Silverstein -- 'A Shipwreck in the Sand' [review]

Silverstein - A Shipwreck in the Sand
Victory Records (3/31/09)
Alternative rock / Metal

Behold Silverstein’s finest hour.

On their fourth full-length studio album, the band goes the concept route, turning in A Shipwreck in the Sand, 14 tracks split into four chapters (playing out like a double-LP for those old enough to remember actual records). The concept, as it were, is the destruction of a relationship, revolving around the couple’s house burning down. Their history, courtship and ultimate betrayal plays through the songs, the only curveball being the title track, which offers up the at first seemingly out-of-place tale of a ship captain whose loyal crew has been beaten down by the journey and eventually revolts. In hindsight, the allegory is fairly clear.

It’s not the story though, that makes this Silverstein’s best outing. Instead, it’s the overall musicianship the band has been able to cultivate over their career. While they could have easily been lumped in with the rest of the dual-vocalist screamo bands that popped up in the early part of the decade, Silverstein offered a little something more. The clear vocals were just melodic enough, and the groove in the guitar work just deep enough, that the band managed to stand out and craft a sound uniquely its own (when you hear a Silverstein song, you can immediately tell it's Silverstein).

On this album, everything that made the band unique—each element of its sound and approach to songwriting—seems to have been ratcheted up a notch or 10. Just listen to “American Dream” with its balladic opening that gives way to a hardcore dirge (the spark) that the band is more than willing to douse with enough melody (the fuel) to start, well, a house fire. That driving, hook-laden guitar work pops up in every song, but this time out the band looks to rely on a lot of solid bass work, too, to push the songs forward (check out “You‘re All I Have”).

And Silverstein's hardcore side is starting to drift toward Atreyu territory, without the obvious rock influence. The vocals, which occasionally had the potential to grate on listeners in past efforts, seem a lot more restrained (finally). And surprisingly, even when someone like Scott Wade (Comeback Kid) shows up for a guest spot (on “Born Dead“), it only accentuates the band’s vocal efforts, instead of overshadowing things.

They also plays around with an ethereal element on some of the songs (the interlude “Their Lips Sink Ships” or the opening portion of the title track), creating an almost dreamlike mood, to be destroyed by the explosive follow-ups (the grinding “I Knew I Couldn’t Trust You” or the blistering “I Am The Arsonist”).

Ultimately, what the band has done a fantastic job of here, is creating a series of moods, dragging the listener on a musical journey through the heartache, betrayal, vengeance and angst—weighty matters to be sure—that are tempered with a lighter mood in the music’s melody. That said, a fitting crescendo to this is album closer “The End”, an acoustic duet with female vocalist Lights, which weaves a tale of redemption and inevitability and apology, with a nice coda featuring a throwback to the earlier tale of the ship captain.

This is, hands down, Silverstein’s best effort yet, and easily a contender for album of the year.

The Sleeping -- 'What it Takes' [review]

The Sleeping - What It Takes
Victory Records (2/17/09)
Alternative rock / Post-Hardcore

On their third album, The Sleeping continues on a well-worn path of post-hardcore, alternative rock that exploded a million bands toward the end of the first half of this decade. While most might roll their eyes at this endeavor because, well, let’s face it, most of the scene’s audience has moved on, and only the die-hard fans of specific bands stuck around at the party, there's still something to enjoy on What It Takes.

What The Sleeping has going for them is a sort of maturity to their musical approach (think the early years of Thursday). Sure, the band is, for the most part, taking big liberties emulating Rise Against, but they temper that approach on this album with added elements of keyboards and Theremin (just take a listen to the up-tempo anthem, “Friday Night”), ultimately giving them a wide palette from which to pull ideas for tracks.

Filter -- 'Anthems for the Damned' [review]

Filter - Anthems for the Damned
Pulse Recording (5/13/08)
Rock / Alternative / Metal

It's been five years since The Amalgamut, and Richard Patrick, the force behind Filter, returns with Anthems for the Damned, where he showcases the two faces of the band—the abrasive, industrial-tinged goliath alongside the pop-minded, melodic juggernaut—in unison for an overall well-balanced sound.

Five years is a lengthy absence these days. So much so that, on first listen, "Soldiers of Misfortune" could be mistaken for Chevelle, a band with two notable releases in the same timeframe. But those trademark plodding bass lines and Patrick's unholy wail put an end to any perceived charade.

a'tris -- 'Lensing' [review]

a'tris - Lensing
Mark Records / Tunecore (2/19/08)
Rock / Alternative

a'tris is one of those bands that seem hard to pigeon-hole into a set genre; hints of Radiohead (without being overly pretentious), 30 Seconds to Mars (without the pop hook), Open Hand (without the crunch) and Deftones (without the metal edge) merge into a music experience.

There are flourishes, there's rock and pop bending together, there's mood and melancholy and joy, and it's all put together in a way that seems brilliant yet simple. That's not to say that this is a perfect album, or one of the best albums of the year. But there's plenty of glimmers of musical magic. The weakness of a'tris lies in its indie-ness, if that makes any sense. The band is so underground, or so non-conventional, that it seems to suffer as a result.

When the band is clicking, Lensing is really good—the grind of opener "Paradise Is a Boxcar", the hook of "Automatic Doors", the flourish of "Selling Oxygen", the beauty of "This Mortal Engine". In fact, the entire first half of the album is pretty much spot on.

Some of the later tracks start to sound a little too much like Radiohead, and the songs become almost uninspired. It's difficult to put your finger on, but these tracks just seem to lack the spark of the album's first half.

This is a good album. The band, or the group of musicians, or whatever a'tris ultimately is (the soul of the outift?), is solid and good at what it does. It's tough to put an album out like this and avoid becoming stereotypical or boring, and the band avoids doing that. It just doesn't seem to live up to the best of what it offers, leaving the listener a mixed bag from which to pick. This is good, but it could be great.

Ashes Divide -- 'Keep Telling Myself It's Alright' [review]

Ashes Divide - Keep Telling Myself It's Alright
Island Records (4/8/08)
Rock / Alternative

Billy Howerdel is probably best known for his collaborative work with Tool frontman Maynard James Keenan in A Perfect Circle, though he does have a fairly lengthy résumé to his name. And with A Perfect Circle now being on hiatus, Howerdel is trying his hand at fronting his own band. The result is a mixed bag of ethereal rock music that pulls influence from a variety of sources.

Ashes Divide sounds more like 30 Seconds to Mars (with a hint of Nine Inch Nails) than A Perfect Circle, but that may be a much due to the absence of Keenan (more on that later) than anything else (though Howerdel's vocals could draw comparison to Jared Leto's).

Ashes Divide has just as much in common, sonically, with the aforementioned bands as it does notable '80s bands of the same vein (The Cure, Duran Duran, et al.), and Howerdel has managed to merge all of this influence to create something that harkens back to a time/genre without sounding dated. (The melancholic “A Wish” could just have easily been released by The Cure in 1988, yet it doesn't sound out of place on the album.) Likewise, something like "The Prey" could just have easily been released by Trent Reznor before he went all "garage" on everyone.

There's a definite ebb and flow to the album—it starts off loud, slides into a more retro groove for a few tracks, gets slower and more reflective in the middle and then picks up the pace again to end with a bang.

It seems Keenan may have been able to focus some of Howerdel's efforts in A Perfect Circle. The song structure seemed more direct in A Perfect Circle, which was a nice juxtaposition for the more meandering, imaginative vocals/lyrics. Here, some of the songs either plod along without direction, or seem to tail off and/or end abruptly, which is not only a disappointment but also calls into question what could have been given a little more effort. ("Stripped Away" and "Denial Waits" seemed to fall into this trap, which is a real shame since they’re the two opening tracks.)

Taken as a whole, Ashes Divide is a nice effort. There's a definite mood to the album, and everything flows very well together. A few times Howerdel seems to let his influences get the better of him, unleashing tracks that sound more like an homage than original effort, but this is a nice start for one of the music scene's harder workers.

Idiot Pilot -- 'Wolves' [review]

Idiot Pilot - Wolves
Reprise Records (02/12/08)
Rock / Alternative / Experimental

Idiot Pilot follows in the steps of bands willing to put together musical landscapes and experiences instead of just making songs (think mid-career Radiohead, Postal Service or certain elements of Sparta). It’s great for fans who love albums instead of singles. But Idiot Pilot seems to be able to take the foundation of such an approach and still put together killer stand-alone tracks at the same time (like the rocking opener "Last Chance").

The band bends this alternative-rock approach around synthesizers and ambient (electronic) noise and programming. The vocals are reminiscent of the above-mentioned acts with a couple of screams thrown in for good measure here and there. That pretty much sums up every song on Wolves. The band switches everything up more than enough that the approach never becomes predictable or boring.

The entire album pulls elements from notable acts like Sunny Day Real Estate, The Cure, Deftones, Sparta and numerous others, yet manages to find its own place among the mix. Take a song like "Good Luck", which one minute can have this machine-gunning attack of drums give way to rudimentary electronic beats, which in turn gives way to a soaring melody.

Upon first listen, I wanted to hate this album. I wanted to write a review that basically said "been there, done that." But with each listen a new layer gets peeled away. Sure, there’s some forgettable moments sprinkled in there (especially in a couple of the later songs), but taken as a whole this is a pretty good album that creates an enjoyable atmosphere and manages to cover a broad range of spectrums without getting caught up in itself.

Air Traffic -- 'Fractured Life' [review]

Air Traffic - Fractured Life
EMI Records (02/05/08)
Rock



From the opening chords of Fractured Life, you'll find yourself trying to put a finger on where you've heard this before.

What is it? Is it The Bends-era Radiohead?

No, that’s not it (but how cool would that be?). You cycle through a couple more bands from the UK, trying to place the voice... Nothing.

Then you focus more on the overall "sound" of Air Traffic, and it hits you. The band is a UK version of The Fray, only more extreme on each end of the sonic spectrum (the rock is harder, the moody stuff is heavier).

After almost a year of availability overseas, Air Traffic's Fractured Life is finally making a debut stateside. The band's piano-driven rock, if it can find an immediate audience, is sure to catch on and be a big hit. This album could find quite the little niche into which to settle. It's not overly garage rock; the piano adds this additional depth to the band's sound, and their considered peers are bigger hits in their homeland than in North America (then again, that might be a bad precursor).

Opener "Come On" builds slowly, opening like a piano ballad and growing into an anthem by the close (you’ll hear the Radiohead influence in the guitar work). "Charlotte" is a short, little catchy rock song with an infectious chorus. "Never Even Told Me", "Just Abuse Me" and "I Like That" are carried by Chris Wall on lead vocals, as Wall also tears it up on the piano. And apropos to its title, "Shooting Star" just soars with airy, driving riffs reminiscent of U2 or Coldplay's finer moments (with some killer soloing mid-way through the song). And the band can slow down and still string together some great music (just listen to "Empty Space" or "No More Running Away").

The first listen of this album was a tough one to get through, just because I didn’t know what to expect. Once you settle in to the band's approach and take everything in (as opposed to trying to figure out where the group is coming from), it's like flipping a switch. Fractured Life is one hell of a rock album, and a fine debut. It's smart, mournful, fun and catchy—sometimes all at the same time. If the band manages to catch on and take off, it could be huge.

Open Hand -- 'You and Me' [review]

Open Hand
"You and Me"
(Trustkill Records)


There's a lot of band's out there making great music ... band's that, despite being on an established label and having a tight, solid sound, still manage to slip through the cracks.

Open Hand is one of those bands.

Formed in 1999 by guitarist/vocalist Justin Isham, drummer Alex Rodriguez and bassist Michael Anastasi, the band combined elements from a variety of genres (alternative rock, hardcore and amazing melody meshed together to form a truly dynamic sound) and quickly built a solid fan base through tours with Thursday, Glassjaw and The Juliana Theory.

The band released a couple of independent EPs, and was courted by a handful of major labels (which led to a few "false-starts" for the band) before finding a home at Trustkill Records, a label known predominantly for hardcore bands. The band released "The Dream," a combination of the out-of-print EPs and a couple of new tracks, at the beginning of 2003. By the summer, the band was touring Europe with Poison the Well.

But, as they say on VH1s "Behind the Music," things were about to change...

Following the tour, the band's bassist and guitarist abruptly quit, forcing Isham and Rodriguez to put the band on hiatus. During this time Isham questioned the band's future, while "The Dream" continued to find new fans (eventually finding its way onto various critics' "best of" lists for the year).

Rodriguez eventually left too, and Isham was forced to reinvent the band, connecting with Paxton Pyror (an old friend and versatile drummer). The two picked up bassist Michael Anastasi (from the original line-up) and guitarist Sean Woods (another one-time member) along the way and Open Hand finally got its sophomore release, "You and Me," on shelves in the public's hands.

"You and Me" is a change of pace for the band that, at one time, drew strong comparisons to bands in the vein of older Sunny Day Real Estate or, perhaps, later Jawbreaker material (think initial "emo" movement for lack of a better term). On this new release, Open Hand takes that original sound and mixes in some stoner rock, alternative metal and punk -- think Queens of the Stone Age and CKY meets the Foo Fighters and Thursday, with the most ethereal vocals to grace speakers in some time.

The band pumps out a strong 14 tracks in just over 41 minutes, touching and melding all genres of influence along the way. The album explodes with the frenetic "Pure Concentrated Evil," a just over a minute and a half power rock song to make any Clutch fan smile. The song abruptly ends, giving way to a more subdued "Her Song," chock-full of slow, distorted guitar and groovy backbeats. Not only do Isham and Pyror work great together musically with rhythm and structured beats, but their vocals complement great as well.

Speaking of vocals, Isham also shares vocal duties with the opposite sex on a couple of tracks (Hayley Helmericks on "Tough Girl" and "Take No Action" and Katy J on "Waiting for Katy").

"I've always wanted to have other people sing on our records -- especially strong, empowered women," Isham says on the band's Web site about the collaborations. "It's so boring to just hear a dude singing all the time about the kind of stuff that dudes sing about. It's refreshing to get a female perspective. What's really cool about it on these songs is that the girls' voices are so much harder and more raw than mine. I sing the pretty parts. It's awesome."

In the end, Open Hand has crafted one fantastic hard rock album, an album that pulls influence from a variety of places and manages to defy yet embrace multiple genres. Open Hand is a band that has been overlooked long enough and would be a great addition to any music fan's collection.

Nirvana -- 'With the Lights Out' box set [review]

Nirvana
"With the Lights Out"
(DGC Records)


More than 10 years since the death of the band's front man led to an abrupt end of the group, Nirvana fans finally got their hands on a "holy grail" of sorts: a four disc box set of the groups demos, hard-to-find songs and other rare material.

I really want to love this set. When you first take a look at the contents, you can't help but think this is the best box set to ever be released -- there's just so much material included. But is the wealth of the sonic offerings really enough to sell "With the Lights Out?"

It's a real catch 22 when you look at it ...

On one hand, it would seem to be a fan's most treasured wish: to hear all the songs you grown to love stripped down to their barest forms in some cases; to be able to actually hear a song's progression from acoustic demo to rough track to finished product. Sprinkle in some obscure live tracks and some noteworthy b-sides and you should have a hit on your hands.

It depends on which side of the fence you're looking at this from.

Diehard Nirvana fans should, in theory, be chomping at the bit for something like this. For more casual listeners, it's something to easily overlook. In reality, this is simply a large collection of sub-par recordings that, for the most part, were never meant to be released. And that is the conundrum when you really take a look at this set.

Sure, it's fun to hear an early version of "Smells Like Teen Spirit" or "Rape Me," to hear how the lyrics evolved over time, to see how Cobain and Co. modified the song structures ... but ultimately you're just reminded of the strength of the actual songs and would rather just listen to those.

The initial excitement over hearing something like the acoustic tracks "Beans" or "Clean Up Before She Comes" is soon replaced (after a couple of listens) with a sense of "how often will I really want to listen to something this rough?"

Don't get me wrong, there are some gems here.

On the second disc, outtakes like "Oh the Guilt," "Return of the Rat" and "Old Age" are welcome additions to a fan's collection (for those who hadn't already tracked these songs down). Cobain's solo offering of Leadbelly's "Where Did You Sleep Last Night" (which showed up as a live rendition on the "Unplugged" disc) is a nice gem among the collection.

Disc 3 kicks off with two versions of "Rape Me," an acoustic track with weak vocals, and a more polished demo. The acoustic version sounds more like Cobain still trying to figure out exactly what he wanted to do with the song. The demo is much more lively as the song was really starting to take shape at this point. As a bonus, baby Cobain can be heard (intentionally I'm thinking), crying in the background at various points throughout the song, a nice touch.

The demo of "Scentless Apprentice" is much more raw than the track that eventually found its way onto "In Utero." The whole song sounds like a pretty good jam session, though, it should be noted that the overall sound is almost more Foo Fighters (Grohl's eventual band) instead of Nirvana.

There's interesting acoustic versions of "Serve the Servants," "Very Ape" (sans lyrics with mumbling) and "Pennyroyal Tea" (which was surprising near-completion).

As for "Heart Shaped Box," this is another instance of Cobain still exploring for just the right lyrics ("I wish I could eat your cancer when I get sick;" "Locked in heart-shaped coffins"). The same goes for "Milk It" or "M.V." (a song that wasn't that accessible to being with, I was actually surprised they included a demo of the track instead of the finished version).

Though it isn't labeled as such (read: demo), "I Hate Myself and Want to Die" doesn't sound like the version that eventually went public, unlike "Gallons of Rubbing Alcohol Flow Through the Strip" and "Marigold" (probably the crown jewel of songs that never made it on official Nirvana release with Grohl on vocals), which are pretty much the versions that showed up on international release and b-sides. Same goes for "Sappy" (also known as "Verse Chorus Verse") though the demo was on disc 2.

The most interesting aspects of the set as a whole, is not only the ability to see the songs develop over time, but to see the band actually attempt to fully realize songs. Watching Cobain take "Rape Me" from an acoustic mish-mosh to a raw demo and then to the finished track (on "In Utero") is something fans of bands are rarely able to experience. Then, on top of that, listening to something like "Other Improv" (off disc 3), obviously a glimpse of the band trying to find a song, is just amazing to be able to experience.

On the flip side, how many people really want to pull out demo material when they're in the mood to listen to music. When this set is, musically, over 70 minutes of material spaced out over three discs, one can't help but think there was some way to shorten things a little.

In the end, you are able to say that this is a fantastic look into the inner working of a band, but much like a history book is an interesting look into, well, history. Do you get something out of reading the book? Yes. Do you want to read it over and over? Maybe. "With the Lights Out" is the musical equivalent of a Nirvana text book. It's something that is worth listening to ... at least once in a while. It's just that the really good tracks are spaced out amongst the rawer material, which makes this something only Nirvana diehards would really be interested in.

Northstar -- 'Pollyanna' [review]

Northstar
"Pollyanna"
Triple Crown Records

"And operator, I can't hold much longer ..."
-- From "To My Better Angel"


For Northstar, it\'s been a long journey from the local music scene in and around Alabama from its 1997 inception to its place on the national music scene and current release, "Pollyanna."

The band gained attention when Taking Back Sunday declared the group the "greatest band in the world" in the liner notes of the band's debut "Tell All Your Friends" in 2002. The praise was used in the marketing of Northstar's debut "Is This Thing Loaded" later that same year.

Whether or not you agree with the praise, Northstar are out to prove it just may be true with its latest release.

Kicking off with "For Members Only," a fast-tempo rocker similar to the opener of "Is This Thing...," Northstar immediately grab hold of the listener with its trademark sound. The production is noticeably better this time around. While the band, in general, focus on a generic sound (strong rock music, catchy lyrics and choruses for the most part), it does it extremely well. Lead singer Nick Torres has a particularly distinctive voice and delivery, almost dreamy and slightly slurred with an element of snotty punk vocals but also probably due to his southern dialect.

Whereas "Is This Thing..." started off strong and sort of petered out mid-way through the album (where it almost all started to sound the same or, at least, less inspired), "Pollyanna" starts off with a bang and just gets better and better.

The title track follows up the opener with a strong guitar opening from Tyler Odom. Odom lays a nice hypnotic riff under the verses of the song before the song explodes into the chorus. Musically, during the chorus, the band's tight trades are fully evident, showing it pays to tour relentlessly to polish your craft.

"American Living" is also great musically, while "Pornographers Daughter" shows off the band's haunting backing vocals, specifically the hollow "This is not for me..." The later also features some really interesting guitar play especially after the first chorus.

But while the album rocks out track after track, the band also throws in a couple of slower songs. "Accident Underwater" starts off slow and hypnotizingly melodic with some nice drumming from Gabe Renfroe before flourishing into a full-bore rock track at its conclusion. On the flip side, "Two Zero Zero" starts off slow and stays that way, a haunting acoustic number showing the band can strip down at times without loosing the spark most of the other songs have.

Following the slower two-song intermission, the band offers up a hard-hitting one-two punch, and the strongest tracks on the album, "To My Better Angel" and "Between Horns and Halos."

"To My Better Angel" is completely jarring following the lullaby-like "Two Zero Zero." Renfroe sounds frenzied behind the drums while bassist Jake Fisher lays a nice, subtle underbeat. The lyrics are some of the album's more interesting, talking about trying to get out of a small town, and follow through throughout the song: Torres starts off with a refrain of "So if anybody talks of me, tell them I am never coming home again. Tell them I am gone..." while begging the operator to hurry since he can't wait much longer, but by the end of the track the music becomes more frenzied and the lead singer snarls, "So if anybody talks of me, tell them I'll be gone forever without these scars that are completely invisible."

The smart lyrics continue on "Between Horns and Halos," the perfect song to really see how smart the band's writing can be. The opening lines "Looking out of a second floor window, planning out my exit wound" directly juxtapose the same theme later in the verse, "Trying on a makeshift halo, kissing on my exit wound." The idea of alienation with a lover isn't just presented, but almost drawn like an artist:

"She felt so cold, so cold,
She froze under the sheets while I slept all day...
She will sleep here
In between the cracks
Just a flower with a broken back
'Waiting for dirty water'
Did you sleep alright?
She's giving beat stares from being beat all day
Indian eyes in the American way
'Hail Mary's' and ale ... A Hailed Mary that ails..."


(The juxtapose of Hail Mary's and eventual hailed Mary is especially thought-provoking.)

Not content to let the album slide to a halt, the band offers up two more rocking tracks, "Digital Me," the disc most hard-hitting track, and "Rocket City."

Closing out with "Rocket City," the band continues the album's overall theme of alienation, and feeling trapped living in small-town America: opening with the track "For Members Only"; lines in "American Living" like "things don't get much better than this ... life doesn't get much bigger than this," and "Just teach me something so I can go"; the theme throughout "To My Better Angel"; and closing with the echoing lines of "Rocket City," "If I stay here I'll be dying forever.\"

Ultimately, "Pollyanna" offers up what, at first, is just a solid rock album with great vocals and lyrics. With each listen the songs become more poignant and thoughtful, and eventually the album's full theme comes into focus. There isn't a weak song on here and the album is well-worth checking out.

Melissa Auf Der Maur -- 'Auf Der Maur' [review]

Melissa Auf Der Maur
"Auf Der Maur"
Capitol Records


It's hard for a musician to shed the restraints of their band and blossom into a full-fledged solo artist after handling mainly instrumental duties in a band.

Dave Grohl went on to front Foo Fighters after drumming for Nirvana.

Phil Collins started off as the drummer for Genesis before fronting said band and eventually going solo.

Jerry Cantrell was the guitarist for Alice in Chains before trying his hand at a solo career,

And now, after a nearly two year wait, Melissa Auf Der Maur's debut album is finally seeing the light of day.

Moving to the United States in 1994, Auf Der Maur played bass in Hole for 5 years and followed that up with a final album and farewell tour with Smashing Pumpkins. There were hints -- most notably her backing vocals during the time in Hole -- that there was more to Auf Der Maur than just a bass player and a pretty face. So in 2001, the musician began the process of putting together her first solo-album.

According to Auf Der Maur (via her Web site), "The songwriting took place over the last decade. For creative reasons, it was important for me to do this on my own, before even entertaining the thought of a record company. So I got a plan together and spent every penny I've made. I just needed to make my album with no thought of how it would get out there."

Auf Der Maur collaborated with many other musicians throughout the recording, most notably Eric Erlandson (formerly of Hole), James Iha (formerly of Smashing Pumpkins), Josh Homme from Queens of the Stone Age and Brandt Bjork (formerly of QotSA and Kyuss).

As for the recording of each track, Auf Der Maur laid a foundation down with a drummer (recording bass, guitar and vocals herself) and then invited other musicians to build upon each song in specific areas.

So, is Auf Der Maur's "Auf Der Maur" a success? Well, kind of.

The album is an eclectic collection of songs, sounding familiar to everything from Sonic Youth to Veruca Salt to the musician's former bands. Vocally, Auf Der Maur seems very gifted, which has been apparent since her backup vocals during Hole's "MTV Unplugged" performance and cover of Fleetwood Mac's "Black Gold Woman" (off the "Crow: City of Angels" soundtrack) outshined the band's frontwoman.

Most of the tracks on "Auf Der Maur" suck you in in a hypnotizing fashion. The album's lead-off single, "Followed the Waves," chugs along repetitively, lulling the listener with it's stoner-rock murkiness. Homme and Bjork work great together, but it's Auf Der Maur's almost-melancholic voice and amazing vocal range that is the true star here.

The track's follow-up, "Real a Lie," keeps the sludgy (yet upbeat) undertone, but is a better song if only for the simple yet catchy chorus reminiscent of a band like Lush or Magnapop.

The rest of the disc is a mix of flavors: the sexually-charged "Taste You" was obviously born out of the Auf Der Maur's time in Hole; "Beast of Honor" has an opening closely resembling a water-logged Nirvana; "My Foggy Notion" is a great QotSA-inspired rocker; "I Need I Want I Will" and "My Foggy Notion" have an subtle, interesting middle-eastern flavor flowing through them.

The problem here is that, as good as songs like "Followed the Waves" and "Real a Lie" are, there's just too much slow filler here that, at times, just sounds boring. Despite Auf Der Maur's strong vocals the songs are lyrically weak, bordering on triteness most of the time. And the eclectic element surrounding the album as a whole actually weakens the overall product -- Auf Der Maur swings from stoner-rock to alternative pop to hollow, pseudo-jazz cum rocker tracks (like "I'll Be Anything You Want") so if you like a couple of songs, there's the possiblity you might not like others.

Despite the album's short-comings, Auf Der Maur's vocals and musical sensibility is compelling enough to warrant a listen. The album does a great job of showcasing Auf Der Maur's fantastic voice but is hit or miss on the song-crafting end of things. This album was a sort of labor of love for Auf Der Maur, so hopefully it will do a good job of getting her foot back in the door of the music scene.

Soil -- 'Redefine' [review]

Soil
"Redefine"
J Records


Released Sept. 11, 2001, Soil's major-label debut album, "Scars," was a brutal, fast-paced hard-rock/metal amalgam that was hailed by some as one of the year's best offerings riding high off the success of the band's single "Halo."

The band -- vocalist Ryan McCombs, guitarists Adam Zadel and Shaun Glass, bassist Tim King and drummer Tom Schofield -- toured relentlessly for "Scars," hitting the road with everyone from Ozzy Osbourne, Rob Zombie and Mudvayne to Static-X and Sevendust. Soil was also one of the featured acts on the second stage of Ozzfest.

The pressure was on to deliver a follow-up that would exceed the foundation the band had forged and, with its new album, "Redefine," Soil takes aim and hits one right out of the park.

As King points out on the band's home page, Soil took everything fans came to expect from the first album and turned it up a notch. "We were on the road for 13 months, and we learned a lot about ourselves. ... When we sat down to do the new record, we wanted to stay true to our sound. We took that energy and passion and brought it into the music."

Kicking off with the explosive "Pride," the band immediately shows that when it comes to rocking out on this latest offering, there's no screwing around. The songs plays out like a faster-paced "Halo" with McCombs tearing through his intentionally-paced lyrics. The dueling guitar work sounds more frenzied this time around, with Schofield and King laying down a nice back-beat.

The beauty of Soil's sound is that as much as the band can simply throw it down and rock out, they play tight enough to really explore the melody they create and add depth to the music's flow. This is especially evident in a song like "Redefine" where the initial riff is reminiscent of Drowning Pool's "Pity Me," yet as soon as the band is able to establish the song's groundwork, the guitarists lay down some thick, catchy riffs and the chorus sounds like something completely out of place yet exactly what you would expect. And the band is able to throw in a mellow breakdown mid-way through a song like "Redefine" -- with McCombs singing "Somebody to make me feel whole again" -- and gradually pick the pace back up without any of it coming off forced.

"We like songs that grab you, hook you, and don't f*ck around, but at the same time, we love melody," Glass states in the band's official biography.

"Can You Heal Me" has an old Alice in Chains feel to it, from the vocals to the down-tuned guitar riffing. And the band even experiments with Middle Eastern flavor on "Deny Me."

The album's best track has to be the closer "Obsession." The song unfolds like an epic starting out melodic and slow with a steady backbeat and subtle cymbal-work before exploding at the chorus. As McCombs strains out "You are my everything," it adds that extra sense of urgency in the song. The song progresses in alternating slow and fast tempos and, just when you think it can't get any more intense, the closing moments flourish like a Tool song with insane drumming and thunderous riffs before shuddering to a halt.

"Lyrically, these songs are our children, and they've all got their special places to us," McCombs points out. "No matter what your position in life -- whether you're married or not, a dad or not, or what you do for a living -- you keep having trials and tribulations, moral dilemmas, and confrontations you need to face, and whether it was on the road, or at home with my family, I've had my eyes opened up to a whole new realm of experiences. A lot of people have their 'Halos,' it doesn't matter what mine was when I wrote the song."

Overall, "Redefine" is a welcome relief as fans have been anticipating its release since "Scars" hit shelves. Given what the band delivers, two years was hardly long to wait. Simply put -- a great album.

Jawbreaker -- 'Dear You' [review]

Jawbreaker
"Dear You"
Blackball Records


What a hectic trip it was for Bay-area legends Jawbreaker.

In the band's eight years of existence, they managed to build up a strong fanbase, record over five albums worth or material, alienate some of their diehard fans and, in the end, even alienate their record label.

Jawbreaker's debut, 1990's “Unfun," was a great, raw punk album. The honesty and imperfection on the tracks is what drew many of the band's fans. The follow-up, “Bivouac," seemed like a more experimental album at the time, maintaining the punk roots but heading in a more alternative-rock direction with songs “Sleep" and "Big" reminiscent of early Nirvana recordings.

With the release of 1994's “24 Hour Revenge Therapy," the band embraced a more radio-friendly song structure (easy chord progressions, etc.) and created probably one of their more accessible albums. Maybe it was the peaking of the grunge movement, or the rising of pop-punk bands like Green Day or Blink-182, but after “24 Hour Revenge Therapy" the band was scooped up and signed by record company behemoth DGC (David Geffen Company) and given the means (a large contract with creative control) to craft perhaps its finest album, the controversial 1995 release "Dear You."

"Dear You" wasn't what new fans of the band expected; it certainly wasn't what the record company envisioned, and by '96 Jawbreaker was no more. (Posthumously a live album -- "Live 4/30/96" -- and collection of rarities and b-sides -- "ETC." -- were released on Pfahler's imprint label Blackball Records.) Schwarzenbach went on to form Jets to Brazil and the other two band members went on to various projects.

Still, the legend of Jawbreaker lived on, and fans eventually clamored to get their hands on "Dear You," which was out of print within a few years and severely hard to track down. When copies were available, the prices were soaring (I remember finding one in a used CD store for upwards of $24).

Pfahler made his move and eventually bought the rights from Geffen. Giving long time listeners a reason to pick it up again, the "Dear You" re-release is set to include studio outtakes and b-sides (the unreleased "Shirt" along with "Into You Like a Train," "Sister," "Friendly Fire" and a re-recorded version of "Boxcar") as well as the Fireman video and an expanded booklet.

As for the main content of "Dear You," it still holds up almost 10 years later.

The disc's opening track, "Save your Generation," along with songs like "Chemistry" and "Bad Scene, Everyone's Fault" are typical punk-tinged alternative rock songs with a slightly murky sound (thick guitars and noticeable bass work), a sonic direction that was on show throughout "Dear You."

The disc's lead off single at the time was "Fireman," a simple track to showcase the band's sound. The song kicks off steadily building throughout the verses with simple chords that slowly sound more frantic before the false start of a chorus into the second verse -- leading, of course, to the payoff the of the intense chorus. Schwarzenbach glides through his cute yet biting lyrics, like "Dreamed I was a fireman. I just smoked and watched you burn," and "Dreamed we were still going out. Had that one a few times now. Woke up to find out we were not. It's good to be awake."

The down-tuned guitars create an false sense of laid back atmosphere and Bauermeister's bass during the song's bridge is a definite high-point.

"Jet Black" remains breathtaking: Schwarzenbach's murky guitar riffs and deadpan vocals with thick-as-hell bass throughout the chorus compliments Pfahler's subtle drumming throughout the song until the brief explosion at the ending.

"Accident Prone" is probably the greatest song Jawbreaker has ever made. The melancholic lyrics are delivered with more emotion than any band today claiming to be "emo." From beginning to end, the band seems tighter than you ever thought they could be: Schwarzenbach's lullaby-like guitar parts throughout the verses and Bauermeister's intentional and heavy bass lines combine with Pfaler's understated drumming and gentle cymbal work. As the song progresses, the trio suddenly picks up speed through the bridge to the chorus before opening up full-force and tearing through the chorus with a definitely mission in mind. Mid-way through the song everything seems to finally come apart, the drums and guitar accentuate a nice bass breakdown and the band again begins to build up steam -- faster and faster until the intensity is almost too much to handle and a release is achieved through the chorus again -- yes, it's as close to a sexual moment as you can have in a song. Words could never do "Accident Prone" justice and it is definitely the highlight of "Dear You."

For the original tracks alone, "Dear You" would still be a great disc to add to your collection; the added tracks are just the icing on the cake. The "Fireman" video had moderate airplay on MTV's Alternative Nation back when it was released, and while it doesn't quiet translate the band's live energy, it's still worth a viewing.