Anti-Flag - 1998 - Their System Doesn't Work For You

2000's Their System Doesn't Work for You resurrects the nine tracks from 1998's limited-edition EP, North America Sucks, and adds ten previously-unreleased, later-vintage tracks for good measure. The songs from the EP are prime Anti-Flag, political punk that never loses its sense of humor even when making its most important points. "Indie Sux, Hardline Sux, Emo Sux, You Suck!" decries the Balkanization of the D.I.Y. scene in the '90s to the album's catchiest chorus, while the title track and "Anti-Violent" take aim at the usual suspects. Unfortunately, with only a couple of exceptions, the later tracks sound like half-baked filler; indeed, the beyond-lo-fi sound suggests that they might be rough demos not originally intended to be heard outside the band, a supposition backed up by the lazy, sluggish performances, and meandering song structures. There are a few promising tracks among the dross, particularly "Betty Sue Is Dead," which makes incredibly effective use of an old-school punk-reggae middle section in the style of the Ruts, but overall, the second half of Their System Doesn't Work for You doesn't work for anybody.

1 I Can't Stand Being With You 2:05
2 Their System Doesn't Work for You 2:31
3 We've Got His Gun 2:25
4 Born to Die 2:05
5 The Truth 2:40
6 You'll Scream Tonight 5:15
7 Indie Sux, Hardline Sux, EmoSux, You Suck! 2:05
8 Anti-Violent 3:05
9 20 Years of Hell 2:32
10 I'm Having a Good Day 2:41
11 I Don't Want to Be Like You 3:30
12 Too Late 2:50
13 I Don't Need Anybody 3:49
14 Betty Sue Is Dead 3:14
15 If Not for You 3:16
16 Meet Your Master 3:57
17 We Won't Take No 2:34
18 Save Me 3:00
19 I'm Feeling Slightly Violent 3:29

¡Aquí!

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!

VA - 2000 - Stoned Immaculate: The Music Of The Doors

Essentially Elektra Records' tribute to a band that originally helped put them on the map, Stoned Immaculate: The Music of the Doors was assembled by producer Ralph Sall, with a heavy concentration on mainstream-oriented alternative rock. While some tracks are the straight-up covers typical of tribute albums, die-hard Doors fans have greater reasons to pay attention. The surviving band members appear on several tracks -- sometimes as a backing unit, sometimes as individual guest collaborators -- with frequently vital-sounding results. Echoing the Fatboy Slim "Bird of Prey" single (coincidence that this was released around the same time?), producer Sall also incorporates sampled Morrison vocals, usually over atmospheric, electronic-tinged backing tracks; this tactic also produces beyond-the-grave Morrison duets with John Lee Hooker and William S. Burroughs. However -- perhaps logically -- it's the band performances that have the most life to them, especially those involving the Stone Temple Pilots and Ian Astbury. Even though Stoned Immaculate occasionally suffers from typical tribute-album unevenness, it's overall a fitting testament to the Doors' legacy.

1 Break on Through (To the Other Side) Stone Temple Pilots 3:47
2 Riders on the Storm Creed 6:18
3 Light My Fire Train 3:43
4 Peace Frog Smash Mouth 3:02
5 L.A. Woman Days of the New 3:47
6 Love Me Two Times Aerosmith 3:20
7 Under Waterfall Doors 3:12
8 Wild Child Cult 3:22
9 Roadhouse Rap Morrison 1:03
10 Rock House Blues Hooker, Morrison 5:34
11 Is Everybody In? Burroughs 2:43
12 Hello I Love You Oleander 2:36
13 Touch Me Astbury, Cult 4:38
14 Children of Night Cervenka, Farrell 3:02
15 Love Her Madly Diddley 4:54
16 The Cosmic Movie Doors 3:03
17 The End Days Of The New 16:04

¡Aquí!

No Doubt - 2000 - Return Of Saturn

Return of Saturn is an almost defiantly mature record about two things: Stefani's exploration of a troubled romance and her own romantic ideals, plus a serious attempt by the group to not only keep new wave alive, but to make that adolescent music relevant to an older audience. It's a high concept, but Return of Saturn is filled with satisfying contradictions. It's melodic, but deceptively complex; it can seem frothy, but it's never frivolous. No Doubt's desire to expand the emotional template of new wave is the perfect match for Stefani's themes -- she may be writing about love, but she's not writing adolescent love songs. Fragments of her teenaged romantic fantasies remain, but she's writing as a woman in her late 20s. She's tired of being another "ex-girlfriend" -- she wants to fall in love, get married, and have a family. It's a subject that's surprisingly uncommon in pop music, which would alone make Return of Saturn an interesting album. What makes it a successful one is that the band delivers an aural equivalent of Stefani's lyrical themes. They also begin with their adolescent musical ideals, adding depth and detail to their pop-ska foundation. They balance their non-ironic love of new wave with contemporary production and a sensibility borrowed from classic rock: that albums are greater than the sum of their parts. Surprisingly, they pull it off -- it's a far stronger record than Tragic Kingdom, even if the catchiest numbers don't have the same swagger and punch as their previous hit singles. So be it. With Return of Saturn, No Doubt have made a terrific, layered record that exceeds any expectations set by Tragic Kingdom. Not only have they found their voice, they know what to do with it.

1 Ex-Girlfriend Dumont, Kanal, Stefani 3:32
2 Simple Kind of Life Stefani 4:16
3 Bathwater Dumont, Kanal, Stefani 4:02
4 Six Feet Under Kanal, Stefani 2:28
5 Magic's in the Makeup 4:21
6 Artificial Sweetener Dumont, Kanal, Stefani 3:54
7 Marry Me Kanal, Stefani 4:38
8 New Dumont, Stefani 4:26
9 Too Late Dumont, Kanal, Stefani 4:16
10 Comforting Lie Dumont, Kanal, Stefani 2:52
11 Suspension Without Suspense Stefani 4:10
12 Staring Problem Kanal, Stefani, Stefani 2:43
13 Home Now Dumont, Kanal, Stefani 4:34
14 Dark Blue Dumont, Kanal, Stefani 10:30

¡Aquí!

Crematory - 1995 - Illusions

Illusions is Crematory's third studio album, distributed through Massacre Records.

Reflexionen - 1:54
Faces - 5:35
Tears of Time - 5:00
My Way - 5:02
Lost in Myself - 4:46
An Other...? - 5:20
The Atmosphere - 3:29
The Beginning of the End - 4:39
Sweet Solitude - 4:53
Dreams of Dancing - 5:30
...Just Dreaming - 4:41
Visions - 3:55

¡Aquí!

A - 2002 - Hi-Fi Serious

Great pop-punk records are actually a fairly rare creature in the overall picture of alternative rock. Despite the high volume of releases, whole years go by without a significant or exciting album being made in the genre. That is why the blissfully sweet Hi-Fi Serious is such a wonderful surprise. Whereas in the past A always showed potential, on this record they took that step forward that so many of their contemporaries are afraid to take. And what a step forward it is; gorgeous hooks, excellent production, and anthemic choruses that border on hair metal at times all add up to an irresistible sound that should appeal to any fan of the genre. By cutting away the snotty Green Day worship that makes so many of these groups obnoxiously coy, the group can explore other genres without any concern over sounding too ironic or goofy. They have definitely moved in a more commercial direction on this record, adding elements like synthesizers and heavily processed backup vocals that might damage their credibility, but make their music just that much better. The booty-shaking title track may be the best pop song the group has ever crafted, moving from the tense and driving verses to a swaggering chorus with such ease that it's a wonder they never displayed this sort of songwriting talent before. The fantastic "Nothing" feels like it could burst apart at any moment, but instead it holds together with a chorus that burns its way into your brain and refuses to leave. "Took It Away" feels like it's breaking apart toward the middle, then it makes a dramatic turn into a breezy Southern California section that brings the song to the next level. "Starbucks" is almost too catchy to be likable, but they manage to turn the song into a cutesy-but-endearing pop nugget by the end. And "The Distance" is either a pleasantly unique punk-pop anthem or the best hair metal song written since Poison's "Ride the Wind," and that is really the only way to describe it. Any fan of this genre who isn't afraid of a little experimentation should find themselves highly rewarded by giving this a shot. In a genre that is hideously oversaturated, it is a genuine relief to hear albums like this. It reminds the listener of how good this genre has the potential to be when in the hands of musicians that aren't afraid to be poppy first and punk second.

1 Nothing A , Perry 3:42
2 Something's Going On A , Perry 2:58
3 6 O'Clock on a Tube Stop A , Perry 3:14
4 Going Down A , Perry 4:09
5 Took It Away A , Perry 3:29
6 Starbucks A , Perry 3:18
7 The Springs A , Perry 4:28
8 Shut Yer Face A , Perry 3:43
9 Pacific Ocean Blue A , Perry 3:27
10 The Distance A , Perry 3:37
11 W.D.Y.C.A.I. A , Perry 3:27
12 Hi-Fi Serious A , Perry 5:55
13 Champions of Endings A , Perry 7:17
14 Nothing [CD-ROM Video] A , Perry 9:56

¡Aquí!

Jarboe - 2005 - The Men Album (2CD)

Disc 1

1 This Is Life Jarboe 6:01
2 Found DeSouza, Jarboe 3:21
3 To Forget DeSouza, Jarboe 4:17
4 Reason to Live Child, Stanley 5:09
5 Redeemer (Lion) Jarboe 1:33
6 A Woman's Dreams Jarboe 7:42
7 Into Feral Jarboe 1:54
8 Feral Blixa Jarboe 2:07
9 Feral Jarboe 8:37
10 Your Virgin Martyr LeBan 7:15

Disc 2

1 This Is Life, Meridien Howard, Jarboe, Ross 5:54
2 Angel David Jarboe 4:04
3 Dark Strong Sauce Jarboe 0:44
4 Bass Force/Angel Jim [Low Rider Mix] Jarboe 8:36
5 Torn Kiss Torn 2:17
6 Penance Izzo, Jarboe 8:41
7 Subtraction Jarboe 4:53
8 Jarboe Feral (Durga) Jarboe 1:08
9 When the Sun Rises Jarboe 2:56
10 Edward Life Jarboe 12:52

¡Aquí!

Wobble, Jah - 2004 - I Could Have Been A Contender

Disc 1

1 Public Image 2:57
2 Fly 2 Wardle 4:01
3 Ketmagyl (Don't Go Away) Cookson, Usmanova, Wobble 4:52
4 Visions of You Adams, Reynolds, Wobble 5:33
5 Mehmeda Majka Budila Sulejmanovic, Wobble 3:09
6 Becoming More Like God Adams, Reynolds, Wobble 3:19
7 Mistralazul 2 Count, Miranda, Sparkes, Wobble 4:07
8 I Offer You Everything Wobble 3:50
9 Shout at the Devil Atlas, Dubulah, Sparkes, Wobble 4:05
10 Blacksmith Carter, Cookson, Traditional, Wardle 5:02
11 Blacksmith Dub Carter, Cookson, Traditional, Wardle 3:38
12 Elevator Music 3 Wobble 5:19
13 Josey Walsh Adams, Reynolds, Wobble 3:57
14 Tyger Tyger Wobble 4:54
15 Requiem III Wobble 6:54

Disc 2

1 Poptones 7:47
2 Betrayal Dub Wobble 6:02
3 How Much Are They Czukay, Wobble 4:47
4 Invaders of the Heart Mix 2 [Mix 2] Maltby, Marland, Murray, Partis… 4:32
5 Swan Lake (Death Disco) 4:11
6 Snake Charmer Czukay, Kevorkian, Marland, Wobble 6:21
7 Songs of Innocence Wobble 6:47
8 Fly 1 Wardle 6:08
9 Funeral March Wobble 4:50
10 Lam Tang Way Dub Wobble 3:31
11 The Dunes McGowan, Wobble 4:58
12 So Many Years Adams, Harrow, Schoots, Wobble 2:52
13 Lam Saravane Dub Laos, Wobble 4:26
14 A Man I Knew Kenelly, Wobble 6:07
15 Elevator Music 1 Wobble 6:28

Disc 3

1 Gone to Croatan Dieng, Laswell, Sanders, Skopelitis… 15:29
2 Spinner Eno, Wobble 2:57
3 A13 Harrow, Wobble 3:44
4 Passage to Hades Bell, Parker, Rasle, Sanders, Wobble 13:33
5 The Mystery of Twilight Part 2 Budd, Heynes, Laswell, Leibezeit… 24:31
6 Left Where It Fell Eno, Wobble 6:57
7 The River Suite (Extract) Wobble 12:41

¡Aquí!

Maestoso - 2007 - Caterwauling

14 years passed between Wooly Wolstenholme's solo debut and his second set, and another decade was gone before a third album appeared, credited to the artist's new solo moniker Maestoso. 2004's One Drop in a Dry World, was swiftly followed by Grim, and a mere two years went by before Caterwauling landed on the shelves. While One Drop was an exuberantly diverse musical affair and Grim a wildly creative concept set, Caterwauling neither explores new musical territory nor presents an overarching theme. A far more introspective affair, here Maestoso seems intent on solidifying his musical ideas. There again, the artist is not immune to current events or their antecedents, tracing the long historical trek of the "Soldier of Fortune" across a free-form jazzy, prog rocker. Flipping the coin, Maestoso then follows a patriotic young enlistee down "The Road to Nowhere." The latter's a perfect pop/rocker, and almost reminiscent of the Jam at their epic heights. Maestoso's sympathetic portrayal of both these characters is belied by the heavy-hitting "Shoes," a requiem for war's multitudinous innocent victims, that begins in quiet beauty, then explodes into progressive metal-laced rock. This triptych of death is the set's only concessions to current climes, bar the sarcastic expose of our "Pills"-popping culture, with the rest of the album given over to more personal affairs. There's a trio of moody, yearning numbers in the center of the set -- the revelatory "Closure," the emotive rocker "Always," and the introspective "I Don't Like You." One can draw one's own conclusions that the group is book-ended by "The Collector" and "Tonight Could Be the Night," electrifying numbers both, but representing death and beginnings respectively. The lilting "Matilda Yarrow," in contrast, is a gentle lullaby, "Strange Worlds" a succinct sci-fi story set to a grandiose pop backing, and "Blossom Hill" a return to simple pastoral pleasures. Joined once again by Kim Turner, Steve Broomhead, and Craig Fletcher, alongside a guesting Geoffrey Richardson and Jake Fletcher, the music and arrangements are magnificent, the quieter numbers glistening, the rockers spectacular. Not as immediately mind-blowing as One Drop, nor as cohesive as Grim, Caterwauling, instead strengthens the links to Wolstenholme's own past with Barclay James Harvest.

1 Caterwauling 0:49
2 Soldier of Fortune 11:36
3 The Road to Nowhere 4:08
4 Matilda Yarrow 5:04
5 The Collector 4:04
6 Closure 2:44
7 Always 4:06
8 I Don't Like You 3:33
9 Tonight Could Be the Night 4:10
10 Shoes 3:43
11 Strange Worlds 2:16
12 Quicksand 5:30
13 Blossom Hill 3:53
14 Pills 3:11

¡Aquí!

VA - 1986 - Sounds From True Stories

This soundtrack to the Talking Heads film True Stories was the second release in a planned trilogy, the last of which -- the film's actors covering the Talking Heads songs from the album -- never surfaced. Fortunately, this second volume did, a selection of background music and non-David Byrne tunes written for the film. Of the Byrne-penned selections, only a few borrow from Heads songs, and the original compositions, perched somewhere between Penguin Cafe Orchestra and a general Americana feel, are pleasant. Meredith Monk's "Road Song" does Byrne one better in this department, and Carl Finch's incredibly silly "Mall Muzak" suite pokes cockeyed fun. The only proper songs here are Terry Allen's "Cocktail Desperado" and Steve Jordan's Tex-Mex "Soy de Texas," both romping good fun.

1 Cocktail Desperado
2 Road Song
3 Freeway Son
4 Brownie's Theme
5 Mall Muzak
6 Dinner Music
7 Disco Hits
8 City of Steel
9 Love Theme from "True Storeis"
10 Festa Para Um Rei Negro
11 Buster's Theme
12 Soy de Tejas
13 I Love Metal Buildings
14 Glass Operator

¡Aquí!

Velvet Underground - 1968 - White Light / White Heat

The world of pop music was hardly ready for The Velvet Underground's first album when it appeared in the spring of 1967, but while The Velvet Underground and Nico sounded like an open challenge to conventional notions of what rock music could sound like (or what it could discuss), 1968's White Light/White Heat was a no-holds-barred frontal assault on cultural and aesthetic propriety. Recorded without the input of either Nico or Andy Warhol, White Light/White Heat was the purest and rawest document of the key Velvets lineup of Lou Reed, John Cale, Sterling Morrison, and Maureen Tucker, capturing the group at their toughest and most abrasive. The album opens with an open and enthusiastic endorsement of amphetamines (startling even from this group of noted drug enthusiasts), and side one continues with an amusing shaggy-dog story set to a slab of lurching mutant R&B ("The Gift"), a perverse variation on an old folktale ("Lady Godiva's Operation"), and the album's sole "pretty" song, the mildly disquieting "Here She Comes Now." While side one was a good bit darker in tone than the Velvets' first album, side two was where they truly threw down the gauntlet with the manic, free-jazz implosion of "I Heard Her Call My Name" (featuring Reed's guitar work at its most gloriously fractured), and the epic noise jam "Sister Ray," 17 minutes of sex, drugs, violence, and other non-wholesome fun with the loudest rock group in the history of Western Civilization as the house band. White Light/White Heat is easily the least accessible of The Velvet Underground's studio albums, but anyone wanting to hear their guitar-mauling tribal frenzy straight with no chaser will love it, and those benighted souls who think of the Velvets as some sort of folk-rock band are advised to crank their stereo up to ten and give side two a spin.

1 White Light/White Heat Reed 2:47
2 The Gift Cale, Morrison, Reed, Tucker 8:19
3 Lady Godiva's Operation Reed 4:56
4 Here She Comes Now Cale, Morrison, Reed, Tucker, Tucker 2:04
5 I Heard Her Call My Name Reed 4:38
6 Sister Ray Cale, Morrison, Reed, Tucker, Tucker 17:27

¡Aquí!

Björk - 1995 - Post

After Debut's success, the pressure was on Björk to surpass that album's creative, tantalizing electronic pop. She more than delivered with 1995's Post; from the menacing, industrial-tinged opener, "Army of Me," it's clear that this album is not simply Debut redux. The songs' production and arrangements -- especially those of the epic, modern fairy tale "Isobel" -- all aim for, and accomplish, more. Post also features Debut producer Nellee Hooper, 808 State's Graham Massey, Howie B, and Tricky, who help Björk incorporate a spectrum of electronic and orchestral styles into songs like "Hyperballad," which sounds like a love song penned by Aphex Twin. Meanwhile, the bristling beats on the volatile, sensual "Enjoy" and the fragile, weightless ballad "Possibly Maybe" nod to trip-hop without being overwhelmed by it. As on Debut, Björk finds new ways of expressing timeworn emotions like love, lust, and yearning in abstractly precise lyrics like "Since you went away/I'm wearing lipstick again/I suck my tongue in remembrance of you," from "Possibly Maybe." But Post's emotional peaks and valleys are more extreme than Debut's. "I Miss You"'s exuberance is so animated, it makes perfect sense that Ren & Stimpy's John Kricfalusi directed the song's video. Likewise, "It's Oh So Quiet" -- which eventually led to Björk's award-winning turn as Selma in Dancer in the Dark -- is so cartoonishly vibrant, it could have been arranged by Warner Bros. musical director Carl Stalling. Yet Björk sounds equally comfortable with an understated string section on "You've Been Flirting Again." "Headphones" ends the album on an experimental, hypnotic note, layering Björk's vocals over and over till they circle each other atop a bubbling, minimal beat. The work of a constantly changing artist, Post proves that as Björk moves toward more ambitious, complex music, she always surpasses herself.



1 Army of Me Bjork, Massey 3:54
2 Hyper-Ballad Bjork, Gudmundsdottir 5:21
3 The Modern Things Bjork, Massey 4:10
4 It's Oh So Quiet Lang, Reisfeld 3:38
5 Enjoy Bjork, Tricky 3:56
6 You've Been Flirting Again Bjork, Gudmundsdottir 2:29
7 Isobel Bjork, De Vries, Hooper, Sjón 5:47
8 Possibly Maybe Bjork 5:06
9 I Miss You B., Bjork 4:03
10 Cover Me Bjork, Gudmundsdottir 2:06
11 Headphones Bjork, Tricky 5:40

¡Aquí!

Work - 1982 - Slow Crimes

If a band that combines the shrill hectoring vocal tone of Flux of Pink Indians with the twee atonality of Henry Cow is your cup of tea, then you'll be thrilled to see the CD reissue of the Work's debut LP. It was originally released in 1982 and sounds it, but that's no criticism -- it's also avant-garde in a very distinctively British way, but that's no criticism either. What is a criticism is the fact that both "Flies" and "State Room" are avant-garde in really rather boring, aimless ways; it's also something of a criticism to say that "Like This" comes across as something that might have been Arnold Schoenberg's idea of pop music. But "Balance" is both weird and fun, with moments of frenetic polka-like punkiness and moments of strange (and kind of silly) quietude. Catherine Jauniaux's guest vocals are lots of good, squeaky fun, but ex-Henry Cow member Tim Hodgkinson is the one whose vocal style -- warbly, watery, unsteady -- really sets the tone for the album as a whole. The album's highlight track is probably "Brickyard," a rhythmically straightforward exploration of multi-layered percussion and guitar sounds and the kind of thing that really would have gotten Fred Frith going if Hodgkinson had brought in the charts during his Henry Cow days. If I keep bringing up Henry Cow, it may be because it seems like that band was doing all the things this band does best ten years earlier, and was doing them better. But that's not really a criticism either. Well, OK -- actually it is.

1 Nearly Empty Gilonis, Hobbs, Hodgkinson, Wilson 2:59
2 Balance Gilonis, Hobbs, Hodgkinson, Wilson 2:22
3 Pop Gilonis, Hobbs, Hodgkinson, Wilson 4:46
4 Flies Gilonis, Hobbs, Hodgkinson, Wilson 2:25
5 Like This Gilonis, Hobbs, Hodgkinson, Wilson 2:56
6 Knives Gilonis, Hobbs, Hodgkinson, Wilson 3:32
7 Cain & Abel Gilonis, Hobbs, Hodgkinson, Wilson 4:17
8 State Room Gilonis, Hobbs, Hodgkinson, Wilson 3:27
9 Brickyard Gilonis, Hobbs, Hodgkinson, Wilson 4:42
10 Do It Gilonis, Hobbs, Hodgkinson, Wilson 2:22
11 Le Travail Gilonis, Hobbs, Hodgkinson, Wilson 3:37
12 Maggot Song Gilonis, Hobbs, Hodgkinson, Wilson 2:46

¡Aquí!