May 22, 2008

Simple Plan Simple Plan [3.5/5] Calling Simple Plan a pop-punk band is unfair to both the genre and the band. Although the Canadian quintet have headlined Warped Tour, they’ve always been more of a pop band who happen to like blazing guitar riffs and chugging tempos. Exhibit A: Their biggest hits-“Perfect,” “Untitled (How Could This...

Don Zientara Clocks & Watches [3/5] Don Zientara is best known for his Inner Ear Studios, where he produces most Dischord releases. Clocks & Watches is the follow-up to his ultra lo-fi ’03 solo debut, Sixteen SSongs. Unlike other producer-musicians (Alan Parsons, Wharton Tiers), Zientara makes music that sounds nothing like the bands he records....

Xiu Xiu Women As Lovers [3/5] What we have on Women As Lovers is a potluck of heartrending, experimental cacophony broken up by moments of hushed beauty. On “songs” like “F.T.W.,” Xiu Xiu front-freak Jamie Stewart injects a nightmare protagonist’s inner monologue into psyched-out landscapes while his roving band of art school carnies keep pace...

MGMT Oracular Spectacular [4.5/5] You may recall MGMT from their opening slot on Of Montreal’s 2005 tour-they’re the guys who sang dreamy pop songs karaoke-style over their trusty iPod. While their set then may have been minimal, Oracular Spectacular is anything but. Now signed to a major label, the duo have definitely put their bigger...

Joe Lally Nothing Is Underrated [3/5] You can take the bassist out of Fugazi, but you can’t take Fugazi out of the bassist. Though he’s on his own, Joe Lally still creates music as challenging and rewarding as his former band. His newest album is an Olympic-sized pole vault leap over his debut, 2006’s haphazard...

Sean Madigan Hoen The Liquor Witch [2/5] As the man behind Thoughts Of Ionesco, Leaving Rouge and most recently, the Holy Fire, Sean Madigan Hoen has created a fairly hefty, varied discography for himself. Running the gamut from post-hardcore to lush indie rock, Hoen’s latest solo release is more of the latter, rocking a definite...

Christine Fellows Nevertheless [3.5/5] Christine Fellows continues to spin her plucky, sweet and delightfully simple tunes on her fourth solo effort, Nevertheless. Anchoring her songs around poetry by Marianne Moore, Fellows navigates through character traits and peaceful birds as deftly as politics, without overtly spelling out anything. From delicate piano ballads (“To A Prize Bird”)...

Aloha Light Works [4/5] Over the course of four prior full-lengths, Aloha have mastered the art of mixing gorgeous vocal melodies with shimmering instrumentation as complex as it is serene. We won’t dance around the issue though; Light Works is a markedly different side of the band. “Different” doesn’t mean “bad,” however, as the band’s...

DRI Smoke Rings [3.5/5] Adrianne Verhoeven’s former group the Anniversary metamorphosed from an emotive new-wave band to an earthy psychedelic outfit within a two-year span. Given this history of abrupt evolution, it’s unsurprising to hear the singer/keyboardist pursuing a completely different direction on her solo debut. Verhoeven’s vocals, occasionally multi-tracked into a chanting army (“What’s...