High Bias aural fixations
September 8, 2002

CHOO CHOO LA ROUGE
Wall to Wall
(Choo Choo La Rouge)
Boston's Choo Choo La Rouge makes indie pop the old-fashioned way on its EP Wall to Wall: with a few chords, a low budget and a sense of humor. With nerdy voices, a country/folk flavor and a surfeit of easy rhythm guitar hooks, Jon, Chris and Vince (no last names or specific credits) switch easily from the sly satire of tunes like "Cards" and "Hearsed and Rehearsed" to the winsome confessionals of "Worse Mistakes" and (believe it or not) "Ragged Dick." "In the End" and "People are Yelling" (which sports an appealing Wire influence, always a good thing) address the perils and pleasures of being a rock band with authority and humor. Wall to Wall isn't lifechanging stuff, but it's a guaranteed good time. Michael Toland

For fans of: the Balancing Act, Fuck, Javelin Boot

ANNBJORG LIEN
Aliens Alive
(Grappa/Northside)
Annbjorg Lien is a renowned Norwegian fiddler, a virtuoso on the Nyckelharpa (keyed fiddle) and Hardanger fiddle (a violin with a flattened bridge and sympathetic strings) and a beloved Nordic folk musician. Like the best artists in her region, Lien is a forward-thinker, a relentless synthesizer who adapts the centuries-old folk tradition she loves to the technology and sensibility of the modern era. Aliens Alive joins her with kindred spirits such as guitarist Roger Tallroth from Väsen and keyboardist Bjorn Ole Rasch from Bukkene Brase for a series of live performances that make a good snapshot of contemporary Nordic folk music. The cuts range from the staunchly traditional ("Knepphalling," the solo "The Rose" and "Fykerud's Farewell to America") to genre-blending flights of fancy (the pop-informed "Lary goes Log-Driving," the explicitly blues-ridden "Luseblus," the cinematic dynamics of "Astra"), with room for the epic "Origins," which includes everything from solo fiddle to lush orchestration to samples to jokking, the Scandinavian chant that sounds like a human expertly imitating a didjeridoo. Lien confidently leads her veteran mini-orchestra, keeping her droning, melodic fiddle work front and center, distinguishing herself as both bandleader and soloist. Aliens Alive is fiddle music you don't have to be a folk fan to appreciate. Michael Toland [buy it]

For fans of: Ashley MacIsaac, Dead Can Dance, Sharon Shannon

THE MUMMYDOGS
Mummydogs
(Frontier)
Ten years after Thin White Rope's swan song, former Rope frontman Guy Kyser returns to the ranks of indie rock with the debut album from his new quartet the Mummydogs. The 'dogs aren't nearly as out-and-out strange as Rope was at its best; much of the music is straightforward rock, with major chords and singalong melodies (though some of Rope's Western psych makes its presence known) and Kyser sharing the vocals with his keyboard-tinkling wife Johanna. "Paul of the Jungle," odd as the lyrics are, could almost be mistaken for a long-lost Game Theory track. That said, Johanna's synth washes give many of the songs a Gothic tinge, and her husband's gargling baritone is still what it is—he could make Goodnight Moon sound creepy. "Put Your Love in Me" may very well be intended as a sincere love song, but between the ominous bassline and Kyser's just-rose-from-the-grave croon, no woman in her right mind would fall for this seduction unless she was buried in black makeup. Covers of Johnny Thunders' "Ask Me No Questions" and Skip James' "Look at the People" work well beside strong originals like "Tuco's Theme," "Operator" and the (gasp!) pretty "Fly Away." On Mummydogs, Kyser rediscovers his muse and gives it a few playful tweaks. Michael Toland [buy it]

For fans of: Dream Syndicate, Lou Reed, Giant Sand

PLANET X
MoonBabies
(InsideOut)
MoonBabies, the third album in as many years from Planet X, is more of the technically advanced progressive metal fusion one comes to expect from this particular collective. Keyboardist Derek Shirinian, guitarist Tony MacAlpine and drummer Virgil Donati all have chops and they ain't afraid to use 'em. Of course, the intrepid trio encounters the usual problem of this kind of instrumental rigmarole, the same problem as evidenced on previous X platters—namely, the difficulty of composition. All three musicians write, all have tons of previous experience working with longform melodies (particularly MacAlpine), yet none of the tunes found here are particularly memorable. Tracks like "The Noble Savage," "Interlude in Milan" and "Ignotus Per Ignotum" (also found on the previous album Live From Oz) sound more like collections of riffs held together with masking tape than actual fleshed-out compositions. Then again, strong melodies may not be nearly as important to these guys (and their fans) as showing off their many skills, so perhaps it's beside the point. If you're looking for Shirinian's lightning-fast, multi-voiced synth runs, MacAlpine's queasy, wang-bar guitar tone and Donati's Keith Moon-meets-Buddy Rich polyrhythms, you've come to the right homeworld. If it's solid songs you want, well, Planet X may not be the best place to visit. Michael Toland [buy it]

For fans of: Jordan Rudess, Bozzio Levin Stevens, Allan Holdsworth

ROLLINS BAND
The Only Way to Know For Sure
(2.13.61/Sanctuary)
The title of this live record refers to Henry Rollins' standards for judging the worth of a band: if a group can't cut it on stage, it ain't worth its weight in flyers. The current edition of the Rollins Band can definitely cut it, as the two disks on The Only Way to Know For Sure loudly prove. Backed, as he has been the past few years, by the members of Mother Superior (guitarist Jim Wilson, bassist Marcus Blake, drummer Jason Mackenroth), the Big Ugly Mouth rips through a healthy selection of his back catalog with precision and gusto. The quartet makes short, satisfying work of most of his last two studio records, Get Some Go Again (which DreamWorks has inexplicably let fall out of print) and Nice, lobbing titanic versions of tracks like "On the Day," "Gone Inside the Zero," "What's the Matter," "Illumination," "Hello" and "Thinking Cap" like a volcano spewing boulders. The Mother Superior dudes prove their mettle with the older material as well, turning out sizzling takes on "Disconnect," "Low SO" and "Tearing," shutting the critics who preferred the art-damaged jazz metal version of the band right up. Of course, in what's become a Rollins Band tradition, powerhouse covers of Thin Lizzy ("Are You Ready?") and the Pink Fairies ("Do It") rear their spiky heads. Ol' Hank himself is in fine form, putting his usual intensity into his vocals, while at the same time sounding like he's having a blast. This is a band that loves to play, and that love comes through in its performance. The Only Way to Know For Sure is what live rock & roll is all about. Michael Toland [buy it]

For fans of: the BellRays, Wayne Kramer, the Hellacopters

THE SUPERBEES
High Volume
(Acetate)
The so-called garage rock revival has meant the sudden appearance of tons of raw, lo-fi demi-punk rockers from all over the world (but especially Sweden and L.A.—go figure). Most of them, like garage rock bands from the 60s onward, are mediocre at best, good for a solid rock tune or two and another dozen anemic soundalikes. There's a point in that—anyone can crank up the energy level and yell a lot, but it takes actual talent to write songs. Fortunately, the Superbees have talent, as they demonstrate on High Volume. Guitarist Dave James has the prerequisite yell like a tomcat in heat, and the group puts out enough effort to burn up all the calories of its last meal in two and a half minutes. But the SoCal quartet understands why those Nuggets collections and MC5 records hold up so well—they've got real songs, complete with real melodies, to back up the volume and power. When the band combines the riffs, rhythms and roar on crackling cuts like "Crawler," "Girl From K.C." and "Run, Rabbit, Run," the results move from Amboy Dukes wannabes to scintillating rock & roll. The band even has the balls to take on the Stooges' "Loose" and the talent to make the tune its own. On High Volume, the Superbees prove there's still a lot of gold in those garages. Michael Toland [buy it]

For fans of: the Mooney Suzuki, the Nomads, the Sonics

UHF
If It Was Easy
(Second Story)
UHF http://www.uhfweb.com If It Was Easy (Second Story) These days psychedelic pop groups seem to be sprouting up like mushrooms on the rotten log that is indie rock. It's either indication of a lack of imagination on the part of semi-professional musicians or a boon to fans of the style. With a record as good as If It Was Easy as evidence, it's tempting to lean to towards the latter. Portland's UHF doesn't do anything particularly unique on its third record, but it doesn't need to. Frontman Jeremy Leff and his bandmates simply write sterling pop songs, with rich melodies and vibrant production topped off by Leff's distinctive whiskey sour vocals. "Easy," "Moderntown" and "She's Going Up" (featuring trumpet from Portland's MIA pop wunderkind Eric Matthews) are the kind of tuneful confections that make you want to storm the control room of your nearest radio station and force them to play these cuts on the air. "Toast" and "Last Rays of the Sun" (what is the deal with psychedelia and the sun?) are the psychedelic rock epics found on every psych/pop album worth its salt, and fine examples they are, too, with effects-damaged guitars and trippy atmospheres. "These Footsteps" takes the album home with a countryish ballad that cappers the record in moving style. With If It Was Easy, UHF can proudly add its name to the list of American psych/rock luminaries. Michael Toland [buy it]

For fans of: the Red Telephone, Sugarbuzz, the Sneetches

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