Aural Fixations

BOULDER
Reaped in Half
(Tee Pee)
THE MUSHROOM RIVER BAND
Simsalabim
(MeteorCity)
NASHVILLE PUSSY
Say Something Nasty
(Artemis)
ORANGE GOBLIN
Coup De Grace
(Rise Above)
The world of rock & roll needs its innovators. Like anything else, the music will never evolve, never continue to reach untold heights, without visionaries constantly coloring outside the lines, crossing the borders, repositioning the edges. The Beatles, Bob Dylan, Jeff Buckley, Jimi Hendrix...whoever the geniuses may be (or whoever you think they may be), they are to be commended, if not treasured, and any serious music collection can't do without them. Horizon expansion, so critical to a fuller artistic life, is impossible without them.

Sometimes, though, you want your rock & roll horizons to stay contracted. Sometimes you want something that stays within familiar bounds, that wants to explore the ground within the fence more thoroughly. In other words, sometimes you just wanna rock. You want to bang your head, play air guitar and jump around the room screaming incoherently. Fortunately, despite the reports you may have heard about the death of rock & roll, there are plenty of bands out there more than willing to accommodate your nastier impulses. These folks came up listening to everything from Little Richard and the MC5 to the Sex Pistols and Guns 'n' Roses. To the guys and gals in today's rock scene, there's no difference between punk and metal, garage rock and arena rock, as long as it rocks, man! Everything they've ever heard that's loud and ugly becomes grist for the musical mill. If there's a patron saint for these folks, it's Lemmy from Motörhead, a man indelibly cool to everyone and a band accepted by headbangers of every persuasion. Likewise, the following acts, from locations spread out over the American South and Midwest, the United Kingdom and Scandinavia, will appeal to anyone with a yen for hard-edged rock & roll that worships at the altar of faster and louder.

Comprised of four regular dudes in Michael Schencker Group tees and wielding Gibson Flying V's, Boulder comes rampaging out of suburban Ohio with its third album Reaped in Half. Though consisting of an Act I and Act II, there's no concept involved in this record, unless it's a loose theme of corruption and brutality. Everything in Boulder's world is seen through one of three lenses: sex ("Ripe and Innocent," "Yellow Fever," "Arrest Me"), rock & roll ("Back to the Show") and violence (everything else). In the case of the opening bombshell "Krank It Up," it's some nefarious combination of the above. As with all snotnosed underground metalheads, the songwriters (no one in the group is indentified by name) calculate the lyrics for good-natured offense, but unless you feel like reading the lyric sheet, you'd never know, since the vocalist sings everything in a high-pitched, bowel-ripping scream. Besides, it's all about the riffs; these guys work those Flying V's overtime recycling various classic rock, metal and boogie licks, while enthusiastically trading solos and dual leads like the bastard spawn of Iron Maiden and Lynyrd Skynyrd. Despite the tasteless humor, there's a sense of unease to this album; this is catharsis born as much from desperation as boredom. Listening to Reaped in Half, one gets the sense that these guys would be killing themselves (or each other) if they weren't so involved in rocking ass.

Sweden's Mushroom River Band may consist of what looks like a bunch of longhaired hippies (and how about that name?), but the savage energy behind the ten songs on their second album Simsalabim belies any peaceful intentions. Guitarist Anders Linusson uses his thickly-distorted tone and tight rhythm/lead work to pound the excrement out of a series of catchy power rock riffs. Bassist Sasso and drummer Chris Rockström ride the rhythm like it was a wild bull after too many expressos, never showing off any fancy moves, just letting the thing have its head. Singer Spice, late of the Spiritual Beggars, simply attacks the lyrics with near-death metal ferocity. His dragged-down-the-gravel-driveway growl shakes lines like "I hate you/You hate me/I hate you/More than myself" back and forth like a starving dog does its prey, yet somehow manages to stay with the vocal melody. He's got something most singers of this stripe don't: genuine soul. That doesn't stop him from truly feral performances on the runaway train rocker "Make It Happen," the Sabbathesque breakdown "Proud of Being Cool" or the desperate-and-proud-of-it title track, but it also means he's able to deliver lines like "I say shine on/And let the magic lead our fate (from "My Vote is Blank") without sounding foolish. Whether taking on bad relationships ("Change It") or weightier societal ills ("The Big Sick Machine"), the band is always focused and powerful, never letting up on the adrenalin pedal for an instant. Might + melody + murderous intent = one hell of a rock & roll record. (more)

Album reviews of new music by:

The Bottle Rockets

The Bottle Rockets don't experiment with the originals' arrangements, choosing instead to do straight bar-band versions of the Texas Tornado's classics, plus a few obscurities. (more)

Cordelia's Dad

Though the general sound recalls the band's earliest days, to say this is a return to former glories is a mistake. (more)

Jerry Granelli/Jamie Saft

That these improvs never fall into complete chaos is a testament to the talent and experience at work here. (more)

Kaipa

For non-fans of prog, this album may very well be agony. But for enthusiasts, it will be a treat. (more)

Eric Lichter

Lichter's music isn't that far removed from the Pajamas', fitting easily into the psychedelic pop arena, but there are differences. (more)

The Residents

While they've done some experimentation with melody on stray tracks here and there, they've never gone as whole hog with it as they do on Demons Dance Alone. (more)

Winfred E. Eye

Leader Aaron Calvert mutters and moans over the sedate, mostly acoustic country-pop arrangements from his five bandmates, his craggy voice finding the emotional truths hidden in the aftermath of boozy bad behavior. (more)

And explore the refreshed sounds of the East River Pipe and The The.