Animals on Wheels, Justin Hale, Dub Funk Association, The Freshmaka
The Creatures, Doldrums, Plone, Amanita Music
The High Llamas, The Situation, Comet Gain, Land of the Loops
Club 8, Kaos From Order, Dynamic Syncopation, Rise 13
The Captain T Band, Lin

	Animals on Wheels / Nuvol I Cadira / Ninja Tune (CD) Sample 30 seconds of "Track 3" What happens to frenetic, jittery drum'n'bass music when you take away most of the drums and most of the bass? In Animals on Wheels' case, you get rich, evocative melodies and textured rhythms -- half Aphex Twin, half Labradford. Animals animus Andy Coleman, who had a 12" out on Thrill Jockey under his own name not long ago, is no stranger to the merger of rock and electronics, and his compositions here make engrossing (if occasionally somnolent) listening. Enough d'n'b framework remains in place on Nuvol I Cadira that stalwart genre fans won't go into full-on freakout mode when they hear it, while those listeners who've tired of drum'n'bass will be delighted to hear Mr. Coleman branching out in such a promising direction. Recommended to all but the most mouth-foaming beat freaks, who'll find it dull. -- gz
	Justin Hale / In Formation / Daemon (CD) Sample 30 seconds of "Nicey" When will the answering machine recordings on CDs stop? A message about someone not being able to get in touch sooner because of "rehearsal, rehearsal, rehearsal" on the cleverly titled "Intro" is the first inkling that this recording is not going to make it into heavy rotation on my stereo. Justin Hale, a five piece -- something that wouldn't be assumed from their name -- are somewhat like a whiter Digable Planets. The constant, rather unvaried lyrical attack is somewhat saved by the interesting beats, loops and deep bass lines, yet never quite makes it to the "sticking in your head" stage. Picture a group of guys in hooded sweatshirts with the hoods up and their heads back so they can see where they're walking, a member named Captain Mudfish Starbolt and an accompanying press release that states "the group has got everybody waiting to inhale," and you'll get a pretty good sense of what Justin Hale are all about. -- ha-n
	The Dub Funk Association / Sounds of the Heavyweight / Tanty (CD) Sample 30 seconds of "Mudie's Dub Request" Once upon a time, massive travelling sound systems roamed the earth. They were housed in custom vans or buses, and wherever they went the earth shook with phat, fuzzy basslines. With Dub Funk Association's Sounds of the Heavyweight those times have returned. With more bottom end than a Richard Simmons disciple, DFA's funk-steady jams will help you burn off fat through vibration alone. As I've said before, "if you've heard dub, you've heard dub!"; it's in the execution that the masters are separated from the treble-entranced fools. DFA are undoubtedly masters of the genre. If you haven't heard dub, this is the record to get. If you have, this is still the record to get! -- nw
	The Freshmaka / I Am the Freshmaka / Moonshine (CD) Sample 30 seconds of "Walkin' Along" Moonshine Records, an established innovator in all new and different electronica, presents the Freshmaka -- another mix-master raised on a steady diet of ABC television favourites and seventies funky stuff. I Am the Freshmaka plays like an updated musical trip through Seventies TV Land: a trip through Fat Albert's neighbourhood on "Walkin' Along," or the hanging supernatural tension of an episode of The Nightstalker on "See the Sun". The Freshmaka seems to come from a Tarantino-esque school of musicmaking; i.e. Let me show you everything that's influenced me musically -- in four minutes. While I am the Freshmaka is a pop cultural pastiche, one is unable to distinguish the Freshmaka's musical thumbprint from those of his peers. -- dd
	The Creatures / Hybrids / Instinct (CD) Sample 30 seconds of "Guillotine (off with their heads mix bitten by the Black Dog)" Have you been sitting home at night, wishing someone would make a Creatures remix album? Neither have I. Still, we've got one and it's not bad. However, Siouxsie and Budgie's recent efforts haven't exactly been friendly-melody-intensive, and these remixes -- though often intricate and involving -- are a pretty austere affair, best suited to those who like their music cold. High points include the Tick Tock mix of "Slipping Away", the club-friendly Strawberry Cocktail mix of "Second Floor" and the Black Dog's brutal reworking of "Guillotine." Necessary? Probably not, but definitely more interesting than the bog-standard remix compilation it might have been. -- gz
	Doldrums / Desk Trickery / Kranky (CD) Sample 30 seconds of "Who Shot J.R.?" The yin and yang of Desk Trickery: hyper tweaked out, computer mangled, electo-alien music, and old school guitar+drums hippy love jams. Guess which side I'm rooting for? Lose the love jams, man! This CD is full of great, weird sound clouds and lovely, mysterious atmospheres that keep getting spoiled by noodly guitar rock interludes. It breaks my heart. Come on Doldrums, let the hippy go and embrace the cyborg within. It will be a better world, and I promise I'll reprogram all of my cyborg friends to buy 10 copies of your next CD... -- ib
	Plone / For Beginner Piano / Matador (CD) Sample 30 seconds of "Be Rude to Your School" Today, kids, we're going to go on a voyage -- one that will stimulate the mind as well as the body. We're going to take a trip with Plone through the a strange electronic netherworld known as For Beginner Piano. A trip to this far-off place will reward you with gently pulsing beats, cryptically affected vocals and nursery rhyme-like melodies. Travelers will notice the strange electronic-baroque feel of pieces such as "Top & Low Rent" and "The Greek Alphabet." Throughout our ride you'll notice an odd, child-like paranoia, which is showcased brilliantly on the wildly oscillating "Be Rude to Your School." After it's all over I think you'll find that the voyage through For Beginner Piano is better than anything Disneyland has to offer...and you won't have to wait in line as long, either. -- jj
	Amanita Music / Serenity / Amanita Music (CD) Sample 30 seconds of "Bodhidharma" More keyboard friendly music from the DIY Amanita camp, Serenity aptly describes its contents -- there's a considerably more aural-friendly sound and soothing feel here. There's even a bit of Southeast Asian influence, as the faint ruminations of gongs and percussive-intensive rhythms can be heard on several of the tracks. Relaxing, yet cerebrally engaging, it's yet another side to the enigmatic and experimental Amanita Music. -- am
	The High Llamas / Snowbug / V2 (CD) Sample 30 seconds of "Harpers Romo" Mr. O'Hagan and crew seem to be settling nicely into their niche as Stereolab's Friendlier and More Approachable Cousin. Snowbug continues in the group's lush-n-loungy sixties pop vein -- the arrangements bristle with vibes, strings, horns, wind instruments and the inevitable analog keyboards. Sometimes, as on "Go to Montecito", this results in a downplayed Stereolab sound (not surprising with much of the 'lab playing on the album); at other times only the intermittent instances of trendy analog drone reveal Snowbug as a product of today rather than a used-record-shop gem. On the downside, there's a little too much restraint here; even with the volume all the way up, you can't play Snowbug "loud" -- the "Beach Boys through a codeine haze" feeling persists at any volume. -- gz
	The Situation / The Situation / Apricot (CD) Sample 30 seconds of "My Mother Likes Black Men" While I'm not a particular fan of AOR music, you've got to hand it to The Situation for giving it their best. With a fusion of blues, soul, funk and good ol' fashioned rock 'n' roll, this NYC trio raises a toast in your general direction. But before your swallowing reflex sets in, humorous interjections on "My Mother Likes Black Men" and "What Would DeNiro Do?" will have you spitting everything right back out with a hearty laugh as you kick back your chair and belt out an enthusiastic "Hell YEAH!". -- am
	Comet Gain / Tigertown Pictures / Kill Rock Stars (CD) Sample 30 seconds of "Transmission Lost" After crying in their respective beers for lost love, the members of Comet Gain must go back to their lonely apartments to pen morose songs. Some of these songs can be found on Tigertown Pictures. Don't get me wrong, I happen to like their sad, sad, mad, mad sonic world, in which you're constantly pining away for something lost (in an antithetical, jangly, pop-y sort of way). It's just that while I naturally find myself in an occasional state of desperation, Tigertown … induces it. I don't recommend this be played at the Recovering Suicidal Depressives' annual ball! Even the relatively uptempo numbers (e.g. "Transmission Lost") manage to maintain a sad sobriety. If you don't mind being slowly drawn into an introspective ball of vulnerability, give this one a listen. -- nw
	Land of the Loops / Hurry Up and Wait / Up (CD) Sample 30 seconds of "Eastes Park" Are you a music fan in search of something new and exciting that won't take a large chunk out of your wallet? If so, try give Hurry Up and Wait a whirl. This low-priced 5 track EP will send you headlong into the odd musical world inhabited by Land of the Loops, aka Alan Sutherland. It's a disc filled with slack beats, gurgling electronics, loping rhythms and robotic female vocals courtesy of Heather Lewis. Also of interest is a galactic musical battle between LOTL and Buckminster Fuzeboard on the squelchy, sample-driven "Eastes Park." With its stellar musical content and low price tag, Hurry Up and Wait offers a way to be musically adventurous with all that change you found between the seats of your car. -- jj
	Club 8 / Missing You: The Remixes / March (CD) Sample 30 seconds of "Missing You (Eurodisco Remix)" The Eurodisco Remix of "Missing You" has been sculpted into a probably-can't-miss dancefloor/radio smash. Frothy, bouncy and a little bit generic, this combination of breathy Swedish-female vocals and anthemic disco styling is just the sort of song that sticks in your mind and won't leave until you've heard it a few thousand times (too many). Junior Varsity KM's "Making Love to a Machine" mix, while less memorable, is even more club friendly. The rest of the disc isn't quite as dancefloor friendly, but should appeal to fans of the Cardigans and other Euro-fare. It's hard not to like this stuff unless you're one of those pompous gits who's only into "serious" music. -- gz
	Kaos From Order / KFO III / Com Four (CD) Sample 30 seconds of "Revolution" From the photo on the back of this EP, you might assume that Kaos From Order are a Skid Row tribute band. Alas, this is not the case. Though their music is steeped in 80's influences, they tend to lean more towards the Heart/Pat Benatar school of rock. Vocalist Pam Dixon has a stunning, powerful voice that leads each song down winding corridors of crunching guitars and swaying balladry. Soaring choruses like those found on "Revolution" and "Woodman" weasel their way into your head, causing relentless humming for the remainder of the day. Keep an ear out for Kaos from Order as you could soon hear them blaring from every radio from here to Holland. -- jj
	Dynamic Syncopation / Dynamism / Ninja Tune (CD) Sample 30 seconds of "Dynamism" This funky/jazzy/hip-hopping collaboration between (Herbalizer producer) Jonny Cuba and UK DJ the Loop Professor unfortunately fails to live up to its name. It's syncopated, but often fails to register on the dynamic side of the spectrum. Place the blame on some tepid guest apping and a lack of tempo variation, though the duo's instrumentals stand out and deserve more of the spotlight. The "Intro" establishes a lighthearted, vibe-inflected style that's sadly lacking in later songs, while the disc's closing track, "Swings and Roundabouts," is a smooth combination of slow-burn guitar, nervous strings and woodwind punctuation, showing the duo at their best. This could probably be whittled down to a great six-track EP... -- gz
	Various Artists / Rise 13 / The Music Cartel (CD) Sample 30 seconds of Unida's "Black Woman" Unida, Orange Goblin, Acrimony, Drag Pack, Spirit Caravan, Sheavy, Hangnail, Goatsnake, Solarized, Sally, Shallow and Electric Wizard come together to bring the "absolute best of the magickal revolution of psychedelic, stoner, spaced-out, acid and even desert rock" (to quote the accompanying press release). If any of those genres are something that you regularly listen to, then perhaps this compilation is for you. It didn't do a whole lot for me -- the crunchy guitars, strained male vocals and crashing cymbals blurred into a single, swaggering band. The CD booklet's picture of a girl on her hands and knees inside a pentagram didn't exactly excite me, either, but I'm sure there are people who like that sort of thing. Maybe I'm not hearing these bands at their best. -- ha-n
	The Captain T Band / s/t / The Captain T Band (CD) Sample 30 seconds of "Manifest Destiny" My last experience with The Captain T Band was difficult to grasp, as it was unclear whether The Cap'n was in it for the long haul or just flailing away on a few schticky topics. While this CD-EP only has three tunes, everything's a lot more lucid. With their unique vocal delivery, both "Dishonest" and "Manifest Destiny" not only have a distinct flair and personality -- they're also convincing tunes that are accessible in a pop-punk sort of way. Stay tuned for more transmissions from the Captain, hopefully on a full length CD, some time soon. -- am
	Lin / La Folie / Dune Records (CD) Sample 30 seconds of "Sophie's Choice" Lin is an Italian techno-pop band. They've got your basic synths, breakbeats and tweaky electro-noodling, plus a sweet-voiced woman singer and a male MC from California. So what's Lin sound like? I'd say a mellow Garbage, minus some guitars, plus a rapper. The rapper, UBQT, has a habit of repeating himself endlessly, while June, the singer, is generally left with just a few measly choruses. There are a few exceptions, like "Sellout Song," a pretty, mellow tune on which June speaks/sings a story about getting signed to a record label, and "Lawn Cocktail," a straightforward pop song which June pretty much has all to herself. The music itself is okay, with some interesting bleeps and bloops here and there, but overall La Folie is fairly standard alterna-dance-techno-pop with a couple of interesting, but unbalanced vocalists. -- ib

gz - george zahora | nw - noah wane | am - andrew magilow | ib - irving bellemead
jj - jason jackowiak | ha-n - heidi anne-noel | dd - deirdre devers