms have a distant African sound, perhaps due to the fact that the T-Rodimba is a sort of giant version of the mbira (thumb piano). "Jelly N Jam" is one such piece. After sort of winding up for a minute, it kicks into a series of mesmerizing, rhythmic/melodic patterns...more»
		2nd Gen / Irony Is / Novamute The music on Irony Is is not terribly subtle, although apparently it's a bit toned down compared to the last couple 2nd Gen releases. It's not exactly poppy either, but there are parts of it that I'd describe as almost catchy. The lyrics are pretty dodgy, consisting largely of testosterone-fueled rants that are supposed to come off as deep, but strike me as being far too self-conscious and "tough" to really say much. All of that is really beside the point, though...more»
		The Stone Coyotes / Born to Howl / Red Cat The opening of "Torn Asunder" recalls the Stones' "Jumping Jack Flash"; indeed, Barbara Keith's debt to the hoary four is evident throughout Born to Howl. She doesn't mind incorporating punk elements into the band's songs, either. If her sunglasses aren't clue enough, the chorus to "American Child" might be a hint: "He's a little bit bored / And a little bit wild / I'm looking for an American child / Give me Jerry Lee Lewis, / Give me Joey Ramone"...more»
		Various Artists / Train Don't Leave Me: 1st Annual Sacred Steel Convention / Arhoolie Pioneered by Florida's House of God, Keith Dominion, and the Church of the Living God, Jewell Dominion, churches, steel guitar-based gospel has thrived since the 1930s. During services, the napalm-fueled lap steel plays both lead and supporting roles on a wide range of gospel songs. Arhoolie has catalogued this stunning genre in five CDs and one video. Now, with this latest installment, Arhoolie has captured the steel players outside of the church...more»