Album Reviews

ACUITY
Skyward
(Retrograde)
If you're impressed by the complexity and virtuosity of progressive rock bands, Acuity will set your rod permanently a-twirl. Not only does Bradley Skyes write the complex prog pieces on Skyward, he performs every note in them by himself. Damn, dude. There's more to Acuity's music that mere difficulty, however; melody is important too, and Skyes rarely solos until tedium sets in, on either guitar or keys. The instrumental "Cul-de-sacs of Venus" is especially nice, even though it lacks his appealing vocals. If the prog underground isn't aware of Acuity yet, it needs to wake the heck up. Michael Toland

ALABAMA THUNDERPUSSY
Rise Again
(Relapse)
This is ATP's 1996 debut album, and while it's far from the group's best, it still lays out the Richmond quintet's basic formula: monstrous riffs pounded into the ground with jackhammers, while Johnny Throckmorton roars in pain above the fray. Rise Again has the usual sound of a debut album, when all the pent-up energy is released in one big BLAARGGH!!! The music would get more melodic (barely) and groove-oriented as time would go on, but this record does contain the ATP classic "When Mercury Drops." I gotta say, though, that this reissue's cover is pretty underwhelming compared to the original. Michael Toland

BADLY DRAWN BOY
One Plus One is One
(Twisted Nerve/XL/Astralwerks)
Damon Gough, AKA Badly Drawn Boy (or, as I like to call it, Badly Named Project), presents another batch of sweet, smart, intelligent pop songs. Outside of his arrangements continuing to lose the quirkiness that attracted attention in the first place, there's really no change from his last record (the highly underrated Have You Fed the Fish?). His tunes remain winsome and catchy, his vocals deceptively laconic; the stripped-down presentation only accents the emotions behind the wordplay. Kinda hard to argue with such reliable high quality. Consistency, thy name is Badly Drawn Boy. Michael Toland [buy it]

BIG SATAN
souls.savedhear
(Thirsty Ear)
Saxophonist Tim Berne's latest project with cohorts Tom Rainey (drums) and Marc Ducret (guitar) swims in free jazz waters more than the snarling avant funk soundscapes of his last outing (The Sublime and. Sciencefrictionlive). So there's not a lot of swing happening here, but there's a lot of improvisatory fireworks between the three musicians. These are guys who can obviously read other's minds; each member willingly follows the direction another chooses to go. There's a sense of whimsy to many of these tracks, giving the entire record a playful air, always a good thing with jazz. Michael Toland [buy it]

CARGOE
Live in Memphis!
(Lucky 7)
Legendary producer/engineer Terry Manning's Lucky 7 label has gone a long way toward enlightening music fans that there was more to 1970s Memphis than just Big Star. Case in point: Cargoe, an easygoing pop/rock quartet, showcased here on a 1972 radio broadcast. As with Big Star, the group has affinities for melody and harmony going for it; unlike the Bell/Chilton crew, however, Cargoe seems to be drawing more inspiration from Crosby, Stills & Nash and the Grateful Dead than from the Beatles and the Kinks. It doesn't do much for me, but the music is well-performed and decently recorded. Memphis music history buffs will be jazzed. Michael Toland [buy it]

KATHY COMPTON
Gentle Ravings Under a Martian Sky
(Frosty Orange)
Kathy Compton's second release reminds me of most experimental rock/folk albums released over the past year or so. For sure Compton's songwriting is full of passion, but the lyrics on this record seem to be fighting with the background noise for attention. I can't fault an artist for experimenting with arrangements. In fact there are spots on Gentle Ravings where it works—for instance, a kid's choir is put to great use on "Wilderness of Sin." But through most of the album it's as if Compton is hiding behind the instruments. Compton has a great, sultry voice, and is clearly a gifted writer, but those strengths are not pushed to the front here. Still, anyone who puts the Love Boat theme on a record deserves at least the benefit of the doubt. Lance Looper

THE DAVENPORTS
Hi-Tech Lowlife
(Mother West)
Hi-Tech Lowlife, the sophomore record from the NYC-based Davenports, is an exercise in storytelling. Scott Klass' songs are instantly likable, but it is not until the second and third spins that they begin to make the intended impressions. Alternately funny and darkly quirky, this disc is the type that could stay in your player for months and always feel fresh. Klass' voice stands out among the recent flash-fire of pop acts with an impression of sensitivity. Hi-Tech Lowlife also isn't shy about throwing change-ups. Case in point, "The Avery Girls" is powered by edgy guitaring and leads right into "A Deadheads Lament," the quieter, lighter Davenport sound.Lance Looper

ENTOMBED
Inferno
(Threeman/Candlelight)
Like a lot of veteran death metal acts, Sweden's mighty Entombed has altered its attack a bit, relying less on brute force than on finesse. This doesn't mean the band has gone soft, however. Far from it—the riffs break necks and cut throats, the rhythms thunder like an elephant on bad crack and frontbeast L-G Petrov roars like James Hetfield if someone had stolen his platinum records. Besides, with songs like "That's When I Became a Satanist," "The Fix is In" ("Heretic at the stake/Let the motherfucker bake") and "Descent Into Inferno," in which Petrov growls "I'm burning in hell" like he's goddamn sure he deserves it, nobody's gonna mistake this for Staind, ya know? And just in case you want more punishment, the U.S. edition comes with a second disk of extra songs and videos. Now this is what "Monsters of Rock" should mean. Michael Toland [buy it]

THE FLOWER KINGS
Adam & Eve
(InsideOut)
The work of Sweden's astonishingly prolific Flower Kings has always had Christian undertones. With its latest opus Adam & Eve, bandleader/songwriter Roine Stolt makes his faith blatant for anyone still in doubt. It's not so much the title, which is metaphorical more than literal, but it's certainly obvious in the opening track "Love Supreme." One of the band's finest epics, Stolt couches his sentiments in his usual intricate, widescreen progressive rock. A shared spiritual vision isn't a requirement for appreciation here—the strong melodies and undeniable craftsmanship should be enough for anyone but the most violent Jesusphobes. If Yes doesn't release records often enough to suit you, the Flower Kings will satisfyingly scratch the same itch. Michael Toland [buy it]

THE FORTY-FIVES
High Life High Volume
(Yep Roc)
Atlanta's garage rock lifers the Forty-Fives transplanted themselves to Detroit and Ghetto Recorders (does Jim Diamond ever sleep?) for the recording of High Life High Volume. The result isn't any different than the band's previous platters, which ain't necessarily a bad thing. The quartet is all about cutting the crap and just laying down high energy pop songs, played and sung as if the apocalypse might occur any second. The hooks here are a bit sharper and the melodies a bit sturdier than before, but those are almost afterthoughts in pursuit of the ultimate rock & roll rush. Wanna hit? Michael Toland [buy it]

JOHN WESLEY HARDING
Adam's Apple
(DRT)
Singer/songwriter John Wesley Harding may be aligned with folk music these days, but his latest album Adam's Apple proves he's a world-class popster at heart. Tunes like "Nothing At All," "She Never Talks," "Negative Love" and "Sluts" boast the winning mixture of instantly catchy melodies, clever lyrics and surprising emotional punch that makes up the best pop. Harding gets serious on "Sussex Ghost Story," putting one of his most moving vocals over a string quartet, and it works marvelously. He follows his propensity for wordplay straight up his own ass in "Monkey and His Cat," but that's an occasional pitfall for smart songwriters, and it's easily forgivable in light of this record's other plentiful charms. Michael Toland [buy it]

NICKI JAINE
Of Pigeons and Other Curiosities
(Shaman)
Cabaret is alive and well in the capable hands and throat of Nicki Jaine. This is the dark cabaret music of Bob Fosse's film, though, without a shred of camp. While Jaine's got ties to the Goth scene, her music exists in its own universe, one in which Kurt Weill and Nico orbit a shadowy planet like twin moons. It's a world where hearts still throb ("Untitled," "Disaster, You're Beautiful"), but the real danger is "Octopi" ("They're everywhere!" she declares), and a "Pigeon Named Crow" is a better confidante than a person. Accompanied mainly by her own guitar and piano, with occasional tasteful rock arrangements, Jaine takes us on a tour of her little corner of reality, one in which Nick Cave would be as comfortable taking tea as They Might Be Giants would be hitting the absinthe. The truly scary thing? This is her first album and she's only going to get better. Michael Toland [buy it]

KATE JAMES AND LOST COUNTRY
Homewrecker, Heartbreaker
(Hayden's Ferry)
HomeWrecker, HeartBreaker is the first album from retro country group Kate James and Lost Country. The record is a tribute to what mainstream country radio used to sound like, before the hat acts transformed the genre into the silliness we hear today. James' voice is sultry as hell and wraps completely around tracks like "Holding Onto Nothing" and "Sing Me to Sleep." Kate James and Lost Country could be a bright spot on the vanilla country landscape and significantly alter the Nashville sound machine—in fact, James may be one of the brightest new talents in music. This is a rich album and watching the future unfold for this band should be exciting. Lance Looper [buy it]