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Baboon

Secret Robot Control

Willie's comments: When I first got this album (free), I really enjoyed its mixture of tuneful hardcore and all-out noise, but I haven't pulled it out and listened to it since that first month. And the more I think about it, if I had actually paid money for it, I'd feel really gypped. If it's a noisy catharsis you need, "Time Wounds All Heals" and "I'm OK if You're OK" work better than just about anything, but if you value your money, songs on Beck's Mellow Gold and Yo La Tengo's Genius + Love = Yo La Tengo can do almost as well, but the albums themselves are infinitely better. Grade: C-

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Bad Religion

Stranger than Fiction

Willie's comments: No one but Bad Religion- the most sesquipedalianistic punk band of all time- would write lyrics like "Automatons with business suits clinging black boxes/ Sequestering the blueprints of daily life." And that's good- we need more literate punk bands! Especially ones who write as many consistently great, tightly-wound, catchy songs as Bad Religion does. The band has written a number of interchangeable but terrific albums (Generator and Recipe for Hate among them), but a lot of people seem to like starting with Stranger than Fiction because it contains their biggest hit, the refurbished version of Against the Grain's "21st Century (Digital Boy)." The song gets by on the strength of its anthemic chorus, but the meat of the album comes in high-strung, melodic hardcore numbers like "Leave Mine to Me," "Marked," and "Individual." "Television" suffers from the tuneless guest vocals of Rancid's Tim Armstrong, but apart from that, this is a masterwork. Grade: A

THIS ARTIST HAS TENUOUS CONNECTIONS TO: RANCID

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Badly Drawn Boy

The Hour of Bewilderbeast

Willie's comments: Badly Drawn Boy is the moniker which British songwriter Damon Gough has adopted for himself. For myself, the name always conjures up images of the title character in Scott Dikkers's wonderful comic strip Jim's Journal. Much like Jim, Damon seems to harbor no particular aspirations to greatness, contenting himself with exerting relatively little effort on anything, and convinced that pretty good is good enough (this is borne out by his sloppy live show). It's this sort of laziness that is the most frustrating aspect of Badly Drawn Boy's first LP, The Hour of the Bewilderbeast. It's a very good album by anyone's definition, but moments of true beauty occasionally peek through the cracks and suggest what might have been if Gough had spent a little more time on his songs. Bewilderbeast is largely a folk-rock album, hitting every touchstone from Dylan ("Pissing in the Wind") to early Bowie ("Say It Again") to Elliot Smith ("Stone on the Water"), with simple, nature-inflected lyrics that strike a fine balance between earnest sappiness and self-conscious pretension (many songs suddenly incorporate a line or two of French).

The tunes are unfailingly hummable and enjoyable, but the album is bogged down with instrumentals and songs which use repetition in place of actual melodic development. "Everybody's Stalking," for example, is a subversively mellow twist on Stone Temple Pilots-esque grunge/funk, and "Magic in the Air" is blissful chamber music, but each is lacking that one great idea it needs to push it over the edge into masterpiece territory. Bewilderbeast could've used more songs like "Once Around the Block," which sounds like jazzy Neil Finn, or "Disillusion," which is basically acoustic disco (a concept which might sound horrid, but is actually exhilarating), to liven things up. I may sound like I'm being overly harsh about an album which I actually do like a lot, but in some ways, albums that almost graze greatness are more frustrating than flaming failures. Grade: B+

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Barenaked Ladies

Gordon

Willie's comments: "If I Had $1000000" is funny, yes. "Brian Wilson" and "Be My Yoko Ono" are catchy, yes. But this debut album from these folky Canadians, taken as a whole, is nearly interminable. Despite some sturdy songwriting ("King of Bedside Manor," "Hello City") and a few genuinely clever lyrical moments, it's kind of dull. "Box Set" provokes a few honest smiles from a tale of an aging one-hit wonder, but I thought it was much funnier when I was mishearing "greed" as "green" in the line "Hear my song in an ad for a bathroom cleanser/ They say it's greed." Wince-inducing songs like "I Love You," "Enid," and "The Flag," however, quickly erode much of the goodwill you might have toward the band. Grade: B-

Born on a Pirate Ship

Willie's comments: In an ill-advised move, BNL songwriters Stephen Page and Ed Robertson jettison most of their jokey instincts on this album in favor of letting their winsome, hypersincere sides run wild on cloying songs like "Call Me Calmly" and "Break Your Heart." And the melodies are just as draggy and banal as the lyrics this time round. "Straw Hat and Old Dirty Hank" provides some much-needed tension, but it's too little, too late. Grade: C-

Rock Spectacle

Willie's comments: I cannot for the life of me understand the popularity of this live album. It's composed of performances of BNL's most popular tunes ("Brian Wilson," "The Old Apartment") that are virtually identical to the studio versions, only with the added annoyance of thousands of fans shrieking along with the lyrics. This mindless cheering sucks the fun right out of "If I Had $1000000," but most of the other songs weren't much fun to begin with anyway. Grade: D

Stunt

Willie's comments: The critic for Entertainment Weekly described this album perfectly: It's not BNL's cleverness that's so irritating per se, but it's that they insist that you know just how clever they are (I'm paraphrasing). Page and Robertson think they can freestyle and namedrop like the Beastie Boys, but they seem to think that their arrogance in doing so is masked by the humor of it all, which it isn't. "One Week" was dreadfully overplayed, and though I'm always a sucker for speed-singing, it got old after a few listens in a way that, say, "Sam" by the Meat Puppets never does. The rest of the album basically follows "One Week"'s example, with some Pirate Ship balladry thrown in for no good reason. Grade: C-

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Syd Barrett

Barrett

Willie's comments: Barrett was the original guitarist for Pink Floyd, and prided himself on making an unholy racket on that band's full-length debut, Piper at the Gates of Dawn. After going crazy and leaving the band, Barrett recorded this album which managed to influence an entire generation of indie-popsters (Tobin Sprout, Yo La Tengo, etc.). Most of his avant-garde guitar abuse is gone from Barrett, and is replaced with solid hooks, gorgeously downcast melodies, and a few enjoyable musical goofs. Of the latter, "Effervescing Elephant"- a silly, tuba-driven story about jungle creatures- is good, ridiculous fun. However, most of the songs are based around an acoustic guitar, an organ, and Barrett's unstudied vocals. "Baby Lemonade" is practically anthemic, while "Dominoes" resembles the Turtles' "So Happy Together," but is all the more personal for eschewing that song's uplift. This one really is a must-have. Grade: A

SEE ALSO: PINK FLOYD

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Remedy

Willie's comments: Upon its 1999 release, this debut album by British DJs Basement Jaxx was hailed as the be-all, end-all of house music. Proponents of this theory argued that the duo's songs melded Daft Punk's effortless infectiousness with a number of different sounds and timbres that prevented the repetition inherent in house music from becoming dull. For evidence of this, one need only point to the album's first single, "Rendez-Vu." The song is an instant house classic: It's as stupidly catchy as that Eiffel 65 song, but made palatable for more (ahem) sophisticated tastes by using fun tricks like vocoderized vocals and a sample of a yowling cat. However, those who awarded Album of the Year honors to Remedy evidently overlooked the fact that the album is thereafter extremely uneven. Basement Jaxx's love of sound does enliven some otherwise dull numbers- the increasingly frantic, Caribbean vocals to "Jump n' Shout," the telephone ringing in the background of "Always be There" (nice Kraftwerk reference, that). But more often than not, the songs are just that: dull. In fact, the album sort of does a nosedive into uninteresting background music after "Always be There," until things perk up again on the slow, sexy closer, "Being with U," which comes complete with finger snapping! For those not deeply into house music, this might make a good introduction, as the songs are often complete with choruses and recognizable melodies. However, it's unlikely to make the uninitiated understand the potential of house music, either. Grade: B-

READER COMMENTS:

Evan P. Streb writes: Wow. I can't believe you reviewed Remedy and didn't mention "Red Alert". That's easily one of the best dance songs of the 90s. Period. "And the music keeps on playin' on and on!"

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The Bats

Spill the Beans EP

Willie's comments: This is a good place to get to know the Bats, since most of their albums sound pretty much exactly like this EP, and Spill the Beans itself costs less than $6. It's great indie rock, and if "Empty Head" is less than perfect, that's a criticism that can't be leveled at the beautiful likes of "Make It Clear," "Give in to the Sands," "Under the Law," and the title track. Grade: A-

Couchmaster

Willie's comments: Unpretentious, tuneful, and full of warmth, New Zealand’s Bats belong to the same hypercreative subset of indie rock as Barbara Manning, the Pastels, and Yo La Tengo. On this album, frontman Robert Scott and his cronies play easygoing, semi-jangly guitar rock that’s as catchy as it is gorgeous. “Work It Out,” “Land ‘O’ Lakes,” and “Knowledge is Power” in particular are top-notch, R.E.M.-ish delights, but the whole album is one of those subtle treasures that may not make the sort of impact on you that a masterpiece like, say, Beck’s Odelay does, but is no less magnificent for having more modest aspirations. Grade: A

SEE ALSO: THE CLEAN

THIS ARTIST HAS TENUOUS CONNECTIONS TO: BARBARA MANNING, THE 6THS

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Beach Boys

Pet Sounds

Willie's comments: Pet Sounds is one of those IMPORTANT albums whose influence and impact often overshadows its quality. And, like The Velvet Underground & Nico, the Beach Boys' opus isn't quite the masterpiece it's always made out to be, when you listen to it without regard for its place in rock history. While Brian Wilson's revolutionary, multilayered production sounds just as beautiful and fresh as ever, the songs themselves don't always fare so well. "Wouldn't It Be Nice" is a truly perfect song- an unmatched portrait of teenage longing- and it's gratifying to hear the Beach Boys finally singing songs that in no way involve cars or surfing, but a lot of the songs are forever mired in the 60s. "Don't Speak," for example, has a ridiculously simple melody (and I don't mean that in the good way) that would be dismissed as lazy songwriting these days. "God Only Knows," "Sloop John B," and "Hang On to Your Ego" are standouts (though I prefer Frank Black's version of the latter), and, sure, the album is a lot of fun, but its importance really seems like more of a right-place-right-time deal than a result of the album's goodness. Grade: B

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Beastie Boys

Licensed to Ill

Willie's comments: I really wish the Beastie Boys had used actual drums on this album instead of the tinny 808 drum machine. While it works on vaguely new-wave-based songs like "Posse in Effect" and "Girls," the synthesized percussion distracts from the three-way rapping and lyrical charms of "Rhymin & Stealin" and "Time to Get Ill." That said, Licensed to Ill is a bona fide classic. There's no denying that the party anthem "Fight for Your Right" sounds a bit dated by now, but there's also no denying that it's still infectious. "No Sleep Till Brooklyn" is the best of the band's non-jokey songs, effectively making them seem as powerful as they boast, and "Brass Monkey" is hilariously stupid. As for "Girls," there's no worse song to hear drunken frat boys shouting along with. However, if you listen to it without the distractions of tubthumpin' idiots, it's a pretty funny song (and catchy, too!). The whole album is good, snotty fun. Grade: A-

Ill Communication

Willie's comments: Jenny got really mad at me for this, but the following lyrics, from "Get It Together," made me laugh very hard and are still my favorite B-Boys rhymes: "I eat the f---in' pineapple Now & Laters/ Listen to me now, don't listen to me later/ F--- it because I know I didn't make it f---in' rhyme for real/ But, yo, technically, I'm hard as steel." If jazzy raps with words like those sound like your idea of a good time, you shan't be disappointed. If the thought makes you angry, you might still like the funky instrumentals (but you can also get those without the scatology on The In Sound From Way Out). Grade: B+

Hello Nasty

Willie's comments: On one hand, I'm happy the Beastie Boys have finally grown up and started writing thoughtful, mature songs (for all its cliches, "Remote Control" is pretty insightful. And catchy to boot!). On the other hand, I miss the hilarious, misanthropic lyrics from years past, from hits like "Girls." And, while "Song for the Man" is an excellent jazz-rock song, some of the other, non-rap tunes on Hello Nasty are basically useless, like the one Lee "Scratch" Perry sings. Oh well- it's a really long album, so, despite all the missteps ("Three MCs and One DJ" is lazily constructed), there's more than enough good stuff on this album to keep me happy. "Super Disco Breakin'" and the destined-to-be-a-classic "Intergalactic" are the best songs they've done so far. Grade: B

READER COMMENTS:

Beau Mihalek writes: Good reviews, however the drum beats on Rhymin' and Stealin' are lifted from Zep's When The Levee Breaks, and don't sound like tinny fake ones to me.

THIS ARTIST ALSO APPEARS ON: TIBETAN FREEDOM CONCERT ALBUM, NO ALTERNATIVE; CLUELESS SOUNDTRACK

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The Beatles

Rubber Soul

Willie's comments: Rubber Soul isn't as groundbreaking as the White Album or as ingratiating as Sgt. Pepper, but it is perhaps the Beatles' most melodically rich album. Bands from NRBQ to Supergrass have pilfered vocal lines from this LP, and for good reason: It's hard to come by songs as distinctively hooky as those featured here. "Run for Your Life" is wonderfully demented, while "Drive My Car" is good, naive fun (if your local deejay hasn't killed it for you by playing the "Beep beep/ Beep beep/ Yeah!" part before every traffic update). "I'm Looking Through You" is a terrific Paul song, featuring the multitalented Ringo on the discordant Hammond organ part. I could go on and on about the other great songs- "Nowhere Man," "Wait," "You Won't See Me"- but suffice it to say that Rubber Soul is a thoroughly enjoyable (albeit flighty) album that is refreshingly free of clinkers. Grade: A

Revolver

Willie's comments: This album marked the Beatles' final graduation from being an abrasive (if frequently catchy) rockabilly band to being a brilliant, psychedelic outfit. There are those who insist that this album tops even Sgt. Pepper, but Revolver isn't as consistently surprising or fun. As wonderful as the bass-driven songs "Taxman" and "Tomorrow Never Knows" are on their own, their close resemblance to each other- and to "Doctor Robert"- is distracting within the space of a 35-minute LP. George's Indian excursion "Love You To" just sounds like a beta version of Sgt. Pepper's "Within You Without You," too. That said, there are lots of deserved classics here, from the peppy "And Your Bird Can Sing" to the moody "Eleanor Rigby" to the masterfully dopey "Yellow Submarine." I won't say it's an essential album, but if you see it used, it's worth dropping eight or nine bucks on. Grade: B+

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band

Willie's comments: This album routinely tops "Best Album of All Time" surveys among both critics and commoners, and while my heart is with Radiohead's OK Computer or the Flaming Lips' The Soft Bulletin, there's no denying that Sgt. Pepper is a masterpiece. From a production standpoint, it was definitely groundbreaking, from George Martin's tasteful string arrangements to John Lennon's insistence upon recording dog whistles at the end of the album, to confound pet owners who were listening to it. But for all the superb production, it's doubtful that Sgt. Pepper would be so fondly regarded if the songwriting wasn't so spectacular. "Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!" is my favorite Beatles song of all time, with its twisted carnival charm, but George's sitar-based "Within You Without You" is a treat, and "With a Little Help from My Friends" is terrific, though you wouldn't know it from listening to Joe Cocker's Wonder Years version. A thoroughly fun album, with tunes that will stick with you for the rest of your life. Grade: A

Magical Mystery Tour

Willie's comments: The first half of this album is the soundtrack to the odd short film from which it takes its title, and the latter half is made up of songs that were recorded around the same time. As a result, it should come as no surprise that Magical Mystery Tour is nowhere near as cohesive as Sgt. Pepper- in fact, quite a bit of it seems like filler. "Flying" is an instrumental which illustrates just how important the Beatles' voices were in providing their songs not only with melodies, but with comforting, familiar timbres; the song seems lost without a singer. "Blue Jay Way" is one of the dullest numbers George ever wrote, while "Baby You're a Rich Man" and "Your Mother Should Know" also entirely fail to register. However, subtract those four songs and you're left with nothing but classics. "The Fool on the Hill" is my favorite Paul song ever because of the way the melody trots along happily and then suddenly takes a shortcut through the bad side of town in the chorus. "I am the Walrus" is an inspired, hilarious bit of drug-induced nonsense (and by the way, it's "Goo goo ga joob," not "Koo koo ka choo"), and "Strawberry Fields Forever" is gorgeous. "All You Need is Love," "Penny Lane," "Hello Goodbye," and the title track are all on here as well, making this tour a trip worth taking. Grade: B+

The Beatles (aka "The White Album")

Willie's comments: This double-album is, for my money, a document of rock 'n' roll rebellion a hundred times more brilliant, incisive, and subversive than The Velvet Underground & Nico. The Beatles' flouting of music industry conventions is all over this album, evinced in the lack of cover art, the sarcastic self-referentiality of "Glass Onion," and the unlistenable musical experimentations of "Revolution 9" and "Wild Honey Pie." However, that's not to say that The Beatles isn't full of terrific Liverpuldian hooks and melodies- "Dear Prudence" is among their most beautiful ballads, while "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da," "Rocky Raccoon," and "Piggies" are lighthearted pop pleasures. The second disc is largely uneven, with great numbers like "Honey Pie" and "Everybody's Got Something to Hide Except Me and My Monkey" straddling comparatively dull fare like "Birthday" and "Helter Skelter." For all that, though, the Fab Four's enthusiasm for charting new musical territory without regard for mainstream acceptance is both palpable and contagious throughout. Grade: B+

Abbey Road

Willie's comments: I'm going to make some enemies with this one, but Abbey Road is really pretty boring, for all the critical acclaim it gets. Don't get me wrong- there are quite a few great songs here, like "Come Together," "Carry That Weight," and the absolutely gorgeous "You Never Give Me Your Money." Also, the medley of nonsensical numbers on the second side ("Sun King" through "She Came in Through the Bathroom Window," I think) is a hoot and a half. However, the album as a whole is unfocused, with songs like "Maxwell's Silver Hammer" never really locating a central melody, and "I Want You (She's so Heavy)" is ugly and interminable. Even "Here Comes the Sun," with its beautiful tune, is marred by dissonant harmonies. Maybe it was a result of internal conflict within the band, but 30 years after its release, Abbey Road just sounds lazy and sloppy. Grade: B-

Anthology 2

Ginny's comments: It's nice that the Beatles are so legendary and all, but Anthology takes the legend a bit too far with 6 or 7 different versions of the same song- often not even bothering to "take out the outtakes" if you will. Although it's the best of the three Anthologies, you've gotta wade through a lot of crud put on these discs to amuse the obsessive Beatles' fans before you hear the quality part of it. Luckily, they chose a nice selection of songs, including "Strawberry Fields Forever," (about 4 different takes) "I am the Walrus," and "Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite." When the Beatles were GOOD. Grade: B

Willie's comments: Eschewing most of the false starts and interview clips that made Anthology 1 so horrible, number 2 limits itself mostly to stripped-down versions of the songs that had such complex, lush arrangements on Sgt. Pepper, Revolver, the White album, and Magical Mystery Tour. Sometimes it's interesting ("Norwegian Wood"), sometimes it's overkill (all the "Strawberry Fields Forever"s), but it never rises above musical archaeology. I can't imagine anyone not wanting to just listen to the original albums instead. Grade: C+

1

Willie's comments: This latest repackaging of the Beatles is based around a nifty gimmick that renders the album all but impervious to criticism: it collects the band's 27 number one hits (according to Billboard and Record Retailer) onto one CD. Add to that the original singles' artwork from around the world and brief liner notes by George Martin that are rife with sentence fragments, and voila- instant essential album, right? Right. It's pointless to quibble about the songs that were omitted from 1- terrific, important numbers like "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds," "In My Life," and "The Fool on the Hill"- because, like it or not, they were never number ones. Besides, those songs all appear somewhere on the Beatles' two greatest-hits compilations 1962-66 and 1967-70 anyway. Those two compilations, in fact, illustrate why the concept behind 1 was necessary to begin with: those compendiums do an astonishingly good job of summarizing the Beatles' catalog, but you're still looking at four CDs- and sixty dollars- between the two. If you're going to pare the Beatles' work down any farther than that- especially onto one affordable CD- you're going to have to make some tough choices, so what better way to pick the songs that appear on the album than to take the certified number ones? Sure, the concept reduces the oeuvre of the Fab Four to a mere academic exercise (and, correct me if I'm wrong, but I'd always heard that the absent "Please Please Me" went to number one), but how can you be so churlish when you've got "Yesterday," "Eleanor Rigby," "Come Together," "Day Tripper," and so forth all on one album? Unless you've got money to burn, or at some point the Beatles come out with a "create your own greatest-hits CD" program like the Beastie Boys did, you'd best keep your mouth shut and make do with this affordable, thoroughly great- and consistent- set. Grade: A

READER COMMENTS:

Didier Dumonteil writes: Your site is a joke!the ratings of Beatles albums are guaranteed to net nothing but horselaughs.Don't mention them if you're not able to understand that without them,without their breakthrough circa 1965 there won't have been any REM -that I like a lot too-.Listen to "what 's the frequency kenneth?" pure revolverwith the backward tapes. Stick with Bjork,Drake and don't care with Great music

SEE ALSO: GEORGE HARRISON

THIS ARTIST HAS TENUOUS CONNECTIONS TO: ELVIS COSTELLO; SUPER FURRY ANIMALS; ERIC CLAPTON

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Beck

Mellow Gold

Willie's comments: When I first heard Beck's debut album, I thought it was little more than a folky Ween rip-off. The cacophonous "Sweet Sunshine" and "Mutherf--er" seemed like pointless one-offs, and the slowed-down vocals of "Truckdrivin Neighbors Downstairs (Yellow Sweat)" pointed to a fascination with sound that overshadowed any interest in constructing useful melodies. A few listens later, however, I realized how truly great this album is. "Loser" and "Beercan" are pure genius, "Mutherf--er" is an exhilirating bit of noisy excess, and the folkish tunes are haunting despite their ironic flourishes (kazoos, for example), particularly "Steal My Body Home." I still think "Sweet Sunshine" is a Ween rip-off, but it's still cute in its own way. Grade: A-

One Foot In the Grave

Ginny comments: Grave features a young, aspiring Beck who is just getting comfortable in his anti-folk shoes. As is featured in his later albums, Beck begins experimenting with nonsensical lyrics and fun noises, as is the case with "I Get Lonesome" and "Cyanide Breath Mint." He doesn't leave the entire album to nonsense, however, and offers tracks with emotion such as "A--hole." This album was a great launch for Beck. The intimate acoustic guitar and soft vocals are back in Mutations, hinting at Beck's long time love that began with this album. Grade: B+

Willie's comments: It's amazing that Beck was able to wring such a wide variety of styles and moods out of the inherent limitations of folk rock (save for the bouncy hardcore of "Orange Peel" and the electric buzz of "Cyanide Breath Mint"), but he does so with great skill on Grave. The album ranges from anthemic ("He's a Mighty Good Leader") to wistful ("A--hole") and everything inbetween. It's a far cry from the noise collages of Mellow Gold, but it's not a step backward- or forward, either. Sideways. Just as good. Grade: A-

Stereopathic Soulmanure

Ginny's comments: Do you remember when you were young and you'd sit on the floor with a wooden spoon or something and just bang everything with it and you thought it sounded like really good music even though it was just loud? If you still do that, and you still think that it sounds like good music, this is the album for you. Beck must have had some pent up energy from childhood that he turned into this album, because all it is is a bunch of painful, tuneless white noise. I love Beck dearly, but someone should have taken away his wooden spoon and handed him a feather on this album. Grade: F

Willie's comments: This one is a step backward, however. An interminable collection of stupid joke-folk tunes ("Satan Gave Me a Taco") and idiotic noise bursts, Soulmanure literally doesn't have a thing on it that's worthwhile. Even fans of pointless, idiotic noise (Korn fans) will find this alternately too irritating and too bland to listen to ever. Grade: F

Odelay

Ginny's comments: Even though I'm an art student, it still baffles me at times how some things can be considered "art" (a lot of childish looking Picasso art, for instance) to anyone other than the pretentious. On Odelay, Beck was able to have fun with noise and nonsense and end up with an album that is, to many, considered a masterpiece. He gives us many flavors of songs that are (for the most part) easy and fun to hear, from "Jackass," light-hearted and spirited to "Novocane," which is loud, yet somehow hilarious. I think Beck has found the answer to masterful art- if it pleases the artist, it doesn't matter who does or does not like it. Grade: A-

Willie's comments: If someone gave you an hour to summarize every album ever made, what would you do? Beck made Odelay, and met that challenge more precisely- and entertainingly- than anyone else in the world possibly could. Incorporating elements from rap, folk, indie rock, punk, jazz, country, funk, and even 50's commercials, Beck synthesizes everything into one endlessly likeable musical smorgasbord. People who criticized the hilariously catchy "The New Pollution" for sounding a little too close to The Beatles' "Taxman" missed the point entirely- Beck is trying to represent every moment in popular music up till 1996. That's the Beatles part of popular music. This whole thing is pure genius- and it's all as catchy and listenable as all get-out. Grade: A+

Mutations

Ginny's comments: What makes Mutations so interesting, yet beautiful in its simplicity is that Beck recorded it within a matter of a few weeks while on tour. While most bands tend to tire of the music scene altogether while touring, Beck's sanctuary from the stresses of tour is his guitar- recorded in this satisfyingly lengthy album that could be considered a mature version of One Foot in the Grave. Aside from all those soul-searchin, bile-spewin lyrics lies the heart and soul of the album- the melifluous acoustic guitar accompanied by the mystical sitar. All this while working on a new studio album and touring the country. Wow. It's nearly too good to be true. Grade: A

Willie's comments: Beck goes pop? By his standards, yes. What you have here is a surprisingly calm and sincere album of folk-based ditties that is entirely free of the irony so prevalent on previous outings. Songs like "We Live Again" and "Cold Brains" are smooth and flawless enough to be entirely radio-ready, while the heartfelt "Nobody's Fault (But My Own)" shows just how far Beck's songwriting has progressed since the old days. This isn't the "official" follow-up to Odelay (as DGC took great pains to point out upon its release), but rather a between-albums diversion, so it's easy to forgive Mutations for being a tad one-note and just relax in its gentle beauty. Grade: A-

Midnite Vultures

Willie's comments: Crimony. This is not an album that Beck needed to make. It's supposed to be a soul/funk party album, but, despite sporadic moments of giddy fun, this is a big letdown given the perfection that Beck is capable of. He reportedly spent several sleepless months putting these songs together, and the effort is evident on tracks like the Peter Gabriel-esque "Milk & Honey," which seemingly contains every timbre known to man, organized to hypnotically weird effect. However, too many songs on Midnite Vultures just don't have the anthemic hooks that a good party album requires: "Sexx Laws" is infectious, but "Broken Train," "Nicotine & Gravy," and "Peaches & Cream" are irritating and draggy. The album's coda, "Debra" (whose original title was "I Wanna Get With You and Your Sister Debra"), is a soulful parody of R&B horniness, but despite Beck's amazing falsetto voice, it's a joke that's already been done to much more hilarious and explicit effect by Ween and South Park's Chef. The only truly perfect songs here are the aforementioned "Sexx Laws" and the thrillingly bizarre technopop of "Get Real Paid." I give Beck credit for continuing to try new things and to undertake new experiments with every new album, but Midnite Vultures is nonetheless underwhelming. Grade: B-

THIS ARTIST ALSO APPEARS ON: A LIFE LESS ORDINARY SOUNDTRACK; TIBETAN FREEDOM CONCERT ALBUM; SUBURBIA SOUNDTRACK

THIS ARTIST HAS TENUOUS CONNECTIONS TO: FOREST FOR THE TREES; AIR; PRESIDENTS OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

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Belle & Sebastian

If You're Feeling Sinister

Ginny's comments: If you've heard of this band, you probably already love them. If you haven't, then you must. This group of seven(!) Scottish band members possess a unique sound all their own- so overwhelmingly light-hearted one feels as if they are floating away while listening to them. Sinister is Belle's first major release and, although it's a tad homogenous, it offers some dark lyrics that are comfortable when you feel alone in a world of fakes (think: Radiohead) (Radiohead aren't fakes; their lyrics are like that) such as "Stars of Track and Field Are Beautiful People" and "Get Me Away From Here, I'm Dying." Good driving music, good sleeping music, good everything music. Fullfills FDA's recommended daily allowance for goodness. Grade: A-

Willie's comments: Upon first listen, the only song to really stand out on Belle & Sebastian's breakthrough album is "The Boy Done Wrong Again," a pensive little folk tune with the most gorgeous melody I've heard in quite some time. The rest of the songs initially just come across as affable, interchangeable guitar strummers that are never less- or more- than pleasant. However, if you listen a little closer (and are able to get past the abrasive opener, "The Stars of Track and Field"), Stuart Murdoch's complex, tuneful, witty gems become more engrossing: "Judy and the Dream of Horses" and "Like Dylan in the Movies" in particular. If You're Feeling Sinister still lacks the ensemble charm of its follow-up, The Boy with the Arab Strap, but it's still a nondescript little pleasure. Grade: B

Dog on Wheels EP

Willie's comments: Four top-notch songs with inventive arrangements, gorgeous melodies, and Stuart Murdoch's trademark lyrics about tragic characters. There's not a whole lot to say about this EP- it's entirely of a piece with the rest of B&S's canon- except that it shouldn't be overlooked simply because it's an EP (despite its prohibitively high price). The title track is indispensable due to its clever, mariachi/Stereolab vibe, and the closer, "Belle & Sebastian," contains the band's most heavenly chorus ever, but be forewarned: The part that goes, "Poor Sebastian went too far again/ Crashed his car in the rain" will be stuck in your head for quite some time. Grade: A

Lazy Line Painter Jane EP

Willie's comments: The second in the band's between-album trilogy of EPs is something of a misfire. The title track features Abba-esque vocals by Monica Queen, whose theatrical approach to singing is more than a little exhausting. "You Made Me Forget My Dreams" and "Photo Jenny" aren't unpleasant, but are also uninspired and unremarkable. The sole keeper, "A Century of Elvis," is one of Stuart David's spoken-word outings, and proves once and for all that his somewhat aimless stories benefit from the lush backing that B&S provide, rather than Looper's sterile mechanics. For the most part, this EP is as slothful as its titular artist. Grade: C

3..6..9 Seconds of Light EP

Willie's comments: After a few months' respite following Lazy Line Painter Jane, a reinvigorated B&S returned with this mini-masterwork. It's still an EP, which is an irritating enough format, but it contains five great songs. "A Century of Fakers" takes the backing track from the previous EP's "A Century of Elvis" and fashions it into an entirely new song thanks to Stuart Murdoch's melodic gifts. "Beautiful" and "Put the Book Back on the Shelf" are similarly charming, but the two bonafide classics are the unlisted final number (an apology to the makers of the old Belle & Sebastian TV program "for all the trouble we've caused") and "Le Pastie de la Bourgeoisie," which is the band's fastest song ever recorded, and a contender for their catchiest. Grade: A

The Boy With the Arab Strap

Willie's comments: This time ‘round, Stuart Murdoch plays down his fondness for rockin’ acoustic guitar thrashing in favor of gentler, more well-thought-out melodies. The result is something like Simon & Garfunkel, if Paul & Art were more willing to throw bagpipes and Moogs into the mix, or to veer off into free jazz compositions like the wonderfully weird "A Space Boy’s Dream" (penned by Looper’s Stuart David). With a trilogy of opening songs as strong as "It Could Have Been a Brilliant Career," "Sleep the Clock Around," and "Is It Wicked Not to Care?" how can you go wrong? Grade: B+

Lazy Line Painter Jane 3-EP box set

Willie's comments: The three EPs released between If You're Feeling Sinister and The Boy with the Arab Strap (all reviewed above) are included in this box. I wish the band had just compiled the three EPs onto one disc, like the Beta Band did on The Three E.P.'s, but priced at around $18, Lazy Line Painter Jane is still a pretty decent value. Grade: B+

Legal Man EP

Willie's comments: Typical of B&S's unpredictable whims, this 3-song diversion was released only weeks before their full-length album Fold Your Hands Child, You Walk Like a Peasant, and contains what are presumably outtakes from that album's sessions. The title track is hilarious- a psychedelic go-go number that plays like the Beatles' "Taxman" rewritten for the Austin Powers soundtrack. "Judy is a Dick Slap" is even weirder- a full-on, instrumental Stereolab tribute that is followed by some delicate piano noodling. Finally, "Winter Wooskie" is a solid, "normal" Belle & Sebastian song. Legal Man is even more slight than the rest of the band's work, but it's also their first effort that could be described as fun. Grade: A-

Fold Your Hands Child, You Walk Like a Peasant

Willie's comments: With literally hundreds of musical contributors to this album (well, not literally...), B&S's fourth LP had many high hopes going for it before its release. The Boy with the Arab Strap benefitted immeasurably from the songs that Murdoch didn't write- "Is It Wicked Not to Care?" "A Space Boy's Dream," and "Seymour Stein"- so it was natural to assume that the Scottish consortium would make similar magic with Fold Your Hands Child. Well, they didn't. Falling prey to the "too many cooks in the kitchen" syndrome, this album consists of little more than forced attempts at eclecticism. "Beyond the Sunrise" and "The Wrong Girl" are both tinged with country music; a genre that does not allow for the usual subtlety of Belle & Sebastian's fragile pop. "The Chalet Lines" is Murdoch's searingly painful portrait of a rape victim ("[My friend] asks me why I don't tell the law/ Oh what's the f---ing point of it all?") that would be a tremendous emotional success if the music had any forward propulsion at all. As it is, the song meanders along for a minute or two, stops leisurely, and then starts up again. It's tedious when it should be haunting. There are a few decent numbers- "Woman's Realm" and Sarah Martin's "Waiting for the Moon to Rise"- but the only song with a melody that even touches the brilliance of Dog on Wheels or The Boy with the Arab Strap is the epic opener "I Fought in a War." The band is talented enough to be forgiven for this album-length indulgence (not that I'm recommending you buy it), but let's hope they're a bit more focused next time 'round. Grade: C

READER COMMENTS:

Nick Karn writes: This band kind of goes against my musical tastes being a reaaaally lightweight pop band, but somehow I was introduced to them through the song "Sleep The Clock Around" on a mix tape and I absolutely fell in love with it, and had a similar reaction to seeing the "Is It Wicked Not To Care?" video from 120 Minutes on eMpTyV, so I definitely had to get 'The Boy With The Arab Strap', and was I ever impressed. A phenomenal pop album where every song is a little gem of its' own. "Dirty Dream Number Two" in particular is probably one of the more heavenly, addictive songs I can think of - I'd probably give that one at least an A, maybe A+. B&S really have a certain charm about them in the atmosphere (which is very rich with background nuances as well) that pulls me in, and there aren't all that many bands whose melodic sense blow me away more. Since then I've acquired 'If You're Feeling Sinister', which I think is a little inferior (probably A-), despite critics and fans overwhelming praise of it - still "The Stars Of Track And Field" and "Like Dylan In The Movies" are great, and 'Tigermilk', which I haven't fully gotten used to yet, but after a couple listens it's probably a B or B- in my book - the melodies and arrangements aren't as focused as they would be on the following two full lengths, but there are still some interesting songs like "Electronic Renassaince". I haven't heard any of their EPs yet (though I probably should) or their new album, but you're certainly not the only reviewer I've seen who's kind of 'ehh' on it. I'll still probably check it out anyway, since I'm a recently converted fan.

SEE ALSO: LOOPER

SEE ALSO: GENTLE WAVES

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Ben Folds Five

Ben Folds Five

Los comments du Ginny: Ben Folds is skinny balding guy in his early thirties. What he lacks in aesthetics he makes up for in charisma in his music. "Philosophy" offers us a view into the twisted id of Folds set to the tune of floofy piano playin. Other songs are less of a joke and are, well, genuine, such as the shy "Best Imitation of Myself." Because this is Folds' first album, he added some "filler" songs ("Jackson Cannery," and "Alice Childress") which the album would be shorter, but better without. Alas, this album sets Folds aside from the rest of the blandness that runs through the radio unharnessed. Whatever is even better, cuz that phrase rhymed. Grade: B

Willie's comments: Alternately clever and frustrating, Ben Folds's debut album is fatally short on catchiness. Except for the brilliant and affecting "Best Imitation of Myself" and the carnival-tinged underdog tune "Boxer," Folds meanders aimlessly, never quite stumbling on a proper melody. I find "Jackson Cannery" peerlessly irritating, and by the song Folds sings about his uncle (I forget the title), his adenoidal vocals evoke "Weird Al" Yankovic, which is distracting to say the least. Grade: C

Whatever and Ever Amen

Ginny's comments: Ben Folds doesn't like generic radio music. His novel idea of taking beautiful piano melodies and adding bitter, dark lyrics became an instant hit with the intellectual listeners, but sadly, his songs (I give you "Brick") were also a hit with the rest of them because no one really listened to the lyrics (except to the infamous "Song for the Dumped"). This makes Ben Folds live a bit unbearable at times, but he makes up for it by being such a cool guy. Grade: A-

Willie's comments: Yes, like everyone, I love the funny rave-up rockers "One Angry Dwarf and 200 Solemn Faces" and "Song for the Dumped" off this album, but lately, I've come to be even more fond of the ballads, which surpass the best efforts of other bands by light years. For example, the painful details of a failed relationship that make up "Smoke" and "Selfless, Cold, and Composed," and the heartbreaking "Brick" (whose lyrics you people really should pay attention to- She's getting an abortion! It's not a happy love song!). That said, the album is still a lot of fun, with bouncy tunes like "Kate" and the swing-ish "Steven's Last Night In Town" lightening the mood a little. Grade: A

Naked Baby Photos

Ginny's comments: Why Ben Folds and co. came out with a B-sides album after only two albums under their belts astounds me. Folds had to scrape the bottom of the barrel to come up with enough folderol to make a complete album. Most of the songs sound like crappily recorded bootlegs (even the swearing is hard to make out in "Song for the Dumped"), and the studio songs consist of nothing other than Folds and friends goofing off with the recorder on. "Tom and Mary" is as close as this album comes to an actual song, but fails to even resemble the beauty of Whatever. It's eating up a space in my CD holder that could be used for something better- say, an album by The Kingsmen. Grade: D

Willie's comments: Couldn't have said it better myself, Gin. Grade: F

The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner

Ginny's Comments: One of the first things that drew me to Ben Folds was the self-parodying mantra the band clung to so adamantly: pop music written to essentially mock pop music. When I listen to Messner, however, Folds seems to have become what he's been against from the beginning. Messner contains some masterful piano playing. Folds can flat out play the piano and that is an established fact; however, he seems to have become mesmerized with his piano playing to neglect other important aspects of his music such as content. The lyrics range from boring and trite ("Narcolepsy," "Don't Change Your Plans") to sophomorically self-conscious ("Army," "Your Redneck Past") to eye-rollingly corny ("Regrets"). He mentions LA and rednecks too many times to be taken seriously. And unless this album is full of esoteric jokes and stories about Jane and Lorainne, etc., Folds is just pulling rhymes out of thin air. "Hospital Song" offers the only promising lyrics about a hospital patient who just discovered he's dying, however, the lyrics are a mere 2-3 lines set to the most boring tune Folds has ever created. "Lullaby" begins as a wispy, gentle tune that devolves into meaningless ramblings and hackenyed rhymes ("we took a small flight/in the middle of the night/from one small place to another... with my aunt grandpa and brother.") If that doesn't make you want to gag, it will just as easily make you wish you were a narcoleptic and sleep through this one. As a side note, if you are looking for a great piano player that hasn't strayed into Crapland, try Brad Mehldau- famed pianist for his outstanding versions of Radiohead songs. I'm counting on you to make the next one a smashing one, Ben... Grade: C-

Willie's comments: I'm beginning to think Whatever and Ever Amen was just a happy fluke. This thrown-together collection is bursting at the seams with creative strain, and there's not a song in the bunch as well-written or thought-provoking as those on Amen. "Hospital Song" comes close, with some truly disturbing, sad lyrics set to a slow, tinkling tune, but it's vastly outnumbered by tuneless crap. I really wanted to like this one... Sigh. Grade: D+

READER COMMENTS:

Matthew Clothier writes: Is it me, or does Ben Folds' piano and singing sound startlingly like Joe Jackson? Does anyone know who Joe Jackson is or did I just create him during one of my blackouts...I really enjoyed Whatever and Ever...especially "Kate" but I just can't seem to lose that pesky Joe Jackson comparison.

THIS ARTIST HAS TENUOUS CONNECTIONS TO: SQUIRREL NUT ZIPPERS

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The Beta Band

The Three E.P.'s

Willie's comments: The consensus about this collection of the band's early EPs seems to be that the songs are far too repetitive and far too long. This latter criticism is well-founded: songs often clock in at around 7 or 8 minutes, with the aptly-titled "Monolith" stretching out past 15, and none of them really need to. But the idea that the Beta Band is too repetitive is kind of silly, when you consider that the same people who complain about the repetition are often die-hard Stereolab fans. On The Three E.P.'s, the songs are often country-based trip-hop numbers that repeat one simple hook over and over and over- and they're as entrancing in their way as any drone-rock masterpiece from Stereolab, Yo La Tengo, or the Silver Apples. "Dry the Rain," "The House Song," "Push It Out," and "She's the One" might not have a whole lot happening over the course of the song, but it's all effectively hypnotic, spiced up with catchy melodies, too. And The Three E.P.'s is a much better hybrid of country and electronica than that Luke Vibert/B.J. Cole album, anyway. Grade: B

The Beta Band

Willie's comments: As musical experimentalists go, The Beta Band are as fearless as anyone. Whereas bands like They Might Be Giants generally bend musical genres for some logical reason, The Beta Band gathers up as much musical material as they can and throws it all down on tape, to hilariously weird effect. Their debut LP is full of oddly-structured pop songs, constantly altering lead vocals (sounding variously like Beck, Sting, and Hunter S. Thompson), Kraut-rap hybrids, bizarre noises and wonderful stream-of-consciousness lyrics like “Listened to the Beach Boys just a minute ago/ Wild Honey/ It’s not their best album/ It’s still pretty good.” “Round the Bend” is as catchy as the Band gets, even though it is grounded by a strange orchestral sample and a cuckoo clock, while “The Beta Band Rap” starts off as a circa-1940 commercial jingle before locking into a white-boy groove. It’s all good-natured, catchy weirdness. Grade: A-

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Big Fish Ensemble

Field Trip

Willie's comments: Big Fish Ensemble walk the thinnest line between charming musical inventiveness and irritating, sophomoric indulgence. When they're good (as they often are on this, their first real album), they play terrific dustbowl rock that can compare favorably with Thinking Fellers Union Local 282 and the Monks of Doom. Songs like "Fire Engine" and "Pabst Blue Ribbon Light" sound like the catchy score to a Western film. Also when they're good, their lyrics are eloquent enough to shoot into your heart like a poison arrow; on Field Trip's best song, "Distant," singer Paul Schwartz bemoans the way a lover has changed after moving to a big city to touching effect ("You used to feel safe in my arms, but now you think you can do anything"). However, on songs like "Houseplant," "Spare the Asparagus," and "Message from Ferdinand," their smarmy jokes quickly wear thin ("God loves you even when you fart," for example), and they begin to evoke the witter-than-thou aesthetic of the Barenaked Ladies, which makes it a bit of a chore to make it through the album in one sitting. Grade: B-

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Big Lebowski soundtrack

Willie's comments: The near-perfect, eclectic, bizarre soundtrack to a near-perfect, eclectic, bizarre film! The Coen brothers and T-Bone Burnett have assembled a collection of forgotten classic-rock jewels (Dylan's "The Man In Me," Captain Beefheart's wonderfully trippy "Her Eyes Are a Blue Million Miles"), warped orchestral numbers, and all-out oddities (The Gipsy Kings' hilarious flamenco take on "Hotel California"). The album's centerpiece (as well as the movie's) is Kenny Rogers and the First Edition's "Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In)," a genius bit of psychedelic rock. All this and a blazing new Elvis Costello tune! The perfect soundtrack to an afternoon of doobies and White Russians. Grade: A-

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Bjork

Debut

Willie's comments: After the Sugarcubes (mercifully) broke up, Bjork started a solo career, charting her own path. Sometimes that path is marked by why-didn't-I-think-of-that brilliance, sometimes it's frustratingly enigmatic, but it's almost always entirely original. Debut can be seen as the blueprints for where Bjork was heading. The album is unsteady and unfocused, with Bjork veering from enchantingly strange trip-hop to bland orchestral ballads, never quite blending the two as she would on Homogenic. Some songs are as good as anything she's ever done: "One Day," "Come to Me," and "Violently Happy" are hypnotic and infectious, while "Human Behaviour" is bolstered by a driving, dramatic arrangements (the timpani are particularly great). However, Debut is hampered by chintzy keyboards (on the otherwise fine "Big Time Sensuality"), Luscious Jackson-esque aerobicizing ("There's More to Life Than This"), and Bjork's own accursed tendency toward camp ("Like Someone in Love"). If you're absolutely in love with her later work, then you'll definitely enjoy this album, but it's not a good place to start. Grade: B

Post

Ginny's comments: It's a safe bet to say that Post is the Ice Queen's opus. Each song is masterful and unique in its own way with enough quirky noises and instruments that even Willie would be impressed. "Hyper-ballad" is a beautiful and intrinsically dark song, while songs like "It's Oh So Quiet" and "Army of Me" offer booming rhythms and elaborate brass harmonies. Bjork's quavering voice strains out each track perfectly. She has the voice power of Tori Amos's most angst-ridden songs, but can also be as gentle as the Eurythmics. This is definitely an album that belongs in every music lover's collection. Grade: A+

Willie's comments: Bjork's second album is enchantingly eclectic. "It's Oh So Quiet" is a hilarious, bipolar Broadway number, and "Cover Me" is a fascinatingly twinkly leidsong, but the bulk of the album is made up of mutated electronica. "Enjoy" and "Headphones" bear the markings of trip-hop hero Tricky (who cowrote them), but Bjork's ever-expressive singing is still the highlight. The bassy "Army of Me" and "Hyper-Ballad" are the most conventionally catchy of the lot, but bear in mind that Bjork's idea of conventional is still pretty weird. She adopts an ominous vocal tic in the former, while the latter is a song about throwing things off a cliff: "I imagine what my body would sound like/ Slamming against those rocks/ When it lands/ Will my eyes be closed or open?" Even at her most twisted, though, Bjork is unerringly listenable and captivating. Grade: A

Homogenic

Willie's comments: Putting a more sophisticated spin on her unique brand of bass-heavy, fascinatingly weird pop, Bjork spends much of Homogenic backed by a full orchestra. The strings nicely compliment the ominous undercurrents of songs like “Hunter” and “Joga”; not to mention the odd contrast they provide to Bjork’s voice and the billiard ball percussion. Songs like “Joga” and “Bachelorette” are bursting with despondent prettiness (though both are, strangely enough, love songs), while “Alarm Call” is all twisty hooks, and “Pluto” sounds like a dance club sitting atop a volcano about to erupt. “All is Full of Love” is too campy by half, but apart from that misstep, Homogenic is completely compelling. Grade: B+

THIS ARTIST ALSO APPEARS ON: TIBETAN FREEDOM CONCERT ALBUM; 120 MINUTES LIVE; THE CONAN O'BRIEN ALBUM; THE X-FILES: THE MOVIE SOUNDTRACK

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Frank Black

Frank Black

Willie's comments: It's doubtful that Frank Black will ever top the hyperkinetic genius he exhibited as Black Francis in the Pixies, but at least his ambitions are there. On this, his first solo album, Black veers toward the poppy end of the rock spectrum (as opposed to the searing noise that marked his final effort with the Pixies, Trompe Le Monde). "I Heard Ramona Sing" is as straightforward as Black ever got, while "Los Angeles" and "Fu Manchu" are more complex than anything he'd done before, and "Parry the Wind High, Low" is just as odd and intriguing as the title suggests. Black isn't as energetic as he was in his past incarnation, and he hasn't quite figured out what to do to fill that void yet (he plugs it with lots of keyboards, mostly, which is kind of incongruous with some of his songs), but it's a noble first effort. Grade: B

Teenager of the Year

Willie's comments: This album will either give you a headache or keep you listening for weeks on end (though you'll be puzzled either way). With 22 short songs that aren't quite catchy, but aren't exactly off-putting, either, Black rants about pop culture with crunchy guitars, stripped-down arrangements, and at least one singable hook per song. Those hooks are unevenly placed within a song, however- the anthemic, eponymous chant of "Pure Denizen of the Citizen's Band" seems as though it'd be a chorus, but it appears only once. Black's lyrics are mind-bogglingly intelligent and elliptical (I probably listened to this album 20 times before I realized that "Two Reeler" is about the Three Stooges), and peppered throughout are clever songwriting flourishes like the stolen Nirvana riff that opens and closes "(I Want to Live On an) Abstract Plain." "Big Red," "Headache," and "Whatever Happened to Pong?" are standouts, but the driving song "Calistan" is truly transcendent. Grade: A-

The Cult of Ray

Willie's comments: Taking the odd song structure of Teenager of the Year to its next step, the songs on Cult of Ray often veer unsteadily, with the music not really sticking to one particular meter or tempo, or, alternately, Black will sing with no regard for rhythm. This isn't a good thing, however. It mars the otherwise-catchy "Men in Black" and makes "The Last Stand of Shazeb Andleeb" nearly unlistenable. There are a few good surf rock tunes on here- "Kicked In the Taco," for example- and "I Don't Want to Hurt You (Every Single Time)" is as sweet a love song as Black is ever going to write (I like the line "I wish you could be whats-her-name"), but this is a difficult listen that doesn't really reward you much. Grade: C+

SEE ALSO: PIXIES

THIS ARTIST ALSO APPEARS ON: THE X-FILES: SONGS IN THE KEY OF X SOUNDTRACK ALBUM

THIS ARTIST HAS TENUOUS CONNECTIONS TO: JOHN LINNELL

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Blue Man Group

Audio

Willie's comments: When they're not whoring for Pentium in those asinine commercials, the inventive Blue Man Group performs a musical stage show in which they wear unusual costumes, present unorthodox images, and play strangely catchy music on unconventional instruments. (It's like a hallucinogenic Stomp with actual melodies and interesting things to look at.) Their first album robs them of the visual element of their show, but it more than makes up for it in the songwriting. Audio consists of 14 instrumental songs that sound like a James Bond soundtrack performed by a futuristic Zulu tribe. Propulsive, noisy drum beats and spaghetti western guitars are virtually the only normal-sounding instruments on this recording. You also get to hear the sounds of big poles wooshing through the air, organs being horribly mistreated, and, most thrillingly, paddles striking PVC pipes of various lengths. This last element produces the band's rhythmic melodies, and produces a sound that resembles a hollow guitar arpeggio, but somehow better. It's heard to best effect on "PVC IV," but it's a staple of virtually every song. Audio doesn't provide much variation in mood- though the masterpiece "Rods and Cones" does go through several distinct phases- but it is still an exciting and immensely satisfying listen. Grade: A

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Blur

Parklife

Willie's comments: Like a musical version of Brassed Off or The Full Monty, Parklife underscores the depressing havoc that is working-class England in the post-Thatcher era, but still tries to make the best of things. Songs like the three-legged “Bank Holiday” and “End of the Century” are effortlessly catchy and fun, but there’s still a dark underpinning of sadness at the country’s current situation. This isn’t true of all songs- “Girls and Boys” is a hilarious anthem admonishing Spring Break culture, for example- but for catchy, keyboard-speckled Brit-pop that also makes ya think, Parklife is hard to beat. Grade: A

Blur

Willie's comments: Apparently, this tempestuous album is Blur’s attempt to meld the crude style of American indie rock with their British affinity for complex musical arrangements and experiments. Indeed a lofty project, but frontman Damon Albarn and his cohorts manage to pull it off. They manage to do so by mixing equal amounts of conventional (if tattered) infectiousness- songs like “Song 2” and “M.O.R.”- with more challenging fare like “Country Sad Ballad Man” (which is partially ripped off from Pavement's "Brinx Job") and the amazingly dreary “Death of a Party.” It takes a few spins to fully appreciate Blur, but it’s worth the investment of your time. Grade: A-

13

Ginny's comments: Long live rivalries. If you aren't a Blur fan, you're an Oasis fan. If you're a fair-weather fan like me, you volley back and forth between the two bands, siding with the one that has the best recent album. 13 was highly anticipated, seeing how to the ball was in their court cuz Oasis's last album was a flop. 13, however, was nothing like I was expecting. It offered strange, experimental tracks that were sometimes entertaining and other times a nuisance. Whether Damon Albarn found spiritual enlightenment making this album or not I can't say, however, Blur lacks a voice in 13. It seems to wander around aimlessly- hardly the work of an Enlightened One. I'd say more, but I'm tired. And you get the point. Grade: C+

Willie's comments: Shortly after Albarn broke up with that Justine chick from Elastica whose last name I forget, Blur recorded this expressionistic statement of misery and loss that is as unappealing as actually being dumped. While I have nothing against harsh, noisy dissonance in music, a whole album of the stuff is a bit much (as demonstrated by Baboon). The one concession Blur makes to traditional musical form on 13 is the bland ballad “Tender,” which is competent, but pretty dull. As for the rest of the album, it’s unlistenable, harsh bollocks (except for the hilarious- and gratifyingly catchy- “B.L.U.R.E.M.I.,” which incorporates a Donald Duck-esque refrain). Grade: C

READER COMMENTS:

Jeff Czerniak writes: [Regarding 13] Did you actually LISTEN to this album? It has plenty of great tracks. It's all produced by electronic guru William Orbit (he produced Madonna's Ray of Light) and it shows... I don't think anyone else in the free world knows how to generate the ultra-distorted guitar sound that's found on "Bugman". They get funky (go to time index 7:02 on track 10, if you don't believe me). And I think "No Distance Left To Run" could be classified as a normal song like "Tender", that is, if you listened to it. Since I must make concessions, I'll admit that "Caramel" sorta gets on my nerves, and that "Optigan 1" is just showing off Orbit's considerable synth collection, but other than that, this album is pretty groovy. It at least deserves a B-range rating. P.S. If you dis Louis "Satchmo" Armstrong one more time, I will be forced to swear very loudly to myself.

THIS ARTIST ALSO APPEARS ON: TIBETAN FREEDOM CONCERT ALBUM; TRAINSPOTTING SOUNDTRACK ALBUM

THIS ARTIST HAS TENUOUS CONNECTIONS TO: STEREOLAB

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Boo Radleys

Everything's Alright Forever

Willie's comments: Even though it's been quite a few years since they've put out any product, I still believe that the world needs only one My Bloody Valentine. Thus, I really have no use for this early effort from the Boo Radleys, which lazily buries half-formed melodies beneath strata of staticky guitars and then calls it a day. The better songs could actually pass for My Bloody Valentine, which is somewhat impressive when you consider that this album probably cost substantially less to make than Loveless, but most of the songs just feel like an attempt to cash in on the dreampop trend by guys who never really got it in the first place. Grade: C-

Wake Up!

Willie's comments: What's remarkable about this now out-of-print effort from the Boo Radleys is how bloody happy it is compared with the band's later works. It opens with some joyous Brian Wilson harmonies on "Wake Up Boo!" and then suddenly explodes with horns, like someone flicking on the lightswitch at a surprise party. From there, it only gets better (except for the somewhat abrasive "Joel"), with frontman Martin Carr writing some of the catchiest, lushest, most effortlessly hooky songs since Sgt. Pepper. "Charles Bukowski is Dead" is an infectiously silly tribute to the determinedly classless writer, "Twinside" is a fun rave-up that incorporates the old Batman theme, and "Martin, Doom! It's Seven O'Clock" coasts through on the strength of its title alone. "Find the Answer Within," however, tops anything the band has done before or since, with an utterly beautiful melody and lyrics that are a million times as inspiring as R. Kelly could ever dream of writing. Grade: A+

C'mon Kids

Willie's comments: Whereas Wake Up! is a gorgeous Brit-pop symphony, C'mon Kids is a musical heroin rush. You know the bombastic few opening chords that hard-rock bands like to open their albums with before they settle into more tempered melodies? The Boo Radleys manage to parlay that anarchic sense of frenzied energy into an entire album, and it's evident from the title track forward. The band plays with every production technique they can think of here, providing a unique flavor for every song without sacrificing melody. "Meltin's Worm" is an infectious, creepy song that incorporates a theramin to the best use I've ever heard (and don't give me that "Good Vibrations" crap). The gritty "Fortunate Sons" is as harsh as a Nine Inch Nails song, but still singable (albeit with flanged vocals). "Ride the Tiger" is simultaneously entrancing and danceable. And they include a Hudsucker Proxy reference in the liner notes! It doesn't get much more creative than this. Grade: A

Kingsize

Willie's comments: If Oasis wasn’t perfectly content to let artistic stagnation rule their music, they might sound something like the Boo Radleys on this, their final album. From the ghostly mystery track that opens the album to the final note, Kingsize is packed with sizzling pop nuggets that are very well-constructed and very, very British. "Monuments to a Dead Century" is breathtakingly beautiful, and most of the songs (most notably "High as Monkeys") are beefed up with strings and odd keyboards. The repetitive "Free Huey" becomes rather bludgeoning after about 30 seconds, but this is otherwise a masterpiece. A wonderful end to a wonderful career. Grade: A

SEE ALSO: TELEVISION PERSONALITIES

THIS ARTIST ALSO APPEARS ON: SO I MARRIED AN AXE MURDERER SOUNDTRACK

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David Bowie

Diamond Dogs

Willie's comments: As much as I love Bowie, this wasn't an album that needed to be made. By this point, the whole Ziggy Stardust thing was becoming a bit overwrought, and the pretentious references to 1984 sprinkled throughout this album are pretty laughable. The first couple songs are passable, but the album quickly degenerates into tuneless no-wave and generic futuristic cliche. Grade: C-

Low

Willie's comments: The first half of Low is the best glam rock record ever produced. Tunes like "Be My Wife" and the inimitable "Sound and Vision" resonate with tempered, campy weirdness that makes the already bent melodies all the more intriguing. Toward the end of the album, though, collaborator Brian Eno takes the reins and churns out some of his patented ambient songscapes, run through the Bowie machine and turned into extraterrestrial incidental music. Philip Glass turned this entire album into an orchestra piece, just for your information. He really didn't need to. If it ain't broke, don't fix it, and Low sure as crap ain't broke. Grade: A

ChangesBowie

Willie's comments: Bowie is arguably the best singles writer of all time (that's my argument, since he did write the best single of all time: the perfect, dramatic "Space Oddity"), and most of this compilation album serves to corroborate that theory. Showcasing the many phases of David's career, ChangesBowie moves from early Ziggy Stardust sci-folk to trippy drone-funk (the wonderful "Golden Years") to 80s synth-bombast ("China Girl" and "Let's Dance"). Aside from one or two dubious choices- such as the inclusion of the stultifying "Jean Genie" over, say, "Sound and Vision"- ChangesBowie is a great place to start for the neophyte. Grade: A

Black Tie White Noise

Willie's comments: If Brian Eno’s Nerve Net was morphed with the music they play while showing the local forecasts on the Weather Channel, the result would probably sound a lot like this. Smooth jazz melodies (and horns) dance atop housey, programmed rhythms on songs like "Looking for Lester" and "You’ve Been Around," creating an overall impact that’s pleasant, but not as innovative and rebellious as one would hope for from someone as creative as Bowie. It’s Bowie for your parents, basically, but if you’re in the mood for cheese, Black Tie White Noise is good sharp cheddar. Grade: B

Earthling

Willie's comments: The thought of a 50-year-old man generating a Nine Inch Nails-inspired drum-and-bass album might sound cringeworthy, but Bowie is adroitly up to the task. Sounding right at home amid the galloping beats, explosive guitars, and Kraftwerkian keyboard sounds of techno, Bowie is energized beyond belief on breakneck tracks like "Little Wonder" and "Dead Man Walking." The harshness of the techno noises is leavened by the underlying tunefulness of the songs David writes, and touches such as synthesized strings and close harmonies (particularly on "Looking for Satellites," which features guitars that dart around beautifully like random transmissions in search of a radio) add a human touch to this most mechanized of musical genres. Grade: A

THIS ARTIST ALSO APPEARS ON: THE CONAN O'BRIEN ALBUM; GROSSE POINTE BLANK SOUNDTRACK

THIS ARTIST HAS TENUOUS CONNECTIONS TO: LOU REED; BRIAN ENO; QUEEN

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The Breeders

Last Splash

Willie's comments: Kim Deal first displayed her songwriting chops on the Pixies’ Surfer Rosa with “Gigantic,” a song whose sunny hooks wound up overshadowing just about all of the songs Black Francis wrote for that album. Once she and the Pixies parted ways, she teamed up with her sister Kelley and released this album to massive critical acclaim. (There's an earlier Breeders album, with Tanya Donnelly on it, but it's pretty mediocre.) Last Splash is basically one long album of “Gigantic”s: Bouncy singalong choruses; churning, spiked guitars; and goofy, happy lyrics (shown to best effect here on the horny girl anthem “Divine Hammer”), punctuated with grinding noise blasts that always relent a split second before they become unbearable. “Cannonball” was a deservedly huge hit (and continues to be, judging from its inclusion in the trailer to South Park: Bigger, Longer, & Uncut), and Last Splash is full of similar charms, particularly the sweet cover of Ed’s Redeeming Qualities’ “Drivin’ on 9.” Grade: B+

SEE ALSO: PIXIES

THIS ARTIST ALSO APPEARS ON: NO ALTERNATIVE

THIS ARTIST HAS TENUOUS CONNECTIONS TO: GUIDED BY VOICES; SONIC YOUTH

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John Brodeur

Tiger Pop: Songs by John Brodeur

Willie's comments: John Brodeur's debut album kicks off with the hyperkinetic sounds of a radio being tuned, and then launches into a joyous pop hook which prominently features a Moog: the sounds of a bedroom rocker who has been set free in a professional recording studio. Thing of it is, Brodeur manages to maintain this contagious sense of childlike excitement throughout Tiger Pop's entire running time- a feat not seen since the Presidents of the United States of America's debut album. Rather than relying on mere novelty and energy, though, Brodeur crafts intelligent, unusual pop songs that owe as much to the psychedelic rockers of the '60s as they do to indie singer-songwriters like Beck and Neutral Milk Hotel's Jeff Magnum. (Juiced-up songs like "Sucker" and "Infected" could have been penned by his fellow '60s plunderers Sloan.) He then swaddles his melodies in multi-timbred arrangements that would shame Tchad Blake, and croons them in a sarcastic, stoned voice reminiscent of Gordon Gano.

I could have used fewer scrawny acoustic songs like "Kitten" and "Peace," and more tracks like the stomping "Changing Your Mind (Again?)" which is a terrific plea for a friend to stop going back to a destructive relationship ("Another feather in your cap?/ I've heard it before, it's a load of crap"). Still, if sitting through the weaker numbers means I also get to hear intelligent, unique pop gems like "Remains of a Heart" and "Easier," that's something I'm perfectly willing to do. Grade: A

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BT

Movement in Still Life

Willie's comments: There's something to annoy everyone on this, the third album from DJ/guitarist BT. In his mad dash to dip his toes into every sub-genre under the "techno" umbrella, he manages to steal stylistic elements from plenty of more innovative acts without quite figuring out what gives those bands their crossover appeal. Thus, "Love on Haight Street" is a Massive Attack/trip-hop rip-off with rapped vocals that contain enough affected attitude to turn off those who might be drawn in by his more mellow stuff (as opposed to Massive Attack, who take care to make the vocals in their songs laid-back and welcoming, if detached). Conversely, Moby and Air should be able to sue BT for the bubbly, ingenue-voiced "Mercury and Solace" and "Running Down the Way Up," respectively. That said, there are still plenty of good ideas here. Each song is splayed with interesting videogame noises and vocal effects, and songs like "Dreaming," "Shame," and the stupendous "Satellite" are stuffed to the gills with great melodies. The album is worth purchasing if only for "Never Gonna Come Back Down," on which Soul Coughing's M. Doughty rants, raps, shouts, jokes, and prophesies doom over BT's infectious big beat backing (if you're looking for the song on Napster, avoid the truncated Gone in 60 Seconds version- you miss out on lots of Doughty's great, unhinged babbling). Movement in Still Life could have used more moments of jaw-dropping weirdness like that, but it still makes for a superb electronica mix tape. Grade: B+

THIS ARTIST HAS TENUOUS CONNECTIONS TO: SOUL COUGHING; CARL CRAIG

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Butthole Surfers

Hairway to Steven

Willie's comments: One of my biggest musical philosophies is, if you can't be catchy, be weird. And vice-versa. Texas's Butthole Surfers have a reputation for cramming unearthly noises into their songs, but this collection is surprisingly tame, for the most part. The weirdest idea on the album is the lack of song titles (lewd doodles appear in their place), and perhaps the album title itself. That's not a good thing, especially since the "catchy" element seems to be eluding Gibby Haynes & Co. here, too. The first track starts things off in a promising fashion, with stomping guitars and Haynes convincingly growling like a boogeyman, but it fizzles after a few minutes. The song with the refrain "I saw an X-ray of a girl passing gas" behaves in the same fashion- starts off infectious, but quickly blows it. Songs go on too long and go nowhere in the process... Paul Leary's characteristic psycho-delic guitar stylings are here, but it's mostly a drag. Grade: C+

Independent Worm Saloon

Willie's comments: I think someone needs to explain the Butthole Surfers appeal to me. I think I'm a fan of theirs for the wrong reasons, because I find their hookier songs great, but their long, dark, seemingly aimless noisemaking leaves me cold. It doesn't even make sense to me; it's evidently intended as music to take hallucinogens to or something, but rather than making happy jams you could get lost in like the Grateful Dead, or spacious, enveloping soundscapes like Spiritualized (or even Flying Saucer Attack), the Buttholes specialize in psychotic cowpunk wailing that makes it sound like your stereo is going to eat you even when you're not baked. Wouldn't that make for an unpleasant trip? Seriously- I'm asking. I don't get it at all.

As a result, Independent Worm Saloon just sounds like a sprawling wreck to me. Gibby Haynes's lyrics are uninspired (except on "Dust Devil," in which he bellows, "He's got the power of an upright in his G--damn hand!"), the 17 songs each last an eternity, and they all lack any sort of driving hook. You know you've got problems when the least annoying song on the album is the one titled "The Annoying Song" (which really is glorious, with Gibby's pitch-shifted vocals and King Coffey's insistent drumming). "The Wooden Song" and "Edgar" are passable sea chanties, too, but this album is still nowhere near good enough to recommend. Or even listen to again. Grade: D+

Electriclarryland

Willie's comments: This, however, is a catchy album. It turned off most of the Surfers' longtime fans, but for those of us just getting to know 'em, it's gratifyingly listenable and bizarre. "Birds" and "Ulcer Breakout" are bracing, speedy punk tirades, while "Ah Ha," "Jingle of a Dog's Collar," and "Cough Syrup" are brilliantly twisted pop (the latter ends with a lovely, acidic cello bit). And I can't even describe the insane head trip that is "My Brother's Wife." The album peters out after "Let's Talk About Cars," and I could do without the Springsteen country of "TV Star," however. And "Pepper" is a blatant rip-off of Beck's "Loser," but it's still really good, though. I don't know. See what you think. Grade: B

THIS ARTIST ALSO APPEARS ON: SUBURBIA SOUNDTRACK ALBUM; DUMB AND DUMBER SOUNDTRACK; ROMEO & JULIET SOUNDTRACK; SATURDAY MORNING CARTOONS' GREATEST HITS

THIS ARTIST HAS TENUOUS CONNECTIONS TO: THE DEAD MILKMEN; MEAT PUPPETS

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Buzzcocks

Singles Going Steady

Willie's comments: Making good on every promise punk ever made, this collection of A-sides is an undisputed classic. I think it's better than any studio album the Ramones ever made (which is an unfair comparison, I know, since this isn't a studio album), in fact. If Matthew Sweet sped up his songs by 200% and increased the volume of his guitars by a similar amount, the result might sound a bit like this. "Ever Fallen in Love?," "Promises," and "I Don't Mind" are as heavenly and catchy as a punk song can be, while still making emotional commentaries on love. "Orgasm Addict," on the other hand, is pure dumb speedpunk that paved the way for The Dead Milkmen (and the same goes for "Oh S---!"). From start to finish, it's a noisy treasure. Grade: A+

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David Byrne

The Complete Score to The Catherine Wheel

Willie's comments: Shortly after the Talking Heads' masterpiece Remain in Light, Byrne was commissioned to score a Twyla Tharp dance production, and I really wish I could have seen the final result, because as far as I can tell by listening to this (mostly instrumental) album, there's no frickin' way anyone could dance to such self-consciously esoteric musical snippets as "Ade." Either way, The Catherine Wheel is only periodically engaging as an album- in the clavichord-based funk of "Dinosaur," the straight rock of "Big Business" and "What a Day That Was," and particularly the fascinating, schizophrenic samplefest of "The Red House." The rest is basically useless. Grade: B-

My Life in the Bush of Ghosts (with Brian Eno)

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Rei Momo

Willie's comments: I feel bad saying David Byrne is pretentious, because his heart really is in this collection of Latin/African-based ethnic rock songs, but it's really not something he should've done to begin with. Some of his Talking Heads charm and catchy musical ability is still here, and setting it to a salsa beat does pep things up a bit- "Independence Day" and "Don't Want to Be Part of Your World" bubble like strangely exotic pop. However, "Loco De Amor" is cloying, and much of the rest of the album is just plain bad. Grade: C-

Uh-Oh

Willie's comments: Shuffling back toward his poppier roots from Rei Momo territory, Uh-Oh integrates the African beats and musical quirks more subtly into more traditional songs. Byrne's solo lyrics are still a bit too self-consciously kooky (think the musical equivalent of Ally McBeal), with songs about sex-change operations and de-evolution, but most of the songs are fun. To a point. Grade: B

David Byrne

Willie's comments: Returning to pop basics as he did so well on the Talking Heads’ Little Creatures, Byrne imbues his self-titled album with an air of detached loneliness. The bare-bones arrangements of “A Self-Made Man” and “Sad Song” call attention to every gentle twitch of Byrne’s lilting voice, making lines like “The clown will laugh in your face/Ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho” as calming as they are creepy. “Back in the Box” and “Angels” are plenty catchy indeed, while “My Love is You” is probably the only love song ever written to make lyrics like “Sometimes, dear, you tell me I’m an a--hole/Sometimes you’re an a--hole too” sound charming. If he ever gives up on rocking for good, Byrne proves he could easily fall back on becoming a singer/songwriter. Grade: A-

Feelings

Willie's comments: Finally! The eclectic rock solo album we always knew Byrne was capable of! While I’d say this album is Byrne’s first solo outing that can stand next to Talking Heads albums like Speaking in Tongues or Talking Heads 77, it’s an album he never could’ve made with the Heads. So much of this album’s appeal lies in the way Byrne collaborates with several diverse musical artists, bending their stylistic tendencies to suit him. The Black Cat Orchestra provides a lovely, Beatlesesque background for the lightweight “They are in Love,” two of the guys from Morcheeba add trippy elements to the album throughout, and a long-overdue partnership with DEVO makes for some thrillingly creepy future-pop (“Wicked Little Doll”). Heads fans will warm right up to catchier numbers like “Dance on Vaseline” and “The Civil Wars,” but the best songs are the sitar-based “Daddy Go Down” and the satirical “Miss America” (“I love America, but boy can she be cruel/ And I know how tall she is without her platform shoes”). Grade: A

SEE ALSO: TALKING HEADS

THIS ARTIST ALSO APPEARS ON: RICHARD THOMPSON TRIBUTE ALBUM

THIS ARTIST HAS TENUOUS CONNECTIONS TO: DEVO

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