CD OF THE MONTH

Daniel Striped Tiger — Capital Cities

Produced by Will Killingsworth at Dead Air Studios in Amherst, MA

Capital Cities is more than an “album.” An album is something to pick up off the racks at a record store, pop into a CD player and skip around until there’s a song to put on repeat. Sure, there are standout moments on Capital Cities that play through exactly as one would expect from a stellar record — or perhaps any record at all — but somehow, there’s something that resonates a bit differently with this effort.

Capital Cities is a veritable symphony, replete with overtures and movements instead of individual tracks. In its less than one half hour run time, and Mozart-size scope, it is simply out of this world.

With their sophomore effort, Boston-area DIY darlings Daniel Striped Tiger up the ante considerably from their already shimmering debut full-length, Condition. Recorded with Will Killingsworth of Ampere/Bucket Full of Teeth/Orchid fame in his Amherst, Mass., Dead Air Studios, Capital Cities is a release born authentically for vinyl. It’s wrought with seamless transitions that allow one to breathe through the record instead of merely just listening moment to moment. And as flowing as its transitions is the entire composition of the record, whose precise, fluid pace guides the tracks out of the realm of anything remotely mechanical.

Its towering sound is generated from the unity of the instrumentals — percussion lays the foundations for deeply humming bass lines and narrative guitar work. Guitar lines weave in and out with identity and focus, but meld professionally into sweeping walls of sound. It’s a brand of somewhat raucous, splintering cacophony with a velocity that the band has marked as wholly their own. Unexpected interludes in the middle of tracks, such as “Flags and Capital Cities,” perpetuate the idea of songs being divided into movements.

Frontman John Bogan’s lustful vocals lay low in the mix, slightly muddled, as an extra instrument instead of a lead. Particularly, the vocals function as such on “Disconnection,” where the almost Black Eyes-esque instrumentals lead into a dizzying crossroads of pounding dissonance.

The record’s visual component, however, is perhaps its most striking feature. The band creates a piercingly dark, vivid image to harmonize with every note, mood and measure. Lead lines function as internal storytellers, evoking a visceral component. Guitars on the final track, “People You Don’t Know,” conjure up pictures of swarming, ticking clocks.

DST have finely sowed their buzz band seeds, but Capital Cities could be the key that brings them to blossom outside of the underground. The record is a beautifully orchestrated construction laden with plans for destruction.

(Clean Plate)

www.danielstripedtiger.com

-Meredith Turits

The Big Disappointments —The Big Disappointments

Produced by Thalia Zedek

Mixed by Paul Kolderie and Alex Hartman

Recorded by KRM at Kissypig, Allston, MA

Mastered by Nick Zampiello at New Alliance East

The Big Disappointments specialize in breakneck, country-tinged post-punk. Their self-titled debut has a couple of mid-tempo tracks, but these guys sure as hell aren’t going to try and sneak a ballad past you. Opener “Only Here Only Now” slaps you with a stock blues riff accelerated to whiplash speeds, giving you just less than enough time to acclimate yourself before the vehicle lurches forward as the rhythm section enters, drums thundering along like a jitterbugging giant.

Production wise, the record sounds fantastic. It ought to —the record was mixed by Paul Kolderie, a name associated with The Pixies, Radiohead, and Dinosaur Jr., among other alt-rock heavyweights. While the vocals may be mixed a bit low for pop-accustomed ears, the mix is clear from start to finish, letting each instrument shine in its own niche amongst the group’s chugging dissonance. The guitars are angular and cutting, but with balanced amounts of scrappiness and balls. The bass churns and bounces along with the aforementioned gargantuan drums. For a perfect example of all this in action, see track five, “A Warhead.” It’s one of the less frantic numbers, with tightly spaced, nicely fuzzed call-and-response guitar work over a heavily grinding foundation reminiscent of when Black Rebel Motor Cycle Club were at their gloom-rock peak.

The semi-discernable vocals rant and moan somewhere between the bass and the guitars. On much of the record, singer Eric Boomhower sounds a lot like a snottier Black Francis in his phrasing and delivery. There is also a nasal, melodramatic flair reminiscent of Jack White on the first couple of White Stripes records, before all the mandolins and bad mustaches. This likeness becomes especially apparent on bluesier numbers like “An Absolute Farmer.”

While the band is insistently straightforward in their general approach to riff-layering and arrangements, they are good enough at what they do, bringing enough conviction, inventive structure and dynamics to make this a compelling listen from beginning to end.

(Hot Cave)

www.thebigdisappointments.com

-Jon Carter

The Campaign for Real-Time — L.A. Tracks

All songs produced by Mudrock at The Hobby Shop, Los Angeles, CA

Mixed by Mud and ai fujisaki at The Hobby Shop

Mastered by Nick Zampiello at New Alliance East, Cambridge, MA

L.A. — maybe it’s worth shuddering at the mere mention. The city’s schizophrenic demographic is almost dizzying, overflowing with dramatic actor-types, overly pampered Hills girls, and fat-cat film execs. They’re as different as can be except for one thing: they’re all in the business of getting rich.

Strangely enough, C4RT’s L.A. Tracks follows suit in a similar way. Each track is so different, the EP feels like a strange, frenetic tangle of different sonic profiles, fighting each other to be heard. Though each track is a standout on its own, they’re all consistently rich in tone, content, and delivery. In a way, it’s a sort of delightful musical schizophrenia from the Boston band that’s hard not to welcome with open arms.

One thing is clear from the start: L.A. Tracks is a record about vocals. Though the instruments are incredibly well groomed from masterful construction and exceptional production — particularly the delicious electronics that punch through the tracks with danceable diligence — vocals lead the way from start to finish. The record’s tone is brilliantly solid, exploring dynamic and diverse rhythms.

There are a lot of different influences that weave across the six songs — everything from Michael Jackson to Elvis Costello to the Velvet Underground rears its head in some way or another. The tone is light on “Is Anybody Listening?,” sultry on “Solid Bitch,” dark on “So Lonely,” and even gets a little world here and there. However, there’s something terse and punk rock about the attitude underlying it all. Indeed, those silent connections provide the listener with the ability to appreciate L.A. Tracks as a sundry sampling with a resonating coherence throughoutThrough their releases, C4RT has turned themselves into a sort of Baskin Robbins of their Northeast niche — a million flavors per offering. But diversity is the key to their dominance. And boy, does it taste good.

(Curve Of The Earth Records)

www.c4rt.com

-Meredith Turits

Sunburned Hand of the Man — Fire Escape

Produced, mixed, and edited by Kieran Hebden

Recorded by Mark Rankin at the Exchange, London

Leave it to hyper-prolific Boston/Northampton collective Sunburned Hand of the Man to capture the heart of remix wiz Kieran Hebden, aka Four Tet. Upon reading a story about the band in The Wire a few years back, Hebden became an instant fan, even asking if he could record them in a London studio, which eventually happened back in March 2006. Adding his own tricks to the music he recorded, Fire Escape is Hebden’s version of a Sunburned Hand of the Man album.

No stranger to the wonder of unidentifiable sounds, strange percussion, and various otherworldly elements, Hebden had a field day with the subject matter here. His presence is evident on most tracks, particularly the eight-minute “Nice Butterfly Mask,” with its hypnotic beat underscoring a series of menacing horn blasts, and “The Parakeet Beat,” a knob-tweaked tribal percussion workout.

This certainly won’t come as a shock to those familiar with Sunburned Hand of the Man, but the music here is difficult to classify and impossible to predict. A feast for the ears with dozens of instruments played by nine multi-instrumentalists dodging in and out of the mix, it’s a soundtrack ripe for hallucinatory visuals. The closest thing to capturing its effect is the striking abstract cover art, which happens to be by Yamatsuka Eye, lead vocalist for Japanese psyche-rock godfathers The Boredoms.

Not to say the first half is exactly radio-friendly, but things get really whacky on the flip side, beginning with the nine-minute title track and continuing with the 15-minute “The Wind Has Ears.” The former establishes a simple bassline that serves as a backdrop for a frontline attack of percussion instruments and distorted guitar work. A little more than halfway through, the tempo picks up, opening the door for an even more dizzying array of sounds.

Like all Sunburned Hand of the Man albums, Fire Escape is most suited for experimental music enthusiasts, and nowhere is this more obvious than in “The Wind Has Ears.” Repetitious piano keys and a dense cloud of percussion build a landscape dotted with squelching brass, low-pitched drones, and unintelligible groans — the whole scene threatening to send listeners into various states of trance.

With its absence of vocals, lack of conventional guitar work, and disregard for true song structure, this album is sure to intimidate those looking for any kind of easily identifiable genre. It’s an acquired taste. Then again, fans of Sunburned Hand of the Man already know this. And probably prefer it that way.

(Smalltown Supersound)

www.sunburnedhandoftheman.com

-Brett Cromwell

Ketman — Golden Fiction

Tracked at Lifted and Gifted Studio in Allston, MA

Mixed and Mastered at New Alliance (mixed by Ethan Dussault, Mastered by Nick Zampiello

Ketman’s Golden Fiction is presented more like a work of literature or a ‘zine than a traditional record release. That said, Ketman’s music is far from traditional and is certainly unique. Nothing is how you’d expect it to be throughout all of Golden Fiction. By the end of the record, its literate aspirations are well established, coming close to a Joycean romp through stream of consciousness composition.

The astoundingly simple chord cycle of “Introduction to Golden Fiction” sounds like a wonderful lost score to a late-era film noir, dreamy and spacious, ending with a wild set of saxophone excursions over this bedrock of harmony and repetition. By the time the track wraps up, it has crossed from a cool take on Miles Davis’ “All Blues” and a Tex-Mex surf rock dirge to a brief free jazz coda. It is, largely, a peaceful and retrospective track.

Which is while the distorted guitar burst of “Bulletproof Molly” is such a surprise. After the smooth opener, the listener is thrown into what sounds like Craig Finn fronting Social Distortion playing King Crimson covers. The dryly delivered and somewhat narrative lyrics are sung over a barrage of punky drums and guitars, organized into a prog-rock handful of time changes. The song itself isn’t particularly wonderful, but one must appreciate how quickly it throws the listener off balance.

This sharp one-two punch forces the listener to focus intensely, unsure of what might be coming next. This could have easily been a horrible way to listen to a record, but Ketman uses the effect with great success, pulling it off without seeming too forced.

“Chapter Three” takes the listener into a thick Latin groove with Beach Boy backing vocals and a distinctly perfect shout-along chorus complete with shushing pairs of shakers. From there, the listener is put into a swirling set of cyclical guitars in “Chapter Four,” accelerating from gentle nodding to full on rock headbang in seconds flat.

“Chapter Five” takes a Bloc Party riff and gives it an American punk feel before segueing into the straight punk of “Luanna,” which grinds through pounding quarter notes, sassy call and response verses and another power chorus that won’t leave your head for days. The epilogue similarly steers away from the rest of the record, leaving the listener with another instrumental track that feels lifted from the soundtrack of some forgotten film. This gently rollicking guitar takes away the edge delivered in the meat of this record’s narrative chapters and leaves behind a wonderfully positive and subtle end to the record — the after-dinner mint to a hearty meal.

The greatest shortcoming of Golden Fiction, though, may be its zine-sized aspirations. In the end, it’s far too short for how good it is. It leaves you consistently asking for more and surprised that something so good is gone so quickly. The diversity of the music is reminiscent of a harsher Dismemberment Plan circa Change. Ketman has a lot going on and manages to squeeze all of that into a tiny package. One hopes that soon they will develop their War and Peace follow-up.

Regardless, Golden Fiction still succeeds at being an addictive page-turner — always engaging, well constructed and leaving you wondering what will happen next.

(Lifted and Gifted Productions)

www.ketman.net

-John Drake

Brown Bird — Such Unrest

Recorded by Jeremy Robinson in Ocean Park, ME and Boston, MA

Mixed by Max Adam

Mastered by Eric Masunaga at Modulus

In discussing Such Unrest, mention must be made of the cover art designed by Eric Hou. The packaging features a scene of anthropomorphic koala bears staring in goodbye as a ship departs in days long forgotten. Though this description may sound whimsical and cutesy, it manages instead to be wistful and stark — a perfect complementary image for the music of Brown Bird. Initially, referring to their music as “dark Americana” may raise eyebrows, but after a short listen, this description proves an accurate diagnosis. David Lamb’s lyrics are emotional, thoughtful and evocative, resting wonderfully on a bed of cello, acoustic guitar, banjo and other assorted instruments. Most impressive, however, is the way that the band can endow an established genre like Americana with fresh and dark turns.

Brown Bird sounds like Damien Rice raised on the Appalachian trail (this is especially clear on the vocal/guitar interplay in “This Mountain Road,” which sounds strikingly similar to the Irish balladeer). Throughout the record, Lamb refrains from unleashing the full volume of his voice, remaining in a Nick Drake-esque whisper. Always appropriate, the unity of his vocal delivery enhances the quiet tension that courses through the record, echoing like an electrified house after an embattled shouting match.

The title track is a standout, filling out the space around Lamb’s lyrics with three-part harmony, exceptionally sparse percussion and wonderfully intertwining banjo, guitar and cello lines. This sort of cohesiveness is constant throughout the record, but the expanded instrumentation carries the tune into different strata with its fullness. On the other end of the spectrum, “Blue Is The Weather” features the most delicate folk sensibility of Brown Bird’s songs, featuring only Lamb’s guitar and a wonderful vocal duet with cellist Jerusha Robinson. After a tender song, Brown Bird gently fleshes out the tones into a yielding but melodic cello and accordion outro.

As the record continues on, one can’t help but yearn for production values to better match the quality of the song writing. In featuring such beautiful minimalism in the instrumentation, every instrument has the opportunity to shineon its own and as part of the ensemble.

While the musicianship and composition is undeniably successful, the lackluster recording and mastering techniques cover the recordings in a sort of b-side film of dust. Nevertheless, Brown Bird’s talent shines through the haze and some tracks fare better than others, particularly the wonderful “Run the Wire.”

Additional mention must be made of Jeremy Robinson’s multi-instrumentalism. Whether playing accordion, slide guitar, banjo or percussion, Robinson’s talent undeniably enhances Brown Bird’s songs, lending an additional layer of complexity to otherwise simple and clean folk music. The color he provides can define the genre of a song, whether it be classical folk, expansive ensemble tune or sea shanty. His toy piano work on “Blanket of You” is especially effective and touching, resulting in one of the most memorable songs on the record.

Adrift in a sea of such unrest, Brown Bird provides enough stability to keep listeners’ heads above water. For fans of Americana, folk and engagingly bare music, Brown Bird is definitely an act to lend a listen.

(Self-released)

www.brownbird.net

-John Drake

Wonderful Spells — The Prophecy of Smarmulous Rex

Recorded by Wonderful Spells

Mixed by Kevin Ennis and Wonderful Spells at the Milkhouse Studio in Allston, MA

Mastered by Alex Hatziyannis at Old Folks Home in Medford, MA

Something is not quite hidden in The Prophecy of Smarmulous Rex, the debut EP from The Wonderful Spells. With light melodies to daydreamed vocal deliveries, the album seems disguised in a psychedelic rainbow tie-dye, thrown on a bit unconvincingly. You might even say “smarmily.” If you look closely, that tie-dye, however, are splatterings of Rorschach black. It is these spots — these incongruous elements — that set the album apart.

Take the introductory “Vermillion,” for instance. In both celebratory and ominous fashion, this uniformly catchy track is dominated by funereal pop organ. After the lead singer initially flirts, “you know that I won’t do you no harm,” he lets slip, “but not for long,” and the most interesting trend of the album is cemented.

“Black Cat,” a mostly simple, upbeat song, has extended periods of overdriven and forceful guitar that add mystery to otherwise passive lyrics. With half-crooned vocals and mute-strummed rhythm, but also constantly grooving lead guitar, “Hopeful Love #4” has moments that sound akin to an unholy pairing of Roy Orbison and Sublime. “Violets” strays from the rest of the Spells’ characteristically pop formula — opting instead for a more episodic structure with dynamic vocals and guitar.

Of the more fore-grounded and traditional elements, The Prophecy of Smarmulous Rex is laden with dancing, exuberant bass lines that can’t help but recall Of Montreal. These are particularly successful on “Starlette,” but here, again, the track is most noteworthy for what isn’t being paraded — the accompaniment that seems to be snarling to get out of the back seat.

Listening to The Prophecy of Smarmulous Rex, one can’t help but feel that the “prophecy” is really about these costumed bits of richness, and hope that the prophecy comes true.

(Self-released)

www.wonderfulspells.com

-Skyler Smith

Sean Mencher — Sean Mencher

Produced by Pete Hanoken and Marc Mencher

Engineered by James Begley at The Studio in Portland, Maine

Mastered at Editroom in Helsinki, Finland

Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, even an appearance on Conan O’Brien — Sean Mencher has done it all. During the 1980s and early ‘90s, Mencher pulled an Alexander the Great and conquered much of the known world as part of the Austin-based rockabilly trio High Noon. Fortunately for New England’s roots scene, Mencher decided settle down for good (well, sort of) in the Pine Tree State in 1996.

He still tours extensively, of course — it seems to be in his blood. But there are subtle signs this folk performer has started growing roots of his own. He became a weekly fixture at Westbrook’s Chicky’s Fine Diner before it closed, he’s hit the Rockland Lobster Festival and the Freyeburg Fair, and his new self-titled release was recorded in The Studio, a mainstay of the Portland music scene.

The 14-song album shows Mencher at his finest. He warbles rockabilly, western swing, and a bit of blues, wielding his guitar like a warrior (Perhaps that Alexander the Great analogy wasn’t so far-fetched after all). His rockabilly version of “Rock, Roll Jump and Jive” is enough to get even the most impassioned anti-country-crusader onto the dance floor. But he plays sweet songs too. “Setting the Woods on Fire” is almost haunting, and the traditional “Mustat Silmät” is rich and real. Worth mentioning as well is the standout performance of Zach Ovington whose fierce fiddling makes for many an enchanting interlude.

A graceful, charismatic, and just plain professional performer, Sean Mencher is here to stay. And it is a proud New England that can claim him as its own.

(Goofin’ Records)

www.myspace.com/seanmencher

-Rosaleen Torrey

Shawn Fogel — One Day In The Desert

Recorded at Checkmate Sound & Recording in Paramus, NJ

Engineered by Ryan Ball

Mixed by Ryan Ball and Shawn Fogel

Produced by Shawn Fogel and Ryan Ball

Shawn Fogel is a solid songwriter who understands how to write a catchy melody. His newest EP, One Day In The Desert, is a five-song effort of terse indie-pop folk songs. The striking quality about Fogel is how well balanced his music is — and the smooth manner with which he blends a confluence of influences. Combining Elvis Costello’s pulsing, upbeat songwriting with Neil Young’s bittersweet harmonica textures, One Day In The Desert pays homage to Fogel’s influences yet remains fresh with a modern indie sound. While campy at times, Fogel’s style is strikingly genuine throughout this EP.

Not only is he a competent songwriter, Fogel is a well-rounded musician and plays virtually all the instruments on One Day In The Desert. On the self-deprecating ballad “What’s Mine Is Mine,” his heartfelt lyrics express a period of confusion and personal reflection. He sings, “Everyone’s telling me the very same thing / That the healing I need is what time’s going to bring / So I sit and I wait for time to fulfill me / While the way that I’m living will probably kill me / If the way I feel about myself don’t get the job done first.” It’s a brief, yet sharp glimpse at Fogel’s tattered psyche. His beaming harmonica is brought front and center to finish off the song.

“What’s Mine Is Mine” is followed by the ironically upbeat “Dead Petals,” where Fogel weaves a catchy synthesizer melody over the entire song that fits nicely within the cheery tempo. “Athens” has the makings of a lengthy closer, twice as long as any other song on the record. Fogel’s talents are brought full circle as this song features warm organ tones coupled with sound engineer Ryan Ball on lap steel. “Athens” is a fitting closer to an EP that shows great potential of a promising artist.

(The Sleepy West)

www.shawnfogel.com

-Michael Aceto

Graveyard BBQ — Greatest Hits Volume II

Recorded at Castle Creamskull

Produced by Brownbag Johnson and Jim Foster

Mastered by Shawn Briggs

If you took a few guitars, distortion pedals, some dirt-caked rocks, a couple chicken and cow corpses, 100 gallons of thick spicy BBQ sauce, a stripper — not to mention a bevy of dildos — and boiled those ingredients in a massive black cauldron, you would end up with Graveyard BBQ. Their motto is red-state cut and dried: “If you ain’t with us, yer against us.” After listening to Greatest Hits Volume II you should probably just give in and join them because they would put too much effort into making your life a living hell if you decided otherwise.

When the band started back in 2003, it was a cranked up joke of a jam circle with little to no expectations. Four years later, though, the joke has grown into a real band, and Graveyard BBQ is a living, breathing circus of southern-branded metal.

With a brutal attitude and the metal chops to back it up, Greatest Hits Volume II features simple blues-based metal riffage, fast-paced tempos, blazing slide guitar, and deep, screaming vocals. The album starts off like a real metal album might. “The Clothes That Make The Man,” a song with crunchy grind-to-growling riffs, follows a creepy introduction and some fairly complicated lead guitar work. Guitar slinger and vocalist Brownbag Johnson seems to be the leader of the hellfire. Combined with lead vocalist, Howl’n Jack Boone, the vocals sound like a cross between an extremely pissed-off Cookie Monster and a 1980s metal screamer. Greatest Hits Volume II also features a cover of AC/DC’s “Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap,” although Graveyard BBQ doesn’t really offer a new approach to the song. At the conclusion of “Dirty Deeds,” Graveyard BBQ seems like a fairly typical metal group—decent riffs, intense vocals, kicking drums and some blues-based shredding. As soon as “BBQ Girl” begins, though, it’s obvious that there is something demented and baiting about the concept of this band.

“BBQ Girl” features a female vocalist singing, “I’m just a BBQ girl / I marinate for you / I’m just a BBQ girl / My grill is hot for you.” “BBQ Nation” truly raises the question of what do BBQ and metal have to do with one another? The band wouldn’t be the same if it were named Fluffernutter Candyshop and sang about sugar highs and the agony of drowning in a sea of PEZ. The ridiculousness of Greatest Hits Volume II seems like it was made for a video game, and someone’s taken note of that already—the song “Cheat On The Church” from from this album was included in the Playstation 2 hit Guitar Hero.

Similar in mood, Greatest Hits Volume II is a barbaric, loud, and brash album. Driving metal licks and pounding drums outpace the minimal acoustic twangs that should be showcased more on this album. The lyrical content is beyond clichéd. In “Teazer,” Boone sings, “She’s such a teaser, faking deceiver / Don’t try and please her, that’s when she leaves ya.”

It’s unclear how effective their cooking skills are when placed in front of an actual grill, but if nothing else, Graveyard BBQ is here to throw a nasty party. Please pass the sauce?

(Dirtcore Records)

www.graveyardbbq.com

-Michael Aceto

Angeline —Powdered Pearls

Produced by Asa Brebner, Pat Wallace, Emily Grogan and Linda Viens

Mixed by Ducky Carlisle, Ice Station Zero Studio

Angeline’s Powdered Pearls feels like an arrival. As Linda Viens and Emily Grogan croon in the opening track, “Weathervane,” it’s as though the listener has “made it through the emptiness, the heartache and the loneliness” only to arrive at the pivotal moments depicted in the band’s edgy mix of 1960s-influenced folk rock. Each track manages to convey a sense of knowledge and calm about these points of arrival, while tackling the hurt of lost love, painful memories, death and even revolution. Consequently, the album has the ability to capture those moments of pleasant self-evaluation, where suddenly everything seems to make sense. It’s the album to put in when you’re finally feeling like you can forget about your most recent heartbreak, and you’re ready to move forward with the sound of the upbeat “Girl of Opportunity” in your ears.

Though Angeline’s sound is that of folk rock, complete with banjo and harmonica, the two women grew up with punk influences that seem to be responsible for their edgy delivery. But Powdered Pearls hints toward a number of other influences as well. The meandering two-part harmonies of “The Clearing” bring to mind Chan Marshall’s vocal work on You Are Free in their purposefully mismatched quality, the higher line featuring playful staccatos over the more sustained melody. The comparison ends there, however. The vocals are playful rather than ethereal, possessing a characteristic edgy confidence. Driven by the steady percussion and the playful use of the vibraphone, played by Cheryl Etu, “The Clearing” cheerfully describes waiting for promised letters that never arrive.

The album features many contrasting styles, indicating a wide range of musical experience. With its despondent vocal lines and the almost theatrical despair of the lyrics, the title track reveals a darker, almost chilling sound, with a mournful violin solo enhancing the other-worldly and grieving harmonies as Viens and Grogan repeat, over and over, “Everything dies, everything dies.”

Powdered Pearls, in all its wisdom and clarity, is a successful first release from the two solo artists, and hopefully the beginning of a long-running collaboration.

(Hi-N-Dry)

www.myspace.com/angelinemusic

-Melina Moore

Palaris — The Pros And Cons Of Redemption

Recorded by Chris Danielle at Attic Studios

Mastered by Massive Mastering

Produced by Palaris

New Haven-based Palaris won’t admit to being an emo band although it’s painstakingly clear. The band’s sound is a carbon copy of the glissando-lovers which began multiplying in waves after Bleed American became a mainstream hit. The Pros And Cons Of Redemption is heavily indebted to Jimmy Eat World in its approach to song structure, melody, vocal delivery, and polished, yet slightly raw production. And the record is actually pretty effective at conveying brooding, melancholic tones and infectious choruses. The problem is that it’s all been done so many times before. “Thinking To Listen” features a catchy bridge and even catchier chorus accompanied by standard chugging octave chords. The song falters, though, in its formulaic approach — the bridge broken down with emotional guitar arpeggios and piano before driving the chorus home one last time.

One highlight of the band’s sound is Drew Hart, whose stunningly precise drums form an impressive rhythmic backbone for these songs. Hart shines particularly on “Sandboxes and Sailboats,” with machine gun rolls and a perfect dynamic build up before the final chorus. The song, unfortunately, suffers from a vocal melody too eager to resolve itself.

“Ghost” features some interesting guitar harmonies and fingertapping and some seriously colossal drumming (John Bonham fills!), but it ends up a tad on the repetitive side. “Time to Kiss the Ground” starts off promising with a down tempo dance beat and some unexpected shifts in key, but falls back into the meek bridge break formula for the final histrionic eruption. The obligatory acoustic ballad on the record, “To Cameron, From Taylor,” channels Chris Carrabba in the nicest way possible, and will hopefully inspire some “Hey There Delilha”-style YouTube covers. All in all, Palaris definitely has the chops to be successful — the band just needs to take more risks and then they’ll find their stride.

(Blue Duck Records)

www.palarismusic.com

-Adam Arrigo

Medina Sod — Trace Back the Lines

Produced by Medina Sod

Recorded at New Hampster Studios (NH), 7AWest Studios, MA

Mastered at Peerless Mastering by Jeff Lipton and Jessica Thompson

None of the 11 tracks on Medina Sod’s Trace Back the Lines top the five minute mark but the album’s looseness, sprawl, and spirited eclecticism gives it all the trappings of a jam band record. Buoyant, good-natured, and freewheeling, the album makes a strong case for the band as performers and it succeeds where many similarly inclined records fail. Medina Sod accomplishes this by capturing the spontaneity and energy of a good live performance and never drifting into half-baked grooves. While most of the band’s peers get lost in noodling jams and unclear song structures, Medina Sod knows when to let loose and when to restrain themselves.

This success is owed mainly to the band’s careful attention to production. Trace Back the Lines is an impressive effort for a self-produced record. The guitars are crisp, the keyboards sing, and the many vocal harmonies and overdubs come through clearly and evenly. This mix creates an agreeable platform for the band’s big, bright sound.

As for the material itself, there are guitar vamps a-plenty here, but the album is mostly fueled by good-natured, quirky vocals and the strong organ and keyboard work of Scott Simon. This foundation keeps the record moving along amiably despite the songs’ lack of real standout hooks or grooves. Moreover, the band does well to keep the songs tightly constructed, reining in their instinctive variety to keep the album focused. The result is a quality collection of quirky, accessible rock that fans of the whimsical spirit and neo-psychadelia of the jam band genre will love.

(Self-released)

www.medinasod.com

-Al Moore

The Unseen —Internal Salvation

No Production Information Available

Innovative vocal melodies are at the heart of Boston-based hardcore-punk band The Unseen’s sound. Within each song, the vocals move from a black-metal scream to a deathly bellow — occasionally shifting into melodic passages, reminiscent of early Pantera recordings.

While the group pays homage to that sadly gone power trio with their blend of saturated guitar, hyperactive double bass drum action and vocal torment, The Unseen are more than simple suitors to the local thrash crown. Some songs, such as the third track, “At Point Break,” seem suited for arenas and go for broke with an anthemic posture. In truth, many of The Unseen’s songs are fairly accessible, an aspect which is not immediately recognizable due to the band’s in-your-face approach to sound. The transitions between “scream” and “shout” seem slightly forced at times, but the vocals are still the main dynamic focus on each song. The guitar lines feed on a constant diet of punk power chords and skateboard-friendly thrash while the drums maintain the responsibility of a steady beat — heavily important to what The Unseen is doing.

Internal Salvation is an album of considerable substance and is a solid listen throughout. There may be more to this band than cigarette butts, neck tattoos and vicious stageside pits, and thank God for that. While their music probably does inspire more than a few listeners to slam into each other, the band stumbles upon some surprisingly melodic and almost catchy moments amongst the more standard hardcore punk fare. While the sound may intimidate the gentle listener, the power-soaked approach of The Unseen is ultimately a rewarding one.

(Hellcat)

www.theunseenpunks.com

-C.D. Di Guardia

The Ricecookers —First Blood

Produced by Tomomi Hiroishi and Matt Hayes

Recorded at Waltz Audio

Although Boston’s The Ricecookers may not have the most earth-shatteringly unique sound, their passionately performed arrangements cover a great deal of stylistic ground. First Blood is testimony to the The Ricecookers’ eclectic influences, ranging from ambient jazz to a mélange of funk. The standout track on the album is the questionably titled “Nevermind,” which resembles the combined forces of The Police and Tool, stirring pop with heavy rock. While the track at first appears slightly repetitive, it soon develops into an intriguing combination of ambient sounds with intermittent guitar riffs. Tomoni Hiroishi and Kota Kuji abandon the initial, more simplistic guitar theme midway through the track to experiment with bolder melodies. The rhythmic complexity of the chorus is complimented by perfectly cohesive guitar and drum work.

“When it Ends” is another superior track that experiments with a jazzier groove, replete with smooth transitions and inventive melodies. This track does well at showcasing the band’s penchant for complex arrangements and hooks. The juxtaposition of jazz organ with dirty, funky bass, creates some interesting textures, making the song stand out particularly among the others.

Other tracks on First Blood, notably “Shonen M” and “Monster,” are more pop-influenced, yet both showcase impressive musicianship in the form of intriguing guitars solos. In “Monster,” The Ricecookers’ overbearing barrage of rock is very apparent. While the track starts smoothly, the vocals fall short dynamically, and the performance is a bit rough around the edges.

All in all, The Ricecookers prefer their rice crunchy and robustly flavored, much like the way they play.

(Self-released)

www.myspace.com/thericecookers

-Sam Merrick

Honest Thomas — Sleep Now, No More Talking

Produced and Mixed by Ted Paduck at Mix One Studios in Boston, MA

Mastered by Mark Donahue at Soundmirror

Meet Honest Thomas. Now here is a band that couldn’t have a more appropriate name. With emotions ranging from despair to mania, their music, for a lack of a better term, is balls-to-the-wall. The five-track studio EP entitled, Sleep Now, No More Talking, proves that this Boston-based alternative/experimental rock quintet has found an extremely sincere and polished musical scheme.

The obvious comparisons to Honest Thomas would be a mix of the psychedelic rock grooves of The Mars Volta adjoined with Incubus-esque vocal melodies. However, elements of Romantic classical music and dub reggae turn up at unexpected moments throughout the album as well. While the band generally chooses to keep some groove-based sections tastefully orchestrated and concise, it’s evident that these guys are masters of their craft and have the ability to loosen up for prolonged improvisational jams in a live setting.

The opening music track, “Daydream Punch to the Face,” kicks off with a short piano intro that sounds as if it had been lifted straight out of a Beethoven piano concerto. At the cue of a subtle splash cymbal, the band drops into an aggressive, guitar-driven prog riff coupled with translucent synthesizers and perfectly executed syncopated drum accents. In the song’s chorus, lead vocalist, Robert Preston, sings, “What are your lessons now? / Will they have you covered up with rage to detain secrets that defy you?” The second track, “Bird Like Eyes,” highlights the percussive piano work of Mike Forst, who hooks up perfectly with drummer Kyle Ayervais to create a sonic balance of highly orchestrated rhythmic interplay.

The fact that the disc has only three tracks is the downside of the EP, as their convincingly powerful and sharp arrangements leave the listener thirsty for more. With an album as consistently good as Sleep Now, Nor More Talking, Honest Thomas is most definitely a band to keep tabs on.

(Self-released)

www.honestthomas.com

-Sam Merrick

Matt Wolfgang Garstka — Heavy Volume

Produced by Greg Garstka, Engineered, Mixed, and Mastered by Jim Fogarty

Recorded at ZING Studios, Westfield, MA and Noble & Cooley Drum Factory, Granville, MA.

Like most child “prodigies,” the career of Matthew Wolfgang Garstka seems to have been molded by his father. It’s said that, while still in the womb, Garstka was made to listen to pieces by Mozart, Bob Marely, and Van Halen. His father also wrote and produced many of the tracks on Heavy Volume, and performs with Garstka regularly. The trouble with this record is that, due to the nature of the pieces as well as the arrangements, the drums tend to work behind all of the other instruments so that the focus lies not on Garstka but on the session musicians and friends who are playing with him. And when the focus shifts to Garstka, as in numerous solos on tracks like the jazzy “Splurge” and a cover of Chick Corea’s “Got a Match,” they merely act as showcases for his drumming and don’t add anything to the song, although it’s not difficult to argue that about most drum soloing. Without any chemical or herbal enhancement, who really can say that they enjoy all 9 minutes of the drum solo from “Moby Dick?”

It has to be said, though, that Garstka’s drumming is very impressive. He has been playing for over 10 years and it shows in his command of the numerous styles that he tries out on this record, from jazz to hard rock to reggae. Unfortunately, Garstka also dabbles in beat boxing. Someone decided that it would be a good idea to include not one, not two, but three tracks dedicated solely to his a capella beat boxing skills here. For someone who is already so proficient on drums, it seems silly to try and emulate the sounds he is more than capable of making on an actual instrument.

(Performance Music Records)

www.mattygonline.com

-Chris Parlon

Hel Toro — Gimmick

Recorded by Richard Marr at Galaxy Park, Allston, MA

Produced by Richard Marr and Hel Toro

Mastered by Eric Masunaga at Modulus Studio Arts

Hel Toro does not believe in messing around. Gimmick revs to life quickly, as if the listener is joining a record already in progress. First track “Holes Up” is long on paper, clocking in at just less than four minutes — which seems like it should feel like an eternity in the lead-pipe genre of violence that Hel Toro slings around. Oddly enough, the band does not outlast their welcome, even if they come running in the door and start banging on the walls and making odd transistor radio sounds. Hel Toro’s sound is not slam for slam’s sake. Rather, the band has a substance to its music in the form of hooky riffs as well and energetic vocals.

Hel Toro attacks like the Death Star, a mechanical terror that could probably destroy a planet in time for dinner. Their sound is heavy, as though their instruments run on diesel rather than electricity. The vocals and slightly twisted time signatures will remind some listeners of System of a Down. The three-piece lists their home as “I-93,” a north-south stretch of interstate highway that runs both fast and furious and then heavy and gnarled. Hel Toro takes turns in all four lanes, just as willing to sail up the high-speed lanes as they are to mix it up in the gruesome interchanges.

Gimmick is perhaps a poor name for the record. Hel Toro is all substance and low on gimmickry. They definitely have more musical personality than may be expected at first. Songs like “Kill Your Doppelganger” are rich in texture. A Slayer-style opening with ringing strings immediately downshifts into a strong rhythmic statement between drummer Aaron Silverstein and bassist Dave Silverstein. Guitarist/vocalist Rick Maguire is the front of this powerful triad, hammering out powerful guitar lines that infuse the songs with the perfect amount of dynamic gusto. Hel Toro is more than worth the ride — whichever part of 93 they call home.

(Self-released)

www.heltoro.com

-C.D. Di Guardia

Brian Gottesman — The Sound of Yes

Produced and engineered: Brian Gottesman and Megan Berry

Mixing: Brian Gottesman and Matt Tahaney at Q Division, Somerville, MA

Mastering: Andy Vandette at Masterdisk, New York City

Bostonian Brian Gottesman, formerly of local bands Chucklehead and Rype, bears the full load of the creation process with his latest solo album The Sound of Yes, a strong lineup of listener-friendly songs that he produced and engineered himself with only a little help from his friends. The album features bright melodic bursts of several intimate acoustic songs and piano-based ballads. While the few full band tracks on the record are vaguely reminiscent of bland 1990s rock, Gottesman is at his most effective on sparser songs such as “The Sound Of Yes,” which would do well on any romantic comedy soundtrack.

“Rain” is a nostalgic folk tune about a refreshing rain that brings renewal. While this metaphor could be construed as dangerously trite, Gottesman’s earnest delivery lends the song a refreshing sincerity. A wet-sounding trumpet compliments crisp, mellow country guitars, effectively dressing Gottesman’s thoughtful melodies and lyrics.

The album’s finale, “Love Enough For Three,” begins with fast-paced country drums, a tinny acoustic guitar and reverb-soaked vocals followed by a dance-y Cajun accordion line. Spouting a funky sound reminiscent of the Red Hot Chili Peppers at moments, the song demonstrates Gottesman’s range as a songwriter while maintaining an effective cohesion with the mellower tracks. Although The Sound of Yes showcases Gottesman’s tendency toward musical schizophrenia, his blend of country-folk with classic rock ‘n’ roll contains the kinds of hooks, lyrics and songwriting that most artists dream of creating.

(Shelley Court Records)

www.briangottesman.com

-Mitch Holt