Cockeyed Ghost, Radar Bros., Lunchbox, Stereolab
Feel Love Fury, Yes Virginia, Mondo Crescendo, Jega
Siggy, Stereophonics, The Skatalites/King Tubby, The Impossibles
Appendix Out, John Alkins, Dot Allison

	Cockeyed Ghost / The Scapegoat Factory / Big Deal (CD) Sample 30 seconds of "Big Big Yeah" You might remember Cockeyed Ghost from their run a few years ago as a rising star in the indie-pop-punk world. Well, they're back (after some personnel shakeups) with a new, less indie/more pop/less punk sound. The Scapegoat Factory is pretty polished-sounding (maybe a little over-produced?) and sports a few fun, bouncy, sing-along pop tunes ("Big Big Yeah") as well as some nice mid-tempo story numbers ("Then I'll Be Happy"). Some of it's a bit too touchy-feely for a grumpy Wednesday morning, but that's probably an unavoidable byproduct of Cockeyed Ghost frontman Adam Marsland's switch from "high energy punk rocker" to "sensitive singer-songwriter." The Scapegoat Factory is a fine pop record the way it is, but I can't help thinking that if Cockeyed Ghost put a little more of the indie and punk back into their formula, they'd be a lot more interesting. -- ib
	Radar Bros. / The Singing Hatchet / See Thru Broadcasting (CD) Sample 30 seconds of "Shifty Lies" It's not that I dislike the Radar Bros' pastoral-psychedelic sound. It's quite pleasant on a song-by-song basis, though a liking for Pink Floyd's less bombastic efforts, or even latter-era Lilac Time, will certainly predispose you to enjoy The Singing Hatchet. But there's a right and a wrong time to enjoy it. The right time is when you're not doing anything, you don't plan on getting up off the couch until the medicine wears off and aren't inclined to notice how much each song sounds like the next. If you're planning on driving, operating heavy equipment or performing brain surgery, that's the wrong time to listen to the Radar Bros. Played straight through, The Singing Hatchet quickly blurs into a single, soporific song -- some more variation would be helpful. -- gz
	Lunchbox / 3.2.1... / Motorway (7") Sample 30 seconds of "Ordinary Day" A duo of goofy popsters from Oakland, Lunchbox delve into keyboard-laced bubblegum tunes. "Summer Vacation" has a certain 70s retro-pop sound to it, while "Don't Be So Creepy" craftily draws upon boppy keyboard clunking and sooper-dooper fun-filled sing-songy lyrics, producing simple-yet-highly-addictive hooks. It's unassuming music designed to lighten up your day, so quit slouching around and thinking pessimistic thoughts already -- here’s a bit of Shags-inspired silliness. -- am
	Stereolab / Cobra and Phases Group Play Voltage in the Milky Night / Elektra/Duophonic (CD) Sample 30 seconds of "Infinity Girl" To borrow a phrase from the Irving Bellemead Manual of Style, "What can I say? It's Stereolab." If you're a don't-love-'em-but-don't-hate-em-either sort of 'Lab listener, Cobra and Phases is unlikely to be a revelation for you; you might notice that it sounds "friendlier" than Dots and Loops, or that its pop-song structures are a bit more assured, but there's nothing that's going to send you running into the street with your arms flailing and your mouth full of foam. Fans will be intrigued by the migratory melody, ethereal saw-playing (I think) and increasingly dissonant keyboards on "Caleidoscopic Gaze", and by the squelchy Latin keys on "Infinity Girl", or simply by noticing that Sean O'Hagan, Jim O'Rourke, Rob Mazurek and the ubiquitious John McEntire have lent their talents to the disc. I never expect a new Stereolab album to reinvent the wheel, but perhaps next time they'll roll their wheel in a new direction. -- gz
	Feel Love Fury / Source / Feel Love Fury (CD) Sample 30 seconds of "Lifestorm" Source is this North-Carolina-based rock band's debut release. A couple of the songs ("Lifestorm" and "Leadbelly" for example) start out promisingly, with provocative acoustic guitar patterns that make me think some kind of Metallica-like maelstrom is brewing, but then peter out into bland, college-type rock-funk-rock-hard-rock-funky-rock. I'll admit that I'm not blown over by Source! There's just not enough to distinguish it from other generic rock music. And song titles like "Lifestorm" and "Passionfire" are just too corny for me to swallow. These guys claim to have at least 4 full-lengths worth of music; maybe their next release will be more relevant. -- nw
	Yes Virginia / Yes Virginia / Wise Guy (CD) Sample 30 seconds of "Carol of the Bells" There's nothing like Christmas music in September to remind me that it's time to start saving for gifts again. On the bright side, if I'm stuck for gift ideas for any guitar-rock-loving cousins, this disc might be just the ticket. Herein you'll find four Christmas songs rendered in the currently-out-of-favor squealing guitar-solo axe-god style -- not as over the top as Vai or Satriani, but definitely not something you'd play for Grandma until after she's had a few glasses of the good egg nog. Minor-key carols "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" and "Carol of the Bells" lend themselves surprisingly well to this approach, and you could probably get a good laugh out of slipping this sucker into the Mannheim Steamroller Christmas CD case and watching the ensuing mayhem... -- gz
	The Mondo Crescendo / Young, Naked & Very With It / Blackbean & Placenta (CD) Sample 30 seconds of "The Other Side" It figures -- just as summer is drawing to a close, I find the perfect driving-with-the-top-down/let's-hit-the-beach sun-drenched pop record. Young, Naked & Very With It is an album awash in that feel good summer vibe. If the music had a color, it would probably resemble the sleeve it comes wrapped in -- purple and sparkling (Which, regrettably, didn't scan too well, so you'll have to use your imagination -- Ed.). Jennifer Taylor's vocals take center stage in a swirling mix of guitars, melodic organ, modest strings and bouncing rhythms, all of which give the album an airy 60's pop feel. Songs like "The Other Side" and "Free" have hooks that chime, sway and buzz their way into your head and stay there for days on end. Young, Naked & Very With It will give you that summery feeling any time of the year, which can't be anything but a good thing. -- jj
	Jega / Spectrum / Matador (CD) Sample 30 seconds of "Kid Sista" Though Matador's electronic music output has been inconsistent, they've hit paydirt with Spectrum. Jega, alias Dylan Nathan, has found his niche with this genre-spanning 1998 release, which ambushes listeners with a dizzying barrage of stressed and skittery drum'n'bass rhythms, hammering breakbeats and idiosyncratic samples. It's not surprising that Spectrum was the first release on Mike Paradinas' (aka µ-ziq) new imprint, Planet µ -- Paradinas admits to signing artists he likes, and to liking artists who sound rather like his own music. In other words, Spectrum is an extremely volatile, variable album -- and one that's unlikely to bore you. -- gz
	Siggy / Harlow's Girl / Viking Girl Records (CD) Sample 30 seconds of "Wire Mother" Siggy is a sonic archeologist's dream: Are they mining X, or the Violent Femmes? Are they more Television or Midnight Oil? Did that guitarist listen to too much Echo and the Bunnymen growing up? Thankfully, Siggy's influences are interesting ones, and they add up to a raw, sparse, driving sound that becomes more than just a hodgepodge of the early 80's styles it's constructed from. Although a couple of the tunes on Harlow's Girl are duds, Galen Buckwalter's barky/gravely singing style generally keeps things interesting. There are some moments when Buckwalter seems to be trying a bit too hard to be wacky, but I guess that's better than trying too hard to be boring... Plus, they thank Phinneas Gage in their liner notes, which is always ok by me. -- ib
	Stereophonics / Performance and Cocktails / V2 (CD) Sample 30 seconds of "The Bartender and the Thief" You say you're tired of electronica crossovers, tired of world music influences, tired of alt-country and radio-friendly punk? You want some straightforward arena-style rock and roll? Well, your ship has come in, laddie, and the Stereophonics are standing on the prow yelling something about being kings of the world. This is the guitar/bass/drums thing in its purest form -- no edgier than a Del Amitri album, and often scampering unrepentantly into early-Rod Stewart territory. It looks like that whole big, panoramic rock sound is back in style again, so why not be at the forefront of a trend for a change, you crusty old git? -- gz
	The Skatalites/King Tubby / Heroes of Reggae in Dub / Guava Jelly/Motion (CD) Sample 30 seconds of "Close to Jah" Ten years after the Skatalites' leader, Don Drummond, wound up in an insane asylum for the murder of his girlfriend, the band reformed with its core members, producing this testament of horn laced, intensely percussive music. Mixed by his royal highness of all things dub, King Tubby, Heroes of Reggae in Dub is only now being heard for the first time. Incorporating his trademark production signatures of vibrant vocal samples, reverberating bass and plenty of pre-digital sound effects, Tubby transforms the Skatalites' tunes into classic dub tracks, full of billowing drum hits and echoing vocal lines that are solid representations of both artists' classic styles. -- am
	The Impossibles / Anthology / Fueled By Ramen (CD) Sample 30 seconds of "Eightball" If you've been craving the complete works of this defunct Austin, TX punk-ska combo, Anthology will make your life complete. The Impossibles were a surprisingly tight band with a definite mastery of all things power-punk -- especially where melodic, chugging guitars are concerned -- and their tales of low impact teen angst should strike an answering chord in anyone under 35. Unfortunately, after the first few songs the musical formula becomes quite predictable, and all too often the Impossibles dip into the cesspool of diluted ska. They are, however, far more listenable than most of the current crop of cookie-cutter entries in the genre. -- gz
	Appendix Out / Daylight Savings / Drag City (CD) Sample 30 seconds of "The Grey Havens" Daylight Savings is a fitting title for Appendix Out's second full-length album. It seems that while the rest of the world sleeps, Appendix Out are busy recording their own brand of melancholic folk pop. Through sleepy corridors the music travels, buoyed by Ali Roberts' plantive whine and gently strummed guitars. Soft backing rhythms and strange sounds add to the nocturnal mood of the album, as if the band was singing lullabies to the moon and stars. Ghostly harmony vocals provided by Kate Wright (Movietone) give added depth to songs like "Foundling" and "The Grey Havens." Appendix Out have created a record that relies on mood and tone rather than speed and intensity, Though it may not blow you away instantly, Daylight Savings grows on you, burying itself deeper into your heart with each listen. -- jj
	John Alkins / Continuum / Zzaj Productions (CD) Sample 30 seconds of "Laura Lee" At first listening, John Alkins' compositions for solo piano reminded me of Keith Jarrett's famous Köln concert. Continuum's long, drawn-out horizontal structures and somewhat free-form feel are certainly reminiscent of Mr. Jarrett's new-age-influencing work, at least on the surface. Further inspection of Continuum reveals less soul (as in R&B) than Jarrett, and the shorter song-lengths (6-10 minute songs instead of 20-30 minute free-for-alls) imply allegiance with the more mainstream new age pianists of our day -- George Winston, for example. Give Alkins credit for maintaining structure despite looseness, but take away points for a generic sound. -- nw
	Dot Allison / Afterglow / Arista (CD) Sample 30 seconds of "Tomorrow Never Comes" This British diva combines everything from drum and bass backing to string arrangements to sitar as her beautiful voice whisks through sultry lyrics. Everything's solid here, from production to proficiency, but the wide genre variety keeps Afterglow from establishing an identity due to its lack of coherence. Vocal aficionados will enjoy this temptress’ lush ballads, as long as they’re consumed in small doses. -- am