Reviews originally published in the East Bay Express on 3/5/08.

Love Is Chemicals, Song of the Summer Youth Brigade — The indie rock train keeps on chuggin’, as tiny bands make tiny moves in the right direction and together maintain momentum. San Francisco’s Love Is Chemicals does its part on this sophomore recording, a brooding, breezy set borrowing the best of Brit-pop and West Coast rock. (Near Earth Objects)

Paul Iorio, Make a Noise! — Here we have a guy with his guitar, singing about life and its accoutrements. Iorio hits a few right notes and a few wrong ones, though the end effect is all it was meant to be. Opener “Secret” is strongest, “Headin’ Down to the Cool Jerk” does Elvis, and “Waterboardin’ USA” waxes political to the tune of the Beach Boys. (self-released)

Real Blood, Real Blood EP — Real Blood are rough around the edges, but that’s okay because they’re also young do-it-yourselfers. More glaring is a general aimlessness in the songwriting, which the Oakland trio could overcome by embracing its playful indie-rock center and building upon those New Order and Stephen Malkmus guitar lines. (self-released)

Kat Parra, Azucar de Amor — A bevy of romantic Latin rhythms rooted firmly in nightclub jazz, sometimes with near-pop appeal; perhaps a tad watered down, but where Parra and her band lack fire, they exude technical grace. This music is all about feeling, and Azucar de Amor feels right. (Patois Records)

Reviews originally published in the East Bay Express on 2/27/08.

Touch My Rash, Doomed from the Start, Pissed-off frustration can be therapeutic, and San Jose’s Touch My Rash delivers the goods with a subtle sense of humor. Lead singer Colin Kutch affects a snarl that’s just punk enough, while the music is reliably simple, fast, and catchy. What healthier way to spend 28 minutes? (Bittersick Records)

Fluorescent Grey, Gaseous Opal Orbs. Though GOO’s shapeless, heavily experimental electronic tableaus are pretty far out-there, Robbie Martin’s sophomore disc as Fluorescent Grey contains his most accessible compositions yet — which goes to show that perception is everything. (Record Label Records)

Gemini Soul, The Nefertiti Experience. Jazz doesn’t get much funkier, or perhaps it’s the other way around. Gemini Soul’s smooth, groovy fusion (they call it “cyber jazz”) rests on the poppin’ fingers of bandleader and bass-master Andre Ajamu Akinyele. (Pearl Jazz Recording Label)

Killian Garnet MacGeraghty, Celebration Songs. Gun & Doll Show frontman MacGeraghty recorded imaginative, quasi-pop theme songs for Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, and more, then threw them alongside a few non-holiday numbers. Even when repeated in five languages, his version of “Happy Birthday” doesn’t get old. (Mad Chatter Records)

Reviews originally published in the East Bay Express on 2/20/08.

The Federalists, The Federalists. Professional-quality album art suggests this East Bay rock group means business. Indeed, after spending all of 2007 on the record, the four members look forward to extensive touring. The kicker: their grasp on classic pop is strong enough to get them noticed here and everywhere else. (self-released)

Rennick, 611-07-0681. Rennick’s sophomore record features gothic electro-pop done about as well as you’re likely to find. That’s good, because he’s going for broke: the title is his Social Security number. “The most trusting … act that any one person can ever do,” reads a note in the inside sleeve, “is to provide full exposure to all without fear.” (Rennick Music Group)

Spandex Tiger, Dumpster Love. Anyone expecting trash will get it. Late at night, looking for some pussy is the first line singer Rich Filthy growls. Really dumb, mostly fun rock is what you find in songs like “Tijuana Hand Job,” “Hemorrhoid,” and “Cock Vein,” though you’d better be drunk in a dive bar to actually appreciate them. (Hunkerdown Productions)

Xiu Xiu, Women as Lovers. Jamie Stewart’s most accessible batch of songs yet is still pretty freaky. His voice is a whisper, his melodies are ghostly, and his songs are populated with unidentifiable sounds. But by reducing his emotional distance and allowing his songcraft to mature, Stewart found what he probably always wanted: art for all of us. (Kill Rock Stars)

Reviews originally published in the East Bay Express on 2/13/08.

Chow Nasty, Super (Electrical) Recordings (Omega Records). Since forming in 2003, funky San Francisco party band Chow Nasty has relied as much on novelty as on its ability to move asses. The trio’s debut full-length, produced by Peanut Butter Wolf, sounds something like !!! or LCD Soundsystem minus the hip factor, plus madness and a James Brown fascination.

Jimbo Trout and the Fishpeople, Hillbilly Bebop-Boogie (Fishwrap Records). Twang lovers couldn’t ask for much more. The Bay Area band’s first-rate bluegrass, blues, and honky-tonk covers come from a place where banjo, fiddle, and accordion were de rigueur — somewhere the modern world never crept. Only excellent recording quality betrays the fantasy.

Mia and Jonah, Rooms for Adelaide (self-released). Mia and Jonah’s safe, subtle collection of smoothed-out indie-folk would veer dangerously close to adult-contemporary if not for ribbons of dark, Waits-like Americana (two of his band members appear here) and deeper layers that promise to eventually reveal themselves.

The Mumlers, Thickets and Stitches (Galaxia). Funny that they’re called the Mumlers, because that’s just what this album does: mumble. Despite creative instrumentation, nicely inflected vocals, and playful songwriting, Thickets and Stitches lasts forty minutes without saying anything memorable, and then it’s gone.

Reviews originally published in the East Bay Express on 2/6/08.

Sean Smith, Eternal (Gnome Life Records). Like the best poetry, Eternal engages from the start and expands with each pass. Built upon Smith’s Eastern-influenced acoustic guitar and sparing contributions from four fellow instrumentalists, the disc explores both the form and sound of music through seven joyous, contemplative tracks.

Chinese Bookie, Is That You Behind Those Foster Grants? EP (self-released). It’d be a shame if the best song on here were a cover, and while Chinese Bookie — née San Francisco’s Viola Keeton — does a wicked awesome version of New Order’s “Age of Consent,” this five-track electro-pop debut also features three winning originals.

The Hipwaders, Educated Kid (self-released). Kids’ music that doesn’t drive adults nuts is a trend to get behind. The Hipwaders have been at it since ‘04, even performing at Lollapalooza last year. Their third album offers a thoroughly tolerable batch of pop songs about behaving well with siblings, using the Dewey Decimal System, and falling asleep.

Liz Kennedy, Clean White Shirt (Jaggo Records). Kennedy’s supporters like to tag her as “Bonnie Raitt without the slide guitar,” though I wouldn’t be so rash. Whereas Raitt can’t quite move beyond her showy blueswoman persona, Kennedy sings from her piano bench with the subdued tone of an artist not seeking attention but earning it.

Reviews originally published in the East Bay Express on 1/30/08.

Creepy, The Triple EP (Teeno Records). San Francisco punk trio Creepy converts a collection of three new songs and two previously released EPs, one dating back to 2003, into a fine thirty-minute full-length. The group’s effortless balance of aggression and melody could find itself a good home on the Warped Tour.

Hot Challenge, Hot Challenge EP (self-released). Featuring three brothers and a friend, San Francisco pop-rock act Hot Challenge has a leg up in the chemistry department. But this isn’t enough to mask the fact that the ten-month-old band still needs time to mature and tighten up.

Silence Is Safety, Silence Is Safety (Teeno Records). There’s a lot to like about Silence Is Safety’s sound: a nice blend of pop- and old-school punk, a tight rhythm section, the ability to slow things down without stopping them dead. Unfortunately, showy vocals from frontwoman Red tend to overpower everything else.

Daddy Cool Productions, Call Me Daddy Cool (self-released). Daddy Cool is one Charles Davis: studio wonk, songwriter, music instructor, and bassist-for-hire. This record finds Davis’ friends returning the favor, as eight musicians in varying roles help flesh out his homage to funk lords James Brown, Bootsy Collins, and George Clinton.

Reviews originally published in the East Bay Express on 1/16/08.

Wayward Sway, On a Broken Machine (self-released). Sufjan Stevens, eat your heart out: These folks know how to rock a banjo the way it was meant to be rocked. Mandolin and violin, too. Wayward Sway’s bluegrass rock is refreshingly authentic, original, and full of life.

The May Fire, La Victoria EP (Rock Whores Recordings). This San Francisco group’s second EP of ‘07 — part of a plan to keep fresh product in the marketplace — is a mixed bag of six punky alt-rock tunes. Opener “Make It Right” takes the cake with a fuzzed-out pop jam straight from Weezer’s early days.

Tracy Johnson, Dreams in Cold Weather (Snowfire Records). Mega-polished pop-rock from an ex-Minnesotan. That said, it’s an impressive debut. Johnson wrote or co-wrote every song, sings like a mainstream Natalie Merchant, and actually has something to say. Single “The Good Life” is a huge hit in Turkey.

Nedelle, The Locksmith Cometh (Tangram 7s). Folk music this quiet should be extraordinarily pretty or powerful, and The Locksmith Cometh is neither. It’s just there: Nedelle’s preciously thin voice; scant guitar, violin, and keyboard accompaniments; and short, nevertheless meandering songs.

Reviews originally published in the East Bay Express on 1/9/08.

Peck the Town Crier: Groundhog’s Day (self-released). Peck the Town Crier has waged war against predictability. Slowish raps tend toward spoken word and performance art, while low-key backing tracks tap into jazz, funk, bluegrass, marches, and more. Not everything works, but at least nothing is expected.

Brigades Like This: Brigades Like This (Lifeboat Records). Great intentions don’t always yield great results. Better mixing would go a long way for Bridges Like This’ debut, which stumbles in the muddy shoegazing of bands like Mogwai and My Bloody Valentine.

Reviews originally published in the East Bay Express on 1/2/08.

The Grannies: Incontinence (Wondertaker). A decade’s bounty of suitably sloppy punk rock outtakes and demos from a rotating cast of eight dudes shamelessly adorned in gaudy dresses, ragged wigs, and copious tats. Dig the cover of “(What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding.”

Big Vik: Intro (self-released). Brent “Bik Vik” Victory wants to make it big as a songwriter and producer. To showcase his skills, the still-underground Oakland artist composed this so-so sampler of status-quo urban and pop sounds. Time will tell if it’s enough to propel Vik to the next level.

DJ True Justice: True Justice (self-released). DJ True Justice’s taste is commendable, though not quite as hot as the scratching he cuts through this satisfying set of underground Bay Area hip-hop and R&B.

David Gans: Twisted Love Songs (Perfectible Recordings). Berkeleyites love quirky folk songs about corrupt conservatives (the enemy) and odd characters (a vision of themselves, perhaps), and Gans delivers on both fronts. All fine and dandy, but it’s the six instrumental tracks that truly impress.

Reviews originally published in the East Bay Express on 12/19/07.

Johannes Wallmann Quintet: Minor Prophets (MooseWorks Productions). Wallmann recently moved west to direct jazz studies at Cal State East Bay, but Minor Prophets pays tribute to his former home of New York City with a breezy palette and an inviting, complex finish.

Please Quiet Ourselves: Please Quiet Ourselves (Mushpot Records). A promising pop mess (think broken-down Broken Social Scene) from seven Berkeley high school students. Some songs have yet to find themselves, but surprisingly many are downright glorious.

Michael J. Downey and the World: America (self-released). Perhaps little more than one man’s mission to front a band featuring four beautiful women. Though Downey’s lyrics reflect reputable morals, his songs soil adult-contemporary’s already beleaguered name.

Various Artists: Chaos Restored with Justin Martin (Buzzin’ Fly Records). Bedroom ravers rejoice: local talent Martin lays down a seventy-minute set of stylish European house featuring three of his own compositions (and one from brother Christian) plus selections by other producers here and abroad.

Deborah Pardes: Love and Discipline (Mentl Music). One of those unexpected treats that validates digging through the crates. Pardes may be neither hip nor happening, but proves herself a pro when it comes to the three pillars of singer-songwriting: lyrics, vocals, and composition.