jan 20 th discs (AUDIO) ANDREW BIRD Noble Beast/Useless Creatures suit—the experience of Silver sound like the work of four [Deluxe Edition] Fat Possum Cord evens out and ends up veteran musicians. This is more BON IVER being nebulous, without leaving of a bad thing than a good thing; Blood Bank / Jagjaguwar much of an impression. The although it has the youthful CROSBY STILLS & NASH time spent with it, however, is exuberance of a garage band, Allies at least worth the price of it also has the awkward and Avalon UK admission. boring songwriting and the DEADLOCK In A Word: Hazy insecurity of musicians who Manifesto / Lifeforce Records Grade: B- are not comfortable with each GIN WIGMORE Extended Play EP/Motown —by Patrick Slevin other. Simply put, it feels much more like a half-hearted reunion Various Artists melodies and grinding guitars Ever The Silver Cord Be LISA HANNIGAN record than it should. The Sea Sew / ATO/Red A Few Uneven Rhymes: A feel alien and unfamiliar, and Loosed does sound like it was The New Odds instrumentation sounds sparse, MARIAH CAREY Tribute To Winter Hours it’s an effect that’s used expertly. processed through a quaalude Cheerleader and the songs don’t sound The Ballads/Sony Legacy Main Man Records They bring some real originality filter. Each one of the eight Second Motion properly filled out. The album REEL BIG FISH Tribute records can be a very to a genre that’s notorious for songs here moves along at a Fame, Fortune, Fornication Dormant for almost a is the musical equivalent of a hit or miss proposition. it’s complacency, which pace that seems to warp the Rock Ridge Music decade, The New Odds re- rusting scaffold. Oftentimes they feature a few deserves credit. time spent with it to an emerged this summer like a The album isn’t a complete th good tracks, and the rest are, Scale The Summit have an inevitable, “Huh?” which is a jan 27 phoenix from the ashes of a failure by any means. The well, not as good. So it must alarming degree of command good thing, to a point. forest fire in the Canadian members of The New Odds ANDREW BIRD have been gratifying for over their instruments, and it’s But as things go on, a longing Noble Beast / Fat Possum Rockies. With a new album and channel early Weezer records longtime radio personality and readily evident; these tracks for something more creeps in. a spot on tour with the on many of these songs, and DALEK WBJB Music Director Jeff are packed with complicated The inevitable Brooklyn/Tee Gutter Tactics / Ipecac Barenaked Ladies, The New they’ve preserved the Raspe when his call for artists time signatures, intricate solos, Pee Records worship of all Odds may seem like a lighthearted optimism of the FRANZ FERDINAND to contribute to this tribute to and all-around musical things Pentagram and their Tonight: Franz Ferdinand completely unnecessary Clinton years accurately. But Domino his favorite band resulted in acrobatics. However, there’s latter day counterparts in throwback to the ‘90s, and that’s this record definitely could have such a talented line-up of not much to separate one song Witchcraft and labelmates IT DIES TODAY exactly what they are. Their used a few more years in the Lividity / Trustkill artists. The result is one of the from the other thematically, Graveyard shines through here, new album, Cheerleader, oven, because as it is now, it most consistently satisfying especially without lyrics. The even while singer Trevor Tyrrell SEPULTURA sounds like Squeeze and Tom sounds too much like a demo. A-Lex / SPV tribute albums in recent compositions are long, and sounds like a drugged Mick Petty taking a bath, but it’s If anything, it’s a lesson in memory. there are a lot of them, and they Jagger with Aldous Huxley- BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN cleaner and more melodic than preparation for future reunion Working On A Dream More than anything else, this tend bleed into each other. meets-Terrence McKenna- Columbia any power-pop band of recent records. album provides testimony to Maybe this stuff is the cat’s esque fascination for biblical memory, and, unfortunately, In A Word: Hammock SYLOSIS the sound that Winter Hours meow for someone with a interpretation through the third Conclusion Of An Age it’s also much more boring. Grade: C Nuclear Blast created. It’s interesting that master’s degree in composition eye. What’s surprising about —by Josh Frank these 27 tracks, recorded by from Berkeley. But I’m just a But the highs just aren’t high rd Cheerleader is that it doesn’t feb 3 different artists in different screaming deadbeat from New enough and the lows follow studios, hang together well Jersey, and I became very CANNIBAL CORPSE Evisceration Plague enough to have you believe bored, very quickly. Metal Blade that this music was all recorded Like a lot of bands with DIPLO by one band. That is a powerful incredibly talented members, disc of the week Decent Work For Decent Pay legacy indeed, and a tribute to Scale The Summit lack Big Dada Records/Revolver the power of melody to which something to anchor them in appropriately thick and DOKKEN Winter Hours aspired. reality. The music is impressive Under Lock And Key loud and bursts with Rhino Flashback Because all of the technically, but it lacks emotion, heartbroken energy. The performances are so strong, and while it’s slick, polished THE FRAY B-side isn’t quite as The Fray / Sony it’s difficult to pick one or two production values are memorable, but it still has tracks, but The Aquarian ‘s own impressive, it feels sterile. HEARTLESS BASTARDS the freshness and The Mountain / Fat Possum John Pfeiffer provides some Surely, it’s possible for these narrative longing that so LEONA LEWIS great guitar work on Christian guys to merge technical much music lacks. The Spirit: The Deluxe Edition Beach’s version of “I Want,” as expertise with accessibility. Eric J-Records best part is that it’s all well as on In Between Dreams’ Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, Dream recorded admirably well, RED JUMPSUIT APPARATUS cover of “Say The Word.” The Theatre—nobody can deny the Lonely Road / EMI especially for an unknown Winter Hours classic “Hyacinth raw emotion behind their music. THE VON BONDIES indie-rock trubador with Girl” is beautifully interpreted Unfortunately, Scale The Love Hate And Then There’s You just a laptop and a guitar. Shout Factory by Jack Bragg with Deena Summit are unable to find a Please go ahead and Shoskes. connection with their listeners, shell out three bucks for th There will be release parties and it reduces their album to a feb 10 the vinyl version of this for the album at 1978 self-indulgent bore. single. I am the most Maplewood Arts Center on Jan. In A Word: Batman ANNIE LENOX zealous advocate I know The Annie Lenox Collection 24, Maxwell’s in Hoboken on Grade: C+ of iTunes and free Sony Jan. 31, and the Strand Theatre —by Josh Frank In Ribbons downloads, but on the BEN LEE in Lakewood on Feb. 7. The Rebirth Of Venus Mr. A and Mrs. B inside, my bearded, This is perfect music for the New West Records Love/Hate beret-wearing, purist winter hours ahead. Weird Owl BUSTA RHYMES feels the need to Back On My B.S. In A Word: Timeless Ever The Silver Cord Be advocate anyone who still Universal Motown Grade: A Loosed In the vein of Neutral mediocrity, but John Cole, Milk Hotel and the the man behind In puts out music on wax. INDIA.ARIE —by Ken Shane Tee Pee Records And when it’s so cheap, Testiimony, Vol. 2: Love & Politics As stoner rock goes, the Decemberists, In Ribbons Ribbons, manages to Republic what could go wrong? equation reads as something pairs rich, chorused squeeze little spots of KARI JOBE The only thing more I can Scale The Summit like as the tempo approaches acoustic sounds with a brilliance out of clichés. Kari Jobe / Integrity Media hope for is that we’ll be Carving Desert Canyons zero, the quality of the song shrill and wavering voice The single is a LETHARGY that narrates for us sad toothpaste-colored vinyl updated on Mr. C and Purification / Powerage Rock Prosthetic approaches perfection. Of Mrs. D’s conditions on Progressive metal is a vague, course, if it were that simple, stories about people who 45 with two songs, both of LILY ALLEN do stupid things because which are cute and future albums. It’s Not Me, It’s You / EMI nebulous genre, but Scale The we’d all be catatonic in droning Summit embody it perfectly. fuzz-heaven, and as it turns of love. Now that it’s heartrending in their own NAPALM DEATH In A Word: Bummer Time Waits For No Slave Carving Desert Canyons just out, the math is a little more become so much of a way. The title track builds Century Media Grade: B+ sounds futuristic, no matter complicated than that. stereotype, it sounded to slowly to an orchestral —by Josh Frank THIN LIZZY what your definition of the word Weird Owl aren’t the slowest me like a formula for finale, which is Live And Dangerous Friday Music is. It’s fast-moving, epic stoner rock band out there, but

26 ARTS WEEKLY JANUARY 21, 2009 www.theaquarian.com