Not much seems to come out of Marshall, MI, but the elders can boast about having the state's largest bed and breakfast, and the kids can brag about hometown boys Small Brown Bike. This is the band's second release within the last year, with the first being a split/collaboration with the Casket Lottery late last year. The quartet hasn't released a full length since 2001's Dead Reckoning, which seems to be the most popular material among fans. Nail Yourself to the Ground throws 5 new songs at us, and seems to be the second step in the band’s progression; the first step being the previously mentioned split. If you’re not familiar with this band at all, I could toss out some terms such as "post punk" or "post hardcore," which don't really mean anything to me, but that's how I've heard this band described. One might say that Small Brown Bike only sounds like themselves. The band's music has improved tenfold since the early days, and the lyrics aren't lacking in the least. The gruff vocals that have long gotten these guys compared to Hot Water Music are nowhere to be found. Upon initial listening, it seemed to be a fair record, but these songs just get better each and every time you hear them, which holds for any of the band's work. I can't pinpoint any standout track, but each song holds its own. An interesting note: “So I Fall” has a touch of country twang to throw in some variety. Yet, nothing extremely different from the old stuff, but definitely a turn for the better and a turn towards more originality. This is solid EP is a must-have for any Small Brown Bike fan, anyone who digs No Idea Records, or for someone who just wants to hear something new. In the long run, this won’t be held as a classic in anyone’s eye, (hey, it's just an EP) but simply as a very strong and important stepping stone for the band. Having recently signed to Lookout! Records, the future can’t get any brighter for these guys. Be on the lookout (no pun intended) for Small Brown Bike. [www.smallbrownbike.com]

The 10-member Canadian, pop squad known as Broken Social Scene has materialized out of thin air it seems. Though, I guess, just like any other group you have to start somewhere. Yet, it's unusual that a band appears, seemingly out of nowhere, and brings such a fantastic album along with them as well. You Forgot It In People, first and foremost, "is a pop record." Just wanted to get that out there, 'cause they wrote it on the CD packaging. Secondly, aside from the 10 regular members in the band, the album features five more performers. Add those two things together and it equals what you might expect: the album comes off sounding like pop orchestra of sorts, flowing through each member's respective idiosyncrasies. The records starts out with ambient "Capture The Flag," a track that gives the impression of an orchestra tuning up and preparing for the non-stop performance that awaits them. Then, as the first few notes of "KC Accidental" ring out, the band launches into business, gradually building up to a sonic landscape of swelling tones. "Stars and Sons," based around one of the best bass lines in the past few years, shows the band can construct a song that would make The Flaming Lips green with envy. After that, it's back to the rock, as "Almost Crimes" chimes in, highlighted by its vocal refrains from Susannah Brady. From there on out it goes from lounge vibe of "Looks Just Like The Sun", the progressive "Cause = Time," the self-explanatory instrumentals "Pacific Theme" and "Late Nineties Bedroom Rock For The Missionaries", the Fridge-esk "Shampoo Suicide", the drunken ballad "Lover's Spit", and then full-circle back to the minimal closer "Pitter Patter Goes My Heart." When it comes to pop music, this band can do it all. The highlight of the record comes through with "Anthems For A Seventeen Year-Old Girl," with its slight country ramble and Emily Haines' vocal mantras ("Park that car, drop that phone, sleep on the floor, dream about me"). The track alone showcases the essence of You Forgot It In People: the ability to attempt a song with 10 things going on at one time, and it all work properly. Indeed this is a multifaceted, eccentric album that needs to be heard to understand properly, and I urge all of you to do just that. [www.arts-crafts.ca]

Hot Hot Heat makes some remarkably addictive music. But what's even more remarkable is that Make Up The Breakdown, an album full of pop-rock, comes after a lineup change and a style jump away from keyboard-driven hardcore. Make no mistake; with a distinct sound that alludes, in some ways, to Elvis Costello (musically, at least), these Vancouver, BC gents have probably changed for the best. Perhaps the one hurdle you'll have to clear before enjoying this album is vocalist/keyboardist Steve Bay's voice. At some times whiny, some times strained, some times wailing, and some times actually harmonious, he at least adds some character to the 10 songs that make up the album. Though, as far as the band goes, you couldn't ask for a more interesting one. These guys, bassist Dustin Hawthorne, drummer Paul Hawley, and guitarist Dante DeCaro, do their best to break out of what is expected on them; within a pop sensibility, they move from post-punk, to dissonant interludes, to dance and back again. As for the vocal melodies, they are times pleasing and at other times catchy. The opener, "Naked In The City Again," introduces Bay's somewhat incessantly sprawling vocal style. "Get In Or Get Out" is the first song to introduce a hook, and, combined with the bouncy chorus, it's a damn good one. "Bandages," the single (you know, the one on MTV2 with Brazil-inspired face stretching video), features both the most difficult vocals throughout the verses and the most mindlessly, affecting sing-a-long chorus of the album. But perhaps the tightest song of the lot is "Save Us S.O.S.". It's in that song that the band locks in and navigates through the songs accenting its dynamic changes together. It's in that song that Hot Hot Heat clearly show that they have the goods to back up the hype. [www.hothotheat.com]

My ears have heard some pretty awful music over the course of my 23 long years, but never in my life did I think that Metallica would ever be one of those things. I mean, I grew up on Metallica, much like I'm assuming a lot of you did. If you were around 12 in 1992 and you didn't own Master Of Puppets then something was probably seriously lacking in your musical tastes. But, as so many music critics and snobs like myself have said, Metallica, one of the best bands ever, have slowly spiraled down since their inception. Metallica have simply lost their originality. My theory on Metallica's decline as a good band is as follows: after the Black album, Metallica's scene was somewhat taken over by bands like Nirvana, Pearl Jam, and other alternative acts. After gaining all of that mainstream exposure, they lost it all to a bunch of bands that seemingly crawled out of the woodwork - none of which had put nearly as much time into their craft. So, Metallica puts out not one but two records at the tailend of the grunge movement attempting to rope in that dying audience. I'm referring to Load and Reload, of course. They were just cheap metal/grunge knock-off albums with no substance. Then they do the Garage Days thing, and the S & M thing - both horribly bland and uninspired. And it was around that time that nü-metal began taking over. Jump back to present day, and now, to me, it just makes sense for Metallica to put out a really bad album that tries to cling to the current dying musical genre that's breathing its last breath. To perfectly describe this new CD, I would say that Metallica is trying to be like those nü-metal bands that are slowly withering away. All of the guitars are in drop-D tuning to make it seem "heavier". The drums sound like cardboard boxes. There are no guitar solos found on this record at all. The lyrics are contrived and boring. Everything that was ever good about Metallica is now absolutely gone. After hearing Hetfield growling "Fran - tick, tock, tick, tock" on the opening track, I can't believe this is the same band. "Invisible Kid" sounds like some spoiled, moody, only-child wrote the lyrics. It's just extremely disheartening. I only wish they would realize they can't recapture what's been lost. People complain that Aerosmith, Kiss, The Eagles or even the Rolling Stones should stop now that they're old. But, after hearing this new album, I think Metallica should be added to that list pronto. [www.metallica.com]

Wire’s first two albums – Pink Flag and Chairs Missing – will forever be cemented into the rock canon as records that accelerated punk rock past itself. Not only two of my all-time favorite albums, but also amongst punk’s most important. Wire, simply, are legends. Legends to rock ‘n’ roll’s lineage, legends to me and deservingly should be legends to you. And after 25 years, Wire still hate nostalgia. So with Send – the follow up album compiling last year’s two Read and Burn EPs and four new tracks – don’t expect these four proto-post-punks to reference any of their past musical personas. This is the band that hired an opening act to play their entire Pink Flag album so they wouldn’t be bothered with its so-called “dated” material, after all. Phrases like artistically aggressive and creatively ambitious don’t even begin to describe. Send, succinctly, shreds guitars that saw through stereos and drums that fracture bones and beats inside an industrial-punk blender. The disc’s eleven tracks are the most distorted 3-D shapes I’ve heard a record spew since Primal Scream’s XTRMNTR as Wire produces a menacing, ominous sound that buries their past post-punk aesthetic beneath shards of serrated feedback and distorted vocals. Unlike another of my favorite bands [Suicide], Wire have leapt across the generation gap between the burden of being seminal, original ’77 punks to present day elders where their noise is just as sharp, poignant and exhilarating. Send doesn’t tarnish the luster of Pink Flag or Chairs Missing as it simply – and effectively – places emphasis on darker, more anguished tones its predecessors barely hinted at. It remains to be seen if Send will cast the perpetually looming shadow that Wire’s two introductory albums have, but if history’s any indicator, Wire will be too busy breaking new ground to care. [www.pinkflag.com]

The reason I'm a Sigur Rós fan is due partly to Radiohead. I heard Sigur Rós open for them on a European tour in 2001. I was curious enough and checked out the band, subsequently falling in love with them. The same thing happened with Clinic: they opened for Radiohead, sparked my interest, I checked 'em out and loved it. You can now add Four Tet to that list. Another way that I can introduce those of you who are unfamiliar with this band could be this way: whenever I have to work intensely on a paper or project, I put on something electronic with no vocals, just so I can work along to it - something really hypnotic that I still know is playing, but I don't have to pay a large amount of attention to. Aphex Twin is the usual choice for those frantic times, but now I have Four Tet to fill that void. To break it down further for you: Four Tet is a solo, side project of Fridge member Kieran Hebden, in which he composes mostly on his computer. Rounds is a bit of a departure from his usual work in that it features great beats coupled with a soothing, drowsy atmosphere of string arrangements, guitar, and bass. The first song, "Hands", is a excellent example of how to do this "folktronica" stuff the right way. All of this work is focused, assured, and natural, making it effortless to enjoy. "My Angel Rocks Back And Forth" is the best track, in my opinion, and the amazing "Unspoken" hits the epic, nine-and-a-half minute mark. Hebden conducts this all perfectly: music that would normally put you to sleep, but instead keeps you awake because you want to hear more. Sure, it's experimental, but it also has emotion and great melodies to set it apart. [www.fourtet.net]

I don't usually go for the pretentious artists that go on and on with their tireless spiels. Knowing this, my friends can't ever figure out why I like Matthew Good (or, more specifically, the now-defunct Matthew Good Band). My explanation is that I don't necessarily agree with what he blabs about, but instead I really just love the songs he writes, his lyrics, and how really great his voice is. Sadly, those three things can't save his recent solo attempt, Avalanche. First off, this album has far too many political undertones for my liking. There is a line drawn as to how much of this stuff I can swallow while still enjoying the record; Mr. Good crossed it. "21st Century Living" begs to know if you want everything in your life super-sized (and no, he's not just referring to your fries and Coke). He must have been referring to the super-sized lengths of his songs, two of which clock in at over eight minutes while the rest fall around five to six minutes. "Pledge Of Allegiance", the opening track, is my favorite on the disc. It's very simple yet effective and boasts great vocals, a choir, and even church bells. Once I got past a pretty strong first half of this CD, I began to really start missing what the Matthew Good Band accomplished. "Weapon" is the only real 'rock' song on the record; MGB fans won't find any "Load Me Up" or "Hello Time Bomb" copies on this one. "While We Were Hunting Rabbits", one of the aforementioned 8-minute long monsters, is just packed with music, but feels like it goes nowhere. So, Matthew, trim down the songs, cut out the pretentious political ramblings and you'll have a great sophomore solo record. Just make sure you keep singing the way you do and writing the great melodies the way you can. [www.matthewgood.com]

When you hear the phrase "strange Oklahoma band", you should immediately think the Flaming Lips. The Starlight Mints seem determined to change that. With Built On Squares, The Starlight Mints seem to want to take what their fellow statesmen have accomplished and push it to new insane, quirky levels. They accomplish it incredibly well. I'm sure The Starlight Mints are probably sick of these comparisons, but they're true. And they shouldn't be offended at all. Take what the Lips have accomplished over their whole career and make it more playful, more fun, more humorous, more quirky and you have what the Mints have done in two records. They have great arrangements keeping their songs pretty short and standard, but they definitely feel more poppy and strange... maybe even more insane. The opener "Black Cat" is a perfect display of the band's incredible way of making their music so playful. "Brass Digger" is another great example or their sound, featuring horns, violins, acoustics and a real great bouncy feel. "Jimmy Cricket", the closer, is a quick number that just oozes pure insanity. It's sure to make you exclaim, "damn, this is good!" There's not much more I can say. I put this album on in my car the other day when the weather was in the 80s. The sun roof was open, the windows were down, I was stuck in traffic on my way home from work, and all I could think about is how much I wished I had more fun albums like Built On Squares in my collection. [www.starlightmints.com]

Wow. That is all I can say about this album. A perfect score and a glowing review for Radiohead's new one... predictable, isn't it? But honestly, Hail to the Thief is worth it. I'm not blowing smoke up your ass: this album is everything I hoped Radiohead would release. From the first note to the last, this record is perfect and flawless. And I mean it. I absolutely love this album. Although Thom Yorke has said that Hail To The Thief is, essentially, OK Computer 2, it's not entirely true. They've reverted back to shorter, more concise songs, featuring guitars and real drums again. The experimental nature Radiohead found on Kid A and Amnesiac is still present too, making this a combination of almost everything they've done. A few months ago I heard live versions of a few songs and wasn't sure about how much I'd care for the final product, but as soon as the first track, "2+2=5", came to its frenzied climax I was grinning ear to ear. Songs like "Sit Down Stand Up", "Backdrifts", and "The Gloaming" have the blips and beeps of their recent work, while future-single "Go To Sleep" harkens back to The Bends-era guitar work. "Sail To The Moon" again displays the boys' ability to write beautiful melancholy songs, while "Myxomatosis" and "We Suck Young Blood" show the insanity they release through their music. The album ends the best way it can with "A Wolf At The Door", where Thom almost speak-sings the verses before hitting the chorus, complaining about a wolf threatening to beat him up and steal his children. Yeah, I'm biased. I love Radiohead. But Hail To The Thief really is that great. It's not a step forward, it's not a step backward, and it's not Radiohead staying stagnant in one place. It's inexplicably beautiful and cements Radiohead as one of the truly amazing artists of this generation. [www.radiohead.com]

Minus The Bear was described to me as a band that could "hand grandaddy's ass to them on a platter." Being the fan of Grandaddy that I am, I had to check this band out. A few downloads later, I found myself seeing the band live.. and purchasing their previous EP and their latest full-length, Highly Refined Pirates. Through all of this, one thing has become abundantly clear about Minus The Bear - they love to drink. Practically every song on this disc has a reference to drinking or at the very least an allusion to drinking. In addition to their fondness for drinking, the band apparently names their songs while in a heavy state of inebriation. Tracks like "Get Me Naked 2: Electric Boogaloo", "I Lost All My Money At The Cock Fights", "Booyah Achieved", and my favorite "Monkey!!! Knife!!! Fight!!!" pretty much captures the mood of the album. Friends drinking, writing songs about drinking and ladies, and just having a good time. Fortunately, this fits the band perfectly. Their songs are upbeat pop/rock songs interspersed with languid verses. The album has lots of great keyboard and sample loops mixed with more guitar tapping styles than you might be able to handle. Actually, not that you'd even notice the guitar tapping styles - it's done in a manner that fits the whole style of music, not some over the top Eddie Van Halen insanity. So does Minus The Bear "hand Grandaddy's ass to them on a platter." No. While in the same category, I'd personally place my money on Grandaddy to win the fight - but Minus The Bear would be a worthy contendor. They'd share drinks at the very least. [www.minusthebear.com]

For a lot of people it's hard to imagine a band hailing from Nashville, TN that has the musical sensibilities of Coldplay and the guitar work of earlier Radiohead. Fortunately, Aireline dispells the doubt that this could ever happen. Ocean Songs From The Year Of The Horse certainly has its own sound and explores plenty of its own space outside of anything resembling Coldplay, Radiohead, or any Brit-rock band but the connotation of excellent musicianship, solid songwriting, and a willingness to create music for the sake of creating music, not popularity or profit, is definitely prevelant. Ocean Songs accomplishes the semi-rare task of having every musical part interesting on its own, but cohesing into a smooth unit when combined. Bass lines that add flavor to the mix instead of just keeping the rhythmn, drums that explode into a controlled frenzy or quietly keep things moving, soaring guitar solo's, haunting piano, and vocals with harmonies in all the right places make up just a few of the elements that gel the album together so well. The album presents itself strongly throughout its 42 minutes of playing time. Strangely enough, the majority of songs have a very dark tone to them, even though they are catchy and certainly worthy of a good head-bobbing. The especially poignant album opener "Legionnaire", the spooky to groove laden "Rest Your Bones", the breezy to forceful "People Like These", and the frantic "Traveling Through Dangerous Scenery" are all great examples of this. So if you want to believe that people in Tennessee still use outhouses, haven't heard of some crazy city-folk invention called "shoes", or that they sleep with their cousins without batting an eye; that's fine. But never let it be said that intricate, catchy, well produced, superbly written and performed rock can't come from here. [www.aireline.net]

I must admit: I am confused by this band. The Austerity Program, apparently, is a guitar/bass duo that slices slabs of molten noise-metal behind a drum machine that vomits arrhythmia. A few oddities plague their young career, however:

1. The two members, Thad Calabrese and Justin Foley, are, seemingly, millionaires based on their Marginetrics investment program.
2. The duo has been faced with a flood of legal red tape involving their label, Hydra Head Records, and their inability to gain protection of their music.
3. All the tracks off of Terra Nova are mismatched with titles that misleadingly read "Song 8" or "Song 11," for example.

Regardless, the Austerity Program’s Terra Nova EP is a mangles mess of audio violence that carves four 7-minute-plus songs from guitars that rev like chainsaws of feedback and rhythms that clank and clatter between a car crash of live bass and artificial drum machine. Like the calm before a maelstrom of scathing chords, sneered vocals and pounding drum beats, Terra Nova also includes quiet segues that fills an ambient void between the blasts of off kilter noise-rock. I can’t say I exactly understand it, but my ears are hungry for more. [www.hydrahead.com]

Over the past couple of years, punk rock has been making its way back into the mainstream, and we can hold the dark pop-punkers Alkaline Trio partly responsible. 2003 has been a good year to the boys from Chicago, and deservedly so. Their fourth studio album and second effort on Vagrant Records, Good Mourning, has received an incredible amount of attention, partially due to the group gracing a couple big-name magazine covers over the past few months. And, having a "buzzworthy" video for "We've Had Enough" (in which the chorus bemoans commericial music... watch it, fellas) on MTV can't hurt either. All of this hoopla, resulted in the album debuting at #20 on the Billboard charts, selling 40,000 copies during its release week. Although, commercial success doesn't reflect on the contents of an entire album by any means these days. As expected, this record is quite a step up from their last album, From Here to Infirmary. On past Trio records, guitarist Matt Skiba handled writing and vocal duties on the majority of the songs, while bassist Dan Andriano penned a few numbers, adding in some welcomed diversity in the songwriting. It's great to see that Good Mourning showcases Andriano's inherent ability to create masterpieces -- namely "Every Thug Needs a Lady" and "Blue Carolina" -- which are quite eargasmic, being back-to-back tracks. Of course, the album's lyrics consist of traditional Alkaline Trio poetry, and fans have come to expect only the most depressing lyrics about drinking, dying, and occasionally, love. Matt Skiba's words are still as morbid and ghastly as ever; "step one: slit my throat, step two: play in my blood" covers half the chorus on the opener "This Could Be Love". However, Skiba's voice seems to be quite strained these days, namely on "All on Black" and "Fatally Yours", which also happen to be the less appealing tracks. The man just doesn't sound the same anymore and it's rather disappointing. The acoustic number, "Blue in the Face," at the end of the album doesn't make up for it either. All in all, not a classic, but a quality disc. I don't know if it surpasses 1998's Maybe I'll Catch Fire, but it's definitely worth adding to your collection. You'll more than likely listen to this CD a couple times, pass it off as a fair album, but upon further listening, you'll unearth its magic. I did. We can listen to it together if you'd like. Your coffin or mine? [www.alkalinetrio.com]

Ahhh, Texas, how I love thee and the bands you give me. Well, some of them. The Baptist Generals, from Denton, TX, released this four-song EP as a precursor to their full-length No Silver/No Gold on Sub Pop. To be honest: I'm not that impressed. From track listing, I know that the first song on this EP appears on their new release, and you can tell that its definitely the most "produced" sounding of the tracks. But the other three tracks sound like album throw-aways. "Jack's Head" is a mildly entertaining song about a guy driving his motorcycle into a fence. The song "Unimaginative" is aptly titled such. Through reading up on them, they record very minimalistically and that this is their first jaunt into 8-track recording. Maybe this is their style, but its just not doing anything for me. It reminds me of Beck's earliest work, but lacking the imagination, humor, and charm that Beck had. Their full length may be worth the purchase, but I would certainly skip this EP. Unless you like really underproduced, jangly alt-country stuff with really nasally, whiny vocals. I know that sounds harsh, but it's what I hear from this band. Hopefully I'm wrong and these songs don't adequately represent them. [www.baptistgenerals.com]

I always try to read up on a release before I start to review it, and if it is a band that I have never heard, then I spend a little more time trying to make sure I get a full picture of the history of the band. I mean after all, you have to go a lot harder on a band that has been together for 5 years and released 4 albums, as opposed to a debut release from a young band. Having never heard of them, it came as quite a surprise to me that Relient K was a pretty well known band that has been featured on tons of TV shows, sold over 200,000 copies of their last release, and sold out tours across the country. Oh, and they’re a Christian band. Relient K is pop punk, plain and simple. Imagine Blink 182, with a different vocalist, some pianos and acoustic guitars now and then, less silliness, and a little different subject matter. Well let’s not get too carried away, most songs still center around girls, being young, and… girls. Now I am not trying to say that this album isn’t good, in fact is very enjoyable, with standouts like “In Love With the 80s” (a brilliant song that sounds like…well, an 80s song by a pop-punk band) leading the way. Really all the songs are done exceptionally well and I can see why the band has such rabid fans. With the recent success of this type of music from bands like Blink 182 and New Found Glory, I think Relient K may have struck gold. It recently occurred to me that all music must be taken in context, and when reviewing albums they should be compared to other albums in the same genre, not to another genre that maybe you like more. For example, if I were to review the new 50 Cent album, I would trash it, because I don’t like rap. That doesn’t mean it isn’t good to people that do like rap though, and thus my score would be unfair. Do you see where I’m going? So in giving Relient K’s latest album a score, I am going to rate it as if you are a huge pop-punk fan. I guess I am including this clarification because I don’t want to mislead anyone. If you dig pop punk then buy this album because it is great. If you don’t, then don’t expect to be converted. [www.relientk.com]

Alright, no playing around and talking about the band’s history or anything for this review, let’s get to it. Wakefiled is generic pop punk that fails to impress or really stir any emotion at all except boredom. Unlike the recently reviewed new Relient K disc, Wakefield seem to offer nothing new to the pop punk format and sound like every other band that the major labels scooped up when Blink 182 exploded. The vocals are often whiney, the guys look like a bunch of dorks, and the whole package just stinks. Plain and simple, it’s major label fodder. I did give it a chance, and at times I almost began to root for the band. Songs like “Girls Rock Boys”, which have a little pop punk promise, push you to the next track with the hope that maybe the rest will be good, but these moments are few and far between and never really lead anywhere. I guess the root of the problem is that it just seems manufactured to me . From the look, to the sound, to the fact that songs were written by the band and “EMM”, who could be Arista’s team of song writers for all I know. It’s funny, as unoriginal and uninspiring as this album is, there are quite a few songs I could hear kiddies screaming about as it plays on TRL. In that sense it is exactly what a lot of people are looking for, disposable, semi-energetic, ‘young’ music. However, here at Silent Uproar we look for a little more than that in an album, and therefore think American Made sucks. [www.wakefieldrocks.com]

For those of you familiar with Open Hand, you probably already know that The Dream is the combination of the band's two EP releases, Radio Days and Evolutions. It is also marks the band's first release on the currently hot Trustkill Records label, which seems to be reason enough for some people to check the band out. However, be warned, if you are looking for another Poison the Well or Eighteen Visions, you might want to look elsewhere. While "The Dream" has it share of metal riffs and heavy grooves, it also has quite a bit of slower more laid back tunes and an overall more indie rock feel. With certain labels, people come to expect a certain sound common in bands on the label. With that in mind, I approached this album expecting to at least find some elements of hardcore or straight up metal; a genre that is becoming extremely played out. However, while the album is aggressive at times, typical metal/hardcore elements like the backup vocalist screaming at opportune times or rants about hate and abuse, are fortunately used sparingly if at all. The band replaces these elements with backup vocals that are typically more melodic and softer elements such as a layer of acoustic guitar on several songs. Beyond that, the overall vocal tone of the album seems relatively aggressive and the mood can be somewhat somber, but through the superb melodies and originality in guitar work Open Hand manages to win you over. Another notable strong point for the band is their great rhythm section that keeps your head bobbing all the way through. I think a large part of what keeps The Dream so interesting is the dynamic drum fills and thick bass lines that creep in when the rest of the mix seems to be kind of dragging, thus ensuring you don’t get bored with the album. The only real complaint I can come up with for this album is that it seems kind of dated, which it actually is. Typically when a band gets picked up by a label they will record a album of new material for release and the go back later and re-release their old material. Instead, Open Hand took the opposite approach, and as a result we don’t really get a feel for what the band sounds like today. Hopefully they will continue to grow and impress us with their new material. [www.openhandmusic.com]

If I told you I liked this album would you respect me less? Maybe you pre-judged the band based on what you have previously heard from them, or perhaps you heard their fist single off of Transform, “Free” and just didn’t dig it. Either way, I think you would be surprised how much the band has changed since their last album, and how damn catchy the new songs are. Ok, brief history of the last 3 years for the band. After spending some time working on the follow-up to their successful Tonight the Stars Revolt, Powerman 5000 completed what was to be their next release. However, two weeks before it’s official release, the band pulled it from the shelves, got rid of two members, and decided to start over. They then recorded an entire new album minus their trademark space man image and synth heavy mixes. That brings us to Transform, and album in which the band replaced the superficial image and gimmicks with a little more honesty and a lot more rock. Some people may not buy into the new “image” and think it is just another marketing scheme, but I believe there is something really worthwhile here. I do think that critics of the album will undoubtedly point out that the band isn’t really doing anything amazing musically here, and I agree completely. It appears that the band is comfortable with just writing catchy rock songs and leaving it at that. But is there really anything wrong with that? Did you really expect Powerman 5000 to ever blow you away? Not really, and thus I am satisfied with an album full of solid rock songs with catchy choruses and nice grooves. I guess the key is to not expect too much in the first place and you won’t be let down. I don’t think I would be doing the review justice if I failed to mention the extremely awkward “That’s Entertainment”, which is really stands out as a sore spot on the album. It has a Marilyn Manson / Videodrone feel to it, that just doesn’t really fit here. However, beyond that one track, the rest of Transform manages to keep me interested and I think if you give it a chance it might just work for you too. [www.powerman5000.com]

With Born To Quit and Destination:Failure, two stellar yet almost completely overlooked albums for Capitol Records, Smoking Popes are a perfect example of a great band who were ignored in their own time and imploded before the general public could finally take notice. Like Big Star and Jawbreaker before them, however, the band was able to reach a select few ears (mostly of the “dudes who play in bands” variety - especially many of today’s punk/emo superstars) with their mix of alterna-rock guitar crunch, sophisticated melodicism, and frontman Josh Carterer’s Morrissey-esque croon. With the (ahem) cleverly titled Tribute album, some of those lucky listeners step up to repay their debt to the Popes in the form of cover versions. Unfortunately, few of the groups featured are able to put their own stamp on the material. While the Ataris’ take on “Pretty Pathetic” and Bad Astronaut’s version of “Megan” stand out as quality efforts, the non-stop barrage of fledgling groups (ever heard of Retro Morning and Blue Shade Witness? Me neither) and their straight-ahead covers dulls the effort. In a bizarre twist, the disc also features Duvall – a group made up of ex-Smoking Popes members – even appears with a performance of Popes rarity “Do Something,” but even this surprise is not enough to redeem the album’s overall same-ness. While all the groups on Tribute seem to have their hearts in the right place – few fans would be hard pressed to disagree that the Smoking Popes deserve their retroactive place in the sun – the album is too reverent to the source material for it to make an impact. Listeners looking for the Popes unique sound and energy are better off sticking to the original discs, classics in their own right. [www.doublezerorecords.com]

That wacky Jesus - he always seems to be up to something. In this case, breaking up the Smoking Popes, the quirkily rocking Chicago combo who came to an end when lead singer and primary songwriter Josh Carterer "found religion." At that moment, Josh found the Popes' beautifully miserable odes to lost love a smidge too secular for him to croon anymore; yet before embarking on a brief stint of only performing acoustic gospel rock, he and the band got together and recorded the eclectic batch of covers that make up The Party's Over. From country songs to showtunes, the album definitely skews left of the dial (I could only imagine the look on Capitol Records execs’ faces on the day this bad boy was turned in), but isn’t a complete change of pace. Judy Garland’s “Zing! Went the Strings of my Heart” and Willie Nelson’s “Angel Flying Too Close To The Ground” don’t sound radically different from Popes’ originals, all amped-up guitars and Carterer’s old-school croon. Yet Kris Kristopherson’s “Why Me?” and Rogers and Hammerstein’s “You'll Never Walk Alone" (from Carousel) take a completely different track, plodding along with none of the innovative melodic smarts that characterized the Smoking Popes’ other work; as a result, the disc is uneven and forced at points, it’s flaws almost overshadowing the few high points. While the Popes two major-label efforts were forgotten classics in the alternative explosion of the 1990s, The Party’s Over is an underwhelming coda fit for SP obsessives only. The Smoking Popes’ previous discs may have zipped along vigorously, but this one only gets by on a wing and a prayer. [www.doublezerorecords.com]