Experimental Aircraft / Self-Titled / Devil in the Woods I don't know what Rachel (we're all on a first name basis it seems) is singing about on these tunes, and although a lyric sheet would be a nice addition to the lovely white CD packaging, I don't really care. Something about friendship, something about the "Blue Cream Sky". I mean, I never know what people are talking about in my dreams; why should dreamy songs like these be any different? Besides, this isn't exactly music you're going to shout along to while cruising to the beach in your convertible...more» FEATURED ON THE BOOMBOX!
		In Aeternum / The Pestilent Plague / Necropolis There aren't any crunch-riff-heavy breakdowns here -- only a glaring abuse of excessive speed that'll exhaust you after eight tracks. Quite frankly, it's a bit daunting to contemplate how these guys are able to keep it all together song after song! Besides the aforementioned aping of the Grim Reaper's singing (or is that gasping?) voice, there's plenty of double bass drum blasting, as well as scorching guitar lines that race from note to note in some sort of a panicked state...more» FEATURED ON THE BOOMBOX!
		Vitesse / Chelsea 27099 / Hidden Agenda/Parasol "If this album is so easily referenced, what makes it worth listening to," you ask? Put simply, the songs are great. Straightforward melodies and uncluttered structures make the tracks instantly accessible -- a knack that was not lacking in the best of the aforementioned bands. There is no questioning the emotional nakedness invested in each song, but rather than provoking an embarrassed, voyeuristic repulsion, they create a genuine connection with the listener. This sense of immersion is heightened by the lo-fi production...more» FEATURED ON THE BOOMBOX!
		Beans / Tired Snow / Zum Virtually every song here pierces me to the core, yet in a non-violent, consensual kind of way. The title track combines loud/soft dynamic shifts with muted, barely comprehensible vocals that are more conversational than sung. "Miko" is a like a looser version of something from Eno's Music for Airports; it's striking and lovely in its austerity. "Dark Cave at Creek" sounds like a post-modern rendition of a Morricone movie soundtrack crossed with a plaintive French folk song...more»
		Bright / Full Negative (or) Breaks / Ba Da Bing Bright take the jangly guitar structures of indie pop and plant them in the middle of prog-rock territory. They create the same sort of heady, trance-like atmosphere you'll recognize from Godspeed and others, but in a more meditative style. Stretchy circular repetition and gradual, shifting variation is favored over massive, exhausting climactic structures. There are climaxes, though, and you're gonna love 'em; they're smaller, but they often last for almost the entire song...more»
		Dar Williams / The Green World / Razor & Tie The Green World shows that Dar has found the perfect balance for her songs. She no longer dilutes the intoxicating power of her Dar-ness ("You don't know a person like me/ I could sell your songs to Nike") in songs like "I Wanna Be Your Yoko Ono", but still manages to accomplish her aim of crafting music that's simpler, more direct and filled with emotional spaces big enough for her fans to enter. The songs have become less about Dar, or what Dar thinks, and more about the feelings she and her listeners share...more»
		Thee Headcoats / Elementary Headcoats / Damaged Goods For well over ten years, Billy Childish and Thee Headcoats have mated garage rock standards with a swinging-sixties mindset and a stripped-down punk-rock ethic. Childish recently decided to hang up his Headcoat for good, paving the way for Elementary Headcoats -- a massive compilation of just about every single Thee Headcoats (in various incarnations) have ever released. And it's completely brilliant, in a mammoth, shambling and excessive sort of way...more»
		Seņor Coconut y su Conjunto / El Baile Alemán / Emperor Norton Let's get a few things on the table. Yes, it's a novelty act. Yes, it's a put-on. Yes, it's an inside joke -- but it's one of the best inside jokes to come along since Tiny Tim put "Stairway to Heaven" in its rightful place. As with Mr. Tim, the beauty of Seņor Coconut is the absolutely straight face with which he pulls off this gag. Going so far as to add a bilingual introduction to CD, these fellows are sure to make more than one uppity hipster sneer "Jeez, I was into 'The Robots' before it was cool." ...more»
		Stir Fried / Last of the Blue Diamond Miners / Falbo Led by Johhny Markowski, the son of Thomas Jefferson Kaye, Stir Fried whips up a dark and spicy blend of urban stories and southern country-soul. "Vanessa" begins the album with a strong groove reminiscent of the Meters; Markowski, who sounds like a mix of Tom Petty and Levon Helm, exhorts, "Momma, get your bags and run, Papa's got a gun". The chorus adds the soulful wailing of Joanne Lediger -- who sounds like one of Roger Waters' backing vocalists -- and follows with some of the best vocal work Dr John has ever done...more»
		Virgil Shaw / Quad Cities / Future Farmer Virgil Shaw's twangy, reedy voice gives life to characters who are much like the box factory workers, apple farmers and FFA members I knew growing up; you are sure, listening to Quad Cities, that the yards of his memory are filled with rusted cars and broken refrigerators. He sings about "amber waves of golden decay", a man who likes "building dollhouses and burning them down" and a Rottweiler who grows up too quickly. The songs are moody character sketches...more»