Aural Fixations

HELLVIS
Rock 'n' Roll Motherfuckers
(Hellvis)
The three buckeyes that make up powerbilly trio Hellvis must do nothing but play guitar, drink beer, watch porn and beat up other rednecks that get too close to their stash, because Rock 'n' Roll Motherfuckers sounds like a Southern Baptist preacher's worst nightmare. (more)

IGGY POP
Skull Ring
(Virgin)
Skull Ring is important to Iggy Pop for two reasons: it reunites him with the Stooges, the highly influential Detroit rock mob that made a monster out of him in the first place, and it's his return to balls-to-the-wall rock & roll. Backed by not only the surviving Stooges brothers, Ron and Scott Asheton, but also by Green Day, Sum 41 and his regular band the Trolls, Iggy drops all pretense at relevance beyond his own history and still-vital powers. (more)

STEW
Something Deeper Than These Changes
(Smile)
Hi, there. My name is Stew. I am a songwriter and singer best known for membership in the provocatively named psychedelic pop band The Negro Problem. Too bad, because as much fun as TNP is, my best work can be found on my solo albums, of which Something Deeper Than These Changes is my third (or fifth, if you count the homemade collections I sell at shows and on my website). This one is a little more sparse and acoustic than my previous records, and the lyrics are a little more straightforward as well. (more)

THE VELVET CRUSH
Free Expression (Expanded)
(Action Musik)
The Velvet Crush is one of those bands revered in the underground pop scene but unknown to the general public. Originally released in 1999 and reissued under the band's own Action Musik imprint, Free Expression is its fourth album, and, some say, its best. Whether that's true or not I can't say, but there's no doubt that it's a fine power pop record that heartily deserves to be rescued from out-of-print oblivion. (more)