Album Reviews

ACID MOTHERS TEMPLE & THE MELTING PARAISO U.F.O.
New Geocentric World of
(Squealer)
More of a collective than a stable band, Japan's Acid Mothers Temple brings the far-out sounds of a good old fashioned acid freakout into the 21st century. Organized around guitarist Kawabata Makoto in 1996 and featuring over 30 revolving members, the group finds the middle ground between their Nipponese cohorts High Rise (amphetaminized garage rock) and Ghost (pastoral acid folk). Middle ground doesn't mean middle of the road, however. High volume guitars that cross Cream-era Clapton with Sonny Sharrock bump up against serene Japanese flutes, while analog synths share space with almost subliminal chanting, like monks at Money Mark session. Percussion flourishes range from ornamental to pounding. Songs like "Space Age Ballad" and "Universe of Romance" are surpassingly lovely, while "Psycho Buddha" is an improvised electric hell-ripper of the highest order. Best of all is "You're Still Now Near Me Everytime," in which the band builds from pop/folk beauty to lysergic free jazz frenzy and back again, riding the waves of sound the way dolphins ride waves. No matter how much (or how little) is going on, though, Makoto and co. manage to pull at least a semblance of melody out of the chaos—this is never a disorganized jumble. The musicians in Acid Mothers Temple make the trip so we don't have to—come listen to their fascinating travelogue. Michael Toland [buy it]

For fans of: Ghost, Hawkwind, High Rise

EDENBRIDGE
...Sunrise in Eden...
(Sensory)
Austrian prog musician Lanvall goes fast 'n' heavy with his self-described "angelic bombast metal band," Edenbridge. ...Sunrise in Eden... is the kind of symphonic prog metal that sounds like it needs an arena just to contain it. Big rhythms, big ideas ("Cheyenne Spirit," "Forever Shine On," "My Last Step Beyond") and, most importantly, BIG guitars. Lanvall's six-string facility is never in doubt, as his aggressive riffs and fluid solos compete in the mix with singer Sabine Edelsbacher's luscious voice. It's a shame, actually, as Edelsbacher's passionate delivery of Lanvall's epic tunes is the band's best asset. She deserves more of the spotlight. A song or two on this record can be genuinely exciting, in the same way a major set-piece in a big-budget Hollywood action film is exciting. As with most of those movies, though, things get tedious over the course of an hour of constant Oomph! By the time the band lets the audience catch its breath with the ballad "Take Me Back," the punters have probably already tuned out. While Edenbridge never goes as far over the top as some of their contemporaries (that would be you, Rhapsody), a bit of restraint would nevertheless benefit the obvious talent involved. Michael Toland [buy it]

For fans of: Oratory, Nightwish, Royal Hunt

MARIA KALANIEMI & SVEN AHLBÄCK
Airbow
(Northside)
Maria Kalaniemi usually leads her excellent Nordic tango ensemble Aldargaz and Sven Ahlbäck is lead fiddler for the vocal group Rosenberg 7. Brought together for a class at the Sibelious Academy in Helsinki, Finnish composers Kalaniemi and Ahlbäck had such a good time they took their treatises on Scandinavian folk into the studio for this delightful album. Airbow gives them a chance to air out their traditional chops and play music that doesn't quite fit in with the repertoire of their primary groups. The chemistry between Kalaniemi's accordion and Ahlbäck's fiddle is plainly evident, and a lively dialogue is the result. With few outward displays of virtuosity, the two musicians prod, cajole and entice each other into enhancing the alternately bouncy and melancholic melodies. They could have turned this recording into a blowing session, but instead they choose to serve the song, as with all the best folk music. Listening to Airbow is like being a fly on a wall during a casual conversation betwixt old friends. Michael Toland [buy it]

For fans of: Anders Norudde, Swåp, Harv

KELLY JOE PHELPS
Sky Like a Broken Clock
(Rykodisc)
After three albums of unaccompanied voice and slide guitar, songwriter Kelly Joe Phelps apparently felt the need for a change. Sky Like a Broken Clock finds Phelps putting down his bottleneck and picking up a couple of sidemen in Tom Waits bassist Larry Taylor and Morphine drummer Billy Conway, filling things out some guests on organ, harmonica and cello. Fans of Phelps' atmospheric approach to acoustic blues may be taken a bit aback, at least at first. While Phelps' singing and fingerpicking bear the imprint of his usual stylistic approach, it would be a stretch to call what he does here blues. Not content to rest on his laurels, Phelps takes the singer/songwriter idiom and gently but firmly twists it to suit his own spiritually idiosyncratic purposes. It's still as distinctive a sound as he sports on his solo records, like the ghost of a long-dead country bluesman resurrecting himself to sing Bob Dylan's more eccentric songs. It's unfortunately also a somewhat samey sound, with many of these songs blurring together; their often excessive length (most over five minutes) doesn't help. Phelps' burnished vocals are always a pleasure to hear, and when he ups the blues quotient, as in "Beggar's Oil" and "Gold Tooth," he achieves the roots/art song synthesis of his fantasies. Overall, though, Sky Like a Broken Clock sounds too much like an Americana version of ambient music. Michael Toland [buy it]

For fans of: Chris Smither, Peter Keane, Keb' Mo'

TRASH WEDNESDAY
Trash Wednesday
(CTP Records, 6837 Cahuenga Park Trail, Hollywood, CA 90068)
It never hurts to have a gimmick. The self-titled debut by L.A.'s Trash Wednesday comes in a clever package cut like a matchbook (matches not included—sorry, smokers). Cool CD graphics are only as good as the music they contain; fortunately, TW is chock full of crunchy nuggets of bratty power pop. There's a wonderful openness to this album. While many artists of this ilk wind their arrangements so tight they sound like they might explode, TW lets plenty of breathing space into its performances. The groove-based melodies and sneering voice of British transplant Kid (who is also the producer, songwriter and, on record, sole performer) speak for themselves, and quite eloquently at that. Try the snuggleicious "Free Your Mind" and the head-bobbing cover of the Vibrators' "Baby Baby" for some cool kicks. Michael Toland

For fans of: T. Rex, the Dwellers, Imperial Drag