Autistic Daughters
Uneasy Flowers CD (Kranky)

Drifty and sparse, yet melodic indie rock kinda sounds from New Zealand guitarist/vocalist Dean Roberts and his band. Uneasy Flowers blurs the lines between your standard guitar/bass/drums/vocal kinda setup and more bare-bones minimalist construction, much like the wonderful Low and their mellow, shimmering moodiness. Similarly, Roberts' vocals and lyrics are somber and soft-spoken, yet more prominent and focused than in his past work. Uneasy Flowers is a thematic album, with all tracks linked together lyrically. The subject is a character called Rehana, whose path is traced and described as a nomadic and ragged figure with a sort of tragic outlook. Looking for something a little on the sad and lonely side? Autistic Daughters provides the soundtrack, with a nicely subtle air and plenty of rich, gauzy textures.

- Todd Zachritz (3 Stars)

Autechre
Quaristice CD (Warp)

There's plenty of electronic-based acts that attempt to 'humanize' their machines, to coax real emotion from their gadgetry. Well, influential British duo Autechre are not of this mindset, whatsoever. For 15 years now, Rob Brown and Sean Booth have subverted and pushed the limits of (what some would call) 'techno' music into far-out abstractions, damaged beats, and alien soundscapes. Now, after confounding their audiences with the impenetrable algorithmic programming and skittering beats of their 2005 LP Untitled, they return to more, umm, listenable forms of electronica on the 20-track Quaristice. From proto-ambient pieces (the desolate yet lovely--and almost melodic-- 'Notwo') to industrial-like cutups ('Fol3') to blippy, mutant hip-hop ( 'fwzE' ), they cover a lot of ground on this 73-minute monsterpiece. In fact, most of these pieces are relatively short, and all seem to be individual sketches of textures put into sound format. Autechre create and inhabit entirely foreign worlds within their machinery, and this imaginative and quirky blend of styles and disorienting moods is both fun and evocative.

- Todd Zachritz (3 Stars)

Alan Vega –
Station CD (Blast First/Mute)

Wow, the legendary vocalist for NYC hellraisers Suicide is back with a scalding, scathing, and fiery album of fearsome grooves and sharp commentary on his homeland's social and political condition. The ominous knife on the cover says it all. Personally, I think Vega's work with Finnish minimalist electro-noise-sculptors Pan Sonic has been an inspiring move, as tracks like '13 Crosses 16 Blazin' Skulls' (my favorite cut here) are surgically-precise blasts of gut-level analogue rhythms boxes and blistering digital noise, with Vega's invective commentary legibly spoken/shouted on top. This is also a logical and faithful continuation of Vega's classic mid-70's work with Martin Rev as Suicide, all unhinged analogue electronics and madman yelps. In 'Devastated', Vega's proclamation of 'How's the future gonna play out for our kids!' is intense and proves that not all of us turn mellow and wishy-washy with age. 'Psychopatha' is a disturbingly funky urban nightmare set to industrial drums and hypnotic noise. Pretty intense and paranoia-inducing stuff, complete with Vega's raving maniac shouts and mutterings. As dangerous and experimental as anything in Vega's impressive 30-year back catalogue, 'Station' is tuned to the frequency of America circa 2008 A.D., on the edge of socio-economic collapse and growing consumer distrust. Vega's never been so necessary or relevant.

-Todd Zachritz (5 Stars)

Howlin Rain
Magnificent Fiend CD (Birdman/American)

Ethan Miller's other band, Comets On Fire, is pretty well-known in freaky folksy psychedelic circles for their overdriven lysergic space rock. But rather than mine one classic rock avenue, Miller chooses to branch out a bit with his other group, Howlin Rain. Here, he gets to tighten up and write straightforward organic (some would say hydroponic, even) rock "hits" (pun intended), inspired more by late-60's/early 70's-style stoner rock. You know, the kind they used to make before everything went 'metal' or 'punk'. Tight and bluesy, Magnificent Fiend brings to mind a bright Summer day, with the top down, rollin' (hmm, another pun) around town with nothin' better to do. 'Lord Have Mercy' is so groovy it would make the Black Crowes jealous. Yes, this is the real thing. Longhair rock isn't dead, it just went back underground. Howlin Rain are bringing it back up!

- Todd Zachritz (2 Stars)