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THE TOMMIES
Here is the Top 10 Recordings for 2002 from Outsight, listed alphabetically:
Acid Mothers Temple & The Melting Paraiso U.F.O. / In C / Squealer Music
Foetus / Blow / Thirsty Ear
Gabriel, Peter / Up / Geffen
Glandien, Lutz / The 5th Elephant / ReR Megacorp
Spring Heel Jack / Amassed / Thirsty Ear
Taylor, Chip & Rodriguez, Carrie / Let's Leave this Town / Lone Star Records
The Residents / Demons Dance Alone / East Side Digital
Various Artists / Tipsy Remix Party! / Asphodel
Voices on the Verge / Live in Philadelphia / Slow River
Watson, Doc with Frosty Morn / 'Round the Table Again / Sugar Hill
For archived reviews of the Top 10, visit the Outsight Home Page. While you there, join your music-related Web site to the Outsight Web Ring, "Music's Haven on the 'Net".

GET A LOAD OF THIS
Load Records (POB 35, Providence, RI 02901) is a purveyor of strange but beautiful noise. The Load Records roster tends toward artists unfettered by the verse-chorus-verse convention… The group Forcefield is unfettered even with vocals on Roggabogga. This album is an audio document of the 2002 Whitney Biennial in NYC when the performance collective swelled to almost 60 performers in knit suits to a quasi-ethnic soundtrack bleeps, beeps all that is electronic… On its debut full-length CD bareskinrug, Pleasurehorse goes in for the sputtering, forward-moving series of beats and tweets that share the same horizontal, motive energy of breakbeats. Indeed, breakbeats figure in as one of the substrates to the music of this one-man show, again without vocals…

EXPLORING THE POSSIBILITIES
Robert Poss was one third of the three-guitar wall of sound in Band of Susans. Since that experimental rock group disbanded in 1995, he continued to work wonders with the guitar as a sonic alchemist. Poss now has two new solo recordings out on Trace Elements Records (172 E. 4th St., No. 11D, NYC, NY 10009). Distortion of Truth is a compendium of studio and live works. As such, the sound varies floating, eerie soundscapes like "Radio Free Albemuth Revisited" to beat-heavy NYC art-rock that recalls Band of Susans ("You Were Relentless"). Crossing Casco Bay relies more heavily and consistently on Poss' theorem that feedback, distortion and overtones are "the cake, not the frosting" for the post-rock guitarist. Deceptively simple, these drifting, floating layers of guitar drone give rise to architecture of subtle beauty when appreciated with distinct stereo separation.

WALDRON RIDING A ZEPYR (UPWARD)
Pianist Mal Waldron has died. He features as the sole musical accompaniment to jazz vocalist Judi Silvano on the recent Soul Note album Riding a Zephyr. Waldron was in Billie Holiday's band for her final two years. Waldron wrote or co-wrote most of the music on this album which features beautifully simple, understated piano giving room to Silvano's delightful phrasing and playful scatting. The disc contains a synopsis of Waldron's creative life in the tenth, closing track, "Mal Waldron".

DEAD KENNEDYS DIGITALLY REMASTERED
The Dead Kennedys' digitally remastered back catalog pass the 100,000 mark for total annual sales in 2002. Laying aside the controversy discussed in the underground press regarding the band wresting the back catalog from Jello Biafra, it certainly seems to be a successful venture that has found many buyers. The band sells the product through Manifesto Records and Plastic Head Distribution. Showing that even hardcore collectors are jumping at the chance to replace their worn copies, the band marked their 33% jump in sales with a decision to reissue all the titles onto vinyl for these buyers, starting with Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables and Give Me Convenience or Give Me Death in September 2002.

BOOK REVIEW
Allan Metz, Editor
Blondie, from Punk to the Present
Musical Legacy Publications
This book is a tour-de-force exegesis of the entire Blondie career and the effect lead singer Deborah Harry has on the role of the blonde female vocalist in pop and rock. Nearly the first third of the book is given over to the punk milieu from which Blondie sprang and Blondie's role in that scene. This makes the book a fascinating overview of the nascent New York City punk scene. Like the rest of the book, several authors contribute pieces of no more than a few pages. This makes for much redundancy as the same topics are covered, but treat this book as casual reading and reference and the many points of view coalesce into detailed complete if kaleidoscopic view of the territory. In here are some real nuggets, like the uncensored interview of Harry for High Times and cross interview with Nina Persson of The Cardigans. There are plenty of photos from all parts of the Blondie/Deborah Harry history and some interviews with the photographers. "Part IV: In Retrospect" contains discographies from the U.S. and U.K. perspectives along with many pages of appreciations from various authors. Metz gives a short synopsis of each article explaining how it fits in. The book is a must for the Blondie fan and adds much to those that are interested in the NYC punk landscape she grew out of. (4)

More on the book from Amazon.com

DVD Reviews
Lee "Scratch" Perry
The Unlimited Destruction
Jet Star/MVD
This 45-minute DVD documentary is a colorful and personal portrait of The Upsetter, dub architect Lee "Scratch" Perry. Much of the interviewing occurs in Perry's home where we see he is, apparently, never out of costumer and never out of character. His home is just as eclectically decorated as is Perry's apparel. Subtitles would have been helpful for Perry's thick accent, but it is worth straining to hear him expound his Sun Ra-like philosophies and comments on working with Bob Marley. Some concert clips are here also. (3.5)

The Vandals
Sweatin' to the Oldies: The Vandals Live
Kung Fu Films
This fully packed double-DVD collection is built around a release of the group's hour-long VHS documentary. The first disc of the VHS's material now has an additionally audio track of the band's own commentary on each part of the documentary and concert video. Not only do we see live footage of the group performing such songs as "Urban Struggle (I Want to be a Cowboy)" and "Anarchy Burger", but we find the real story behind "Pat Brown". Or do we? The interview with the singer of the South Bay Surfers on the second disc seems to cast doubt on all that, or is it all in good fun? Good (but not necessarily) clean fun is had by all The Vandals on this DVD set. Also on the second disc is a hilarious analysis by the band of their own audience getting into the show and the totality of Joe Escalante's interview of Bjork and Siggi of The Sugarcubes. (4.5)

Bruce Lee
The Legend Lives On…
Waterfall Home Ent./MVD
This DVD documentary explores the impact of Bruce Lee on the role of kung fu in the movies through interviews with several people. Many of these people were students at Bruce Lee's school. They augment the personal exposition that is anything but glorification but rather an intimate portrayal of a man that had advanced to phenomenal athletic abilities and loved to express that, as well as fight. In many ways, Bruce Lee comes across much like Harry Houdini, a superhuman of sorts whose greatest feats are still legendary and unable to be reproduced. Lee's brother and son also give interviews as well as the late actor James Coburn (a student) and Jackie Chan, perhaps Lee's closest modern day equivalent. The DVD indulges the viewer with a few of Lee's longer fight scenes in their entirety. (4)

Ozzy Osbourne
Crown Prince of Darkness
Chrome Dreams/MVD
This is an unauthorized biography of Ozzy's career, so it contains no music. However, it does contain much that is revealing about this powerful persona in heavy metal. Mostly through the interviews of a journalist and two authors on Ozzy books, we learn about Ozzy's crimes and misdemeanors, his highs and lows and his rather unexpected current acceptability. For instance we find out things popularly known about Ozzy, say urinating on the Alamo, biting the head off a bat or wearing a dress to a photo shoot, but also the events of that time or that day that led up to those events. (3)

CD REVIEWS
Steve Roach / Jeffrey Fayman
Trance Spirits
Tranceportation/Projekt
On Trance Spirits, Roach rejoins with Jeffrey Fayman and Momodou Kah, the percussionists of the 2001 CD The Serpents Lair for a new album of ambient soundscapes with exotic, ethnic, acoustic percussion. The authentic African percussion forms a dense substrate to the electronic soundscapes produced on guitar and synthesizer by Steve Roach. Robert Fripp is on hand to lend his talents to this live (not overdubbed) recording on three tracks. (4)

The Vandals
Internet Dating Super Studs
Kung Fu Records
The Vandal return with tongue-in-cheek humor and another great post-punk album that recalls the best of power pop. Their scathing wit is here turned to Internet dating. Like neo-punk method actors, The Vandals got so immersed in the idea for this concept album that includes date-a-band-member over the Web for pre-release promotion. The fast, up-tempo songs make good on all the fun and jokes possible about relationships in and out of the chat rooms in fast, guitar-focused rock that is the clarion call of talent and quality in the largely mediochre modern punk rock movement. (4)

Badly Drawn Boy
Have you fed the Fish?
XL Recordings/ARTISTdirect Recordings
Although boasting the appearance of a hand-waving indie rocker, Badly Drawn Boy is a sophisticated pop rocker. Employing a touch of the lo-fi and sense of humor, Badly Drawn Boy is a pop artist with street style. Now reaching a new tier of popularity, Badly Drawn Boy offers Have you fed the Fish? as commentary of moving in the world of celebrity. Rather than being a salacious and psychological The Wall, it is a string of orch-pop about remembering the little things and the reflection that comes with fame. Featuring more guitars than previous albums, this is still a hip album with plenty of piano and under-produced songs that will go over well with fans of Ben Folds Five and Of Montreal. (4)

Simon H. Fell
Composition No. 30
Bruce's Fingers
This is experimental, new music from Britain. The third release in a series, Fell is here documenting on the double-disc release a middle ground between pure improvisation and notation using good-sized ensembles. In development for 8 years, this opus features the Big Band of The Royal Northern College of Music with featured improvisers from jazz and creative music circles. The result has a jazz-like quality that will appeal to free jazz fans. (4)

Laird Jackson
Touched
Consolidated Artists Productions
Laird Jackson is a gifted young vocalist that already boasts the effortlessly delivered patient and measured phrasing that marks the best mature vocalists. This 11-track album mixes originals from Jackson with songs by Stevie Wonder ("Visions"), Joni Mitchell ("Tin Angel"), Donovan ("Catch the Wind") and more. Having already released and album of pre-1950 standards, her 1994 debut Quiet Flame, Jackson now takes a more contemporary approach. Toward this end, there is a Brazilian fell on "Visions" as well as her own "Towards the Sun" due to the percussion. This song, like much of the album, features quick but bright episodes of instrument improvisation from her New York band of Bruce Barth (piano), Joe Ford (alto sax), John Benitez (bass), Cecil Bridgewater (trumpet) and Clarence Penn (drums). (3.5)

Mat Maneri featuring Joe McPhee
Sustain
Thirsty Ear
Mat Maneri performs on a bevy of violin forms on this delicate and focused album. These violin derivatives include five-string viola, electric six-string violin and baritone violin. The drone-like tone coloring of the slow bowing matched to the low-frequency plucking from über-bassist William Parker gives an Oriental feel to "Alone (Origin)". Subdued, introspective keyboards from Craig Taborn lend a chill, ambient feel to the music. Similarly disembodied and reflective is the soprano saxophone of Joe McPhee. The entire measured and meditative approach makes for a romantic free jazz, an experimental ensemble with poignant self-awareness. (4.5)

Lemon Jelly
Lost Horizon
Impotent Fury/XL Recordings
Having taken different paths through the London electro-pop worlds, the duo behind Lemon Jelly, Nick Franglen and Fred Deakin, became re-acquainted to make this album. Their floating, ebullient tracks percolate with a natural enthusiasm for the electronic genre and its easy-beat, smile-inducing possibilities. This is electronica specifically made for listening, not dancing. Stripped of the need to be utilitarian and predictable, the songs on this album offer more texture and freedom of expression that translates into muted joy, that is artful electro-pop that you can hum. (4.5)

Blood Brothers
March on Electric Children
Three.One.G, POB 178262, SD, CA 92177
The brand of high-energy aggro from The Blood Brothers is a spastic, sputtering high-tension variety that recalls Japanese noise punk from Guitar Wolf to The Boredoms. More than a catharsis, the group includes a lot of complexity in their music through the unpredictable tempo changes of the guitars, which can launch into angular, math patterns. The full impact of the surrealistic lyrics and horror-movie imagery is best appreciated perusing the full-color booklet of over two-dozen pages while listening on headphones. (4)

Add N to (X)
Loud like Nature
Mute
Full of sexual energy courtesy of siren Ann Shenton, this British band delivers potent heavy electronic pop that lacks the muscular ostentation of industrial music. Instead, the music of Add N to (X) boasts slinky, post-New Wave rhythms with a classic vintage feel arising from the Moogs ands more. Too hip to be merely retro, Loud Like Nature is hard club music with style. Adding variety is contributions from guitarist Richard Hawley (Pulp) on "Sheez Mine" and drummer Rowan Oliver (Goldfrapp). Legendary producer Kim Fowley (The Runaways) is on hand to make a creepy spoken word contribution on "Invasion of the Polaroid People". (4)

Race for Titles
S/T
Redemption Recording
Race for Titles has a classic, post-punk pop sound that is still mature and sophisticated recalling The Church and song-oriented English indie pop. The album offers a lot in texture for the listener, varying from ethereal guitar to an impressive wall-of-sound approach. An important debut, watch for more from this Omaha, Nebraska band. (3)

Tone Sharks
Intention
Louie Records
This is the fourth recording from a quartet that excels add understated, restrained live group composition. Their extemporaneous experiments succeed on the right notes, not cosmic blasts of the sonic spectrum. Formerly, the group was a quintet, but now has new member Tom McNalley on guitar replacing Steve Willis. Trombonist Brent Heyne is not on the album. McNalley works well with the group's other Tom (Bergeron) on alto sax. The two lead the ensemble in a conversation of exchanged phrases ably back by busy but not distracting drumming from Dave Storrs. (4)

Thomas Dimuzio
Mono.Poly
Gench/Asphodel
Dimuzio excels at minimalistic electronic compositions of a coarse texture. These are warm, floating pieces that allow much freedom for the imagination. They also allow much to be built on them. In this 2-CD set, we have one disc of Dimuzio live material (Mono) and then a disc (Poly) of collaborations with Illusion of Safety, Fred Frith, Chris Cutler and more. All together, the anthology spans the years 1997-2002. These collaborations are also recorded live and dates and cities for each track are provided. The collaborative pieces tend to include samples not found on Mono giving the Poly disc a feel like the academic electro-acoustic output of the Montreal musique actuelle scene. (4.5)

Alice Stuart
Can't Find no Heaven
Burnside Records
This is a comeback album for a woman that had a career in the 60's that include working with Frank Zappa & The Mothers of Invention and opening for Van Morrison on a European tour. (Actually, her recording comeback began with 1966's Really Good. This is the third recording of her second career.) She let that go in order to raise a family, but not before leaving enough of a mark to inspire Bonnie Raitt, among others. Indeed, fans of Raitt will find this album to be much like an aged and mellowed version of Raitt. Stuart is a singer-guitarist that is also a capable songwriter as can be told on the poignant bitterness of "Blues in the Bottle". She has one other original here and then interprets such blues songs as "Big Boss Man" and "Hard Time Killin' Floor". (3.5)

Sigur Rós
( )
MCA
This barely-named album of lo-fi vocals and delicate piano and strings melodies is an enchanting album from this Icelandic band. Very evenly featured, the band seems to one no distracting peaks and valleys on this gentle ride. Even the album's credits are only available on the site as the six-page booklet, of gray tracing paper, is nearly featureless. The spare but not melancholy album features vocalized sounds that fit the music appropriately, but not be words. Through the site, listeners can post their interpretations that will "become" the lyrics through software. Singer Jonsi Thor Birgisson calls the singing style "Hopelandish" vocals. The album is classy chill-out music and somewhat otherworldly. (4)

The Ken Woodman Sound
Town Talk!
RPM
info.rpm@ntlworld.com
Volume Six of RPM's Mood Mosaic series documents the bold-stroked '60s orchestral pop of UK producer Ken Woodman. Contemporary "orch pop" exhibits a schmaltzy neo-romanticism that more to do with America Middle Of The Road styles of the period. Woodman, however was a horn player by profession in the 50's and interjects his arrangements, whether originals like "Town Talk" or renditions of Top 40 material like "Mighty Quinn", with jump-up-and-dance jazz band rhythms. So, this is not the soundtrack to Love Story, but more like classic Henry James or Count Basie incarnated into the pop recording studio. Woodman was instrumental as producer or music director in recordings by Tom Jones, Lulu, Mia Farrow, Roy Orbison and more. Listening to this compilation culled from 1966 and 1969 recordings (That's Nice, Vibration) as well as taking in the detailed booklet shows how shaping his work, also hear on many radio and TV shows, was for 60's and 70's pop. (4.5)

The Church
Parallel Universe
Thirst Ear
The title to this exquisite double-CD set reflects the fact that the recordings were made concurrently, or in parallel, with the opus After Everything Now This. As such, the set includes not only remixes of tracks on that album, but new material as well. This explosion of creativity comes from the reunion of the founding 1980 lineup. (Incidentally, drummer Tim Powles longevity in the group made him the longest serving drummer in band history.) The group maintained this lineup even though separated by continents, meaning this material was three years in the making. Perhaps the high quality of the end result has something to do not only with the great experience of these music architects, but forced time to thing and consider over such a drawn-out project. The crisp, focused, post-psychedelic pop created by The Church continues to refine a winning and somewhat dark fusion of ambiguous, though-provoking lyrics with vivid metaphor with intelligent, sophisticated guitar-pop that survives as some of the best music out of the AOR movement for its inherent quality. (4.5)

The Warlocks
Phoenix Album
Birdman
Songs such as "The Dope Feels Good" and "Shake the Dope Out" epitomize the drug-embracing psychedelic jams of the trippy band The Warlocks. It's music is a sonic buzz of drifting walls of sound that advance and recede like a body-affecting chemical tide. Like Velvet Underground's "Heroin" these narcotic anthems glorify abandonment to substance-induced sensations with such effective use of well-wrought music that The Warlocks may be able to sue West Coast drug dealers for royalties. Regardless, even if you "just say no" to anything, cop a dose of Phoenix Album and party all night with naught for nasty side effects. (4)

Deltahead McDonald
Blues on the Slide
Blues Religion Music
Deltahead McDonald is a human jukebox of the original Delta blues style. He performs acoustic blues songs of the folk blues masters: Robert Johnson ("Walkin' Blues", "Come on in my Kitchen"), Charlie Patton ("Tom Rushen Blues"), Son House ("Empire State Express", "Grinnin' in Your Face"), Blind Willie McTell ("World's Made a Change") and more. Like the early recordings of John Lee Hooker, this is simply a solo performance of a man singing, playing guitar and stomping his foot for occasional percussion. The style is nothing like Australia and everything like the rural American south that it honors. The part that is Australia is the Australian-made Beeton Brass Body Resonator Guitar (National Biscuit Cone) that McDonald plays bottleneck slide on. The baker's dozen of songs here are delivered in a patient and melodic style, brightly played by this lowlands master from down under. McDonald is justifiably proud that this is recorded in a live fashion; that is with no overdubs. The lead track is "Evil on my Mind", which Johnny Winter did overdub. (4.5)

Mike Marshall & Darol Anger
The Duo Live: At Home and On the Range
Compass Records
info@compassrecords.com
When Marshall and Anger speak of "on the range," they refer to that open road that they are three-quarters of the way to having traveled a million miles over. They began their musical sojourn performing together in the David Grisman Quartet in 1978 and continue to put on a live show of some of the best in Americana acoustica. This album is a testament of the quality of their live performance in delivering the goods in folk and bluegrass with a touch of jazz. The "at home" part of the title refers to the extra tracks recorded just after their U.S. eastern seaboard tour along which they gathered these gems. The scintillating music here summoned from wood and wire warmly by the sonic alchemists includes fun Mike Marshall originals ("Frogs on Ice", "Big Man from Syracuse", etc.), traditionally artfully arranged for subtle showcasing of technique but never showboating ("In the Pines", "Down in the Willow Garden") and a healthy dose of Bill Monroe ("Jerusalem Ridge", "Big Mon" and "Old Dangerfield") and more. (4.5)

C'est Mortel
C'est Mortel
Two Sheds Music
This self-titled debut album arising from the fertile Athens, Georgia scene begins with an angular, mathy track and then follows with a triumphant bit of progressive rock. Mostly instrumental, this album is a diptych, divided in to three tracks called "Your Misfortune is our Mirth" and "Magnum Opus". Each half is over thirty minutes long and conceived as a single live set, which is how the band performs their music. The reach is for the majestic and this gives the pieces epic proportions and a vast, cinematic sweep to the music. The sophisticated post-rock band will go over well with fans of Tortoise and Mogwai. Drummer Tom Naumann and guitarist/vocalist Devin Brown are also in Jet By Day. (4)

Nirvana
Nirvana
Geffen
The previously unreleased treat for fans on this Nirvana retrospective is the lead track, "You Know You're Right". The track came out of Kurt Cobain's final recording session. It is a particularly angry cut, almost abrasive and has an air of finality about it. The rest has a greatest hits fell taking well-known tracks of Sub Pop releases, Lithium, In Utero and the band's MTV Unplugged performance. These include "Sliver", "Smells like Teen Spirit", "Rape Me" and "All Apologies". Because this collection hits the high points, it works as the one Nirvana recording to get, if you feel you only need one. (4)

The Blam
The Blam
The Blam
Songs by The Blam feature great pop hooks in their phrasing and delivery making for excellent, memorable choruses. The delivery is very good, leaving one humming along the catchy and vivid metaphors: "You got your coke bottles on … You got your nurse's coat on." Songs by The Blam are so good as songs themselves; the group's material could succeed a cappella. The Blam seems to be aware of this and does not bury their quality material in ostentatious arrangements, instead relying on a focused two-guitar pop rock approach that recalls '80s rock. The mix is excellent on the album so that the music never threatens to bury the vocals. (3.5)

Jerry Granelli
Iron Sky
Love Slave Records
On this CD, Granelli (Vince Guaraldi, Ralph Towner, Gary Peacock) performs spontaneous percussion on "sound sculptures" more on those in a bit. With him is Jeff Riley (Symphony Nova Scotia, Francois Hule) on clarinets and also the mysterious and metallic "sound sculptures." While not a performer, John Little is just as integral to the project. It is in the workshop of the master blacksmith Little that the recording took place and from this workshop came the "sound sculptures," or as Little explains, "iron machines that make new sounds." On the CD whether starkly lit or in shadows these inventions exhibit physical shapes as strange and alluring as the sparse and distant sounds they create on this sparse and understated CD full of silences and alien visitations from a ferrous world. (4.5)

Ms. Led
Afternoon in Central Park
Fish the Cat Productions
Featuring two members of Saeta, Ms. Led is a politically aware indie rock band led by siren vocalist Lesli Wood. This is the third album from the Seattle group formerly known as Lesliwood. The group combines neo-punk energy with power pop vocals clearly delivering the message, be it political or personal, above the two-guitar assault. Great care was taking in production and the CD clearly shines for it. Mixing was done across the country, with two tracks mixed by Kramer (Bongwater, Low, Galaxie 500). (3.5)

Good Clean Fun
Positively Positive 1997 - 2002
Equal Vision Records
The band Good Clean Fun carries a torch for posi-core and they do it so well, so enthusiastically and so energetically that even the most jaded, malicious skinhead will bear a wide grin after listening to his compilation. They have a political, anarchist posi-punk approach that eschews college, 401Ks and an excess of Internet in favor a righteous joy, or good clean fun. This CD includes all the Good Clean Fun songs released to this point on one CD. (4)

Electric Frankenstein
Listen Up, Baby!
TKO Records
The music of Electric Frankenstein is a well-hone machine, a high-performance engine. This guitar-based hard rock is not pretentious enough; it's just too fun. It is also not the ragged amateurism of old-school punk or the nasally delivered high-speed neo-punk. This author experienced the band live in New York at the Bowery Ballroom some years ago and the intense crowd reaction from an audience drawn on metal and punk fans old and young recalled the birth of punk in its eclectic draw and lightning connection to an audience of jaded thrill seekers. Listen Up, Baby! shows the band to be the East Coast kings of the new, muscular wave of punk, a generation of the sound that offers technique and attitude. (4.5)

Lab Partners
Daystar
Big Beef Records
info@bigbeef.com
Not caring in the least for being labeled retro or even behind-the-times, Lab Partners is a dreampop band, a space rock ensemble and they probably would have no problem of being accused of shoegazing. The band has a very sophisticated style within these genres. Their songs stand up on their own as catchy pop gems with memorable lyrics. Their song-oriented approach makes the music very accessible and should go over well with fans of Verve and Radiohead. With Lab Partners, it's "let the good times swirl." (3.5)

Mochipet
Randbient Works 2002
BTrendy Records
Mochipet creates dense works of breakbeats and soundbites. There is a real absurdist quality to the music. Some of the soundbites appears so unexpectedly and briefly, only for a syllable, to be humorous as such brevity equates to comedy. Others are so abundantly worked in for every available syllable as to be surreal for the microscopic detail. The music often involves lickety-split breakbeats as well as beats and rhythms wet with reverb and effects for an overall very slippery sound. Multi-instrumentalist David Wang infuses his music with a delightful, playful spirit. (4)

Manda and the Marbles
More Seduction
Go-kart Records
Manda and the Marbles purposefully goes in for an '80s time capsule, summing up New Wave and power pop sounds. There is a direct similarity to Missing Persons, as well as they early versions of Go-Gos and Bangles from this female-led rock group. With music that's fun and catchy, More Seduction is an instant classic from this trio set to resurrect the skinny tie sound. (4)

Shuggie Otis
In Session Information
RPM Productions
The title of this album comes from the fact that this captures the funk guitarist in various sessions around the same time he recorded Inspiration Information. The explicit, earthy songs are sexual in the most direct way, if sometimes delivered metaphorically. This can be heard in the recording of "Doin' It" with Richard Berry and the recording of "Country Girl" with his father Johnny Otis. He also recorded "The Signifying Monkey" with Johnny Otis and no we can compare that rural southern bandit to the Stagger Lee resurrected by Nick Cave recently. This lo-fi, visceral funk album also has a recording of "Louie, Louie" with the clearest lyrics this reviewer has heard. (5)

Thee Michelle Gun Elephant
Rodeo Tandem Beat Specter
Alive
http://www.tmge.co.jp
The caustic rock of Japanese power-combo Thee Michelle Gun Elephant is undiluted on this their third domestic release. It is interesting that these three domestic releases came out on Alive, which does so much to promote contemporary bands working in the mold vast by Iggy & The Stooges and MC5. TMGE also purvey the same type of bluesy proto-punk with one foot in post-'60s hard rock. Rodeo Tandem Beat Specter is high-energy, unadulterated rock that shares an agility and strength with the sport of boxing. (4)

Last Days of May
Inner System Blues
Squealer Music
On Inner System Blues, Last Days of May leaves aside much of the ferocity of prior releases to turn within for an otherworldly journey of cavernous instrumental wherein drips the space-suggestion drips of reverb-laden electronics. The deep, ominous bass tone coloring suggests Bauhaus and those slowly percolating beats recall chill out ambient music. Still, present is the kit drummer restrained onto just allowing the glitter of cymbals to work into the music. Such is the subterranean journey of headspace music here. Don the headphones and lay back, it is going to be an interesting trip. (4.5)

FlashlightBrown
All the Glitters is Mold
Double A
This three-song EP from FlashlightBrown is an energetic, taut blast of post-punk power pop. "Ready to Roll" makes a Friday evening of geeks playing Dungeons & Dragons to be the best thing going. It is the hottest ticket in town when FLB provides the soundtrack. It seems this foursome used not only role-playing games to escape the boredom of a "small college town". They rehearsed their band and really show for it. "A Freak" is high-octane tale of beer and skating that further reveals the band's explosive energy. (4)

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