Album Reviews

THE ALCHEMYSTS
Zero Zen
(Rubric)
You'd think that after 35-odd years, the whole psychedelic garage rock thing would have played itself out. How many ways can you combine four chords, trippy lyrics and a mountain of guitar effects into something that doesn't sound like every other psych rock album recorded since 1972? To cover up the stench of decay, most bands of this ilk either beef up the guitars and go straight for the metal jugular (like the so-called stoner rock bands) or scale back the distortion and accent the pop hooks (the Flaming Lips, the Apples in stereo, etc.).

On their third album Zero Zen, England's Alchemysts manage to inexplicably defy all those notions, however, by virtue of just plain sounding good. Guitarist Paul Simmons wields his arsenal of tremolo, fuzztone and wah-wah pedals to excellent effect, knowing exactly what effect to use on which riff. Bassist Jon Guard and drummer Mat Love pull back and surge forward as one, equally comfortable with nimble bopping or Zen repetition. From catchy rockers like "Rocket 69" and "The Psychic Fayre" to heads-down burners like "Fault Line" and "Achievement Song," from shimmering, ethereal dreamscapes like "Spores" and "Your Summer Ghosts" to the obligatory frenzied epic, "DMT Blues," the bands moves as easily as a hunting lion through the Savannah grasses. Their songs set new standards for craft in the genre, the arrangements remain engagingly loose without ever becoming sloppy and the energy level is analogous to a barely-contained nuclear explosion. Best of all, the Alchemysts show no signs of mold—this is a band uninterested in resurrecting the past. Why should they, when they can redefine the future? Michael Toland

For fans of: the Cynics, Mudhoney, the Bevis Frond

THE CARIBBEAN
Verse By Verse
(Endearing)
It's a familiar story: former members of buzz-inducing indie rock bands, in this case D.C.'s Townies and Smart Went Crazy, form indie pop "supergroup." They drop the right names in their bio (XTC, the Go-Betweens, Wire, American Music Club, Burt Bacharach), and if they could succeed in a meld of those luminaries it would indeed be a cause for celebration, but the trio seems more interested in emulating the low fidelity psychedelic pop of the Elephant 6 collective than their alleged heroes, and the lesser lights of said stable at that. The band flashes semblances of skill at crafting arrangements and writing pretty melodies, but their songs sound half-finished. Like a lot of their contemporaries, The Caribbean is good at concept but not so good at execution, due to what factor I can't imagine (lack of musical skill? limited time and budget? laziness?). If they're going to invite unflattering comparisons by invoking near-holy names like XTC and Wire, they better keep practicing the old follow-through. Michael Toland

For fans of: Of Montreal, the Minders, Guided By Voices

LOVEWHIP
Whip It Baby!
(Lovewhip)
Boston's Lovewhip dedicate themselves to finding the spot where African, Jamaican and Latin music meet for dancing and drinks on their latest album Whip It Baby! With bouncy African juju music as the stylistic base, the band adds elements of ska, dancehall and Afro-Cuban dance musics into a stew whose aroma is irresistible to anyone with a taste for music outside that box labeled "safe, homogenized pop." Not that the songs are particularly challenging, mind you‹there's not a sharp edge to be found here, and singer/guitarist Erin Harpe and bassist Jim Countryman write the kind of songs no one will mistake for Bob Dylanesque profundities. They do pay some attention to lyrical craftsmanship, however, and besides, lyrical depth is quite beside the point with songs this buoyant. The lilting melodies and itchyfoot rhythms matter most here, and Whip It's eight songs are stuffed full of them. Who needs 4/4 time to shake hips? Michael Toland

For fans of: Paul Simon's Graceland, King Sunny Ade, Ozomatli

THE LISA MARR EXPERIMENT
4 AM
(Sympathy For the Record Industry)
What happens at four in the morning? In Joshua Tree, California, indie rockers with names like Cub, Perfect, the Murmurs and Frank Black on their résumés gather in the desert and record unpretentious country rock. Bassist/frontwoman Lisa Marr and her buddies write and sing catchy, heartfelt tunes that know when to smile ("Donna Lee," "My Friend Lucifer"), when to sob ("The Rain," "Another Light") and when to just sigh ("You Let Me Down," "In California"). Alcohol figures into the equation, of course, but the goofy duet "Beer and Whiskey" and the last call prayer "How I Got My Pretty Smile" show that the band knows exactly how to handle their liquor. Tastefully augmenting their rootsy guitar sound with horns and That Dog fiddler Petra Haden, the LMX demonstrate the kind of great fun and better art to be had in the wee hours. Michael Toland

For fans of: the Damnations, Giant Sand, the Gourds

WHITE WILLOW
Sacrament
(The Laser's Edge)
Scandinavian musicians seem to have a deep understanding of their native folk music. The traditional melodies sung and played by their forefathers and mothers seem to be so deeply ingrained into their spirits that any combination of folk with other, more contemporary sounds comes across much more naturally than similar efforts from other countries. Bands like Sweden's Hedningarna, Finland's Vartiina and Denmark's Sorten Muld are good examples of blending folk with modern influences. So too is Norway's White Willow, who on their third album Sacrament perfect their meld of folk with lush progressive rock. Led by guitarist/songwriter Jacob Holm-Lupo, White Willow integrate folky melodies with flutes, synths and Rickenbacker bass, playing expertly with dynamics, going from soft to loud without jarring dissonance, as if their volume knob doesn't turn so much as unfold. Singer Sylvia Erichsen floats ethereally over the top for the most part, though she's perfectly capable of a menacing croon. She strikes just the right tone with Holm-Lupo's yearning lyrics, which examine the loss of true love or the search for spiritual surcease in equal measure. The band proves themselves uncommonly adept at creating a beautifully sensuous noise that perfectly captures a profound sense of longing. Melancholy is rarely this lovely. Michael Toland

For fans of: the Gathering, Änglågard, Dead Can Dance