Album Reviews

DIXIE WITCH
Smoke & Mirrors
(Small Stone)
When it comes to asskicking heavy rock & roll, Texas trio Dixie Witch simply dominates any stage it takes—it's one of the best live bands on the underground crunch circuit. Its prior albums, while strong, haven't quite captured the best of the Witch. Smoke & Mirrors, however, cages the beast while allowing enough room between the bars for its claws to draw blood. Bassist Curt Christenson and guitarist Clayton Mills abuse their amps with advanced riffology, while Trinidad Leal beats his drums and opens his larynx with equal power. Yet, as loud and proud as the tracks are, the fury never overwhelms the band's ever-progressing songwriting—melodies and dynamics share equal time with the roar. Smoke & Mirrors will be hard to top, but as long as Dixie Witch continues its upward swing, it will. Michael Toland [buy it]

THE DRIVE-BY TRUCKERS
A Blessing and a Curse
(New West)
The rolling stone that is Athens' Drive-By Truckers gathers little moss, quickly following up its acclaimed Live at the 40 Watt DVD and The Dirty South album with another CD. You'd think that such a brisk pace would sap the quintet's strength, but you'd be wrong: A Blessing and a Curse is as strong a collection of songs as anything else it's done. Band founders Patterson Hood and Mike Cooley are in top form, as hard-hitting rockers 'n' ballads like "Feb. 14," "Gravity's Gone" and "A World of Hurt" make clear. Third guitarist/writer Jason Isbell continues to be a wonder—his anthems "Easy On Yourself" and "Daylight" may be the highlights of the album. The band plays with its usual taste and fire, and the singers wield passion the way painters do their favorite brushes. A Blessing and a Curse is yet another excellent Drive-By Truckers record. Michael Toland [buy it]

DROPGUN
Devil Music
(Ho Fist!)
I guess Drew Carey was right, "Ohio rocks!" One of the state's best punk-metal bands, Dropgun recently released its second hardcore album Devil Music. Songs like "Strip Disco" and "Walk of Shame" will have angst-ridden teenagers screaming for more, while their parents yell, "Turn down the volume. My eardrums are bleeding!" What's most impressive about this band is that Dropgun is a DIY project. The four members write, record and mix their own heart-pounding, mind-blowing songs. They even do their own photography and graphic design. In today's world of huge labels and flashy CD covers, that's impressive. Deirdre Walsh [buy it]

DRYWALL
Barbecue Babylon
(redFLY)
Stan Ridgway and Pietra Wextun finally follow up their great mid-90s Drywall album Work the Dumb Oracle with Barbeque Babylon, the third in the "trilogy of apocalyptic documents." (I guess the soundtrack to The Drywall Incident counts as the second.) As with the first LP, this has a more electronic flavor than Ridgway's solo records; oddly, though, it also preserves the folk music strains that have been running through his recent work. It's less darkly paranoid than the last Drywall disk; "Goin' Down to the BBQ," "Buried the Pope" and "The AARP is After Me" tend to laugh snidely at society's ills more than circle the wagons. Which isn't to say Ridgway doesn't have his moments of rage—just check the angry "Wargasm 2005." Barbeque Babylon uses many of the same tools that Ridgway has always kept in the garage, just in different, slightly skewed configurations. Michael Toland [buy it]

NICOLAI DUNGER
Here's my song…you can have it…I don't want it anymore/Yours 4-ever
(Zoë)
It isn't easy being modest and ambitious at the same time, but Nicolai Dunger pulls it off. The passive aggression in the title of the Swedish singer/songwriter's latest record belies the care and craft that obviously went into making it. With backing from members of Mercury Rev, Dunger weaves a tapestry of folky melodies and lush backgrounds, sort of an acid-pop dreamscape rooted in earthy emotions. Dunger's fraying vocals ground both widescreen pop songs ("Tell Me," "Slaves") and fragile ballads ("Someone New," "Country Lane") in pure ache, no matter how tarted-up the tracks may occasionally feel. Then there's "The Year of the Love and Hurt Cycle," an epic journey through a doomed affair that layers in emotional complexity while avoiding pretension. Here's My Song… is a gorgeous, multi-textured triumph. Michael Toland [buy it]

FREDRIK FAGERLUND
International
(Smilodon)
Currently serving as guitarist for the Diamond Dogs, Fredrik Fagerlund works much the same Faces/Stones jones as his home band on his debut solo record International. What makes the Swede more than just a footnote to his group is his love of pop melody. Imagine Carole King collaborating with Rod Stewart and Ron Wood and you'll have a fair idea of what to expect from "Come On In," "Let the Word Fly" and the delicate ballad "This Summer's Finest Rainy Day." Fagerlund even lays the strings on thick 'n' heavy for "Tonight" without losing his rock & roll credibility. Like brilliant siblings Nikki Sudden and Epic Soundtracks combined into one person, Fagerlund puts some soda pop into whiskey rock without lessening the bitter taste. Michael Toland [buy it]

FELL
fell
(Camera Obscura)
Phineas Gage member Josh Wambeke's fell project navigates the undulating waves of dreampop, parting the mists and drifting deliberately but firmly down the cool waters of a dark ocean. Ungainly metaphors aside, Wambeke's shimmering guitars, subdued singing and mild electronics do invoke an aura of floating on currents, with melodies washing out of his amps and over the room like water from an overturned pitcher. "Solitary Transmission," "Summer" and "Vacant Song" make for gorgeous, affecting stuff, the sound of psychedelia worshipping at the altar of pure beauty. Michael Toland [buy it]

FIELDS OF THE NEPHILIM
Mourning Sun
(SPV)
The first studio album of new material from Gothic rock legend Fields of the Nephilim in nearly a decade, Mourning Sun shares more in common with the international Goth metal acts the band inspired than its 80s British peers. Not that guitar crunch overwhelms everything else, but the dynamics bandleader Carl McCoy employs on these seven long tracks owes much to the black eyeliner 'n' power chords crowd. Or, more accurately, it reflects the influence McCoy has had on them—the Goth rock pioneer's work has always had a hard rocking drive most Goth bands leave aside. "Requiem Xiii-33 (Le veilleur silencieux)" strays into lush cabaret territory, but otherwise the songs on Mourning Sun rock their way through epic fields of thorns and broken crosses, with McCoy's rough but charismatic croak leading the charge. Michael Toland [buy it]

FIVE HORSE JOHNSON
The Mystery Spot
(Small Stone)
The boogie kings who populate Five Horse Johnson could be satisfied with simply recycling bluesy hard rock clich&eactue;s album after album. Instead, these Toledo bruisers actually progress from one record to another; as a result, The Mystery Spot is its best yet. Singer/harp mangler Eric Oblander adds a Captain Beefhearted snarl to his vocal repertoire; the band uses more overt blues elements ("Of Ditch Diggers and Drowning Men," "Drag You There") and expands into psychedelic territory ("Gin Clear," "Feed That Train") as well. The rhythm section is particularly supple here, remaining light on its feet despite the heavy vibe; guest drummer Jean Paul Gaster provides the same service for his day job in Clutch. Powerhouse rock for country blues rollers. Michael Toland

THE GREEN AND YELLOW TV
Sinister Barrier
(Records)
Sometimes it seems that, if you're a band from the West Coast, you've been force-fed acid and sunshine your entire life, and thus have no choice but to play psychedelic pop. In the case of the Green and Yellow TV, finally following up 2002's Record X with this new platter, the trio takes its natural diet and refines it to the point of luscious near-perfection. Just try not to sing along with "Don't Let It Get to You" and "Carrot and a Stick," rock out to "The Wolves are Out Tonight" or luxuriate in the harmonies that cushion the entire record. It ain't gonna happen, buddy. Michael Toland [buy it]