earpollution album reviews [page 2] - issue 2.Ų2, february 2ŲŲŲ

Agathodaimon - Higher Art of Rebellion
Agnostic Front - Riot, Riot, Upstart
Bardo Pond - Set and Setting
Bill Laswell - Imaginary Cuba
The Burnouts - Go Go Racing!
Corporal Blossom - Corporal Blossom
Cro-Mags - Revenge
Discount - Crash Diagnostic
Dismember - Hate Campaign
Drunk Horse - Drunk Horse
Gridlock - 5.25
In Gowan Ring - The Glinting Spade
Jansen Barbieri Karn - _ism
Jazzfatnasties - The Once and Future
Les Thugs - Tout Doit Disparaītre
Lock Up - Pleasures Paves Sewers
Micronaut - Slinky

Pan American - 360 Business/360 Bypass
Peace Orchestra - Peace Orchestra
Pegazus - Breaking the Chains
Plone - For Beginner Piano
Porter Ricks and Techno Animal - Symbiotics
Rage Against the Machine - The Battle for Los Angeles
Sinner - The Second Decade
Sorten Muld - Mark II
Therapy? - Suicide Pact - You First
The Undisputed Heavyweight Champions - The Undisputed Heavyweight Champions
Union 69 - Holiday 2000
Various Artists - Everything is Nice
Ward. A - Out of Hand

Lock Up Pleasures Pave Sewers Nuclear Blast Links: Hypocrisy Napalm Death Cradle Of Filth		A Death Metal Supergroup--Peter Tagtgren (Hypocrisy, Pain) on vocals, Shane Embury (Napalm Death) on bass, Jesse Pintado (Napalm Death) on guitars, and Nick Barker (Dimmu Borgir and Cradle of Filth) pounding the skins. Definition of Lock Up: the art of stiffening the arms during drumming for the execution of an elongated blast beat. So the story goes like this: the boys were having a couple dozen or more beers and began refueling their repulsion of commercial metal with extreme prejudice; testosterone began to flow and they bonded together to play something vicious and razor sharp with the ferocity of early Death Metal. They quickly blasted an album with all the vitriol and hate flowing like Niagara Falls. Tagtgren recorded Lock Up at Abyss Studios. This isn't for the timid or for anyone preferring subtlety to being blasted in the face with a shotgun, musically speaking. This is a nasty, kicking bull that wants to rip you apart. Oh yeah, musically speaking. I think. *-Sabrina Wade-Haines* [ top of page ]
Micronaut Slinky Positron Records Links: Micronaut		Chris Randall is reveling in his freedom. He starved himself so long that the major label chains finally slipped off and he could jump the walls and head for the hills. Caught himself a slow, fat deer and waited out the winter. Come springtime, he put on a shapeless hat and snuck back into town. We were all expecting the loud boisterous return of Sister Machine Gun (And we did get one! Click here for the lowdown of that revival.), but what he surprised us all with was a little side project called Micronaut. Micronaut is analog keyboard electro-funk at its finest. Take all the great breakdowns of [R]evolution (and there were a few) and flesh them out into their full ass-shaking glory. You've got your "I'm a little timid and I'm a little sensitive about my rear" quiver with "Sort of at a Loss." You've got your "Jennifer Lopez ain't got nothing on me" wiggle running through "Get Funky with It!" And "Northern Style Kung Fu" calls up the "bring that Range Rover over here and I'll buff the chrome grill on that bad boy with both cheeks" full-on shake. I tell you, he's loving it. "Come on in," he's saying, throwing open the crack den door. "The first one's free. Right here. I had so much fun making it, I couldn't be bothered to wait for a full release to get it out to you. It's free. Come and get it. If enough of you download it, I'll give you another one. Come on, it's free." And he throws back his head and laughs heartily. I'm weak. My ass (and the rest of me for that matter) is always ready for a little shaking. I'm through the front door already. The rest of you are on my heels, right? Come on. The first one's free... *-Mark Teppo* [ top of page ]
Pan American 360 Business/360 Bypass Kranky		Mark Nelson creates music at a stately, unhurried pace. Much like his self-titled debut album away from the equally languid sounds of Labradford (his "day" job, if you will), 360 Business/360 Bypass unfolds like the creep of the summer shadows across the desert plains. "Steel Stars" opens with the echo of a lonesome high desert whistle sounding like the beginning of a trek across the hard packed Arizona sands of any Scenic disc and the whistle slowly summons the specters of forgotten spectral buffalo, their pounding hooves creating the underlying rhythm of the song as if Stewart Walker has made a beeline across New Mexico from Texas to set up shop in the arid deserts. Nelson brings in Alan Sparhawk and Mimi Parker from Low to generate soft, serene vocals for "Code" and Rob Mazurek unpacks his cornet for "Double Rail" and "Both Ends Fixed." These elements combined with Nelson's take on the Studio One/Profan style of minimal beats, dry dusty dub, brief flirtations with free jazz, and the deep Southern twang of the pedal steel guitar make for an hour that is warm and sublime in its stretched minutes. It's the desert soundscape of the distances between scrub brush and sun-baked lizards, of the heat rising off baked blacktop, and the creak of old road signs that have been threatening to fall for twenty years. The brief drum kit programming, the skittering metallic beats and elongated bell tones speak of storm clouds scuttling against the distant horizon, and the cavorting and dancing trumpet lines are the wind teasing a lazy rattlesnake by the roadside. 360 Business/360 Bypass is more of an exploration of beats and scattered rhythms than Pan American, which hummed and sang with the echoes of the pedal steel guitar. There are still elements of the first release in this disc, but Mark Nelson has clearly moved on to other landscapes. Make sure the gas tank is full before you follow him and bring some sun block. There isn't much shade out there on the backroads and most of it is probably a mirage, induced no doubt by the elusive and expansive sounds of Pan American. *-Mark Teppo* [ top of page ]
Peace Orchestra Peace Orchestra G-Stone Recordings Links: Peace Orchestra		Peter Kruder is prolific. After dazzling the world for the last half decade as one half of the revered downtempo darlings Kruder & Dorfmeister, this brother goes solo with no less abandon. Producing original material for the first time since K&D's debut EP G-Stoned, Peace Orchestra takes Kruder's ultra-smooth downtempo techniques and revs it down even more into trip-hop, space jazz and cerebral techno. If you are a fan of K&D at all, Peace Orchestra is right up your alley. Kruder demonstrates that he certainly doesn't need the fine skills of his partner Dorfmeister to make an album work perfectly. Peace Orchestra is filled with same sort of brilliant and moody compositions that leave both Peter Kruder and Richard Dorfmeister with little peer. The future of jazz is right here right now. *-Jeff Ashley* [ top of page ]
Pegazus Breaking the Chains Nuclear Blast Links: Pegazus		Pump your fist in the air and wave banners and panties at the stage, rock your head gently back and forth and sing along with the band to your favorite songs. I see many of you are ready...welcome Pegazus. These guys are throwbacks to the power metal style of the '80s. Pegazus are similar to modern bands like Primal Fear, Helloween and Sinner, but they are not so far from the '80s because Def Leppard, Scorpions, Iron Maiden and Judas Priest would compare favorably to Pegazus. The Stoj brothers (Johnny on guitar and Robbie on drums) gather together with their Aussie headbangers to pound out another power metal opus to start the millennium. They even recruited Mat Sinner (Sinner, Primal Fear) to mix the disc with Chim Kohler at the House of Music studios. Occasionally Danni Ceceit's vocals are a little too trebly for my taste, but generally he rocks hard. Power metal can be pedantic and melodic as compared to many of the more aggressive metal styles like death, grind and black. Pegazus play melodic, mid-paced power metal loaded with harmonies, extended technical solos and hooks that stick in your head longer than the last song you heard on the radio. Songs like "Metal Forever" (hooks galore), "Breaking the Chains," "Tears of the Angels," "Bastards of War" and "Apache Warrior" are well worth the price of admission. Ballads like "Chariots of the Gods" and "Emerald Eyes" are not my cup of tea. The only sour note for Pegazus is that they sadly will not be exposed to potentially millions of fans through radio like they would if it were still the '80s. It's a shame because this is so much better than most of the crud that radio seems to think rocks now. Pegazus don't care 'cause they are "Metal Forever" and I believe them. Such good metal, boys. *-Sabrina Wade-Haines* [ top of page ]
Plone For Beginner Piano Matador/Warp Links: Plone		This is Kraftwerk doing soundtrack work for French cinema in the late Sixties/early Seventies. "On My Bus" summons the opening sequence of any such period film with its sun-drenched washed out colors. Our hero is driving along the coast of some luxurious countryside, the wind pulling at his hair and his lapel. He's got flowers on the seat next to him and he's daydreaming about a girl as he drives. I initially approached this album with some trepidation as the phrase "Casio soundtracks" was bandied about in reference to these ten tracks. While that certainly is true, I have to say that I didn't really understand the phrase. I was thinking more along the lines of the lost soundtracks to Ms. Pac Man or Donkey Kong Jr.--rigidly terrifying electronic theme music meant for the smallest of speakers pressed firmly into the back of a wooden cabinet. I wasn't prepared for the sweet, innocent melodies that percolate throughout each of these songs. I was surprised by the vocoder on "Plock" as it drifts laconically atop a slow moving melody like a leaf floating down a languid summer brook. And the total cheese-whiz delight of "Marbles" which is such a bubbling soda pop of a song. I so want to be European for this disc; to wear polyester leisure suits in countries that actually know how to make them look good, and to drive tiny European convertibles along tiny European roads to meet my fabulously dressed European woman. All the while listening to Plone's For Beginner Piano. That would be a good way to spend the summer; I'm going to start saving now. And learn a little French. *-Mark Teppo* [ top of page ]
Porter Ricks and Techno Animal Symbiotics Mille Plateaux Links: Techno Animal		These tracks begin around an old vinyl record, played so many times that the beats and rhythms have been nearly worn off the record. The needle doesn't skip across the vinyl--not yet--but it is almost ready to slide, and the faint pulse and pop of these ancient beats are caught and magnified by cryptic machines, spat back out as a hideously perforated melody or amplified into a solid scream of noise before being chopped into sharp, spastic beats. Both Porter Ricks and Techno Animal make truly biomechanical music--cold, analytical creations that pulse with a near-human heartbeat--and, for the communal effort of Symbiotics, Porter Ricks supplies Techno Animal with a huge echo chamber in which to scramble their heady beats (in "Bio-Morphium" especially) while Techno Animal returns the favor by welding Porter Ricks in a steel cage and trapping the long sonic waves of their distant beats. "Phosphonic" becomes the equivalent to what whales must hear when a nuclear submarine passes, all distant pulses and tiny clatters of metallic objects and the reverberation of sonar pings. "Polytoxic 2" is a snarling interplay of electrical fields caught in proximity. Smothered beneath these twisted titans is an old melody from the mid-century American Heartland, escaping and leaking through the space between these spattered beats. And the opener, "Polytoxic 1," sets the mood: a brushed steel shuffle with the accompanying dithyrambic throb of a heart. If Fantastic Voyage were to be remade with H. R. Giger supplying the visual design and David Lynch the story and direction, Symbiotics would be the only choice for the soundtrack. *-Mark Teppo* [ top of page ]
Rage Against the Machine The Battle of Los Angeles Epic Records Links: Rage Against the Machine		Some things never change. For Rage Against the Machine, this is for the best. Since spearheading the rap-metal invasion of the early '90s, they've not forgotten the power of their music nor the power of the messages within. And when compared to the adolescent whining of today's music and bands like Korn or Limp Bizkit--bands Rage's music paved the way for--there's simply no comparison. The Battle of Los Angeles is not just another one-off, wall of guitar distortion, angry rant-against-the-system type album by a well-oiled machine lamely waving its fist against the enslaving machinations of corporate democracy. This is a manifesto against ignorance and insolence; a wake-up call wrapped in the bombast of guitar noise and shouted vocals, whose infection of subtle venom turns out to be much more vicious than its bite when we discover that the wounds aren't healing and finally realize that playing deaf, dumb and blind doesn't make it go away. At first pass this album seems to be a typical Rage rage, but when you play it again and let the music seep into your body, new worlds open up. Rage obviously haven't moved away from the sound they've patented, but with The Battle of Los Angeles they have added depth, color and texture, having at last breathed complex life into their music. Tom Morello's guitar wizardry has reached new heights and the Theremin-like bleeps, metal-tinged bagpipes and other sounds he coerces from his instrument are simply otherworldly. Bassist YtimK and drummer Brad Wilk work seamlessly, providing the solid groundwork for Morello's histrionics. A splash of sub-bass, a little dub, a quiet funk run to intro "Mic Check" with, they set the groove and make this album swing without losing the tough gnarl when it comes time to drop the heavy bomb. And, of course, there are the words of Zack de la Rocha. Unrepentant and unrestrained, his lyrics cut like a surgeon's knife into the underbelly of society's disowned darkness to reveal all the ugly truths we thought we could hide from. From homelessness, to political and religious oppression and coercion, to slave labor, to the fight for a new trial for Mumia Abu-Jamal, de la Rocha is unwavering, and at times unnerving, with his call to bear witness and rebel against the injustices of our "free" society. "So long as tha rope is tight around Mumia's neck / let there be no rich white life we bound to respect [...] You'll never silence tha voice of tha voiceless." Rage Against the Machine have used their power and influence in the music industry to further their musical and ideological agendas. Unchanged and unmarred by corporate lackeys, they have striven to transcend the attitude of music as product or mindless sedative in the hopes of educating people to the reality of life around them, and their ability to create quality and equality through positive action. The Battle of Los Angeles is rich and complex. Rage have grown within their music and been able to incorporate new sounds and ideas without changing or reinventing who they are, which is, I think, a good thing both for them and us. Ultimately, this is a rebel album. It's not about disillusionment, it's about empowerment. Pick it up and arm yourself. *-Craig Young* [ top of page ]
Sinner The Second Decade Nuclear Blast Links: Sinner		Distinctly unwoozy Germanic power metal presented by Mat Sinner (Primal Fear). This is a collection of rarities from the past decade in a beautiful silver digipak. It is pretty good and it seems cohesive, but I would bet my eye teeth that previous albums--Bottom Line, Judgment Day and The Nature of Evil--would be better. I imagine that if you are a huge Sinner fan or a completist this would be the bomb. On its own it's very good, albeit a bit disconnected. It's enough of a sampler to let you know that Sinner would be an interesting listen if you are a big fan of Primal Fear or Iron Maiden, or into Germanic power metal. *-Sabrina Wade-Haines* [ top of page ]
Sorten Muld Mark II NorthSide Links: Sorten Muld		Denmark's Sorten Muld take ancient folksongs, primarily Danish but also Norwegian and Swedish, and rework them into a modern/traditional synthesis akin to Mouth Music or a more upbeat Dead Can Dance. Loops, scratches and samples intermix with bodhran, nyckelharpa and bagpipe to create bpm-oriented folk suitable for both whirling and pogoing. Want to whirl? Try the scratch-laden "King Harald" with its driving tribal undercurrent, or "Kirstin" which builds to a disorienting spin...maybe even the anthemic bagpipes of "As Stars Up High." Want to pogo? Straight out of the gate, "The Raven" takes you over and lets you pause only when it wants you to, "Mylardatter" starts at a simmer but shortly boils over, and "2 Sisters" lulls you into an initial trance before letting loose with guitar and bagpipe at the chorus. Throughout it all, one constant is Ulla Bendixen's entrancing voice which is so sharp and clear, at times it seems as if it has materialized in the mind rather than cross the degrading distance from speaker to ear. Whether it leaves you drained or revitalized, Mark II will always leave you in a different state of mind than when you started it. *-Paul Goracke* [ top of page ]
Therapy? Suicide Pact - You First Ark 21 Links: Therapy? (official site) Evil Elvises (fan site)		For those of you who may have questioned the musical direction of Therapy? on their past two releases, let there be no doubt: with Suicide Pact - You First these Irish punkers have fully regained the long missed title of "Heavy Fucking Metal." While the dissolution of former label A&M, drummer Graham Hopkins breaking his arm at the start of last year, and the general feeling of "what the fuck are we about and where the hell are we going" may all have reinforced a negative attitude inside band, it certainly showed up brilliantly on the album's writing. Recorded in 2-1/2 weeks, and just after the band found a new home with Ark 21 Records, Suicide Pact is fast, loud and absolutely unrepentant. Singer Andy Cairns has dipped deep into the neurotic vocal stylings of Captain Beefheart, and on songs like "He's Not That Kind of Girl" (the album's opener) and the creepy quiet "God Kicks" (recorded out in the woods in the dead of night), his deep scrawl has an unsettling effect on the listener. "Hate Kill Destroy" sounds even better when you realize they recorded it sans clothes. "Jam Jar Jail" works well, but comes across a bit too much like Sweden's garage rockers, The Hellacopters. The album's wandering closer, "Whilst I Pursue My Way Unharmed" could have been a bit more effective had it been shortened, but the dark and intensely unrelenting "Little Tongues First," "Other People's Misery" and the brilliant instrumental "Big Cave In" show the band at their punk-metal best. Having found their stride again, Therapy? are anxious to get back out and show the world the damage their music is capable of. In March they'll be appearing at SXSW in Austin, TX. Hopefully that will be followed by an extensive U.S. tour (something they haven't done in several years). Make no mistake, Therapy? are back on top of their game and could give fuck-all about anything but the music...their music...and are out to prove it. *-Craig Young* [ top of page ]
The Undisputed Heavyweight Champions The Undisputed Heavyweight Champions Beer City Records		This band is the Mike Tyson of punk/metal bludgeon, mixing in the likes of Poison Idea with the singer from Monster Truck Driver. This is a bit of an unusual lineup consisting of two basses, two guitars, a singer and a drummer. Hailing from Seattle, Undisputed Heavyweight Champions are keeping the underground music scene chugging along at a blazing mid-tempo to frantic pace. I don't know if this is just the recording of this disc or the band as a whole, but the bass is way in front and the metal guitars are pushed to the back. Maybe that is to disguise them? I don't mind leads that much, but these guys have quite a few of them. The rhythm section pummels along at a great clip while really holding this band upright. These guys are doing a fantastic job of major support. I would see them just for the drums and basses. The guitars have this speed metal feel to them ą la some band from Lynnwood, WA. *-Steve Weatherholt* [ top of page ]
Union 69 Holiday 2000 Bad Afro Records Links: Union 69		Here comes Union 69 to unleash its bile on the world. Stranded in a small inbred town north of Gothenburg, Sweden, this band has no relation to the Gothenburg sound of the metal scene. These chaps have ripped the butt plug out of the obnoxious porthole so fast it did not have time to relax. Union 69 bring out all the mysterious hidden depths of our nasty minds, delving into all the naughty things your mom warned you about. All song titles have that sleaze appeal to them: mixing in punk rock, sex, drugs, tattoos, porn and other lap-dancing surprises. Union 69 crank out classic US punk blended in with the likes of the Mentors, Angry Samoans, a faster G.G. Allin and some of the spookiness of 45 Grave. Also, they throw in some cool sax parts performed by Martin Lindqvist, a famous Swedish dance band musician. Holiday 2000 is mainly a pure punk rock extravaganza spilling over into the mid-tempo rock kingdom of scary surf tunes laced together in the sexploitated tradition of naked parts. Quite frankly you could go to your local red light district and find these guys hanging around trying to usher people into their various parlors of debauchery. *-Steve Weatherholt* [ top of page ]
Various Artists Everything is Nice: The Matador Records Tenth Anniversary Anthology Matador		I found it difficult to listen straight through any of the three discs on Matador's Everything is Nice, the popular indie label's 43-track 10th Anniversary release. The variety of music here is juggernaut...rap, techno, ambient, etc., all piled up on top of the garage, space, and trash rock Matador has traditionally been known for over the years. The retrospect is accounted for on the first two discs, which include familiar ditties from the likes of Pavement, John Spencer Blues Explosion, Sleater-Kinney, Yo La Tengo, and Modest Mouse. Filling the empty spaces of the wall are scores of psychedelic weirdness by units such as Nightmares on Wax, Jega, Matmos, Solex (the beat goes on for 12 minutes, folks), Burger Ink, and Arab Strap. Disc three contains all unreleased material, with some cool songs by Mogwai, Arsonists (Yeah! Matador rap!), and a special drive-you-to-pull-out-your-intestines-with-a-fork number by Bardo Pond. Disc three, incidentally, is also being made available on vinyl. Though Everything is Nice took me a month to live through (due to its lack of balance and fluidity) it does offer some impressive tunes, and a nice eclectic taste of their label's offerings. *-Al Cordray* [ top of page ]
Ward. A Out of Hand		Ward. A are a three-piece punchy punk band from Seattle, WA. This release is a D.I.Y. issue all the way. This looks like it was home-burned, no record label, no graphics on the disc just black felt-penned name and title. It is great seeing bands doing what they can to get their material out. Ward. A have a cool fuzzy guitar sound that definitely is punk rock. I can't think what to compare it to, but it doesn't sound too familiar in the sense that you may have heard it before. These guys have a way of combining slower mid-tempo parts with buzzsaw faster parts and great harmonizing vocals in the background. On the first few songs the singer reminds me of Blaine of the Accused. I don't know how many releases Ward. A has out, but they are on the right track of pure punk rawness and song structure. All songs are in the "short and in your face" punk fashion. Keep an eye out for these guys. *-Steve Weatherholt* [ top of page ]

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