Alexander Hacke
Sanctuary (Koolarrow)

Not counting his compilation of soundtrack music and an outing with his ad-hoc C&W unit the Jever Mountain Boys, this is the Einsturzende Neubauten guitarist's debut solo release. Assembled in the same way Wim Wenders might do one of his road movies, Hacke put the album together with a series of collaborators and friends on a trip across the states. So, we have former SWANS rhythm section Algis Kizys and Vinnie Signorelli, as well as J. G Thirlwell starting him out in NYC, David Yow showing him Chicago, Sugar Pie Jones in LA, and a trunkload of souvenirs picked up along the way. Oh course he has help from various collaborators back home in Berlin, with Neubauten co-hort N.U Unruh, guitarist Caspar Brotzmann and former Crime and the City Solution bandmate Chrislo Haas all helping out as well. The entire nature of the project is so exploratory, such a mish-mash of styles and experiments. There's not much Neubauten-ish about it, which isn't a disappointment. Hacke plays only a little guitar on the album, mostly working on the programming of keyboards and rhythms. It's one of the more interesting E.N solo albums (which have been fewer and further apart than they were a decade ago) I've heard, mostly because it looks so far beyond the boundaries of the band itself. --d.n.l

HAM1
s/t (SELF-RELEASED)
This right here is slacker-psychedelia at its most pure and it’s from, where else? Athens, GA, of course! And what better to come out of the long, lost world of the Elephant 6 collective. With not a sharp edge or right angle to jab the listener’s ear, Ham1’s songs gently mush, bend and ease their way into your mind. Let’s just call it the aural equivalent to a bag of mushrooms. Jim Willingham and friends conjure up visions of relaxing times, chilling on a front stoop watching the deer by the creek down the way while jamming on whatever instruments just happen to be nearby. Life for them sounds organic, natural, free and easy; boy do they have it made. --Don Simpson

MICKEY HAMPSHIRE & THE MASONICS
SILENTLY BY NIGHT (LITTLE TEDDY RECORDINGS)

Those familiar with the great Billy Childish will know what to expect with this American release of Silently By Night (originally unleashed in 1998), since Mickey Hampshire has spent time in Childish bands like the Milkshakes and Thee Headcoats: Crudely recorded, degenerate, virtually atonal garage rock rendered with rock Œn' spirit the likes of which is all but gone now. Hampshire's hoarse croak is nigh on perfect for snotty sentiments like "I Want Some Answers," "Spitting and Hating," and "Don't Torture Me," while the Masonics, a fine band in their own right, bash away at everything from bluesy numbers to 50s-style stomps to pages borrowed straight out of the Nuggets songbook. Maybe you don't want to listen to this stuff all the time, but it sure is a needed breath of fresh air when too much radio-ready pap starts to clog you up. (Luke Torn)

GORDON HASKELL
Harry's Bar ( COMPASS)

One of the oddest of success stories in recent memory (at least in the UK) was that of Gordon Haskell, who managed a chart-topping single and album when the BBC jumped on his demo of "How Wonderful You Are" in 2001. He's had spats of relative success in the 32 years since he was briefly bassist and vocalist for King Crimson, an odd fit on their oddest album, Lizard. Notoriously bitter about that brief period in his career, he's had an increasingly obscure profile in the years since, despite the quality of his work (his first post-Crimson album, 1974's It Is and It Isn't, was a prog classic, despite being one of the poorest selling albums in the history of Atlantic Records). The modern version of Gordon Haskell finds him in a kind of jazz/funk/folk hybrid of adult contemporary. The single (which has been getting steady play on NPR) is a beautiful tune, affable and sentimental. Elsewhere he jams with old friends from the Average White Band on "Voodoo Dance" (a kind of Dr. John-ish toss-off) and "Sunshine in the Night." He has a warmly worn voice, from years of haunting small clubs in Dorset and extended stays in Norway where he was still haunted by drunken patrons asking, "didn't you used to be in King Crimson?" (d.n.l)

HAVEN
BETWEEN THE SENSES (VIRGIN)

Add this Cornwall outfit's debut into the crop of UK bands springing up around the tuneful Britpop of Travis and Coldplay. Very tuneful, with excellent production from Johnny Marr that manages to give the guitars a nice shimmer. Still, the tunes are somewhat pedestrian. The band is either afraid or unable to break into new territories. Much of that could be an eagerness to please a label hot to make them the next Coldplay, not to mention the complexities involved in a young band finding themselves through their music. It does whatever it does pleasingly enough over the course of the first eight songs on Between the Senses, but the last four are where new things seem to happen. "Let It Live" is a powerful slice of guitar-driven shoegazer that harkens back to Ride, "Is This Bliss" is a dreamy, semi-acoustic delight, and "Keep On Giving In" takes them places only hinted at earlier in the album. If this is the direction Haven are heading, then perhaps they will eventually evolve into something more than just ordinary. (d.n.l)

THE HAWKS
PERFECT WORLD RADIO (NOT LAME ARCHIVE)

The Hawks were a five-piece new wave power pop band from Iowa, together from 1979 to 1982, and made two very slick, commercial albums, scoring a Top 40 hit in 1981 with a song called "It's All Right, It's OK." I don't recall hearing them at all, to be honest, but I might have ignored them at the time because their image was so at odds with what I liked, even while their music was so similar to many things I loved. Musically the most obvious comparison is to the Cars, although 10cc is equally valid, and there's more than a trace of Boston as well. This album is a collection of outtakes and demos from a fairly large backlog of unreleased material, and, surprisingly it's pretty darned excellent. It's worth pointing out that as much as many of our readers might now cringe at the mention of Boston, most people I knew with good taste liked them until their debut album suddenly became the one album every idiot you knew in college owned, and their airplay moved into the Stairway to Freebird realm; and worth reminding you that Cobain stole the riff from "More Than a Feeling" for "Smells Like Teen Spirit" (you did know that, didn't you?). The Hawks had four songwriters, really radio-ready and terrific harmonies, wrote very complex pop songs, and rocked hard enough to make you overlook the gloss. And their so-called demos all have about a zillion overdubs, so this isn't exactly a lo-fi album by any means. Included are demos for three of their best released tracks. I wouldn't listen to Boston now at the point of a gun, and find the Cars a bit to overplayed to stomach as well (aside from their first album), but this is good, worthy stuff, and big pop fans are advised to at least give it a spin or two. I know a lot of people who would love this record if they gave it a try. (Kent H. Benjamin)

ANNIE HAYDEN
The Enemy of Love (MERGE)
A revealing statement from the artist’s web site: These songs are “like reading Annie’s diary” except that the words tend to rhyme more. We have to take this admission at face value, ‘cause the former Spent singer/guitarist is mainly interested in sounding truthful and tuneful on this sophomore effort under her own name. The Jersey City girl’s wispy voice is still intact and she still daylights as a Steinway technician, but she has desires to share, like the quaintly alluring “Starring In The Movies” and the pleasant fuzz of “Money Trouble.” Also touching is when Annie Hayden briefly quotes Graham Nash’s “Our House” (“place the flowers in the vase, you bought, today”) in the lilting highlight “Your Carnival,” which also features brisk clarinet by Ron Gozzo. Hayden handles most of the guitars as well as piano (Steinway, natch) and is joined by producer Glen Tarachow on guitar, autoharp, and violin. They are helmed by Peter Retzlaff’s steady drums and only rock out lightly as an afterthought, such as on “Weather,” with guest guitarist Kevin Barker. It's tempting to think “The Enemy of Love” brings to mind early ‘Til Tuesday or Liz Phair, but Hayden’s translucent voice doesn’t have the confidence of Aimee Mann or the sneer of Phair. Instead, she’s got a determination and willfulness that overcomes girly gauziness. That she would cover the Replacements’ “Swingin Party” from Tim is both deadpan and spot on, as if she were a thoughtful girlfriend strapped down with a drunk and sloppy boyfriend. You know she’s thoughtful ‘cause she has uncommon sense to record an album that’s less than 40 minutes long, though I sure wish her instrumental “Piano” lasted more than 71 seconds. – David Pyndus

JOHN HAYDON
SHE'S GONE (INDEPENDENT)

Solid, unspectacular heartland rock. Bostonian John Haydon is a bit of a throwback to the mid-80s back-to-the-basics singer/songwriter--think Darden Smith. Nice guitar interplay, dollops of pedal steel, and straight-shooting, earnest pop melodies flesh out lots of songs dealing with romantic loss and longing. Ultimately, though, Haydon's songs just don't distinguish themselves enough to make She's Gone a memorable effort.

BLAKE HAZARD
LITTLE AIRPLANE (KIMCHEE RECORDS)

Somewhere between Lisa Loeb and Shea Segar exists Blake Hazard. She may have a boy's first name, but Hazard sports a sexy, gravely voice and seems to know that low-key, mid-to-slow tempo songs are the best way to show it off. Perhaps the most commercial song on her debut album, Little Airplane, is "Waiting," a catchy little pop number that would easily on radio playlists that currently feature hits by Avril Lavigne, Norah Jones, and Natalie Imbruglia. The best songs do tend to be the ones in which Hazard's voice has not been electronically altered in any way, which is unfortunately the case some of the time. Overall, despite a certain lack of musical variety, this is a very pleasant effort from a promising young artist. (Richard E. Glover, Jr.)

ERIC HEATHERLY
The Lower East Side of Life (KOCH)
Eric Heatherly has good taste. His website offers a link that recommends checking out Adrienne Young & Little Sadie’s remarkable acoustic adventure The Art of Virtue. Too bad The Lower East Side of Life doesn’t contain the same level of spark and depth that Young’s disc does. She succeeded in offering a wholly original and inspiring song cycle, while Heatherly drowns in the bipolar opposite. “Ruin” is sappy sentimentality at its worst, and the same goes for the “Whatever Happened…,” a lifeless flip through an old high school yearbook. Mainstream country radio might embrace these songs, but their artistic emptiness is astounding. The thrusting title track and “Dark Days” ratchet up the album’s mood momentarily, but so much cliché corrupts The Lower East Side of Life that even the small successes are rendered impotent in the end. –Brian T. Atkinson

Heavy Trash
s/t (Yep Roc)

Heavy Trash finds Jon Spencer (he of the Pussy Galore, Boss Hog, and Blues Explosion lineage) working on his rockabilly poses along with Matt Verta-Ray (Speedball Baby, Madder Rose). Their self-titled debut features thirteen tracks of yelping, rollicking stripped-down rockabilly in the old Sun Studios tradition. The usual subject matter is broached in the songs as Spencer sings about how tough he is ("The Loveless"), how he drowned his woman because he caught her cheating ("Under the Waves'), and a sophomoric ode to cunnilingus ("Gatorade") for good measure. All of this might be more palatable if the source was an actual backwoods speed-freak hollerer instead of a couple of hipsters on New York's Lower East Side. If you dig this, good for you, but ask yourself why you would listen this instead of finding some classic Gene Vincent or the recently deceased Hazil Adkins or, if you need something more current, the Legendary Shack Shakers or even the Cramps. (Andy Smith)

Christopher Hedge
The New Heroes (Triloka/Artemis)

Composer Christopher Hedge was hired to write music for the PBS television show, The New Heroes, which highlights people around the world making small but key contributions to improving their communities. Hedge's compositions were written in conjunction with the program's stories, and indeed he apparently watched the stories with his collaborating musicians before they played. There are a number of program snippets written into the pieces to provide context, but the record makes an engaging listen when taken out of the program's context as well. The well-crafted songs on this record are exquisitely played and feature a number of African and Indian instruments to geographically contextualize the songs with their subjects. (Andy Smith)

THE HELLACOPTERS
Rock n’ Roll is Dead (LIQUOR & POKER)
I couldn’t have said it better myself. Last weekend I was sitting home weighing my options: “I can lay on the couch and refuse to go out, but ...if the band’s not crap and I can drink from the tap, I might come see you tonight.” There weren’t any bands I didn’t consider crap playing our town, so just when I was about to say “I don’t have to go out, I have everything I need, because everything is on TV,” another hyped-up pop band calling themselves “rock” came on the tube. They had their hair striped and moussed by stylists, and one of them was wearing a CBGB’s shirt. “Oh my my, I’d do anything to make him die…” I thought to myself. “See if I care about the clothes that you wear, the latest fad ain’t gonna get you nowhere.” But the shirt reminded me of one of the best nights of my life, at a Hellacopters show in 1999, at that very venue. I realized that I was the one watching the pablum, and “ the monkey’s just a part of me”, so I decided to get away from TV-land and put on the new Hellacopters record. The ‘copters have always shown influence from the greats of the past, so it’s fitting that the first track, “Before the Fall” is a Chuck Berry rave-up that reconnects to the root of the rock n roll beat. I’m shakin’ it and breaking air-guitar strings. I can’t wait for more. I sat down to write, but when I got to “Nothing Terribly New”, I realized the ‘copters have gone so far as to do their own review in anticipation/mockery of the critics: “It’s nothing new, but it still feels good just like it always do”. Well, hell, that’s what I was gonna say. I love their give-it-all -you’ve- got performances, their guitar hooks and plain-jean looks, and there are plenty of tried and true “Hellacopters” songs on Rock & Roll Is Dead, their tenth album and sixth studio release. They take the beat back to a sexy groove in more than a few spots - the Stones riffs and backing choruses on No Angel to Lay Me Away and Leave It Alone, or the echoes of 60’s pop on Monkeyboy show off an authentic frame of reference lacking in so many modern rock bands. The band has evolved over the years, but they play it fast and loose with “Bring it On Home”, and it makes me restless. Everything’s on TV, sure, but I almost forgot that “everything” is not as satisfying as one real rock band. I could easily convince myself that these guys are the only ones who still care, give up, or move to Sweden. But I feel compelled to find more proof of life. I may not look like Jagger, but I got some cheap sunglasses, and I’m ready to roll. So turn off the light… I’m so ready to make the stage tonight. I’m going out. I’ll tell the big obnoxious doorman Let me through, I got a job to do! I’m tired of lamenting the death of rock. I know it’s out there and I’m looking to find more. So if you play real tight, and if you’re not too light, I might come see you tonight! --Miss Bonnie

HELVETIA
The Clever North Wind
The Static Cult Label
There's a cake drifting aimlessly in the far-off sea as The Clever North Wind blows further towards the horizon with each fleeting track. I have a certain fondness for complex indie rock; the stuff that if made 30 years ago would have been labeled "prog" or "kraut" because of its sheer complexity. I don't mean to claim anything in the present tense with that statement; let's agree not be bound by genres and labels, okay? Helvetia is making insanely complicated yet richly entertaining music, and that's all I care about. Within each song, the focus readjusts from intense to sublime and back again. Sprawling soundscapes play with manic turns of urgency. The lyrics come and go; they don't seem to mean much, but who cares about words anyway. Enough said.     --Don Simpson

HEY MERCEDES
Loses Control
VAGRANT

Even before hearing Hey Mercedes, I wanted to hate them, their music, their genre, their name, everything about them. Most of my fears (or criticisms) were legitimized upon first listen; as I go back and listen again, I think “this is better than most other crap like this,” mainly because I like the way the vocals sound and some of the chord progressions are appealing. In a way, I think this is one of the greatest compliments a band could get, someone wanting to hate them and after listening, changing gears. That said, I do however wish that they would write more songs like “Unorchestrated,” by far the best song on Loses Control, probably because it is one of the only tracks without the constantly annoying, droning, repetitive, guitar parts. The verses of “Absolute Zero Drive” are nice, showcasing some guitar skills; and I like the vocal sound of “Go On Drone” too, nice, very nice. All in all, though, this plays like a soundtrack to a WB program. (Don Simpson)

BILL HICKS
LOVELAUGHTERANDTRUTH (RYKODISC)
FLYING SAUCER TOUR, VOL. 1 (RYKODISC)

Stand-up comedy's never been my cup of tea; it's instant channel-changer material for me on television. For the much-missed Bill Hicks, though, I make exception--he's the one stand up comic that I totally love. These two new releases are very welcome, indeed, with a small reservation. Hicks' best friend Kevin Booth produced his last four albums (all released on CD by Ryko), the posthumous ones being done according to Hicks' instructions. These two collections were provided from tapes owned by Hicks' mother, produced for release by Ryko's Jeff Rougvie, but were made from tapes not intended for commercial release. Fortunately, they don't duplicate anything from the next two collections Booth is producing, from what I've been told. LoveLaughterAndTruth is a collection of bits not featured on the previous Hicks CDs. Hicks on drunk driving, drinking vs. smoking, and his pro-smoking rants are particularly hilarious, especially the "Children on Airplanes" bit. Even as a militant non-smoker, I can totally identify with where he's coming from. His death from cancer does make some of these jokes a bit eerie, though. The editing of the album is pretty jarring and annoying, however, which makes it the least satisfying of Hicks' official releases. Flying Saucer Tour, Vol. 1 is a completely different prospect, though. It is the first in a projected series of releases of intact live concerts, this one from Pittsburgh in June 1991. Hicks regularly recorded himself to listen to and work on his act, and while the tapes aren't of professional recording quality, his soul really shines through the technical flaws. Playing in front of a rather hostile audience that really doesn't get him, Hicks is biting, sarcastic, and aggressive, echoes of his idol Lenny Bruce. Now that we've got a really evil big oil administration in Washington, it's more clear than ever just how much we need someone like Hicks to get us through. At least his Gulf War-era jokes still work with the current Bush. (Kent H. Benjamin)

THE HIDDEN CAMERAS
Awoo
Arts & Crafts
Toronto’s blossoming music industry continues to churn out novel acts, and the Hidden Cameras join a list of innovative Canadian artists due for success stateside. The band’s third full-length, Awoo, follows 2004’s critically acclaimed Mississauga Goddam. Awoo continues to meld orchestral folk-pop with symphonic melodies, but is perhaps a little less erotic in lyrical content than previous releases. The songs adhere to more of a standard structure than before, possibly due to their US release on Arts & Crafts. Opener “Death Of A Tune” has the pop urgency perfect to kick off the record while the backbeat evokes fellow Canucks the Stills. The title track and “Heaven Turns To” incorporate Joel Gibb’s trademark hymn-like vocals creating a religious undertone while “She’s Gone” suggests '60s style production, not for the first time in the band’s catalogue. The beautiful “Fee Fie” and fidgety “Follow These Eyes” highlight the Hidden Cameras’ intricate arrangements while “Learning The Lie” and “Heji” are just a couple of tracks that showcase their expertise in assorted instruments. Infamous for their upbeat, dance-inducing live shows, the Hidden Cameras successfully capture their proficient musicianship and uplifting harmonies in the studio with Awoo.    --Adi Anand

Hitch
Trails Are Ablaze! (Kinky Star)

Hitch is a Belgian trio that has its roots as a hardcore band, but on Trails Are Ablaze!, they find a less aggressive, more angular sound with more syncopation (but not in a cheesy nu-metal way) and bits of melody. The closest stateside comparison might be to the Sparta side of the At the Drive-In split. And like Sparta, they don't shy away from ambitious, longer songs as evidenced by "Escape Form Squaresville," "Killing the Midnight Choir," and "Mount Vernon," which all break the six-minute mark. They also include more than a couple of abstract instrumental bits to the record. There is a lack of easy accessibility in Hitch's music, but some people will find that to be an endearing quality. (Andy Smith)

The High Violets
To Where You Are (Reverb Records)
Portland, Oregon's High Violets are based around a wall of shoegazer guitars and Kaitlyn Ni Donovan's winsome vocals. To Where You Are has some strong songwriting, especially "Chinese Letter" and Invitation," and does well to evoke images of mop-haired, love-beaded kids in love with the likes of Swervedriver and Ride, but the entire record suffers from a bout of sonic similarity among its songs. The recording quality of this record is also a bit thin, especially on the drums which makes it sound pretty brittle, but here's guessing that the High Violets have a stronger presence in a live setting. (Andy Smith)

THE HOLD STEADY
ALMOST KILLED ME (FRENCHKISS)

The Hold Steady is a New York City quartet fronted by songwriter/vocalist Craig Finn, late of Minneapolis art-punk project Lifter Puller. Also from Lifter Puller is the guitarist Tad Kubler. The band's music has a loose, wide-open jam feel. While many indie bands are overtly post-punk, this group recalls more such power blues projects as Black Oak Arkansas and Cream, without any gratuitous leads. Overall, this makes the music simple and rugged, the sonic equivalent of a good work boot. What really makes it worthwhile is the lyrics chockfull of cultural references like decade stereotypes ("Positive Jam"), icons from Patti Smith to Nina Simone ("The Swish") and the bar band scene ("Barfruit Blues"). Someone looking at indie rock through the lens of having lived through the 80s, once in a bar band and still collecting records, will smile at all the references in songs like "Most People are DJs": "Baby take off your beret/because everyone's a critic and most people are DJs." --Tom "Tearaway" Schulte

MARKUS HOLLER
ACHIN' FOR SUMMER (SUGARBUSH RECORDS)

Markus Holler runs a used vinyl mail-order operation called Sugarbush Records, specializing in power pop records. Way back in 1986, he was lead guitarist for acclaimed British guitar band the Fortunate Sons. More recently, he formed a trio with Rick Corcoran (now recording as the Orgone Box, whose two albums we've raved about here) and Tam Johnson (now recording as the General Store) called the Silent Blue. This CD is a very belated release of a bunch of home demos recorded for the unreleased Silent Blue project circa 1990-92, and presents 11 tracks, four of them co-written with Corcoran. To my utter amazement, Holler is every bit the songwriter Corcoran is. Try "Little Pretender" or "Your Man" for nearly flawless examples of jangly power pop. One small complaint, though: the CD is mastered rather quietly compared to most modern CDs. Holler is doing a 'real' album now, hopefully for release soon, but in the meantime, this is an essential purchase for lovers of pure pop music. (Kent H. Benjamin)

Hopewell
& the Birds of Appetite (Tee Pee Records)

Hopewell is centered around the Russo brothers, guitarist Jason and keyboardist Justin, who toured with members of Mercury Rev when that band phoenixed with Deserters Songs. Recording with Dave Fridmann and Bill Racine at Tarbox Road, the band fully utilized the vast array of equipment kept on-hand there (I'm assuming they don't cart kettle drums around with them). As akin to Grand Mal (whose Bill Whitten also lends a hand) as they are to Rev, they're resplendent in all of the instrumentation they employ. Crafting these well-layered songs, the band is tuneful, displaying a sonic depth not unlike any early 70s Pink Floyd recording. Music of this kind of sophistication rarely comes from indie bands without major label money to fall back on, but the band and its producers are resourceful, if not always frugal. Bringing in field recordings of birds (thus the name), more for continuity of sound rather than theme, the album makes good use of Tarbox' rural surroundings. The songs are mostly highly narratives (as in "the Notbirds” nightmarish horror story, or “4 AM,” with its twisted longing bordering on foreboding). In short, Hopewell deserves to be every bit as revered as Rev and the Lips, even if they are relatively unknown. --d.n.l

Hospital Bombers
It's the devil's music, those are the devil's songs, it's the devil's music and it's all wrong (self-released)

Hospital Bombers is the project of Dutch musician/producer Jan Schenk, and this five song EP is the band's first release. It is incredibly brief with five songs clocking in at just under nine minutes total. The sound is sort of a low-fi garage pop kind of thing. It is a bit rough overall, but there are a couple of really cool songs. "The Devil's Music" is really quite funny as the band sings a song where they warn the audience of the danger of listening to the Hospital Bombers because they play the devil's music. Of course, this message is delivered to an incredibly innocuous, strummy guitar melody which sounds about as un-satanic as you can get. Probably the most fully realized song is "Jackoff" which effectively uses a violin and a male/female vocal pairing and has some great lyrics including: "We had an argument about the books on the shelf/After which I cut them all in half/You got all the dedications and tables of contents/I got all the bad ends." The record is available by emailing info@hospitalbombers.com. (Andy Smith)

HOT CHIP
The Warning
astralwerks 
Listening to Hot Chip’s songs many ideas and impressions flood my head, but I find I’ve had all these thoughts before. Every idea is a rerun. A few listens and I hear New Order and Talk Talk with updated electronics and production techniques. These sparse, delicate arrangements and emotional deliveries are so familiar--plucked right out of techniques and styles of the last 20 years. The songs resonate with raw emotion and hold attention a bit longer than expected, though. To someone who didn’t grow up with either of those bands, this album could be eye-opening and these songs are deep and rich with meaning. To someone who has been through cycles of detached poets and tortured souls wrestling with new technologies and sounds I can only shrug.   --Boon Sheridan 

Hot Hot Heat
Elevator (Sire/Reprise)
Elevator is the major label debut for Victoria, British Columbia's Hot Hot Heat. The exuberance that marked the band's earlier records is still here, although some of the edges have certainly been softened in an effort to raise the band's pop quotient even higher. The results are mixed. Hot Hot Heat is still a spiky, energetic band, as evidenced by the nervy opener "Running Out of Time" and at their best, they sound like the Strokes' more earnest and less self-consciously cool cousins. Unfortunately, what Elevator lacks is really good, memorable songs. What is here is a lot of fun and generally fine, but there's a nagging sense that if this is the best the band can do, then they may not have much else to offer. I guess the next record will answer that. --Andy Smith

HOT RIZE
SO LONG OF A JOURNEY (SUGAR HILL)

Hot Rize was one of the best of the new wave of bluegrass bands that appeared in the late 70s. The quartet split in the early 90s, with any hopes of a reunion scotched by guitarist Charles Sawtelle's 1999 death from leukemia. The band did one reunion tour before that tragic event, however; So Long of a Journey is a souvenir from that '96 outing. The band runs through a strong set of its own standards ("Just Like You," "Climbing Up a Mountain," "Shadows in My Room"), as well as bluegrass chestnuts ("High on a Mountain," "Won't You Come and Sing For Me," even "Foggy Mountain Breakdown"). The group also does an inspired version of Blind Willie Johnson's "Keep Your Lamp Trimmed and Burning," which mandolinist Tim O'Brien would later revive on Real Time, his duet album with Darrell Scott. Powered by Pete Wernick's driving banjo and Nick Forster's rock-solid (electric) bass, ornamented by O'Brien's mandolin and fiddle licks and Sawtelle's breakneck six-string solos, this performance shines like a Christmas tree. There's no sense of impending doom to these performances, no "special event" vibe, but there doesn't need to be. So Long of a Journey is simply one of the finest contemporary bluegrass outfits in recent years doing what it does best. (Michael Toland)

THE HOT SHOTS
Jubilee! ( SUNDAZED)

Although it surely wasn’t the intention of the form’s first architects, it seems that rockabilly has largely survived into the 21st century largely on the virtue of its kitsch and retro charm. In fact, no matter how much the music would seem to have limited and largely geographical appeal, the whole world has embraced the genre’s tenets of purist rock 'n' roll and unrefined energy, with few devotees baring witness to this fact more than the Hot Shots, Japan’s strangest rockabilly revolutionaries. To be sure, broken English and slightly sour crooning are not hallmarks of the form, but here they lend the music most of its charm. What’s surprising, then, is just how excellent they are as a rockabilly unit, displaying a deftness for these arrangements that goes far beyond kitsch and novelty. Comprised mostly of early rock staples like Fats Domino’s “Whole Lotta Lovin',” Buddy Holly’s "Everyday,” and a few Leiber and Stoller hits, the quartet is startlingly competent. Even more impressive are fabulously deft originals like the amazingly virtuosic guitar workout on “Red Smoke” and the classic jazz-pop arrangement of “A Day Like Today.” Sure, it’s not likely that anyone would give this album a second listen had it not been recorded by four Japanese musicians, but for those who enjoy albums that are long on sincerity and oddball charm, this shouldn’t disappoint. (Matt Fink)



Hot Snakes
Peel Sessions (Swami)

Hot Snakes is yet another San Diego band that includes the remarkably productive John Reis (aka Speedo) who has also been in Rocket From the Crypt, Drive Like Jehu, and The Sultans in addition to running the Swami label. The new Peel Sessions EP is a four-song, nine minute blast of fury recorded live in the BBC studios and re-mastered for better sound quality. And though it is over before you even realize it, this is one powerful record full of blazing speed, taut rhythms, a snarling trebly guitar attack and suitably urgent vocals. This is a terrifically wicked blast of pure energy. (Andy Smith)

The Hourly Radio
Lure of the Underground EP (self-released)
Why Dallas, Texas seems to be a center of new-wave revival bands is a mystery, but the music stores in the area must make a ton of money selling guitar effects pedals to sensitive guitar slingers in the area. The Hourly Radio is one of the newer of these bands, and its Lure of the Underground EP is full of effected (and affected) guitars and terribly earnest vocal stylings. If you are 18 and feel alienated from your privileged suburban environs, maybe this is for you, but to these ears it sounds emotionally overwrought and musically overdone. This critic recommends heavy doses of the first four Ramones records to relive the symptoms of shoegazing and mopey-looking hairdos. (Andy Smith)

HOUSEHOLD NAMES
Picture in My Head
self-released
Household Names is a power trio mining the same grand rock-pop played by such other Austin bands as Kissinger and the now-departed Friends of Lizzy. The sound is a radio-friendly mix of fat guitars and strong power-pop hooks. For a self-released record, it is a laudable effort and sounds better than releases done on much higher budgets. Musically, it has its highs and lows. The more jagged and angular songs sound a bit forced, but the trio really excels on the more straight-ahead pop songs, and on the mellower songs that populate the second half of the record which make the best use of Jason Garcia's pure singing voice. Picture in My Head might not fulfill this band's seemingly lofty ambitions, but it is a step in the right direction. --Andy Smith

Howling Diablos
Car Wash (Alive Records)

Detroit's Howling Diablos sound like a band of veteran bar musicians who have been honing the same sound for years and have know found their style in vogue. Car Wash drop-kicks the asses of just about all of the newer stripped-down blues-rock bands. The Black Keys and the White Stripes may be working in the same territory and will certainly sell more records, but the Howling Diablos smoke both of those bands on pure chops and power and carry on the gritty, industrial blues reminiscent of John Lee Hooker's days in the Motor City. Lyrically, instead of sounding like poses, the songs about working crappy jobs, hard drugs, and prison have a spooky air of authenticity. This band is probably too old and unpretentious to appeal to the young hipster crowd, but people who genuinely dig low-down, raw blues should certainly check this out. Their version of R.L. Burnside's "Gone So Long" is alone worth the purchase of the record. (Andy Smith)

NEILSON HUBBARD
SING INTO ME (PARASOL)

Neilson Hubbard may yet turn out to be one of the most significant artists to come out of the deep south in the last 15 years, as I once predicted, but his new album is definitely a detour, albeit a highly personal and heartfelt one. You see, Oxford, Mississippi's Hubbard once had a band called This Living Hand, with longtime collaborators Garrison Starr and Clay Jones, clearly a union with a religious bent. And Sing Into Me is a collection of new, original Christian songs about, well, faith, for the most part, although a few could be read broadly enough to be about love, whether of a higher deity or a significant other. More stripped down even than Hubbard's brilliant Why Men Fail (the first southern album to really revisit in a positive way the same territory as Big Star's Sister Lovers), this album features a variant on Hubbard's earlier bands, with Jones, John Deadrick, and Craig Kampf returning to the fold, plus Cathy Horne on lovely high harmonies. This is a good album, especially the most upbeat song, "Everything's Starting," which I've come to like a lot. There's also a nice if overly faithful cover of the Velvets' "Jesus," but then, the third Velvets album is clearly a major influence, and it certainly fits lyrically. Here's hoping the next time he makes a true successor to Why Men Fail, although this can certainly be counted a success on its own terms. (Kent H. Benjamin)

CARY HUDSON
COOL BREEZE (BLACK DOG RECORDS)
The dirty harp-and-guitar blues of ex-Blue Mountain frontman Cary Hudson are as antiquated as sitting on a front porch and waving to neighbors on a balmy evening--which is of course part of the old-fashioned appeal. Playing with all the ferocity of a wizened troubadour, Hudson is also something of an alt-country mainstay, having worked with John Stiratt in his pre-Wilco/Uncle Tupelo days. Needless to say, stompers like "Jellyroll" and "8 Ball Blues" possess all the raunchy appeal that their titles suggest, while "Little Darlin'" has the modern crisp sound of a Peter Case standard. For all the fire of a rocker like "What The Old Man Told Me," there is some exquisite finger picking here, exemplified by the gentle "Don't Hasten Away." The hidden barnyard track is also not to be missed. (David Pyndus)

Human Television
All Songs Written by: Human Television EP (Gigantic Music LLC) 

Welcome to the world of Human Television, a band much more than just poetically simplistic lyrics reminiscent of American underground pop circa 1980-84 and rough-around-the-edges production of the Paisley Underground’s jangle pop. Their references and influences are too bountiful and beautiful to piece together as everything returns to the most perfect aspects of underground pop music from the mid 60s to early 90s. Most amazingly, everything is mixed and merged within perfect two to three minute pop songs with such ease and elegance. Here’s hoping the upcoming full length continues along the lines of these (hopefully) soon to be trendy musical trends. (Don Simpson)

JANA HUNTER
Blank Unstaring Heirs of Doom (GNOMONSONG)
As the inaugural release on Gnomonsong (a label founded by Devendra Banhart and Andy Cabic), one would assume, for better or worse, Jana Hunter to be another flashback to the hippie folk scene; yet Blank Unstaring Heirs of Doom finds roots much deeper, in the degraded old 78s of the primordial days of American blues and folk. Ghostly, crackle-ridden vocals haunt the muffled instrumentation, accentuating the raw, historic feeling of a primitive recording recently unearthed by Smithsonian archeologists; yet Hunter’s words mysteriously emanate from within, releasing her beauty, passion and unbridled emotion. With eyes closed tight, Hunter carries the listener to yesteryears when music was captured, not produced. --Don Simpson

HYPATIA LAKE
"…And We Shall Call Him Joseph"
Sad Robot
The cover completely threw me for a loop, curiosity and confusion took hold only a few seconds into the first track; I just had to skip forward a few tracks just to see where this would be taking me. It's not like I ever read the last page of a book first and I know, why didn't I just read the bio? Well, bio's give away too much and they plant stupid RIYL ideas in your head, like a movie trailer that gives away all the best parts of the movie. That just pisses me off! The pink cover just boggled my mind to the point that I couldn't truly comprehend the music. "Fishies vs. Lines" gave me much comfort and a sense of direction, enabling me to settle down and listen. I quickly discovered that there's an epic story within the lyrics (a continuation of the saga from Your Universe, Your Mind concerning the characters of a fictional Hypatia Lake), so I had to skip back to the beginning. The music spins an emotional tale of its own. The tone fluctuates from sublime to morose, excitement to depression, shhhh to ahhhh; reminiscent of some certain mid '70s epics (or you could say Radiohead and Flaming Lips), maybe there isn't much coincidence in "He Could Not Save Her From the Cold Blade in the Pale Moonlight" reminding me of The Wall? Nevertheless, I should probably listen to Your Universe, Your Mind in order to gain a greater understanding of it all. Oh, MP3 blogs where are you?   --Don Simpson