Album Reviews

AMPLIFIED HEAT
In For Sin
(Arclight)
Austin's other familial power trio busts loose of the River City club crawl with its national debut In For Sin. It would be easy to say the Ortiz brothers are just throwbacks to the early 70s, when arena rock was pulling itself out of the morass of blues-based proto-metal bands, but that would be denying their obvious affection for the country and blues-fed roots music force-fed every Austin musician upon arrival. Besides, the ferocity with which the Heat attacks tunes like "Wagon Wheel," "All the Aces" and the country-fried "The Gunny" is pure punk rock. This is a band that distills everything it's ever heard into the boogie, with no apologies and lots of guitar solos. In other words, rock & roll. Michael Toland

THE BLACK SWANS
Who Will Walk in the Darkness With You?
(Delmore)
Wow, what kind of place is Columbus, Ohio, that a band like this would emerge from it? The Black Swans inhabits a flat, frozen land where violins hum, guitars breathe and ghosts sob quietly in the distance. On the quintet's debut, leader Jerry DiCicca warbles about "Honest Eyes," "The Raft" and "Black Swan Blues" as if he loves them but has been disappointed by them too many times. The music gently tunes up twilight, hazy and austere, with unexpected details revealed in the half-light. Who Will Walk in the Darkness With You? is the sound of loneliness, serene, sad and beautiful. Michael Toland

RICHARD BUCKNER
Dents and Shells
(Merge)
I have to admit, I've never drunk the Kool-Aid when it comes to Richard Buckner. Too much of his music seems predicated less on songs than on whether or not you buy his tortured artist eccentricities. Dents and Shells, however, is squarely song-based, with the focus on the tunes themselves more than the atmosphere. As such, this is for me one of Buckner's most satisfying albums, as tracks like "Rafters," "Invitation" and "Picture Day" boast memorable melodies and stark lyrics given lucid performances. If you haven't checked in with Buckner in a while, Dents and Shells is a good way to renew your acquaintance. Michael Toland [buy it]

CLAMBAKE
Gator in the Pool
(Gringo)
Barker brothers Andy and Nick make up the British duo Clambake. Apparently the Barkers have been deeply affected by both Billy Childish and Flat Duo Jets, as Clambake's primitive, roughed-up surf/blues/punk reeks of stale beer, ducktails and bar fights. You either like this stuff or you don't—it's damn near impossible not to choose sides within 30 seconds of hearing the searing "Powder Monkey" or the raucous "We're Gonna Make the World a Better Place." The Barkers are obviously aware of this, as Gator in the Pool is 10 songs in 20 minutes. There's virtue in getting out while the getting's good. Michael Toland

THE CONSTANTINES
Constantines
(Three Gut/Sub Pop)
Ontario's Constantines sucked up so much acclaim for their sophomore album (and first U.S. release) Shine a Light that Sub Pop is reissuing its self-titled debut here as well. I haven't heard Shine a Light, alas, so I've no idea what kind of progress the quintet made between disks. But The Constantines diligently works to find the point where noisy garage rock, arty post punk and melodic emocore meet, and on tunes like "Young Offenders" succeeds. The band often comes across like a Canadian version of Spoon with better vocals (kudos to passionate frontman Bryan Webb). The lovely acoustic tune "Saint You" is a nice surprise as well. Michael Toland [buy it]

CUB COUNTRY
Stay Poor/Stay Happy
(Future Farmer)
Cub Country, former Jets to Brazil mastermind Jeremy Chatelain's hodgepodge outfit of revolving door players, has become a bona-fide band and Stay Poor/Stay Happy is a fluffy Americana-country masterpiece. Chatelain and mates carve out heartfelt, folksy songs. The first track, "Be Yer Own Hitman," is about love lost but makes heartache sound pretty damn good. Other tunes, like "If We Should Fall," are darker, but only flirt with danger. The jewel of Stay Poor/Stay Happy is "Leaving the Bar," a wonderfully sweet song that is probably the best use of Chatelain's voice on the record. Lance Looper [buy it]

DAYDREAM NATION
Bella Vendetta
(Elephant Stone)
Guitarist/vocalist Pat Vaz and drummer Hunter Crowley (late of the Brian Jonestown Massacre and the Warlocks) call what they do "arena shoegaze," and that's pretty dead on. The duo (joined by pals from the BJM and Beachwood Sparks) erects lustrous towers of psychedelic guitar wash over a foundation of steady rhythms. Melodies sweep out of the sky like a snowstorm, as Vaz lets his plainspoken croon ride the updrafts and flurries. Aficionados of early 90s bands like Ride and Swervedriver can start salivating now, as well they should: this style hasn't been done this well since its early days. Not many bands can make tunes like "The Everlasting" drift and kick ass as well as Daydream Nation. Michael Toland [buy it]

EWIGKEIT
Radio Ixtlan
(Earache)
The brainspawn of one Mr. Fog (James Fogarty to his parents), Ewigkeit produces galloping progressive/death metal anthems with some electronic undercurrents. No pseudo-industrial noises, no sudden disco breakdowns, just some sampled faery dust to add extra spice to anthems like "Platonic Verses" and "Journey to IXTLAN." Riffs and bombast are what this record is about—even Fog's harsh vocals sound more like texture than lead instrument. Though Ewigkeit isn't nearly as radical as the "Space Rock meets Metal" advance press might have you believe (isn't that what Hawkwind was doing?), it's not important, as Fog is a strong songwriter and enthusiastic performer. Never mind whether or not it's innovative—Radio Ixtlan is just powerhouse entertainment. Michael Toland [buy it]

DOUG GILLARD
Salamander
(Pink Frost/Big Takeover)
Indie rock lifer Doug Gillard's been around, slinging strings in Death of Samantha and Cobra Verde, and now finishing up a long stint as Robert Pollard's sidekick in Guided by Voices. Gillard's first solo record is a nicely textured pop album, full of memorable tunes, nuanced performances and arrangements just this side of lush. "Give Me Something" and "Going Back (to you)" win the "hits in a fair dimension" award, while "Me & the Wind" reveals a rootsy streak under the multi-colored pop hues. Gillard's voice could be stronger, but after all the years of letting his guitar do the talking, that's easily forgiven. I never though I could tolerate anything from the GbV camp; Salamander proves me quite wrong. Michael Toland [buy it]

GROUNDTRUTHER
Latitude
(Thirsty Ear)
The nether region floating between trip-hop and jazz is a fertile one, but it seems like most of the folks exploring it come from the former territory. On Latitude, jazz notables Charlie Hunter (guitar), Bobby Previte (drums/electronics) and Greg Osby (sax) bring a chamber jazz flair and an improvisational attitude to music that would sound as at home on the stage of the Blue Note as it would in the chill-out room of a rave. It's like a dub version of an ECM record. Nice. Michael Toland [buy it]

JOSIAH
Into the Outside
(Molten)
Amazing how a style already considered worthy of burial by the late 70s seems so fresh today. British trio Josiah plants its flag firmly in 1972-era power rock on its second album Into the Outside, as if the days of bell-bottoms and chest hair had never passed. Tunes like "Keep On Pushin'," "Bloodrock" and "Black Country Killer" ooze with chunky riffs, stomping rhythms and macho vocals; Josiah rips through the deliberately dated tunes with enthusiasm and flair. There's even an acoustic instrumental interlude ("Sylvie") and a psychedelic throwback ("Unwind Your Mind"), just like the old days. Warning: some lyrics might bother politically correct types, particularly the chilling stalker fantasy "O.B.N." Michael Toland

N. LANNON
Chemical Friends
(Badman)
Part of me thinks, "Oh great, yet another Elliott Smith/Nick Drake wannabe." But a bigger part of me loves that kind of singer/songwriter pop and finds Nyles Lannon's latest album to be a delight. After all, neither Drake nor Smith will be recording new music anytime soon, and Lannon's hushed singing, sturdy melodies and excellent tunes like "Hollow Heart," "I Freak You Out" and "Spy" are just too bittersweetly gorgeous to deny. Besides, the electronic backing of "Demons" indicates a willingness to cut holes in the envelope, a sign that Lannon is evolving beyond easy comparison. Michael Toland [buy it]

LAST BURNING EMBERS
Lessons in Redemption
(Pink Frost/Big Takeover)
The moody, melodic postpunk of NYC's Last Burning Embers could slot right in between Interpol and Franz Ferdinand on a radio station. Yet it wouldn't quite fit in; Lessons in Redemption is just a little too intense. Songwriter Dave Burokas champions emotion and personal connection in a world of commercial and cultural tyranny, with all the inherent tension. Unlike the fatalism that ultimately engulfed Joy Division's Ian Curtis, whose thoughts ran along similar lines, Burokas sees more hope than gloom, even if shimmering rockers like "Culture Wars," "Charmed Existence" and "Distress Call" teeter on the edge. Too tightly wound to be carefree pop, but too tuneful to be avant rock, Last Burning Embers embodies the balance required to keep faith in a faithless universe. Michael Toland [buy it]

MARILLION
Marbles
(Intact/Dead Ringer)
Great Britain's Marillion used to fit squarely in the neoprog camp (devoted acolytes of 70s Genesis in particular), but like most bands with any talent or ambition has grown beyond even self-imposed boundaries into its own distinct entity. Marbles has little in common with progressive rock outside of an adventurous spirit, focusing less on challenging arrangements and instrumental flash than on gorgeous melodies and voice-centered songs. Frontguy Steve Hogarth sounds like he's channeling his soul into his performances; on tunes like the low-key "Angelina," the soaring "Don't Hurt Yourself" and the oft-stunning epic "The Invisible Man," he beams emotion, voice cracking like Neil Finn's, without ever getting maudlin. If all you remember of Marillion is the mid-80s hit "Kayleigh," Marbles will shock and delight you. Michael Toland [buy it]

ADAM MARSLAND
You Don't Know Me
(Karma Frog)
Marsland was the leader of the acclaimed West Coast power pop troop Cockeyed Ghost. I always had mixed feelings about the Ghost, but I'm gonna go on record here as heartily endorsing his solo record You Don't Know Me. Collaborating with other members of the LA underground (any friend of Stew is a friend of mine), Marsland creates a multi-faceted gem of an album that enfolds smart, funny lyrics into absolutely beguiling melodies and tops them off with his soulful singing. It's all I can do when "A Moment of Clarity," "Love x 10 (How Dare You)" and "What the World Needs Now is a Good Deus Ex Machina" play not to just shake my head and mutter, "Holy fuck, this is amazing." If you like great pop music, you need this. Michael Toland [buy it]