Album Reviews

BIKINI ATOLL
Moratoria
(Bella Union)
Franz Ferdinand and the Killers may be getting all the publicity, but they're not the only ones mining the early 80s for inspiration. Like FF, Bikini Atoll draws from the angular sounds of Wire and Gang of Four, but emphasizes atmospheric melody over danceable rhythms. The quartet shifts between clanging rockers like "Black River Falls" and the title track to quieter, more meditative tunes like "Perfect Method Flawed" and the beauteous "Desolation Highway." The album ends with the indie rock whimper of "Clear Water Gravity," but 'tis a tasty little morsel 'til then. Michael Toland [buy it]

CHOO CHOO LA ROUGE
I'll be out all night
(Choo Choo La Rouge)
The latest album from this Dorchester, MA trio continues the easy pleasures of its prior disk Wall to Wall. The band eschews overt stylization for simple presentation of catchy tunes. Memorable melodies, wry humor and guitarist Vincent Scorziello's vulnerable singing make cuts like "Try Using Science," "Black Sheep" and "No One Knows Like You Know" more than just ephemeral ear candy. Nice stuff, this. Michael Toland

CRIPPLED PILGRIMS
Down Here: Collected Recordings (1983-1985)
(Reaction)
Before the term "alternative rock" became an industry buzz word, they called it "college rock." "It" was a jangly, folk-inflected, psychedelia-frosted, guitar-based pop sound that recalled both the 60s (the Byrds, the Velvet Underground) and the postpunk 70s (especially Television) at the same time. R.E.M. was the big dog, but the Feelies, the Connells, the Reivers, Guadalcanal Diary and the proverbial many more had loyal followings as well. Washington D.C.'s Crippled Pilgrims fit right in, though the band's penchant for Middle Eastern melodies and uneasy choruses helped give it a more distinctive identity. If you grew up with this sound, or just want to know why us old farts keep bitching about how "underground music was better in the 80s, man," Down Here: Collected Recordings (1983-1985) will make you smile. Michael Toland [buy it]

DORA FLOOD
Highlands
(Elephant Stone)
Michael Padilla's well-traveled psychedelic rock group Dora Flood keeps plugging away with its latest album Highlands. The band's fourth full-length is moodier and more enigmatic than its previous work, with dreamier textures and more subtle hooks. Not everything gels (the dance beat-driven "Evening on My Mind," for instance, goes on far too long), but that's the price for continuing evolution. Besides, when it works, as on the undulating "Experimental Phase" or the Green Pajamas-ish "For a Moment," the results are downright sublime. Plus the band hasn't forgotten how to write no-bullshit pop tunes, as the wonderful "Where You Belong" makes clear. Highlands suffers a bit from growing pains, but that will make maturity all the sweeter down the road. Michael Toland [buy it]

HAPPY THE MAN
The Muse Awakens
(InsideOut)
Happy the Man had two major obstacles in its path during its original late 70s existence: it played progressive rock in a time when new wave and punk ruled and it was an American prog band to boot. Nowadays there's enough of a prog underground for H the M's return to be greeted with hurrahs, even if original keyboardist Kit Watkins declined to participate. The Muse Awakens stays the course of their back catalog: keyboard-heavy, mostly instrumental, an emphasis on complex tunes instead of virtuoso solos, song titles like "Lunch at the Psychedelicatessen" and "Barking Spiders." Too many of the melodies dive into easy listening waters for my tastes, but it's still a welcome return for a band that shouldn't have gone away in the first place. Michael Toland [buy it]

JOSH HODGES
Sexton Blake
(Expunged)
Don't ask me why, but I've always been a sucker for fake film soundtracks. Hodges' debut disk purports to be the "explosive motion picture score" for the titular flick, but of course it's just a collection of bedroom pop songs. The Portland-based Hodges caresses a guitar or piano and almost whispers his dejected lyrics over basic but catchy melodies, like a low-budget version of Sparklehorse or the eels. Hodges' percussion is inventive for a guy without a drum kit. "East of…" incorporates scratching and samples without making either the focus of the track, while "Quick" puts its chords over a skittering clatter. The greatest appeal, though, comes from straight pop tunes like "Know the Way," "Doesn't Matter" and "Me or Mine." Michael Toland [buy it]

THE JELLY JAM
2
(InsideOut)
This is the sound of musicians invigorated. The guys in Ty Tabor's main band King's X are no slouches themselves, but the Jelly Jam clearly thrives on his musical interactions with drummer Rod Morgenstein (Dixie Dregs, Winger) and bassist John Myung (Dream Theater). There's always the potential for wanking in such a combo, but the Jelly Jam works more like a prog rock special forces unit, its members maneuvering together through whiplash turns and unbelievably complex rhythmic workouts. Tabor's vocals, like on "She Was Alone," utilize not only his dreamy Lennon-esque sheen, but push his range and his rock growl. It's some of his best singing ever. The band can certainly do heavy too; the "Drop the Gun"/ "Allison" combo could be a Tool song. Alternately jaw-dropping and gorgeous, 2 certainly raises the bar for King's X's next studio album. Brian Briscoe [buy it]

KING'S X
Live All Over the Place
(Brop!/Metal Blade)
On the one hand, this double live CD from King's X is about 10 years late. For every "Little Bit of Soul" or "Mr. Evil," KX's faithful minions might prefer a spirited "King" or "Out of the Silent Planet." Still, they did it right, culling these recordings from, well, all over the place. The venues aren't even credited, and the overdub-free recordings came from the soundboard, so there's a very bootleg feel. They still bring the heat live; "Groove Machine" and "Dogman" make a terrific one-two opening punch. Romps through "Manic Depression," "Talk To You" (how does Ty Tabor sing while playing that riff?) and "Moanjam" (after the which the crowd chants drummer Jerry Gaskill's name, not Tabor's) are fun, really showing what a good power trio can do. And the eight-song acoustic set underscores their enviable three-part harmony vocals. Live All Over the Place is a welcome if belated addition to the KX discography. Now let's just hope they can find their land-legs in the studio again. Brian Briscoe [buy it]

GUY LEBLANC
All the Rage!
(XNtrik)
Canadian keyboard maestro Guy LeBlanc leads the progressive rock quartet Nathan Mahl, which is much revered in the prog underground, if unknown outside it. All the Rage! works much the same territory, though LeBlanc emphasizes the melodic prog/pop tunes ("The One Who Knows," "The Immortals," "Ailleurs," sung in French) over the crops-razing fusion (the 12-minute "Life on the Blade"). He also gives progressive metal, a new wrinkle in the LeBlanc/Mahl fabric, a shot with the title track. Despite a predilection for burning synth and guitar solos, LeBlanc keeps the melodies at the forefront of the arrangements, which is what keeps All the Rage! from descending into virtuoso noodling hell. Michael Toland

THE NICK LUCA TRIO
Little Town
(Panther Fact)
Ever since Beck and the eels came to prominence, it's not unusual for cracker singer/songwriters to use R&B flavors in the mix. But while most of them settle for appropriating hip-hop beats over which they do the usual thing, Tucson's Nick Luca utilizes more melody and atmosphere, giving tunes like "Anywhere in America" and "Rely on Goodbye" a sensual groove closer to Marvin Gaye than the latest folktronica flavor of the month. He's also fond of dark-night-of-the-soul settings for his tunes; "Black Hearted Beast" and "Lonely" live quietly but firmly up to their titles. Like a walking gene splice of Elliott Smith and Curtis Mayfield, Luca makes Little Town a late night album that caresses your body as it soothes your fevered brow. Michael Toland [buy it]