CD OF THE MONTH

Social Studies — This is the World’s Biggest Hammer

Mixed by Social Studies and Jason Kick
Mastered at Mr. Toad’s in San Francisco, CA

Meet Social Studies, a band that is already garnering attention on college radio stations across the West Coast. The San Francisco-based foursome’s debut EP, This is the World’s Biggest Hammer, is a masterful mix of upbeat electro-pop/punk that truly lives up to the title — after giving it a solid listen-through there’s no denying it leaves a lasting impression.

The heart of Social Studies’ distinctive appeal is Natalia Rogovin’s sassy but smooth vocals, which often break into chants, and infectious Casiotone keyboard hooks. These, paired with guitarist Aaron Weiss’ funky riffs, Darren Henry’s solid bass lines and Mike Jirkovsky’s quick, steady drum beats, create a sound that is reminiscent of such indie greats as Arcade Fire and Architecture in Helsinki.

Catchy beats aside, what truly makes This is the World’s Biggest Hammer a knockout is its diverse songs that often take unexpected directions. From the ultra-upbeat album opener “Pack of Cards,” guaranteed to incite spontaneous dancing, to the slower, stripped down, alt-folk-influenced “Cardiod,” an atypical, intellectual love ballad, this album is a thrill ride from start to finish.

And the lyrics are inventive and intelligent, often carrying a witty, academic theme. “Our slopes are equally defined / The bell curve’s getting thinner / If only we could circumscribe / Rotate about one axis / ‘Til we depart on tangent lines / A common plane between us,” Rogovin and Weiss sing back and forth on “Cardiod.” On the cleverly titled “Theme Song,” the band gives a shout-out to formative figures of the past, like Aristotle and Marc Antony — giving the celebrities of grade school social studies a lyrical high-five.

Funky and fun, Social Studies rock uninhibitedly without a sober, hipper-than-thou attitude, earning their own place in the history books. (Homeroom Records 001)

www.socialstudiesband.com

-Nicole Sheikh

The Passionistas — God’s Boat
Produced by Kelley Stoltz

Channeling a true DIY spirit through jaunty, three-chorded noise pop, San Francisco’s The Passionistas resemble the kind of nerdy boys who’d rather fiddle around with their tape recorder and thrifted instruments in their basement on a Friday night than hit the town and birddog for girls.

What results sounds like a mix tape from 1981, as the three — Myles Cooper, Aaron Sunshine and Andrew Lux — sportively blend punk rock and light pop while saturating the songs with senseless lyrics about smashing guitars (“Miss Lonelyhearts”), heaven versus hell (“Hell Hath No Fury (Like Heaven)”) and computer glitches (“Y2K”).

The minimal production the outfit puts into God’s Boat, their debut full-length, certainly helps too. It furnishes the tunes with a timeless appeal, and makes the genre-bending a lot more convincing on songs such as the beaming surf rock of “Going Gay,” the pogo-friendly garagey-ness of “Silver Spurs,” or the psych-noise of “American Whale.”
The most redeeming qualities on the album, however, are the hidden ones: above every blithe pop hook looms a fuzzy bass line meandering lazily; behind a jagged rocking number awaits a grating squall of razor-wire feedback.

“The Colonists” recalls the heyday of ‘80s college rock — particularly The Feelies — with its jangly guitars and sprightly bass, while the trebly Minutemen guitars and high-pitch Richard Hell-esque snarls of “Teenage Jesus” is lo-fi soul for the punk rock heart. And that’s punk rock in its most digestible form: raw, sloppy and prospering in teenage angst. (New and Used Records)

www.myspace.com/thepassionistas

-Chris Sabbath

Oxbow — The Narcotic Story
Produced by Joe Chiccarelli

There exists a very special, soot-stained hall of fame, populated by such angst-ridden anti-heroes as G.G. Allin, Wendy O. Williams, The Jesus Lizard’s David Yow and even original “wild man” Hasil Adkins. It has as its most modern incarnation Oxbow’s frontman, Eugene Robinson.

The Narcotic Story claims to be a Burroughs-esque drug narrative with a Jekyll & Hyde motif detailing the manic exploits of Robinson’s alternate personality, “Frank.” Drifting between these ego states, the narrator rambles, grunts and howls through a series of musical vignettes that draw on a wide set of influences and conventions. The opening track, “Geometry of Business,” begins with Southern acoustic guitar and suffered mutterings the likes of Jon Spencer in the midst of heroin withdrawal.

“Down A Stair Backward” enters the theater previously occupied by The Jesus Lizard, with alternating moments of turmoil and catharsis set to sprawling drums and shattering bursts of guitar. A string-laden interlude gives respite to this jarring number before returning to Frank’s bemoaned tale, sung in a voice nearly reminiscent of Chris Cornell’s better work, but with the vitriolic delivery of Yow.

“Frank’s Frolic” stands out as the album’s tour de force. Here Oxbow’s versatility is the most prominent, as the song runs the gamut with stunning string arrangements, punctuated gauntlets and even bittersweet dreamscapes. The smallest dose of estrogen can even be detected as the track dares to provide hope for The Narcotic Story‘s fractured protagonist.

To some, this recording may appear to be pure violence. But Oxbow is making no claims to accessibility or even pleasurable listening. Rather it provides catharsis for the 21st century schizoid listener, and a glimpse into the mind of what may be the truest madman on record. In the end, Oxbow stands apart as a band that can create violence as beautiful as it is destructive. (Hydra Head Records)

www.theoxbow.com

-Geoff Shiner

Kate Isenberg — The Time Comes on Humming Tracks
Recorded and produced by Kate Isenberg
Mixed by Jon Evans at San Pablo Recorders

Through lyrics jumping with references to fireflies and lovesickness, Kate Isenberg rides in on her third effort, The Time Comes on Humming Tracks. From her dripping sentimentality and intricate guitar work, Isenberg’s songs call to mind dreamy songwriters like Laura Veirs; and like Veirs, Isenberg’s material is rooted in natural imagery — April showers, melting ice, “grey turf,” streams and skies.

On “Streetcar to Grace,” she challenges the saying “All roads lead to Rome,” tying it, in some slightly confusing way, to having been done wrong. Isenberg is looking for the truth here, and continues to do so even after the song meets its imperfect end (her guitar cuts out in an arrhythmic way, while the drums keep pounding their battle march into the fade).

On “James,” a tune beckoning home a lost love, the narrator is driven to an ice cream stand, asking the question, “How could love go and leave me all alone with only a jingle man to ask me how I am?” “She Knows” focuses on telling the truth as Isenberg sings through all the things she’d like to tell the song’s subject: “If I ... never take a stand and tell her ... how I love the way she interrupted my soliloquy, [I’ll] make sure she knows.”

On “Fireflies,” guitar harmonics jump around like little dancing bugs, as Isenberg sings about missing the truth altogether in a relationship (“How blind was I”). On this track, slide whistle, shaker and the fits and starts of Isenberg’s guitar work especially well together, showcasing one of the most impressive arrangements on the album.
It’s this sort of instrumentation that makes Isenberg’s work so infectious. If there is a downside to The Time Comes..., it is in the somewhat non-emotive arc of Isenberg’s voice. More nuances between her “soft singing” and “singing hard” would make these songs soar even higher. This is, however, a small detractor from the album’s impeccable songwriting. (Three Roads Records)

www.kateisenberg.com

-Kim Ruehl

Two Gallants — The Scenery of Farewell EP
Recorded and engineered by Alex Newport at Hyde Street Studios in San Francisco, CA
Mixed by Alex Newport and Two Gallants at Prairie Sun Studios in Cotati, CA
Mastered by John Greenham
Produced by Alex Newport

Two Gallants’ latest EP starts off with “Seems Like Home to Me,” the kind of lonely-road revival sing-a-long that’ll become an instant classic for their fans, and moves into a new version of the older song, “Lady.” It’s startling to think back and realize that the evocative signature line, “Well I just walked for hours down the red-brick march of Market Street” has never been locked in on wax; this is a landmark for the old fans and a revelation for the new.

The low-key songs like this one are always a different kind of highlight at their shows, when the lyrics can step forward and send that well-known shiver through the crowd.
But “taking it down a notch” in any live show does risk losing momentum if a slow song drifts off.

The last of the five songs, “Linger On,” does just that for nigh eight minutes, and loses focus as a result. Strings cushion a voice more accustomed to a stark background as Adam Stephens dredges up a faithless love, and Tyson Vogel’s drums (which include timpani for the first time) have a far more deep and distant sound.

If a separate album is what it takes for the San Francisco duo to really dive into this quieter and more arranged facet of their sound, it’s great that they have the option to do it — let’s hear it for experimentation. But these songs work better live, when Two Gallants’ immediacy and fervor keep them from adding up to an unbearable weight of nostalgia. (Saddle Creek)

www.twogallants.com

-Kjersti Egerdahl

LKN — Postulate II
Recorded by Kriss Crummet, Bobby Dezfulli, and Lauren K. Newman
Mastered by Stephan Hawkes

Most fans of LKN (Lauren K. Newman’s self-imposed acronym) fell in love with her live show. To complement this on-stage performance, LKN also releases her music in album form about once a year, most recently with Postulate II. The CD is not a listening album per se; rather it comes off as a voyeuristic glimpse into LKN’s own personal musical journey. There appears to be no real destination — the journey is its own reward.

LKN’s roots (and her heart) are in drumming, and everything on Postulate II begins and ends with drums. The songwriting, the melodies, the piano and guitar are all sacrificed to some degree, but the tradeoff is some amazing drum work and an overall primordial feel, as the most primal of instruments takes the driver’s seat.

The dynamics on Postulate II are simple: the songs start strong, increase in intensity, and promptly come to an end. The result is that the album as a whole sounds like a sequence of 13 song endings, none of which ever establish any real form. This structure makes a world of sense on songs like the instrumental “Systematic Minimalism;” on the other hand, songs like “Fractured Sun, Fractured Heart” have great potential, but end before they can really get rolling.

More accurately, the structure doesn’t make sense in recorded form — nor do some of the other elements of the album, like the melancholy lyrics, the abrupt starts, or the devotion to the drums. In a live setting, all of these elements are perfect and make for an incredibly unforgettable performance, but rarely do they translate well onto disc. The album therefore is ideal for the devoted LKN fan or as a souvenir from one of her shows, but the casual listener may be at a loss. (Greyday Records)

www.greydayproductions.com

-Bonwell Parker

Blue Scholars — Bayani
Recorded and engineered by Sabzi at the New Effenneffe
Mixed by Martin Feveyear and Sabzi at Jupiter Studios in Seattle, WA
Mastered by David Locke at JP Masters in Seattle, WA

Bayani sees DJ Sabzi and MC Geologic sticking to their strengths, with a collection of rhymes that examine social ills, misogyny and the Bush administration, all spat over smooth grooving beats. And it’s those beats that really hit on their third major release. From the emphatically flat guitar beat of “Opening Salvo” to the psychedelic funk of “Fire for the People,” Bayani is Sabzi’s album. Almost every track is danceable whether you’re on the floor or in a chair.

As always, the rhymes keep it close to the “206,” with numerous references to the Seattle Mariners and the Puget Sound, as well as an entire song about the WTO riots in 1999. It’s that song, “50 Thousand Deep,” that flexes the Scholars’ lyrical and musical muscles. Most interesting is their ability to tell two different stories about the same event: one with the music and another with the rhymes. While Geologic “admit[s he] had to split when the first canisters hit,” listeners can hear in the sparse drum machine and synthesized ambience that Sabzi may have been part of the uprising until the end.

Even though he has an incredibly sharp tongue and mind, Geologic needs to work on his vocal choices. At times his monotonous delivery takes focus from the rhymes — which may be better on the page than through the speakers. Ultimately his voice does more to emphasize the beat than to illuminate the words. Even with Sabzi’s genius flowing, songs become hard to distinguish from one another because of this staccato delivery.

Every Blue Scholars album is a success, if only because the grooves can get an audience dancing again to songs of protest. This unifying populist message is the reason Blue Scholars stand heads and shoulders above most hip-hop. It would be nice, however, to see them start to expand on their next release. (Rawkus Records)

www.bluescholars.com

-Rob Bergquist

Musab - Slick's Box
Recorded, mixed and engineered by Jeff Lorentzen at Squirrels on the Moon
Mastered by Ken Lee at Ken Lee Mastering
Produced by Mike (King Karnov) Redict

Musab, a.k.a. Minnesota Slicks, and his brand of “mack music” don’t quite fit with indie-rap powerhouse label Rhymesayers Entertainment’s average guy approach. After multiple releases on Rhymesayers, creative differences sent Musab westward to release Slick’s Box on the pioneering Bay Area indie label, Hiero Imperium.

But rather than audibly illustrating the glamorized pimp life, Musab shows listeners another side of the American pimp — a struggling hustler trying to feed his kids and fight his contradictions.

He introduces himself as this man on the opening track, “Night of Mirage,” which references his Muslim religion: “Got up from salaat with my stomach in a knot / I wanna do right but still hustle on the block / I’m tryin’ to get it right for my daughters and my son / The more you want success the harder it will come.”

Whether he’s being arrogant (“Hat and Shoes,” “I Ain’t Even in the NBA!”) or introspective (“Night of Mirage,” “Confessions of Minnesota Slicks”), the Southside mack has a way with words, and he does it without a single guest appearance.

For those looking for gritty reality with an honest approach, Slick’s Box is it, delivering 12 tracks full of pimp talk and pain. (Hieroglyphics Imperium Recordings)

www.hieroglyphics.com

-Zoneil Maharaj

The Soft Patches - All In All
Produced, engineered and mixed by Pete Pagonis

Music can have the power to comfort depression, soothe the soul, lull one into relaxation or incite a person to utterly rock out. The Soft Patches’ album All In All effortlessly accomplishes all of these tasks, as musician Pete Pagonis single-handedly molds a kaleidoscope of instruments, walks that fine line between electronic and acoustic, and easily draws comparisons to both Air and Elliott Smith.

A melodic undercurrent resonates from songs like “Hope That You Know,” and a driving force of mechanical beats showcases Pagonis’ drum background. This offsets the light coating of horns and flute in songs like “Love Finds You.” The subtle layering of strings and piano, topped by Pagonis’ whispering vocals, completes the humble symphony that creeps into ears and gently engulfs listeners.

From the slowed medley of “Feels Like” to the upbeat “Keep Talkin’ (But Don’t Say),” Pagonis takes time to structure each song, then builds upon this firm foundation. Never rushing, he resides on a transitory plane, allowing songs like “In the Deep End” and “She Won’t Forgive You Now” to flow from subtle experimentations of clapping choruses and snowbell jingles into spaces where instruments take center stage.

Lyrics like “I’m trying to reach through / It’s my turn to miss you” in “The Hard Goodbye” compliment The Soft Patches’ delicate, clever tone without overshadowing the melody, and make the album a complete package of understated musical gems. Without realizing it, All In All becomes more than just a moody antidote to fast-paced tunes, serving as a melancholy soundtrack to life. (Self-released)

www.myspace.com/thesoftpatches

-Megan Clinard

Birds & Batteries — I’ll Never Sleep Again
Recorded by Ian and Jay Pellicci at Tiny Telephone Studios in San Francisco, CA
Mastered by Tom Carr at The Annex in Menlo Park, CA

The name Birds & Batteries is an apt descriptor of a band that teeters on the precipice between two genres. Equal parts posh synth and pedal steel, the San Francisco band’s new album, I’ll Never Sleep Again, mixes the twittering twang of country with a lo-fi, battery-powered beat that makes each song sound like an electrified folk ballad. This latest endeavor is something of a departure from the perkier, get-up-and-dance melodies of Birds & Batteries’ debut, Nature vs. Nature. It is more pensive, more reflective, and the alternating, misty lyricism and complex electronic beats lend I’ll Never Sleep Again an air of uncanny maturity.

The first song, a re-imagining of Neil Young’s “Heart of Gold,” provides the thematic context for an album built largely upon all-American longing and lonesomeness. Like its meditative and rambling narratives, the album’s genre is hard to pin down, as I’ll Never Sleep Again merges the woozy synth of “Starclusters” with the sanguine pop of “Ocarina” and the guitar-driven, anthemic boom of the instrumental “Jungles (Oceans).” The album recalls the genre-hopping and restless poetic narrative of Stars, the subdued drum machine beats of The Postal Service and the braying yet oddly fragile vocals of Neil Young himself. Apart from the jangly electronic chimes and hint of feedback, the wistful title track sounds right out of Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young’s So Far.

In its best moments, the album provides a brilliant synthesis, seamlessly fusing cool electronic detachment with the shimmering, sentimental warmth of old-time country. I’ll Never Sleep Again proves that Birds & Batteries have the flint to spark a sensational fire. (Self-released)

www.birdsandbatteries.com

-Caitlin Berka

Stuporhero — Last Star Shining
Recorded, engineered and mixed by Chad Yenney at Earth to Emma Studios with additional recording by Will Troy at Basement Tape Studios
Mastered by John Golden at Golden Mastering
Produced by Chad Yenney and Stuporhero

The (alleged) Seattle trio Stuporhero is back on the scene with its sophomore album, Last Star Shining. Comprised of Will Troy (guitar, vocals), Jen Garrett (bass, vocals), and an apparent third member, “Chuckles” (the John Bonham-obsessed female mannequin drummer), this pop-punk indulgence produces quick and catchy tunes. Reminiscent of ‘90s experimental punk classic Neutral Milk Hotel, Stuporhero adds a refreshing and underlying Nerf Herder-esque humor that says, “We don’t take ourselves that seriously.”

This buoyant treat will soon become summer’s not-so-guilty pleasure; after running through all 16 tracks (plus one surprising hidden bonus), the listener is left with little more than a stupefied grin. Though not purely lyrically driven, the album’s narrative adds an almost contradictory comic depth. Last Star Shining opens with “Flying Discs,” which, though lasting only 41 seconds, introduces the listener to the album in a way that appropriately depicts what lies ahead.

The track is upbeat, the extraterrestrial metaphor potentially digging deeper into the human psyche: “Believe what you want but believe your own eyes.” Tracks such as “Superball” tell of the never-ending perils of the bouncy ball, yet maintain some thought-provoking morals. “5 O’clock Mad Dash” is set to yet another cheerful tone, but describes the “feeding frenzy” that “divides us each into separate parts” as the work day comes to a close.

The fuzz guitar and intriguing arrangements of Last Star Shining are unique and familiar at the same time. Both the Cat Stevens and The Flaming Lips covers (“If You Want To Sing Out” and “You Have to be Joking,” respectively) pay homage to the original songs with a quintessential Stuporhero twist.

Poised to bridge the pop/punk gap, the dynamic duo and mannequin sidekick revitalize experimental indie with a much needed — and perhaps overdue — twist. (Basement Tape Records)

www.stuporheromusic.com

-Jen Utley

Fast Computers — Heart Geometry
Recorded at Gung Ho, Jackpot!, Supernatural Sound, The Velvet Lounge and fc.hq
Engineered by Billy Barnett, Kendra Lynn, Nalin Silva, Pete Tewes, Mo Tabala, Nathan Lester and Peter Dean, with assistance by Pat Kearns
Mixed by Tony Lash
Mastered by Jeff Stuart Saltzman

New wave trio Fast Computers feature a post-modern aesthetic placed front and center. The angelic ‘80s sound of a synth choir opens “Sweden Hasn’t Changed, You Have,” the first track on the band’s new album, Heart Geometry. Fast Computers marry incongruent elements from a wide range of sources. The major-key and cheerful sound of the music contrasts with oft-times wistful lyrics, and the use of classic electronic instruments in a fresh way creates a nuanced balance between retro influences and current sensibilities.

The band’s liberal use of electric piano can’t help but fuel a trip down memory lane, providing a groovy Peanuts atmosphere to the peppy track “Lives of the Stars.” “Gravity/Love” features a lounge revival sound reminiscent of the ‘90s Esquivel! craze, coupled with zooming synthesizer riffs. The band’s range of mood and tempo is as wide as their pool of urbane sonic references. “Alarms Below” is a poignant, strings-punctuated love poem, whereas the slow, piano-driven intro of “How Many Times” quickly segues into a poppier stream.

Peter Dean’s voice is slightly off-key in the manner of Bernard Sumner of New Order, and Fast Computers share something lyrically with NO, too. Storytelling vignettes like snatches of overheard conversation pepper their songs, trailing a perfume of narrative ambiguity in the manner of “Thieves Like Us.” The track “Invisibility” proves to be the most intricate musically — deep electronic throbs pulse in the background with two lighter counter-melodies spinning above like ice skaters on the sparkling surface of a frozen pond. Two strong statements close the album: the generationally anthemic “The New Feeling of Life” provides social commentary on vices and virtues, and the title track sounds like the closing credits theme song of an intriguing TV show. (Self-released)

www.thefastcomputers.com

-Susan Brooks

Brother Reade — Rap Music
Recorded, engineered, and produced by Bobby Evans at Tale Of The Whale
Mixed by Dave Cooley at Elysian Masters
Mastered by Pat Kraus at Warner Brothers

Don’t judge a book by its cover — despite the hue of the dude, the bare essence of Brother Reade is two turntables and a mic, an MC and his DJ. Scholastically speaking, L.A.-based dynamic duo Brother Reade bubble from the same mold as hip-hop legends Eric B. & Rakim and Gangstarr.

As solid as an apple core, Rap Music is a filler-free, 15-song opus. DJ/producer Bobby Evans displays fundamentally sound skills with the drum machine and veteran-like savvy with the selection and application of samples.

“About That Rock” could easily electrify the dance floor in any club with its booming kicks, driving drum lines and frenetic pace. On the flip side, “Work Ain’t For Players” will keep heads nodding hypnotically whether it’s in the car or on the bus en route to L.A.’s baby-armed subway system.

There are no skits and there are no guest spots. Whether by choice or situation, this executive decision has its positives and its negatives. Concepts like skits and unifying themes are implemented to manipulate hearing and paint a picture in the audience’s head; Rap Music, however, opts to leave Brother Reade behind the anonymity of the curtain.

Formerly a punk rocker, Jimmy Jamz admirably does what few can and have done — hold down every track solo. For the most part, Jamz rarely strays from his laidback, conversational flow, but on the larger-than-life “Man of Steel,” Jamz flexes his penchant for braggadocio.

Rap Music is a diamond in the rough. Regardless of the cut, any one can pick it up and cherish it. (Record Collection Music)

www.brotherreade.com

-Franklin Grimes

Techno Squirrels — Plastic Makes It Possible
Produced by Lisa Eriksson and Ryan Harlin
Mastered by Dave Collins at Collins Audio in Los Angeles, CA with additional guitar by Mikael Eriksson

In the world of increasingly dirty electronica, Los Angeles duo Techno Squirrels comes along with a refreshingly clean debut album, Plastic Makes It Possible. Techno Squirrels use floaty, effortless vocals layered over fluid trance synths to bring about more than just dancing. Although the album could be generally classified as dance-pop, the mood of each of the 13 tracks varies greatly.

Opener “Repeat ‘til Fade” is a beautiful down-tempo track with serene vocals; meanwhile, the following track, “Unbelievable,” demonstrates how the same easy vocals work just as well over a more up-tempo, catchy beat. The result either way is the perfect marriage of Swedish-born Lisa Eriksson’s voice with Ryan Harlin’s tightly produced technical work.

From song to song, the Squirrels balance their attraction to straightforward, catchy melodies with a willingness to experiment. “Music is My Drug” repeats the energized hook — “Music is my drug, makes me want to stay alive” — over bouncy, rave-ready techno. Reflecting Eriksson’s art-rock background, “Hurt Me” is a house track with a steady-throbbing beat and vocals that rise, warping into something playfully incomprehensible.

“South of Colorado,” the only song missing Eriksson’s vocals, is as dirty as the album gets. Harlin constructs the song over heavier drums and edgy chords, eventually adding tweaked-out instrumentals that move teasingly from note to note.

The album’s single, “Love Comes First,” features Eriksson floating through long, emotive notes over a subtle acid-lounge background, like something Hotel Costes might feature on one of their compilation CDs. The highly infectious Carmen Rizzo vs. Kris Thomas remix of this song (one of the two remixes included at the end of the disc) begs the listener to play it on repeat. With such a contagious, dance-friendly line-up, there is more than one track on this album bound to get stuck in people’s heads. (Rave Police Records)

www.technosquirrels.com

-Lulu McAllister

Amy Cooper — Mirrors
Recorded by Frank Lenz and Amy Cooper (“Tonight We Fly” recorded by Scott Solter)
Mixed by Gideon Zaretsky

L.A.-based solo chanteuse and guitarist Amy Cooper paid several years of performing dues in the live music venues of New York City. The formative influence of that apprenticeship experience is very apparent in her sound, which combines a garage rock methodology of spare instrumentation and dark, intense introspection with the simplicity of classic singer-songwriter artistry.

On her latest release, the seven-track EP, Mirrors, Cooper alternates between two singing styles: a pixie-ish, reedy tone and a deeper, alto-pitched delivery. These differing vocal approaches accompany a pair of diverse songwriting styles — namely a slower acoustic trend contrasted with a plugged-in and energized declaration driven more by electric guitar. An acoustic ode chronicling a major romantic mistake and the first-person story of a girl who left a sure thing for a smooth talker, “You Can’t Have It All” falls in the first category. The song’s female subject made it through that wrong turn with a narcissistic lover, coming out wiser but much, much sadder.

The second approach is showcased in “Back Together,” the catchiest song of the collection. Sexy guitar, percussive drums and layered harmonies make for a memorable composition. “Undertow” continues in the same vein; a well-constructed song, Cooper’s guitar part matches the notes she sings almost perfectly, adding punctuation that makes the track a standout. “Come Alive” is another fast-paced number that summarizes Cooper’s overwhelming attraction to a fellow musician with the line, “You’re like the light of the sun.”

A bittersweet fragment, “25” ends Mirrors on a strange note. Not so much a complete song as a preliminary sketch of a work in progress, it relates Cooper’s as-of-yet-unfulfilled expectations of adulthood, trailing off into a “To be continued...” (Retone Records)

www.amycoopermusic.com

-Susan Brooks

The May Fire — Plastic Army
Recorded at Chabola Studios and Rock Whores Studios
Mixed by El Pipe at Rock Whores Studios
Mastered by Mike Wells at Mike Wells Mastering in San Francisco, CA
Produced by The May Fire

With this feisty, five-song debut, Berkeley’s The May Fire surge onto the Bay Area’s sonic landscape. Opening with the moody cruncher “Late Song,” Plastic Army pounces on the listener and blazes with fierce, grungy guitar accented by Catty Tasso’s smoky feminine vocals, reminiscent of a young Liz Phair. With only a moment’s pause, the aggressive title track marches in just as startlingly and The May Fire’s signature rolling, rhythmically driven rock is locked into place.

Plastic Army colors their bass, drums and guitar setup with a greasy organ tossed into the sound bed, like a docking of Kim Deal and The Doors. “Plastic Army” and “Late Song” find the band relying on verse-chorus architecture, while a gradual instrumental intensity fills listeners’ ears inch-by-inch until the climactic finish. The May Fire doesn’t mess around — the band’s hit-it-and-quit-it philosophy assaults listeners with minor pauses before pummeling them again.

On “The City,” The May Fire relaxes this traditional verse-chorus structure and adopts more instrumental indulgences like guitar and organ solos, while pinching verses between harmonically rigid boy-girl choruses. Undoubtedly the highlight of the album, this track reveals that The May Fire’s strength lies in their musicianship. The band has the ability to fingerprint songs with a definite sound — a feat most mature artists never achieve.

Further tightening their lyrical poetry will provide a rock-hard foundation for the band — as it stands, the lyrics are generally sophomoric I-me-you hyperbole and lack any real staying power. However, The May Fire have a fearless maturity and an unrelenting tone that achieves both an aggressive punch and an acutely sensitive touch. (Rock Whores Recordings)

www.themayfire.com

-Christopher Petro

Rachel Harrington — The Bootlegger’s Daughter
Produced by Rachel Harrington and Garey Shelton
Engineered, mixed and mastered by Garey Shelton Productions in Seattle, WA

The down-home texture that sells The Bootlegger’s Daughter comes from Rachel Harrington’s own biography. As a “fourth generation Oregonian,” Harrington proudly wears her Pentecostal upbringing on her sleeve. From cover choices (Mississippi John Hurt) to originals about Americana staples (railroads and baseball), this album radiates her obvious appetite for a certain aesthetic.

Its cover is blown, however, with songs like “Shoeless Joe” and “Halloween Leaves,” where the instruments have been filtered through the tracks and come out sounding compressed or unbalanced on the other end. Also, Harrington has a tense cadence that tends to roll off the ends of words and phrases unnaturally, when it feels like the ends need to be heard.

The best original song is “Walk To You,” a languorous promise to a loved one. With the melodramatic quality of a superb Nashville ballad, the song uses a powerful silence that commands attention and creates the most hopeful kind of pathos.

The song that should be first but isn’t, “Summer’s Gone” carries the weight of despair in stirring minor harmonies, while promising peace in the face of tragedy. The line “Harvest time has come and gone / Still we all must carry on” functions as a kind of conclusion, but would feel better as a new beginning.

Strangely, the highlights of The Bootlegger’s Daughter come from other musicians — John Reischman’s mandolin, Danny Barnes’ banjo and Laura Veirs’ song “Up the River.” Harrington’s own talent is often eclipsed by the greater talent she has wisely surrounded herself with. Her finest moment comes when she refuses to be bested on “Untitled,” an a cappella hymn that rings with the pure truth of gospel. (Self-released)

www.rachelharrington.net

-Ali Marcus

Eluvium — Copia
No production information
available

It’s hard to believe that the Discovery Channel hasn’t yet contacted Matthew Cooper — the drone-doting soundscapist behind Eluvium — to score one of its wildlife documentaries. One could almost visualize a pod of sea lions playfully frolicking in the chilled bosom of the Pacific Ocean throughout the cello-ambient “Seeing You Off the Edges,” or a lone bald eagle soaring over the Oregon wilderness to the tune of an opulent grand piano on “Reflecting the Airships.”

Copia — which translates to copiousness or abundance in Latin — is Cooper’s fourth full-length under the Eluvium moniker, and is every bit as ample in beatific textures and moods as the album title suggests. It also happens to be his most adventurous enterprise yet; though Copia‘s rich, organic palette is minimal in scope, its dreamlike temperament is the propeller that engages the listener. And like his previous works, Copia auspiciously demonstrates that Cooper doesn’t have to bank on a melodic U-turn or crescendo for allurement either. This time around, Cooper sacrifices his guitar playing and orchestrates a symphonic blend of brass, strings, piano and keys to give the album its seductive quality.

The album hearkens back to Brian Eno’s collaborations with Harold Budd on The Pearl, but reveals Cooper’s adoration for classically trained musicians as well. Keyboard and piano augment the 10-minute plus “Indoor Swimming at the Space Station” with misty, glacial tones that feel like being swallowed up by a thick fog bank, while the haunting string work on “After Nature” elicits a touch of isolation.

Copia‘s most ethereal moments don’t require much patience, but its hour-long sonic jaunt might be best experienced by the listener if he or she were to retire to a dark room and absorb the album from start to finish, preferably with headphones on. (Temporary Residence Ltd.)

www.eluvium.net

-Chris Sabbath

Frankel — Lullaby for the Passersby
Produced by Michael Orendy
Mixed by Aaron Espinoza
Mastered by Dave Trumfio

Most singer-songwriters must overcome the risk of using the same static rhythms over and over. Though L.A. native Michael Orendy of Frankel prides himself as both writer and musician of Lullaby for the Passersby, the album breaks away from these traditional molds.

In songs like “Tooth Decay” and “New Authority,” Orendy adds the subtle clashing of bells, or the more obscure ripping of paper and typewriters in action, to the mix. What could be a distraction does nothing but compliment his joyous yet slightly twisted take on the world and music.

Even his lyrics bring an unusual grin, with thoughts like “If it’s pouring / I mean it’s really coming down / Let’s put our clothes on inside out and walk around,” on “Thermostat.” As a pure vocalist, Orendy taps into the sensitive melodies of Harry Nilsson, adding an element of quirkiness like that found in more contemporary U.K. musicians such as Jim Noir. Orendy’s ability to slightly obscure his expression as an artist is what makes Lullaby for the Passersby truly genius.

Also setting Orendy apart from other singer-songwriters is the band Frankel itself. Every instrument, with the exception of Norm Block’s drums and Kirk Hellie’s banjo and ukulele, is played by Orendy. His talents on guitar and organ especially shine in “Dressed in Uniform,” as a haunting, dark western sound forms with the happy-go-lucky pitch of the keys. Orendy’s commanding ideas for the album succeed and are sure to stop any passersby dead in their tracks. (Red Rockets Glare)

www.frankelmusic.com

-Megan Clinard