Fourth City
c+
All five tracks on this disc were made using battery powered instruments and “modified toys,” like the First Act Drum Toy and Candy Candy Karaoke Organ, and they sound damn good. At times B.O.B.-22 sounds kind of like Gold Chains. “Deeper Parallels” is definitely a standout, but sometimes the high-pitched rap voice on the songs gets tiring. It’ll be interesting to see what comes next from this project. —Kristopher Monroe
Get Cool
Made in Mexico
B
Bright, shiny jangle-pop that brings out the 18-year-old in me, and that could easily be written off as another all-female pop group. They seem to have harnessed that insult and put together an album that sounds—unabashedly—like a culmination of the greatest hits of female pop. Crank it up, dance around in your underwear, and sing along into your hairbrush. —Nathan Walker
The Catch will be at Indigo District in Eugene on June 9 and at the Crocodile in Seattle June 10.
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Sometime between the era of arena rock and the retro dance-punk resurgence lies Cobra Verde. They are sexy, smarmy, serious and on “Copycat Killers,” nothing but a cover band. But they know rock’n’roll. Perhaps it was the near-perfect cover of Pink’s not-so-perfect song, “Get the Party Started,” that suckered me into the album, or maybe it was Cobra Verde’s cover of the Fall’s “The Dice Man” that won me over. Most likely, however, it was probably the fact that I felt like sayin’ “bitchin’” after half the songs on this album. While “Copycat Killers” is hardly perfect, played loudly enough its flaws can be overlooked.—Josh Davis
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Remember the “Have a Nice Day” series from the 1990s? It was a multi-volume collection of AM hits from the 1970s, most by one-hit wonders like Steam and the Jaggerz. Dolour’s third full-length is filled with that kind of sunshine pop. Just as good comedy looks easy, good pop sounds easy—like it’s easy to make, that is. Someone’s gotta keep the dream alive and singer/songwriter Shane Tutmarc is one of Seattle’s finest practitioners. I particularly like “Cheer Up Baby,” but (to paraphrase the Osmonds) there are no bad apples in this bunch. -Kathleen C Fennessey
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Although the first two tracks of this disc are somewhat forgettable, this is an excellent release for the Esoteric. Heavy, driving and at times psychedelic, the Esoteric’s sound is reminiscent of early ‘90s German metal-hardcore groups like Carol or Systral. Fans of Zeni Geva and Neurosis will enjoy the guitar antics, layers of feedback and delay that frame the exceptionally melodic songs. Some of you may be familiar with the Esoteric from their split EP with Lawrence expatriates Wormwood in 2003. This is just as good if not better. —Robert Hanna
Lullabies for Aborted Children
Self-released
B
Listening to “Lullabies for Aborted Children” will probably make you uncomfortable. It’s a creepy, troubling CD, full of atonality, disturbing images and occasional silliness. If this is, in fact, your reaction, then Fear of Dolls has done their job well. The band has been around for ten years and is in a constant state of flux. This uncertainty is reflected in the group’s music. It’s not that “Lullabies” sounds bad, or hesitant, or tentative, but there is an audible willingness to truck with the unexpected. -Genevieve Williams
Everything Ecstatic
Domino Records
C
Perhaps this is the breakout album that I just don’t quite understand. But to be honest, I kinda liked his other stuff. In “Everything Ecstatic,” Kieran Hebden, AKA Four Tet, has strayed from his soothing lullabies somewhat to focus on a more drum and bass, aggressive and even experimental sound. And while there are many of the same fundamental elements contained in the first two albums, for the most part, it is like a break-beat mix that flirts with the avant-garde. -JD
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I was in my first automobile accident years ago to the soundtrack of the first Pedro the Lion record. Dave Bazan’s voice was a comforting memory as I waited for help in the middle of nowhere, bleeding and alone. Strange then that Bazan and his ‘Phones end their new album with “Slow Car Crash,” a sparse arrangement that beats like a heart before dying. While the record’s eight-bit electronic melodies and church-hymn keys might evoke a few Postal Service comparisons, this has a more organic, unpolished feel and percussive drive that is both its virtue and vice. -Timothy Schofield
Rivers Roll on By
Bloodshot Records
B
This quartet of pickers and grinners have put out a more restrained CD than their bluegrass rave-up live act would lead one to expect, but damn if they don’t end up breaking your heart with their odes to our favorite volcano (“Mt. St. Helens”) and lulling ballads. A few songs edge into pedantic silliness but that’s what they made the skip button on your CD player for. -Robert Ham
From the Lion's Mouth
Kill Rock Stars
C-
What an ironic title for a record on which the chanteuse seems untempted to project her vocal range, much of the delivery sounding a tad lackadaisical and uninspired. Maybe she’s a lion in an indie cage, possessing a lovely voice and some keen songwriting abilities, but too pacified to transform the twee chamber pop ballads into anything more exciting than average, even in the big ensemble pieces. Fans of Aimee Mann, Mirah or the Gentle Waves might perk up an ear at the record as a whole, but the parts left me a little bored. -TS
With Teeth
Interscope
A-
Since “Pretty Hate Machine,” Trent Reznor has been guilty of polluting his albums with boring and ultimately irrelevant tracks. Five years since “Things Fall Apart,” Nine Inch Nails emerges from the studio with a concise album. Rather than adding useless soundscape filler, each track holds your attention instead of fading in and out of consciousness as on “The Fragile.” Reznor’s introspective lyrics are once again an intimate glimpse inside his inner turmoil. Musically, the recording is a perfect marriage of disquieting ambiance and ominous thrashing. “With Teeth” is certainly no masterpiece but a satisfactory outing nonetheless. -Tony Englehart
Don't Believe the Truth
Epic
A-
Oasis fans can admit to ourselves that "Heathen Chemistry" blows. The addition of Andy Bell and Gem Archer only fed the identity crisis of a band that only has one surviving original member. While "Don't Believe the Truth" isn't exactly "long awaited," it's still the resounding yes that could bring Oasis back to US consciousness. Gone are the Gallaghers' songs of schizophenia and separation, replaced with rocking, compressed messages about simple pleasures and self-realization. And Love. The album possibly has more and better guitar hooks than all Oasis' other releases. If "Lyla" doesn't hit the top ten, "Turn Up the Sun" or "A Bell Will Ring" just might. The DualDisc version's flip side is a DVD that has the whole album in surround sound, a documentary, and the "Lyla" video. The minus means the 11-song record could have used another submission from Archer. Cheers mates, this record is tops. -John Lankford
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This rhythm section-comprised trio (that is to say bass, keyboards and drums) and their anomalous sound are perfect for the genre-bending Thrill Jockey label. There is enough funk and rock as well as obtuse time signatures and lyrics found on their first full-length to fill up another band’s entire catalog. The songs can get stuck in a repetitive loop on occasion but are quickly pulled out of the mire by the plaintive vocals of Fay Davis Jeffers. A fine debut. -RH
Empty House
Bloodshot Records
B
During the course of his recording career, Rex Hobart has rarely strayed from the tried and true topics of country music: drinking, fighting and relationships. His sound, too, has never found a need to branch out. Now on his fourth album, Hobart has filled 11 songs with solid songwriting and music seemingly recorded in one take, around one microphone. The songs shift from longing laments, to drinking sing-alongs, to she-done me-wrong driving songs—each filled with just the right touch of verve and regret. This is what country used to sound like, and what, God willing, it always will. -Tyson Lynn
A River Ain't Too Much Love
Drag City
A-
Bill Callahan has made another (Smog) album, though with no huge musical surprises. The small, joyful delights are found in the songs’ vignettes of morose comments that float into my ears like a fortune cookie for the disaffected. Listen to a new (Smog) album like you’d read a new book from your favorite author; the language may be familiar but the new stories will delight. -NW
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More a work of transcendent art than conventional rock recording, movements of ambient noise take turns with funky Spanish lyrics or stampeding arena rock a la “The Wall” or “Physical Graffiti.” The album is based on a diary, discovered in a repo-ed car by late band-member Jeremy Ward, who found similarities and coincidences in the anonymous authors’ quest and his own before he (Jeremy) tragically over-dosed last year. If it’s a concept album, then wrenching, jaw-dropping passion, death and a mother’s grief are its existential themes. Whether ahead of its time, or harkening past majesties, “Francis the Mute” is a risky unequivocal classic. -Wendy Colton
Spoon will be at the Crystal Ballroom in Portland June 16 and at the Showbox in Seattle June 18.
Turn Around EP
The Awareness of Group
B+
Seattle’s own Turn Around is folk-inspired with just a hint of pop inspiration. Their self-titled debut hints at influences from Wilco and the Old 97s but possesses a fresh perspective. With acoustic guitar, bass, drum and keys, Turn Around are not musically complex but the whimsical jangling does not eclipse the multifaceted lyrics. While it would be impossible to cast a fair ballot based on just four tracks, if this first outing is a fair indication of what the future holds for this alt-country quartet, the future looks good. -TE
Bebel Gilberto Remixed
Six Degrees Records
B-
This is good summer music. The sultry sound of Bebel Gilberto is remixed by the likes of Thievery Corporation, Telefon Tel Aviv, DJ Spinna, Nuspirit Helsinki and more. Lots of nice down-tempo selections to get your summer started off right. Pop this in and head out into the sun. -KM
Sanddollars EP
Anticon Records
A
This is the sixth release by Why?, and this eight-song EP features some of their most dynamic and brilliant songwriting to date. You may be familiar with the front man Yoni from his monumental side project cLOUDEAD, which blew away the underground hip-hop community with last year’s release “Ten.” With songs on “Sanddollars” as diverse as the lyrical content behind them, Why? skillfully walks the fence between Pavement-worship indie rock and hip-hop. This record is perfect for Yo La Tengo fans with an ear for hip hop, and I’m very curious to see what this Bay Area quartet pulls off next. -RH
Worst CD of the Month
Desperandum
Self-Released
Full desperately wants to be the next Portishead, but unfortunately they sound like Evanescence on a bad jazz injection. Ms. Wing, front woman and lyricist, has a strong voice, but her phrasing is often stilted compared to her backing band. They move the opposite way: their collective voice is weak, their cohesiveness forced. Together, their partnership feels arranged, with neither partner willing to work with or yield to the other. The result is a mess, with nothing solid to hold onto or remember. —TL