Album Reviews

PENNY ARKADE
Not the Freeze
(Sundazed)
One of many examples of a "great lost band of the 60s," Penny Arkade boasted the patronage of then-Monkee Michael Nesmith, as well as a healthy local following and a buzz among the cognoscenti. Yet Not the Freeze marks the first time any of their recordings have been released. Though not on a par with fellow travelers like Love or the Byrds, Penny Arkade was still a better-than-average band, and its lack of success during its lifetime is a mystery. Psych-tinged, harmony-driven folk rock tunes like "No Rhyme or Reason," "Thesis," "Split Decision" and the singalong "Country Girl" hold up very nicely, and the epic title track (12 minutes of shifting song structures, rather than endless jamming) is unlike anything else coming out of L.A. at the time. The posthumous (though that word hardly seems adequate for the 36 year gap between recording and release) issue of Not the Freeze is well deserved. Michael Toland [buy it]

PERFECT
Once, Twice, Three Times a Maybe
(Rykodisc)
Perfect was ex-Replacement Tommy Stinson's band between his short-lived Bash & Pop project and his current solo career (and, um, membership in Guns 'N Roses). Originally titled 7 Days a Week, Once, Twice, Three Times a Maybe was recorded for Restless in 1997 but shelved due to record company shenanigans. Thanks goodness Ryko resurrected it, as it's full of short, sharp power pop songs. The band keeps the proceedings loose but never sloppy, bashing through Stinson and co-writer Marc Solomon's hooky melodies with just enough finesse to keep from falling apart. Solomon sings "Thing I Call My Life" (one of the best songs, incidentally); otherwise Stinson's Paul Westerberg-like rasp powers cool tunes like "Better Days," "7 Days a Week" and "Making of an Asshole." Too bad the members are all off on their own trips these days—if this record is any indication, a Perfect reunion would be one worth celebrating. Michael Toland [buy it]

PORN
Wine, Women and Song
(Small Stone)
I love Porn. I'd better clarify that before folks think they've clicked on the wrong site; I love the band Porn. There's nobody better at space grunge mantra metal; a Porn show can be a truly transcendental experience. On the band's third album Wine, Women and Song, guitarist/mastermind Tim Moss is joined by stoner metal producer Billy Anderson on bass and Melvins drummer Dale Crover on the skins, giving him the engine his vehicle has always deserved. Moss lathers great flowing waves of six-string sludge over the sometimes floating, sometimes driving rhythms; the trio raises beautiful mountains of noisy melody, complete with dark clouds at the apex. The droning "Succulento" features a pedal steel so dirty it would make Nashville recoil, while "Glory Will Be Mine" simply kicks out the fucking jams. Things bog down a bit during the multi-part epic "The Five Books of the Aeneas," but the dinosaur roars back to life with "Last Song." There's no substitute for standing in a small club surrounded by the sound of Porn, but Wine, Women and Song is truly the next best thing. Michael Toland [buy it]

R.E.M.
Around the Sun
(Warner Bros.)
I first heard R.E.M. back in high school, around the time of Reckoning, and now I'm listening to a new album 20 years later. (Goddamn, I'm old.) Of course, the band has gone through a great deal of change since the old days, evolving from a jangly folk rock outfit to the sophisticated pop titan it is today. Around the Sun may very well be the apotheosis of the band's current suave style, led by lush, memorable pop tunes like "Wanderlust," "High Speed Train" and the absolutely gorgeous "Leaving New York." It may not win over anyone who still thinks R.E.M. should just remake Murmur over and over, but Around the Sun is arguably the group's most beautiful album. Michael Toland [buy it]

THE SAVING GRACES
Outside Guiding Lights
(Paisley Pop)
Outside Guiding Lights is the first full-fledged album from former Neidermeyer fronter Michael Slawter and his band of merry misfits. Glossy, sleek songs run rampant on this ultra-pop record, and that's cool. The disc sets expectations early with "Giving up the Ghost," an awesome song with enough energy to carry several albums. This collection of Slawter-penned songs conveys a sensibility just a shade deeper than expected, especially on "Southern Gothic Sound" and "Why Don't You Cry." Pop fans should rejoice the arrival of the Saving Graces. Lance Looper [buy it]

STINKING LIZAVITA
Caught Between Worlds
(At a Loss)
I was lucky enough to walk in on a Stinking Lizaveta show during the 2004 SXSW festival and was (sorry for the overworked cliché) blown the heck away by the trio's furiously inventive, energy-spewing instrumental heavy rock. I was afraid that the magic I witnessed on stage wouldn't translate to the studio, but hoo boy, was I wrong. Caught Between Worlds, the Philly band's fourth record, captures the Liz's live energy in a studio setting, as guitarist Yanni Papadopoulos, bassist Alexi Papadopoulos (who plays an electric upright, often with a bow) and drummer Cheshire Agusta wrangle metal, jazz and good ol' rock & roll into a voluminous yet graceful ball of improvisational fire that practically leaps out of the speakers. It's as if legendary free jazz guitarist Sonny Sharrock has risen from the grave and replaced Ozzy in Black Sabbath. Genius. Michael Toland

THE TANGENT
The World That We Drive Through
(InsideOut)
The Tangent is one of those rare side projects that stands proudly beside the work of the parent bands. Keyboardists Andy Tillson and Sam Baines of Parallel or 90 Degrees, guitarist Roine Stolt of the Flower Kings and multi-instrumentalist Guy Manning, along with saxist and Porcupine Tree associate Theo Travis and the Kings' rhythm section, paint a lush landscape of keyboard-driven melodies, woodwind accents and lush harmonies that emphasize song structure over instrumental flash. With bombast kept in check and the tunes given precedence, The World That We Drive Through is one of the most satisfying and downright gorgeous progressive rock albums in recent memory. Michael Toland [buy it]

THE TOILET BOYS
The Early Years
(Masterplan/Ozit Morpheus)
Hard to believe the Toilet Boys have been around long enough for a compilation of The Early Years. But sure enough, after nearly a decade, there are enough odds and ends in the vaults to justify this disk. Dating mostly from the late 90s, these tunes owe more to street punk and even hardcore than to hair metal, as the NYC quintet was still evolving its infamous Ramones/Kiss hybrid. Indeed, the bruddas cast a particularly heavy shadow over "Good Girl," "Mail Itch" and "Scaredy Cat." But as the comp progresses so does the band's rock & roll, until they're smashing out fearsome sleaze rock like "Dream Action" and "Be a Man" and credible (gulp) covers of Poison and Motörhead (what, no Judas Priest?). This ain't the Boys' apex by any means, but fans will open up and say ahhhhhh. Michael Toland [buy it]

TWINEMEN
Sideshow
(Hi-N-Dry)
Sideshow, the second album from Morphine outgrowth Twinemen, further carves out an identity distinct from the parent band. The mere fact that singer Laurie Sargent ain't Mark Sandman is enough, but former Morphine addicts Dana Colley and Billy Conway also make marks, adding new wrinkles to their playing while staying true to the sound that brought them notoriety in the first place. Atmospheric tunes like "In My Head," "Twilight" and "The Circle" float into netherrealms Sandman never considered, buoyed by lulling melodies and Sargent's lovely vocals. The Colley-sung "The Definition of Truth" and "A Little Strange," however, seethe over low grooves like vintage Morphine. Sideshow is the best of both worlds. Michael Toland [buy it]