Album Reviews

SALAMANDER
Birds of Appetite
(Camera Obscura)
Minneapolis psychedeliticians begin their latest record with Middle Easter acid folk and end it with dreamy electric undulation, with plenty of trance-induced jamming, spoken word ephemera and atmospheric space rock in between. Psychheads have heard all this before, of course, but it doesn't matter: this is exquisitely crafted, beautiful stuff. No hallucinogens required. Michael Toland

THE SAVING GRACES
These Stars Are For You
(Paisley Pop)
Winston-Salem, N.C.'s Saving Graces play jangly power pop the old-fashioned way, so much so that there's a certain sameness to this EP—after all, the band delivers exactly what fans of this stuff expect. Traditionalist power poppers rise and fall on the strength of the songs, and fortunately leader Michael Slawter comes through with melodic, sincere tunes like "Girl Automatic," "The Things That Make You Strange" and "Sad Golden Waves Goodbye." Michael Toland [buy it]

SPEER
Sixes & Sevens
(Random Art)
Austin loves its singer/songwriters, as long as they wield acoustic guitars, pretend they have something to do with country or blues and sound ready for triple-A radio. Which explains why I've never heard of James Speer, whose ivory tickling, electric band and obvious love of classic pop melodies puts him in a different league altogether than his folkie brethren around here. Speer's lush tuneage contrasts tastily with the forthright rocking of his band, and this album is a minor gem. Consumer warning: Speer has the same weird, semi-strangled voice as Dave Matthews and John Mayer, so if that bugs you, approach with caution. Michael Toland [buy it]

JOE STRUMMER & THE MESCALEROS
Streetcore
(Hellcat)
I'm ashamed to admit it now, but I never bothered with Joe Strummer's solo career while he was alive. If it was always as good as this, boy howdy, do I feel stupid. Streetcore is a great album, with strong songwriting, interesting arrangements and passionate performances by a rock legend. This may be a posthumous album, but Strummer lives every time it spins. Michael Toland [buy it]

SUBSET
Dueling Devotions
(Tight Spot)
Plainspoken indie rock from Austin, Texas. Singer/songwriters Nathan Fish and Lindsey Simon pretty much cut the pretentious, ironic crap that subsumes the work of so many of their peers, letting the emotions, melodies and guitars speak for themselves. It would be nice if they sped up the tempo once in a while, though. Michael Toland