John Mayer Trio
Try!
(Aware Records)

A

Website: www.johnmayer.com

Jamie Howison

Liz Janes & Create
Liz Janes & Create
(Asthmatic Kitty Records)

C-



Website: www.asthmatickitty.com

Minimalist melodies, vocal chants, acoustic guitars, banjos and harmoniums haunt this folksy effort. No effort is made to actually begin these tunes, and they stumble and wobble into a ghostly existence that drifts and wanders in and out of focus and finally disappears. Vocals leak out of the speakers with barely enough force to register. The drumming seems like someone repeatedly tripping over a kit in the dark. The lyrics are mumbled and deep in the mix. Liz is not into structure, obviously, and the result is a messy, sloppy, recording that feels like it was made late at night by candlelight and after a few bottles of homemade wine.

Chris Brown

Sofa Surfers
Sofa Surfers
(Klein Records)

B-

This Austrian quartet has filled the shelves of rap, dub and chillout fans since it first formed in 1996. On their fourth full album, the Surfers forget the past for an edgier, more song-driven release. White Noise gets things started with deep bass and menacing guitars, before Mani Obeya tames the roughness with the warm R&B lyrics that contribute throughout this release. The dark mood continues as Obeya sings “You keep hurting yourself ’cause the bruises don’t show” on Say Something, and she repeats the title of Good Day to Die more times than is really necessary. Some less aggressive songs can be found, such as Believer and Love as a Theory, both of which still have a deep underlying sadness. Get a Kleenex and check out this entire album on the website www.sofasurfers.net.

Shannon Ander

The new album from goofy roots-rock outfit Silver Jews high-dives into the absurd with songs about depressed ponies, clouds shaped like animals, shrews and God’s shadow. They beat almost-funny lines (such as “How can I love you if you won’t lie down” or I’m getting back into getting back into you”) to mush by using them as often as they can. Musically, the Jews are even less interesting, pulling out the usual roots instrumentation and giving us some rather lacklustre performances. Two notes repeated as a guitar solo may be better than a single-note solo, but not by much. The Silver Jews live and die by their weird poetry, but the music comes a distant second. This is one that you’ll either love or hate, so have a listen before you plunk down your lunch money.
Chris Brown

Set the Way-Back Machine for Birmingham, England, circa 1969. A lot of metal bands are currently aping the heavy, distorted, reverb-laced riffs of Black Sabbath — Early Man and High on Fire are but two — and now Texas-based quartet The Sword joins the ranks with this debut. The nine tracks here aren’t earth-shattering, but these Four Horsemen can ride a riff like few other outfits. Check out the latter half of Freya for a wicked repeating groove that should send some water over the gunwales of your boat. Winter’s Wolves continues the assault and is probably the best track here. The Horned Goddess has just a hint of psychedelia, and Iron Swan churns out some gnarly thrash. This Sword is worth picking up — use it to cut the sleeves off your Sabbath T-shirt. That’s metal.

Mike Warkentin

Along with the recent pop trend, psychedelia is back and swirling in from the underground. The Warlocks, led by Bobby Hecksher (guitar/vocals), are right at the forefront. Hecksher moved to L.A. at the age of 16 and went on to jam with Beck, play in the infamous Brian Jonestown Massacre and drop acid with Timothy Leary. The Warlocks fuse Phil Spector’s Wall of Sound thing with their own brand of psychedelia. Angels in Heaven, Angel in Hell is the perfect marriage between The Shangri-Las and Sonic Youth. Hecksher’s lyrics use dark imagery to tell stories of misery and outer space over layers of guitars, feedback and loud drums — with reverb on everything. The Warlocks are a heavier version of the Flaming Lips with Jesus and Mary Chain’s use of feedback. Surgery is dark and gloomy, perfect for those rainy tripping days.
Ashley McCurdy

Calling Yellowcard a shitty punk band would be a mistake — Lights and Sounds doesn’t have much punk on it, and it isn’t shitty, even if 2003’s Ocean Avenue was saccharine and annoying. In fact, this outing will disappoint those, like me, who were looking forward to tearing the quintet a new one with a savage review. Simply put, Lights and Sounds is a polished, mature, melodic album that finds Yellowcard leaving the mall behind and turning into a real rock band. The songs are fully developed, and strings arrangements by Sean Mackin continue to set the group apart without seeming like a novelty. Let’s not get carried away here, though. This isn’t the second coming of Nirvana, just an above-average pop-rock disc that’s far better than anything by Simple Plan.
Mike Warkentin

This is a love-it/hate-it compilation. When you get a bunch of new-ish emo/screamo bands doing covers of famous old punk songs by artists such as the Buzzcocks, Bad Brains and Misfits, you’re throwing out an open invitation for the shit to hit the fan. On top of that, this is the soundtrack for a video game. Punks have rioted for less. With some of the hottest names in new rock checking in — Senses Fail, Thrice and Rise Against are all here — this album is a must-listen for any fan of the genre. Are these covers terrible, average or even — gasp — better than the originals? I know what I think, but I’ll leave it up to you to decide. Notable highlights of the album are Astro Zombies by My Chemical Romance and Sonic Reducer by Saves the Day.
Brodie Sanderson