Album Reviews

LANTERNA
Desert Ocean
(Jemez Mountain/Badman)
Henry Frayne's effects-heavy guitar soundscapes poke their heads out from the haze of similar practitioners by virtue of fairly simple. Rather than pour on the acid/space weirdness, Frayne lets the poppy melodies take control on tunes like "Hope," "48th and 8th" and "Summer Break." Over the course of a full album this gets a bit precious, but overall Desert Ocean is a warm bath reminder that not all instrumental guitarists have to sound like Joe Satriani. Michael Toland

LOW SKIES
All the Love I Could Find
(Flameshovel)
Chicago's Low Skies come from the indie rock school of moody, emotional balladry. There's a vaguely C&W air to many of the tunes on the band's third album, but not enough to lump the band in with, say, Will Oldham or Nadine. The songs are carefully crafted, but with enough open space for interpretation. Singer Christopher Salveter is an acquired taste, as he often sounds like the Cure's Robert Smith doing the Charlie Rich songbook. If that's your poison, you'll be happy to drink up All the Love I Could Find. Michael Toland [buy it]

JEFF MERCHANT
Window Rolled Down
(True Classical)
Window Rolled Down is a pleasant surprise, and seems to me a change of direction for Jeff Merchant. Ethereal and, even happy, this record sounds great like background music for Oompa Loompas. But I like it, craved it even. The ultra sing-songy lyrics were less haunting than probably intended and instead bore into my head and repeated themselves over and over. Good or bad, that's pretty much my benchmark for whether a record is good or not. This record is catchy and will stay with you long after you turn it off. Lance Looper [buy it]

MARLEY'S GHOST
Spooked
(Sage Arts)
Marley's Ghost sits in the American string band tradition, but don't think that makes its members hidebound dogmatists. The mostly acoustic fourpiece pulls in American and British folk, C&W, blues, cowboy balladry, sea shanties, Bob Dylan and references to the Stones and the Grateful Dead into its rich brew. Not only are the musicians comfortable with pretty much any style they feel like playing, but they carefully tie everything together as a continuum, rather than present it as eclecticism for its own sake. If the Carter Family still existed in the present, this is probably what it would sound like. Michael Toland [buy it]

THE MINUS 5
The Minus 5
(Yep Roc)
Despite its self-titled nature, the latest album from Scott McCaughey (also of the long-running Young Fresh Fellows) and friends will forever be known as the Gun Album, due to the preponderance of visual and verbal firearm imagery. It's ironic that such a symbol of violence should be so prevalent, because The Minus 5 is, amazingly, the poppiest album this inveterate pop lover has ever made. Beatlesque cues and buttery harmonies abound, though McCaughey and the usual coterie of guests (members of R.E.M., Wilco and the Posies, John Wesley Harding, Kelly Hogan) don't stint on the restless energy. McCaughey tempers his usual irreverent wit with more straightforward emotional payoffs than ever before—tunes like the C&Wified "Cigarettes Coffee and Booze" and "My Life As a Creep" balance humor and pathos in the same way as the best of John Hiatt. With lethally insinuating melodies like those found in "Rifle Called Goodbye," "All Worn Out" and "Cemetery Row" (featuring the Decemberists' Colin Meloy), you'll be singing along long before the words' impact sinks in. The Minus 5 may be the best album McCaughey has made in his 20-plus year career. Brilliant. Michael Toland [buy it]

NEW RADIANT STORM KING
The Steady Hand
(Darla)
Though a lot of pop fans know Peyton Pinkerton from his work with the Pernice Brothers, he's been co-leading (with Matt Hunter) this New England indie pop combo for over a decade. The Steady Hand revolves around Pinkerton and Hunter's melodic, intelligent rock and pop tunes and husky harmonies; tracks like "Quicksand Under Carpet," "Accountant of the Year" and "Anthymn" tickle the heart and mind. Once upon a time, the term "alternative rock" meant something beyond a categoy in Billboard; New Radiant Storm King embodies that original spirit. Michael Toland [buy it]

WILLIE NILE
Streets of New York
(00:02:59)
Willie Nile is a music industry veteran, having recorded his first album more than 25 years ago. He's operated in general obscurity though, probably because he sounds a lot like Lou Reed and a lot more like Bob Dylan. Having been lost in the shuffle of the 80s New York rock scene has probably allowed him to stay original. This is a good album, but I wonder how intentional the retro sound is. "Asking Annie Out" and "Whole World With You" are good tunes, but sound dated. I like the record enough to give Nile the benefit of the doubt. Lance Looper [buy it]

NIXON NOW
Altamont Nation Express
(Elektrohasch)
Nixon Now rocks some serious ass on Altamont Nation Express. The spirits of the MC5, Mudhoney and Union Carbide Productions live on in the fingers and frets of these riff-happy Germans, who obviously wish they were from Detroit. Not many bands can get away with an unironic gut punch like Thin Lizzy's "The Rocker" without looking silly. Whether it's the seething hard rock of "I Live in a Car" ("You forgot your bra in my car") and the title track or the groove-driven power rock of "Car Wash" (a Chic cover) and "Burning Down the Neighborhood," Nixon Now pounds out the rock and the roll as if it intended to burn out your speakers. Michael Toland

ROBERT POLLARD
From a Compound Eye
(Merge)
With the retirement of the much-loved/often-despised Guided By Voices, GBV dictator Robert Pollard's solo career becomes more than a time-killer. So From a Compound Eye, the Buckeye's first album since the divorce, has to live up to GBV's standards, rather than sound like Pollard dicking around. Pollard responds to the pressure with one of the most consistent sets of songs he's ever assembled, mostly eschewing his usual lo-fi experimental ephemera for straightforward, melodic rock. Frequent psychedelic textures, the occasional prog rock song structure (??), several grocery bags full of pop hooks and a minimum of tossed-off detritus make From a Compound Eye one of the most satisfying records in Pollard's long, strange career. Michael Toland [buy it]

SCOTT REEDER
TunnelVision Brilliance
(Liquor and Poker)
Reeder is a god in the stoner rock community, as he's wielded the thunderstick for icons Kyuss, Goatsnake, Unida and the Obsessed. It's arguably about time the multi-instrumentalist/producer made a record under his own name, and TunnelVision Brilliance doesn't disappoint. Reeder sings in a nice, husky croon, and uses his trademark bass to lift and carry the songs instead of nailing them to the floor. Pink Floyd and Porcupine Tree are bigger touchstones than Black Sabbath and Blue Cheer, and Reeder proves himself a master of atmospheric melodies and psychedelic textures. It's not a metal record in any way, shape or form, so those expecting the sound of his alma maters should check their expectations at the door. Michael Toland [buy it]