Album Reviews

NEON THRILLS
Sweet Cactus
(Bad Beat)
It must be an exciting time to be in New York these days, with sharp rock & roll bands seemingly on every street corner. The latest ready-for-prime-time players are the Neon Thrills, brandishing their debut album Sweet Cactus like a proud papa showing off his tap-dancing two-year-old. The quartet uses crackling rhythm guitar work, gritty vocals and New Wave background synths to snap-crackle-rock its way through a catchy set of pop tunes. Cuts like "I Think You Should Know," "I'll Tell You Tomorrow" and "Everybody Just Takes and Takes" would almost be bubblegum if not for the tough manhandling. Sure, "Your Unfunny Joke" sounds like it should be playing behind two impossibly beautiful teenagers kissing, but that doesn't mean it ain't a good song. Melody + punch = a good time had by all. Michael Toland

JONNY POLONSKY
The Power of Sound
(Loveless)
Jonny Polonsky comes from the tradition of one-man power pop auteurs, but rather than create mini-symphonies a la Todd Rundgren, he's a rocker at heart. The Power of Sound (his third disk and first full-length since his 1996 debut) lays the singalong melodies and keening vocal harmonies on a bed of tough guitars and forceful drumming, achieving an almost uncannily appealing mix of crunch and hum. "My Secret Life," "Even the Oxen" and the butt-rockin' "Where the Signs End" are the kind of confections power pop, at its best, is all about. Michael Toland [buy it]

THE SATYRSWITCH
The High Lonesome Sound of the Satyrswitch
(Camera Obscura)
Not unlike his labelmate Sharron Kraus, Jason Kesserling filters folk music from both the U.S. and the U.K. through his fertile brain and nimble fingers into wonderfully captivating acid folk. Sometimes he reaches beyond; his version of the venerable warhorse "Ghost Riders in the Sky" evokes the Wild Hunt of Norse mythology as much as the Wild West spirits most people associate with it. Aside from astute song choices ("Boys of Bedlam," Poe's "El Dorado") and strong originals ("Angel of Wolves," "Kindred"), Kesserling has his melodic guitar work and commanding baritone working in his favor. Not to mention the best album title I've read in a good long while. Michael Toland

TWO COW GARAGE
The Wall Against Our Back
(Shelterhouse)
Two Cow Garage does not fuck around. The Ohio trio bashes and crashes its way through a set of rough-hewn country rock songs that stroke your brow and punch your gut at the same time. The simple arrangements let nothing get in the way of the melodies, the performances are fueled by desperation as much as exuberance, and everything's cranked to 12. Throbbing hearts hang right there on sleeves where everybody can see 'em and so what, buddy, you wanna make something of it? "Smell of Blood," "Brand New July" and "Burn in Hell" tear through your senses like a tornado through a trailer park, guitarist Micah Schnabel wailing like everything hurts, and I hope he never clears his throat. Fans of I Can Lick Any Sonofabitch in the House, the Drive-By Truckers and Slobberbone (whose Brent Best produced) have just found their new favorite band. Michael Toland [buy it]

TONY JOE WHITE
Heroines
(Sanctuary)
Tony Joe White's The Heroines is a stroke of genius. I wish I was around when he had the idea to record an album of duets with chicks. Not only that, but these ladies are the who's who of the girls-with-guitars set. The first voice heard on the album is Shelby Lynne's, on "Can't Go Back Home," a smoky blues number which she and White wrote together. From there, the party is joined by Lucinda Williams, Michelle White, Emmylou Harris and Jessi Colter, with White's guitar playing leading the way and his knowing, sinister vocals rounding out the sound. "Playa Del Carmen," the song on which Michelle joins him, is as laid back as anything White has played. With casual Spanish-style picking, the two wonder their way through like old friends. White stretches himself with the always-amazing Emmylou on "Wild Wolf Calling Me," a wonderfully lonesome country song. The Heroines is a great record and crosses the same boundaries White has always ignored. Lance Looper [buy it]