P.O.S. "Audition" (Rhymesayers Entertainment) Sounds like: A rap-heavier Beastie Boys. B
"Audition," P.O.S.'s second album, sharply blends his punk rock roots with indie rap. The album, released by Minneapolis-based Rhymsayers Entertainment, boasts great bass guitars and percussion mixed with interesting hip-hop beats and some pretty decent rapping.
At times, however, the music tends to overpower the vocals and vice versa. In songs like "Stand Up (Let's get Murdered)," the combination of music and words is infallible. But in songs like "Yeah Right," the music sounds like Linkin Park and the vocals sound like a poor man's Eminem. Call that one bad luck, because the rest of the album is pretty good.
Although this album isn't flawless, it at least makes the rap-rock genre a little bit more legitimate. In the aftermath of Kid Rock, Limp Bizkit and Papa Roach, P.O.S. proves that combining elements of rock 'n' roll with hip-hop does not have to be a complete and total failure.
-MELISSA BEAL
Test Icicles "For Screening Purpose Only" (Domino Recording Co.) Sounds like: Not-so sophomoric disco-punk. B
With a name like the Test Icicles, at first glance, one might be expecting some cheesy, goof-off joke band that sings about farts and boobies. Surprisingly enough, there is none of that here. Many of the Test Icicles' lyrics are witty and cynical chides at modern society and dance parties with lots of "bitches."
The album starts off strong with songs like "Your Biggest Mistake" and "Boa vs. Python" that have sounds that run along the lines of old Ex Models. From here, the Test Icicles continue beefing up their dance sound, as the rest of the album is more akin to dance punk bands like Bloc Party. Songs that deal with cocaine ("Circle, Square, Triangle"), and with girls at parties ("Catch It!") may seem at first sophomoric, but a closer listen into the lyrics reveals an ironic sentiment towards these notions, one not often found in a band that is a play on words of "testicles."
The album's best songs by far are the fast, thrash, dance romp "Catch It!" and "What's Your Damage?," a song about ignorant people and society in general. If there is one major thing lacking from this album it is consistency. Some of the songs begin to run together ("All You Need is Blood," "Sharks") and it takes away from the momentum that was created at the beginning of the album. Songs like "Snowball" serve no real purpose other than to fill up the required number of tracks on the album. This is by far the album's weakest point and the only thing that this band would need to improve upon to make it a force to be reckoned with.
Although the album gets kind of boring in the middle, it finishes off strong with two infectious songs and two bonus tracks that are even more off the wall than the ones before them. For fans of Mae Shi or Bloc Party, the Test Icicles might be worth a listen - if you just want to dance.
-CHRIS MORENO
Belle and Sebastian "The Life Pursuit" (Rough Trade) Sounds like: Belle plus processed beats. A
To approach Belle and Sebastian's seventh full-length with the attitude that they can do no wrong wouldn't exactly be fair or democratic. But if "The Life Pursuit" didn't deliver, it would be like the grocery store running out of milk.
The whimsical "Act of the Apostle" prompts visions of Stuart Murdoch and co. romping around wearing striped jumpers and matching scarves. The throwback to '60s psychedelia pervades the entire album - it's possible that Murdoch's life pursuit includes rolling around in the grass and smoking lots of doob. "Act" and "Another Sunny Day" epitomize Belle and Sebastian's transformation into singsong, harmonizing children. Remember when the most upbeat track they could come up with in 1996 was "Get Me Away From Here I'm Dying?"
Thick, synthesized beats and drum machines skew the lighthearted songs into interesting territory. "White Collar Boy," the best on the album, mixes experimental rhythm, familiar vocals and that clever British wit. "Sukie in the Graveyard" grew from the seeds planted by "If She Wants Me" from "Dear Catastrophe Waitress." Belle and Sebastian - part intelligent design, part evolution.
-REBECCA ARMENDARIZ
Fivespeed "Morning Over Midnight" (Virgin Records) Sounds like: Puddle of Hoobastank and Nickelback. C-
Phoenix's Fivespeed is one of those bands people will hear on the radio and say, "This is why radio sucks so much." They take the already fairly lame rock styling of bands like Nickleback and Puddle of Mudd and make it even more forgettable. On songs like "Fair Trade," "Blame it On You" and "The Mess," Fivespeed have some of the rock catchiness that makes bands like Hoobstank arguably tolerable, but they just do not stand out from the already unpleasant pack.
In their defense, Fivespeed seem more credible than many of the bands they are comparable to, as they weren't signed by Fred Durst and seemed to have a lot of touring experience before signing to a major label. In the end, however, Fivespeed aren't very fun to listen to, which is the very least a pop rock band can and should aspire to be.
-JORGE DEL PINAL
Deadboy and the Elephantmen "We Are Night Sky" (Fat Possum) Sounds Like: Half bluesy, fuzzy, heavy guitar-and-drum rock 'n' roll, half sweet acoustic ballads. B
This is the new album from guitar-and-drum duo Dax Riggs (vocals and guitar) and Tessie Burnet (drums and vocals). Riggs, a founding member of New Orleans-based sludge-metal merchants Acid Bath, sounds like he has stripped away most of his heavy-metal past. Gone are the neo-Sabbath riffs and screamed vocals of "Pagan Love Song" or "Scream of the Butterfly." Even though there are moments of fuzzed out guitars, it doesn't at all bring to mind Riggs's former band.
Riggs has abandoned his scream for a bluesier, melodic voice that still calls to mind his roots in the bayou. The song titles still bring to mind more downbeat subjects (according to the band's Web site, all the songs are about death), and the music, while not at all a dirge, provides the perfect background.
All of the songs center around the bare-bones guitar strumming of Riggs. The playing, which lies between acoustic strumming, clean electric rhythms and a fuzzed out wall of sound, bring to mind the old country-blues of his hometown.
More often than not, this is a good thing. While Jack White claims that the aim of the White Stripes is to hearken back to the old days of the blues within the context of modern "garage rock," Deadboy and the Elephantmen accomplish the goal much more convincingly, and without a hint of typically "garage" pretension.
-ANDREW YONKI
Wilco "Kicking Television" (Nonesuch Records) Sounds like: Wilco rocking the shit out of Chicago. A-
Following the release of 2002's "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot," Wilco has established themselves as not only one of the best independent bands in the music business, but one of the finer rock 'n' roll acts of the last decade. Leaving their whimsical, folky textures behind, Wilco instead focused on more rock-based stylings and idiosyncratic lead riffs. 2004's "A Ghost is Born" did even more to solidify their reputation as an original, albeit transient, rock act.
The boys are finally back with "Kicking Television: Live in Chicago," a special live double album recorded at the Vic Theater in their hometown of Chicago. Every note resonates with their passion for performing as well as their often tumultuous history (lead singer Jeff Tweedy has a history of prescription drug abuse, and the band itself has endured a revolving door of instrumentalists). Wilco takes it to their own delightful extremes with luminous tracks such as the frenetic "Handshake Drugs" and a particularly evocative rendition of "Kidsmoke," and seasons an otherwise contemporary track list with cuts like "Via Chicago" and "Shot In the Arm" for the old-school fanatics. Tweedy's songwriting genius shines on every track, and when contextualized in a live setting, it is easy to appreciate the ethereal, gratifying emotion that Wilco so artfully solicits.
-DAVE WILEZOL
Various Artists "Bad Boy Joe & Johnny Budz present Ultra Dance '07" (Ultra Records) Sounds like: Instant party! Just add cheese puffs. B+
Put on the glitter tank tops and set out the party cheese puffs, because "Ultra Dance '07" is so worth breaking your glowsticks for. While the first CD of the double album features fab remixes of pop favorites like Britney Spears' "Toxic," Destiny's Child's "Lose My Breath" and Kelly Clarkson's "Because of You," the second CD throws in artists like the Gorillaz and Depeche Mode. For the techno-mix connoisseur, a Benassi Brothers' number is sure to please, even if slightly over-mixed. By far the highlight of the double CD set is the delightful dance hit "My Washing Machine" by SIKK, featuring the unforgettable lyrics, "My washing machine does not work/Somebody funked my washing machine."
To be sure, popping these 24 tracks into the CD player will bump a party's overall fun grade from a B+ to a solid A-. "Ultra Dance '07" makes any musically impaired host look like a 9:30 club DJ and brings even the most awkward of wallflowers onto the dance floor. There's a little something for all musical tastes without departing from an overarching discotheque theme. With an Ultra Records' remix CD this good, why go out when there's the option of staying in?
-BLAIR MERSINGER
