Review Update: 10/12/05

Armor For Sleep -- What To Do When You Are Dead
Baby Teeth -- The Baby Teeth Album
Bear Claw – Find The Sun
The Book Of Lists -- Red Arrows
Bullet Train To Vegas -- We Put Scissors Where Our Mouths Are
Suzy Callahan – Happier Than Everybody Else
The Charming Snakes – Ammunition
Circa Survive -- Juturna
Gratitude -- Self-titled
Greater California -- Somber Wurlitzer
The Letters Organize -- Dead Rhythm Machine
Andrew Morgan -- Misadventures in Radiology
The Myriad -- You Can’t Trust A Ladder
Please Mr Gravedigger -- Throw A Beat
The Rocket Summer -- Hello, Good Friend.
Rufio -- The Comfort of Home
Spitafield -- Stop Doing Bad Things
Strung Out -- Exile In Oblivion
Tiger Bear Wolf -- Self-titled
Various Artists -- Workbook Studio 25 Hour Grand Prix
A Wilhelm Scream -- Ruiner
Yellowcard -- Where We Stand

Armor For Sleep -- What To Do When You Are Dead
Equal Vision Records
I imagine it is extremely difficult for a band that has logged the time on the road that Armor For Sleep and who is facing the challenging feat of delivering a successful sophomore record to conceive and execute a record with both a solid theme and solid music. Armor For Sleep have done just that with What To Do When You Are Dead, a very well executed record both in concept and composition. Armor For Sleep have penned a cinema worthy narrative that follows the main character from his suicide (seemingly by driving his car into a large body of water), to heaven and back to earth where he checks in on those whom he’s left behind. Though this isn’t an extremely academic or theological look into death and what happens in the afterlife, this could easily be Armor For Sleep’s answer to author Alice Sebold’s Lovely Bones (which, in my opinion, is a fantastic work of fiction). Each CD is packaged with a short illustrated pamphlet, “What To Do When You Are Dead, a comprehensive guide to your afterlife,” which takes the narrative that extra mile. Now to the band’s musical execution; they don’t sound terribly different from their peers – Brand New and The Jealous Sound both come to mind. The songs here, especially opener “Car Underwater” and “The More You Talk The Less I Hear,” do have enough strong hooks to entice the casual listener that extra mile that will drive the concept home. To their continued credit, it would’ve been easy for the band to select a producer familiar with bands of Armor For Sleep’s same ilk. They took the high road, hitting the studio with producer Machine, whose credits include Lamb of God, King Crimson and Vision of Disorder, and the result is stunning. This is a solid B+ effort that deserves whatever attention it gets.
-Tim Anderl

Baby Teeth -- The Baby Teeth Album
Lujo Records
All day today I’ve been looking for something to blow my doors off….and opener “Mighty Time,” which sounds like David Hasselholf apeing Bowie, The Black Crowes and the Twighlight Singers all at once, indicates that this CD is not going to be it. “Just bring all the blow that you can find/it’s gonna be a mighty time,” vocalist P Sweet sings limply. If anything, this dude is in dire need of a Viagra and a week off from the amateur karaoke circuit. “Celebrity Wedding” veers into 70s Motown territory, but then again with the Hassleholf imitation. By the third track I’m considering Har Mar Superstar a breath of fresh air and that’s when I know I need to shut this one down. There’s no way this could not be a joke – what’s sad is that it would’ve been a lot less funny had I actually purchased this CD.
-Tim Anderl

Bear Claw – Find The Sun
Sickroom Records, Ltd.
Chicago-based bass-drum-bass trio Bear Claw deliver a punishing mix of shouting, distortion, more nasty shouting, intensity, and jarring noise that’ll wake you the fuck up on a Monday morning. The thick rich tones of the bass guitar, often used as a warm introduction by other less sadistic musicians, are warped, jabbed, jerked, squealed and spattered by Bear Claw’s Rich Fessler and Rob Raspolich, while the drummer, Scott Pico eggs them on in a secret language. Steve Albini’s trademark engineering style drives the trio’s no-holds barred approach to math rock straight up your ass. Surprisingly, fans of Jesus Lizard and Fugazi won’t find this phenomenon all that unpleasant.
-Tim Anderl

The Book Of Lists -- Red Arrows
Global Symphonic
I was really psyched to get this record, largely because of guitarist/vocalist Chris Frey’s prior participation in one of my favorite bands, Radio Berlin. And while I was a little disappointed that he wasn’t navigating the same dark Echo and The Bunnymen- and Chameleons-inspired waters as his previous band, it seems that Chris is also pretty fond of psychedelic-pop and glam too. And that is A-OK in my book. “Through Stained Glass” is a psychedelic rock song, complete with siren-like guitar solo that gives way to Jesus and Mary Chain-like buzzsaw distortion. “Pacifist Revolt” has opens with a cocksure brit-rock swagger (think Oasis or Kasabian) though the verses are a bit more “Eleanor Rigby.” Though Frey veers back towards that Bunnymen-like sound for “Becoming Forgettable,” “Neurosis” is far more Bowie than McCulloch (though this song does tend to lag a bit). Drummer Brady Cranfield pulls the band up by the shirttail with the driving beat backbone of “Sweet Malady” while Frey croons in a low-register part Nick Cave, part Glenn Danzig bellow over peppy pop guitar work. The Book of Lists hardly settles on one sound or one voice, and that may work to their disadvantage in cases where the audience or listener doesn’t have the back story. But for those of us who know all the different directions Frey has explored in recent years – Radio Berlin, Frog Eyes, Pink Mountaintops, and Destroyer – this is the perfect way to whet the appetite for whatever this prolific mutha is doing next.
-Tim Anderl

Bullet Train To Vegas -- We Put Scissors Where Our Mouths Are
Nitro Records
Being “derivative” isn’t always a bad thing. In chemistry it means, “to produce or obtain a compound from another substance by chemical reaction.” I can appreciate this phenomenon – after all, beer is derived from barley and hops, right? Well, Bullet Train To Vegas is derivative; and not unlike Miller Lite and Magnum malt beverage, they’re derivative in the most kickass way possible. Might I mention that there’s more than enough chaotic, quirky punk energy here to start a serious chemical reaction? Thankfully the end product in most cases is some combination of stabbing guitar lines, galloping rhythms, and wet-your-pants vocal freakouts, which Alex Newport (Melvins, At The Drive In, Sepultura, Your Enemies Friends) has mixed to combustible levels. My favorite of the bunch, “RFLCTR BTZ,” is a funky post-punk fist pumper that could possibly trace its roots back to Good Health-era Pretty Girls Make Graves. Other tracks here may or may not have been influenced and inspired by Refused, JR Ewing, The Blood Brothers, and Drive Like Jehu. For now, I’ll leave it to you chemistry majors to figure out the rest.
-Tim Anderl

Suzy Callahan – Happier Than Everybody Else
Sacred Guy Music
I’ve got a feeling that I’d love Suzy Callahan if I was just a little more in touch with my feminine side. Ms. Callahan’s got a perfectly acceptable voice that lands her amidst some of the more affable female pop voices of the last couple decades: Belinda Carlisle, Elizabeth Elmore, and Rilo Kiley to name a few. As it is, I prefer my female singer/songwriters a little more musically dominant; i.e. the big ideas and voice of Bjork, the alto bellow of Souxsie Souix, etc. Suzy Callahan’s airy pop just isn’t the kind of thing that normally rings my bell. Seeing as how I’m presently the only critic at Bettawreckonize HQ, I think we’re gonna have to end this review at that unfortunate impasse.
-Tim Anderl

The Charming Snakes – Ammunition
Dirtnap Records
A former good buddy of mine recently used an interesting euphemism for taking a crap. He told me that he was, “goin’ to charm a basket of snakes.” I’m pretty sure that this particular euphemism has absolutely nothing to do with Seattle-by-way-of Austin quartet The Charming Snakes. Luckily, Ammunition is no turd either. The Charming Snakes play noisy, no frills post punk music for fans of The Fall and Sonic Youth. They sound like cheap drugs and seem to be in league with other standout acts from their locale that sound like cheap drugs, most notably Coachwhips, A Frames, and The Gossip. I can see why these bands have become fast friends. Shit, I almost forgot….this band is doing things for the saxophone that no one has done since Rob Lowe circa-St. Elmo’s Fire. And that’s no basket of snakes either.
-Tim Anderl

Circa Survive -- Juturna
Equal Vision Records
With the word about Engine Down throwing in the towel fresh in my memory and totally bumming me out, I was wondering if I’d ever again hear a band that even flirted with their dynamic space-rock/emo crossover sound. Then I heard Circa Survive, a band fronted by former Saosin singer Anthony Green, and supported by ex-members of This Day Forward and Taken and I quit wondering. Green flirts with the same high head register Keeley Davis, though his deliver has a similar swagger to Glassjaw and Head Automatica’s Daryl Palumbo. The bands’ unsparing use of delay pedals to establish their cosmic connection happens pretty early on and barely relents – sounds almost as if they’ve been taking cues from Codeseven and Cave In. Fortunately, Green and company pay far more attention to establishing strong hooks and big rock choruses than to just wanking their way around the fret-board. That kind of thing is fine if you’re Mars Volta I guess, but thank God for the catchiness of album opener “Holding Someone’s Hair Back,” and second track “Act Appalled.” “Patience/Both we and our words are overproduced by influence/If you remember/I’ve been trying to get back to the center,” Green sings during the bridge of “Act Appalled,” and while the band does wear a few influences (I swear “Wish Resign” could be a b-side from To Bury Within The Sound), it’s also clear they’re trying to test the boundaries a bit here too. Sometimes sparse, often somber sounding, Juturna isn’t a pick me up album per se, but it certainly made me feel better about the future of dynamics-driven space emo.
-Tim Anderl

Gratitude -- Self-titled
Atlantic
Ever since seeing this band’s explosive stage show firsthand while they were out supporting Jimmy Eat World, I’ve been foaming at the mouth to get my hands on this release. Jonah Matranga, formerly of Far, New End Originals and Onelinedrawing, helms this ship – one that was apparently signed to their major label gig on the strength of four songs. Though I found the band absolutely captivating live, when set to record, this album delivers just what caught Atlantic’s attention – about four strong songs (“Drive Away” and “Lost” most noteably). The rest of the disc is bogged down with alt. rock cheesiness. Perhaps the strong translation of their stage show has much to do with Matranga’s presence – he’s a man who commands the stage like the second coming of Bono. The face of my stereo is less likely to leave me star struck. So what I’m hearing without the stage lights, towering amps, and sweaty, commanding band to distract me, are a talented bunch with a grandiose sound who’ve hastily penned their debut record. And they should know better. Rock and roll records, especially punk and indie rock records, changes lives. What I’m hearing here may earn them a radio single or rotation on MTV, but it just isn’t the next Diary or Clarity I was anticipating.
-Tim Anderl

Greater California -- Somber Wurlitzer
Earthling Records
My immediate first impression is that this band sounds like Death Cab For Cutie blown out of their gourds on opiates. On second thought, perhaps the Beach Boys have been dragged down the rabbit hole by Jefferson Airplane and The Doors. Thankfully, the pop melodies are strong and recognizable even through the hazy, billowing Wurlitzer electric piano. These dudes also have a thing or two in common with Simon and Garfunkel, which is most recognizable on my favorite track here, the band’s cover of Donovan’s “Jersey Thursday.” Then again, maybe they sound a little more like the Byrds (“In Scarlet”). In any event, Greater California have made it clear that there is still a place for somber and elegant psychedelic pop music in today’s indie climate.
-Tim Anderl

The Letters Organize -- Dead Rhythm Machine
Nitro Records
Based on the band’s moniker, I admit that I assumed this would be some exercise in emo-histrionics that would ultimately be so ridiculous that I could blame it for everything wrong with the fatally flawed emo and screamo genres. Was I ever wrong. The Letters Organize come out the gates with an iron-fisted, sucker punch sound that leaves me feeling like they may be the only hardcore band I’ve heard this year adequate enough to earn a highly-coveted comparison to Refused. That is saying a lot. Their only flaw is that they aren’t a bunch of Swedish anarchists. Rather they’re an incomprehensibly powerful quartet whose strong understanding of metal, hardcore and rock and roll riffing leaves the other bands who’ve debuted this year looking like a bunch of dim-witted, incontinent blowhards who aren’t worthy of toweling this band down after a particularly blistering set. That too is saying a lot. The Letters Organize are just the kind of powerhouse act that music fans are gonna get all teary-eyed and sentimental about once their ship has sailed. Let’s hope that’s not anytime soon.
-Tim Anderl

Andrew Morgan -- Misadventures in Radiology
Sonic Boom Recordings
I’ve been sitting on this album for several months now – God bless divorce – and now that I’m listening to the delicate and intricate arrangements here, I’m really surprised that the critics aren’t evoking Morgan’s namesake in some Arcade Fire-like, “hype machine in overdrive” fashion. Morgan establishes his expertise for crooning the pensive, fragile folk of world-weary heroes like Elliot Smith and Nick Drake pretty early on, but the Phillip Glass on Sufjan Stevens-style arrangements in the background are what’s really knocking my socks off. This lushly produced backing indie/chamber pop – which includes violin, viola, cello, lap steel, French horn, tympani, accordion, harpsichord, organ, etc. -- evokes the real emotion (“Awful Room” for example), and articulates Morgan’s full-blooded ideas in ways he never could with just a guitar or piano. I don’t honestly know if this is Morgan’s first release, but if it is, then I’m really impressed. Frankly, Paul McCartney and Brian Wilson weren’t this far ahead (arrangement-wise) of the game with their early material, and I’m really wondering where Morgan will be by his next opus. If you think I’m full of shit, put Morgan’s “Shoulder Your Shovels” back to back with anything from Pet Sounds or Sgt. Peppers and I think you’ll be surprised how well he measures up.
-Tim Anderl

The Myriad -- You Can’t Trust A Ladder
Floodgate Records
Released nearly in tandem with Coldplay’s X&Y, either this is hero worship at its most unfortunate, or a terrible coincidence. The Myriad are a quintet that play perfectly inoffensive alt-rock that clearly bows at the altar of U2, Radiohead and Paltrow’s “baby’s daddy.” And these guys are good I suppose. They’ve got plenty of reverb, falsetto singing (“When Fire Falls”) stabbing art rock guitar lines (“Perfect Obligation”) and even a decent rhythm section. While I find nothing here that stirs contempt, I also can’t help but feel like maybe this is just a middle of the road effort. I don’t need an album to redefine the face of music for me, but I do want some high points, a fist-pumper or two, the “Pure Plastic Tree,” “Desire,” or even “Yellow” that makes me remember their forbearers. “A New Language,” the band’s ballad seemed the natural opportunity for them to deliver that “hit” -- you know how those sensitive white boys do it – but no such luck. This album will turn you on if you’re looking for a little melody, a little Yorke-style falsetto, and a couple O.K. hooks, but I’ve just heard a few other things in this same vein (i.e. Copeland’s In Motion or Keane’s Hopes and Fears) that are, in my estimation, a little better.
-Tim Anderl

Please Mr Gravedigger -- Throw A Beat
Pluto Records
What is it about ex-members of metal/hardcore bands taking up the banner of rock and roll all of a sudden? We saw this last with Equal Vision’s BARS (which included ex-members of Give Up The Ghost) and now with this band (ex-As I Lay Dying). Thankfully, Please Mr Gravedigger is a far more interesting endeavor than BARS. In the post Murder City Devils and Chargers Street Gang punk scene, what we need is a band that will snatch the baton, and make up ground where those other bands left off. PMG seems to be doing just that. Though I’ve never heard PMG’s debut full-length, Here’s To The Life Of The Party, what I’m hearing here is balls-to-the-wall rock and roll, with vocals that seem to wave to both hardcore fans and fans of rock bands like MCD/CSD. The band’s guitarists Tommy, Richie and Eric veer into angular punk territory before driving it home with time tested rock riffs. Xavier Hernandez, lends his talents behind the synths, and the band, six dudes altogether, emerge just different enough to earn their spot at the front of the pack. I could do without the inside-joke recording that starts around the 7-minute mark on the final, fifth song here, but this is their CD and it doesn’t undo any of their thunder so I won’t hold it against them.
-Tim Anderl

The Rocket Summer -- Hello, Good Friend.
The Militia Group
Please don’t mistake the Rocket Summer for just another in the seemingly endless stream of forgettable emo bands we’re being exposed to these days. Simply put, it would be totally off-base, and you’d be missing out on one of the most pleasurable and pop perfect records this year. I get a headache just trying to remember the last time I’d run across an album this likeable, up-tempo, and positive….that’s right, I’ve hardly heard one since The Rocket Summer’s debut Calendar Days. TRS, which basically boils down to just singer/songwriter Bryce Avary since he wrote, arranged, played, and produced nearly everything captured here, has a few things in common with Ben Kweller, Ted Leo (especially his falsetto on “I’m Doing Everything (for you)” and “Never Knew”) and even TRL favorite Gavin DeGraw. My only complaint with his sophomore effort is that Avary seems to have increased his use of Chris Carraba’s patented affected emo scream, which makes me cringe every time. Otherwise, Avary’s lyrics, impressive understanding of pop songwriting, and skills behind a guitar, piano and a microphone are second to very few others. I’m predicting that come May Avary will be a household name, or will at least be written into some dialog writers from Fox’s O.C. are penning to give character Seth Cohen indie cred.
-Tim Anderl

Rufio -- The Comfort of Home
Nitro
Musically, Rufio are a polished and powerful punk band with the metal-influenced, riff-rock chops to go head to head with a Propagandhi, Thrice or AFI – really, they’re pretty exhilarating. However, I can’t help but cringing at the flat tenor, clubbed seal bark of Rufio’s vocalist every time. I had the same complaint when I left an Ohio venue mid-way through the band’s set a couple years ago. While I wish this band the best, I can’t see myself ever becoming a Rufio stakeholder -- at least not while there are other polished bands out there who’ve got far superior albums, at least lyrically and vocally, in the new release section of your local record store (Motion City Soundtrack).
-Tim Anderl

Spitafield -- Stop Doing Bad Things
Victory Records
This is an accurate account of an actual exchange from the Bettawreckonize.com Message Board. The names have been changed to protect the innocent:
Victory Street Teamer: “Does anyone know anything about the contest that Victory is running??? If you buy the new Spitalfield CD and find the "bad thing" you win......they probably messed up something on the CD and wanted to cover it up. Either way, they are giving something away everyday and all you have to do is watch some funny video clips.”
Former Bettawreckonize Contributor and Misfit Song Karaoke Master: “This contest sounds wacky enough to work! Let's hope this ‘bad thing’ leads to statuatory rape charges and a bus explosion.”
When I received Stop Doing Bad Things in the mail I gave it an immediate listen in the hopes that I might diffuse the situation above, or contributing a kind word or two about something from the band’s album. However, after playing this disc all the way through about four times, and not being able to commit a single hook, chorus, or riff to memory (I really tried grahamjuice47, er, Victory Street Teamer), I’ve gotta admit that there’s not much here that would make me want to give the band a ride in my HumVee if I were Tony Brummel.
-Tim Anderl

Strung Out -- Exile In Oblivion
Fat Wreck Chords
I approached this release with a good deal of trepidation as it has been eons since I last encountered Strung Out, and even longer since I’ve long since outgrown my Fat Wreck Chords days (with the exception of Propagandhi and Against Me! ofcourse). Well I’m willing to make another exception. Strung Out’s Exile In Oblivion blends punk and metal so seamlessly that it is hard to believe that anyone in their right mind could overlook the band – especially considering all the other bands out there doing this same style so poorly. I’m betting that Strung Out don’t have to wear the eyeliner and faux leather pants either – their chops speak for themselves. I invite fans of Avenged Sevenfold and Atreyu who are wondering who the real veterans of this sound are to spin Exile In Oblivion just once. I promise won’t regret it.
-Tim Anderl

Tiger Bear Wolf -- Self-titled
Hello Sir Records
I can describe this record in two words: kick and ass! For those of you looking for a review that’s a little lengthier, Tiger Bear Wolf are a rock band that transcends genre, era (at least the 70s, 80s, 90s, and 00s), and the fashionistas that come with a critic like myself tagging a band with either. Simply, there are vintage riffs and rhythms played with a sweat soaked indie panache rarely heard in modern rock. These vocals are spat with such gusto that they could likely snap the necks of classic rock and metal’s gnarliest mullets, Detroit’s toughest mop tops, AND indie’s ball busters. This is a fierce band, with a fierce moniker. In fact, they could’ve lived up to an even tougher name like Tiger Bear Wolf Shark Killer Whale Wildebeest and a butt-load of other kick ass mammals.
-Tim Anderl

Various Artists -- Workbook Studio 25 Hour Grand Prix
Reverbose Records
Like The Oil compilation released by Thick Records just a while back, which featured Chicago’s finest bands performing songs that were recorded over just a few hours, Reverbose Records has released a record meant to spotlight the spirit of the Midwest punk and indie rock scenes during one brief 25 hour time period. It looks like the 25 bands here, as well as the label, are mostly native to Columbus, Ohio. Each band received an hour of studio time (at Workbook Studio in Columbus) on October 15 and 16 to commit their respective songs to tape. But while I had high hopes for this record turning me on to new talent from Ohio, many of the bands whom I hadn’t heard before hearing them here are barely tolerable, if not wholly unlistenable. We won’t mention them. Thankfully, the exceptions to this rule pull this entire effort from the mire by its collar. Pretty Mighty Mighty, cow town’s premier indie rock powerhouse, deliver another sparkler that highlights the considerable strengths of drummer Neal Schmitt and vocalist/guitarist Jon Chinn (who also engineer and produce many of the tracks on this record). I’ve been saying this for 10 years and I’d be happy to say it for another 10, if you are a fan of Sugar or The Dambuilders, Pretty Mighty Mighty are not to be missed. Garnet & The Klumbis Literati’s “Smokestacks” is the next standout track here. Fans of singer songwriter-style material will immediately recognize the considerable strengths of G&TKL, who reminds me of Heartbreaker-era Ryan Adams. Greenlawn Abbey’s “Last of the Summer Wine” could easily double for one of the hits from Guided By Voices’ back catalogue, which is enough to align them with my other favorites here. Jeffreys/Wagner chime in with their own unique brand of y’all-ternative, letting us know what Willie Nelson may have sounded like had he had a uterus and fronted the Flying Burrito Brothers. Their “All Day Long” is the standout hit here, hands down. A Planet For Texas deliver the first punk song on the collection worth remembering. After the New Bomb Turks, APFT are perhaps the best punk band ever to call Columbus home. I guess there’s enough good material here to make this effort worth keeping an eye out for, but I can’t help but thinking this would’ve been a whole lot more interesting had they enlisted some of Columbus’ other standout talent (namely Tom Foolery and The Mistakes, Silencio, Chris McCoy, Denovo, Jinx Palm, The Cinema Eye, Diet, Roar Is The Sound, etc.) for this project.
-Tim Anderl

A Wilhelm Scream -- Ruiner
Nitro Records
A Wilhelm Scream made my Top Ten of 2005 before I even heard a single note from this CD – any band that will name a song “Less Bright Eyes, More Deicide” has already more than earned Bettawreckonize’s highest endorsement. That said, the music here also establishes Ruiner as one hell of an album, and AWS as a punk/metal tour de force. The band’s guitarists seem equally versed in Iron Maiden, Megadeth, Pennywise and Propagandhi; and vocalist/guitarist Trevor Reilly kills at Chuck Ragan-like melodies and Dennis Lyzxen-style mania. Significantly slower than the rest of the material here, “In Vino Veritas II,” is more buzzkill than breather, but the bass/guitar solo duel in “Me Vs. Morrisey In the Pretentiousness Contest (The Ladder Match)” more than makes up for the bands misstep. Thank God someone in the current crop of punk bands are bring back the guitar solo. All in all, if I was handing out gold stars, AWS would get a shitload of them. But since I’m not, a raised fist, a righteous headnod, and another spin of my favorite tracks, “The Pool,” “Speed Of Dark” and “Cancer Dream,” seem in order here.
-Tim Anderl

Yellowcard -- Where We Stand
Takeover Records
Formerly out-of-print, Takeover Records have released Yellowcard’s second album (their first was called Midget Tossing….), which was recorded before that bleach blond goober who can’t sing in key on late night television, and who cried at the MTV Music Awards (c’mon not even Chris Carrabba did that) became their lead vocalist. After listening to this excruciating piece of musical history all the way through I have to admit I’m missing that dushku quite a bit. To make things even uglier, the liner notes here feature a copy of the band’s first press one-sheet in which they brag about their kinship with/connection to Limp Bizkit. This really shoulda stayed out of print, but it is probably gonna make someone at Takeover Records a lot of money and that’s what’s important here, right?
-Tim Anderl