Saboteur
s/t (End Sounds)
Saboteur's self-titled seven-song EP (clocking in at under 20 minutes) works best when it hits with both fists in a straightahead, no-frills hard rock manner. Songs like "Ignited" and "Mommy's Little Anarchist" mix the 90's punk song constructs of bands like Pennywise with a fat chugging overdriven guitar sound. "Declaration On Dependence Drive" goes for a different groove coming up with something not unlike a less metallic Queens of the Stone Age. The closer "Poison Rum To Soak the Lungs" aspires to be the record's standout single and comes up close but not quite on target. (Andy Smith)

THE SAINTS
Nothing Is Straight in My House (UFO MUSIC)
Hard to argue with this effort. This is gruff, bull-in-a-china-shop punk and hard guitar rock from the Saints, one of the pioneers of said style, whose lineup now includes Church guitarist Marty Willson Piper. Saints mainman Chris Bailey heads straight for the jugular on most of these songs--the title cut being a prime example: Over a crashing, churning, gurgling rhythm section, Bailey's tale of frustration takes on a near-banshee wail, with screeching guitars punctuating the pain. Elsewhere, lowdown blues ("I Couldn't Help Myself") and the odd folkish tune ("Digging a Hole"), appear, but it's the four-on-the-floor rockers ("Bang On") and atmospheric epics ("Garden Dark"), spit out by Bailey with passionate fury, that are most worthy of the Saints' respected canon. --Luke Torn

SAM CHAMPION
Slow Rewind (RAZOR & TIE)
NYC’s Sam Champion is an exercise in misdirection. On the surface, one might assume that Sam Champion is a sensitive singer/songwriter type, an assumption that’s disspelled by a four member line-up, none of whom is either a Sam or a Champion. When the band’s debut, Slow Rewind, kicks off, there’s a hint that they (not he) may still fit the sensitive bill, but that idea gets modified about a minute into the title track when their Clem Snide gentility gives way to sheets of Crazy Horse guitar squall. The band doesn’t completely turn its back on introspection, as they explore the lyrical angst of big city life, love and all the attendent complications set to an intimate yet energetic soundtrack that pulls sonic elements from a variety of fascinating sources while playing up the tension between their chosen modes of noisy rock, quiet pop and the electric space between the two. Combining the quirky charm of Camper Van Beethoven, the tremulous verve of Pavement, the sprawling guitar of Dinosaur Jr., the NYC portraiture of Lou Reed and the angular melodicism of Crazy Horse, Sam Champion is four musical heads that sound like a dozen different bands in the service of a single yet wonderfully schizophrenic sonic direction. --Brian Baker

SAVES THE DAY
In Reverie (DREAMWORKS)

The Princeton, N.J., indie foursome’s meteoric rise with 2001’s Stay What You Are secured gigs with Green Day and Blink-182. But unlike the headliners, Saves the Day, with this latest, now claim no punk allegiance, trading in their punk credentials for a 12-track collection of smiling, feel-good pop ditties. Only vestiges of their former selves remain, which means it’s their best yet. Great for pledge parties or playing loud in your dorm room. Enhanced CD includes a link to a “secret” website. (John Stoehr)

SAY HI TO YOUR MOM
Impeccable Blahs
Euphobia
I really have to say it, so please let me. "Hi Mom!" Okay, you can't say they weren't asking for it. Now, let's get on with how much I really wanted to hate this album. First, the ever so cheeky band name to which I quote the third track, "Blah Blah Blah." Second, I beg of you, please no vampire concept albums. Yikes! Lastly, the even-cheekier-than-the-band-name sugary pop song atrocities; gag me with a spoon! Now I'm lopping up loving spoonfuls of every damn drop of that very sugar. I feel the need to randomly blurt quotes from Buffy. "I'm not ashamed. It's the computer age. Nerds are in. They're still in, right?" "Put marzipan in [my] pie plate, bingo!" "I'm sick of this crap. I'm sick of being the guy who eats insects and gets the funny syphilis. As of this moment, it's over. I'm finished being everybody's butt-monkey!" Oh no, I seem to be under a spell of some sorts. I don't know what I'm saying or doing. Track 9 ("Sweet Sweet Heartkiller") is repeating in my mind. Stop. Don't stop. I'm never saying "hi" to my mom again! Leave me alone. I mean it.     --Don Simpson

SEBASTIEN SCHULLER
Happiness
Minty Fresh
French multi-instrumentalist Sebastien Schuller creates some really lovely soundscapes on his self-titled release which mixes acoustic instruments and electronic textures. On about half of the songs, Schuller also sings in a fragile but graceful tenor voice that won't win him any competitions but works as an excellent companion to the music. Happiness would seem to be an ill-fitting title for music that evokes more contemplative melancholy than anything else, but Schuller can certainly be happy with the quality of record he has produced on this record. --Andy Smith

SEAL
IV (WARNER BROS.)

Eight years after his Grammy-winning “Kiss of the Rose,” Seal returns with his fourth full-length. Hopefully, you haven’t waited with bated breath. The charisma, soul, and vocal prowess of Seal remain, but IV is hit-and-miss, with strong singles alternating with weaker fare. Seal’s voice - gritty, unrestrained and silky - still enthralls. He’d make Marvin Gaye proud. Producer Trevor Horn succeeds in creating a slick, sexy but minimalist sound, especially on “Get Together” and “Love’s Divine.” (John Stoehr)

SEAFOOD
Paper Crown King
Cooking Vinyl
Seafood has only been well-known to US audiences for a few years, although the band's history goes back to the mid 90's. On Paper Crown King, the band plays both sides of the indie/emo line, with some songs that get stuck in the prosaic soft-loud-soft-loud construct, and others that venture off in very interesting directions, including some subdued, folk-tinged songs. Much of the record's mood seems to be influenced by the serious health issues that plagued lead singer David Line recently. --Andy Smith

LARRY SEAMAN
SEAMONSTER (HERKEMER)

A longtime luminary on the Austin music scene, Larry Seaman slipped this brief (time: 19:44) EP under our radar in 2001. Seaman once was a mainstay in Standing Waves, one of the city's premier new wave combos. In recent years, he's headed into folk/pop and chamber pop, both on his own and as part of Seaman's Quartet (with ex-Reiver Cindy Toth). Seamonster in part continues the chamber angle, but occasionally veers back toward good ol' rock 'n' roll, evident when the catchy chorus of the dirgy "Ashes" kicks the song into overdrive. "Time Was" melds a crunchy, T. Rex-ish tune to dissonant vocals with mixed results, but the spidery "Innocent Blood," is the record's highlight--Seaman and band channeling Roky Erickson to chilling effect. (Luke Torn)

THE SEA AND CAKE
THE GLASS EP / ONE BEDROOM (THRILLJOCKEY)

The obvious place to begin is the end, a cover of David Bowie's "Sound & Vision." It's brave territory for the Sea and Cake, yet they cover the terrain quite well. The other nine tracks, after listening to "Sound & Vision," acquire new meaning. The breathy vocals and the layers of guitar and synthesizers don't sound exactly like an album produced by Brian Eno (Bowie's Low, for one), but similarities do exist. Enough about comparisons, One Bedroom can stand on its own legs, deserving no genre or comparisons to simplify its meaning. The hypnotic dance beat rhythms, synthesizers, and ethereal vocals lean toward electronica and R&B; the guitar and keyboards, not to mention the lyrical structures, playfully manipulate rock conventions. This is, indeed, art. Imaginative, inventive, inspiring. The layers...the layers...the layers. Then what else would one expect from The Sea and Cake? The Glass EP is definitely not a dance/electronica record, but... Once again, The Sea and Cake create something utterly unclassifiable. They venture from a strange meld of trance and Curtis Mayfield with "To the Author" to jazz teetering on free-jazz with "Traditional Wax Coin." In the end, it's interesting to hear what its like when four, essentially, indie rockers (though they have never made "rock" music per se) make a re-mix record. As one would expect, The Sea and Cake stretch the limits of re-mixing to create something new, and it sounds like they had fun doing so. (Don Simpson)

Secret Machines
The Road Leads Where It's Led EP (Reprise)

One of the highlights of the summer of 2004 was hearing the title track of this EP in heavy rotation on the local alternative radio station. Why such a great song didn't go even further chartwise is only a reflection of how awful radio playlists are these days! If only Secret Machines were teenage girls or the winners of a network TV talent contest! As surreal as it is to imagine the Secret Machines as popular darlings, the road just didn't lead that way. So, a year later, that same song leads off an EP which, aside from a new, lesser, group composition, is highlighted by four unlikely cover versions. They pull off “Astral Weeks” rather nicely, musically matching Van the Man's words to music resembling a space-metal version of “Sweet Jane.” As much of a relief as it is that their version of “Money (That's What I Want)” sounds nothing like the Beatles' or the Flying Lizards', it's debatable whether it requires all seven minutes or not. Dylan's “Girl From the North Country” makes better use of nine minutes, and is equally unrecognizable from the original. In fact, the only song that is even close to its original vibe is La Dusseldorf's “(Deluxe) Immer Wieder,” which is also the most obscure track here. The project is obviously a stop-gap effort between albums, but it's always fun to hear a band stretching out and playing homage to their faves. --d.n.l

SECRET MACHINES
Ten Silver Drops (REPRISE)
Secret Machines has never lacked ambition in crafting its huge sound, and the band's slightly stripped-down version of the Flaming Lips and others' neo-psychedelic stylings certainly won over lots of young ears with 2004's major label debut, Now Here Is Nowhere. Ten Silver Drops uses the same basic template as its predecessor with brothers Brandon and Ben Curtis' formidable rhythm section, Josh Garza's nimble guitar parts, and Brandon's thin but effective vocals on top. The record opens with three really strong tracks, including "Alone, Jealous, and Stoned," which neatly sums up general mood and sound. "All At Once (It's Not Important)" follows, and opens the throttle slightly before segueing into the stellar "Lightning Blue Eyes," displaying the trio's anthemic pop leanings in fine form. It's also the most fully realized song on the record. Though Ten Silver Drops seems to subsequently flounder--"Faded Lines" does save the second half of the record from becoming too plodding. Overall though, Ten Silver Drops is a tease, because Secret Machines show a desire to play massive, soaring rock songs but seem to be reticent about letting that suppress their art-rock tendencies. --Andy Smith

764-HERO
NOBODY KNOWS THIS IS EVERYWHERE (TIGER STYLE)

Despite a change at the bassist position (substitute Robin P. for James Bertram if you're keeping score at home), 764-Hero continue to blast away from within the comfortable trench they dug on 2000's Weekends of Sound. Led by singer-guitarist John Atkins, the trio here again does absolutely nothing to discourage comparisons to their homeboys Built to Spill or Modest Mouse. But the quality of the writing and the playing is generally strong enough for me to consider 764-Hero as peers of those other bands rather than as coattail- riders. The group is at their best on songs like "Oceanbound" and "You Were a Party," mid-tempo, shifty affairs that allow Atkins' guitar to slither fluidly from clanging chords to snaky lead runs. Like Built to Spill's Doug Martsch, Atkins avoids obvious and flashy soloing, but still manages to fill each song with head-turning guitar work. His emotive voice is also well-suited to the material, lending some of the cuts here, like the teary-eyed "Skylines," an almost uncomfortable level of intimacy. For me the album bogs down in its second half beneath the weight of one or two too many slow-smoldering power ballads. But all in all, Nobody Knows This Is Everywhere is another sturdy brick from a group quietly doing some impressive building in their neighbors' shadow. (Matt Murphy)

Charlie Sexton
Cruel and Gentle Things (Back Porch Records)

Charlie Sexton, once a highly regarded musical prodigy, has emerged from his 10 year recording hiatus with Cruel and Gentle Things. During his time away from the mic Sexton produced records for Lucinda Williams and Los Super 7. But his most important contribution to the world of music during this time was his work with Bob Dylan on Dylan’s Grammy-winning Love and Theft, as well as an extended run as guitarslinger supreme on the bard's Never Ending Tour. Cruel and Gentle Things is a bluesy, emotionally charged disc, loaded with masterfully crafted songs that bring in all of the important influences that have shaped his attitude. The opening track, “Gospel,” is a stripped down blues number driven by Sexton’s honest vocals. The rest of the record follows suit and a simple approach to production compliments its earthy tone. The disc isn’t dark, however, at least not overly so, and the quality of this record is exactly what one would expect from someone with his remarkable pedigree. --Lance Looper

BREE SHARP
MORE B.S. (AHIMSA/UNION RECORDING GROUP)

Bree Sharp made a splash in 1999 with her single "David Duchovny" from her debut album, A Cheap and Evil Girl. This follow-up, More B.S., is a strong though often derivative effort. The first two tracks, "Lazy Afternoon" and "Everything Feels Wrong" (the latter is perhaps the album's best cut), see Sharp doing a remarkable job of virtually channeling Sheryl Crow. The third, "Galaxy Song," is eerily similar to Fiona Apple's remake of "Across the Universe" both vocally and musically. Sharp also manages to conjure both Edie Brickell and Lisa Loeb in her singing style. Despite the seemingly derivative nature of much of More B.S., though, Sharp has put together a cohesive and quite good album. Her songwriting skills are strong (and often playful). Her voice is ripe with emotion. It is a solid sophomore effort from a folk pop singer with enough talent to continue to gain fans beyond her gimmicky first hit. (Richard E. Glover, Jr.)

RICK SHEA AND BRANTLEY KEARNS
TROUBLE AND ME (TRES PESCADORES)

This is prototypical, quintessential back porch music. If only my back porch sounded like this CD on a nightly basis! Shea and Kearns are both mainstays of the southern California roots scene, and between them they've appeared on dozens of records and tours of artists like Dwight Yoakam, Billy Joe Shaver, Dave Alvin (who produces here), Chris Gaffney, Mike Ness, and on and on. On Trouble and Me, the virtuoso duo rounds up friends like Don Heffington, David Jackson, and Greg Leisz, and tackle a batch of traditional tunes and like-minded originals, investing them with a down-home charm that's fluid, infectious, unpretentious. The oft-covered "Cane on the Brazos" and the Carter Family tune "Loafer's Glory" fall into the former category and are magnificently rendered, Kearns embellishing "Loafer's" with a signature fiddle section. The Harlan Howard-penned title track is an understated gem, while a run-through of Blind Lemon Jefferson's "Black Snake Moan," with guitar solo by Alvin and a Cajun undertow, has a rhythmic momentum all its own. This is one should not be overlooked. (Luke Torn)

MICHAEL J. SHEEHY
NO LONGER MY CONCERN (BEGGARS BANQUET)

Dream City Fan Club alumnus Michael J. Sheehy has released three solo albums, each a bit darker than its predecessor. Not immediately appealing, this is music that definitely gets more interesting with repeated listens. It's stark, emotionally raw, lyrically distant music that always somehow seems to require a Catholic upbringing to decipher. Spare musically, most songs feature acoustic guitars, minimal electrics, upright bass, simple piano and mood organ, brushed percussion--in all a totally jazz feel while the music is more nearly folk or alt-country than true jazz. David Gray with real issues, perhaps. Best of the lot is "Donkey Ride Straight to Hell," which puts a bleak, haunted processed vocal track atop one of music's great riffs--Willie Dixon's "Wang Dang Doodle"--to make a memorably dark track. "Dark Country Moment" is gospel-tinged country, bleak and desolate, with a hint of hope on the horizon. "Mary Bloody Mary 1" and "... 2" and "Ballad of the Pissed Apostle" are lyrically evocative and yet impenetrable without considerable study. "Swing Low" again visits gospel terrain, "Swing Low Sweet Chariot" recast as a chariot that may or may not be taking the narrator to heaven. And then sometimes Sheehy sounds like Lou Reed, circa the self-titled third Velvet Underground album, in songs like "Twisted Little Man," which sounds for all the world like a young Reed standing on a streetcorner, singing and snapping his fingers, while Sterling Morrison adds some tasty, economical electric tremelo guitar. Michael J. Sheehy sounds completely different to a lot of the music I normally crave, but this is difficult and rewarding music, and is sure to appeal to discerning listeners. (Kent H. Benjamin)

DUNCAN SHEIK
White Limousine (ZOE)
The melancholic spirit that permeates Duncan Sheik’s latest (his first in nearly four years after being dropped by Atlantic) is not exasperating like it could be, even though he’s down on the commercial perils of “Shopping” and whines like a child in the benign “Fantastic Toys and Corduroys.” Other than these back-to-back laments, which beg questions you might or might not care about, it’s hard not to fall for these inherently beautiful tunes infused with loneliness, boredom and frustration. Then again, Sheik is thinking about issues larger than himself here (hardcore opener “Hey Casanova” sets us up for some social commentary with the demise of the ladies’ man). When his backing band, featuring guitarist Gerry Leonard, snaps to for some 21st century blues on the title track, the group rocks about as hard as Matthew Sweet and it works quite perfectly. Sheik’s generally sleepy vocals are surrounded by piano, floating guitar lines and the lofty strings of the London Session Orchestra on a fair portion of the album. On the ominous “Star-Field On Red Lines,” he nearly moans, “Brace yourself, here it comes, head down,” and this provides an odd sense of relief from the backseat ennui. Don’t know if it’s supposed to make us feel better that it’s a dark and bumpy ride in the limo, but Sheik has at least accomplished something besides staring out the window. – David Pyndus

SHELLEYDEVOTO
BUZZKUNST (COOKING VINYL)

Given that the year 2001 marked the Silver Jubilee of British punk, it's perhaps appropriate that two of the movement's elder statesmen should have joined forces again for this collaborative project. Although Pete Shelley and Howard Devoto didn't intend Buzzkunst as a nostalgic, commemorative gesture, it's nevertheless been 25 years since they last recorded together on the legendary Spiral Scratch EP--one of punk's foundational documents and the only official Buzzcocks release to feature Devoto, who quit the band in early 1977 to return to college. For the last decade, Devoto has been living quietly as a photo-archive librarian and Shelley has been playing warmed-over punk with the reformed Buzzcocks, but that hasn't prevented the pair from coming up with something special on this album.

The title Buzzkunst offers a clue to the sound here, the accent being on the Germanic second syllable. While punk's thrashy ghost lurks on the charging, guitar-based "'Til the Stars in His Eyes Are Dead," the most compelling tracks revisit the motorik grooves of Krautrock: these numbers translate the sound of bands like Neu! and Can into a beefed-up version of the electronic environment Shelley and Devoto both explored on their 80s solo excursions. A Michael Rother-style guitar line weaves in and out of the streamlined beat and electro squelches on "Can You See Me Shining?" and Krautrock influences declare themselves all the more emphatically on the album's mesmerizing instrumental tracks: for instance, "On Solids" with its relentless pulsing drive and hypnotic sax and "Strain of Bacteria" with its string-fragments and swelling metallic drone. Buzzkunst is certainly a beat-oriented record but it's not all teutonic and metronomic. Elsewhere there's a more contemporary electronic feel as "Self-Destruction" ventures into industrial disco territory and numbers like "Stupid Kunst" integrate more complex electronic rhythms. Buzzkunst is an inspired effort, as vital and relevant as anything else out there. Maybe Devoto should quit his day job. (Wilson Neate)

THE SHANGRI-LAS
MYRMIDONS OF MELODRAMA (RPM PRODUCTIONS)

Combining their rare debut 45, several B-sides, and unforgettable LP cuts with a 4,800-word CD booklet, Myrmidons of Melodrama is an incredible document of this female vocal group. With songs like "Leader of the Pack" and "Give Us Your Blessings," the girls were controversial and at the center of the teen "death-disc" phenomenon. With tracks like the free and jazzy "Sophisticated Boom Boom" and "Give Him a Great Big Kiss," they were on the edge of stereo experimentation. Admittedly, their recording career contains forgettable fluff. However, Myrmidons of Melodrama compiles the crème de la crème into one important and memorable collection. (TTS)

SHELLITO
INGREDIENTS (BIRTHA)

Philadelphia natives Mike Shellito and Jeff Tanner craft quirky, largely upbeat pop songs that are guitar-based and rounded out by studio noodlings and keyboard touches. The first track here, "Orange and Green," is a euphonious slab of twee pop that recalls the Field Mice (and that's a good thing), with multi-tiered vocals. The rest of the album never quite lives up to the promise of the opener, however. "Smart People" is typical indie-pop fare with a few jarring shifts in feel that throw it off the rails. (Quite often these jarring, inorganic shifts crop up, as if Shellito are striving for complexity within the relatively narrow confines of their songs.) "Jim" is a fairly strong track with Velvetsy strumming and bouncing keyboard touches, while "You Really Like Me" has some great, hooky moments. Overall, however, this album features more quirk than substance. (Erik Hage)

MATTHEW SHIPP
NU BOP (THIRSTY EAR)

Pianist Matthew Shipp is best known for his free jazz excursions with bassist William Parker, but on Nu Bop he goes in a different direction. Along with Parker, saxist Daniel Carter, drummer Guillermo Brown, and electronicist/co-producer FLAM, Shipp puts his prodigious chops on the 88s to the service of groove. Taking inspiration from, but not copying, the funkier recordings of Ramsey Lewis and Herbie Hancock, Shipp revitalizes soul-jazz (or fusion or whatever you want to call it) with taste and fire. He applies some of his most lyrical, melodic playing ever to pulsing hip-hop grooves on "D's Choice" and "Space Shipp," and solos eloquently over more laid-back but still stanky rhythms in "Nu-Bop." He still indulges in his trademark flights of fancy, however. "Rocket Shipp" finds him contrasting his "out" playing to the more regimented rhythm section for a piece that recalls the best moments of early 70s Miles Davis, while "ZX-1" showcases his fingers playing unaccompanied for what could be termed a free jazz ballad. "Select Mode 2" is the culmination of the approach, as Shipp's jagged chords spar with Brown's hyperactive drumming for a funky, frenetic, but never unstructured journey into abrasive accessibility, and it fittingly closes the album. Matthew Shipp continues pushing the envelope, shredding it along with listeners' expectations. (Michael Toland)

SHOOTING AT UNARMED MEN
Yes! Tinnitus!
Too Pure
Shooting at Unarmed Men is the new vehicle for Jon Chapple, a member of the much-heralded Mclusky, who broke up rather unceremoniously last year. Not surprisingly, Yes! Tinnitus! is similarly bracing and bludgeoning in its slant on angular guitar music but is generally less abrasive and noisy as Chapple's previous band. There is also less of the dark oddball humor that made Mclusky more than just another band with a penchant for creating music that is antithetical to the word "pleasant." Shooting at Unarmed Men is more of a straightforward project in the spirit of The Fall and the harder Gang of Four tracks. The best song on the record is first one, "Pathos At Pathos."--Andy Smith

The Shore
s/t (Maverick)

Though it has been out for over a year, the debut record from the Shore has been woefully underexposed, which is truly unfortunate because this LA band exceeds all expectations and warrants serious attention from music fans. The sound is rooted in the splendidly hazy twang used by other fine LA artists including Tom Petty, Grant Lee Buffalo, Jackson Browne, and E of the Eels, though many others have compared the Shore to UK bands such as Oasis and the Verve. What makes this record most impressive is that songwriter Ben Ashley manages to find real life in the mid-tempo lonely white guy mellow melodic rock style, which is a nod both to his talent and also to producer Rick Parker, who conjures up a shimmering, almost symphonic backdrop for Ashley's aching songs and voice. The record starts out stumbling with its two weakest tracks ("Hard Road" and "Firefly") coming before the gorgeous "Take What's Mine" begins a run of eight strong songs that dip and soar almost effortlessly before ending with the brilliant closer "Coming Down." A terrific record. --Andy Smith

THE SIGHTS
GOT WHAT WE WANT (FALL OF ROME)

Yet another entry in the increasingly crowded "garage revisited" field, Detroit upstarts the Sights are just as potent with the three-chords-and-a-cloud-of-dust formula as the next band. Though they do tend to a slightly more portentous approach than some of your more straight-ahead acts, you can hear plenty of MC5, white-boy blues freak out rockers, and Nuggets-era oomph in their sound. Highlights abound on Got What We Want, from the bouncy high octane riffage in "Be Like Normal" to the blues scoot of the (John Lee) Hookerized title track. Though the Sights often fall prey to simplistic, cliched lyrics--i.e., "Last Chance" and "Sweet Little Woman"--there's enough grit throughout to compensate. (Luke Torn)

SILVERMAN
SPEED OF LIFE PART TWO (UGLYMAN)

Silverman come very much from the Portishead/Lamb/EBtG style of female/male pairing. This English outfit coalesced via an ad placed in a Brit music magazine: vocalist Anna Dennis, who straddles the thin line between Tori Amos and Kate Bush with her precocious singing, and Martin Williams, who leads the band through a series of song stylings that come off as more a resume than an album. Speed of Life Part Two is enjoyable enough, even if it's all kind of contrite and derivative. "Eleven Eleven" is the best cut here, a kind of slow burn guitar track where Anna sings "Fuck you, fuck me, fuck every fucking buddy," though the sentiment is not so much sexual as it's just snotty. The song doesn't come to any expected finale or resolution; it just kind of fizzles out, as though the the group is able to reveal only a limited amount of anger or passion at a time. The rest is just the usual--cliché's and worn-out musical threads ("Can I Have My Heart Back Please?" being one of many very Tori moments) from a group looking for the big money deal. (d.n.l)

SIMON & GARFUNKEL
LIVE FROM NEW YORK CITY, 1967 (SONY/LEGACY)

Many times in the months after 9/11, I heard people talking about the music they turned to in soul-searching times. And, more than a few times, they mentioned Simon & Garfunkel. The premiere folk/rock duo created, in their prime, a music so pure and so idealistic, that it somehow still stands as a beacon in these cynical, corrupt days. The purity of the harmonies, the very preciousness and melancholy of Simon's songwriting, it all speaks of a time when change was in the air and people (at least seemingly) had a stake in it and an ability to shape and define it. Well, like karma, Live From New York City, 1967 arrives, holding so much of that emotion within its grooves. Accompanied only by Simon's agile acoustic guitar, this slice from the group's stage show certainly catches them in their prime. Song after song is rendered with gloriously tight, angelic harmonies, purposeful singing, innate timing. In fact, this is a snapshot of the duo just before their meteoric rise, rendering songs like "Homeward Bound" and "I Am A Rock" minus their fancy studio arrangements, just voices and guitar. And in some ways, the versions here, recorded before a breathless audience, eclipse their better-known counterparts. This is the idealistic 60s. Anthony DeCurtis contributes spartan liner notes. (Luke Torn)

PAUL SIMON
Surprise
warner bros.
Surprised? Yeah, from the moment I put the CD in, in fact. Surprised that Simon recorded an album with Brian Eno front and center (it should’ve been Simon/Eno if you ask me), surprised that it’s been 15 years since Simon’s last real masterpiece (The Rhythm of the Saints), and surprised that he’s still pushing things forward well into his sixties. The songs themselves are more like one-way conversations with a friend you haven’t heard from in ages. All kinds of questions he answers himself, like opening song “How Can You live in the Northeast?” and “Outrageous” and it’s refrain “who’s gonna love you when your looks are gone?” (The answer? “God will!”). Mostly, though, the conversations are ones you’re glad to listen to, with Eno giving the album the same humanistic electronica shades he gave his own Another Day On Earth last year. It’s not quite as though electronica is just one more kind of world music for him to conquer, Simon really sounds great in this setting. “Wartime Prayers” is less a protest song and more an acceptance that there’s always a war; his way with heavy subjects is with such ease you realize that it’s the collected wisdom of an older man looking back. The sweetest thing here is the album closer, “Father and Daughter,” the only song here pre-dating Eno. When I heard it and its refrain “there could never be a father who loved his daughter more than I love you” two years ago I thought it was pure saccharine. Now that I have my very own baby daughter, however, it takes on a whole new meaning. Life is full of surprises.  --d.n.l

Keaton Simons
Currently (Maverick)

Currently, the EP from musical prodigy Keaton Simons, is a wonderful collection of deeply soulful songs walking the line between blues, jazz and country. Simons was playing Beethoven by ear as a preschooler and that development has continued beautifully. Extremely skilled guitar playing and smoky vocals could draw comparisons to Norah Jones, and that ain’t bad. With his cover boy looks, Simons is already getting national attention. The 25 year-old should be exploding onto the scene for real when his LP, Exes and Whys is finally available (no release date has been set as of press time). In the meantime, pick up Currently and be ahead of the curve when the rest of the world discovers this exceptional young talent. (Lance Looper)

FRANK SINATRA
CLASSIC DUETS (CAPITOL RECORDS)

This one's mostly for the collectors, but it's a very entertaining listen all the same. From 1957 through 1960, Frank Sinatra did a TV series for ABC, along with four hour-long specials. In every episode, he'd sing duets with his guests, and this compilation collects the best of those on one CD. The audio is lifted from TV soundtracks, so it's all mono with fairly limited range, but the sound isn't too bad. Hearing arguably the finest male vocalist of the century performing with some of the finest singers of his generation (Bing Crosby, Dean Martin, Louie Prima & Keely Smith, Ethel Merman, Ella Fitzgerald, Elvis Presley, Peggy Lee, Dinah Shore, Shirley Jones, Sammy Davis, Jr., Lena Horne, and the McGuire Sisters), at a time when Sinatra was still at his peak, is not a bad thing at all. "High Hopes," with a bunch of kids, is one of my favorites, and brings me right back to my childhood. While the long medley with Dino is full of laughs (mostly theirs), Bing brings class to the whole thing, and the Elvis duet is the stuff of legend (although you don't get the shoulder shake/hip shake joke via audio only). Still, it has to be noted this should be a DVD release, not an audio CD. (Kent H. Benjamin)

Slang
Blue (Dives Project)

Slang is quite popular in their homeland of Bulgaria, and Blue is their first stab at penetrating the US market. The sound of Blue is reminiscent of top 40 rock radio from the 80's and early 90's and conjures up the term "Condo Rock." It's very glossy and well-played with vocalist's Dimitar Ekimov's surprisingly unaccented vocals out front. The songs are pleasantly bland and easy to listen to without being particularly exciting or memorable. If they can manage to be heard by the correct light-rock demographic, they may really have something. Good luck to these intrepid rockers of Bulgaria. (Andy Smith)

SLEEPING FLIES
YOU ARE SUPERIOR (ELECTRONIC WATUSI BOOGALOO)

Drawing from a wide range of styles and beats, Richard Olson--the prime mover of Sleeping Flies--presents an impressive dance album that's not just boogie- fodder for the insomniac; it's also tender audio cutlets for the stoned headphone freak. Like the immaculate Thievery Corporation or Photek, Olson creates a collage of electronic textures, layers, and moods that keep even the non-dancer riveted. But considering the generous portions of acid house, ambient dub, and Neu!-like spatial psychedelia present, this disc is made for dancing, even if you're just spinning around, vibing the cosmos. The bulk of the project was recorded in Athens, Ga., with former Olivia Tremor Control mastermind and current Sunshine Fix frontman Bill Doss. Doss contributes a fair share to the album, providing melodic motifs that are alternately shredded into a fragmental mélange, like in "Reverberation," or left intact, as in the last track, "Deep Inside My Soul," which stands in stark contrast to its neighbors as a legitimate pop song (though it is given the tripped-out treatment). Sleeping Flies are not alone in their quest to tranquilize the normally coked-up state of electronica. Along with Biowire, Jivaro, and Babalu, the group forms what they call the Ultra Wide Band, a collective not unlike the Elephant 6 bunch, who share a common vision of the future of electronic music. The foursome records on the Electronic Watusi Boogaloo (EWB) label, which distributes with Athens-based Kindercore. There are signs of a full-blown trend toward a softer, flower-power blend in electronica, but that remains to be seen. (John Stoehr)

SLIPSTREAM
Transcendental (HIDDEN AGENDA)

Having helped out on Spaceman 3's swansong, the deliberately schizophrenic Recurring (not to mention the first two Spiritualized albums), guitarist Mark Refoy brings a little taste of both to his Slipstream project. I love the druggy whir of keyboards that made Recurring such a perfect winter album, and here Refoy demonstrates that much of the instrumental sound I had previously credited to Jason Spaceman and Sonic Boom were actually coming from somewhere else. Slipstream is very much of a piece with the other bands Refoy's worked with, and since neither Spectrum nor Spiritualized sound like this anymore, I guess that bodes well; a retro sound, stuck of 1991, caught in a piece of amber from a distant time. You can credit part of this time-warpage the fact that this work was done in several sessions over many years--1996 to 2002. Refoy doesn't have much to say lyrically, especially compared to Jason's semi-gospel drug survivor tunes, and his voice is rather slight (rather like Dean Wareham's), but the lyrical pieces like "Tonight's the Night" (not the Rod nor Neil song) are sweetly tuneful in a very crystalline way. The album is enjoyably long and ends with "Clare's Ghost," featuring an interesting narrative from Watchmen comic writer Alan Moore. (d.n.l)

The Slow Poisoners
Melodrama (Rocktopus Records)

On Melodrama, the formula for flawlessly executed pop music in a haunting, strange setting is carried out to pure perfection. The Slow Poisoners bring together a decade of performance and songwriting to create an unusual masterpiece of glam-rock, gothic and David Bowie theatrics with shades of Johnny Cash to boot. With their exposure through the Warped Tour, and a recording stint at the famous Sun Studios in Memphis, The Slow Poisoners get serious delivering eclectic, sophisticated and maniacally zany melodies. Melodrama throws everything, including the kitchen sink and a load full of dishes, at the listener with bedazzling gothic statements, gravely spun roots music, beat poetry and bits of horns, Hammond keyboards and distorted guitars. "Star Flower Pine" eerily carries traces of Bowie and the Beatles, leading into the delightful Spanish feel of "Todo Es Mal!" Each song has a message and unique personality of its own, truly adding flavor and color of originality to a group with much wit, charm and engaging character. With the mysterious tapestries of "The Creeping Ritual" and the humor and romance of "She Loved the Stars Too Fondly," choosing whether this record is a masterpiece intended for one's extended listening pleasure is not a hard decision. A surefire delight. (Shawn M. Haney)

The Slow Signal Fade
Through the Opaque Air (Stroll Music)

The Slow Signal Fade seems to have never met a minor chord it didn't like. This LA-based quartet showcases moody, haunting territory on this six song record reminiscent of bands like Slowdive. It's all very drawn-out and rather overwrought. Vocalist Marguerite Olivelle has a decent voice but seems to be tentative against the backdrop of Ron Ulicny's guitar attack. The band might benefit from mixing with her vocals more out front because the combination of the mélange of effected guitars, the overly long songs, and similarity in tones makes for a big yawn. There is certainly some talent here, but it hasn't been adequately captured in this recording. (Andy Smith)

SNOWGLOBE
Oxytocin
Makeshift Music
Snowglobe is the product of songwriter/singer/multi-instrumentalist Brad Postlethwaite, and Oxytocin offers his slightly skewed, layered pop music. Overall this is an intriguing record that has plenty of nice pieces but doesn't inspire as a whole. Part of this is likely because there are so many other people these days using a similar approach, and with such a crowded field, this just doesn't stand out enough from the crowd. --Andy Smith

Kelly Snyder
Oxygen (Mother West/Paper Cup Music)

Whether it's Alanis Morissette awkwardly stretching a single word to fit a melody or Michelle Branch sloppily ending a line with "ah," female singer-songwriters with distinguishing, and often annoying, vocal mannerisms have been commonplace over the last decade. Thankfully, newcomer Kelly Snyder hasn't introduced any new quirks to the world on Oxygen, her debut disc. In fact, the Philadelphia native's sole singing offense is trespassing on Mariah Carey and Christina Aguilera territory, showing way too emotion during the track "Are You Missing Me?" But while Snyder successfully avoids doing anything that's overwhelmingly irritating, there isn't much that's captivating either. Her singing and piano playing are competent throughout, but neither is interesting enough to carry such sparsely arranged songs as "Rescue Me," "Fall" and "So Bad." She fares much better on "I Didn't Know," which features a memorable chorus, overlapping vocal parts, a supple string arrangement and a rhythm track reminiscent of Dido's work. Equally as strong is "Innocent," a song about the complications of romance that Snyder sings most convincingly, her effect-coated voice complemented by moaning guitar licks. As these two tracks illustrate, sometimes more-is-more beats the less-is-more approach. (Chris M. Junior)

So Many Dynamos
When I Explode (Skrocki Records)

So Many Dynamos, a 4-piece from St. Louis, have sonically created one of the most creative and adventurous albums in the history of emo or anthemic rock (their label classifies them as a "mix of experimental noise punk, dance music and anthemic rock"; I could compromise with a mix of 2/3 anthemic rock and 1/3 noise punk), completely disassociating them from the negative connotations of their genre. Their noise punk tendencies are quite conducive to the production techniques with their tinker-friendly disjointed compositions and willingness to utilize random accent noises (keyboards, claps). The anthemic rock side adds an emotional frailty to the usual toughness of noise punk. No matter how clever the songwriting, the producer, Chicago audio guru Jeremy Lemos and mixer Jason Caddell (of the Dismemberment Plan) deserve the real kudos. --Don Simpson

THE SOCIETY OF ROCKETS
Where The Grass Grows Black (UNDERPOP)
Looking at the cover of Where the Grass Grows Black, I dunno, somehow someway I imagined that this was a rock ‘n’ roll band that parlayed SF psychedelia, garage and Stones blues rock into a dirty raucous gumbo. And I was right! Making no apologies whatsoever, the Society of Rockets, with their brash guitars and lusty horns, act as if the 70s never ever ended. I mean, spot the inspiration – Free, Jefferson Airplane, Mott the Hoople, Gram Parsons, CCR, Grateful Dead, Rolling Stones etc – there’s lots to rock out to here. Best of all, is the presence of a rustic ballad that sweetens the deal - the tragic “Suicide Summer” that splits this album in half. You want more? How about the 11-minute epic that is “Old Glory”? With echoes of Neil Young and Crazy Horse ringing from the speakers, “Old Glory” is classic roots rook at its best, ragged and fuzzy, with its heart on its sleeve. Here's a band that is so confident in its ability to excite and thrill and never stops to consider the artistic statement it may or may not be making except for how it all feels… --Kevin Mathews

SODASTREAM
IN BETWEEN TIMES (CANDLE/ACRUELA)

The first time I heard Sodastream, I was under the impression that their roots lay somewhere in the United Kingdom. That slow, sad sentimentality, complete with a seemingly unmistakable accent, just seemed to fit within those boundaries and under those grey skies. But I was wrong: Sodastream is from Melbourne, Australia. Not that any of that matters, but when past comparisons to Nick Drake and Belle & Sebastian are conjured up, you'll see that the accent is partly what draws these parallels and what gives Sodastream their distinctive, moody sound. Usually a two-piece, with a come-and-go drummer, Sodastream is led by Karl Smith, who provides the beautifully gentle voice and delicate acoustic guitar. His vocals are sung with strength but filled with fragile feelings. Add to this the pluck and bow of Pete Cohen's soothing, evocative cello, and you have the basic ingredients. Their sound is minimal and drenched in despondency. At times they sound centuries old, but they're timeless just the same. This is somber catharsis. In Between Times is a limited edition EP and Sodastream's fourth work overall. With four moody gems clocking in at just over 14 minutes, Sodastream has just enough time to run the spectrum of emotions. (Nolan Gawron)

THE SOFT BOYS
SIDE THREE (EDITIONS PAF!)

In March 2003, Robyn Hitchcock announced that the Soft Boys were officially no more (again), after a brief, illustrious two-year reunion. It was to be expected, really, but at least they left us one more excellent little record, this six-song EP of leftover tracks from Nextdoorland, available only online. The lead track. "Narcissus," maybe should've made the album and been pushed to radio as a single, as it's an insanely catchy little track about a lonely boy who's never talked to the real world. "Disconnection of the Ruling Class" is a rare group composition, and I'll gladly buy a pint for anyone who can satisfactorily explain the song's references to Slade. Three more fine little numbers fill out the EP: "Om," "Each of Her Silver Wands," and "Comin' Through," all of them good, but understandably omitted from the album. And as a final treat, there's a live performance of the otherwise unreleased "Evil Guy" from The Fillmore on the spring 2001 reunion tour. God bless 'em, and here's hoping we get a few more little jewels before another 20 years go by, because this was one of the few reunions that truly meant something. Don't miss their website (or Kimberley Rew's history of the band) at www.thesoftboys.com. (Kent H. Benjamin)

SOFT MACHINE
MAN IN A DEAF CORNER (Trojan)

How sad it is to have one of the great groups ever represented by such a piss-poor compilation of cast-offs, live tracks, and early experiments that, unfortunately, shed little light on the band's genesis. Assembled by Brian Hopper (whose brother, Hugh, was in the band), Man in a Deaf Corner begins with some very early pre-Machine experiments by band members. While, for fans, it is interesting to hear what Robert Wyatt was doing in 1963, the tracks have little excuse showing up on a compilation album. The second disc centers on a live gig at the Paradiso in Amsterdam in 1969. It's a good show, but Robert Wyatt's normally beautiful voice is ragged, and it becomes rather obvious how predominant Mike Ratledge's organ was in their sound. The rest of the set concentrates on the Soft Machine's sad descent into somewhat boring jazz-rock band territory in their post-Wyatt years. The ultimate rub comes with the closing track--a polished version of "As Long As He Lies Perfectly Still," with vocalist Jakko Jakszyk replacing Wyatt, and Hugh Hopper serving as the only remaining link to the true Soft Machine heritage. So, while these barrel-scrapings might be of interest to hardcore fans, there is little to recommend to anyone else. The group was properly anthologized on the long-out-of-print Triple Echo (Harvest Records, circa 1978); if only a label could mend the obvious licensing problems and reissue that. This group deserves so much better than this! (d.n.l)

SOME GIRLS
Crushing Love
Koch Records
Some Girls are an alt-rock female trio consisting of indie rock pinup Juliana Hatfield, drummer and former Blake Baby (w/Hatfield) Freda Love, and bassist (from the Pieces) Heidi Gluck, and this is their second and most democratic album. Their debut was primarily Hatfield songs, but this time all three ladies (and some boyfriends and exes) all contribute songs. It's a great album-- all appealingly memorable songs with mostly dark subject matter. The vocal blend between Hatfield's voice and Gluck's high harmonies (reversed when Gluck takes a lead vocal) is really effective. Songs like "Poor Man's You," "Live Alone," "Hooray for LA," and the song from which the LP's title is derived, "Magnetic Fields," are all top-notch. There's not a single weak song; this is one of the year's most satisfying releases.         --Kent H. Benjamin

SOMEONE STILL LOVES YOU BORIS YELTSIN
Broom
Polyvinyl
The circuitously named Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin combines the off-kilter pop charms of Pavement, the bedroom ethic of eels, the goofy transcendence of the Modern Lovers, and the tremulous basement brilliance of the Shins on their debut album, Broom. The Springfield, Missouri quartet self-released the album and made some impact in their hometown before inking with Polyvinyl for this wide re-release. Like all of the above named entities, SSLYBY excels at the idea of sophisticated musical naiveté, and of producing material that shows the light seams of its pop creation without devolving into sloppiness for art’s sake. There are moments on Broom when SSLYBY sounds like something straight out of the ’60s, a demo confection whipped up by a happier, less neurotic Brian Wilson or Ray Davies, all swinging piano and jaunty melodies which ultimately give way to more contemporary sounds and vision, like a Midwestern tribute to the Elephant 6 collective. Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin is esoteric pop with a grounded heart.    --Brian Baker

THE SONS OF HERCULES
RIGHT NOW (SUPREMA)

More righteous garage sludge from the longtime Austin/San Antonio (by way of Green Onion, of course) kings of rock 'n' roll. The production's muddy, the vocals sometimes buried, and the songs kinda run together on Right Now, the band's fourth long-player. But those concerns really don't matter, because the Sons of Hercules sound like a buzzing, amped-up Hives after a serious bender. Guitars siren, then careen outta control, singer Frank Puglise staggers through the songs taking no prisoners, and 1966 garage meets 1977 punk in a street brawl. The usual influences--the Stooges, Stones, Dolls, maybe the Sex Pistols--float around in this sonic stew but, really, the Puglise and his rotating gang of cohorts have been doing this long enough that they've got their sound down. Best song: the chugging, jealous rage that is "I Wanna Know." (Luke Torn)

SOULIVE
NEXT (BLUE NOTE)

Groove jazz ensemble Soulive has garnered itself quite a following on the jam band circuit, marketing itself in the same way as its kindred spirits Medeski, Martin & Wood. Expanding from a trio to a quartet with the addition of saxophonist Sam Kininger, the band pushes its hip-hop flavored jazz/funk on its third album Next. Even more so than on previous platters, Soulive's sound on this record is all about the rhythm. Drummer Alan Evans keeps his traps sturdily in the pocket, accenting the danceability of kickin' tunes like "Liquid," "E.D. Hambone," and "Whatever It Is." Guitarist Eric Krasno and organist Neal Evans provide flowing, jazzy melodies and greasy textures for songs like "Flurries" (which quotes Earth Wind & Fire's "Can't Hide Love") and "Ne-Ne," while Kininger takes most of the solos. Alas, the record also contains fruitless attempts to crossover into modern R&B. Guest Dave Matthews turns in a horrendous vocal on the rug-beside-the-fire cover of Ani DiFranco's "Joyful Girl," while Amel Larrieux's crooning on "I Don't Know" is indistinguishable from dozens of similar soul divas. And not even Black Thought from the Roots can enliven the lame funk of "Clap!" The band is at its best when it's filling the dancefloor. Soulive isn't about expert musicians showing off their chops or scoring hits on the R&B charts, it's about gettin' a groove on. When Next sticks to that approach, you can't help but shake booty. (Michael Toland)

THE SOUNDTRACK OF OUR LIVES
GIMME FIVE EP (HIDDEN AGENDA)

This 2000 five-track EP was reissued in May 2003 in America, and if you've been a fan of the group's albums like Behind The Music and Welcome To The Infant Freebase, it's a must-have. "Nobrainer" is a great, catchy summer single. "Dow Jones Syndrome" is another near-flawless blend of music and lyrics. The arrangements are exceptional, the dual guitars (it's becoming a bit of a trademark for SOL records to feature each guitarist, both of them trading lead and rhythm, on separate stereo channels) are exhilarating, and great melodies, harmonies, and lyrics are in abundance. There are four vocal tracks and one instrumental, and if these are album outtakes, then I'd like to submit for your approval that they're better than most bands' radio tracks. The Soundtrack of Our Lives are quite simply one of the best bands working today, and even the belated release of three-year-old European-only material qualifies as a major event on my stereo. (Kent H. Benjamin

Soundtrack of Our Lives
Origin, Vol. 1 (Republic/Universal)

The Soundtrack of Our Lives is such a cool band (with an even cooler name) that they deserve discussion even though this record came out in early March. With three-fourths of the year gone by, Origin, Vol. 1 is still on the contender list for best of the year, as these Swedes do the slick trick of celebrating all of the great late 60s and early 70s hippie rock bombast without becoming either self-parodying or self-indulgent. The guitar riffs and drums are massive. The keyboard accents and screaming wah-wah'd guitar solos are tastefully placed. The songs are fantastic with insightful lyrics and range from big rockers to quiet ballads. And listen as tunic-clad Ebbot Lundgren continually pulls more out of his seemingly limited voice than you thought possible. It is unfortunate that this record will likely not see much of a vinyl release, because it screams out to be split into a double-album set with a lovely gatefold sleeve. And yes, there will apparently soon follow another volume of songs that came out the same sessions that produced Origin, Vol. 1. (Andy Smith)

SOUTH SAN GABRIEL
WELCOME, CONVALESCENCE (UNDERTOW)

Locking onto an entirely different quadrant of the Texas atmospheric expanse than they do with their other project, the four members of Centro-Matic (joined by a rotating cast of friends) inch across the spectrum of psychedelic pop in favor of gorgeously shuddering pastoral soundscapes. Built on a somewhat confounding convergence of fiddle, pedal steel, and electronic blips and beats, Welcome, Convalescence opens with the sadly swaying "New Brookland," introducing Will Johnson's mellifluous mumble and the stark understatement that weave their way through the album's eight tracks. Like a soft-voiced Vic Chesnutt, Johnson shares the Southern gothic poet's laconic phrasing and backwards alliteration, populating his songs with existential quandaries and unsettlingly deadpanned allusions to death. For example, it seems that the protagonist in "Saint Augustine" is a dead man in the trunk of his (former) lover's car, though the cushion of organ, piano, and acoustic guitars threatens to lull the listener into not noticing the references at all. Similarly, "Like a Madman" ostensibly appears to be a regretful ode by the dead patriarch of a family who has died in a gas leak, with the narrative spilling out shudder-inducing lines like "I swear I didn't know about the leak under the floor/ Like a madman just waiting to take us/ And kill us good." And despite their tendency to stretch a song out well past its necessary length, various shades of Clem Snide, Lambchop, and Grandaddy can be detected in equal turns; all share a similar penchant for lushly languorous arrangements that combine just the right proportions of rising and falling drama, softly floating choruses, and creeping harmonies. Though not exactly groundbreaking, the ethic on display throughout Welcome, Convalescence is successful enough that the men of South San Gabriel might eventually find that this project is more deserving of their time than their other full-time gig. (Matt Fink)

SOUTHERN CULTURE ON THE SKIDS
Doublewide and Live (YEP ROC)
Never famous for their prowess in the studio, Southern Culture on the Skids has built its rise to kitsch royalty upon the foundation of a seriously kick-ass live show – albeit possibly the only live act with a “No Fried Chicken, No Concert” clause in its rider. After 15 long years, the band’s faithful finally have the document that proves they were right all along. Southern Culture on the Skids ain’t foolin’. Recorded at the Local 506 club in their hometown of Chapel Hill, Doublewide and Live is easily the most essential SCOTS release, as it serves to boil off all the studio fat and gloss that never suited the band anyhow. As a rhythm section, Dave Hartman and bassist Mary Huff lay down solid and straight from beginning to end, but the real treat is Rick Miller – staking his claim as the penultimate trash guitarist of all time. Relying heavily on his reverb-drenched surf and rockabilly stomp routine, Miller reaches heights on “Meximelt” and “Banana Pudding” unimagined in their studio counterparts. This is rough stuff, and the audience, undoubtedly as drunk as they sound, eat it up with a greasy fork. --Jeremy Erwin

SOVIET
We Are Eyes, We Are Builders (HEAD)

Another retro-futuristic band from NYC with a name that hearkens back to a time when there was a colder war going, far from the desert storms we've known since the 80s ended with walls crumbling down. Soviet is much more electro-pop than Interpol, and are more interested in re-creating a perfect simulation of Depeche Mode, Visage, and the Human League than in coming up with great, and original, song ideas. There's a certain anon-istic quality in music that attempts to replay aesthetics from an era the general public had only a passing interest in anyway. Apparently, since they thank "God the father" first and foremost, there was a divine request for such a thing. Soviet put great care in creating something that could just as well have been on the Mute label in 1983 with Depeche. It depresses me how long ago that was, yet the best of that music doesn't seem that old. Like Sha-Na-Na, it's almost too easy to slag it all off as nostalgia for an age that wasn't nearly as fun and carefree as people seem to remember it. Taken as an artistic statement, it's empty of any emotional content, but as a simple exercise in replication it's of great value. The best electro-pop had emotional content, despite its origins, which makes this krafty werk even emptier. (d.n.l)

SPAIN
Spirituals--The Best of Spain (RESTLESS)

Josh Haden, son of jazz great Charlie Haden, was the man behind the now disbanded Spain. Josh, like his old man, is a bass player; in addition he wrote and sang in Spain. He possesses a pleasant but unremarkable voice. The band only released three full-lengths, all still in print, so it seems a little odd if not unnecessary to have an anthology. Nevertheless, here it is: Spirituals-The Best of Spain. To make things more enticing for fans, Restless Records has included two songs previously available only on a 7-inch single and some live material done for a program on Los Angeles's KCRW radio, including a cover of Willie Nelson's "Funny How Time Slips Away" and the Kurt Weill standard "September Song." It's all very mellow and of a consistent mood. All the songs are slow- to mid-tempo and, lyrically, deal with Josh's romantic disappointments to the exclusion of all else. He definitely seems to have had a hard time with the ladies. Depending on your mood and taste, Spain's music can be either seductive late night listening or one that leads too quickly to torpor. Josh Haden is reportedly working on a solo album to be released on DreamWorks in 2004. (William Crain)

THE SPILL CANVAS
One Fell Swoop (ONE ELEVEN)
South Dakota native Nick Thomas had a long history of playing in bands -- he released his first CD at 15 -- before he started performing solo under the banner of the Spill Canvas. Thomas’ father sent a demo to One Eleven Records, who signed Thomas for his 2004 acoustic-based Sunsets and Car Crashes, which led to an invitation to open a series of dates for Straylight Run and necessitated putting together an actual band. Although One Fell Swoop is the second Spill Canvas release, it’s the first for Thomas in a band situation, so there are a number of points of departure from its predecessor. With producer Ed Rose at the helm and a crack band behind him, Thomas comes across like a cross between a plugged-in Chris Carrabba and an emo-laced Adam Duritz, rocking with visceral abandon while still accessing the quiet grace and power of his acoustic side. Thomas’ slice of life lyrical introspection cuts across his stylistic shifts, from the anthemic “Staplegunned” to the whisper-to-a-scream angst of “Teleport: A & B” and the straight acoustic howl of “The Dutch Courage.” Acoustic or electric, with a band or standing alone, Nick Thomas understands the commonalities of pop melodics and emo energy and translates that understanding in the Spill Canvas. --Brian Baker

THE SPINNS
Lost Colony (DEMONBEACH)
It’s not easy to stand out in the crowded garage rock genre, in which new bands and compilations and reissues of old ones seem to spring up faster than you can say Farfisa. Unmemorable songs, over-posturing and over-aping are common ailments. The Spinns, a Chapel Hill-based trio, have a whole batch of great tunes and are reportedly more interested in drinking, having fun, etc. than looking cool. As for aping, well, two out of three ain’t bad, and furthermore, the band plays with enough passion and enthusiasm and puts enough of its own stamp on Lost Colony to make you forget that these riffs and rhythms aren’t video iPod new. Highlights include “Evil Lies,” which has a Flat Duo Jets rockabilly feel to it, “Doin’ Me In,” a perfect yet simple song with a glorious guitar freakout, and “1965,” which provides the album’s most psychedelic moments. The Spinns also host the annual garage festival Black Beard’s Lost Week-end. A DVD of the 2004 event, featuring the Dexter Romweber Duo, Chrome-Plated Apostles and Thee Lordly Serpents is available through Demonbeach, www.demonbeachrecords.com. --Andy Turner

THE SPINNS
Lost Colony
Demonbeach
It’s not easy to stand out in the crowded garage-rock genre, in which new bands and compilations and reissues of old ones seem to spring up faster than you can say Farfisa. Unmemorable songs, over-posturing and over-aping are common ailments. The Spinns, a Chapel Hill-based trio, have a whole batch of great tunes, though, and are reportedly more interested in drinking, having fun, etc. than looking cool. As for aping, well, two out of three ain’t bad, and furthermore, the band plays with enough passion and enthusiasm and puts enough of its own stamp on Lost Colony to make you forget that these riffs and rhythms aren’t video iPod new. Highlights include “Evil Lies,” which has a Flat Duo Jets rockabilly feel to it, “Doin’ Me In,” a perfect yet simple song with a glorious guitar freakout, and “1965,” which provides the album’s most psychedelic moments. [Note: The Spinns also host the annual garage festival Black Beard’s Lost Week-end; a DVD of the 2004 event, featuring the Dexter Romweber Duo, Chrome-Plated Apostles, and Thee Lordly Serpents is available through Demonbeach.] www.demonbeachrecords.com   --Andy Turner

SPIRIT
THE BEST OF SPIRIT (SONY LEGACY)

Spirit have never gotten the retroactive acclaim they deserve, unlike say, the Byrds, Buffalo Springfield, the Band, and Love, who have gone on to become staples in music magazines like MOJO and Uncut. And yet the four albums this LA quintet cut between 1968 and 1971 are among the finest albums I've ever heard, and Spirit should be remembered as one of the half-dozen best American bands of the 60s. This original 1973 anthology was one of my all-time most played albums back in the days when you bought music on 8-track (yes, I know how that sounds), and is now expanded with the five best Spirit tracks not appearing on the original compilation. It stands as the definitive introduction to the band. Guitarist Randy California was one of the few Americans who was very nearly Hendrix's equal (he and Jimi had played together in NYC prior to Hendrix' move to England). Singer Jay Ferguson went on to found Jo Jo Gunne with bassist Mark Andes (who'd later move on to Firefall and Heart, before joining Jon Dee Graham in Austin). Keyboardist John Locke and drummer Ed "Mr. Skin" Cassidy were ace jazz players. Spirit was all about mixing free-form jazz with improv and psychedelia, hard rock underpinnings with masterful pop smarts. From the sci-fi sound of their first FM hit, "Mechanical World" (which to this day sounds like nothing before or since), the group rarely stayed in one musical mode from song to song. There's the magnificent rockin' car-radio hit, "I Got A Line On You" (which still mandates that you crank the stereo and stomp the gas), the Orwell-inspired "1984," with its instantly memorable, pumping bass line, "Nature's Way," a sentiment that was pro-ecology when Greenpeace was barely a glimmer, and the instrumental "Taurus," which Jimmy Page nicked for the opening to "Stairway to Heaven." This compilation is quite simply an essential part of your record collection, whether or not you ever go back to the original albums (though you should, starting with The Twelve Dreams of Dr. Sardonicus, the group's masterpiece). (Kent H. Benjamin)

SPORTIQUE
COMMUNIQUE NO. 9 (MATINEE RECORDINGS)

This is pretty fine, if brief, arty British post-punk. The reference points, from Magazine to Wire to the Soft Boys, are readily identifiable, as singer/writer Gregory Webster zeroes in on a kind of magnetic, sneering vocal style, not unlike a slightly milder John Lydon. The band plows away earnestly, keeping their angular, atmospheric rumblings fairly simple. Best song: the "She's About a Mover"-meets-Robyn-Hitchcock clatter of "Kick-Back." Time: 17:26.

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN
The Essential Bruce Springsteen (COLUMBIA)

Though it's arguable how much we need a second Bruce anthology (a matter Springsteen himself addresses in his brief liner note), particularly following 1995's Greatest Hits set, Columbia makes a fair effort to please both casual listener and hardcore fan with this double CD set with bonus disc. For the former, 30 well-chosen cuts spanning 1973 to 2002 that nonetheless will spawn some Cobb vs. Ruth type arguments among fanatics (like where's "Backstreets" or "The Ties That Bind"). For the latter, a dozen rarities that, in at least some cases, might should have appeared on the 1998 Tracks outtakes collection. "From Small Things (Big Things Come)," a hit for Dave Edmunds, is pure and prime Springsteen rock 'n' roll, an avenue he should pursue more (see also, a spine-tingling cover of Elvis' "Viva Las Legas," cut for an 80s tribute record). A great live rendition of Jimmy Cliff's "Trapped" and the Nebraska-era outtake "County Fair" are fine additions to the official canon as well. The studio "Held Up Without a Gun" and "Pink Cadillac" remain inexplicably MIA, though with roughly 30 minutes left on disc 3, a few more morsels could have been thrown to the faithful, like for instance legendary cuts in the underground (i.e., bootleg) world like "The Way" and "Richfield Whistle," not to mention the great tribute cut "Vigilante Man" from the A Vision Shared collection. Still, a fine introduction, and with any luck, it'll turn out to be the first step to a full-blown remastering project along the line of 2003's Dylan hybrids. (Luke Torn)

SPRITES
Modern Gameplay
Darla
Sprites is mostly the work of Jason Korzen, who started out in the band Barcelona before leaving to form Sprites. Modern Gameplay is the second Sprites record and the first for the Darla label. Korzen proves himself to be a prolific writer of lightweight indie pop on this record with a computer references liberally sprinkled throughout the record. College radio listeners are bound to pile on the catchy "I Started a Blog Nobody Read" and the title track is a loving ode to various video game systems. And if I'm reading the song credits correctly, the record also includes a cover of an Outfield song! The whole thing is well-written and delivered in highly competent DIY recording fashion. It's shamelessly twee and non-confrontational, but if that isn't immediately alienating for you, you'll like this just fine. --Andy Smith

MAX STALLING
ONE OF THE WAYS (BLIND NELLO RECORDS)
Texas singer/writer Max Stalling's third album is a muted, thoughtful sack of storytelling tunes shot through with wit and wisdom. It's a laid-back affair, comfortable as your favorite pair of old sneakers, with Stalling serving as your tour guide du jour through 11 tales of displacement and disillusion. Musically, it's pretty standard country/folk fare, with plenty of twangy steel guitar, accordion, and strummed acoustic guitars providing the backdrop. Texas songwriting kin Bruce Robison's production effort is smooth and seamless, which, while not providing any musical fireworks, serves the material quite well. Stalling's songs traverse all manner of emotional territory, with loneliness emerging as a major theme. The song that most commanded my attention was "Probably Corsicana," an imagistic meditation on the meaning of it all that gathers a big head of steam: "Why does it always have to be the way it goes/You're dying of thirst or drinking from a fire hose" he writes. But "The Beatles and the Thunder" is just as haunting, with Stalling's tale weaving in the Beatles' French lyric from "Michelle" with perfect aplomb. One of the Ways is a dark-horse winner. (Luke Torn)

Starfighter
Orion (Kinky Star)

Orion is an excellent pop-rock record from the Belgian band Starfighter. It has just the right mix of hooks and power and provides a great showcase for songwriter Tim Brown's abilities. There isn't a weak track out of the eleven songs here. The instrumental blast of the opening "Theme" clears out the cobwebs and sets the stage for the programmed beats that start off "Pretend and Lie" before the song unveils its catchy melodies. Things get even lighter and janglier with "#1 Today" and the exquisite "Rainy Days," although Starfighter is no lightweight band by any means. The darker "Just Called To Say" shows the band at its more ambitious as they push and pull the tempos in order to make the song's refrain really take off. (Andy Smith)

The Steepwater Band
Dharmakaya (Funzalo Records)

Dharmakaya is the fifth album from the Chicago quartet, The Steepwater Band and their first for Funzalo Records. The group sets out with Dharmakaya to capture the attitude of their live act and have recorded some really cool southern style rock and roll songs on this disc. "Dead Horse," the second track, is an icy-dark song with kind of a funk club vibe. The band switches gears right away with "Back to the Bottle," which features some smoking hot guitar from Jeff Massey, whose slide guitar playing throughout the album gives Dharmakaya a little bit of a blues flavor. Whether intentional or not, the combination works brilliantly. In a time when old fashioned rock and roll is coming back in style, The Steepwater Band is a cut above the rest of the field. To go along with the pounding instruments is a sensibility in the lyrics which is atypical of the current crop of newbies. This is all more impressive given that the band recorded this record in only ten days. Good things are on the horizon for the band’s partnership with Funzalo, and I hope Dharmakaya gets the attention it deserves. (Lance Looper)

Stereolab
Oscillons from the Anti-sun (Too Pure)

There aren't too many bands that I'm a geeky fan-boy over, at least to the point of needing to track down every EP release for every album. Stereolab is one of those bands, though. And this boxed set compilation has plenty to fill in all of the extra gaps not covered by their other two compilations. The first disc kind of plays like a greatest hits for a band that never really had any, though the collection would best be served by a little chronological alignment. While Stereolab has spent the last 12 years as Elektra recording artists in the States, they released much on their own Duophonic label in the UK that never made it across the pond (except for imports). So, there are some rarities here, but the majority of material here seems to cover their golden era of 1993-98 the best. While any Stereolab fan will covet this mightily, the best part of this budget-priced package is the fourth disc, a DVD compilation of eight of their videos and three BBC television spots. As devoted as I've been, I've never seen any of these videos, and they are all exceptional. You can really tell when Elektra was willing to pour money into them, i.e., around the time of Emperor Tomato Ketchup and, to a lesser degree, Dots and Loops, but not much after. Fan-boys rejoice! Your collecting efforts may devalue, but at least it's all now available in one large, easy dose! -- d.n.l

STEW
THE NAKED DUTCH PAINTER (SMILE/IMAGE)

The Naked Dutch Painter, the second solo album from The Negro Problem leader Stew, finds the songwriter continuing his music's development from literary psychedelic pop into something wholly unique. With the basic tracks recorded on stage, then dressed up a bit in the studio, the production gets the best of both worlds: studio craft and live intensity (plus Stew's eccentric stage banter). The singer/guitarist uses condiments like Arthur Lee, Jimmy Webb, and 70s soul music, but he blends them so well into his own culinary creation that you'll be hard-pressed to taste the individual ingredients. Brilliantly idiosyncratic but still unfailingly melodic tunes like "Reeling," "Single Woman Sitting," and "Giselle" could be examples on how to combine adventurous craft with soul. The three-part "The Drug Suite," "North Bronx French Marie," and the title track use sarcasm with scalpel-like precision, illuminating instead of smearing the songs' luminous beauty. They're like T.C. Boyle stories come to musical life. "Love is Coming Through the Door" drops both the quirky arrangements and the lyrical coyness for what may be the artist's best straight-up pop song to date. Stew writes the kind of songs Andy Partridge pens in his dreams; the man's a genius. (Michael Toland)

Mark Stewart
Kiss the Future (Soul Jazz)

Amid the recent post-punk revival, one of the genre's most storied acts remained silent: there were no Pop Group reissues and, not surprisingly, no Gang of Four-style reunion. The former Pop Group frontman's only concession to nostalgia is Kiss the Future, a compilation of his work that includes a handful of tracks by the legendary Bristol band. "She Is Beyond Good and Evil," "We Are Time" and "We Are All Prostitutes" sound as fresh and urgent 25 years on, standing as foundational texts of the fragmented, barbed funk studied so diligently by recent post-punk revivalists. However, Kiss the Future focuses mostly on Stewart's post-Pop Group explorations of much more dense, more dubbed-out electronic cacophonics: expansive, heavyweight tracks like "Hysteria" and "Hypnotised," which blur the boundaries between rock, hip-hop, funk, industrial and techno; the ghostly reggae minimalism of "Liberty City"; and the echo-drenched collage, "Jerusalem." Three new numbers give an idea of what Stewart's been up to since his last album nine years ago, but while these hefty tracks aren't lacking in assaultive power and Stewart's politicized hectoring continues unabated, they no longer sound like the work of a truly innovative artist. Kiss the Future is a useful pocket-sized overview (12 tracks) but it doesn't do complete justice to Stewart's solo oeuvre or to the Pop Group. A more comprehensive selection is definitely in order. --Wilson Neate

ANDY STOCHANSKY
FIVE STAR MOTEL (RCA VICTOR)

If anyone is wondering how Ani DiFranco's onetime drummer ended up on a major label, wonder no further. Through no fault of his own, the golden throated multi-instrumentalist trolls the same emotive, swooning landscapes inhabited by Coldplay and the late Jeff Buckley--with an ancestry that can be traced to U2's most maudlin balladry. This is the kind of mildly literate cosmopolitan alt-pop (and tried and true formula from RCA's standpoint) that turns smart girls at good colleges all dewy-eyed.The tunes on Five Star Motel are full of earnestly escalating emotion, with Stochansky's voice consistently sliding into sweet falsettos (a la all of those previously mentioned artists). And while it's hard not to get lost under the burden of comparisons, there are some fine tracks here. The opener, "Stutter," is a strong declaration of intent, full of Stochansky's swooping vocals and driven by an escalating guitar line (which sounds, well, like Coldplay). "Everest" is another solid beauty. Nevertheless, few other tracks on Five Star Motel, Stochansky's third album and his first on a major, reach those high water marks, with fare such as "Paris," a limp character study of a tragic Francophile, falling particularly short on inspiration. (Erik Hage)

SIMON STOKES
HONKY (UPPERCUT)

If you're up for looking into the seamy underbelly of rock's obscure past, look no further than this new opus from Simon Stokes. The man whose band The Nighthawks pioneered the psych-blues sound favored by Captain Beefheart in the early 70s and who formed the Black Whip Thrill Band back in the 70s as well (its mixture of misogyny and sexism, produced by Neil Young cohort David Briggs was routinely banned), not to mention later recordings with LSD guru Timothy Leary, here returns with another bizarre chapter in the story. Stokes' rancid brew of blues/rock and oddball poetry is hard to dismiss. From the hot grizzly blast of the opening tracks, "Amazons and Coyotes," Stokes proves once again that he's as outsider as it gets in the music biz. Though he doesn't have much of a voice--more like a growl--his strange tales are not without humor. Age has not mellowed his taste for leather, bikers, booze, giving hell to women who done him wrong, or thick, greasy roadhouse riffage. Although Stokes does show his tender side (everything is relative) in tracks like "Laughter in the Sky," most of Honky is taken up with self-mythologizing ("Handsome Stuff" anybody?) and staring this life in the eyeball with willful defiance. Kindred spirit Wayne Kramer guests. (Luke Torn)

STOLEY P.T.
Lesson #1
In Music We Trust
Kittens and bongs, hooray! Power Trio Stoley P.T. led by Stoley (an actor from Late Night with Conan O'Brien ) rock the stoner pop thing. I'm a sucker for "Honey Mixture" because the chorus is nice and catchy. Woo hoo! I keep thinking of Sebadoh and Dinosaur Jr. probably because they were the stoner power trios of my day. Yeah, that makes sense. I mean I hear some other stuff in here too. I can't get 1993 out of my mind. Take me back, those were some good days. Right on. So, okay, the review… Hold on, one more, and hold it, hold it, hold it and exhale. Where was I? Back in the early 90s. Right. I have no complaints. Good place, good times, good music, good... Yes sir and Lesson #1. Speaking of… So where'd I put that kitten? No, that bong…Sweet! "Sunshine." Nice!    --Don Simpson

The Stoneage Hearts
Guilty As Sin (Alive Records)

Australia has produced some mighty fine psychedelicized garage bands over the years with the early Hoodoo Gurus being a big personal favorite. In that tradition of vintage acid-fried rock comes the Melbourne-based Stoneage Hearts. Guilty As Sin is engaging from start to finish as it veers from dense, organ-enhanced pop ("Eye of a Lie" and "Your Greed") to energetic blazers full of snarling guitars. Also check out the cool staccato rhythms on "Green With Envy," which show sophisticated but still accessible musicianship. The whole package is here: melodic sense, impessive musical chops, varied tempos and styles, plus a sense of humor. If you are ever stuck in a record store trying to think of something to buy, just keep the Stoneage Hearts in the back of your mind. (Andy Smith)



Straw Dogs
Hum of the Motor (Crafty)

Seattle-based Straw Dogs is a vehicle for the accomplished songwriting of David Von Beck and Darren Smith. Although they will likely be lumped in with the alt-country crowd, there is more of a folk-rock bent to Hum of the Motor than a southern twang. Well-crafted tunes with plenty of pleasant harmonies abound on this easy-going record which elicits comparisons to the BoDeans and the excellent Cash Brothers. Standouts include the opener "All the Things" and "Only Living Here." There is a sameness to the sound and approach of many of the songs which becomes bland by the end and keeps the record in the "good but not great" category. Perhaps a venture into some more adventurous territory would be a good idea for future records. (Andy Smith)

SUBURBAN KIDS WITH BIBLICAL NAMES
#3
Minty Fresh
This Swedish duo, comprised of Johan Hedberg and Peter Gunnarsson, produces some of the purest pop music I have heard in some time, if your operative definition of "pop" involves happy, infectious, easy-on-the-ears tunes that are written with more interest in fun than changing the world. Though this is not to say that there isn't plenty of lyrical wit. It is ramshackle and herky-jerky in several places while being obviously well-structured and meticulously crafted. It's hard not to imagine a roomful of bespectacled twee kids bopping joyously to this band, although people in a negative frame of mind might be likely to toss this record across the room. --Andy Smith

SUGARCULT
Lights Out
v2/artemis
Generation gap? I can imagine that Sugarcult are the type of punk/pop outfit my teenage sons would get into. Fundamentally, as the roots of the kind of pop-rock music is mainly in old school punk, power pop, and 90s grunge, you would think that this veteran of almost 30 years of pop-rock listening would find some affinity with Sugarcult. Truth is, the music on Lights Out, leaves me cold. Sure all the elements of classic pop are here, but where’s the soul? I mean songs like “Dead Living” is a prototype of what is on offer here -- straightforward power pop with familiar melodies and crunching guitar. This formula is varied now and then with “Los Angeles” & “Out of Phase,” incorporating the soft/loud approach of Pixies & Nirvana, and the maiden single “Do It Alone” is a spiky punk/pop number that will have the kids dancing. However, too much of Lights Out is flaccid emo punk by the numbers and it is tough to get too excited about anything this pre-fabricated and mannered. Ironic that the closing tracks of the album reveal that there may be more to Sugarcult than merely pleasing the kids. “The Investigation” is an emotionally mature U2 pastiche wherein the band attempts to actually write a song that connects to their listeners--and succeeds--whilst “Hiatus” possesses a soaring chorus entrenched within a nervy, shaky rhythm that leavens the meal somewhat. Too predictable for my tastes, there is too little about Lights Out that would recommended itself to an erudite and mature audience.     --Kevin Mathews

SUGAR MOUNTAIN
In the Raw
Brewery Records
Razor sharp rock 'n' roll in a primetime early '70s Stones/Faces vein from this underrated Spanish quintet. By the second track, a raging guitar duel called "Foolish Game," you'll be hooked by singer Javier Ruano's dark, understated vocals and phrasing, a perfect compliment to the band's swirling guitar wreckage and amped-up Chuck Berry rhythms. While Sugar Mountain's fine 2004 debut, Hand Crafted Tunes, was produced by Georgia Satellites/Yayhoos mainman Dan Baird, In the Raw fully lives up to its moniker, with producer Eric "Roscoe" Ambel concentrating more on capturing the blood and grit in the band's mix than on any sort of slick presentation. And while the crazed rockers will be first to catch you, the twangy groove of "You Can't Hide," with its ringing guitars and moody Blonde On Blonde organ figures burbling in the mix, just may be the album's high point.     --Luke Torn    

The Sugarplastic
Will (Tallboy)

The veteran LA pop band The Sugarplastic's new record, Will, is a skewed affair full of oddball changes and playful arrangements. The opening "What the Boy Said" starts off with a hummable guitar melody that is, intentionally or not, strkikingly similar to the Beatles' "Hey Bungalow Bill." "The Runaround" chooses an energetic, nervy tempo to pair with airy, lightweight vocals, while "Underwater" has a sort of warped Burt Bacharach quality to its melody. Over the course of eleven songs, it gets tiring to listen to all of the odd changes and quirkiness, but in small bursts, it is very engaging. (Andy Smith)

SUKILOVE
SUKILOVE (SUKILOVES RECORDS)

With a voice that drips with biting irony, despair, and longing, Belgium's Pascal Deweze infuses Sukilove with a sound reminiscent of the modern LA singer-songwriter (think: Michael Penn, Jon Brion). The songs here are crafted with lush yet unpretentious arrangements (featuring everything from horns and strings to computerized bird sounds) and the vibe is smart, but not unbearably so. While most of the tracks require repeated listenings to fully absorb, the immediate heart of the album comes about halfway through with the sublime "Talking in the Dark," a pretty, aching lament about how "in the summer, all the girls sing sha la la la." The song, bursting with gorgeous strings and Deweze's sweet, rising vocals, is criminally catchy. Its beauty is wisely contrasted with "Did You Ever Feel So Lonely," a tense and somber six-minute-plus opus of noise and alluring misery. On "Shame You Never Worry" and "Computing Beauty," Bettie Serveert's Os Carol Van Dyk makes an appearance; the matchless dusky quality of her voice gives the songs an added intensity. Although the record clocks in at 10 minutes shy of an hour, its richly layered structure gives these easy-on-the-ear pop songs a grand, epic feel. (Rachel Leibrock)

SULLEN
PAINT THE MOON (THICK RECORDS )

Sullen's own press release compares this rock trio (vocals split between Shanna Kiels and Justin Slaznik) as reminiscent of Goo-era Sonic Youth, ala Thurston Moore and Kim Gordon. This, it turns out, is right on the mark with the songs the pair split vocals on, e.g., "Strawberry Blonde." The band seems to hold back a bit on the intensity of the music when Shanna sings, and her teeth-clenched scream recalls Kurt Cobain and Nirvana. At such times, as on "All Fall Down," I keep expecting the group to break into the repeated chorus of Nirvana's "Sliver." As for when Justin leads the vocal charge, I think he wants to head into "Smells Like Teen Spirit" territory, but remains too hard and punk for all that ("Girls are Gross," "Watch that Girl"). Andy Gerber (Local H, Caviar) recorded Paint the Moon in Chicago, capturing this promising debut from the St. Louis-area group. (Tom "Tearaway" Schulte)

Adam Sultan
Heinous Acts of Love (Pressing)

Not as organic as you might expect from an Austin guitarist who made his name in a one-time hippie band called Poi Dog Pondering, Adam Sultan's debut shows he can sing with deadpan assurance (though two highlights are instrumentals) and play a myriad of post-Poi styles, from pulsing hard rock to loungy jazz. When Sultan's on target, as in the majestic horn-and-piano fueled "Hands" or the dark psychorocker "You Got The Gin," it sounds like Heinous Acts of Love could be a record of the year. Flourishes like Max Crawford's flugelhorns on "The Money Shot" are worth noting, as is former Poi guitarist Ted Cho's work on "Yellow Violet Brown," whose Motownish tambourine gives it a carefree Spoon-meets-Elvis Costello feel. The prime "Swinging Chad," featuring a live Tosca take bolstered by xylophone and horns, is beneficial for showing Sultan's versatility, though it seems to have nothing to do with the rest of the record. Then there are puzzles like the irritatingly-repetitive "American Pimp," which travels nowhere despite an unrelenting pop catchiness, or the warm, yet insipid "Mexican Girls," which seems to sit like a broken down car in need of a fresh spark plug. Sultan is everywhere musically, and the problem with that is he's got too many pent-up ideas. (David Pyndus)

The Summer Dare
s/t EP (Roam)

Having just formed a year ago, it's still early to tell if the Summer Dare will become something interesting or if they'll just blend in with all the ready made power-pop-punk bands ala Jimmy Eat World, Alkaline Trio or the Ataris. The guitars are powerful, scratchy and staccato at times, and well mannered and tame at others. With only four songs to base it on, it's hard to tell where they'll go with it all. They do harder and louder better than slow and brooding, though. If they aren't punching for a major-indie success they certainly sound like they could be. It's sometimes self-defeatingly ordinary, at least from a lyrical and melodic standpoint, but just when I'm about to give up on any of these four tracks, the guitars step up to the plate and deliver something slightly special. Like Mitch Hedberg might have suggested, you'll either love them or hate them...or think they're just “okay.” --d.n.l

SUNBIRDS
NO SUN NO SHADOW (THE PAISLEY POP LABEL)

A slice of heretofore unknown history in California's paisley underground of the 80s, No Sun No Shadow unearths two recording sessions by the Sunbirds, and it's the kind of dusty gem that makes your head spin with wonder. Formed from the remnants of 28th Day in 1986, the Sunbirds are all pre-Life's Rich Pageant R.E.M., stretching out their jangle pop into three- to five-minute epics that veer into driving, one-chord-krang psychedelia. Tracks 1-6 comprise the group's one-off reformation in 1997, slightly brighter in sound than the 1986 tracks, and no less fascinating. If anything, the '97 sessions have a punchier sense of purpose where the '86ers are looser and winding. Following their recording, both sessions were destined for a dusty shelf. The Sunbirds survived only long enough to play a handful of gigs before dissolving into various projects. Vocalist/guitarist Cole Marquis went on with drummer Mike Cloward to form The Downsiders and pursue a solo career, and bassist Larry Crane went on with Vomit Launch and founded indie recording rag TapeOp. So we are left dreaming: What if the Sunbirds had stayed together? What if the recording had fallen into the right hands? We can only speculate and be grateful that we can now all jangle our heads like we never could before. (Jason Benjamin)

SUNSET ROOM
ALMOST AN ANGEL (MIZMO RECORDS)

Almost An Angel, the debut release by Sunset Room, is a fascinating blend of jazz vocals with electronic instruments that often works and sometimes misfires. But there is no mistaking the immense vocal talent of singer Catie Moore at every turn. Sunset Room bills itself as a band that "mixes electronic and acoustic instruments to create a future-retro sound tied together with jazz-driven vocals." You got all that? Well, what it means is that you have a tremendous vocal talent, though voice is not always ideally matched to music. However, the combination works well enough on Almost An Angel to be worth the purchase price. And I would imagine their live shows would be utterly captivating. Moore's sexy, sultry, playful voice and the music backing the lead track, "Smoke," quickly transplant the listener to a smoky jazz or blues bar where the sound is irresistible, almost hypnotic. "In My Mind" is an equally magnetic gem on an album that all but reeks of sensuality. Dim the lights, break out a bottle of wine, light a few candles, and you'll be in business with Almost An Angel emanating from your stereo. (Richard E. Glover, Jr.)

Supergrass
Road to Rouen (Capitol)

Within the first minute of Road to Rouen, a new Supergrass has already emerged--its knack for an album-defining opening number still in place. Starting off with an acoustic guitar groove, echoed pedal steel, acoustic piano, and a shaker all appear, before a swell of Beatle brass crushes everything to bits. Aside from the couple of new tracks sewn to the end of last year’s greatest-hits compilation Supergrass is 10, this marks the band’s first new material since 2002’s T-Rex soaked Life on Other Planets, and reference points this time 'round are surprisingly difficult. Frequently lumped in with the mid-90s Britpop from which their debut I Should Coco was spawned, Road to Rouen is less British in its lack of the band’s characteristic bravado and more English in its newfound subtlety. Acoustic guitars, pianos, organs and psychedelic strings play the starring role on much of the album, while the Sly Stone's beat-box makes its way into the dreamy “Fin.” Overall, think less lager and fewer riots and more tea and cricket if you will, and you'll find it's Supergrass' most-difficut-to-classify, but also easily its most mature and unquestionably its best, effort yet. --Jeremy Erwin

BOBBY SUTLIFF
PERFECT DREAM (NOT LAME)

Bobby Sutliff achieved some power pop notoriety in the 80s with his first band, the Windbreakers (with Tim Lee), and made his solo debut with 1987's Only Ghosts Remain, which contained perhaps his crowning achievement, "Same Way Tomorrow," a brilliant pop song that actually garnered some early MTV play via a winsome video. After doing occasional Windbreakers projects, he returned as a solo artist with a 2000 album, Bitter Fruit, on Not Lame. Like that effort, Perfect Dream is a fine piece of work. "Kings of Flannel" is the obligatory road warrior song about the Windbreakers' career (or 'non-career'), something their peers, like the Replacements and Austin's Doctor's Mob, can probably relate to. The best cuts, though, are "My Perfect Dream," "Long Red Bottle of Wine," and "Kiss Me Goodbye" (the album's only non-original, contributed by Lee). A pop connoisseur's pop artist, it's great to have Sutliff back. This album's not going to make him a truckload of money, but it's among the best he's made, and that's very good, indeed. One small caveat: like many recent one-man-band pop albums, in spite of some pre-mastering 'sonic enhancements' by Mitch Easter, it's a bit flat and EQ'd sounding, not as crisp and crunchy a backdrop as some of these songs deserve. (Kent H. Benjamin)

SWELL
BASTARDS & RARITIES 1989-1994 (BADMAN)

It's hard to understand why Swell have never enjoyed a higher profile over the last decade-plus. They've been fairly prolific, and have generated a run of notable albums, but they're still shamefully obscure. Part of their longevity might be attributed to their not being a part of any particular movement (though I suppose there are semi-grunge and slowcore elements here). This collection compiles the b-sides from their classic era--the albums Swell, Well, and 41. The fact that these are b-sides doesn't lessen their quality in the least; the band had a pretty deep well. As a three piece, they made excellent use of such a limited number of instruments, making the most of guitar/bass/drums and vocals. The plot would thicken later, but here the mood is spare and all the better for it. The songs are anchored with strummed acoustic guitars and Sean Kirkpatrick's Bonham-esque drums, and moderately heavy guitars usually come in a moment or two later. The 10 cuts here are a convincing argument for digging deeper into the many delights in Swell's past. They may not ever be huge outside of San Fran (though I suspect they are probably "Italian Platinum" or something over in Europe), but as long as they get to keep slogging out great art like this, those of us in-the-know will be happy. (d.n.l)

THE SWORDS PROJECT
ENTERTAINMENT IS OVER IF YOU WANT IT (ARENA ROCK)

These are not good days for post-rock. With garage rock wobbling along on its last legs and the latest dance-punk and electro-clash bands on the top of every scenester's hot list, there doesn't seem to be much residual interest left over from the days when Godspeed You Black Emperor! and Tortoise, with their experimental proclivities and refreshing approach to instrumental-based rock, revived prog for a new generation. Born from the merging of two bands (The Iceberg and Slower Than), Portland's seven-member Swords Project mix electronic and organic textures throughout the seven tracks on their full-length debut, sitting atop a simmering sonic foam as it bubbles through each track's numerous passages. Built on flittering guitar leads, violin, accordion, and obtuse rhythms that are laced with a variety of electronic cracks and gurgles, the resulting sound is simultaneously dense and expansive. The inexplicably named "MD11" comes in waves, riding a coldly undulating guitar line over an obtuse rhythm, and arriving at an ethic that is fairly representative of the set by making few overt nods to melody or conventional song structure. Similarly definitive is the somnambulistic "Audience of One," with accordion and violin crossing over lushly shifting guitar tones to create a complex, yet somewhat unaffecting tapestry. Truth be told, the vocals of bassist Corey Ficken play such an innocuous role in the overall mix that they are rendered largely unnecessary, giving the impression that they are included almost as a concession to accessibility. Detractors may rightly point out that the tracks meander longer than necessary, while noticing that some fail to distinguish themselves from others. But when viewed on the merit of its textural and instrumental strengths, the album succeeds. (Matt Fink)

JEAN SYNODINOS
Lucky (FORTUNATE RECORDS)

Acoustic strumming quickly punctuated by sax, trumpet, and trombone begins Lucky in assured fashion, followed by Jean Synodinos' seductive singing, at turns jazzy and brash, at others subdued and understated. Songs like "Gospel According To John" and "Big Wahoo" recall bold Michelle Shocked arrangements (percussion supplied by Chris Searles), and her sense of humor is evident throughout, especially on "Dog Inside Your Car (The Co-Dependent Song)," sung from the canine's point of view, whose devotion to owner and willingness to sit in an automobile with rolled up windows, is unmatched. Love sometimes only requires biscuits, she might be trying to say. Synodinos has the cojones to cover Bobbie Gentry's 1967 smash "Ode To Billy Joe" and pulls it off in a wonderfully sultry manner, with tasty slide guitar and much more of the Grooveline Horns, though many will wonder what the point of it all is. The point is Synodinos appreciates a well-written narrative and knows how to enjoy life, all the while encouraging everyone else to do the same. Alive as alive can be, as she sings in "Running With Me." (David Pyndus)

back to top