Album Reviews

ALL NIGHT RADIO
Spirit Stereo Frequency
(Sub Pop)
All Night Radio primaries Dave Scher and Jimi Hey have connections to Beachwood Sparks, but that's not much of a clue to the duo's sound other than a shared affinity for vocal harmonies. Where the Sparks filtered 60s country rock through a 90s indie rock lens, ANR updates light 'n' airy psychedelia with a sense of humor, ear for melody and an obvious love for the original sound. Michael Toland [buy it]

THE BLOODY LOVELIES
Some Truth & a Little Money
(Cheap Lullaby)
The Bloody Lovelies pump the piano and spank the plank on a baker's dozen smart, soulful pop songs on their debut Some Truth & a Little Money. Bandleader Randy Wooten writes excellent tunes that nicely balance heart and head, and the band backs him with enthusiasm and skill. It's ear candy imminently worthy of the term. Michael Toland [buy it]

CHEESE
Let It Brie (1994-1997)
(Pink Hedgehog)
Cheese may or may not still exist as a band at this point, but this comp makes me hope the Dorset quartet is still a going concern. Let It Brie is loaded with wonderfully melodic, emotionally sensitive, whimsically psychedelic gems like "Forever Dumb," "All the Time in the World" and "He's Hardly Officer Material/All Change." Bandmembers Rich Murphy and Alan Strawbridge went on to the similarly inclined Lucky Bishops. Michael Toland

DIPSOMANIACS
Praying Winter
(Camera Obscura)
So many power pop and psych rock records never go beyond surface pleasures, however strong they may be. Not so Praying Winter, however—the fourth album from Norway's Dipsomaniacs reveals new things with every listen to melodic, layered numbers like "She Weighs Her Time" and "Feel the Travel." Simply excellent. Michael Toland [buy it]

JASON FALKNER
Bliss Descending
(Wreckchord)
You're smart, right? Like good pop, treasure your copy of XTC's Skylarking? Get this sparkling EP from the ex-Grays/Jellyfish/Three O'Clock wunderkind Jason Falkner: hooks galore, vocal melodies and just a hint of the 80s retro he explored recently with TV Eyes. Falkner is a genuine prodigy; Jeremy Stacy plays drums on two of five tracks here, but JF plays everything else. His '99 CD Can You Still Feel? recently coursed through the offices here at High Bias towers like smack through a junkie, and that disk is exactly the fix you'll need after you get hooked on Bliss Descending. Brian Briscoe

GOLD CASH GOLD
Paradise Pawned Vol. 1
(Times Beach)
The Detroit rock & roll renaissance continues with Gold Cash Gold. Alternately tough and tender, melodic and mangled, soulful and snotty, GCG recalls the best bits of 60s and 70s classic rock on tunes like "Let It Go," "Vultures" and "Beautiful Stones." Sounding not unlike an older, wiser Jet, Gold Cash Gold rocks, rolls and raves on in ways the Rolling Stones haven't touched in 30 years. Michael Toland

HOGNOSE
Longhandle
(Arclight)
The Hognose boys hail from Texas, put nekkid broads and silhouettes of pistols and pot leaves on their album cover, and rock like honky mofos, or Black Sabbath being forcefed ZZ Top licks. Or maybe the other way around, I'm not sure. Regardless, the boys in the band seem poised to challenge Dixie Witch for the title of heaviest rawk gawds from the Lone Star state.Michael Toland

THE ISLEY BROTHERS
Live It Up
(Epic/Legacy)
Live It Up is one of the Isley Brothers' best albums from their prime years (the 70s). It doesn't have a track as killer as "Fight the Power" or "That Lady," but it's probably the most consistently good record in their catalog, with a great mix of funky anthems ("Midnight Sky," the title track) and silky ballads ("Brown-Eyed Girl," a dreamy take on Todd Rundgren's "Hello, It's Me"). Plus it's got tons of Ernie Isley's liquid fuzz guitar. I'm as happy as Roy Moore at bible camp to have it on CD at last. Next up: Go For Your Guns? Please? Michael Toland [buy it]

LEATHERFACE
Dog Disco
(BYO)
Frankie Stubbs has been revealing his punk rock soul, busted heart and ravaged throat for well over a decade now, and I hope he never stops. Dog Disco has a more resigned air to it than is usual for a Leatherface slab. Stubbs even sounds tired in spots, not sick of the rough, loud melodies, mind you, but sick of life in general. The music follows suit, emphasizing melody over aggression, as if that's the only solace he can find. Never say die, Frankie. Michael Toland [buy it]

MOCEAN WORKER
Enter the Mowo!
(The Music Force/Hyena)
Call me an ogre, but I just can't get excited about projects like this. Electronics wizard Adam Dorn, AKA Mocean Worker, uses cool samples pulled from old jazz, funk and soul records and cool guests like Bill Frisell and David "Fathead" Newman (I'm assuming the Nina Simone vocal is a sample). But the lush, allegedly grooving Enter the Mowo! still leaves me cold as a penguin's ass. Go figure. Michael Toland [buy it]