Album Reviews
SHARKS AND MINNOWS
The Cost of Living
(Two Sheds)
This Atlanta band makes sensitive power pop/alt.rock that doesn't stint on the melodies, guitars or heartworn angst. The group is quite good at what it does, but I have to admit, I've heard this kind of stuff so many times over so many years that it takes a little more than the earnest Sharks can muster for to me to sit through a 70-minute album of it. Recommended to guitar pop fans less jaded than I. Michael Toland [buy it]
SLEEP STATION
After the War
(Eyeball/Bardic)
Not many modern pop bands would make a concept album about World War II, and even fewer would make it work. Sleep Station does both, thanks to the melodies, heartfelt voice and vision of frontperson David Debiak and multi-instrumentalist Brad Paxton. "All That Remains," "A Soldiers Dream" and "Caroline, London 1940" are warm and intimate, the kind of tunes that gently insinuate themselves into your consciousness, revealing their depths over time.. Michael Toland [buy it]
TAXI CHAIN
Smarten Up!
(NorthernBlues)
Eclectic almost to a fault, Taxi Chain moves through introspective pop ("Memphis," which pays tribute to that city's musical spirit), blues ("Buck a Joy") and hipster balladry ("It's Your Birthday"), interspersed with several Celtic hybrids like "James Brown Ate My Bagpipe," which works better than you'd think. Held together—barely—by singer/songwriter/piper Grier Coppins, Smarten Up! could use some tightening up, but it's got its moments. Michael Toland [buy it]
DENIZ TEK AND SCOTT MORGAN
3 Assassins
(Career)
Midwest rock & roll invades Europe on 3 Assassins, as Deniz Tek (Radio Birdman, Dodge Main, etc.) and Scott Morgan (the Rationals, Sonic's Rendezvous Band, Dodge Main, etc.) shanghai a trio of Italians called the Sonic Assassins and lay waste to France and Italy on this live record. The quintet powers through a set of tunes drawn from the catalogs of Sonic's Rendezvous (including the legendary "Asteroid B-612" and "City Slang"), Tek's solo records and the Hydromatics, Morgan's side band with the Hellacopters' Nick Royale, plus MC5 and Stooges covers. It's pure Detroit stun rock, delivered with more conviction and passion than you'll ever find anywhere on contemporary radio. Michael Toland [buy it]
TILES
Window Dressing
(Inside Out)
Detroit's progressive rock standard-bearer Tiles returns from a five-year absence with Window Dressing, its most ambitious record yet. The heavy guitar sound and presence of producer Terry Brown might lead one to believe Tiles sounds a bit like Rush, and while the "bit" part is true, the quartet has its own distinctive style, with lusher melodies, a bigger emphasis on texture rather than flash and more overt prog leanings. "Tear-Water Tea" and the 17-minute title epic stand out on a consistently impressive platter that paves the way for a masterpiece. Michael Toland [buy it]
THE ZEST OF YORE
Admit That It's Christmas (You've Got To)
(The Zest of Yore)
With a name and album title like these, you'd expect the Zest of Yore to be a bunch of smartasses with guitars. Luckily, while the trio definitely has a sense of humor, it never smirks. The sweet-voiced Texans make masterful guitar pop here; short and to-the-point tunes like "I'll Do the Thinking," "Brandish Your Uniform" and "A Broadcast From Station Supreme" undulate with hooks, wit and heart. Michael Toland
VARIOUS ARTISTS
The Gearhead Records Thingmaker
(Gearhead)
The generous folks at Gearhead present a whopping 22 tracks of punk, power pop and sloppy bar band rock & roll for all the beer drinkers, hell raisers and wildcats in the audience. Which these days means a small percentage of the hoi polloi, unfortunately, but at least we've got Gearhead in our corner giving us gems from their catalog by the Wildhearts ("Putting It On"), the Dragons ("Chosen One"), "Demons" ("Lost Dog"), the Hypnomen ("Shake") and oh so much more. Plus some never-before-released bonus tracks, including American Heartbreak's titanic "Stone Blue," probably the best song it's yet recorded. Michael Toland [buy it]
