Album Reviews

DAVIE ALLAN & THE ARROWS
Devil's Rumble: The Tower/Sidewalk Recordings '64-'68
(Sundazed/Curb)
Guitarist Davie Allan is the link between the energetic surf rock of Dick Dale and the high volume instrumental theatrics of bands like Huevos Rancheros. Devil's Rumble collects 40 tracks from his prime, when he spit dozens of tunes from his double-necked Mosrite for biker film soundtracks and singles. For my money, the best songs appear at the end of disk 1 and on disk 2, when Allan discovered fuzztone and let his playing become more eccentric, making raw instros like "King Fuzz" and "Cycle-delic" even nastier and sleazier. Nearly every cut here is under three minutes, most of 'em under two; Allan knew the virtue of economy, letting the riffs speak for themselves. As he's still recording and touring today, I bet he still does. Michael Toland [buy it]

THE BLACKOUTS
Living in Blue
(Lucid)
It would be easy to call the Blackouts a garage band, but don't be fooled. The sound may be raw and unvarnished, but the Illinois quartet boasts real songwriting acumen well beyond the usual three-chord romps. Taking as much from the nervous energy of late 70s NYC and the postpunk melodies of the 80s underground as from the youthful buzz of the 60s, apocalyptic pop tunes like "I Have Found Mine," "The Games That Play Us" and the brilliantly titled "Pink Fuzz Blues" display a talented group of youngsters whose nerves are shot but whose hearts are wide open. Michael Toland [buy it]

CHARLES BROWN
Alone at the Piano
(Savoy Jazz)
This collection of Charles Brown solo cuts was culled from various radio performances between 1989 and 1995. As gorgeous as some of this material is—and as logical a companion to 1999's In a Grand Style solo collection as this is—it's not the best introduction to Brown's discography, as the audio quality varies to the point of distraction. Sometimes it's great, and sometimes the vocals suffer from microphone proximity effect (i.e. boominess) or slight distortion. It's great to have the rarely performed "Moonrise" and "Gloria" (from his days with Johnny Moore's Three Blazers in the '40s), but Alone at the Piano is probably best recommended to the completist only. Brian Briscoe [buy it]

CHURCH OF MISERY
The Second Coming
(DIW Phalanx/Disk Union)
Japan's Church of Misery put out an excellent record called Master of Brutality a few years ago and then seemingly went into seclusion. Now the quartet is back with its second full-length, and The Second Coming is even heavier and more hideous than its debut. As obsessed with serial killers as ever (parenthetically namechecking each song's inspiration, in fact), the band pummels the holy living fuck out of massive riffs ripped bodily from Black Sabbath's corpse while frontperson Fukazawa Hideckinson channels the blood-encrusted voice of some demon that has no business being in this dimension. The song titles tell the story: "Red Ripper Blues (Andaei Chikatilo)," "Filth Bitch Boogie (Aileen Wuornos)" and, of course, "I, Motherfucker (Ted Bundy)." You have been warned. Michael Toland

THE DEVASTATIONS
The Devastations
(Spooky/Munster)
Born in Melbourne, based in Berlin, the Devastations combine the no-bullshit poetry of the former with the decadent sophistication of the latter on their gorgeous self-titled debut. Like the Dirty Three set to lyrics or the Tindersticks without the fluff, the trio makes the kind of music that well-dressed mature gentleman in the corner that lived hard and well but has nothing to show for his romantic indulgences has in his head 24/7. Elegantly wasted tunes like "You Can't Reach Me Now," "Previous Crimes" and "Love Doesn't End Like That" lose the melodrama and dwell strictly on the dying emotions its protagonists try to resurrect. Beautiful, mournful, soul-refreshing. Michael Toland

JERRY GASKILL
Come Somewhere
(InsideOut)
Come Somewhere is the first solo album from King's X drummer Jerry Gaskill. If you'd guessed his music would sound like melodic hard rock with hints of psychedelia and Beatlesque pop, you'd be right, but don't think that makes the music any less enjoyable. Remember that Gaskill is the third part in King's X's harmony, and he's no slouch as a vocalist; his voice is reedy, and not unlike that of KX guitarist Ty Tabor, who produced Come Somewhere and played a fistful of instruments—hey, who better to call? Lyrically he stumbles once in a while ("Walk Alone"), but his engaging melodies, arrangements and use of dynamics make Come Somewhere a worthwhile trip. Brian Briscoe [buy it]

THE HELLACOPTERS
By the Grace of God
(Liquor and Poker)
The Hellacopters' latest album finally reaches the colonies, a mere two years after its initial release in the band's home country of Sweden. On the one hand, this is so similar to the group's previous platter High Visibility that it sounds like it was recorded at the same sessions. On the other hand, since hardly anyone does this punk-informed arena rock thing better than the 'copters, it's hard to argue. "Carry Me Home," "It's Good But It Just Ain't Right" and the title track add to the band's roster of rock & roll classics. Rather than a step forward, By the Grace of God is simply another batch of supersonic Hellacopters tunes. Michael Toland [buy it]

TERRI HENDRIX
The Art of Removing Wallpaper
(Wilory)
Singer/songwriter Terri Hendrix aims high with Wallpaper. And when you set your expectations high enough, chances are the results will be positive, whether all of your original goals are accomplished or not. Hendrix has written some fantastic songs for this album, but The Art of Removing Wallpaper suffers from a bit of an identity crisis. "Judgment Day," a political anthem, and "Monopoly," which gives the middle finger to a certain radio conglomerate, seem out of place among a collection of songs about love (including a cover of LL Cool James' "I Need Love") and self-discovery. The jewel of the album happens to be the first track, "Breakdown," a beautiful look at covering up shortcomings. Lance Looper [buy it]

THE LEGENDARY PINK DOTS
The Whispering Wall
(ROIR)
I wonder if, when singer Edward Ka-Spel and keyboardist Silverman started the Legendary Pink Dots back in the early 80s, they knew that their pop/psychedelic/electronic/progressive/avant outfit would grow into the adjective part of their name. The Whispering Wall is the Dots' gazillionth album and it's a gem. It's hard to say what's stronger, the oddball but catchy pop tunes like "Soft Toy" and "For Sale," the tender balladry of "In Sickness and in Health" or the hilarious technophobic isolation rant "The Divide." Ultimately it doesn't matter; they're all facets of the same bewitching diamond. Michael Toland [buy it]

HANK LOCKLIN
Generations in Song
(Slewfoot)
After nearly sixty years, Hank Locklin has likely done everything there is to do in the music business. Generations in Song is a celebration of this amazing career. Several other country legends join him for the party, including Vince Gill and Dolly Parton, who duets with Locklin on a great version of his biggest hit, "Send Me The Pillow You Dream On." Locklin's voice is as country as it gets, coming to life on "Hey Good Lookin'" and "Grow Old Beside Me." On a non-musical note, the players on Generations in Song have some of the coolest nicknames—Pig, Hoot and Tic-Tac. Lance Looper [buy it]

THE MASTER PLAN
Colossus of Destiny
(Total Energy)
Take two parts Fleshtones (guitarist Keith Streng, drummer Bill Mihizer), one part Dictators (bassist Andy Shernoff) and one part Waxing Poetics (guitarist Paul Johnson) and apparently you get the Master Plan. I guess having two members with shared history means the scales tip in their favor, since the 60s party garage rock of the 'tones is the ruling aesthetic here. Amongst the originals and covers, the best cuts are Shernoff's hard rocking "Find Something Beautiful" (the followup line being "And set it on fire!") and "Kickin' It Old School," but any fan of New Yawk trash pop will likely shimmy and shake to everything here. Michael Toland [buy it]

MYSTERY GIRLS
Something in the Water
(In the Red)
Though they're from Green Bay, Wisconsin, you'd swear the five young 'uns that make up Mystery Girls are from England, circa 1964, when so many lost limeys got the blues but couldn't express it quite like their American heroes. Like the early years of the Pretty Things, the Animals and, yes, the Stones, Something in the Water rocks the old music into the ground with the kind of dirt-encrusted intensity that comes from a bunch of guys with broken hearts and hairy palms. Don't be fooled into thinking this is just another "garage" band—Mystery Girls (one of the coolest band names ever, by the by) has got the timeless rock & roll goods. Michael Toland [buy it]