Album Reviews

AUTUMN'S GREY SOLACE
Over the Ocean
(Projekt)
Erin Welton's ethereal vocals float sentiments of heartbreak, loneliness and devotion gently over Scott Ferrell's atmospheric guitars on Over the Ocean, the couple's second album as Autumn's Grey Solace. Cynics unfazed by this kind of hazy guitar pop will be unmoved by AGS's traditionalist take on the mini-genre, as it skirts preciousness. But those of us who appreciate the marriage of siren-like singing, tasteful picking and a delay pedal with find songs like "Deserted and Desolate" and "Distant Mother" too charming and pretty to resist. Michael Toland

BOOTSY'S RUBBER BAND
Live in Oklahoma 1976
(Funk to the Max)
Bootsy Collins was always the most blatantly cartoonish member of George Clinton's massive P-Funk mob, but he could also be the most entertaining. This vintage concert recording finds Bootzilla early in his solo career, still in transition between the James Brown sparseness of his early experience ("The Funk Jam") and the psycheTHE ORPHINS years ("Psychoticbumpschool"). Sounding like an unusually good bootleg, Live in Oklahoma 1976 bumps and grinds out stanky grooves, throbbing space bass solos and plenty of Bootsy's patented stoner funk babble (covering for an all but inaudible audience). Toke up and shake your moneymaker. Michael Toland [buy it]

CARL HENRY BRUEGGEN
Cinzano & Cocaine
Idler
(Carl Henry Brueggen)
Don't be fooled by the cool, wispy bossa nova sounds of Carl Henry Brueggen's Cinzano & Cocaine and Idler EPs. You won't find them in the "World Music" aisle of the local CD store; rather, they'd be listed—somewhat mysteriously—under "Rock" or "Alternative." Perhaps it's because Brueggen himself is an indie rocker in disguise, having trolled the Chicago circuit for years, along the way meeting some interesting characters. Nora O'Connor (Andrew Bird's Bowl of Fire), Mark Greenberg (Archer Prewitt, the Coctails) and Jonny Polonsky all contribute to the laid-back vibe of these two EPs. While stylistically similar, Cinzano & Cocaine is a more straightforward affair, emphasizing the frontman's virtuoso guitar skills and the percussive interplay between drummer Alejo Poveda and auxiliary percussionist Javier Gonzales. Idler, on the other hand, pushes the stylistic envelope ever so gently by adding touches of accordion and pedal steel guitar, resulting in a slack-key Hawaiian feel. O'Connor's vocals are sparse throughout both discs, and when they are there, half the song may've elapsed by the time you notice. Soft coos, campy "la-la-la's" and images of '50s-era clambakes come to mind when she takes the mic. Her vocals, like the discs themselves, are a mixture of up-tempo fun and late-night sexiness. Mark Sanders

BURNING BRIDES
Leave No Ashes
(V2)
I remember being really impressed with Philly's Burning Brides when I saw them play live but feeling lukewarm about their debut album Fall of the Plastic Empire. I thought the trio had promise, though, and lo and behold, that promise is fulfilled on Leave No Ashes. Adding some honest-to-Angus Young hooks, arena rock melody and subtle dynamics to the already-potent powerhouse energy and volume, the Brides blast songs like "Alternative Teenage Suicide," "Heart Full of Black" and "To Kill a Swan" through the roof, sweeping up the rubble with the moody "Last Man Standing" and "Pleasure in the Pain." Powerful stuff, in other words, and there's no reason in the universe why the Brides shouldn't find a slot next to Queens of the Stone Age on any rocker's shelf. Michael Toland [buy it]

THE CONTRAST
Fade Back In
(Rainbow Quartz)
The Contrast has so far received much acclaim but little notice for its clean, sleek guitar pop, but hopefully Fade Back In will alter that situation. Leader David Reid and his crew don't bother with gimmicks, guest stars (other than an endorsement from Little Steven) or anything that will pull attention away from the music. As well they shouldn't—tunes like "The Guilty Party," "Flatpacked" and "Catch the Spark" stand quite well on their own considerable merits. This should be the record that catapults the Contrast to at least cult stardom. Michael Toland [buy it]

FASTBALL
Keep Your Wig On
(Rykodisc)
While I still have a soft spot for Austin trio Fastball's punkified debut album Make Your Mama Proud, I have to admit, they've turned into a hell of a pop band. Keep Your Wig On, the band's fourth record, eschews gimmicks and flavor-o'-the-month production tricks on a collection of melodic, adult pop/rockers that may be the band's most consistent yet. The rocking "'Til I Get It Right," rolling "I Get High" and two-stepping "Mercenary Girl" will make the corners of any smart pop fan's mouth curl up uncontrollably, and the rest ain't far behind. Michael Toland [buy it]

GOODBYE GIRL FRIDAY
Silver or Gold
(Sus4)
I love the sound of an electric piano, and GGF's frontperson David Sherman drenches his band's silky pop songs in it on Silver or Gold. Organ, guitar and tastefully deployed synths make their presences known, but the focus is on Sherman's Wurlitzer and boyish tenor. As warm and instantly appealing as the sound is, though, it would be empty atmosphere without songs to give it a spine. Happily, Sherman's winsome tunes work wonders, showing real development over the ones on the band's fine debut Mr. and Mrs.. "Married Man," the title ditty and the bittersweetly hilarious "Are You Serious?" are great pop songs, and would be even if Sherman played them on an out-of-tune harpsichord. Michael Toland

THE GOOD LOOKS
Let the Needle Drope
(Victim)
Austin's Good Looks play the kind of punk rock made by punk kids in the punk-ass 60s, before Punk Rock had been invented. Like a million young men and women with more attitude than finesse back then, the young quartet thinks it sounds like the Rolling Stones, but has more energy, hooks and R&B-fueled rock & roll power than that storied ensemble has possessed in decades. "Gentleman in Disguise" is a perfect example of the kind of tune the Stones used to do better than anyone; fortunately the Good Looks did it instead Michael Toland

THE GRIS GRIS
The Gris Gris
(Birdman)
Psych-pop troubadour Greg Ashley slaps a band name on himself and a rhythm section, but little on The Gris Gris deviates from his prior work. Which is just fine, actually—the world can always use more psychedelic rock, as far as I'm concerned. The trio slips and slides from delicate acid folk to stomping garage rock to teeth-rattling guitar skronk and back (often within the same song), never losing a grip on Ashley's melodies or vision. If Love's Arthur Lee had grown up in the 90s listening to Sonic Youth, the Gris Gris would have competition. Michael Toland [buy it]

HENRY
…a little Fiat
(Henry)
A little new wave melody, a pinch of postmodern angst, a smidge of lackadaisical vocal stylings and a whole lotta distorted guitar—sounds a lot like a certain strain of 90s alternative rock, don't it? But Boston trio Henry avoids being a Dinosaur Jr clone by sounding like it puts actual effort into craft on its second album, with sharp tunes and a winsome sense of dynamics. At its worst, Henry's music drifts in one ear and out the other without leaving much of an impression; at its best it makes me think I'm hearing a fantasy team-up of Lou Reed and the Pixies. Henry is obviously still in the developmental stage; give it time and it will no doubt grow into something truly remarkable. Michael Toland

LAMONT
Thunder Boogie
(Traktor7)
Nice to know that Boston, home to so much music that comes more from the cerebellum than the ventricles, boasts a burly beast like Lamont. With an album title like Thunder Boogie you know you're not in for self-consciously difficult indie rock, y'know? Sure enough, the Lamont boys drag classic rock and boogie melodies through a mudpit full of blood and broken glass, while guitarist Peter Knipfing bellows about "One White Line," "Vegas" and how "Hell's Got Me Runnin'" in a lacerated voice that's endured a few too many bad habits. "Thunderboogie is the sound!" Lamont declares, and damned if it ain't true. Michael Toland