Album Reviews

THE MIDNIGHT EVILS
Breakin' It Down
(Estrus)
Minneapolis' Midnight Evils sound like the Replacements if they'd never gotten sensitive after Sorry Ma, Forgot to Take Out the Trash. And never stopped drinking. And made Westerberg yell instead of sing. And thought AC/DC was the greatest band ever. And never stopped doing speed. And drank 24/7. And recorded in their parents' garage. Did I mention the drinking? OK, maybe the Evils don't really sound like the 'Mats. But they sure do like to rock like there's no tomorrow and there's only a half-hour before the bomb drops. Michael Toland [buy it]

MIGHTY PURPLE
Prefables
(Mighty Purple)
Prolific indie rock group Mighty Purple returns with their eighth album in ten years, Prefables. Swinging smoothly between soft rock love songs and edgy folk-flavored tunes, the band builds on its layered sound with an emphasis on clear, descriptive lyrics. Steve Rodgers' vocals are pretty strong and Prefables could be described as distant cousin to any Barenaked Ladies record. After hopscotching from label to label, the band has produced a solid record, and Prefables has the potential to elevate the band past its already strong regional following. Lance Looper [buy it]

BRAD RICE
Karma Bed
(NuthinButLove)
Brad Rice has carved out a great reputation as a guitarslinger for hire with Ryan Adams, Tift Merritt and others, plus honorable membership in venerated Southern rock bands the Backsliders, Finger and the Accelerators. Now it's finally time for him to stand on his own, and he does so proudly on Karma Bed. Well known for his roots rock mastery, Rice adds a loving psychedelic blues touch to his songs here, giving tunes like "Fall Away" and "Testify" a unique feel that's earthy and otherworldly at the same time. Though as hot a soloist as you could wish for, Rice keeps his flashy tendencies in check, concentrating on riffs, melodies and moods. He's written a strong batch of tunes here as well, from the surreal "Stone Train Driver" and introspective "Burnin' Light" (co-written with Steve Wynn, himself no stranger to psychedelic roots rock) to the gnarly "What I Know (also penned with Wynn) and the triumphant gem of a title track. I'm glad Rice graces so many worthy artists with his six-string presence, but Karma Bed proves he's nobody's sideman. Michael Toland [buy it]

SALAMANDER
Bent Hemlock
(Camera Obscura)
Salamander's last album Birds of Appetite was a space rock/psych jam delight, all melody and texture. Bent Hemlock leans more toward acoustic instruments and acid folk, and it's just as good. The band continues its love affair with drones and Middle Eastern melodies on "Nocturne," "Galleon" and "An Open Transom." But the quartet also focuses its excursions into more traditional songlike forms, as on "Diagram," "Call of the Hills" and "The Somnambulist." Bent Hemlock is a new chapter in the book of a band fast becoming one of the best psychedelic rock acts in the U.S., but it's of the same high quality as the previous pages. Michael Toland

THE SATELLITERS
Hashish
(Dionysus)
There's enough 60s-inspired garage rock around right now to choke a blue whale, but somehow I'm not yet sick of it yet. (Give me a few months…) Germany's Satelliters do it right, not by being in the least innovative, but simply by sounding like a lost classic from the sixties. The songs are catchy and enthusiastically performed, the covers are unusual (Small Faces' "Wham Bam Thank You Ma'am" is the most well-known, but We the People's "You Byrn Me Up and Down" is the best) and the production is as clear as possible while still sounding dated. Check "Go Away," the overtly psychedelic "1969—The End of Time" and "Tomorrow is Another Day" for some sweet retro kicks. Michael Toland [buy it]

TURPENTINE BROTHERS
We Don't Care About Your Good Times
(Alive)
Boston's Turpentine Brothers (actually two brothers and a sister) rip through their R&B-infused stompers in a breathless rush, all drums and guitar and organ used as blunt instruments. Most of the time, anyway; while "Wastin' Time," "People are Talkin'" and the title song break bones and bruise kidneys, "Why Can't I Do" and covers of Curtis Mayfield's "Fool For You" and Charles Brown's "I Wanna Be Close" hint at a throbbing heart, even if singer/guitarist Justin tries to hide it under a layer of grit. One hundred percent pretension free, We Don't Care About Your Good Times is raw, crude and primitive in the very best way. Michael Toland [buy it]

THE TWO TEARS
"Enjoy Yourself"
(Bent Rail Foundation)
Songwriter Kerry Davis' ensemble almost sounds like a twee indie pop outfit like so many others. Almost. The sweet vocalizing and jangly guitars are there, and it sounds like the fey melodies are as well. Until you listen more closely to the way Davis clashes chords against each other, the way she'll move from a melodious verse to a jagged bridge or vice versa. Then you have to revise your opinion: the Two Tears is indie rock, not pop. Make your shopping list accordingly. Michael Toland

SOUNDTRACK
Alone in the Dark
(Nuclear Blast)
The Christian Slater horror vehicle may have tanked at the box office (deservedly so, according to reports), but the soundtrack is something else. It's not unusual for fright flicks to boast metal soundtracks—indeed, it's almost di rigeur—but this collection functions as a fairly well-rounded "state of the union" address for underground and extreme heaviness. Oldtimers Fear Factory, Exodus, Death Angel and Machine Head launch missiles beside younger pups like Mnemic, Raunchy, God Forbid and Heaven Shall Burn. Tastes of the cream of the current headbanger crop make appearances as well, including Cradle of Filth, Mastodon, Dimmu Borgir, Arch Enemy, In Flames, the Haunted and Messhugah. (No Opeth, though.) There's also some Goth metal from Lacuna Coil, some operatic power metal from Nightwish and a bit of good ol' rock & roll from Fireball Ministry. If you want to check in on what gets ears a-bleedin' these days, Alone in the Dark is the perfect method to the madness. Michael Toland [buy it]