Scarlet
Cult Classic
Reformed metallic hardcore outfit Scarlet returns to the fray with Cult Classic, the group's newest tribute to gore, debauchery and terror. Never before has any album given the impression of committing actual physical assault on the listener. Frontman Jon Spencer shreds his throat on literally every track, as pounding drums and harsh guitars underscore his cries of torment. The album's tense sound and tight musicianship attests to the band's experience.
The major problem with this release is an astonishing lack of variety: the first three minutes of anguish and anarchical fury run right into the second three, and the next and the next... The album's sole deviations from this basic formula incorporate soaring chants reminiscent of Deftones. Definitely not for the uninitiated, Cult Classic still provides the perfect thrashing for the masochistic listener.
-- Rafael Garcia
John Frusciante
Shadows Collide With People
It was inevitable: John Frusciante and his sometimes-bandmates The Red Hot Chili Peppers have reached the mature part of their career. Long gone are the days of heroin, recklessness, blood, sugar, sex and magik. Instead, The Peppers have recently tried to incorporate mellow dreampop into their funk-metal foundation. It seems like only a matter of time before the "Flea lecture series" stops at Penn.
Frusciante's fourth solo album, Shadows Collide With People, indicates he might be the force behind TRHCP's recent forays. While there's some psychadelia here, Shadows is more concerned with melodic pop and hints of romance. Lacking Rick Rubin's overproduction, which has marred recent Peppers' albums, Shadows has a more natural, unpolished indie vibe. There are some gems, such as "Ricky" and "Wednesday's Song," but the meaningless blips of "00Ghost27" and "Failure33 Object" make the album drag on a bit. Nonetheless, Frusciante demonstrates here that 15 years into his career, he may not have reached his artistic peak yet.
--Jim Newell
Indigo Girls
All That We Let In
For anyone who is a fan of the Indigo Girls, put this review down and go buy this album. For anyone who enjoys quality folk-rock, see the above. For anyone who only likes rap, hip-hop, angry-guitar-metal or new wave synth-pop, put this review down. Go buy this album and expand your mind.
All That We Let In tackles the well-worn territory of friendship, heartbreak and unscrupulous politicians with insights brought about by over 20 years in the industry. On "Cordova," the girls cover the consequences of blurring love and liberal thinking. Despite the title, "Heartache for Everyone" has a sunny-afternoon-in-June feel to it, with a quick reggae beat and Hammond B3 organ. Finally, "Tether" combines the warm sounds of the organ with Amy Ray's striking vocals and some smoldering guitar work, reminiscent of Janis Joplin or the early rowdier work of Sheryl Crow.
Will Fenton
Brad Mehldau Trio
Anything Goes
Brad Mehldau has been performing jazz adaptations of Radiohead tunes for several years now, so the diverse choice of repertory on Anything Goes from Paul Simon to Thelonious Monk really isn't anything new. What this album accomplishes where Mehldau's past records have sometimes fallen short is a pure reverence for each individual song.
Mehldau doesn't play these songs: the songs play him. Thelonious Monk's "Skippy" evokes the late composer with frightening truthfulness. "Still Crazy After All These Years" sounds as though the song was written for a jazz trio rather than for a late-seventies Paul Simon. Mehldau has long been respected for his energetic and thematically driven improvisation, but on Anything Goes, he finally achieves the fine balance between song and voice. In the trio idiom, this is Mehldau at his best.
Jon Levin
Tantric
After We Go
When deep vocals that try to speak to Alice in Chains' fans meet lyrics cheesier than those of 3 Doors Down, the result is mediocre. The Days of the New exiles' sophomore album strings the listener along with hopes of a truly solid song and continually lets down. Many of the tracks seem promising at first, starting off with an acoustic sound reminiscent of DOTN but go downhill with either forced electric instrumentals or boring choruses. A prime example is "Hero." The band nearly succeeds here in creating a gentle, even catchy melody, but sinks down to Spiderman 2 theme song candidacy with the chorus: "All I ever wanted was to be your hero/ All I ever wanted was to be your friend." The band's cover of Fleetwood Mac's "The Chain" is actually a fun rendition, transitioning from a twangy to a harder sound. It's no Atari's "Boys of Summer," but with standards so high, disappointment is inevitable.
Jaclyn Einis
