Let me begin by saying that I completely agree with peerless’ review of Café Tacuba’s Cuarto Camino’s (See December 2003 reviews). So, in honor of President Bush’s recent proposal to relax immigration laws, I have decided to follow peerless’ lead by exploring a couple more Spanish/Mexican artists. I will begin with Mastretta’s Luna de Miel. *** Before I go any further, let me add that I don’t speak Spanish. Therefore, my review will be based strictly on musical content. The way it should be! *** Luna de Miel begins with an eerie howl reminiscent of those annoying Halloween ghosts that erupt every time an individual within 20 feet utters a breath. If Mastretta did not already scare you by this point, the 42 minutes to follow will. You will be scared by the haunting beauty Mastretta carefully orchestrates onto 12 uniquely different cocktail lounge tracks that would shame Michelle Pfeiffer and the Fabulous Baker Boys. Think of Mastretta as a playwright. He creates the script, environment and mood while actors reconstruct his vision for public consumption. Mastretta employs female vocalists from at least seven different countries: Mexico, Spain, Cuba, Sudan, Italy, Argentina and Portugal. He eschews the traditional piano for clarinets, saxes, accordions, banjos and bongos. Although the instrumentation and passionate vocals are two completely different beasts, they share mutual respect. The two beasts graciously compliment each other like the set of a play compliments the characters. Luna De Miel translated into English means “Honeymoon” is not a collections of “ode’s,” but rather a tour de force that pays homage to the female voices by using unorthodox instrumentation to accentuate its breadth. [www.mastretta.com]

Though for the most part plain and unadorned, Helicopter Helicopter has a really appealing guitar-rock sound. The exaggerated pretense that is the band’s name lead me to expect something out of the ordinary, but Wild Dogs With X-Ray Eyes is less eccentric than I assumed. While they may not be as deviant from conventional rock as I’d hoped, the clean, catchy rock is enjoyable throughout. Juggling between equally talented male and female lead vocalists and ranging somewhere between alt-rock and art-rock, Helicopter Helicopter is proficient at walking the line between the college art-student audience and the regular rock-radio audience. The vocals are easily singable and the guitar work carries your attention from start to end. My concern is this: judging by the solid instrumentation and the catchy vocals, it seems as though they could easily develop into a much more complex and experimental band. There are small moments in the lyrics and melodies that hint at exceptionality, but they aren’t ever carried far enough to make a collective difference. Acoustic guitars, more consistent backup vocals, and more bizarre lyrics could propel this band out of the somewhat generic guitar-rock model into a truly unique and distinguished band. I hate to stress the future potential of this band so much, but like The Flaming Lips and The Notwist before them they won’t be essential listening until they find that artistic outlet that defines an entirely new style. [www.helicopterhelicopter.com]

Welcome to the Ass Fortress! Form of Rocket gives us a mixture of math rock, mayhem, and oddities on Lumber. The spastic, almost nonsensical screaming vocals complement the music quite well. I can’t not mention the humorous song titles, such as “Sack of Smashed Assholes” and “I Would Sell You For Crack”, among others. What the first half of the disc lacks in melody it makes up for with pummeling riffs and overall solid musicianship. “For the Judge” comes in the middle and throws off the trend with a relaxed, quiet mood that certainly doesn’t fit the image you get from the earlier songs. Though not part of their regular formula, Form of Rocket pulls off the almost-country style quite nicely. One wishes the band had more of the same throughout the set, as the rest of the album is more of the same. However, the rhythm jumps around a lot, and the structure (or lack thereof) keeps the songs from getting old. Curtis Jensen’s shouting is a welcome addition to the music but certainly isn’t the focus. "The Positive Power of Negative Thinking" finishes off the album with its more than 11-minute length. Interesting music, interesting song titles, and though I’ve heard similar and better bands, Form of Rocket manages to come out better than average - definitely talented enough to keep an eye on. [www.formofrocket.com]

The Snake The Cross The Crown (that's right, no commas in there) definitely play a similar style of emo-pop as their new-school peers, but they actually do it better than most everyone around. Moving from Alabama to California in 2002 to "find themselves" definitely helped the band, and Like A Moth Before A Flame exhibits that. And even though they might not be attempting to redefine music or create their own style, they're fine with just jumping straight to the forefront of a nearly played-out game. Just with their instruments, the band exhibits a range of emotions. The vocals remain pleasant, without having to throw in some cliche scream (eg "anger") for effect. To change up the pace more so, keyboard is thrown into the mix; it's never so much that it takes over, but just enough to help you remember it's there. It's called "tasteful" - look it up, everyone else. Depending on how music trends continue, the upbeat, melodic sound of The Snake The Cross The Crown could be huge or they could fade away into obscurity. But even if the latter occurs, the band will still have managed to grab the attention of the indie-rock scene and put out one solid EP worth remembering. [www.snakecrosscrown.com]

I’m not really a fan of metal, but if I were, I would enjoy those bands that were humorous in intent and diverse in execution. With the enormously dramatic vocals and simple (but fast) instrumentation that makes up the nucleus of the metal genre, comedic lyrics and a varied tempo would balance out the ‘as-dark-as-we-can-be’ sound. Mercury Switch excels in both and pleases the metal fanatics and curious newcomers, as well as those that just want to listen to something clever. Many of the song’s intentions would become annoyingly ambiguous (they can’t be serious when they say that, can they?) had they not been framed with well-timed intros and outros. Several movie samples, one from Princess Bride and one from Goonies serve to establish an oddly entertaining sense of humor and relieve the intensity of the shrill vocals and double bass drumming. The lyrics, “Welcome to this city, the land of the beautiful dead/ Get out alive if you can” aren’t nearly as amusing without the over-the-top bad-ass motorcycle revving that opens and closes the song. In case the 80's family movie samples, silly automotive engines, and over-the-top vocals don’t prove Mercury Switch’s spot-on triviality, they also cover The Smashing Pumpkin’s “Tonight Tonight” for no apparent reason (a terribly delightful cover). While it’s true that various, and seemingly random, pieces are thrown together to form the entirety of the album, the transitions are fluent and there is enough solid metal tunes to warrant the attention of that audience. The beauty of the album is that in addition to the assumed material, so much extra instrumentation and bizarre tangents are present that it becomes a far greater and much more interesting listen; the campy, but not outright comedy, moments add a much needed ingredient. All of you impulse buyers, please be forewarned; while I am giving this album high-marks it certainly won’t be enjoyed by everyone. If you can stomach the intense screaming and fast paced metal, I recommend you give this a listen. [www.mercury-switch.com]

Feable Weiner is a suitably named band that caters mainly to the high school persona; in the footsteps of Blink-182’s pop-punk/rock variety, they may target the younger scatterbrained market, but at least they do it with style and self-realization. Trying desperately to mimic the comedy/rock arrangement that popularized Weezer, Nerf Herder, and for a brief time Nada Surf, Feable Weiner doesn’t quite pack enough hooks or laughs to reinvent the scene, but there’s enough to make your younger siblings or nostalgia obsessed friends happy. Despite my waning tolerance for anything that reminds me of Blink-182, Dear Hot Chick’s pop-punk sound is more for the fun value rather than a media-attention grabbing gimmick (unlike Offspring). To tell you the truth, their persistent lack of seriousness is a quality that few bands can achieve without seeming disposable or overly pop. The lyrics, “You said the song could be better, and I said ‘So could your face’” and the song “Attorneying Me On” serve as the high point of their wit (trust me, it’s funnier when you hear it); many of the other songs rely on less clever lyrics but remain interesting in that juvenile sort of way. Not many recent groups can balance humor and rock as well as Feable Weiner, so for the love of god do yourself a favor and stop listening to Puddle of Mud, Offspring, Sum 41, or any of those other absolutely horrible comedy rock bands; this is an infinitely better substitute. [www.feableweiner.com]

I feel like the pop-punk “genre” is a metaphorical scapegoat of rock music, or sometimes to be believed non-existent. I believe it is a valid and good form, and when it is done right, it can be glorious. Many have produced great melodies and riffs, and achieved commercial success at the same time (we all can name some great tunes by Green Day, Blink-182 and the like). No doubt, Alli With An I can be classified as pop-punk. As with a lot of others in the genre, they relate to the young folk, as children of the 80s - the band name comes from a character in the fantastic Karate Kid (as I had to be informed by an esteemed SU colleague) and the album title comes from a much-parodied commercial about drug prevention. The songs tell of heartbreaking, coming-of age discord ("I’ve got a box of your old letters/ They smell like your perfume/ They used to make me shudder in my room"). The singer’s borderline-whiny yelp reeks of the strife of young adult life. Alli With an I has some catchy tunes and aren’t trying to make musical history, but I don’t think they give themselves or their listeners much credit. They’ve taken the easy road - coped riffs, bland choruses - but, there is the potential for great pop music here. And the listener has heard this before through the numerous pop-punk, sweatband clad, cutesy bands. Imagine them having an orgy and giving birth to Alli With An I. This review may seem like a swipe at them, but Alli With An I are not painful to listen to. They set the expectation pretty low, so it is easy to reach. They were born to play at the Warped Tour, and will probably make a killing at their merch table. Just don’t expect them to change your life. [www.alliwithani.com]

With no surprise, Three One G has again satisfied underground music’s need for odd and peculiar sonic outfits. But this time it’s from no one new: Arab On Radar. As this formerly Providence-based spazzcore unit terrorized audiences for the length of their career, sadly, they are now defunct. Many members have already gone on to form bands as equally as weird (namely the Chinese Stars), but this – a reissue of their first two full-lengths entitled Queen Hygiene II and Rough Day at the Orifice – offers evidence that Arab On Radar’s ADD-addled noise spasm will always be relevant. These two albums – now consolidated into one disc – exhibit Arab On Radar showcasing their classic trebly dissonance, odd jutting 90 degree angles of guitar, and vocals that range from insane to inane – in short, everything this quartet is known for. In their time, Arab On Radar were one of the indie’s most important and prominent noise-rock artists and Queen Hygiene II/ Rough Day at the Orifice illustrates that even in their musical infancy they could annoy neighbors and induce headaches – oh, and that’s a good thing. [www.threeoneg.com]

If you routinely peruse this website looking for fresh music, you will probably not prefer Death By Stereo. Hint: the word “death” is used both in the band name and album title. That should clue you into the hardcore sound Death by Stereo promotes. But the album has its merits. The following is a critique of Into the Valley of Death found on another site. I will highlight the key words. I will also highlight the fun words. “Somewhere along the line, Death by Stereo lost the chaos and are now resorting to recognizable song structures… Some tracks are nice and have some cool shit. "I Wouldn't Piss in Your Ear If Your Brain Was on Fire" is an enjoyable little ditty. And “Shh, It'll Be Our Little Secret” has some great guitar fills and a pretty solo (which begs the larger question, do guitar solos belong in hardcore?). "Good Morning America" is a fast and brutally unintelligible track and for those reasons alone is a highlight.” Herein lays the problem. Hardcore is expected to be chaotic and unrecognizable, and for the most part, it is. But when a hardcore band defies expectations by performing “recognizable song structures,” do they lose creditability? I vote: NO Into the Valley of Death does, in fact, contain “ditties” with “chaos,” “cool shit,” and “brutally unintelligible” tracks. Lead singer Efrem Schulz’s baritone voice enunciates his words well enough so that his political lyrics are recognizable. Ironically enough, his most political song, “Good Morning America,” is also the most lyrically difficult to understand. Into the Valley of Death remains true to hardcore form by offering a gracious supply of vocal screams, heavy guitar distortion and head banging drum crashes, but this album distinguishes itself from its peers in the tempo variations it employs between songs. Death by Stereo created a hardcore album filled with 13 distinguishable and debatable tracks rather than another hardcore album that simply is what it is. [www.deathbystereo.com]

Gorky’s Zygotic Mynci (hereinafter called Gorky’s) has been on the cusp of mainstream fame for over a decade now. After Euros and Megan Childs formed the band in Wales in the late 80’s, they released their first album Patio in 1992. Sleep/Holiday, released in August of 2003, is their most recent shot at the title. Sleep/Holiday is a collection of “love” songs simply constructed by the guitar, violin and piano. More often than not, the violin plays second fiddle (no pun intended) to the other instruments. Four of five songs on this album are worth discussing in detail, the others are just boring. By boring, I mean cue the rhythm guitar, cue the piano melody, cue the soft vocals, cue the violin texturing in the background. Okay, let’s do it again. But I don’t like yawning so let’s talk about what’s unique: Track 1 – “Waking For Winter” – Harmonica, vibrant vocals, piano notes in the major key. Sounds like Belle and Sebastian. I could feel my toe tapping the ground. Track 3 – “Mow the Lawn” – This song sounds just like Velvet Underground except Gorky’s includes lame lyrics: “Well I couldn’t see my tootsies / When I’m doin the watusi / Mow the lawn.” Track 6 – “Country” – One minute and forty-six seconds of cheesy country pop. Yes, the cliché is killing me. Track 7 – “Eyes of Green, Green, Green” – Another toe tapping Belle and Sebastian tune. Strong violin solos. Competes with “Waking For Winter” for best track. Track 8 – “Pretty as a Bee” – Gorky’s returns to their psychedelic roots. Think Pink Floyd without the lights show. The verdict? Certain tracks from Sleep/Holiday will fit nicely into your Kazaa media folder. [www.gorkys.com]

OK. Reviews are really about the music and not about the image (I would think), but I couldn’t help but notice some things about Kill Hannah. Things they want us to notice. First of all, the “K” in “Kill” is backwards. That must mean they are badass. Second of all, they spent a lot of time perfecting their chunky highlights, thick eyeliner and general sexually androgynous look. I was expecting gothic Cure-esque grandiose stuff. What we get instead is some second-rate production that never quite gets to a satisfying musical level. I would classify this as rock with some electronic elements, drum machines, and keyboards - what all the kids are using in their music these days. They range from the sublimely echoey vocals, to the tongue-in-cheek pop references (“I Wanna Be A Kennedy”). Although, they do understand the basic elements of verse-chorus-verse and some tend to be surprisingly melodic; it's reminiscent of something someone made in their basement on a Casio keyboard, and then some producer jazzed it up. Except the fact of the matter is that it needs to be more developed before it's released to a wide audience. My advice: you’re not missing anything special. [www.killhannah.com]

Gossip are supposedly the pinnacle of the recent blues-punk explosion and maybe it’s just me, but I don’t get it. On Movement the garage-riddled trio meld the screech of the female singer’s vocal chords with dirty guitar chords and rockabilly basslines to reach a conclusion of fun, gritty, and minimalist punk rock. And however exciting that may be after a song or two – and it is indeed exciting – Gossip simply fail to vary their garage rock attack in the slightest. Movement’s eleven tracks are virtually indecipherable from one another as the vocals become boring, the bluesy riffs run together, and the stomp-driven drums become little more than an annoying thud. Gossip simply fail to innovate or excite more than a few mere minutes. Movement simply sounds like a less talented Sleater-Kinney run through a grimy garage. [www.killrockstars.com]

With a penchant for penning the pop melodies that your ears have been missing and writing jangly rock instrumentals to accompany them, The Pleased are seemingly destined to be NME cover bearers. Don’t Make Things, this quintet’s latest full-length, finds common ground with many classics (The Velvet Underground, Television) and contemporaries (Rooney, The Strokes) alike. That’d be just fine if The Walkmen had not infiltrated the indie world with essentially the same aesthetic years prior to this album. Despite this fact, The Pleased still are a talented bunch with an inspired lyricist, keyboards that twinkle, guitars that chime, and memorable melodies that seem to flow freely from the vocalist lips. And, if nothing else, they’re sure to be heading toward a Volkswagen commercial near you. [www.thepleased.com]

Like some odd jigsaw puzzle of punk rock, hardcore, pop, heavy metal, and goth, Avenged Sevenfold pound Waking the Fallen – the latest full-length from these black-clad Californians – into the scene’s ears. This album is truly unique, except the quintet’s sprawling musical ideas are too scattered, too random, and not nearly cohesive enough. Overturning hardcore’s traditional song length of two minutes for tracks that often stretch past the six minute mark, Avenged Sevenfold fill the disc’s extra moments with expanded bridges and virtuous guitar solos that would make Slash smile, but forget the key ingredient to music: writing actual songs. Waking the Fallen is simply too rambling, it’s an album that is little more than a few dozen fretboard dancing riffs smashed together into songs that attempt to be epic. However, it is commendable that Avenged Sevenfold do attempt to expand metal into hardcore and goth, but this time those sights are aimed a little too high as the music feels underdeveloped, lopsided, and disorganized. [www.avengedsevenfold.com]

It’s telling that the only member remaining from Elliott’s initial line-up is the vocalist. After all, this Louisville-based collective did begin as a band that teetered the line between emo and post-hardcore with a sound that borrowed from both Sunny Day Real Estate and Quicksand. But the appropriately titled Songs in the Air is anything but that; now Elliott and it’s new musical ensemble recall The Cure’s Bloodflowers and Sigur Ros’ ( ). Songs in the Air utilizes drum machines, strings, and keyboards even more than Elliott’s previously dominate guitars on this album where vocalist Chris Higdon whispers and attempts to lull his listeners into state of bliss. This layers of this sonic journey are always beautiful whether a guitar’s feedback coats a song in distortion or strings well to an emotional climax. But, sadly, not even Chris Higdon finds himself in Elliott’s ranks as they have now disbanded and gone their separate musical ways. However, Songs in the Air is a beautiful, haunting requiem. [www.elliottintransit.com]

If you read music news sites or magazines, then you probably know that The Rapture's Echoes has been jammed into the hype machine more times in the past several months than I care to count. All of that interest in The Rapture’s incredibly flashy punk/dance style must have gotten snagged up in the hype machine, because the lack of elegant songwriting, development, and (dare I say it) talent on this album is far too obvious to shrug off as mainstream misfortune. While the dance floor drums (though full of presets and standard implementation) mixed with punk-rock guitars may make for an attractive foundation, the computery (bleep bleep bloop bloop blop blop) synths, poorly sung vocals, and throw-away lyrics ruin any of the high-points that this record may once have had. I can’t recall the last time I’ve heard such an uninspired album; repetitively bland lyrics, generic album art, and very basic melodies create a vacant sensation that not only bores me, but casts a bad reputation on those other artists that are trying to sort out and refurbish the 80’s electronic sound. I would have to assume that The Rapture went into the studio with the “ohhh well… sigh… I suppose we have to make an album now…” attitude and the music reflects this apathetic disregard. I really can’t imagine anyone having this album on a top ten list, unless that list is for “most disappointing albums of the year.” People will say that The Rapture is maturing and restraining the “rock” portion of their sound, but it seems to me as though they’re blatantly abandoning all of the experimental rawness (which was the key component that gave them such a punchy style and also reinforced the less-than-fantastic lyrics) for monotonous, repetitive, empty dance-venue popularity. Style over substance may temporarily satisfy a listener, but prolonged attention will strip away that thinly coated layer of auditory pleasure, thus revealing the emotionally void, purposelessness that is the core of this album. [www.therapturemusic.com]

As an understatement, I’ll begin this review by stating that Ten Steps To Success is not for the lighthearted. On HeWhoCorrupts’ latest, blast beats stomp your ear drums to a bloody mess. Guitars carve scars into your frontal lobe. Basslines rumble like an earthquake. And that’s just the beginning. Ten Steps to Success envisions HeWhoCorrupts getting increasingly more brutal, heavy, and, well, insane, since their last release with time signatures that zigzag through songs, vocals that sound like voices only a demon could purge, and breakdowns that pummel the listener. This “full-length” clocks in just above fourteen minutes, but the pain forced into these moments of audio napalm rivals the catharsis of only the best hardcore outfits. Sure, there is rarely a pause in the assault, a melody to grab a hold of, but with HeWhoCorrupts, that’s never even been the point. [www.hewhocorrupts.com]

The first time I listened to this CD was when I overheard it on my roommate's Mac, blaring from his room on a weekend morning. I peeked in and said "Jesus, this is the worst cock-rock schlock I've heard in a while." To my surprise (and horror), I was informed it was Ryan Adams' new CD, Rock N Roll. Yikes. I always loved Heartbreaker, thought Gold was a singer-songwriter masterpiece, and I could swallow Demolition as a b-sides CD. But this? After the initial disappointment gave way to curiosity, I loaded the CD onto my iPod. On the subway, songs off the CD would pop up randomly. Not knowing what they were, I'd still find my head bobbing and my foot tapping. After a while, the riffs to the songs became burned in my head and I'd find myself humming the melodies at work. Next thing I knew, I was making sure I was listening to the CD in full on my commute. That's the power Mr. Adams has on this: a knack for catchiness. You won't find anything really folky or country on this like his previous releases (hence the title of this one). You won't find anything ingenius or what people are praising at the next revolution in music. You won't find anything that will make Ryan Adams an indie rock genius in all the hipsters' minds. What you will find are slightly recycled riffs that he manages to make his own really cool versions of, and catchy lyrics you'll find yourself singing along to unwillingly. I've read other reviews that claim he pulls too much from the Smiths for this one, but instead I see a lot of the Replacements and bands like that in this one. You'll bounce from a great riff in "Luminol", to a heartbroken rocker in "Burning Photographs", to a slow, boring-but-still-beautiful title track, to a Parker Posey appearance on a real (and pardon the cliched term) "balls to the wall" rock song in "Note To Self: Don't Die". And I haven't stopped hearing about how great and catchy the single "So Alive" is, so I just won't even bother writing anything else about it. You may find it boring and uninspired on first listen, but after a few times around you might fall for this one just like I did. At times really clever and at some times a bit redundant, its still a pretty decent CD. If you think of it as Ryan Adams putting out a really tongue-in-cheek album while wearing his influences on his sleeve, you might find a genuine appreciation for this one. [www.ryan-adams.com]

From American Nightmare, to the shortlived American Nothing, to the current Give Up The Ghost, this Boston, five piece, hardcore outfit has conquered their scene as well as anyone could ask. This hardcore band made by hardcore kids (guitarist Tim Cossar was in straight-edge staple Ten Yard Fight) has managed to grab fans from all corners of the hardcore scene. We're Down 'Til We're Underground might not have the rigid anger that the band captured as American Nightmare, but singer Wes Eisold is still plenty pissed. Yet, not since the time of their former moniker has the band's music has taken new heights, as is shown in "Bluem". And Eisold's lyrical ability is still unyielding. That said, it's a solid record. The rougher, older material is still a tad more endearing, but We're Down 'Til We're Underground doesn't disappoint in the least. They even went for the indie rock song titles too - "Calculation-Nation", "A-E-I-O-U", and "No Lotion Could Ever Unclog These Pores". Hardcore kids more than likely already have this album. And, as expected, a lot of people couldn't care less. However, as an occasional hardcore listener, I found myself enjoying it well enough. [www.equalvision.com]

California natives transplanted to Chicago have an advantage. That is, soaking up the beauty of two different music scenes, obviously. I heard one song from this band on a compilation, and it was good enough reason for me to obtain a copy of This Is A Hospital. Not that it should necessarily mean anything to you, so here we go. The Ghost draws from a variety of influences. The easiest to touch on would be Jawbreaker, Small Brown Bike, and Fugazi, but with much smoother vocals. You could generalize their sound into the "post-hardcore with pop sensibilites" label. This Is A Hospital is a fairly impressive, debut full-length, in which the band show lots of promise. Occasionally screamy, melodic and at times catchy, The Ghost manages to pull off a variety of styles, and does it in great fashion. Brian Moss' penchant for songwriting definitely helps the band, and his lyrics are more than up to par. "By the Books" has to be the strongest track, taking pot shots at the mainstream. The track is then followed closely behind by opener, "Death By The Bay," and "A New Trick For The Old Dog." It would also probably be a crime to leave off this paragraph without mentioning that the legendary Steve Albini lent his talent to the record as well. I wish I had picked this up around its release, so I could boast about one more reasonably obscure band to boost up my "scene points," but I'll settle with getting it a year or so late. I won't be putting it down anytime soon, anyway. [www.theghostband.com]