New Year - 2001 - Newness Ends

When the Kadane brothers -- Matt and Bubba -- disbanded Bedhead, it was at the height of that band's creativity and excellence. Wherever they went, well-deserved critical acclaim seemed to follow, and for good reason: Their music was intricate, touching, and emotional to a degree few bands ever reach. Bedhead's final album, Transaction de Novo was particularly affecting. The New Year is led (and all its songs are written) by the Kadane brothers, who were apparently less taking a break from each other than from the project they had created. The New Year's debut album, Newness Ends, comes after the band had played only a handful of shows, and while it has obvious similarities to Bedhead, the reason for the name change is also apparent. The most blatant difference is the tempos on Newness Ends. Whereas Bedhead records rarely made it past a crawl, these new songs take a similar songwriting approach and hit the gas a bit. The first track, "Half a Day," announces the difference with a bouncing rhythm, something heretofore not seen by the Kadanes. The true test of Newness Ends' greatness, though, is whether it would stand on its own as a debut album by a group of unknowns, without having to live up -- or down -- to die-hard fans' expectations. Clearly it does, blending the brilliant writing and playing of these two slow rock pioneers' past an present. It's a step sideways into amazing, only partially discovered territory.

1 Half a Day Kadane, Kadane 3:56
2 Reconstruction Kadane, Kadane 3:21
3 Gasoline Kadane, Kadane 3:34
4 Great Expectations Kadane, Kadane 2:40
5 Simple Life Kadane, Kadane 3:29
6 One Plus One Minus One Equals One Kadane, Kadane 4:23
7 Alter Ego Kadane, Kadane 2:44
8 The Block That Doesn't Exist Kadane, Kadane 2:38
9 Carne Levare Kadane, Kadane 2:37
10 Newness Ends Kadane, Kadane 3:19

¡Aquí!

Zyklon - 2001 - World Ov Worms

Zyklon is the new full-time super group from Norway's most blackened regions, consisting of Emperor members Samoth (guitarist and bass) and drummer Trym, Myrkskog's Destructhor on lead guitar, and Limbonic Art vocalist Daemon. This is hyper-fast, extreme black death metal, not to be contended with from any region or country, as it blitzkriegs the listener with it's all-out sensory attack. Opener "Hammer Revelation" is just that: an over-the-top assault in the vein of old Emperor, Morbid Angel, Immortal, Bolt Thrower, or Behemoth all pushed to new levels of extremity. Resident murderer Bard Faust Eithun has decided to pen the lyrics to the album, and from what can be heard, they aren't too bad, focusing more on the apocalyptic than the overdone blasphemous tomfoolery of old. Razor-sharp production, futuristic samples, and cold, mechanical synths combine to give the whole album a degenerated industrial feel. One gets the feeling that they have entered the post-apocalyptic region somewhere between solitude and hell. Trym sounds back to old form, leaving behind his recent straightforward Emperor style, for the more experimental percussive rhythms of Zyklon with its varying tempos and mechanical persistence. Daemon's vocals sound like a black metal hybrid with old Godflesh/Justin Broadrick vocals, which accentuates the mechanized quality of the music. However, it is Destructhor and Samoth's string work, which holds the foundation of the music together, as layers of churning guitar grind through the listener with Ihshan or Trey Azagthoth-like precision. Once "Transcendental War," the closer, is reached, we are treated to the most savory morsel of all, a guest appearance by the infamous Garm. Bursting forth with boiling guitar, the song grooves into a mid-paced Morbid Angel churn at the four-minute mark, before Garm's sorely missed clean chants soar effortlessly over the music as the chaos winds down to a quiet doom. This aptly subtitled "Battle Between Gods" is a perfect, grim closure to an apocalyptic masterpiece. Those who love the extreme, commit musical suicide with Zyklon.

		1		Hammer Revelation	Destructhor, Eithun, Zamoth	6:23
		2		Deduced to Overkill	Destructor, Eithun, Zamoth	3:16
		3		Chaos Deathcult	Akkerhaugen, Destructor ...	5:59
Composed by: Akkerhaugen, Destructor, Eithun, Zamoth
		4		Storm Detonation	Destructor, Eithun, Zamoth	4:41
		5		Zycloned	Eithun, Trym, Zamoth	5:24
		6		Terrordrome	Destructor, Eithun, Zamoth	3:59
		7		Worm World	Destructor, Eithun, Zamoth	4:15
		8		Transcendental War-Battle Between Gods	Destructor, Eithun, Zamoth	7:19

¡Aquí!

Hawkins, Coleman - Lamentation

		1		Tiger Rag		2:22
		2		It May Not Be True		3:11
		3		I Wanna Go Back to Harlem		2:58
		4		Consolation		3:02
		5		A Strange Fact		2:36
		6		Original Dixieland One Step		1:57
		7		Smiles		3:00
		8		Something Is Gonna Give Me Away		3:02
		9		Honeysuckle Rose		2:45
		10		Crazy Rhythm		3:00
		11		Out of Nowhere		3:16
		12		Sweet Georgia Brown		3:00
		13		Lamentation		2:57
		14		Devotion		2:47
		15		Star Dust		2:30
		16		Well, All Right Then		2:28
		17		Blues Evermore		2:44
		18		Dear Old Southland		2:42
		19		Way Down Yonder in No		2:54

¡Aquí!

X.V. Kilist - 2001 - X.V. Kilist

		1		Kilopard		10:42
		2		K.P.O		9:41
		3		Kante		8:29
		4		Saaziergang		8:28
		5		Philistine		9:16
		6		Hugo		10:02
		7		Cettometer		8:38
		8		Schleichers Breite		7:59

¡Aquí!

Quinteto Urbano - 2001 - Estudio + Vivo (2CD)

¡Aquí!

Nightwish - 2001 - Over The Hills And Far Away

		1		Over the Hills and Far Away	Moore	5:03
		2		Tenth Man Down		5:24
		3		Away	Holopainen	4:33
		4		Astral Romance [Re-Recorded]		5:22

¡Aquí!

I Am Kloot - 2001 - Natural History

Easily one of the most accomplished bands of the new acoustic movement, I Am Kloot has created one of the better albums in the genre with Natural History. Songwriters John Harold and Arnold Bramwell strike a highly successful balance between folksy acoustic numbers and mini rock epics throughout the album's 12 tracks. Catchy vocal passages crop up left and right, psychedelic guitar passages mingle readily with moments of quiet sublime romance, and the band isn't beyond throwing in the occasional refreshing jazz arrangement. It's not surprising that the music sounds as lush as it does, since Elbow frontman Guy Garvey produced, engineered, and mixed the album, along with offering snippets of harmonica, sound effects, some percussion, and backing vocals. Acoustic guitars, a somber bass, and hushed drums percolate slowly as they twist and twirl around Harold and Bramwell's vocals. Imagining I Am Kloot as a darker, acoustic lo-fi Oasis would seem to be entirely appropriate, and not just because there's a resemblance in their Mancunian accents. But this is a mini Oasis that occasionally moonlights in Robyn Hitchcock whimsy. Lyrically, there are loads of bizarre things going on, with disarmingly quirky lines like "Will someone somewhere marry me... to you," "There's blood on your legs, I love you," and "Twist, snap, I love you," rearing their heads at odd moments. These are clearly chaps who know how and when to turn a killer phrase. As endearingly quirky as some of the songs might be, there's an ample supply of beautiful ballads on hand to vary the mood. Weird near-genius standout tracks "To You" and "Twist" sit perfectly alongside the sweet, perfect "No Fear of Falling" and the eclectic, jazzy wonder of "Sunlight Hits the Snow." One senses that Garvey may be responsible for the occasional lapse into realms a bit too epic, but he and the band always manage to reel songs back in when they get too bombastic. Smart, catchy, at times ramshackle, and at other times desperately atmospheric and exotic, Natural History is a wonderful debut album.

		1		To You	Bramwell	3:16
		2		Morning Rain	Bramwell, Harold	3:20
		3		Twist	Bramwell	2:57
		4		86 TV's	Bramwell	2:55
		5		Bigger Wheels	Bramwell	3:29
		6		Loch	Bramwell	4:33
		7		Strom Warning	Bramwell	3:59
		8		Dark Star	Bramwell	2:22
		9		Stop	Bramwell	3:56
		10		Sunlight Hits the Snow	Bramwell	2:44
		11		No Fear of Falling	Bramwell	2:10
		12		Because	Bramwell, Harold	7:18

¡Aquí!

White Stripes - 2001 - White Blood Cells

Despite the seemingly instant attention surrounding them -- glowing write-ups in glossy magazines like Rolling Stone and Mojo, guest lists boasting names like Kate Hudson and Chris Robinson, and appearances on national TV -- the White Stripes have stayed true to the approach that brought them this success in the first place. White Blood Cells, Jack and Meg White's third effort for Sympathy for the Record Industry, wraps their powerful, deceptively simple style around meditations on fame, love, and betrayal. As produced by Doug Easley, it sounds exactly how an underground sensation's breakthrough album should: bigger and tighter than their earlier material, but not so polished that it will scare away longtime fans. Admittedly, White Blood Cells lacks some of the White Stripes' blues influence and urgency, but it perfects the pop skills the duo honed on De Stijl and expands on them. The country-tinged "Hotel Yorba" and immediate, crazed garage pop of "Fell in Love With a Girl" define the album's immediacy, along with the folky, McCartney-esque "We're Going to Be Friends," a charming, school-days love song that's among Jack White's finest work. However, White's growth as a songwriter shines through on virtually every track, from the cocky opener "Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground" to vicious indictments like "The Union Forever" and "I Think I Smell a Rat." "Same Boy You've Always Known" and "Offend in Every Way" are two more quintessential tracks, offering up more of the group's stomping riffs and rhythms and us-against-the-world attitude. Few garage rock groups would name one of their most driving numbers "I'm Finding It Harder to Be a Gentleman," and fewer still would pen lyrics like "I'm so tired of acting tough/I'm gonna do what I please/Let's get married," but it's precisely this mix of strength and sweetness, among other contrasts, that makes the White Stripes so intriguing. Likewise, White Blood Cells' ability to surprise old fans and win over new ones makes it the Stripes' finest work to date.

		1		Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground	White, White	3:04
		2		Hotel Yorba	White, White	2:10
		3		I'm Finding It Harder to Be a Gentleman	White, White	2:54
		4		Fell in Love with a Girl	White, White	1:50
		5		Expecting	White, White	2:03
		6		Little Room	White, White	:50
		7		The Union Forever	White, White	3:26
		8		The Same Boy You've Always Known	White, White	3:09
		9		We're Going to Be Friends	White, White	2:22
		10		Offend in Every Way	White, White	3:06
		11		I Think I Smell a Rat	White, White	2:04
		12		Aluminum	White, White	2:19
		13		I Can't Wait	White, White	3:38
		14		Now Mary	White, White	1:47
		15		I Can Learn	White, White	3:31
		16		This Protector	White, White	2:10

¡Aquí!