Album Reviews

OCEANSIZE
Everyone into Position
(Beggars Banquet)
This majestic British quintet makes its mark with Everyone into Position. Sweeping arrangements meet brooding melodies, tempered by outbursts of power and fury. Dreamy landscapes give way to steely thunderstorms; songs move deliberately forward but never drift. The occasional nü-metal influence strikes a sour note, but it's such a rare occurrence than it's not a big issue. Radiohead is a touchstone, but so are Jane's Addiction and My Bloody Valentine. So, for that matter, is frequent tourmate Porcupine Tree, with whom Oceansize shares a sense of adventure and a devotion to melody. Everyone into Position isn't a masterpiece, but I think there's one on the horizon. Michael Toland [buy it]

ODYSSEY THE BAND
Back in Time
(Pi)
Since iconoclastic guitar/singer James Blood Ulmer turns toward the blues on his own records, he keeps his hand in the jazz world with drummer Warren Benbow and violinist Charles Burnham. (Odyssey the Band as opposed to Odyssey, the amazing album they recorded back in the early 80s.) Of course, jazz is a very flexible concept for Ulmer. Funk, particularly New Orleans second line, is as important as swing to the polyrhythms, and improvisation is as much about comping as soloing. Burnham's psychedelic fiddle (often played through a wah-wah pedal) features as largely in the mix as Ulmer's thranging guitar and croaking vocals. "Woman Coming," "Happy Time" and the bluesy "Let's Get Married" are some of the most accessible tunes these notoriously challenging musicians have ever cut, with clearly defined melodies and a minimum of skronk. Back in Time is a marvelous record. Michael Toland [buy it]

PEARLS AND BRASS
The Indian Tower
(Drag City)
There are a gazillion post-Sabbath heavy rock bands out there, and most of them are content to just recycle the work of the masters. (Not that there's anything wrong with that, as long as they're good at it.) Power trio Pearls and Brass, however, is one of the few artists dedicated to helping stoner metal evolve. Knotty song structures and odd hooks punctuate the Pennsylvania combo's music, giving it an almost prog-like cadence. Which isn't to say P&B doesn't know when to lay back ("I Learn the Hard Way") or just rock the fuck out ("Pray For Sound"). Fans of progressive stoner rockers like Wino should give Pearls and Brass a spin or two. Michael Toland [buy it]

PILOTDRIFT
Water Sphere
(Good)
It's not often I get my mind boggled by a new band anymore. But this genre-fucking quintet grabs my brainstem and gives it a good tickle. If Andrew Lloyd Webber wrote songs for Olivia Tremor Control, Water Sphere might be the result. Hailing from Texarkana, Pilotdrift pulls in psychedelic pop, progressive rock, glam, classical music, Goth and theater into a deliciously rich fondue that teases the palette with familiar sensations, but tastes entirely new. Hazy confections like "Bubblecraft" float next to dramatic presentations like "Caught in My Trap;" the band whips up a minor masterpiece in the multi-segmented "Jekyll and Hyde Suite." One minute Pilotdrift sounds like the perfect backup band for Gothic song stylist Hannah Fury, the next like it should be touring with Hawkwind. Of course, an eclectic band that revels so blatantly in playing to the cheap seats will irritate as many as it entices. Personally, I think it's nudging up against genius. Michael Toland [buy it]

PRIESTESS
Hello Master
(Indica)
From out of nowhere (well, Montreal) comes Priestess, the latest contestant in the superrock sweepstakes. If that sounds like a dismissal, it ain't—this batch of longhairs are contenders. Sure, the quartet has the riffs and amphetamines-and-coffee energy required; "Everything That You Are," "No Real Pain" and "I Am the Night, Colour Me Black" rock righteously, channeling the turbopower of Motörhead and the MC5. But the band has an unusual lyrical acumen; "Talk to Her," "The Shakes" and "Time Will Cut You Down" demonstrate sensitivity and introspection without stinting on the blast one iota. Phil Lynott would be proud. Michael Toland [buy it]

MEGAN REILLY
Let Your Ghost Go
(Carrot Top)
Memphis-to-New York transplant Megan Reilly may be relatively inexperienced, but you'd never know it from listening to her second album Let Your Ghost Go. Besides benefiting from the support of a veteran crew of musicians (Tony Maimone, Steve Goulding, Tim Folijahn, Sue Garner), Reilly's weathered folk/rock/pop songs have the level of craft and maturity of a much older soul. Maybe it's her taste in influences—she covers not only Bob Dylan ("Wedding Song") but also Phil Lynott ("Little Girl in Bloom"). Ultimately, though, it's her own bittersweet "Nighttime," darkly dignified "Blackhearted" and tbootstraps-lifting title track that mark Reilly as a voice to watch. Michael Toland [buy it]

TOM RUSSELL
Love & Fear
(HighTone)
I used to be a big fan of Tom Russell's amazing facility with words, his compelling storytelling and his burnished voice. Alas, he lost me with his last few albums, each more conceptual, ungainly and, worst of all, dull than the last. So it's with great delight that I report that Love & Fear is a resounding rebound. Leaving conceptual threads behind for a simple set of songs, Russell reclaims his songcrafting throne with sharp, tight tunes like the lovely "Ash Wednesday," the angry "Four Chambered Heart" and the unusually catchy "Stealing Electricity." I'm sure Russell wouldn't appreciate me calling this record a comeback, but Love & Fear feels like a rebirth. Michael Toland [buy it]

JULES SHEAR
Dreams Don't Count
(Mad Dragon)
A new Jules Shear album is always welcome, especially since a few years tend to pass between releases. (The disadvantage of being a professional songwriter for a living, I suppose.) Dreams Don't Count recalls his late 80s gem The Third Party with its intimate, mostly acoustic vibe. No drums, just a smattering of electric guitar, bass and strings supporting Shear's emotive voice and great songs. "You Anymore" and "Accustomed to the Clearness" are as beautiful as any song he's written, and the album as a whole is a balm to the soul. Michael Toland [buy it]

THE SOLEDAD BROTHERS
The Hardest Walk
(Alive)
The Soledad Brothers are veterans of the Detroit scene that spawned the White Stripes et al, and have been perfectly content to avoid the spotlight and just get on with the business of rockin'. While the quartet's roots are certainly in R&B-based garage rock, its tree has branches that stretch to psychedelia, pop and even free jazz, giving The Hardest Walk a range and depth most groups of this ilk never touch. The closest analog is the 60s Rolling Stones, not because the Brothers sound like them, but because they apply the same spirit of adventurous experimentation to traditional roots. Michael Toland [buy it]

SOUTHERN CULTURE ON THE SKIDS
Doublewide and Live
(Yep Roc)
Pass the chicken-fried steak, mashed potatoes and apple pie. Doublewide and Live, the latest album by Southern Culture on the Skids, will work up an appetite for true American rock & roll. For the past two decades, this high energy band has delivered hearty portions of homemade rockabilly. Songs like "The Wet Spot" and "Liquored Up" will make true NASCAR fans dance and college frat boys cheer. But you don't have to be white trash or drive a pickup truck to appreciate this live recording from frontman Rick Miller, bassist Mary Huff or stand-up drummer Dave Hartman. Deirdre Walsh [buy it]

SPIRITU/VILLAGE OF DEAD ROADS
Human Failures
(MeteorCity)
Don't you hate it when a band peaks only to break up? Spiritu (fronted by MeteorCity overlord Jadd Shickler) has already dissolved, but this split CD preserves its final, finest moments. Spiritu's four songs brandish sweeping melodies, inquisitive intelligence and a lush grunge that's as enveloping as a warm blanket (if it was riddled with thumbtacks). "Objects of Desire" and "Throwback" toss supersized riffs against insight and humor; "Latitude" is probably the band's catchiest song. Too bad Spiritu can't follow up on such major developments. That's left to Village of Dead Roads; the band is heavier and darker, but just as dedicated to moving doom metal up the evolutionary ladder. "Descendants of the Dendrites" and "Divine Mistakes" pound down mountains, but still contain virtues like subtlety and wit. Human Failures is both a graceful exit and an impressive entrance. Michael Toland [buy it]