CD OF THE MONTH

Kelli Hanson — Our Buildings

Produced by Kelli Hanson and Andy Zenczak

Recorded, engineered and mixed by Andy Zenczak at Gadgetbox Studios in Santa Cruz, CA

Mastered by Paul Stubblebine at Paul Stubblebine Mastering in San Francisco

With a voice that sounds at times like a cross between Bjork and Debbie Harry, lyrics like Townes Van Zandt, and a sonic landscape ranging from the ethereal to the down-home, Kelli Hanson rocks her way through her latest effort, Our Buildings. This splendidly well-produced mix of songs ranges from the ‘80s-infuzed “Chariot” to a more moody, ephemeral “River (She’s A),” where Hanson even seems to channel a little R&B.

Hanson has a fierce gift for the unknown, marrying all these disparate areas of music into one cohesive style. “Lips” could just as well be masterfully performed by Moloko, while the title track sounds like it may have been plucked from the repertoire of Corinne Bailey Rae. Hanson’s ability to so seamlessly integrate pretty much every modern style of music into each song is indeed her biggest asset.

Despite all the sleek production on the rest of the disc, the strongest track on the disc may be “Fall in Canandaigua,” a soft, airy piano instrumental that sounds like it was recorded in someone’s living room during a recital. The piece is a lovely, unexpected break from the rest of the album and provides a sweet, albeit somewhat jarring transition to the haunting title track. In that tune, Hanson returns to her lovely, poetic lyrics: “Open screen doors on the porch for the breezes / To air us out ... Broken dreams falling down like shingles / We’ll share stories of the moonlight.”

Our Buildings is a sharp collection of songs that stand as steady and unshakable as buildings on a city block. With Hanson’s myriad influences and the sleekness of the entire production, this record could be one of the more impressive indie rock releases out of the Bay Area this year. (Bigger Than the Barn Records)

www.kellihanson.com

-Kim Ruehl

Sleeping People — Growing

Engineered by Ben Moore

With its layered, finger-tapped guitars, elastic low end and propulsive, mathy drum aerobics, Sleeping People’s sophomore outing echoes facets of Don Caballero’s post-rock fleet and vigor, especially from What Burns Never Returns. But unlike Damon Che’s jazz-frazzled, octopus-like onslaughts, Sleeping People drummer Brandon Relf exercises some self-control by cohesively mingling his sharp precision with the respective talents of the other band members throughout Growing‘s tireless 47 minutes.

Tapping into their pop resources right off the bat, Sleeping People open the album with a ripple of guitar loops and in-the-pocket drumming during “Centipede’s Dream.” The song sounds like Minus the Bear with no vocals and leaves a little more to be desired, but the outfit quickly switches gears and blitzes into the progressively charged “James Spader.” A few tracks later is “Mouth Breeder,” which couples intricate guitar notes and languid bass lines with plodding drums before erupting into another pounding episode of math metal. But then it cuts off; the four begin to experiment and the listener is treated to a droning ambience of shimmering cymbals and delayed guitars. Next is the proggy interlude “...Out Dream,” a Boards of Canada meets Tangerine Dream wash of astral-sounding synths and arpeggios that lives up to its title. But the biggest surprise comes halfway through the closer “People Staying Awake:” a voice. It’s Rob Crow from Pinback, and although his visit is brief, his sunny lilt helps bring Growing to a blissful conclusion. (Temporary Residence Ltd.)

www.sleepingpeople.com

-Chris Sabbath

Arp — In Light

Recorded, engineered, mixed and produced by Alexis Georgopoulos at Orange Skies

Mastered by Joshua Kit Clayton

On the cover of Brian Eno’s pioneering album Ambient 1: Music for Airports, each untitled track is illustrated by a geometric diagram representing its structure and constituent parts. Arp’s similarly minimalist instrumental music also lends itself to diagrammatic visualization as a series of abstract patterns.

Alexis Georgopoulos, the artist known as Arp, was a founding member of San Francisco instrumental dance band Tussle. This album was born out of a series of solo experiments recorded live on a 4-track cassette recorder, but the result is hardly low-fi. In fact, the humble recording technology is well suited to capture Arp’s midrange-heavy analog keyboard noodlings.

Arp’s songs range from calming, like the hypnotic, gently burbling “St. Tropez,” to urgent, such as “Potentialities” which sounds like a less-funky alternate theme for Dr. Who with its driving pulse, arpeggios, and slowly flanging drone. “The Rising Sun” is the album’s most evocative song. With its slow crescendo of piano, flute and keyboard hum, it truly does sound like the soundtrack to the dawn. “Fireflies on the Water” features woozy slow vibrato and modulated fuzz drones that sound uncannily like guitar feedback. “Premonition of the Sculptor Steiner” gallops along at a propulsive 9/8 clip. The nearly 16-minute “Odyssey (for Baz Jan Ader)” is relatively unstructured and the most blatantly improvised song. The maddeningly repetitive “Potentialities 2” has an uptight rhythm that would be downright danceable with the addition of a drumbeat.

Arp makes mood music for math majors or anyone who recognizes the beauty of the numeric sequence of tones in an arpeggio or in the pure geometry of the synthesized analog waveform. But the music isn’t robotic — Georgopoulos’ human touch is felt second handedly through pressed keys on twisted knobs. (Smalltown Supersound)

www.myspace.com/arp001

-Mike Baehr

Old Bull — Manifesto

Recorded by Steve McCormick in Mar Vista, CA

Mixed by Eric Lynn and Steve McCormick in Topanga, CA

Mastered by Ron Bousted at Precision Mastering in Hollywood, CA

Produced by Steve McCormick and Old Bull

L.A.’s Old Bull has its roots squarely in the old-time country and bluegrass sounds of the southeastern U.S. of A. Brisk banjo picking, a lovely fiddle, and a solid backbeat drive many of these songs, including Manifesto‘s strong opener “Growerman.” But the lyrics announce loud and clear that this is truly a California band. “I even got a permit for my California grow,” sings Eric Rasmussen, while lamenting cancer patients who are raided by the feds for possessing medical marijuana. This is the new outlaw country sound, with a new cause; where the government has the guns and the growers are trying to save lives, and a righteous Charlie Daniels Band resonance is updated with extra banjo and extra power in the drums.

Old Bull explores more legal agricultural concerns on “Monsanto,” this time speaking out against the biotech company that has its hands in everything from genetically engineered seeds to creepy dairy hormones. But then, we’re back to a tale of a boy who found religion, started a straight edge zine, and smoked the green recreationally in the waltz-time tale “Tattoo of Jesus.” They also tell tales of failed relationships in “Lost Highway” and “The Hard Part,” and turn the rock down a bit to play the most traditional sounding bluegrass tune of the bunch, “Miracles.”

There’s a strong musical and thematic purpose in these 12 songs. Old Bull clearly stands for Californa-infused Southern rock and bluegrass (“Southern California Slamgrass,” as they call it in their press release). Personal hardships are tempered with a positive outlook and the slow songs are earnest and sincere while still retaining some toughness. Couple all that with the band’s passionate mastery of the Southern sounds it plays and you have a strong debut that lives up to its title. (Big Bender Records)

www.oldbull.net

-Michael Fortes

Orgone — The Killion Floor

No production information

available

Whether jamming at The Root Down in Silver Lake or touring with perennial hip-hop dark horse Lil’ Brother, the L.A.-based soul/funk band Orgone has more than established its knack for keeping a party live. Now after nearly 15 years of gelling as a group, Orgone unleashes its debut album The Killion Floor.

The funkadelic troupe’s style is reminiscent of everything groovy from times past to days to come. Complimented with the soulful vocals of lead singer Fanny Franklin, Orgone attacks with pied piper flutes, boastful horn sections, driving bass drops and pulsating percussion. If given the proper shine, “Who Knows Who” will surely draw comparisons between the highly touted Amy Winehouse and the local anomaly, Franklin.

The Killion Floor belts out instrumentals befitting of the blaxploitation flicks of the ‘70s. “Sophisticated Honky” and “Hambone” are soundtracks waiting to be acted upon in reckless, yet stylish fashion. “Funky Nassau” reveals yet another hue in Orgone’s palette of musical stylings, as the horn section shines brightest here.

“I Get Lifted” has a nice pace to it; the vibe of the song can either wind down a crowd or warm them up with a good mix of jam band instrumentals and sing-along hooks. “Duck and Cover” represents what Orgone does particularly well — laying down a groove that neither intrudes nor dissipates from the listener’s attention.

The Killion Floor is a well-rounded diamond in the rough. There is a song for every occasion, even if there is none. (Ubiquity Records)

www.ubiquityrecords.com

-Franklin Grimes

Chris Robley — The Drunken Dance of Modern Man in Love

Engineered by Adam Selzer at Type Foundry in Portland, OR

Mastered by Mike Wells at Mike Wells Mastering in San Francisco, CA

Produced by Chris Robley with Adam Selzer

Adam Selzer is indie folk’s answer to Steve Albini — he’s not only famous for his critically praised band (Norfolk and Western) but also for bringing great musicians into the world (M. Ward and The Decemberists to name a few). Thus it comes as no surprise that after two unsatisfied attempts at recording his sophomore album, Portland singer/multi-instrumentalist Chris Robley sought after the renowned indie-folk producer. The Drunken Dance of Modern Man in Love is the product of this third studio attempt.

On the album, Robley has his hands on more instruments than a pawnshop. He even takes credit for “fuzz.” Self indulgences aside, Drunken Dance rambles by in a fury of oddball instrumentation — hello toy piano, gong, timpani, strings and horns. Likely two to three dozen instruments are supported on this album. With so much at work, the songs meander unsure and aimless, filling the gaps with something new, unexpected and usually unfitting, like the giggling horn flares in the sad-toned “Culture Jammer.”

It’s a folk pop album through and through with nods to Elliott Smith (the breathy quality of Robley’s vocals lean heavily on the staple Smith tone). Lyrically, Robley’s poetry rests on a dark, ambiguous note where images usher in front of the listener like a stream of random paintings being hustled out the door of a gallery. “Nature means nothing to man / These Lutheran steeples that surround this cathedral / Bombed out from the Berlin campaigns / The transept and towers,” Robley sings on the ambitious, forebodingly toned and dubiously poised flower epic “Centaurea” (a thistle-like flowering plant).

Unfortunately, the hooks needed to lift the songs into the memorable echelon are missing and most fragments of melody are buried in gaggles of random instruments, plucking and clinking away near haphazardly. (Cutthroat Pop Records)

www.chrisrobley.com

-Christopher Petro

Dem Suite — Breaths and Pages

Produced and mixed by Connor O’Sullivan

Mastered by John Cuniberti at Plant Studios in Sausalito, CA

Since lively duo Elliot Peck and Connor O’Sullivan, known collectively as Dem Suite, started writing music two years ago, they have landed in San Francisco, started their own label (Trazmick) and released their first full-length album, Breaths and Pages. This collection of carefully crafted tracks features Peck’s piano, bass and sultry vocals against the varied and often unexpected results of O’Sullivan’s electronic organization of beats and synths. The two have plenty of material to stand on their own, but this hasn’t stopped them from letting friends play guitar and rap with them at their shows. One can see how these offhand moments color the style of Dem Suite’s recorded work, although the finished product is hardly improvised.

At a distance, the album is a sexy blend of electronic and soul, but closer investigation reveals tracks textured with distinctive hooks built from disparate persuasions. Peck effortlessly navigates whatever unusual terrain O’Sullivan lays down and the result is like early Jewel (minus the yodeling) meandering her way through a catchy disco combination of late ‘80s video games and early ‘90s hip-hop. The title track is irresistible from the first throb of quivering synth. The song quickly fills out with drums, tickled piano notes, organ, bright Wurlitzer and Peck sliding through bluesy, sometimes atonal notes. Slightly more low-key, “The White City” sounds like the result of a collaboration between Cut Copy, Lullatone, and Edie Brickell.

While remaining true to its electro-soul outfit, Breaths and Pages seems to take listeners on a complicated — sometimes quirky — journey from the dance floor to the bedroom, changing tone from start to finish. Thanks to the unique instrumentation and lush vocals, this album has elements to put all types in the mood. (Trazmick Recordings)

www.thesuitesound.com

-Lulu McAllister

Devendra Banhart — Smokey Rolls Down Thunder Canyon

Produced by Noah Georgeson

Recorded at Topanga Canyon Studio

Any song under the spell of Devendra Banhart’s musical wizardry has always had the ability to stretch itself out as long as the singer’s beard or his native Texas skyline. On Banhart’s latest offering Smokey Rolls Down Thunder Canyon, they seem extra swollen — like carcasses left out under the sun. Granted, there are times when this assessment is too harsh and Canyon auspiciously plods towards the full band aesthetic that the wonderful Cripple Crow started. It’s the slower stop-gap songs like “My Dearest Friend” that keep the listener from truly adoring the musical travel through sun-soaked psychedelia, bramble bush folk and earnest balladry.

The tongue-firmly-in-cheek Jewish doo-wop number, “Shabop Shalom” seems like an all too precious throwaway track with quaint lyrics that rhyme “foul mood” with “Talmud.” Its wobbly saunter gets under ones skin as Banhart finishes the closing lines with wispy Yiddish. Many of the other songs on Canyon leisurely rise and fade from consciousness like undulating waves. “Seahorse,” for example, slowly crescendos from back-porch folk to a Van Morrison flute/piano jam, an all-out ‘70s aural assault replete with Crazy Horse guitars, and even some Jim Morrison resurrections.

“Tonada Yanomaninista” is a trippy organ freakout that shimmies out of the mire of previous tracks. The tribal bass drums ascend like heat waves so Banhart can swiftly flick away his four-track recording days with one jolting shriek. The flute dreams on “Samba Vexillographica” are organic and frayed; the song’s slippery polyrhythms bounce along and even a dog whimper bookends the madcap environment. For every frenetic song there is another like “Bad Girl” which lopes on for far too long with its yowling guitars.

Ultimately, Banhart’s 16 tracks of aesthetical shedding require a lot of listening patience that some may not have. His music’s beguiling weirdness continues to ensnare, but here it’s just in exasperated spurts. (XL Recordings)

www.devendrabanhart.com

-Kyle Lemmon

Mia and Jonah — Rooms for Adelaide

Produced by Mia, Jonah and Myles Boisen

Engineered, mixed and mastered by Myles Boisen at Guerrilla Recording in Oakland, CA

It’s not easy to follow a great debut with an even greater sophomore effort, but Mia Mustari and Jonah Blumstein are clearly not bothering to reinvent the wheel. Last time out on Shine I, the Oakland duo presented a more stripped-down approach to its often introspective, occasionally whimsical songs. This time around on their latest effort Rooms for Adelaide, Mia and Jonah opt for a more mainstream sound. Songs like “Rooms” and “3 Stories High” could easily fit on the FM dial between David Gray and Jack Johnson. Mustari’s voice occasionally hearkens to Pat Benatar, at other times (“Junkyard Dog”) it‘s almost a little Liza Minnelli, with enough vocal strut to knock down a row of trembling men.

“Morning Hymnal” stands out as Blumstein’s finest performance. It’s perfect for his innately echoic voice, which slides flawlessly into this slogging heat-drenched Southern Gospel-inspired tune, complete with heavy humming. In fact, Jonah’s voice is so distant and haunting that it unfortunately tends to get lost against the vocal fortitude of his female counterpart. This is reconciled on “Angels Down” though, as both sets of vocals complement each other nicely and bring back that strange, trippy quality the singers mastered on their debut.

“Adelaide,” the album’s namesake, drips with emotion from the second Mia’s voice enters. The accompaniment is decidedly folkier than anything else in this collection — except for maybe the fabulously romping “Wish” — as soft-rocking guitar strums, a subtle mid-range melody and occasional, minimal harmonica carry Mia’s thick, husky voice. The lyrics practically sing themselves: “Light exchange concerning dogs and names / The candle burns the night down to the floor / Adelaide, he craves you to the core.”

Rooms for Adelaide is a new direction for the band and, like anything new, it’s not perfect. But who needs perfect when there’s enough soul in these Rooms to go around? (Self-released)

www.miaandjonah.com

-Kim Ruehl

Dirt Jake Replicas — Dirt Jake Replicas

Produced by Dirt Jake Replicas and Brian Colt

Engineered and mastered by Brin Addison at Hype Schwartz Studios

Portland’s Dirt Jake Replicas are not afraid to point out their influences — Tool most distinctly, and Pink Floyd, but heavy borrowings from several other progressive bands as well — yet they have been honest enough with their music to let it develop its own character as well. The five-piece mostly follows a very minimal structure of drums, bass, and clean electric guitar, with a percussionist and double-vocalist setup being the only frills.

Throughout the band’s 71-minute self-titled CD, there aren’t the constant signature changes or the dynamic swings that most prog bands are fond of. Instead, Dirt Jake Replicas keep a fluid, calm pace. The songs average about 10 minutes apiece, set up in a classical movement format, each easily divisible into distinct parts with a central theme tying them together. Most of the lyrics have a gothic feel (the opening song “Bell” is an ode to the “king of the dead”), with the dual lead vocalists Dakota Max and Ashley Beard playing counterpoint throughout and rarely singing in harmony. The same applies to the bass and guitar, as the guitar almost never plays rhythm and the bass never plays support. The closest thing to a constant is Julius Panimdim’s percussion, which is often shrouded behind the drums. Adding to the chaos is the fact that Beard and Max both have very distinctive voices, a blessing for a lead vocalist, but more of a headache than a boon with duets as the two‘s disparate lyrics compete for attention.

Dirt Jake Replicas’ debut CD is a great local effort for the band, though, and will provide their fans with something to tide them over between shows. (Self-released)

www.dirtjakereplicas.com

-Bonwell Parker

Grieves — Irreversible

Produced by Grieves and P-Smoov

The city of Seattle keeps slowly but surely changing its tune and becoming more and more of a hot bed for underground hip-hop. Many new artists have lit a spark in the scene with the goal of taking it from the local to the national (and even international) level. Grieves is one such artist and his 18-song debut is a wonderful showcase of a new talent emerging from the Emerald City streets.

Irreversible opens strongly with “Fly Away,” a groove-laden song with sampled horns that seem to mark the arrival of the new artist. “Unedible” is up next and leads with a bit of melancholy guitar work before the main beat kicks in. What becomes immediately apparent is Grieves’ natural rapping ability. His deep voice and dead-on delivery easily bring out the subtly bleak nuances of each song. This holds especially true for “Bottom of the Bottle” in which he sings, “All your demons / Are gonna get you” over a harmonic keyboard melody that floats below. However, “Capital Hill Girls” happens to be the strangest song on the album and showcases Grieves almost bizarre sense of humor. In it, we find Grieves singing in a British Cockney accent over a Euro-disco beat about guys who look like girls and vice versa. The humor of the song may be partially lost on those who don’t live in Seattle and recognize the local reference, but just listening to the lyrics is enough to provoke a snicker: “You have long hair and yours is short but coke is what both of you snort / Your pants are loose your pants are tight you both don’t eat and you’re both white / But I can’t tell you apart / No I can’t tell you apart.”

Irreversible is a well-crafted and produced album that was obviously made by an artist who wants to have and keep a career within the hip-hop community. Grieves demands respect for the degree to which he pulls off highly introspective lyrics with so much raw emotion. He also makes music that is refreshingly original, fun to listen to and very melodic. (Self-released)

www.myspace.com/grieves

-Casey P. O’Neill

Prize Country — Lottery of Recognition

Recorded by Kris Crummet at Interlace Studios

Produced by Prize Country

Prize Country has shot from out of nowhere into action; formed just over a year ago, the band has already built a substantial fan base and embarked on a national tour. However they seem to have skipped a few steps with the music itself, as evidenced by their debut album Lottery of Recognition, which has a sturdy framework but still remains largely undeveloped and undefined.

The natural talent of this Portland band is undeniable — its rhythm section is solid and consistent, and the one-two punch of Aaron Blanchard and Jake Depolitte on guitars is incredible. The songwriting is solid as well, though the band has not yet found any definitive direction. Thus Lottery of Recognition is still very primordial. Whether by design or just the sign of a freshman effort, there are nothing more than hints of melody until “Risk Taker,” the seventh song on the 11-track album. This lack of melody could be reconciled if the band’s music was just dripping with raw energy, but Prize Country hasn’t quite reached that level either.

It will be interesting down the stretch to see which direction Prize Country takes. If they can amp it up a bit and find some hooks, they could be a new punk powerhouse in the making. Currently though, they seem to still be looking for their sound. (Exigent Records)

www.myspace.com/prizecountry

-Bonwell Parker

Jordan Allen — Mistakes, Regrets and Coffee

Produced by Jordan Allen and Kenwood Anderson

Recorded and mixed by G. Preston Boebel at Clear Lake Audio in Burbank, CA

Mastered by Eddy Schreyer at Oasis Mastering in Burbank, CA

Add Jordan Allen to the list of L.A.’s crooners. After molding his music in his native Georgia and New York, Allen’s transition to the musical hub of the West was exactly what was needed to take his sound to the next level. The additions of drummer Kenwood Anderson and bassist Keith Eaddy add another dimension to Allen’s debut Mistakes, Regrets and Coffee, a conservative but ultimately strong showcase in his genre.

A student of the singer/songwriter school of thought where breezy melodies with sparse instrumentation and storybook lyrics run rampant, Allen earns an “A” in execution and exhibition. Frequent coffeehouse-goers would find his traditional approach enjoyable and appropriate as the soundtrack to an easygoing Sunday afternoon. Though there are instances on the album where tempos vary and tones become noticeably distinct from track to track, the cohesiveness of the overall collection is one of Allen’s best attributes.

Take, for instance, the introductory track “Will I Be Fine.” The intricately strewn piano and guitar lines maintain a balance all the way through, even during the hook where Allen delivers a powerfully delicate declaration (similar to Ian Ball of Gomez) and the instrumental backing is at its peak. Allen stays in his comfort zone with “Andy,” a radio-friendly pop gem, but proves he can dip his hand in other sorts of arrangements. “Mistakes,” a later track that is stylistically less refined and rawer, gives off the feeling that the artist is naturally progressing into an acoustic rocker.

Allen still covers the everyday tribulations of life — heartbreak, learning from mistakes and moving on — but on his first release, it’s clear he is also figuring out where to go next. (Simplicity Records)

www.jordanallenmusic.com

-Philiana Ng

Sandpeople — Honest Racket

Produced by Sapient and Simple

Mixed and mastered by Sapient

While the standard hip-hop group has maybe a pair of MCs and a DJ, Portland’s Sandpeople feature a crew of 10 artists. Their resulting debut, Honest Racket, emphasizes the differing aesthetics while remaining a unified listen throughout.

Formed about three years ago in Oregon’s cultural capital, Sandpeople have utilized the extensive resumes of their many members to put together an immaculately produced album featuring top-tier independent guest artists like The Grouch and Sean Price.

With so many voices coming in and out of each song, the album is somewhat reminiscent of Wu-Tang Clan. This is most notable on Sandpeople’s varied experimentations like “All in Your Head,” which features a roll call of Portland rock acts and a beat that highlights both sampling and scratching. Sandpeople play with their voices on nearly every track as well, and create what at times sounds like a rap choir.

The only thing that’s lacking amidst these voices is melody. Each member (it is almost impossible to tell who is who) attacks the mic in a similarly flat and overtly rhythmic fashion. This makes the music difficult to engage at times. It also makes “I Don’t Care” stand out as the most infectious track on the album, as it is the only one that breaks this mold and features the group actually singing. Lyrically the cut seems to have been born from a bad break up (“I really hate to be like this / but I’ve got to let you know that I don’t care”), and each member has a distinct story to tell. It is these stories that define the album: stories about Portland, stories about people down on their luck, political stories.

Though the shortage of melody threatens to make Honest Racket a less than accessible listen, Sandpeople’s catchy beats and gripping tales redeem it. They’ve got the honesty factor down — hopefully now they’ll just take their racket in a more tuneful direction. (Self-released)

www.sandpeoplemusic.com

-Rob Bergquist

Smile Brigade — Take the Precious Edge Off the Treacherous Ledge

Recorded and mixed by Andy Meyer at Orbit Audio and Tilton House in Seattle, WA

Mastered by Luke Harper at Magneto Mastering in Minneapolis, MN

Produced by Smile Brigade and Andy Meyer

On Smile Brigade’s Take the Precious Edge Off the Treacherous Ledge, the Seattle musicians stare over a cliff of vast musical genres and happily dive in. The first layer is the fluffy whip of the short piano lullaby “Distorted Ivory Coast” that melds into 27 seconds of drum kicks and practice strums hiding the haunting voiceover on “Today Has Not Been a Goldmine.” These tracks serve as an intro to the thick, chunky rock of “Doombox,” in which the heavy guitar of J. Hiram Boggs along with Jeremy Charbonneau’s crashing cymbals takes on an unapologetic hardcore sound.

Yet on the more sullen folk anthems like “Mayor of Olympia,” Smile Brigade strays into calmer territory and Boggs’ scratchy voice is an odd fit. On “At the Tail End of Everything,” the lyrics “Love can make you sad from way down low / Love can rip your mind out don’t let it show” contribute to this shaky footing and don’t always hold up to the band’s instrumental creations. Ultimately, Smile Brigade finds redemption in Charbonneau’s backing vocals as they level out Boggs’ rough leads and leave a warm, tingly sensation throughout.

This harmonious feeling is what holds the album in place. On the verge of grunge (“LWB”) and hanging close to safe, soothing pop (“Kalifornia”), the band could easily splatter to the ground with all these clashing movements. However, it is the consistency of the paired vocals that bridges the gaps and allows Smile Brigade’s style to work in a number of different formats. Further cushioning the mixture are the well-placed mini song snippets. Similar to those at the beginning of the album, “Devastating” follows “LWB” with 47 seconds of a soft yet heavily distorted serenade before introducing the more melancholy “Ashes and Graves.” By victoriously combining both the precious and the treacherous on one album, Smile Brigade has definitely given itself something to grin about. (Tilton House/Beep Repaired Records)

www.tiltonhouse.net

-Megan Clinard

Barcelona — Absolutes

Produced and engineered by Brian Eichelberger at Avast Classic, Avast II, aounshouse, Wiseman Music Studio & Brian’s house

Mixed by Tim Patalan (Tracks 6, 9 & 11 by Brian Eichelberger)

Mastered by Troy Glessner at Spectre Mastering

Absolutes leads the listener through the valley of pop music predictability. The band’s debut album leans on a formulaic crescendo structure, with breaks suited to underscore perfectly distorted vocals, massive clean drums, and guitar noodling that swirls individual notes like Death Cab and strums heavy like Dashboard. It’s an album perfectly scrubbed of irregularity or spontaneous invention, where the sterile congestion of the hands that made it are more apparent than the inspiration that birthed the music.

Singer/keyboardist of the Seattle quartet, Brian Fennell, bends his vocals around a large octave, emotionally rising and falling almost mechanically to compliment the loud and soft backing music. The typical song framing commits to a soft ballad intro, keys, voice, and an occasional melody tiptoeing through a guitar amp — the trap is set for the huge climax — in come the drums, guitars and synths, blending the finish into a crescendo smoothie. “Lesser Things” offers a sketch of this reliance on the climactic structure. A gentle Fennell soothingly repeats, “You’re barely breathing tonight” moments before another attack of racing guitars and drums make fireworks to end the song.

The lyrics on the album are unflinchingly sorrowful. In the tune “First Floor People,” piano chords hang behind the humble pining, “This space is tight / I’m running out of air / And for the moment you all can’t fit / This frenzied state has almost finished me.” Then, like prompt train coming to a station, the drums, guitars, and soaring harmony arrive to close out the song. Clockwork.

Barcelona’s debut is lofty and tragically prescribed. The artistry is there, the boys know how to play their instruments — but in all, it’s creativity stifled by theatrical melodrama where each song further displaces rock’s memorable recklessness. (Curb Appeal Records)

www.wearebarcelona.com

-Christopher Petro

The Vaticans — Guardia Svizzera Pontificia

Recorded, engineered and mixed by Tim Green at Louder Studios in San Francisco, CA

Produced by The Vaticans

For a band that claims to guard pop music, it’s ironic that The Vaticans start their album off with such a stinker. The first track, “(We Are The) Opening Band,” the band’s abilities are undermined by their lofty claims. It’s difficult to be optimistic about what’s left to come on the album after lyrics like, “Let’s go downtown / We’re the band that gets around / Because / We are the opening band (x8) / Don’t ya know we’re not here to tease you / We’re gonna do our best to please ya.”

Thankfully, though The Vaticans may act holier than thou, they at least have some chops to back it up. “Hong Kong Flu” is a pop gem that shines on Guardia Svizzera Pontificia, as it hearkens back to the ‘50s and ‘60s and the early roots of pop’s succinct nature. Another great track is “Little Boy Blue:” the guitar is dangling bait for the ears and 20 seconds in, the vocals really take hold. However, “Out in the Streets” is by far the best material on the album. The echo-effected vocals catapult the song back again to the days of timeless songs like The Shangri-Las’ “Leader of the Pack,” and Petula Clark’s “Downtown.”

So pay no attention to the pretensions because it would be a shame to miss out on such a stylistically disciplined album. The Vaticans guard the sanctity of pop music through their use of catchy rhythms, traditional vocal stylings and overall brevity. Just pretend the first track got onto the disc by accident. (Pure Filth Records)

www.myspace.com/vaticans

-Krystal Iaeger

prince ALI — Curb Side Service

No production information

available

Curb Side Service christens prince ALI into the big leagues under his very own independent start-up label eye5 Recordings, distributed by Hiero Imperium. Contrary to the lamentations of cynical purists coast to coast, the future looks bright for the state of hip-hop as the Bay continues to crank out artists with individual style.

Weighing in at just over an hour, Curb Side Service is a 20-track offering chalked full of picturesque raps (“Walk a narrow road between Avalon and Babylon / Fish up the truth and see maggots in the caviar” from “Way of the Warrior”) and formfitting production. Guest appearances are plentiful but not to the point of overshadowing ALI, as West Coast stalwarts the likes of Defari, Boots of The Coup and Opio represent on Curb Side Service.

“Majors,” featuring Hiero’s Casual, Planet Asia and the most “beautifullest” himself, Keith Murray, is hands down the illest pick of the litter. From the vintage hip-hop production to the spectrum of personalities spitting bar after bar of lyrical brilliance — like Casual’s “Strictly spectacular spit rhyme vernacular / But first reap the verse I’ma back it up with” — heads can’t help but nod to what could be the underground banger of the year. Rakaa Iriscience of SoCal’s Dilated Peoples loans his veteran savvy to “The Path,” a no-nonsense mission statement pledging allegiance to righteousness.

So can ALI stand alone? Well, “Way of the Warrior” puts any would-be doubters to rest as the prince lays down his bushido over a dark, driving beat. “3 Kings” further cements prince ALI’s unique angle as a mic wielder who only flexes his muscle when necessary.

Curb Side Service is yet another noteworthy offering from the Hieroglyphics’ camp. Prince ALI’s freshman endeavor is a laudable effort as well as a tingly taste of things to come. (eye5 Recordings/Hiero Imperium)

www.myspace.com/alitheprince

-Franklin Grimes

The Action Design — Into a Sound

Recorded by Sergio Chavez at Maple Studios (tracks 1, 3, 4 and 6) and by Scott Llamas at Popsmear Studios (tracks 2 and 5)

Mixed and mastered by Scott Llamas at Popsmear Studios

Produced by Scott Llamas, Sergio Chavez and The Action Design

Old fans of Petaluma’s now defunct Tsunami Bomb may have a new favorite in their hands. Two members of the former punk act (bassist Matt McKenzie and vocalist Emily Whitehurst) have formed a new indie-tronic pop band, with a new direction and debut disc, Into a Sound. Old fans will certainly recognize Whitehurst’s powerful vocals, but what they won’t find are remnants of Tsunami Bomb’s raw sound, adrenaline-rushed lyrics, or Whitehurst’s alter ego Agent M — and it’s quite alright.

Into a Sound is six tracks of power pop. From the kickoff, the pace is at a feet-pounding tempo with “The Scissor Game.” A fitting opening track, it is the strongest on the album with its bouncing, catchy melodies and pulsating drums. The dance rhythm continues to carry on to the next song “Eyes On Me,” a synth-pop tune with erratic guitar riffs and heavy vocal hooks. “City Committee” begins with delicate piano notes dancing behind soft-woven vocals, and as the last chord threads thin, the song swiftly switches into a pounding fierce track.

The EP is short enough (about 30 minutes in full) to burn through without losing attraction. However the final tune, “Laundry Day,” is a slow and meek-tempered set that becomes easily dismissible, illustrating The Action Design is finest on its fast tracks.

A clean production, Into a Sound balances studio precision with stimulating liveliness. Whitehurst’s ability to fuse her commanding charisma with a punk panache makes The Action Design’s indie-pop sound one worth listening to. (Popsmear Records)

www.theactiondesign.com

-Robbie Salapuddin

Brittany Shane — Brittany Shane

Produced and engineered by Zack Smith

Mixed by Joe Chiccarelli at SF Soundworks

Mastered by George Horn at Fantasy Studios

First impressions can make or break a musician in this business. San Francisco by way of Wisconsin singer/songwriter Brittany Shane has clearly made quite a few lasting impressions, winning herself opening slots for artists like Heart, Foreigner and Suzanne Vega in the last year. But on her self-titled EP, Shane teeters on predictable and comes off as reserved, making it difficult to be affected by the 20-minute, five-track disc.

There are moments of surprise, such as Shane’s sharp vocals in the slow, dreaminess of “Move Into Light.” But while this song is purposely easygoing, there are moments where it feels like Shane is not using her voice to its maximum potential. “Pretty Sky” is the best indication that Shane is indeed capable of producing refined tunes that showcase her best asset. The words she sings are eloquently written and tell a story that is interesting and visually stimulating: “Crashing down through the hall / Watching lightning on the wall / Outside he’s calling come and fly / Too bad he’s falling from the sky.”

There are instances when the backing instrumentation — like the overbearing usage of island-style guitar prominently featured on almost every track — does not fit well within the structure of the songs and feeds confusion. A rather straightforward song like “Pretty Sky” suddenly sounds like a fusion of several disagreeing genres.

Shane has the pipes to blow everyone out of the water, but limits herself with the types of songs she uses as a vehicle. Her attempt to balance country-infused pop/rock with an edgier sound may be too much of a stretch, as well. Instead of trying to incorporate so much, it would be nice to see Shane let loose on future efforts; while this EP is a notable effort, it is ultimately less than memorable. (Self-released)

www.brittannyshane.com

-Philiana Ng