9 Left Dead - "The Wrong Things" CD
(Dirtbag/Warner Music)
Pathetic and juvenile hard rock that puffs its chest out with the opener, "Put Your Guns Down", a shallow threat in pop-song form. They also want a "Bad Girl" on track two. These meat-heads cop every lame rock stereotype within the first two songs. Destined to be forgotten and in the cut-out bins before you can say "Hinder".
All The Apparatus
“self-titled” CD
(Faulty Records)
An epic 11-piece band from Hawaii? ATA mine a territory less “tropical” and more whimsical. Self-described as “avante-garde dirty gypsy klezmer jazz indie anti-folk rock”, there’s melodic pop sounds, heavier groove weirdness with kazoos, funky horns, anthemic Arcade Fire-meets-Clash rockers, and more. The schizophrenic approach may lose some, and although there’s some good stuff here, it all seems too “kitchen sink” to gel.
Bonnie Prince Billy
"Wolfroy Goes To Town" album
(Drag City)
Louisville native Will Oldham is an indie folk/country icon, and this, his long-awaited (16th?) album, marks a return of sorts to his earlier, starker acoustic days. Whereas his last major release was more upbeat and country-influenced, this one's spare, intimate, and almost meditational. Highlights include the lonely English-style folk of "New Whaling", the rollicking "Quail and Dumplings", and the stunningly sad "We Are Unhappy". Superb!
