Reviews
Faith Kleppinger “Asleep in the Well” Two Sheds Music. I first heard Faith play during part of a 1999 CMJ showcase set at Manhattan’s Meow Mix, and while I couldn’t stay through the end - I was struck by her sound and sincerity, plus the fact that she paused between songs to slip me a demo cd. Her debut which was “Recorded at Chase Park Transduction in Athens, Georgia over four nice days in October 2001, is filled with excellent songs that all showcase her sometimes breathy, but always beautiful voice. While the disc is reminiscent of airy Mazzy Star recordings, and most tracks share a vague sameness, each song does stand up well on its own. It wasn’t until the cd arrived in the mail that I learned she was born in Allentown, Pa., a neighborhood the rag and I called home from ‘96-’97. Perhaps I could have caught her formative days, if she was still there and had started performing. Regardless, she’s still an artist who’s developing. With the good sense to not rely solely on acoustic guitar (the cd features additional instrumentation (guitar, vibraphone, and percussion) by David Barbe, formerly of Sugar, and other playing, including keys and backing vocals by a fellow named Blake Rainey. Some lyrics are so catchy, I find myself singing threads even when I can’t lay my hands on the disc. Others are so poetic, I’m glad they were in the package. You’ll wish Faith had included them in the liner notes. - Ment.

VOIVOD (self-titled) Chophouse/Surfdog Recs. I didn’t know that the band began as a cover act, playing Motorhead, Judas Priest and the like, I just know they’ve been around as long as I’ve been paying attention. What’s more, I’ve always known that Voivod manages to make heavy metal interesting. capitalizing on speed, chug factor, and the conventions of the form, Voivod gets even my weary head banging. But I can maintain it only so long, as the repetitious nature of this kind of music eventually hits home. I wonder what they think of the new smoking ban in New York State. - Ment

Varnum’s Amusement, “Melatonin,” Irish Heart Records - Singer-songwriter Matt Varnum blends warm melodic vocals, with a grunge version of soft rock, moments of twang, and poetic musings on life’s small pleasures and trials. Varnum visits a number of Northwest traditions - traveling between Ellensburg, WA and Seattle to record tracks and recruiting Mark Pickerel (of Screaming Trees) to drum on several tracks. The clean production on this album blends occasionally spicy guitar licks with a smooth rhythmic groove, and the warm, richness of his voice manages to wrangle winsome notes while giving the impression that he doesn’t have to work too hard at it. - EAK

Omni, “Paint by Numbers,” - Nice clean guitar tracks with the spunky burp of a bass that may remind you of early RHCP or Infectious Grooves. Coupled with solid, sonorous vocals for a great sounding indie rock recording. - EAK

Obey the Giant Rock’N’Roll Swindle - Fork in Hand Recs. Good punk and high-concept combine on this 20-track CD that’s a piece of art tied to the Andre the Giant sticker and poster guy, Shephard Fairey. It’s naturally hard to pick out a handful of tracks for praise, but without a doubt “Perseverance” by the Suicide Machines and “New Feudalism” by the No W.T.O. Combo are worth mentioning. It’s furious, like you’d expect. But intelligent like you should demand. - Ment. CD-rom portion totally started gumming up the works of a computer I dropped the thing into, so after saving my own ass I decided to only listen to this in dumb decks. - Ment.
High or Hellwater ep (from the Living the Good Lie cd) self-released. Twang, twang, twang. Raw foot-tapping southern-style rock (lap guitar and all, possibly) come together on this tiny treat from Nashville. Very listenable. The band has apparently built its reputation through a network of country jam nights, or what I assume to be more prestigious forms of the open-mics I know so well. Whatever the case, they surely do know how to jam. At times sleepy a la Blind Melon, at times groovy like Phish. - Ment

Ozma “The Doubble Donkey Disc” “Spending Time on the Borderline” Kung Fu Recs. I’m trying to figure out what kind of sound these guys are after. It’s guitar rock. Stadium rock, maybe. And love songs. There’s also horns, orchestral efforts, and piano. But is Ozma a pop band? I don’t know. Doubble Donkey Disc is a remastered reissue of the band’s self-released effort which tells you there is life after pre-indie obscurity. - Ment

Nineteen Forty-Five “I Saw a Bright Light” Daemon Recs. Fuzzy, aint it? A cacophony of sound and image and oh so morbid and depressing. “She Takes Drugs,” “Someday I’ll End It All,” (Paint the walls bright red with a gun and my head). Honestly, I didn’t like this at all the first time I listened. But it grows on ya, almost indifferently, which I think the band would appreciate. Even their love songs seem to have a certain disregard for the object of affection. - Ment
The Soundtrack of Our Lives “Behind the Music” Republic/Universal. Think a little bit tribal, with vocals processed the way so many were in the 60s so you can hear the fingerprint of the old cloth-insulated wires. Think long songs with electronic seagull sound effects. Think a big, quite harmoic sound. Maybe think Swedish, since that’s what these boys are. They apparently played CMJ’s opening night last year but I missed it. Maybe this sound comes across better live. On the disc, they’re just too much. - Ment

Prong “100 % Live” Locomotive Music, Madrid, Spain. Has it really been that long? I’m told this disc marks the return of Prong after five years – where? underground? On the beach? At the bar? Wherever, for those who dig this techno-thrash metal stuff it’s time to be thankful.Sometimes it’s easy to tell the professionals, like Prong, from the amateurs (insert your local head-banging losers’ bandname here) This is hard, heavy, and exactly what you’d expect. I liked “Snap your fingers, Snap Your Neck,” for its hopeless, dismal look at life. “Expectations of my daily bread gives me the hunger to steal,” sings Tommy Victor. It’s all quite intense. Founder Victor, singer, guitarist and founder is back. and according to the publicity materials, he kept the name because he said: “Because a good 95 percent of the material has been mine throughout the years.” - Ment

Question of Honour “Bound” self-released. Get it Honor - Bound. A one gag act. Jangly guitars mixed with rock vocals round out this record packed with intense lyrics about everything from, well, “rockin” to love, to war. Songs were written at various points over the past roughly 18 years. So the time capsule as it is a sort of snapshot of the times. I’m honestly not sure who wakes up in the morning wanting to listen to this sort of thing, but someone must. They’ve licensed several tracks to an independent filmmaker, landed on a CMJ Certain Damage compilation, and have several others Cds to their credit.


Pretenders “Loose Screw” Artemis. Is this really just the Pretenders’ eighth disc?, Chrissie Hynde and the band have always been a favorite. I heard her and the boys on National Public Radio’s Weekend Edition a couple months back and she said the sound and execution was the most important part of a gig, more so than the audience, etc. I’d like to see a show she considered flawless, because even a bad Pretenders gig is likely better than most sets you stumble across on a week-to-week basis. I think she said “You Know Who Your Friends Are,” was about folks who want to drag you down when you’ve dug yourself out. To me, it sounds like classic, early Pretenders – without any pretense whatsoever. “Complex Person” the apparent choice of radio is a very reggae-beated thang. “Walk Like A Panther,” the last track, is fucking sultry as hell. Leaves you wanting more, much more. Lyrics are packed with emotion and meaning. The disc is loaded with elegant melodies, and ace musicianship that will make you wonder why some other bands ever find room in the bins. - Ment

Tom Petty/Heartbreakers “The Last DJ” - Warner Bros. Petty writes like I feel, the world has sold out. He’s riding that Neil Young bus straight to a cynical grave ... in heaven for all the good times he’s caused. The last dj won’t play what the man wants him to play. In fact, he only plays what he wants to play. Get it? I suspect Petty is about the same way. He’s made his nut, so he can sing about when “Money Becomes King,” a soulful tale of rock gone corporate. Of course, Petty has gone a bit corporate himself. Delivering album-oriented rock (that’s still subversive if you actually listen.) - Ment

Johnny Cash “American IV: The Man Comes Around” What can I say? Cash is still at it. Remember the edge of his first album produced by Rick Rubin? Remember the news a few years later that his career was nearly over due to illness? Remember the cds that followed? Like I said still at it. Some might say that he’s merely going through the motions on covers of Depeche Mode’s “Personal Jesus,” or Hank Williams’ “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry,” but I think it’s more the Cash formula. That has evolved to a spoken-word sort of thing. It’s also evident in this version of Simon and Garfunkel’s “Bridge Over Troubled Water” – a duet with sultry Fiona Apple. The title track is just downright eerie. - Ment

Beastie Boys, “In a World Gone Mad” - With the impending war against terrorism…uh, weapons of mass destruction, uh … leaders that won’t abandon their country with 2 days warning, the B-Boys couldn’t wait until their upcoming full-length was done to release this paean to non-violence. Pundits who posted comments at the Rolling Stone site where the single is available for download seemed, like anti-war protesters, a little too inclined to split hairs with each other - is it old school or not, is it like or unlike their other songs. They all overlook the content - wars are often fought for commercial gain, they foster (not reduce) greater violence and hatred, and cause suffering. Sure, the B-Boys are not self-conscious about using whimsied or even silly lyrics to make rhymes, but they are concerned with world peace. In strictly technical terms, Negotiation Limerick File is a better song that conveys a similar message about the vexing presence of hatred in the world. “In a World Gone Mad” is a little rawer and perhaps sparer on the instrumental, but it does the job the Beasties have done for more than 20 years - putting out hip-hop that grooves, makes us laugh, and makes us think. -