The Deadlights
The Deadlights (Elektra)
They combine primal-scream therapy, industrial grime, and trancey tones - but these guys are no Limp Pumpkin Zombie. Beneath the wailing, samples, and psychedelic touches on songs like "Amplified" and "Sweet Oblivion" are catchy hard-rock tunes. And while a few tracks do sound a bit too Bizkit, those missteps are happily infrequent.
Various Artists
Caravana Cubana: Late Night Sessions (Rhino)
Apropos that a memorial for Emilio Vandenedes, a DJ credited with bringing contemporary Cuban music to US radio, turned into a jam session. The all-star assembly included Jesus "Chucho" Valdés, Francisco Aguabella, Miguel "Angá" Dìaz, Lázaro Galarraga, Al McKibbon, Orlando "Maraca" Valle, and Jose Caridad "Perico" Hernández; the resulting eight tracks are definitive, killer Cubana. Check "Rica y Caliente," a severely danceable son changuì, and the infectious rhythm of the descarga "Chucho Carabalì." Those who groove on rumba won't do better than "Solo y Triste"; other styles include son, guajira, comparsa, and guiro. Better than Cuban cigars.
The Grateful Dead
So Many Roads (1965-1995) (Grateful Dead Records/Arista)
A five-CD box set with "unreleased material" may seem odd for a band that played 2,000-plus concerts, most of which are available to any Deadhead with a tape deck and a mailing address. But So Many Roads traces a musical and chronological evolution spanning 30 years, from the lyrically Dylanesque "Can't Come Down" studio demo in 1965 to the spiritual title track from the last Dead show July 9, 1995, a month before Jerry Garcia's death. The most intriguing moments come from 1993 rehearsals, where seemingly idle banter was the inspiration for years' worth of creative projects.
Big Lazy
big lazy (Tasankee)
If big lazy has a claim to fame, it is the onscreen gig playing the brooding soundtrack for Meldrick's wedding in Homicide. Back then the name was lazy boy - record execs forced a change, says guitarist Stephen Ulrich, "fearing mass confusion between the overstuffed chairs and spooky, evocative music." This CD offers more neosurf instrumentals with upright bass, drums, and Telecaster twang - just the thing for new-millennium nuptials.
Oasis
Standing on the Shoulder of Giants (Epic)
The Brothers Gallagher & Co. continue their besotted romance with '60s and '70s pop rock, even winking at their Beatles obsession/dependency. Standing kick-starts thrillingly with the nearly instrumental "Fucking in the Bushes," the hit-in-waiting, "Strawberry Fields"-flourished "Go Let it Out," and the muscular rocker "Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is," which nips a Doors lyric. Mid-disc, alas, Oasis loses its footing and its steam.
Kid Koala
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (Ninja Tune)
Montreal's timid turntable-terror Kid Koala couples humor in abundance with honest-to-goodness skill. CTS tautly tackles the idiosyncrasies of DJdom. Some comments are literal, as on "Nerdball," where a voice laments, "We're nothing but the nerds they say we are." Elsewhere, Koala lets his fingers do the talking: On "Drunk Trumpet," he rebuilds a horn sample into erratic squeals, complemented by a loping piano line. Never taking himself too seriously, he lays out songs like "Barhopper 2," in which a luckless Lothario tries to lure a woman back to his apartment with the promise of fine music. "It's an awful nice record," he promises. Indeed it is.
deathray
deathray (Capricorn)
Guitarist Greg Brown and bassist Victor Damiani split Cake to cook up this new Sacramento band. They hooked up with producer Eric Valentine (Smashmouth, Third Eye Blind) and whipped up a tasty dish: neo-New Wave meets groovy '60s harmonies laced with space-age samples. Fortunately, the Star Trek-inspired sound effects never overwhelm the melodic hooks, the vigorous, jangly guitars, or the warm vocals of keyboardist/co-songwriter Dana Gumbiner. The opener, "My Lunatic Friends," is catchy, crunchy pop, while "Check It Over" blasts off like vintage Joe Jackson. "Happy New Year" is a fittingly melancholy, wall-of-guitars closer.
Yo La Tengo
And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside-Out (Matador)
With this wry, delicately woven 10th album, drummer Georgia Hubley, hubby/guitarist Ira Kaplan, and bassist James McNew prove they've perfected the craft of simple yet dignified songwriting. "Tears Are in Your Eyes," for example, wraps a velveteen hook around slide-guitar-propelled vocals that seem to drift in and out of consciousness. YLT's best work to date, Nothing doesn't play so much as waft lyrical nostalgia in your direction.
STREET CRED
The Short Goodbye
Par2-D2
Violent Laughter
The March of Progress
Flighty Mouse
Fast Outta the Gate
Broadband Gamespot
Read Me
Music
Goth Talk
Dark Passage
Got Skim?
Weather Vane on a Chain
just outta beta
Lenscraft
The Road to Nerdville
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