Album Reviews

BENZOS
Morning Stanzas
(Stinky)
Benzos may hail from the Big Apple, but the band clearly emulates British peers like the Doves, Radiohead and the Verve. Not that the young quintet engages in illegal cloning. While Benzos favors widescreen tunes like "Glass Souls," "You're Forever an Hourglass" and the rocking "Mechanical Comrades," there's a dryness to the arrangements that keeps the sound open and the bombast within manageable levels. It sounds like Benzos learned as much about taste from its idols as furor. Michael Toland [buy it]

BLUE MERLE
Burning in the Sun
(Island)
Blue Merle is a collection of world class musicians, coaxing fantastic melodies from an eclectic range of instruments. Luke Reynold's soothing, moody voice is haunting and expressive and brings the lyrics to the top of the sound. Sounding a lot like Coldplay, Blue Merle isn't a groundbreaking band in terms of its style. The group's approach is kind of contrarian, though, with dobros and mandolins and acoustic guitars used to achieve its soft pop sound. Burning in the Sun is packed with good tunes and the songwriting is as polished as can be. Blue Merle is definitely a band to keep an eye on. Lance Looper [buy it]

JAMES BURTON & RALPH MOONEY
Corn Pickin' and Slick Slidin'
(Sundazed)
You'd expect maximum firepower from the lone duet album featuring the guitarist who snazzed up hits by Ricky Nelson and latter-day Elvis Presley and the steel player who powered Waylon Jennings' Waylors. You'd be wrong, though, as the pair lays way back, rarely blazing away. That could be considered a triumph of taste over technique, but the general unevenness of 1968's Corn Pickin' and Slick Slidin' makes me wonder. The record picks up steam with Mooney's "Moonshine" and a cover of Hank Williams' "Your Cheatin' Heart," and unusual touches like the 12-string acoustic on "Laura (What's He Got That I Ain't Got)" and the wah-wah underpinning "The Texas Waltz" reveal some imagination at work here. But far too many of the tracks border on easy listening, and the record becomes uncomfortably bland, despite the amazing talents involved. Michael Toland [buy it]

CLIT 45
Self-Hate Crimes
(BYO)
Self-Hate Crimes is a record screaming to be locked up. The ear-splitting sound is classic L.A. punk wannabe, minus the substance of other West Coast bands like Tiger Army. Still, the band has built a solid fan base by carrying a relentless touring schedule. And as anyone in the business knows, a no-quit attitude can be more important than talent. For fans, you're better trading bootleg versions of the band's shows than plunking down your hard-earned Taco Bell money for this noise. Lance Looper [buy it]

CORROSION OF CONFORMITY
In the Arms of God
(Sanctuary)
Twenty years into its multi-faceted career, Corrosion of Conformity has evolved beyond labels like thrashcore, punk/metal, stoner rock or what have you. If you're gonna slap a sticker on this beast, it needs but one word: metal. Eschewing any obvious stylistic loyalties on its first studio album in nearly five years, the North Carolina quartet barrels headlong on a sturdy foundation of massive riffs, ragged vocals, harmony solos and thunderous rhythms. The mostly acoustic "Rise River Rise" and the truly odd collage "Crown of Thorns" add some variety, but mostly the record slams out loudbombs like "The Backslider," "Dirty Hands Empty Pockets (Already Gone)" and the titular monster with nuclear power and a surprising degree of subtlety. I wish Metallica's black album had sounded like this. Michael Toland [buy it]

THE DONT'S
Misc Radio Leakage
(Bank of Karma)
With so many bands raiding the closets of 80s new wavers, it's easy to dismiss the whole schmear as a nostalgic aberration. But that would mean you'd miss a band like the Dont's, who take the knotty melodies and fractured rhythms of icons like Wire, the Fall and Gang of Four (not to mention a pronounced Can influence) and bring them into the new millennium. Less interested in radio chart action than in getting new wave back to its challenging roots, the Dont's invest tunes like "Little Doggie Chew" and "Endorphina" with conviction and a sense of contemporary experimentation that keeps them from sounding like mere revivalists. Michael Toland [buy it]

ELANE
The Fire of Glenvore
(Kalinkaland/Nova)
Though the majority of the music on The Fire of Glenvore emanates from misty keyboards, there are enough acoustic guitars, violins, tin whistle and timpani-style percussion to give this German Gothic rock ensemble an Olde Worlde flavor. Tunes like "Come to the Sea" and "In Nights of Rain and Storm" sound like they're emanating from the walls of an empty castle on the cliffs above an agitated sea. Ghosts haunt this music, and while it's not quite captivating enough to command attention, it's good background music for the next time you curl up with your eighth re-read of Wuthering Heights.Michael Toland [buy it]

ELECTRIC EEL SHOCK
Go USA!
(Gearhead)
There's nothing like growing up in a repressed society to put fire in the proverbial belly. Japan's Electric Eel Shock takes the frustration of their homeland's rigidly structured culture and uses it to fuel beer-chugging garage punk tunes like "Punctured," "Suicide Rock 'N' Roll" and the intriguingly titled "I Wanna Be a Black Sabbath Guy, But I Should Be a Black Bass." The trio never rides off the monorails, (barely) sticking to the songs' roughhousing melodies. But the sense of release in the guitar solos and unironic sentiments of "Rock 'N' Roll Can Rescue the World" is palpable. Michael Toland

THE GO-BETWEENS
Oceans Apart
(Yep Roc)
The latest album from the Go-Betweens stays the course of its last half-dozen or so albums. And that's a damn good thing. The singing/songwriting partnership of Robert Forster and Grant McLennan has produced some of the most intelligent, tasteful and downright soulful folk rock of the last couple of decades, and Oceans Apart is no exception. "Born To a Family," "Finding You" and "Darlinghurst Nights" strike a chord immediately, one that, like most of the band's catalog, grows richer with every pass. Oceans Apart is recommended, but then, so is their entire catalog. Try to find the limited edition, which comes with a live six-song EP. Michael Toland [buy it]

JAMES WILLIAM HINDLE
Town Feeling
(Badman)
The term "plainspoken" is often used as a euphemism for "simpleminded," but for James William Hindle that's not the case at all. The British songwriter's third record revels in straightforward melodies, minimalist arrangements (despite a squadron of indie folk and pop luminaries as backup) and Hindle's unaffected singing. Some wags might argue that Town Feeling is a bit too unambitious, even facile, in its blatant amiability. It's unlikely, though, as tunes like "Seven Hours," "Birthday Candles" and "Love You More" would melt the coldest heart. Michael Toland

IRON & WINE
Woman King
(Sub Pop)
I've read about Iron & Wine numerous times over the past few years, and despite getting the impression that it would be a band I'd like, I somehow never got around to hearing any of its music. Well, now I have, and boy do I feel stupid for not having picked up on I&W sooner. Woman King is brilliant, a shimmering melange of folk layers, pop hooks, fragile but soulful singing and heartfelt poetry. Brian Deck's psychedelicized production gives the band's unusual arrangements lush life, but leader Sam Beam's gorgeous songs shine the brightest. There's not a dud on this six-song EP, though the tense "Jezebel," lovely "My Lady's House" ("Thank god you see me the way you do/Strange as you are to me") and gritty "Freedom Hangs Like Heaven" are the obvious calling cards. Now, if you'll pardon me, I'm going to hit the nearest good record store and play catch-up on an artist I should have been in on all along. Michael Toland [buy it]

AUDRA KUBAT
Since I Fell in Love With the Music
(Times Beach)
NYC-by-way-of-Detroit songwriter Audra Kubat isn't famous, but goddammit, she should be. She has a rich voice (reminiscent of greats like Sandy Denny and Linda Thompson), excellent songs and a heart as big as the Pacific Ocean. Since I Fell in Love With the Music isn't quite as luminous as her prior platter, the stunning Million Year Old Sand, but with tracks as good as "Garden," "I'm Not Coming Home" and the haunting (and haunted) title track, that's like saying one Beatles album isn't as good as another. Forget all that "freefolk" stuff; this is the sound of singer/songwriter music reborn. Michael Toland [buy it]

LITTLE KING
Virus Devine
(Little King)
West Texas pop trio Little King returns with its third album, fusing breezy folk tunes with edgy and loud pop rock. The similarities to Rush are probably overstated. While producer Terry Brown turned the knobs on a ton of Rush records, Little King's music is much more artistic and cerebral. Virus Divine is a concept album, but not to the extent that the music is gimmicky and experimental. The record jumps genres and is prone to mood swings, but it's effective. These El Paso boys play with passion and hit the mark with Virus Devine. Lance Looper [buy it]

THE MAINLINERS
Bring On the Sweetlife
(Get Hip)
Revving 60s melodies up with contemporary energy is a simple formula, and hardly a new idea, but if you can do it right, why the hell not? On Bring On the Sweetlife, Sweden's Mainliners do it right. Tunes like "Queen Saliva," "Daughter of Dimes" and "Ordinary Night" heat up the Nordic climes with hot garage pop and frenzied rhythm & blues. Singer Robert Billing could use a lesson in subtlety—you don't have to go full-throttle 24/7, dude—but he's got serious presence, and the band backs him up with tight playing and strong melodies. Michael Toland [buy it]

CHRIS MURPHY
Juniper: Fiddle Music
Noir: Solo Violin Music
(Kufala)
The violin-wielding Murphy used to lead an unusual pop trio called Ponticello. Nowadays he dispenses with vocals, letting his four strings and bow take center stage. Playing all manner of styles (Celtic, bluegrass, rock, etc.) through a guitar amp and over a rhythm section, Murphy makes Juniper a reminder of the great instrumental albums recorded by fiddle giant Mark O'Connor in the 80s and Ashley MacIsaac lately. Noir features Murphy unaccompanied, except for his own processed overdubs; his originals here have a much more exotic and international flair. Both records succeed in their intentions without ever falling into pretension or tedium. Pretty cool. Michael Toland [buy it]