Slow drones propels "Night Flight" and "Approximation," though the latter does mix in some noise. Von Bolzn screams her way at points on "Sonomatopoeia," and is an acquired taste. The band provides more than enough power-the voice is an add on.

Drummer Martin Brandlmayr excels throughout, especially providing almost lead work on the epic "Metal Sky."

In all, Pure take bits and pieces of sounds and voices, to create a low, rumbling epic of restraint and movement. That sense of forward progression into the unknown is what makes "Ification" the tense ride that it is. Pure make a whole of pieces of sound, and weave their own web with them.

While singer Skye Brooks is the key player here, with his wobbly but honest vocals and guitar driving most of the songs. While bassist Pete Schmitt's major contribution is sonic, his harrowing "All That I Am" is a highlight of the record. Brooks' "We Will Sleep Again, "Husk," and "Found Something," though, neatly sum up the record: rocking and bouncy with a nod to the past, and lyric odes and exhortations of bravery and recovery. This would be nostalgic if not for the fact that the songs sound so present. Troubles still filter through the lives of the band and of their friends; but they know how to stand their ground. And write amazing songs to prove it.

"Escape Through the Trees" ends on a graceful and powerful note. "Drink the Moon" is one of those carpe diem songs that might a sappy, diabetes-inducing mess in lesser hands. Here though, Copilots deliver the message straight up and without sentiment. That is their strength.

Hardcore outfit Lighten Up deliver a style of punk rock that blisters without burning on their surprisingly slick debut full length album, Absolutely Not. In the spirit of Minor Threat, the Descendents, and too many others to name, every song here is under two minutes, but vocalist Perry Shall packs volumes of heart and spirit into each song. If the delivery of these tunes seems blunt and forceful, the slyly sarcastic writing of his lyrics proves that the band is anything but: with song names like “Boyz II Wolves” and “Buttspeak” (which refers, apparently quite literally, to talking out of your ass), the listener can detect an intelligent smirk lurking beneath the mix.

The rhythm section of Lighten Up seems to borrow heavily from Jersey heroes Lifetime and Kid Dynamite while incorporating all the least obnoxious moments of posi veterans Good Clean Fun. There is a certain amount of classic hardcore revival here (though I would not presume myself knowledgeable enough in the field of hardcore to drop names), but this Absolutely Not is by no means an '80s punk record. These differences (and, interestingly, these similarities) are most obvious on the album’s title track, which happens to be a personal favorite of mine.

It is also on this song, “Absolutely Not,” that Lighten Up’s intelligent songwriting shines through the strongest. The pre-chorus is perhaps the most powerful, containing the lines “Breathe in/ breathe out/I think about it again/but I don’t feel better yet/I just/adjust/I should give up now/’cause I’ll never win.” Later, Shall shouts, “I wish I could care less/I was I was careless.” And if the crowd’s reaction at their album release show was any indication, his fans feel exactly the same way.

Lighten Up’s set was nothing short of explosive; the band covered ten or twelve songs in about as many minutes before abruptly shutting off their equipment and calling it a night. If the backyard and kitchen of 51st and Spruce Streets were overflowing with audience members earlier that evening, they were near-empty now as everyone in attendance gathered to witness the historic event. When it came time to play “Absolutely Not,” it became apparent that the guys have got an anthem on their hands. There were no encores, however. By the time Lighten Up finished their set, the show had been going on for more than three hours. The crowd in West Philly dwindled, sending everyone, audience and performers alike, home with a sweaty, exhilarating memory.

Highlights include:

"Starching a petal" by Sudden Oak is driven by the insane guitar of John Ward and the tenor sax of Matt Erickson, who more than keeps up in stirring the chaos.

"A Toothsome Mouthful"by Soft Teeth, here the drums replace the horn, but the track is still more or less guitar-focused.

"Chunk" by The Spirit Moves, featuring Jim Ryan's tenor, wails both in homage and spirit to the early days of Free Jazz, when the uncharted waters created by Albert Ayler, Sonny Sharrock and Coltrane was truly a new path to the waterfall.

"Broken Toys and Black Orchids" is a tour of the spectrum of free sounds, from ambient to black metal. In other words, free. Here the trio of Philip Everett (Autoharp, Electronics, Percussion) Ray Schaeffer on bass and drummer Anthony Flores serve as true explorers and guides

"wine ov depths" is a pounding assault featuring Mikey Yeda's industrial, somewhat muddy drums and Jay Korber's sax. "End To A Means" is solo Korber, and explores the far reaches (and audience testing limits) of pure improv.
Sudden Oak
"Orgone Collector" is a sort of hell fusion, with the light melodies of fusion overlaid by screaming riffs.

The finale is the twelve minute "knockin' solar system," where Wiggawaum (Loren Means on Trombone, Douglas Katelus on keys and drummer Randy Lee Sutherland take you on a nightmarish, tortured ride of rhythm, with monstrous vocals luring you inside the carnival tent.

You can't go wrong with any of the tracks on "Mudwagon." If you can't appreciate all the tracks for their daring wail, you can at least inhale the air of freedom and balls-out inspiration of bands that just scratch the surface of what is out there.

Of the dozen tracks, "It's Alright" and "Summerday" percolate with driving but melodic pop rhythms. "Troubled Times" and "You Are Everyone" are two songs on which Williams' writing carries the day; the lyrics are strong, intimate and powerful Producer Brad Wood (Liz Phair, Smashing Pumpkins) seems to encourage the pop side of things a little too often. A few other songs might have benefitted from a more spare arrangement, allowing her words to center the action.

Tracks like "Midnight Radio" and "Holly Tree," however, would not be saved. Here, aside from the bland melodies, the lyrics are either self-serving or precious. "Radio" is basically an Alanis-esque litany of thank you's to heroes, an idea that was annoying the first time around.

In all, Dar Williams's large fan base will help keep "Promised Land" afloat. In the future, she may need to stretch out a bit, and not toward more radio-friendly schmooze. Her strength has always been her writing and her voice, and, with a few exceptions, neither really cut loose this time.

Now I've never understood the fanatical devotion that the band inspired among its fans. However, as a (relatively) open minded individual I was pleasantly surprised at what I heard on the new album.

My impressions of Grizzly Bear are that they are generally a group concerned with pushing boundaries and experimenting with sonics rather than constructing enjoyable songs.

That impression changed dramatically with the immediately engaging "Southern Point". It's a soaring track featuring catchy Afro rhythms.

Many of the tracks on Veckatimest are similarly intriguing. "Two Weeks" stands tall with Beach Boy-esque vocal harmonies. That's an element also present on the twisted Byrds-influenced "Fine For Now", which also possesses a stunning musical breakdown. "I Live With You" is build around a lo-fi musical explosion. On the flipside, but no less effective, is "Dory", a ghostly track with a stripped-down TV On The Radio aura. "While You Wait for the Others" even has *gasp* a hook!

The band doesn't completely overturn my previous opinions of them. There are still several tracks that fall within the moody/ambient category ("Hold Still", "All We Ask", "Ready Able", etc). These still tend to be dull affairs. I have to work hard to resist hitting the skip button in those cases.

With Veckatimest Grizzly Bear have created an album that could see them move from "critical darlings" to something more widely appreciated.

Produced by Mercury Rev's Dave Fridmann, the album is an journey through various branches of electro-weirdo music. The album kicks off with the hypnotic "Born On a Day the Sun Didn't Rise" before transitioning into "Dark Bubbles", a song awash with analog vibe.

Both lightness and dark are explored on various tracks throughout the album. "Twin of Myself" is a bright and sunny stroll through the park. It's doppelganger is "Iron Lemonade" with its subtly evil warbling strut, while "Tooth Decay" has a psycho-sexual "Warm Leatherette" undertone bubbling just below the surface.

"American Face Dust" is particularly noteworthy. The banjo-plucking intro serves to bring a touch of roots rock to the electronic proceedings. Thankfully the band is skillful enough in their execution to steer clear of "Cotton Eye Joe" territory.

Like most electronic music there are definite lulls on Eating Us. Songs like "Gold Splatter" and "Fields Are Breathing" are tracks that really go nowhere, and do so slowly. Fortunately, most of the songs on Eating Us are strong enough to help us forgive these meanderings.

Looking for some electronic music with some punch (Stereolab on 'roids?), then Eating Us may be just the ticket.

It would be a stretch to say that Kearney breaks new musical ground or pushes sonic boundaries. What he does deliver however, is enjoyable adult pop rock. Yes, it's fairly conventional, but not everything needs to be genre-bending to be worthwhile.

The songs are well-crafted. The lyrics are personal and introspective, yet still manage to convey a sense of hope.

Vocally, Kearney's style is and interesting fusion of Anglo and roots rock. As a result he sometimes sounds like Chris Martin, sometimes like Adam Duritz. More often than not his singing is a hybrid of the best elements of both.

There are several slower songs, such as the title track, on the album. Kearney is at his best though when he verges on power pop. Those are the moments when the big hooks shine through.

City of Black & White isn't going to make anyone forget OK Computer, but it is an enjoyable record that's perfect for those moments when escape is the goal.

Most songs are Lo-Def, and while this adds to the sincerity of the recording, it does not make up for the relentlessly disenchanting vocals or out of sync instrumentation. Don't get me wrong, at times Who shot hollywood goes to lengths most artists wont go, such as "Thinking Of A Number" who has consistent teeth and grind, but yet missing just a bit too much content. For that its worth, most songs have a constant upbeat rhythm, but not without the cost of being overcooked, "Crimewave" is a perfect example. There seems to be something about "Sue The Garage" I can't seem to put my finger on, that I will listen to again if given the chance. It has a mix up Suicidal Tendencies and Hellogoodbye that has far too much charisma to ignore.  "The Yoga" also has a nice mix of Synth Rock, but its repetitive chorus discounts the beautiful hybrid buildup in the outro chorus.

 There was not much available, after a quick sifting of the web for the story behind their artist name. Overall, this album is bland and lacking tact. I can feel the attitude they're attempting, but its simply not performed well enough.

Opening title track really sticks out for being the most highly energized and classic punk-ish number on the disc. This is easily notable in the bass line which sounds lifted from something by Iggy Pop, and a fist-pumping chorus to sing along to. This is THE track linus.maybe can utilize to get their sound into the public eye, even though it's not altogether representative to the rest of the album. Most of the rest of the songs work at much slower paces and tempos, providing platforms for sometimes humorous, sometimes serious lyrical story-telling and melodic pop-punk/rock that's more or less servicable and mostly enjoyable all the same. "Slop of the Pops" is very catchy, featuring some decently played harmonica. The intro to "Rockstar" is undeniably awesome, a sort of neo-western soundtrack flair to it that really impresses me. The album mostly exposes it's finer parts over the first half, but some solid numbers over the 2nd half would be "If I Ain't Got You" and "Another Beer".

Overall not a bad debut performance for linus.maybe, just one that isn't going to apply itself to anyone's musical philosophies. If you demand catchiness and poppy hooks from your music, while having it retain a bit of indie appeal and aren't afraid of the words "pop-punk" when used in conjunction, then Attitude probably has more than enough of what you're looking for. Everyone else, click over to their website and listen to a song or two with some caution. 

On OK Bear Enigk goes for broke in an attempt to make grand, majestic and important musical statement pieces. The result is far from that however. What instead we get are song like "Life's Too Short" which tend to be cluttered, unfocused and claustrophobic.

The Emo tendencies of Sunny Day Real Estate are all over the album as well. The album opener "Mind Idea" is an overwrought production while "April Storms" threatens but never develops into much more than a stiff breeze.

Even the tender piano on "Sandwich Time" comes across as insincere.

There are some faint glimmers of hope. "Restart" is an inspired rock track. They respite doesn't last long before Enigk falls back into the same rut with the listless "Make Believe".

OK Bear is simply and album that goes nowhere.

The band combines jangly pop with more ornate Arcade Fire-style indie rock to mix an intoxicating musical cocktail. A hint of more earthy, organic roots music rounds off the elixir.

The male/female interplay on songs like "Betrayal Pt 1" is definitely a strength on the record. It turns tracks like "Our Hearts Don't Match Up" and "Cuba/Peru" from good pop songs into irresistible gems. The uber cool country lilt of "Duet for Emmylou and the Grievous Angel" (for Emmylou Harris and Gram Parsons) is elevated by the back-and-forth.

When Burns sings on his own, particularly on songs like "Winter Sun", his voice bears a striking similarity to Gord Downie. I guess it's hard to escape that influence in Canada.

Thematically the songs are a little bit disjointed. The band moves from singing love songs to trolls ("Tentacles") to oddly political numbers ("Fuck NAFTA").

Not every song is a winner, but you would be hard pressed to ask for any more catchy pop goodness than you already get with Going Steady.

Over the course of four studio albums Iron & Wine has built a sizable and loyal fan base. I don't count myself among them.

I have always found Iron & Wine's brand of acoustic indie folk to be overly earnest and to put it bluntly, dull with no melody. There's little if anything on Around The Well that would lead me to change that opinion.

While any one of the album's tracks is enjoyable in isolation, listening to the entire record from front to back is a chore. Mumbled or otherwise inaudible vocals mask any song crafting that may be present, while the instrumentation feels like an afterthought for Beam as he sleepwalks through the songs.

A pair of tepid covers, The Flaming Lips' "Waitin' On a Superman" and The Postal Services' "Such Great Heights", do little to spice up the bland fare.

There is the odd memorable moment though. "Peng!" includes a Byrds-inspired vocal harmony, while "Belated Promise Ring" shows some pep. "Serpent Charmer" provides an intriguing cobra-in-a-basket groove.

I've probably been a little bit harsh on the album, as this is not my favorite style of music. If you like your music at a snail pace and murmur volume you will likely love Around The Well.

One of the things you have to appreciate about Broken Social Scene and their offshoots is the diversity of music, not just from project to project, but within each album. Eats Darkness is no different in that respect.

Originally formed around the idea of incorporating Brazilian and Cuban influences into indie rock, Apostle Of Hustle still lean on that. "Eazy Speaks" has a noticeable South American vibe alongside the jangly tune.

"Soul Unwind", "Xerses", and "Blackberry" feature some minor effects that yelp into the peppy Yo La Tengo-esque indie rock. Fuzz bass on "Whistle In The Fog" hangs like a cloud, darkening that track, while "Perfect Fit" is a lo-fi electronic number that hugs the edge of Trip Hop.

The standout track on the album is "How To Defeat a More Powerful Enemy". The song makes you believe that this is how Sonic Youth would do it if they wrote indie pop ditties.

A series of mood setting musical interludes also pepper the record. "Snakes", "Sign", "What Are You Talking About?", "Return To Sender", "Nobody Bought It", and the title track all serve to set the stage for the subsequent songs.

With all of those interludes however, Eats Darkness begins to feel more like an EP than a full album. Which is a shame, because it will leave you unsatisfied and wanting more.

The marathon show spans 29 tracks and is really the sound of Eddie cutting his teeth as a solo artist. There are missed notes, false starts, and forgotten lyrics, but it all works with these guys. It makes you as a fan and listener feel like you are more connected to these obviously human musicians.

In terms of the set list, a large chunk is comprised of Eddie's solo material. We do get about a half dozen Supersuckers songs including "Barricade", "Marie", "Non-Addictive Marijuana", and the ubiquitous set closer "Born With a Tail". The real treat is the number of cover songs the duo play, drawing on the likes of KISS, Judas Priest, The Ramones, Steve Earle, Tom Jones, and more. Of course they are all done with a country twang.

The typical Supersuckers witty banter, and interplay between Eddie, Rontrose, and the audience make it easy to overlook the dubious quality of the recording. Who can complain about a little buzz and echo when you get to hear the crowd instruct Eddie on the proper way to shotgun a beer?

Opener "Priests of Sodom" is a throwback to CC's heyday, an excellent choice for an introduction to the brutality within. George "Corpsegrinder" Fisher sounds as potent as ever behind the mic, his somewhat higher-pitched growls and bellows hitting the right spot consistently within each song's architecture.  "Scalding Hell" is a quick shot of blazing death metal, with riffs that perculate over pummeling drums into frenzied climax. "To Decompose" is highlighted by some masterful solo work. I personally love the way "Evidence In The Furnace" transistions from full-speed barnburner into a mid-paced crushing stomp, only to let loose with one last intense solo as it closes."Carnivorious Swarm" has to be one of the fastest and most complex numbers here. My own personal highlight is the more tempered and mastered title track, which lets it's riffs develop at a slower pace and shows a knack for the almighty hook that has always been an underrated aspect of Cannibal Corpse's music.

All in all, a finer death metal album for 2009 just can't be asked for. Pioneers that continue upon their destined road, Cannibal Corpse have once again reminded the masses who wrote the book on the style. Evisceration Plague belongs in the collections of every death metal fan far and wide. 

"Damned" is easily the most rocking cut of the whole set, a groovy anthem to the modern working girl. Jennifer's lyrics are almost always straight forward, her singing voice potent and strong enough to help carry the lyrical points straight home. "How Much I Love You" has some great pop flair to it, especially during the chorus and the vocal melodies within. The song that stands right out is "Incognito", which must have hit home with her as well as it has an accompanying music video and all. It's got more indie charm than the rest, more honesty in Jennifer's lyrics regarding her personal space and how, despite feeling like a small girl in a big city, she's able to blend in and get along just fine. It's all very poppy, all very clean-cut and cheerful, and it works. You'll find her at her most emotionally peaked on "Sigh", a very well-written song, more mellow and moody than the rest. 

Despite knowing some of our regular readers will pass this by, it's worth noting that Pretty has charms to sooth the savage beast in many of us; anyone with a shameless love for female pop artists who do it honest and come from a pure, love-of-the-music sort of place, Jennifer Logue may be just what the doctor ordered. 

With a mincing of Jazz, Folk and Lounge, What Time Is It Mr. Fox allows for a melting of everyday stress. Perhaps a glass of wine and track "Gospel Of Beauty" which has tasteful violin, and vocals that rival the peaks of Jeff Buckley. The following track "Horror Cartoon" has a Fiona Apple pianio melody, but a lyrical pacing that even the odd Jack Black (Tenacious D) would enjoy. Mixing it up nicely the following track "The Fog" soothes wonderfully. There is an enormous amount of courage put into this album, as a lot of tracks could easily be scrutinized and framed to fit obscure amateur artistry. Look to the final track, a violin explosion "March Of The Hares" to discredit such statements.

While lead vocalist Brian King reminds me of a mix between Buckley, Black and Gavin Degraw, its truly the diverse genres and melodic adventures that will have this album fighting its way into my top ten this year. Not a lot of records come without notification and stay in my collection, but when they do its a pleasant surprise. And Other Stories... is one of those albums. This release has content, just dig deep past the awkward slowness at times and you'll find the humility that demands respect.