Album Reviews

LAUREN AGNELLI
Love Always Follows Me
(BongoBeat)
Lauren Agnelli has explored the many facets of American popular music throughout her wide-ranging career. She began in the 1970's heading Nervus Rex, a fixture at New York's CBGB's. Later she helped ignite an 80s folk revival with the Grammy-nominated Washington Squares. In the 1990s she formed the melodic Agnelli and Rave with Dave "Rave" DesRoches. Now with her new solo effort, Love Always Follows Me, Agnelli draws upon her many musical styles to present new and classic torch songs that reveal the many sides of love. For example, "On the Street Where You Live," from My Fair Lady, tempers the giddiness of new love with a folky, child-like vulnerability. "It Must Be Tuesday," written just before 9/11, nevertheless captures the bittersweet feeling of love lost and remembered in the wake of that dark Tuesday. Picking up where she left off on Brave Combo's 1996 Kiss of Fire, Agnelli illuminates the many facets of not only music, but love. Scott Hoffman [buy it]

ANTISEEN
Badwill Ambassadors
(TKO)
I'm ashamed to admit that, outside of a couple of tracks on a sampler, this is my first exposure to North Carolina's infamous Antiseen. For other Antiseen virgins, here's what you get: ripping punk rock & roll with the power of a nuclear missile and the politics of Ted Nugent. Not that the latter will be much of an issue for the more liberal-minded; Jeff Clayton's carnivorous growl mangles most of the lyrics beyond recognition and the Motörhead-meets-a-meatgrinder hooks slam hard enough that you won't care what he's singing about anyway. Whether it's a Dennis Miller-style rant like "F.T.K." and "Scapegoat" or more lighthearted cuts like "From Part Unknown" and "The Devil Meets the Longhaired Weirdo," it's clear the memos takes a back seat to pure force. It's only rock & roll, after all, so never mind the message and just go break stuff. Michael Toland [buy it]

THE ARTS AND SCIENCES
Hopeful Monsters
(Daemon)
A band revolving around the singing/songwriting talents of Paul Melançon (whose Camera Obscura album is worth seeking out), the Arts and Sciences make beautifully crafted, deeply feeling indie pop. Melançon's smart, mellifluous tunes are perfectly matched to his almost diabolically appealing tenor, and the band gives him sensitive support, while knowing when to give him a little kick in the ass. "Dark Double Bed" and "Fluoxetine" should be the songs coming from your favorite indie rock kid's iPod. Don't miss the unlisted bonus cover of Hot Chocolate's "Emma." Michael Toland [buy it]

BACKYARD BABIES
Tinnitus
(Liquor and Poker)
Despite producing Total 13, one of the best rock & records of the last decade, Sweden's Backyard Babies have had a hard time gaining a foothold in America. Tinnitus celebrates the sleaze rock quartet's U.S. signing by compiling four songs apiece from the band's last three disks. The Babies show their best with blazing gates-stormers like "Made Me Madman," "Brand New Hate" (co-written by the Wildhearts' Ginger, whose influence was obviously the dominant one) and the almost ridiculously rocking "U.F.O. Romeo." "Friends," which features cameos by band admirers Michael Monroe (Hanoi Rocks), Tyla (Dogs D'amour) and the late Joey Ramone, is also a stone hoot. More serious songs like "Colours" don't work to the band's best advantage; fortunately not many of them made the cut. This doesn't have the relentless power rush of Total 13, but it's still a great way to get acquainted with this wild bunch of Marshalls, tattoos and sweat. Michael Toland [buy it]

BIIRDIE
Morning Kills the Dark
(Pop Up)
Bedsit pop from the mind of songwriter Jared Flamm. Flamm and partner Kala Savage have a refreshingly classicist view of songwriting, so the tunes are fairly melodic and the fi isn't as lo as it might be in other hands. Flamm's on-the-edge-of-sleep voice is another matter, though; sometimes his drawl sounds perfectly appropriate (Savage's sweet lil' harmonies help), while other time it makes me want to slap him awake. I guess that's what keeps the sincerely emotional Morning Kills the Dark palatable to indie hipsters. Michael Toland [buy it]

BLIVIT
Unhand the World
(Crimson Five)
The gimmick for this Philadelphia trio is that the distorted power chords are produced on a keyboard rather than a guitar. That's not much on which to hang a career. Luckily, Blivit's got more than just a shtick, namely hooky, unpredictable charmers like "Rockin' the Boat," "Pretty Lies" and "This Condition." It doesn't hurt that leader/keysman Jeremy Dyen has a wonderfully engaging voice and an ambitious lyrical program that insinuates itself into the melodies with ease. It doesn't matter what instruments these boys would be playing—the songs speak confidently for themselves. Michael Toland [buy it]

CHEYENNE
I am Haunted, I am Alive
(The Record Machine)
I am Haunted, I am Alive is the debut full-length record from Beau Jennings and his revolving door of musicians. Jennings' writing stands out among a packed crowd of current roots acts and the songs on I am Haunted, I am Alive are melancholy musings on love, death and what happens in between. Complementing the strong songwriting are the layered and meaty arrangements. Cheyenne has put together an innovative mix of alt.country and roots/bluegrass that puts the music and lyrics on equal footing. The tunes are brooding, but not so much so that they can't make you smile. Lance Looper

DEKE FALCON
Sand in the Shower, Rust in the Road
(Happy Mistake)
Deke Falcon's debut album, Sand in the Shower, Rust on the Road straddles several genres, including rock, country and folk. Bassist Dave Clark is the driving force behind the band's droning sound, but his playing is lost in the shuffle. There are a couple of really good tunes on this disc, especially "On the Roof" and "Cloudy." The rest is a perfectly serviceable record, but Patrick Hayden's vocals seem outmatched by the rest of the band, and are nearly swallowed completely on "Pigfuck." The writing picks up the slack, though; great lyrics can atone for a multitude of sins. Hayden has a great songwriting style—now if he could just find someone to sing. Lance Looper [buy it]

MARK DIGNAM
Box Heart Man
(Times Beach)
The third release from Dublin transplant Mark Dignam, Box Heart Man is a complete record with poetic lyrics carried forth on Dignam's warbling, knowing vocals and crisp musicianship. Dignam lets loose on "Pinwheel" and the excitement is infectious. Dignam's abandon on this tune reminds me of the way Sinead O'Connor used to perform "The Last Day of Our Acquaintance." He immediately shifts gears with "Ghosts," a cotton-soft love song (I think). Then things ratchet back up with the punky "Fable." Dignam's musicians are flawless as well, including an appearance on bass from Ethan Daniel Davidson. Lance Looper [buy it]

THE FOXYMORONS
Hesitation Eyes
(Heatstroke)
I've not heard of the Foxymorons before, and after hearing Hesitation Eyes I'm surprised. The Texas/Nashville duo's third record is sterling pop, with a melodic sense taken from the classics and arrangements inspired by indie rock heroes like Guided By Voices and Yo La Tengo. On the one hand, fans of underground power pop and indie rock won't hear anything particularly new here. On the other paw, if they can resist stunningly crafted and performed tracks like "Terror on the Tarmac," "Just Because" and "Pistol By Your Side," they're beyond jaded. The title track brings everything home with the band's catchiest melody, toughest sound and most winsome falsetto chorus. No hesitation here. Michael Toland [buy it]

THE GOLDEN REPUBLIC
The Golden Republic
(Astralwerks)
Kansas City's Golden Republic boils down several decades' worth of shiny rock & roll on its debut album. A little glam, a little garage-flavored punk, some new wave flourishes and a whole lot of modern alternative rock mix together for a melodic, occasionally exciting program of tunes that, alas, don't stick to the ribs as tightly as I'd like. Ben Grimes has a nice voice, but it's not particularly distinctive, and only the soul-inflected "She's So Cold" (not the Stones song) really stands out. (So does "Robots," but only because it's a bad approximation of Franz Ferdinand.) There's certainly potential here, but it's as yet unrealized. Michael Toland [buy it]

HEAVY TRASH
Heavy Trash
(Yep Roc)
Joined by NYC musician-about-town Matt Verta-Ray, Jon Spencer takes on rockabilly with the Heavy Trash project. As such, it's as cheeseball and genially obscene as you'd expect, though Spencer does show a great deal of restraint when it comes to the super-echoed glottal stops and hiccups that characterize so much 'billy. Maybe that's the problem—he stays far enough within the boundaries of taste that the wild-eyed mania of the best rockabilly never takes hold. Spencer fans must have this, of course—the rest of us will stick with the Cramps. Michael Toland

KINO
Picture
(InsideOut)
One of an endless series of progressive rock side projects, Kino is comprised of current and former members of Arena, Marillion, It Bites and Porcupine Tree. Fans familiar with those bands won't be surprised to learn that Kino emphasizes songs and textures over solos and technical bravado. "Room For Two," "Telling Me to Tell You" and "Perfect Tense" let relationship issues soar over well-developed melodies; when solos do happen, they're short and to the point. Being tasteful and heartfelt makes Kino's music feel like shaking hands with an old friend. Michael Toland [buy it]

KISSINGER
Me and Otto
(WCI)
I thought Austin's Kissinger had gone into retirement; thank goodness I was wrong. The quartet's second album Me and Otto boasts (and I do mean boasts) a fuller, more aggressive sound than the band's debut, without giving an inch in the melody department. Songwriter Chopper is in top form here, with romping singalongs like "Sister Vikki," "Outta the Car" and the title asskicker leading the way. He shows his tender side, too, with the mostly acoustic "Silent Sky" and the lovely "Hannah." Kissinger doesn't bother with trying to innovate; this band just writes good songs and performs them well. Imminently, compulsively listenable. Michael Toland

MARDO
Mardo
(House of Restitution)
One could argue that the world needs another 70s-loving arena rock revival band like it needs another dictator obsessed with maintaining power. But since classic rock-loving longhairs are still outnumbered by hip-hoppers, sensitive indie rockers and People magazine country singers, they can get away with sounding fresh. So it is for Mardo, a snotty boogiecrunch trio that lets its riffs do the talking. The band adds an understated (if that's possible) glam rock edge to "Son," "Catch a Thief" and "Anyone But Me," sounding like an unlikely but intriguing cross between Foghat and Sweet. Mardo hasn't quite hit its stride yet, but Mardo drops enough hints to make it worth the band a contender. Michael Toland [buy it]

ERIC MATTHEWS
Six Kinds of Passion Looking For An Exit
(Empyrean)
Portland's Eric Matthews made two strong records in the 90s and then disappeared into the murk of session work. Now he's finally back with the quietly brilliant Six Kinds of Passion Looking For An Exit. Scaling back both his usual lush arrangements and elliptical lyrics and boasting a less breathy, slightly deeper singing voice, Matthews produces far earthier music than before, allowing the melodies to stand naked. Which they do quite proudly—"Cardinal is More" (an offbeat love letter to his former Cardinal bandmate Richard Davies), "So Overblown" and "Black to Light Brown" are more enticing and memorable than anything he's written outside of his classic single "Fanfare." Even "Do You Really Want It?" overcomes its annoying electronic drum track with its effervescent tune. While Matthews has always been an expert tailor when it comes to dressing up ambitious pop songs, stripping his tracks back to their underwear makes them even more gorgeous. Michael Toland [buy it]

THE MEREDITHS
A Closed Universe
(Debauchery)
Louisville, Kentucky may be best known in music circles as the home of a particularly challenging strain of indie rock, but apparently nobody told the Merediths. A Closed Universe takes icons like the Beatles and the Kinks as its inspiration, and the quintet makes the 60s guitar pop sound totally contemporary. Romance gets its comeuppance in "Cruel Kind of Love" and "Right There," but the sardonic philosophy married to an irresistible melody in "Home Erectus" is the most impressive thing on this too-brief EP. Michael Toland