Album Reviews

ANDREW
What's It All About?
(Avebury)
To answer the title question, Andrew Sandoval's sixth disk is about 60s-derived power pop. Backed by Velvet Crush drummer Ric Menck and the Last's David Nolte on bass, plus guest appearances by L.A. pop gadfly Probyn Gregory and songwriter Kristian Hoffman, Sandoval (whose other jobs include writing books and playing with Dave Davies) works in the tradition of the Left Banke and the Zombies. While he's not in the same class as his inspirations, the boy do got game, as fragile pieces of lush melody like "Another Way of Life" and "We'll Dream" gently demonstrate. "How Come It Takes So Long?" even rocks a bit, an ability he might consider cultivating a bit more aggressively next time out. Michael Toland [buy it]

STEVE BARTON
Charm Offensive
(Sleepless)
Steve Barton was a mainstay of 80s cult band Translator and was responsible for that group's classic "Everywhere That I'm Not." So it's not a surprise that Charm Offensive (produced by Ed Stasium) is straightahead power pop, smartly crafted, engagingly tuneful and tighter than a size six skirt on a sumo wrestler. Nothing fancy here, just springloaded pop hits like "Kiss This," "Hold a Shadow Down" and the nearly funky "Tina Finds the Silences." The record pauses for breath only for the lovely closing ballad "What Treasures I May Find." Michael Toland [buy it]

THE BLUERUNNERS
Honey Slides
(Bayou Vista)
I absolutely adore the Bluerunners' 1991 debut album, which is as perfect a synthesis of zydeco and cowpunk rock & roll as you're ever likely to hear. I've been less impressed with the band's subsequent albums, all of which seemed to lose that balance. But the band's fifth record Honey Slides snaps the 'runners back where they belong without merely rehashing old glories. Leader/guitarist Mark Meaux is in fine form, his snide vocals and lean guitar leading the way on a set of wry, danceable originals. Accordionist Adrian Huval and lap steel guitarist/washboarder Will Golden add tasteful, occasionally blazing support. I still wish for the breakneck pace of some of the band's early work, but it's impossible to argue with bluesy, soulful cuts like "Kingsnake Crawl," "The Gravedigger" and the excellent "Ghost of a Girl," featuring Susan Cowsill on harmonies. Michael Toland [buy it]

JIMMY CHAMBERLIN COMPLEX
Life Begins Again
(Sanctuary)
Former Smashing Pumpkins drummer Jimmy Chamberlin and his collaborator Billy Mohler display a double interest on Life Begins Again. On half the album, he wants to show off his percussive and compositional skills in jazz. "Owed to Darryl" and "Streetcrawler" wouldn't have given Miles Davis any sleepless nights, but they're solid pieces of jazz rock fusion, appropriately powered by Chamberlin's able trap work. The other half plows the same hard-edged alternative rock field as the Pumpkins, complete with Great Pumpkin Billy Corgan on vocals for "Lokicat." Better, though, are "Love is Real" and the title track, which feature the soulful croon of Rob Dickinson from the M.I.A. Catherine Wheel—it's great to hear Dickinson back at the mic, and kudos to Chamberlin for the persuasion. Michael Toland [buy it]

CHROMA KEY
Graveyard Mountain Home
(InsideOut)
The latest from keyboardist/composer Kevin Moore, AKA Chroma Key, follows the same cinematic path of his last album Ghost Book. An original soundtrack of a public domain film called Age 13, Graveyard Mountain Home is mostly instrumental, letting keyboards, acoustic guitars, percussion and samples sustain a dreamlike mood. Moore's dry vocals make the occasional appearance, transmitting a great deal of emotion without a drop of histrionics. Like past Chroma Key projects, this record makes a major virtue of understatement, conveying compelling music while remaining refreshingly low key. Michael Toland [buy it]

TOM FREUND
Copper Moon
(Surf Road)
It's such a cliché, but it's one that's apt here: Tom Freund just keeps getting better. On his third album Copper Moon he's an insightful an observer as ever of the things people do to each other in the name of love. But his melodies are more memorable this time out (not that they were crap before). Tunes like "I Don't Wanna Wait," "October Girl" and the title track will have you crooning along with lines like "And I worry about where you are/In a world that's gone way too far." He's also pushing his own envelope a bit, infusing his trademark jazz/noir leanings with electronic ephemera on "Comfortable in Your Arms" and "Leavin' Town." He ends the record with "New Moon of the 7th Sun," a gorgeous piano ballad in the classic tradition. Copper Moon is damn near a masterpiece. If he keeps his momentum going, the next album will be a stone killer. Michael Toland [buy it]

THE GREAT UNKNOWNS
Presenting the Great Unknowns
(Daemon)
With their first album recorded under the Daemon Records label, the Great Unknowns have added another dimension to their country-rock sound. Especially prevalent is a smooth bluegrass twist on "Abilene," complete with an accordion and skillful banjo playing by Andy Eggers. It's interesting that this is the band's first record for their new label, like starting on a new journey, since a large portion of these songs are about being homesick, or going home, or how great home is. Becky Warren's vocals are soft and delicate, creating a tremendous sense of longing. The musicians, who have a collective history of revolving through the doors of other bands, have found a voice on this record and will hopefully continue delivering their sweet, edgy country sound. Hallelujah! Lance Looper [buy it]

THE HIDDEN HAND/WOOLY MAMMOTH
Night Letters
(Meteor City)
Night Letters presents a pair of songs apiece from the crusty veterans of the Hidden Hand and the young pups in Wooly Mammoth. The Hand, featuring underground metal great Wino, lays into "Five Points" and "Welcome to Sunshine" with its usual guts 'n' glory, reaffirming its mastery of the mighty riff. Its kid brothers in the Mammoth do pretty much the same on "The Prophet" and "Mastercut + Charisma," sounding a lot like their mentors, but with enough of a psychedelic edge to give them a separate identity. This little teaser makes me want to hear more of Wooly Mammoth, and god knows too much Hidden Hand is never enough. Also included is a nice bonus sampler disk from MeteorCity's roster. Michael Toland [buy it]

THE INSOMNIACS
Switched On!
(Estrus)
Is it just me, or is the underground power pop scene undergoing a real renaissance? There's such a glut of earnest guitar-based popsters that it's easy to become jaded toward the music's charms. The Insomniacs may seem like a cookie-cutter example of the style, but Switched On! proves the Jersey band to be a significant artistic force. It's not that the trio's made some kind of sonic breakthrough; this is still about fuzzy guitars, sugared-up rhythms and boyishly desperate singing. It's that the songs—whether trembling ravers like "Upandaway" and "Alice White" or sweet ballads like "It's Gone" and "Tomorrow"—are just way too fucking good to resist. As long as the Insomniacs keep doing their janglepop bop, guitar pop will be in excellent shape. Michael Toland [buy it]

MAPLEWOOD
Maplewood
(Tee Pee)
Steeped in the traditions of California surf bands, Maplewood's debut record is laid back and seems to wander through a chemical-induced buzz. The breezy, if at times overly harmonic (is there such a thing?), vocals of Mark Rozzo are soft and sweet and as unhurried as sunset.. The first song on the disk, "Indian Summer," says all there is to say about Maplewood's musical style. The band strikes a nice balance with their beach bum attitude, which is pretty much what we all want them to be, with "Gemini's on the Way," and really mature lyrics on tunes like "Santa Fe" and "Think It Through." It can't be easy to write songs that can radiate this type of warmth without weighing them down, but the group has done a masterful job creating an endless summer. Lance Looper [buy it]

THE MUMMIES
Death By Unga Bunga!!
(Estrus)
The Mummies may have long crawled back into their various sarcophagi, but the legacy of the Kings of Budget Rock (and you better believe it's "TM," baby) shuffles on within the laser grooves of Death By Unga Bunga!!, a compilation of the band's many 45s. For longtime fans, this is a boon; for neophytes…well, let's just say this will vigorously scratch your itch for ultra-raw, crappily recorded tracks of snarling guitar-fuzzed, roller-rink organ-laced, crumbling drums-driven garage rock trash. Finally, crud-rock classics like "(I Should Better Be Lookin' For) Dangerman" and "(You Must Fight to Live) On the Planet of the Apes" have a digital place to live. Get out your preservatives and wrap it up. Michael Toland [buy it]