Everybody's a critic and I'm no exception. At some point on the old LCC website I decided that I wanted to write some little reviews of the albums in my collection. No point to it except to amuse myself, keep myself writing and hopefully turn some folks on to some shit they hadn't heard before. Not surprisingly this section of the site got the biggest response from people just surfing the web knowing nothing about me. Even though the LCC site hasn't really been updated in a couple of years I still get the odd email from a stranger asking for more info on an album I'd written about.

I haven't really kept at it in the past couple of years but I hope to start again soon. Just for the record, you should know that I don't get any cd's or records for free (with the exception of the occassional xmas gift from my mom) and I don't review tons of current releases.

All the reviews below remain unedited from the time they written even though I'm sure I've revised my opinions on a few over the past couple of years. Might be a few opinions that make me look foolish but whatcha gonna do? I will try to edit the formatting of the reviews for consistency sometime soon.

Please feel free to drop me a line and tell me about stuff that you like.

december 2002

the black heart procession - amore del tropico - so i haven't really listened to this one enough to have a firm opinion. i heard a couple songs in a record store and it sounded like i would really like it. but when i listened to it at home all the songs started to sound a bit samey. i've only listened to a couple of times so far but i haven't been blown away like i had hoped i would be. coulda been my mood. it shares certain characteristics with music i like. minor keyed and slightly exotic sounding. and depressing which i tend to like alot. i didn't hate it by any means and i hope to come to like it more with some more listens. i guess this wouldn't really pass for a real review in a magazine or newspaper where the critic gives you a definitive opinion on a cd that he/she got that afternoon and fast forwarded through most of it but it's all i got. 2002.

beth gibbons and rustin man - out of season - this, on the other hand, i loved immediately. beth gibbons is the singer from portishead and rustin man is a guy who used to be in talk talk and orang. i am a fan of both portishead and talk talk so it's not too suprising that i like this combo but really this shit goes wrong all the time. beth does more with her voice on this album than the billie holiday impersonation that she usually does though she does that too. nice arrangements. soulful and spare a little folky in places. you can occasionally here the talk talk influence creep in a bit but not a whole lot. this record sounds great on first listen but i expect it to be a grower as well. 2002.

the flaming stars - the story so far 1995-2000 - english band i think. i bought this collection on alternative tentacles after numerous mentions on the big takeover mailing list. at times they remind me of both jesus and mary chain and tindersticks even a little jazz butcher sometimes. i really like it even though the feel isn't very consistent. but what do you expect with a collection? kinda derivative but i definitely want to here more. the singer used to be in gallon drunk for a bit which they also remind me of. fun stuff. 1995-2000.

francoiz breut - vingt a trente mille jours - french girl singer released on bella union the label started by one of that cocteau twins guy. they also put out lift to experience so there is your local connection. it's a neat mixture of the typical french girl pop stuff mixed with a more modern indie rock sound. i believe her boyfriend is a star in france and i think he had a lot to do with the songs and the production. but she has a great voice and interesting delivery. one of my favorite recent purchases. 2001.

introduction to the french nouvelle generation - cuisine non-stop - staying on the french tip this is a compilation of new french music on david byrne's luaka bob label. there's a couple of stinkers but overall it's pretty enjoyable and there are a few artists that i will try to find more from. once again most of the artists have qualities that you would think of as typically french but often they include the influences of hip-hop, electronic music and some indie shit. i can't remember any of the artists names but face it, i just listen to this stuff because i imagine that it will make french girls like me. i never even meet any french girls. check it out. 2002.

david cross - shut up you fucking baby - sub pop releases a comedy record and there probably is a better choice than david cross of mr. show fame. recorded live during his tour of rock clubs last year that included a stop in dallas. now i'm a real big mr. show fan and i liked david's hbo special the pride is back but this cd isn't as funny as i had hoped. david's stand up stuff is more like a series of rants rather than jokes. i found myself agreeing with most of the stuff he says but i didn't laugh as much as i thought i would. i'm guessing that in trying to avoid sounding like a typical hack comedian cross sometimes forgets to include the funny. other times he loses laughs by stumbling over lines. there are definitley some funny moments and he still seems like i'd like to hang out with him but i would have preferred to hear a little more craft. 2002.

queen - a night at the opera - this is a surround sound remix of queen's first super big album. backstory: i've always had a soft spot for queen as bohemian rhapsody was the first rock record that i ever bought when i was 9 or 10. cut to a couple of months ago when i noticed that there was a queen tribute band called queen for a day playing at club dada. normally i avoid club dada like the plague but this seemed like it would be for a laugh. i wasn't prepared to be blown away. i had forgotten how good many of queen's songs were especially if you like stuff that's a bit heavy on the dramatics. well, i like the divine comedy so you know i like the drama. anyways the singer in this tribute band absolutley nails freddie mercury. i mean the voice is perfect, the moves are perfect, everything except the buck teeth. so after i saw them i went a big queen jag and went out and bought a couple of cd's a video compilation on dvd. so to the point this record is actually better than i remembered it to be with just a couple of exceptions. deaths on two legs is really mean and tuff sounding, lazing on a sunday afternoon is a fun music hall pastiche and love of my life is a great ballad. this is one of the records that defined over produced but the songs are mostly great and freddie's voice is incredible. i'm sure that this is the kind of shit that the bands that would become my favorites were rebelling against but i love it and i don't care who knows. oh yeah, i didn't give too much of a shit about the surround sound remix. whatever. 1975.

Afel Bocoum, Damon Albarn, Toumani Diabate, Ko Kan Ko Sata Doumbia - mali music - so white guy damon albarn of blur goes to africa to jam with a bunch of musicians from mali, records the jams, edits the jams into new songs forms and sends the tapes back to africa to be futzed with some more by the mali musicians and presto, you got an album. and it's suprisingly good. i am a blur fan but these kind of collaborations often turn out pretty crappy. whether driven by guilt or driven by a sense of intellectual superiority the white guy in these kind of projects usually sucks the life out of and yuppifies what was probably some pretty cool african music (see paul simon). but this actually seems to work. damon's sesnse of melody combines nicely with mali melodies. and even though i'm sure albarn messed with the recordings a lot it nevers feels "cleaned up". i'm not so sure i understand the term world beat but don't let your lack of familiarity with african music scare you away from this. nice. 2002.

joe strummer and the mescaleros - global a go-go - this one also has a little world beat influence though not as overt. that's nothing new though as the clash were never afraid to mix it up with funk and reggae and the like. i didn't care for what i had heard of joe's last album rock art and the x-ray style but it sounds like the band has come into it's own on this album. i had been meaning to pick this one up for awhile because i had heard it was good but i've learned not to expect too much from my former heroes so i put it on the back burner. i can't think of a singer who sings out of tune as well as strummer and it's a pleasure to once again hear him singing material that is worthy of that voice. still haven't listened enough to pick out favorites. incidentally, i've heard that joe is a paul simon fan. i'll forgive him. 2001.

the libertines - up the bracket - i'll continue to connect the cd's by mentioning that this one was produced by mick jones of the clash. i'd read a lot about this band and had even heard one song on the internet that i quite liked. this had all the earmarks for a record that i would really dig but i'm not too sure. i'm not quite ready to label it a disappointment but so far it doesn't quite add up to the sum of its influences (the jam, old blur, the strokes if the strokes themselves can actually be an influence). as a matter of fact some of the songs sound like direct strokes rips. granted the production and playing is much rawer. this also reminded me a bit of the only ones. the melodies were not immediately as strong as i had hoped but perhaps they will grow on me. it occurs to me that perhaps i should updates some of these reviews after i've lived with the records a bit longer. yeah, i'm sure i'll do that. 2002.

the coral - skeleton key e.p. - i've been waiting for a domestic version of their album to be released but for now this domestic e.p. will have to do. i bought this at the same time as the libertines cd and i think i would have been better off getting the full coral album at import prices rather than getting the libertines cd. the coral e.p. seems much more interesting and though some influences shine through they seem to have resulted in a unique sound that doesn't owe much to any currently hot groups. the singer sometimes reminds me of lee mavers from the la's (both bands are from liverpool) but musically the coral don't seem to share much with the la's. slightly psychedelic and willfully fucked-up. i hear these guys are all around 19 and 20 years old. fuckers. 2002.

gary wilson - you think you really know me - i'm not to sure what to say about this. i'm always a little unsure when commenting on stuff created by people who are real crazy (as opposed to faux crazy like most rockers). and in this instance i'm just assuming that the guy is wacked. but this cd and the pictures inside make a pretty good case. the music is pretty well played vaguely prince-like new wavey r&b stuff. since this was originally released in 1977 it would seem he was ahead of his time. the vocals and lyrics are where the cd gets kinda creepy. gary's voice is not what you call tuneful or good and the lyrics seem to be obsessed with making out. at least part of the appeal of a record like this is laughing at someone that seems so strange and that's what makes me a little uncomfortable. having said that the guy was obviously talented and his history listed in the liner notes lead me to believe that there may be more going on than i would have originally believed. despite the novelty aspect this is still and interesting and fun cd. 1977.

the band - music from big pink - yeah, i know. i'm kinda late getting into the band. but they've been on my list for a long time. it's both as good as i had heard and a bit of a letdown. it has rural sound but there are also some really forward thinking production and instrumentation choices. i like a lot of the songs but perhaps i expected something a little more life changing. having said that it is way better than most of the bands that cite them as a major influence. my copy is a 2000 remaster with a bunch of extra songs that might be more interesting if you are way into the band. i'll buy some more. on a side note - james (lcc guitarist) does an absolutely hilarious impersonation of levon helm narrating a vh1 documentary (legends) on the who. james' imitation hilights the incongruity of helms' deeply southern voice talking over the story of 4 young mods from swinging london. well ya got to hear it i guess. 1968.

electric light orchestra - el dorado - i like some elo but i'm not willing to defend their whole catalog by any means. or even most of it. but as it happens i heard this record at club dada the same night that i saw queen for a day. i recognized it as elo but i wasn't sure what album it was so i asked the soundman. the next day i owned my own copy. not as hokey as a lot of elo but it is a concept album. mostly i like the tunes. boy blue and poor boy (the greenwood) are especially good. can't get it out of my head is the only hit from this album and i like it too. this remaster has a couple of extras. 1974.

september 2002

The Flamin Groovies - Groovies' Greatest Grooves - part of me think's it kind of a cop out, buyin greatest cd's but sometimes it's the best way to find out if you even like a group that you may have heard of but not heard. or what era of the band you like if they changed a lot during their time. flamin groovies had been on my list to check out for a while when i finally picked this up earlier this year. san francisco band from the late 60's to the early 80's. british invasion mixed with 1950's style rock and roll and r&b. favorite song is slow death but lotsa great songs here including covers of absolutely sweet marie and river deep mountain high (which is one of my favorite songs and i'm trying to see how many versions of it i can find...such a great song and i have not found a version yet that i didn't like). haven't followed up with a non greatest hits purchase yet but will try to pick up teenage head soon. 1969-1979.

Ultravox - The Island Years - as a someone who was around when mtv first started, i am familiar with ultravox's vienna as one of the five vidoes that they played every hour. i had known that ultravox had a life before midge ure and his pencil thin mustache fronted the band but i hadn't really heard much from the time when john foxx led the band. much more guitar oriented and roxy music influenced. i would wager that damon albarn is pretty familiar with this era of ultravox from the sound of a couple of songs. even though i do like vienna and a couple of other midge era songs there is no doubt that the foxx era comes out on top. another compilation but i have since gone back and picked up a couple of the full albums on vinyl. 1977-1979.

Rod Stewart - Every Picture Tells A Story - picked up a couple of rod's early solo records as well as ooh la la by faces and the greatness of these albums only serves to illuminate what a total waste of space he has been for the last 28 years or so. i know that he may exist in your mind only as the do ya think i'm sexy dude or as the skinny old man with stupid hair second only to mick jagger in the please stop embarrasing yourself department and it may be hard to believe that he used to have great songs and great musicians to compliment his soulful vocals but believe me kids, there was a time, there really was a time. i love the way the acoustic guitars mix with the drums that sound like they were recorded in your living roon. and you realize how wonderful maggie may sounds when it's not sandwiched between china grove and pearl necklace. 1971

Shannon Wright - Dyed In the Wool - i had never heard a single recorded song but i was absolutely fuckin blown away after seeing shannon live last april. she was one of the least self-conscious performers i have ever seen. she totally lost herself in her performance and she was great on both guitar and keyboards plus the songs all had a real sense of drama. surprisingly all that drama transferred pretty well to cd. can't wait to see her again. 2001

Kinks - BBC Sessions 1964-1977 - alternate versions of lotsa Kinks songs recorded for especially for broadcast on state run BBC radio. Most of the songs on disc one (which covers the 60's) are at least as good as their studio counterparts. even though the second disc isn't really as good it does have some interesting versions of songs like victoria, skin and bones and celluloid heroes. 1964-1977

The Ruts - Criminal Minds - i've always had a soft spot for late 70's british punk but i have my favorites so there are still a lot of bands that i have overlooked. i was unfamiliar with the ruts except for the song babylon's burning so i picked up this compilation. overall i'm pretty underwhelmed. they just didn't have the tunes or the energy that i feel some their contemporaries had. maybe it will grow on me but i get the feeling no. babylon's burning is still pretty good though. 1977-1979

Nick Lowe - The Convincer - i like this even more overall than dig my mood (which i loved). nick just sounds so in control of his voice. most of the songs are kinda mellow and soul influenced with really understated arrangements. and nick has mostly dropped the overly clever lyric writing style that could make some of his older songs seem kind of novelty-ish. it's really encouraging to hear a songwriter doing his best work this far into his career. 2001

The Walkmen - Everyone Who Pretended To Like Me Is Gone - a few of these guys used to be in johnathan fire eater who i really liked. you can hear the progression from jfe to the walkmen but (just like the reviews i read said) you can also hear some early U2 influence. the walkmen are one of those bands who will probably have a problem balancing attitude with delivering the goods but this album does have a pretty unique sound that falls (just barely) on the good side of pretentiousness. 2002

Fred Neil - Bleecker & Macdougal - folk guy from the 60's maybe best known for writing the theme to midnight cowboy everybody's talkin' (a hit for harry nilsson). he's got a deep baritone voice that can sound a little hokey if you're not used to it but it just sounds rich and warm once you get into it. much great acoustic guitar playing. i'm not a big folk guy (so far) but i like this album quite a bit. 1965

X - Los Angeles - rhino reissue of x's first album. i'm not a fan of their version of the door's soul kitchen (ray manzarek produced this album) and the bonus tracks don't do a lot for me but the rest of this album is awesome. especially cool are the title track and johny hit and run paulene. x were definitely one of the best bands of the early 80's and one of favorites from the LA scene (though i got a lot of learning to do) and i don't understand why their profile is so low these days. many inferior bands from the same time seem to cast a larger shadow on the punk kiddies of today. prolly cause their lyrics were never really on the goofy side. too adult for today's punks. god was billy zoom super guitar player. 1980

2001 and earlier

Alexander "Skip" Spence - Oar - a story similar to syd barrett's. another record i'd heard of for years and i finally bit the bullet. mostly lives up to the hype that i'd heard. very loose, unadourned and raw sounding. his voice sounds older than he was at the time of this recording. this reissue has 10 extra songs but i'm usually a bit bored by the time they roll around. i'll have to start with the extra's one of these days. the original sequence of songs is pretty good though.

Mogwai - EP+2 - haven't heard as much Mogwai as i'd like. i absolutely love burn girl prom queen. the rest doesn't do as much for me but is still quite good. want to hear the new one rock action.

The English Beat - Special Beat Service - been craving this since we almost opened for Dave Wakeling a few weeks ago. it suprised and disappointed me how many cheesy 80's artifacts there were in the production of this album.bad drum sounds mostly the rest doesn't sound so bad just a bit sterile. this is not the case with the first album which still sounds pretty cool production wise. BUT the songs and playing on Special Beat Service are pretty much uniformly great. i still need to get Wha'Ppen.

Van Der Graff Generator - Godbluff -except for King Crimson, prog rock is not really my thing. but i thought that i would try. the description made this sound like something i might like. let's just call this a "miss". i tried listening to it about 5 times and it struck me as nothing but ridiculous. i'll try again in 6 months.

The Slits - Cut - very, very cool all girl, punk and dub from late 70's england. you can really hear where bjork lifted a lot of her vocal style. one of the best things i have bought in a while. very inventive bass and drum parts and guitar for that matter. go buy it now.

Wizzard - Introducing Eddie and the Falcons -wizzard is Roy Wood's band after the Move and after he helped start ELO. i was kinda nervous buying this because i had no idea what it would be like despite having heard and loved the move. i guess i expected some twisted mixture of glam and jazz-rock crappery, but this is roy's tribute to 50's and early 60's rock and it's really pretty good. you can still hear some riffs that cheap trick later made their own. pretty cool but i will not yet vouch for the rest of wizzard's stuff.

Roy Wood - Boulders -my friend mark (of Cotton Candy fame… or rather Rapid Fire fame) made me a CDR of this album and it's easily as good as the best move stuff that i've heard. Miss Clark and the Computer reminds me a bit of Ween but lots better. Songs of Praise sounds like George Harrison with the Chipmunks. A little goofy and weird but really great hooks and production.

Stories - About Us -this is the main songwriter from the Left Banke (see below) and his next band. though it's not nearly as cool as the Left Banke and there are a number of cheesy 70's rock moments there are still enough cool melodies and ties to his older style of songwriting to make it worth listening to. the vocals are especially appealing to me.

David Sylvian - Everything and Nothing -a collection of his songs from japan through his solo work. i have heard a decent amount of his stuff over the years but never got into it too much. over all i like a lot of what is on this album. have to be in the right mood though. mostly kind of melancholic and downbeat. interesting voice that can sound very mannered in that english kind of way.

George Harrison - All Things Must Pass -if you subtract the extra's that come with this re-release and the jam session that comes at the end this is a pretty cool record.you've heard my sweet lord but i can't believe radio never really played wah-wah which is maybe the best song on the record (i'll tell you for sure when i've listened another 100 times). i've heard most of this album at various times in my life but i've never given it a really good listen until now. some really nice production.

Francois Hardy - Greatest Recordings -ms. hardy was a model looking french singer who hung around the stones a little bit i think. probably not the best compilation of stuff i could've gotten by her. it's a bit short and i don't really feel that i'm hearing the best stuff. but what's here is nice. kinda sad sounding songs sung in french. i like it but i need to listen to it a lot more to have a real opinion.

Calexico - Even My Sure Things Fall Through -i think that this is a collection of b-sides and stuff. i liked just about everything on it right away. cool, world weary voice, some mariachi style gutars. this is as good or better than any of their other stuff that i've heard.

Nina Nastasia - Dogs -pretty cool songs in a sorta gothic country style but the singer seriously reminds me of Edie Brickell which is kinda distracting. the songs are much better than the New Bohemians though. nice clear procuction. very extravagant packaging. available though touch and go mail order i believe.

The Clash - Sandinista -much better than i thought it was when i was a kid. it's kind of a big mess but a really cool big mess. experimental but never forgetting what is joyful about music. the guitars sound and drums sound great. i remember it getting slammed when it came out but i think that people didn't listen closely enough. if you haven't heard this in a while check it out.

Brian Eno - Here Come The Warm Jets -i like some early roxy music but i like this a lot better. some very simple songs tricked up with some weird sounds. was probably considered pretty strange when it came out but i like it mostly for its strong melodies. i also like eno's voice.

Love - Forever Changes - another record that critics like to prattle on about but guess what. they're right. Alone Again Or is the best song but the rest is not too far behind. nice unexpected chord changes. some funny studio outtakes are included on the newest re-issue.

The Third Eye Foundation - i poo poo on your juju -despite a title that is more suited to a limp bizkit record, this is a pretty cool record. not as frenetic or as raw sounding as the fucked up drum and bass stuff that i'd heard on some of their (his?) earlier stuff but still nice. lots of electronic sounds but not typical.

The Monochrome Set - Eligible Bachelors -early 80's english pop. smart and clever lyrics (which is not always a compliment in my book but here it mostly is. clever sometimes just comes off as smarmy). a couple of songs sound like they could have inspires some of The Divine Comedy. I need to listen to it more though. my friends matt and bubba like them alot.

The Pretty Things - Unrepentant -a long career-spanning retrospective. early stuff = mostly raw and great. later stuff = gradually more and more limp. there are some fairly good songs mixed in amongst the shit though. i will definitely buy more of their early stuff. kinda like the stones but much punkier.

i must sleep now.

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so, on this 5th day of january in the year 2001, let's get it you dawg...

Wire - On Returning - a collection of the first time around Wire. have most of it on vinyl already. had to have it on cd. so much better than most everyone that they've influenced.

Clinic - Internal Wrangler - sounded kinda like velvet underground and the fall but i can't say for sure cause this HIGH-PRICED, FANCY, IMPORT CD WOULDN'T PLAY ON MY HOME CD PLAYER. i'm steamed. seems good so far from what i heard on the work jambox.

The Faint - blank-wave arcade - early new order and the walk by the cure with american indie rock attitude. great live band.

Solomon Burke - The Very Best Of - 60's soul singer. great voice. dj kev turned me on.

Self - Gizmodgery - 4th record. all played on toys. haven't listened enuff to decide if i like it but it really doesn't sound like toys. that disappoints me. maybe I'll like it more later.

KISS - Double Platinum - xmas gift that sounds as good as it did when i was ten. rocks hard. but would someone tell gene simmons to shut the fuck up? it should have ended in 1980.

The Birthday Party - Junk Yard - greatness! nick cave before restraint. scratch acid borrowed their whole sound from Big-Jesus-Trash-Can.

The Divine Comedy - A Secret History - there exists, for some music, a window, a few small moments, in which you could hear it and have it make sense to you. if you hear it in one of those moments it will always make sense. i heard this CD in one of those moments. i had been curious for years (in fact i had picked it up to buy several times over the past year) but I'm glad that i had never heard it before as i may have lost it had it come too soon. this guy, neil hannon, rips off scott walker lock, stock and fucking barrel but for some reason it works. the lyrics are often cheesy but i love them. the vocals are bombastic but i love them. the arrangements are overblown but i love them. the melodies are just gorgeous no buts. this is kind of a best of cd. possibly the kind of band that could ruin my credibility but i loved it so much that i ran out and bought...

The Divine Comedy - a short album about love - as guilty a pleasure as some of their stuff is some of it is just plain great without apologies. beautiful! so good, in fact, that i bought...

The Divine Comedy - fin de siécle - also great. you couldn't say that neil hannon sells his ideas short. if you mostly like lo-fi stuff this could make you vomit.

Billy Nicholls - Would You Believe - another xmas gift that i listened to for the first time tonight. members of the small faces play on it. pleasant so far, i need more time with it but it sounds promising.

Small Faces - the ultimate collection - more 60's pop and modish rock. contains all of Odgen's Nut Gone Flake. some great songs especially Here Comes The Nice and Sha La La La Lee.

Cheap Trick - Cheap Trick, In Color, Heaven Tonight - got this 3-pak for "the nice price". so fucking good it hurts. packed with xtra tracks. if you are to young to know that Cheap Trick are one of the greats because you have only heard the shit they put out in the 80's then do me a favor. sell all that emo shit you own and then go buy these three records and the complete Live at Budakon cd that's all you need. seriously. then you can send me a thank you note.

Desmond Dekker - The Original Rude Boy : the best of Desmond Dekker - except for a couple of crappy remakes that feature the (fake) Specials as the backup band this is first class 60's ska.

The Move - The Best Of - a band i should have checked out years ago. one of Cheap Trick's major influences. this band is some of the best 60's and early 70's english pop/rock i have ever heard. the leader, roy wood, later formed ELO but quit right away when he realized what a fuckhead jeff lynne was. that's my story anyways.

The Only Ones - The Immortal Story - good lyrics, late 70's punkish power pop. have been meaning to check out for years. need to listen to more before i love it.

John Wesley Harding - The Confessions of St. Ace - features a novelty song that i actually like, Goth Girl. Great voice, clever but not too clever lyrics. full band this time. doesn't sound particularly special on first listen but i really like it alot.

Brassed Off - Soundtrack - i bought this only for the song En Aranjuez Con Tu Amor. if you saw the movie this is the song where the girl tries out for the coal miner's brass band. i love it so much that i though i would check out...

Miles Davis - At Carnegie Hall - which features his version of the same song. i can't claim to know alot about jazz but this is very nice stuff. would love to learn more about jazz if i could find someone to teach me who didn't sound like they were trying to convince themselves they really are smart.

satisfact - the third meeting at the third counter - new wavey indie rock from a couple of years ago. at least a couple of really cool songs but i think that they are broken up now.

Ian Brown - Golden Greats - this was given to me for free by someone who said that it sucked, which i was entirely prepared to believe since the last stone roses record bit so hard, and indeed there are a couple of stinkers but some of it is truly great. i don't think that ian brown has a crap detector but he is still capable.

The Mag Seven - Use Your Power For Good, Not Evil - hard to keep my attention with instrumental rock but this is really cool. great guitars.

PJ Harvey - Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea - totally enjoyable but i have yet to find that next level with this cd. hopeful.

and finally for now...

Ute Lemper - The Punishing Kiss - i had planned on buying this collection of modern songs performed by german cabaret singer ute lemper for a while because i knew it had songs by tom waits, scott walker, elvis costello and nick cave. then i found out that it also had some songs by the guys from The Divine Comedy along with them being the backup band for most of the record. so i mad a point of getting it sooner rather than later.

The Mechanical Walking Robotboy - Baby Baby Baby We're All Doomed - friend of mine's band from san antonio. cool instrumentation. varied songwriting. still getting used to but am enjoying so far. 2000