It’s hard to justify writing a review on a disc that only has three original songs and two remixes on it. I mean for all practical purposes, it’s a single, and singles don’t usually warrant a review. However, in the case of Close Call’s No Gift Like the Present EP, the three tracks are good enough to make this short album worth knowing about. Close Call comes by way of Australia and were first recommended to me on the basis of my love for Australia’s Regurgitator. While I find it hard to compare anything to the musical diversity and greatness that is Regurgitator, there are definitely elements here that remind me of Gurge’s sound. What sound would that be? Well, it is kinda hard to describe, but it is basically a mixture of Australian punk rock, metal, funk and some good white boy rap. Interested yet? The Australians really have an interesting take on music, and I don’t understand why this stuff is rarely successful here in the States. All three of the original tracks on this disc are quality songs, and each showcases a little bit different side of the band. My only complaint with No Gift Like the Present is the lack of original music. The remixes are great and all, and the disc does feature some bonus multi-media content when you pop it in your PC, but 3 songs are hardly enough to really get into a band. With all three songs being quality, it makes me want to go buy some more music from Close Call, but unfortunately there isn’t any. I guess we will have to wait until the band pulls together and puts out a full-length record before we really see if they have what it takes to be successful. [www.close-call.net]

Typically, split CDs kinda bore me. I mean you usually end up getting a couple songs from a band that you like and then some half-ass or just bad songs from another band. Of course there are exceptions, but overall, that seems to be my observation. So what do you get when instead of having separate songs, the two bands actually both work on all the songs together? A kick ass split CD, that’s what you get. Chances are you all know who Bright Eyes is, and like them or not, it is hard to deny Conor’s amazing songwriting talents. However, chances are you haven’t heard of Neva Dinova (unless of course you just read our review of their last record). Much like Bright Eyes, Neva is also from Omaha and their sound is very similar to that of Conor and friends. Given their similarities and the band members’ long standing relationship, it comes as no surprise that the bands do a great job of pulling off this collaboration. Most of the songs on One Jug of Wine… are slower, acoustic songs featuring either Conor or Neva Dinova front man Jake Bellows singing over an acoustic guitar. All the band members make it into the mix, and there are appearances by the Cursive’s Gretta Cohn and a slew of others which help to add to the warmness of the sound. The best thing I can say to describe this album is to picture yourself hanging out in Omaha on a back porch somewhere with all these great musicians sitting around, trading songs back and forth. The comradery, talent of the musicians and laid back Omaha attitude all come through in the songs and really take you to that porch. Beyond the musical merit of the album, I also think the bands involved deserve some extra recognition for taking the “split” album in a new direction. I can only hope that One Jug of Wine, Two Vessels starts a new trend in music collaborations. [www.crankthis.com]

RATATAT is a tough LP to put your finger on. Judging from their cover art, the way they are presented on their website and the free download you can snag from them ("Seventeen Years"), you'd think that their debut album, RATATAT, would be a synth-laden guitar-rock epic reminscent of the best intensely captivating video games from your youth. However, first impressions aren't everything, and you'd be totally off base if you went on these assumptions. So, if you're looking for an album of the same style as the free track from their site, you may want to allow yourself to be content with what you've already got and move along. If you're looking for a mostly laid back disc of drum machine beats, science fiction style guitar effects (in a very good way) and languid nu-nu-wave synth style leads, then you're in for a treat. "Seventeen Years" sets the tone for the entire record. While the most up front and grabbing of the eleven tracks, it also establishes the set of tones and guitar tricks you'll become familar with while listening to the rest of the album. The somewhat absentminded ramblings, the crunching guitar lines that could resonate through your entire body if played just loud enough; the restrained metal-esque builds, the soaring, almost triumphant, leads and the slowed down shoegazer style descent make up every bit of the rest of the record. However, no other track has them all working together. "Germany to Germany" comes closest with its lead; "Desert Eagle" with its repetitive crunching and "Cherry" with a dose of the shoegazing, are all fine examples of this. While disappointed to find that the disc wasn't just a by-the-book rehashing of "Seventeen Years" ten or eleven times, RATATAT has managed to create a very unique sound from a lot of familiar elements. It's a wonderful bit of music to work to or wind the party down with ("you don't have to leave, but you're going to have to chill out" style). RATATAT are a band to keep your eyes on and for you to encourage to become the Fucking Champs of synth-rock. [www.ratatatmusic.com]

Because they come from DC, it was almost inevitable that Trans Am would end up making a political album at some point. Liberation, their seventh full album, is that point. Because of the political overtones, the record reminds me a lot of Emergency Broadcast Network (EBN). Both bands take sound bites from their respective President Bush (EBN uses George Herbert while Trans Am takes Dubya) and manipulate them in such a way that the bands' politics are clear as a bell. The major difference to me between the two is that while EBN needs visuals to back up their music, Trans Am’s music stands quite competently on its own. Since forming Trans Am in 1993, Nathan Means (bass, keyboards, vocals), Phil Manley (guitar, keyboards, bass, vocals) and Sebastian Thompson (drums, vocals, bass, guitar, programming) have always enjoyed confusing the critics with their ever-changing style. And to say that this is simply a political record would do the band a disservice. Just because they have something to say doesn't mean that all of the focus is on the statement while the music is ignored. Far from it! Liberation is an electronic schmorgasbord of rippling sensory delights, tight beats and otherworldly melodies. Many of the 14 tracks are instrumentals. Lyrics in general on the record are very sparse or consist entirely of sound bites. The music is very capable of being taken on its own merit. “White Rhino” is probably the most bizarre song to me on the disc. It begins with a weather report that becomes stretched and distorted into a machine-like whine and drone alternately. I don’t really understand it, but it makes me want to find out what the message is behind the song. What is the point they are trying to get across, or am I looking for some meaning that simply isn’t there? And is that the point after all? It’s not a song that I like particularly, but it has me thinking, and either way you look at it, that’s not a bad thing. “Divine Invasion II” is a dark instrumental that showcases sirens that actually sounded outside Trans Am’s studio during their live recording sessions. The inclusion is entirely in keeping with the political mood of the album. Most impressively sweeping and beautiful is “Is Trans Am Really Your Friend?” This song combines rich, undulating electronic melody and a steady soft backing drum beat in a way that is very reminiscent of “A Forest,” which just happens to be my favorite Cure song. It seems almost out of place, but perhaps the poignancy of the track is there as an evocative reminder of the calm before the storm we live in today. The most blatant example of political content on Liberation comes quickly in the second track on the disc, “Uninvited Guest.” Thunderous applause begins the track and Dubya speaks: “Our commitment to weapons of mass destruction is America’s tradition.” I think you can figure out where Trans Am is going with this. More and more spliced comments continue, and Bush’s voice become more and more distorted, more and more demonic, finishing with the ominous statement, “We have witnessed the arrival of a new era: The beginning of the end of America.” More thunderous applause closes the track. Liberation is a powerful record, not for the faint of heart (or members of the radical right for that matter). But if you’re looking for something that will entertain you while subtly, and sometimes not so subtly, making you think, this is a really good disc. The irony and allegory is there, but there is plenty of musical substance to make the experience not so much of a political diatribe but more a thought provoking musical experience. [www.brainwashed.com]

Neva Dinova hail from Omaha, NE. If you weren't aware, Omaha has become a breeding ground for unexpected musical surprises. The entire Saddle Creek catalog (Cursive, Bright Eyes, The Faint) have all emerged from this scene, and Neva Dinova seem to be next on the list. Their self-titled debut was released on crank! a record company in 2002, and the band is featured on a limited edition 10" split with Bright Eyes that just recently came out. Not unlike Cursive, the heightened vocals may take a minute to get used to. Sometimes screechy and abrasive, they certainly can't be considered polished. The slower, and more common, tracks on this disc are a bit easier to adjust to vocally - but somewhat forgetable. The breakout point on the disc comes with "At Least the Pain is Real," the only track on the disc to bring forth a slightly upbeat delivery and soaring choral vocals. It's still brooding, but it's engaging. The rest of the tracks come across as your talented, but average, bar band singing about lost loves and regrets. Overall, Neva Dinova doesn't do a whole lot in terms of confirming that Omaha contains the next batch of suprising artists, but they've got some solid songs if you're into the languid, remorseful, trying-to-be-upbeat-but-not-quite-there style of rock. Don't get me wrong, it's certainly not whiny unbearable emo, but it's meant for a rainy, sad, afternoon alone. [www.crankthis.com]

With The Gift Comes The Curse is best described as "a roiling, dark set of dirges" or "something brooding and sinister." Those words come directly from the band themselves, Fing Fang Foom. Dark, textured, subtle and kind of casually drifting along would also be an apt way to describe this disc. Of course, all of that really means nothing in terms of figuring out how the disc actually sounds. Pretty much every track on this one has a decent mid to slow tempo, a piano line taking the lead, guitars supplementing the lead, a deep-voiced low vocal and the occasional scream to emphasis the point. Aside from the fact that I thought my CD player was repeating itself during the first three tracks (the intros are a little too close for my taste), this disc has a nice bit of diversity among its fixed style. "Yesterday Doesn't Exist" brings the tempo up, throws some nice bass work your way, all while keeping the ethereal sounds floating behind. The instrumentation throughout the record is top notch. With loads of subtle sounds and complimentary touches here and there - you could force yourself to find new things everytime you listened. It's a nice disc, but given that it's a self-described "dirge," I wouldn't put a lot of money on it keeping your attention with the casual listen. This band would probably be great to see live and watch them rip out the up tempo parts, but on disc they kind of hang out non-intrusively and let you do your own thing. [www.finfangfoom.com]

If you don't know who David Cross is, and you enjoy comedy, you should do yourself a favor and go rent/buy/steal the DVD's of the short-lived HBO comedy skit series Mr. Show. Also, go download episodes of "Arrested Development" or the sparse episodes of "News Radio" (or God forbid, "Just Shoot Me") that featured the man. Then you'll get a feeling for the kind of comedy he can pull off. But his standup certainly isn't the same as his sometimes off the wall, occasionally goofy, acting gigs. His standup is a slew of observational rants about whatever it is he sees fit to trounce on. He runs the gamut of topics from his friends boring babies, electric scissors, gold plated desserts, to 'Bullet-y' the Friendly Fire bullet. Cross's funniest moments come when he is obviously exasperated about a particular subject and just can not fathom how anyone doesn't see his side of things. His intense sarcasm is often aggressive when talking about how "great" it is that our administration is spending so much money on the war and on traveling to the Moon (".. I didn't know there was oil up there, apparently there is"), or how country stars are profiting from the tragedy of September 11th, yet not actually offering themselves to be in the service. If you heard his previous Sub-Pop release, Shut Up, You Fucking Baby, you can expect more of the same on this release. The first half of the disc revolves more around observational absurdities, and the second half delves more into the asinine political activies of our current administration. My writeup certainly could never do justice to someone I feel is one of the funniest men of our time, nor could I properly proclaim just how accurate his observations are. Hopefully someone else is listening. One note, if you consider yourself a conservative, or a Republican, or just really religious, you might want to think about skipping this one. For the rest of us, enjoy another 74 minutes of goodness. [www.bobanddavid.com]

Coming from the bands Refused and International Noise Conspiracy, you might be surprised to find Dennis Lyxzen doing a project with such a subtle sound, but you would be pleasantly so. The Lost Patrol is one of those “gather up your friends who are musicians and make a record” records, centering around Dennis and a group of songs he wrote, originally unsure of ever releasing them to the public; and though different from the kinds of songs for which we know him, we are thankful that he did. Songs About Running Away is a low-key affair focused on acoustic guitars and songs about love and loss accompanied by flute. Yes, I said flute. It’s not often you find a flutist amongst the rock crowd, but throughout parts of the album, the gentle sounds ride right along with the rest of the gang. “Out Of Date” and “The Last Goodbye” even feature a flute solo, which although different and odd to hear at first, provides a nice stray from the norm. The album begins with mostly slow stuff before stepping into the catchiest tune on the disc, “Alright.” Built around female vocals and an almost swing-like vibe, the track gets instantly in your head with a smile. Similarly, “200 Reasons Why” relies on the sing-a-long “oh yeah, oh my” route to get your head bobbing. Stuck between the two falls the biggest song on the disc, “Going Going Gone,” a quasi-epic piece that doesn’t grab you from the start but pans out nicely to be a great little work. It is always refreshing to hear something on an album that you don’t ever quite hear, (a flute and an acoustic guitar accomplish that much), but what makes the album good is the ability of the songs to stick with you. Don’t expect this to necessarily end up on any year end top 10 lists, but it is a very good mix of laid back acoustic rock with a bit of fun among friends. Every once and a while I pick up a disc that I expect nothing from and get a nice little surprise of an album; this was one of those times. [www.burningheart.com]

Les Savy Fav are the best live band I've ever seen. Their live shows were the only places I could hear some of my favorite songs by them, i.e. "Yawn, Yawn, Yawn" and "The Sweat Descends," because they were only previously available on extremely rare 7" vinyls. I could always find some rough mp3s available online, but I just knew there had to be a better way of getting some of these vinyl-only gems. (Drum roll please). Finally, as part of their master plan, Les Savy Fav have unleased Inches on us, a veritable gold mine of great LSF songs never before released on CD and very hard to obtain on vinyl. I guess I should almost treat this like a new release as opposed to a collection. I've never heard some of this material before, some of which I never even knew existed. Regardless, just about every inclusion on this disc is incredible, and they're becoming instant favorites for me. I could go on and on about how I love this, and I could name all the songs that I love, which would be practically the whole disc. There are three really notable things I need to mention about the disc though: First, they included a dramatic reading on this; a six-minute track that has dialog from characters in a story involving the death of sailors at sea in a submarine and the aftermath with their families. Very weird stuff, but still interesting and captivating. Second is the inclusion of a bonus DVD, featuring live footage and interesting commentary from band members and friends, like comedians David Cross and Fred Armisen. Thirdly, the song "Yawn, Yawn, Yawn," which is easily my favorite Les Savy Fav song and one of my Top 10 favorite songs to come out in this new millenium. It's got the Pixies-like quirkiness and explosiveness that originally made me love this band but done to absolute perfection. I can't say any more about this one. If you like Les Savy Fav already, Inches is an absolutely PERFECT addition to their release collection, bringing together all their 7". Oddly enough, they actually planned 8 years ago to release all of these 7" and then gather them for a collection. The ambition it took to do this is reason enough for your interest, but the sheer excellence of every song makes this CD a must have. Great stuff. [www.frenchkissrecords.com]

Our neighbor to the north has produced its fair share of rock acts, but for most Canadian artists, the buzz doesn’t survive and breaking into the US market proves a very difficult task. In walks the Juno award winning Sam Roberts; a singer songwriter praised highly for his songwriting and performing, drawing comparisons in sound to, dare we say it, The Beatles. So does this one live up to the billing? Is America going to be taken over by the maple leaf and a guitar? Well, I doubt it, but it should be a good run. I won’t dispute for one moment that Roberts is talented and can write a song. The problem lies in the sound he produces and the familiarity of it. It is a great compliment to be compared in any fashion with The Beatles, but as an album We Were Born In A Flame just sounds too much like it was from 30-40 years ago. If people from the future were to hear the 60’s and then pop in this album, they would be likely to think that music hadn’t evolved or grown at all. The songs are all well done and solid pieces of work, but not original enough to garner extreme praise. All this is not to say the album doesn’t have its bright points. “Hard Road” is a great album opener, complete with guitar strum-a-long and an overall great tune, leading into a strong start to the album. The mid section is filled with good songs, minus the disappointing “Taj Mahal,” but the end recovers nicely with two of the albums strong tracks, “This Wreck Of A Life” and “Dead End,” arguably the album's catchiest tune. Overall, this is a good album, filled with what made rock’n’roll music classic, but reinventing the wheel is reinventing the wheel. Roberts indeed has talent and the album is worth a listen, but the failure to explore anything new leaves the album a little deminished. Weighing in at thirteen tracks, the monotony can begin to wear and get a little bland. If you want an album that sounds like that ole time rock, you might not find many better than this one, but therein lies the problem. [www.samrobertsband.com]

The idea of Buddyhead assembling a compilation CD is a pretty sweet one. I've always enjoyed reading the contents of Buddyhead.com; I've always enjoyed their rants on awful bands and I've always respected their taste in music. For their first compilation disc, they tried to assemble a great CD with artists they really like that aren't necessarily on their label. The idea seemed like a really good one, especially when the names of Weezer, Cave In, Primal Scream, Iggy Pop and Mudhoney are involved. Unfortunately, what we get is, more or less, just a glorified mix tape courtesy of Travis Kellar et al. Don't get me wrong, though; this CD has some really really awesome songs. Cave In's "Harmless Armless" is possibly better than any of the tracks on 2003's Antenna, and the Yeah Yeah Yeah's song "Shot Down" is a great minute and a half gem. Weezer contributes a demo version of "You Won't Get With Me Tonight," part of their 1996 Blackhole demo tape, where River's sings two separate dialogs intended to be a nerd trying to convince a recently-dumped beautiful girl to sleep with him. Classy stuff, right up Buddyhead's alley. The rest of the CD just falls kinda flat, feeling as though a lot of the tracks are forced upon you. Beehive and the Barracudas and Buddyhead's own Icarus Line contribute decent tracks. Primal Scream's live version of "Shoot Speed/Kill Light" is only "alright". Even bands I really like, such as Le Tigre and Burning Brides, submit sub-par songs that just don't get this disc going. Again, this is a decent CD, but unfortunately that's all Gimme Skelter is. Buddyhead is poor though, like they always advertise. If you like even three of the above mentioned bands, go out and give this one a try. At least then you know you'll be helping Buddyhead purchase more drugs. And to help Jeff Wood's Shat record more genius songs like "What The Fuck Do You Think Christina Aguilera Is Doing Right Now?" [www.buddyhead.com]

When I got the chance to check out a Snapcase album, I knew my friend Dan would be proud of me. He's been trying to push the band onto me for quite a long time, and I'd never given them any chance whatsoever. So with this given opportunity, in an attempt to impress him, I gave their newest CD Bright Flashes a couple of listens. Unfortunately, this probably isn't the first disc I should've delved into. And if you're not familiar with Snapcase, I wouldn't recommend getting this one. Don't get me wrong, upon listening to their older releases after the fact, I realize that Snapcase is a brilliant hardcore punk band. This CD is more of a b-sides & cover songs collection though, like what Incesticide was to Nirvana; it's a good CD to people that already dig the band, but otherwise it doesn't stand well on it's own. The CD still gets a decent rating from me because it's so eclectic that it keeps me entertained and listening. Throw in the fact that they cover a great Helmet song ("Blacktop"), "Mountain Song" by Jane's Addiction and a really sweet cover of "Gates Of Steel" by Devo (as well as "Freedom of Choice," but it doesn't hold up as good as the former). They rework a couple of older songs, but some of the newer tracks, notably "Dress Rehearsal", "Depth Of Field" and the excellent "Makeshift Tourniquet" (what a great name for a hardcore song) are surprisingly good. So now, armed with the CD and a few listens under my belt, I told my friend Dan that I had the new Snapcase CD. He laughed and said "Bright Flashes? The new one with the awful pink cover? That's such a bad CD. You should've gotten their OLDER stuff. That CD doesn't even compare". So there you have it, straight from a long time fan. It's still pretty good, but if you're new to this band, I guess it doesn't even touch their older material. [www.snapcase.com]

I always thought of myself as an armchair Blonde Redhead fan. I didn’t own any of their albums, and I definitely didn’t have a favorite song. I did know that I found their sound interesting and very much enjoyed listening to their previous release, Melody of Certain Damaged Lemons. So when I heard that the new BRH album had come out, I thought it would be the perfect time to step up and hear it before anybody else told me how good it was. From the opening couple of tracks, I was hooked. Kazu Makino and Amedeo Pace again share vocal duties that give these songs their distinctive BRH sound. The album opener “Elephant Woman” finds Kazu’s lyrics wrapped in a full sweeping orchestral arrangement. While “Messenger” features a wonderfully tragic guitar riff to complement Amadeo’s plea of “How can I keep anything to myself?” The overall sound of the album carries this sad, but beautiful, feeling with string and key arrangements permeating from start to finish. The album’s feeling of delicacy and frailty comes not only from its intricate instrumentals and soft vocals but with lyrics as vulnerable as in "Falling man": “I’m just a man still learning how to fall.” I know the one thing that might keep some listeners from fully enjoying this disc are the vocals, but I see them as being a fully-integral part of the music. They complement the other instruments and vice versa. This is a step in the right direction for Blonde Redhead, who I feel have not lost their playful spirit despite making their most somber record to date. Play this on that long and rainy ride back home from your ex-lover’s house. [www.4ad.com]

Note: Listen to this only if you think you would like a Beastie Boys/Bad Brains/Eminem powershake. “Its like Molotov grew up and wrote actual songs.” This was the introduction my friend gave me when she lent me the latest release by Molotov – Dance and Dense Denso. This is the 3rd full-length release by Mexico’s controversial rap-rockers (think Beastie Boys and NOT Limp Bizkit). I was a bit surprised when she told me she had picked it up, as I was not expecting to hear much from this group nowadays. Their last album, 1999’s Apocolypshit, was not as big of a hit as their debut, Donde Jugaran Las Niñas?, but was an overall solid album that showed the band progressing in their sound. Well that was about four years ago. Their newest effort Dance and Dense Denso begins with an aggressive little number about moshing and head banging (just look at the cover art). But this album isn’t all about busting heads on the moshpit/dance floor. If you have not listened to Molotov before, it will quickly become apparent that they enjoy playing with Spanglish humor. “Changuich A La Chichona” talks about food and sex (with a backbeat very reminiscent to a certain Sir-Mix-a-Lot track). Molotov’s silly wordplay is also used to get some of their more important and serious messages across. “Frijolero” deals with US/Mexico border relations, while the two closing tracks “Nostradamus Mucho” and “Hit Me (Gimme Tha Power III)” talk about Mexico’s troubled political past. After a couple of listens, the disc will start to wear into you, and you’ll find yourself nodding to the dense beats and rhythms found on this disc. Like many of their Latin alternative contemporaries, such as Café Tacuba, Plastilina Mosh, and Kinky, their success lies in their clever mix of styles and sounds. Having Latin super-producer Gustavo Santaolalla behind you doesn’t hurt either. While song lyrics like “I want to hit your little sister’s piñata,” “I want to get down into your juju bees” and “ I got some hot beef for that rump roast” prove that Molotov will never really grow up, this record does show that they will continue to have fun while speaking their minds about what they see wrong with society and the world around them. You can tell they enjoy doing this and don’t care about what the critics will have to say. How can you go wrong with that? [www.molotov.com.mx]

I will admit that, even as one of the biggest Pixies fans ever, I was extremely apprehensive about their reunion tour. I thought to myself "God, this makes them as awful as The Eagles and Fleetwood Mac." The whole thing reeked of the need for money, and the result (a tour) was the answer for the quickest way to get it. With a band like the Pixies, their legend seemed almost perfect with the band's demise in 1993. In a way, it was like the Beatles in that their break up was the perfect ending as far as solidifying their mystique and legend. Now, some 12 odd years later, Frank Black Francis has regrouped with his former bandmates, and the unthinkable is happening: The Pixies have reunited and are touring. But before you swallow that sour taste, go out and download a copy of the Pixies' first live performance in over a decade (Disclive.com has temporarily sold out of all available discs as of this writing). First off, we're talking about a 26 track setlist for this first show. The set pulls almost exclusively from the band's first three releases, Come On Pilgrim, Surfer Rosa, and Doolittle, and they rattle them off one after the other like automatic gunfire. Mr. Black can't hit the high notes with the aggression with which they're usually delivered, but he pulls off everything as close to perfection as he can (you try screaming "Broken Face" 20 years after you wrote it). Kim Deal is without a doubt the biggest surprise. During the last few years with the Breeders, she's probably smoked a million cartons of cigarettes and had developed a pretty raspy, tired, matured voice. However now, or atleast on this performance, she brings back the beautiful, cute, angelic voice to match Charles' as though she hasn't missed a beat in the last decade. Joey Santiago's guitar parts are still the perfect match for the songs, with their real beauty found in the absolute sloppiness and carelessness with which they're played. Along with their hits they've added the cover of Neil Young's "Winterlong," my all-time favorite b-side that they never used to play. They even do their old cover of "In Heaven," but this time more sparse with Kim lending her vocals. Even the songs I never cared too much for over the last 10 years had me jumping around my room with the volume on full blast. I just still cannot get over this CD. I was so prepared to lament the reuniting of my most favorite band and cry "sellouts!" as loud as a I could. I was fully prepared for total, utter disappointment. Maybe that's the reason that I'm so shocked. Ladies and gentlemen, believe it: The Pixies are back. Quite possibly better than ever. I have never been so excited about a band in my life like I am right now after hearing this CD. I'm quite sure that, if you're a Pixies fan, the same thing will happen to you within 30 seconds of hitting 'play' on this one. [www.disclive.com]

Indifference is a funny thing, but it seems to be the best word to describe how I feel about this album. Wrapping it up in a nice little package, Bayside pretty much sounds like a lot of other new rock bands. Partly like The Used, partly Brand New, partly Taking Back Sunday, partly the Starting Line, and partly any almost anonymous radio-friendly rock these days. It isn’t that the band or the album is particularly bad; it is just really bland and forgettable. Sirens and Condolences is twelve tracks of monotony. Each song sounds very similar to every other song on the album. A few, namely “Poison In My Veins” and “Kellum,” stand out as having enough melody and pop sensibility to be radio hits, but even then you can’t picture them being huge. Focusing on lost love and angst, the album doesn’t stray too far from the emo/punk/pop/rock mold of the day. Lyrically, the album does tend to refreshingly avoid the “poor me, the world hates me, and my girlfriend dumped me” point of view and instead realizes that a lot of the fuck ups in life tend to be our own fault. Self-exploration and the realization that the world doesn’t hate you, you hate you, is maybe a step forward, but the “poor me, I hate me, I screwed things up with my girlfriend” view can quickly become just as whiny and annoying. Don’t get me wrong, this isn’t the spawn of Satan by any means. The album just suffers from being an average rock record focused on the same old subject matter of depressed and angry teenagers. Of course, we all were depressed and heartbroken teenagers at one time or another, so I can’t slight them for that. But next time please come up with an original way to express it. [www.baysiderocks.com]

Highly Evolved has probably received ten complete spins in my stereo since inception. I admired the raw energy on The Vines debut, but eventually it became too laborious for me to dig through my catalogs of discs just to hear “Ain’t No Room.” For some bizarre reason, I’m very attracted to that song. But like a single parent with more illegitimate children than years of education, “Ain’t No Room” has some serious baggage (i.e. the rest of the album). I think about her from time to time, but any further interaction will be more trouble than what it’s worth. Now, Winning Days would have received at least 2 points if The Vines pulled a Strokes move by recycling their debut. No credibility lost. No respect gained. And they come close with their title track. “Winning Days” has a country-folk flavor akin to a Beck Hanson outtake, but it’s not quite polished or creative enough to make a revered Beck album. Ok, no more Mr. nice guy… On Winning Days, The Vines abandon the raw energy of Highly Evolved for…NO, DONT SAY IT TRAVIS…catchy pop songs. You get that impression on their first radio single “Ride,” but the garage band influence lingers. The worst song I’ve heard in awhile might just be “TV PRO” because it sandwiches a chorus distorted “ahh ahh ahh” between verses of psychedelic mush. The “Oohs” and “Ahhs” gibberish continues in “Amnesia,” leading me to believe that The Vines have, in fact, forgotten what popularized them in the first place. “Rainfall” comes from the same molding iron as “Winning Days,” and “Sunchild” is a blatant Rufus Wainwright rip-off. If you make it to the last track, “Fuck The World,” you’re going to wishing that sentiment on someone else… I usually refrain from selling used albums just in case a random craving strikes, but I might be able get some good trade value for this one…at least for another week until word spreads. [www.thevines.com]

The one man force of nature known as John Darnielle takes the lo-fi approach to music seriously. Recording simple songs with simple arrangements isn’t a bad formula if the songs are there, and under the moniker of The Mountain Goats, Darnielle has proved time and time again that they are. Produced by fellow indie singer/songwriter John Vanderslice, We Shall All Be Healed documents thirteen songs taken from a batch of sixteen and recorded in ten days with a handful of friends. Don’t make the mistake of taking lo-fi, simple, and quickly produced to mean low quality production with this album. As with their previous release, this is more polished than their early work. Each song is well arranged and crisp, balancing Darnielle’s laid back void with the gentle mix of acoustic guitar, strings, drums and the occasional piano or odd instrument. Not without its sense of humor (just look at song titles like “Linda Blair Was Born Innocent” and “Pigs That Ran Straightaway Into The Water, Triumph Of”), the disc focuses on any number of muses for its lyrical inspiration. “Your Belgian Things,” “Mole” and “Home Again Garden Grove” provide a trio of songs whose melody and insight prove that The Mountain Goats songwriting is some of the best you will find. In days when high production and over-extravagance breed more entertainers than musicians, this album fantastically showcases that music is about melody, thought and, more than anything else, quality songs. Each track provides its own nice unique moments and works together to bring a nice laid back vibe to a stellar album. The Mountain Goats continue to spit out songs and albums at an alarming pace, but they also continue to prove that John Darnielle is one of the best acoustic guitar wielding songwriters in the game today. Everyone would be wise to give this album and this band more than a casual listen. [www.4ad.com]

“What do you call someone who hangs out with musicians all day?” “A drummer.” Drummers often get little respect in the mass media of music. Even though the very foundation of song is founded in a good rhythm section, people still praise and worship lead singers, while drummers sit un-noticed under the camo of the kits. Sure John Bonham and few others get mentioned, but for the most part they are an under appreciated group. Following in the footsteps of Dave Grohl and other adventurers, Patrick Wilson got bored in his off time and decided to step out from banging the skins for Weezer and front a side project of his own. The Special Goodness is pretty much a small operation. Founded by Wilson, and filled by a rotating cast at the beginning, it settled down when Atom Williard (Rocket From The Crypt) joined up. Land Sea Air, the bands second release, proves that drummers can indeed do more than just bang away at drums, filling twelve tracks with catchy guitar driven rock that sweetens the ears. “Day In The Autumn” and “N.F.A.” deliver catchy choruses and upbeat grooves to get the albums front end off to a very nice start. The mid section contains arguably the strongest track, “Whatever’s Going On,” an almost ballad-like ditty showcase of what pop rock is all about. The entire album is filled with goodness, but this isn’t to say there aren’t some weak points. “Oops” illustrates the album's handicap; namely the lyrics. “Oh no! I did it again / don’t look now but I lost a friend / might have been me but I think it was them / makes me think I never had a friend,” isn’t exactly Dylan poetry my friends. The majority of the album's lyrics follow suit in sticking to the melody and vibe well but not providing much food for thought. Despite the lyrics, Wilson shines through the album. Having sung back up and harmony on a few Weezer tracks, we know the man is not a mute, but his voice shines given the front stage, feeling emotional, catchy and subtle but powerful. The melodies are catchy and instantly memorable, lead with force by distorted guitars. Forgiving of some of the lyrics, these guys know how to write a catchy tune with a snappy beat. Although the albums falters in a few places, fans of Wilson and Williard's past efforts will be very pleased. This is side project, and that means it is supposed to be fun. And if there is one thing this album accomplishes, it is having fun and putting a smile on the face. A tip of the hat to Wilson and gang for proving that drummers are musicians too, so give a tip of the hat to the man with the sticks the next time you see a good band. [www.thespecialgoodness.com]

Snow Patrol. Maybe you’ve heard of them? Well, they’ve got one of the year’s best albums out right now, and there’s still a little time left to see them live in The States before they head back to the UK for festival season. So if you don’t know who they are yet, it’s time to find out. Since Final Straw is the third release from the British quartet, most people thought they had the band pegged. They weren’t expected to put out this record, and the quality of the music has caught many people, even their fans, off guard. Frontman Gary Lightbody, guitarist Mark McClelland and drummer Jonny Quinn released their debut Songs For Polar Bears in 1998 on Scotland’s Jeepster records (home of Belle and Sebastian) and then When It’s All Over We Still Have To Clean Up in 2001. When the band decided to split with their label and added a second guitarist, Nathan Connolly, they were snapped up by Polydor and set to work on Final Straw with Garret “Jacknife” Lee. There really aren’t any bad songs on this record, but there are definitely stand-outs. The tricky part is that with each listen, my favorites seem to change. One day the slow, sexy distorted grind of “Ways & Means” might be just what I’m in the mood for, and then the next day, the straight forward power-pop of “Spitting Games” might be just the ticket. But then there’s the pensive longing of “Run.” Basically, this is just a really well-crafted exploration into every mood you might have on any given day. The strength of the songs has a lump-in the-chest-inducing quality that I haven’t heard in a long time. Imagine if the best band from your youth is back; the one you used to listen to and think, “Man, this is me. This is my life.” Yeah, it’s that good. Final Straw is another example of how this is shaping up to be a pretty good year for music. With distorted guitars and precise drum beats mixed with universal slacker themes and catchy hooks, Snow Patrol have created a modern rock masterpiece. And it seems like they’ve surprised everyone with the brilliance of their third offering…well, maybe everyone but themselves. [www.snowpatrol.net]