Album Reviews

THE BENEVENTO/RUSSO DUO
Best Reason to Buy the Sun
(Ropeadope)
A smorgasbord of jazz comping, distorted organ, challenging melodies and aggressive drumming, Best Reason to Buy the Sun recalls great keyboard/drum records of the past while remaining contemporary. Once in a while a piece sounds like it's missing another instrument, but most of the tunes are complete in and of themselves. The duo tosses in the occasional electronic doodle to keep the club kids into it, but mostly it's just timeless jamming and groove. Michael Toland [buy it]

BEN'S DIAPERS
Little Pilgrims
(Rhythm Barrel/Plastic Passion)
"Ben's Diapers" ain't a name that inspires confidence, but fortunately this Finnish combo's music does. Little Pilgrims may not originate from the American heartland, but only singer Jaakko Söderström's accent betrays that. The quintet gives its straightforwardly melodic tunes unfancy arrangements that get the songs across as clearly as possible. The band's lack of variety does plain ditties like "Bleeding Heart" no favors, but when it works, as on "Punk Girl," "The Day Talent Died" and the rousing "Road Songs," it works magnificently. Michael Toland

BLOOD RED THRONE
Altered Genesis
(Earache)
Guitarist Tchort is one of the hardest-working men in extreme metal, enjoying (enduring?) membership in three full-time bands. Shifting from the black metal of Carpathian Forest and progressive metal of Green Carnation, in Blood Red Throne he and three mates blast out pure, unfiltered death metal, reveling in the ugly riffs, uglier vokills and high "ewww!" factor of tunes like "Flesh to Destroy" and "Eye-Licker." Altered Genesis is the soundtrack to your next Italian zombie flick festival. Michael Toland [buy it]

BLUEBOTTLE KISS
Come Across
(Nonzero/In Music We Trust)
Australia's Bluebottle Kiss started as the Down Under version of Coldplay and its ilk, but has evolved on Come Across. Taking a cue from home country forebears like Nick Cave and the Triffids, singer/songwriter Jamie Hutchings and crew add more drama, better dynamics and an anthemic quality that comes from addressing bigger concerns rather than trying to fill up hockey arenas. "Slow Train to a Comfy Jail," "Sisters Head On" and "Everything Begins and Ends at Exactly the Right Time" are ambitious, beautifully realized pop songs that lift the band into its own distinctive skyline. Michael Toland [buy it]

CADIZ
Breakers
(Topsy)
Breakers is the grainy, subtle debut album from one-time King Lear Jet frontman Robert Lee. Equal parts sorrowful musings and hopefulness, Breakers captures the tone of the mining town that inspired it. Lee's voice is soft and deliberate, and the lyrics are genuine. The songs vary in tone; some are heavily produced while others, such as "Spiders," seem to move forward as if blowing on a breeze. "Making Plans" is the most traditional-sounding tune and reminds me of several CCR songs, but not one in particular. On his own, Lee has found his voice with Breakers. Lance Looper [buy it]

THE DIPLOMATS OF SOLID SOUND
Destination…Get Down!
(Estrus)
Soul jazz for cool cats. Light up a cig, sip that martini and check out the hot chicks in their mini-skirts and go-go boots. If the funky beats of "Smash Up" don't get her to shake what the universe gave her, cast your gaze elsewhere. And if the sultry sax of "Ladies' Choice" doesn't have her pulling that dress over her head, she's a man, man. Michael Toland [buy it]

GREATER CALIFORNIA
Somber Wurlitzer
(Earthling/Wishing Tree)
The title tells it all: while a Wurlitzer electric piano isn't the center of every arrangement, a somber mood is. Beautiful melodies and a melancholy atmosphere swirl in and out of each other, buoying hushed but confident vocals. Soulful presentation of catchy songs like "Missing Summer," "In Scarlet" and Donovan's "Jersey Thursday" makes Greater California one of the better psychedelic folk rock bands I've heard recently. Michael Toland [buy it]

STEVE HACKETT & THE UNDERWORLD ORCHESTRA
Metamorpheus
(InsideOut)
I've been curious to hear one of ex-Genesis guitarist Steve Hackett's solo albums for years, but this probably wasn't the one to start with. Rather than a rock album, Metamorpheus is an original orchestral work, with Hackett plucking a classical guitar alongside a small ensemble. On the one hand, the music—based loosely on the story of Orpheus, if the notes are any indication—is impressive in its scope and quiet beauty. On the other, I have no frame of reference for this, so I can't judge it as either classical music or as a Hackett record. But it's out there, waiting to be discovered by those who seek out this sort of thing. Michael Toland [buy it]

AMOS LEE
Amos Lee
(Blue Note)
Young Mr. Lee is a folky singer/songwriter with some soul phrasing and the occasional jazzy air to his melodies. He's perfectly positioned between the Bill Withers of yesteryear and the Jason Mrazes of today. He's warm, tasteful and non-threatening, perfect for the hordes of people and radio stations that embraced Norah Jones (with whom he shares a label). Frankly, this record bores me to tears. But hey, if you think Jones was the savior of modern music, then here's her male equivalent. Go for it. Michael Toland [buy it]

LOLA DUTRONIC
The World of Lola Dutronic
(BongoBeat)
The World of Lola Dutronic a bright, shiny tribute to the Euro-Electric pop sound. Producer Richard Citroen and vocalist Frankie (Francoise) Hart collaborate beautifully, and the best example of their combined sensibilities is "Camille 2000." The combination of French and English vocals works well because it just makes it sound cool. Who cares what she's saying? I mean, it's in French. So it must be enlightened in some way, right? There is also a cover of "Walking on Sunshine," that bastion of tired pop songs, but it sounds awesome here. Lance Looper [buy it]

MAGNOLIA ELECTRIC CO.
What Comes After the Blues
(Secretly Canadian)
I never cared much for songwriter Jason Molina's much-beloved prior band Songs: Ohia, but Magnolia Electric Co. is a different story. What Comes After the Blues is clearly and unashamedly derivative of 70s Neil Young, from lilting country rock ("Leave the City") to full-tilt rock & roll ("The Dark Don't Hide It"). Molina has the same kind of fragile but forceful tenor, and even has an Emmylou Harris-like harmony singer in Jennie Benford. Derivation aside, tunes like "Hard to Love a Man," "The Night Shift Lullaby" and "I Can Not Have Seen the Light" are just fucking good songs given heartfelt performances. Apparently What Comes After the Blues is beauty. Michael Toland [buy it]

THE MASS
City of Dis
(Crucial Blast)
Avant garde postpunk meets technical thrash metal for a rumble in the alley behind the strip club on City of Dis, the second disk from the Mass. Lots of stop-on-a-dime tempo changes, dissonant saxophone blasts, metallic riffing, caffeinated nerd screaming, etc. There's a self-consciousness here that undermines the chaos, and Yakuza is still a better bet for cerebral BLARRGH, but the Mass does give me a nostalgic glow for the freakier releases on SST Records in the 80s. Michael Toland [buy it]

THE MURDOCKS
Surrender
(Surprise Truck)
The Murdocks, a fiery garage band boasting Austin as home, are running their flag up the pole with Surrenderender. The trio's first full-length record goes full throttle, led by Franklin Morris' biting guitar and sub-punk vocals. Sounding just a tad like White Stripes, though I am positive this is not intentional, the Murdocks also are minimalists when it comes to the sound. The instruments don't bury the songs, and the band's less-is-more approach is refreshing. Surrenderender is a hot rock record with little room for improvement that I can tell. Lance Looper