Album Reviews

I

this may well be the Zeppelin III of indie/CMJ-rock.

Thankfully, the improvisation plays second fiddle to the melodies and arrangements on Deep Forbidden Lake, which allows this incarnation of the Jazz Mandolin to shine in a new, yet familiar setting.

Unlike some

Sure, Def Leppard is synonymous with

Radio flavored rock in the form of Jet, though with a little 80

Animal Liberation Orchestra (ALO) is one of the most promising jambands on the west coast – or any other coast– today. Their latest offering, Fly Between Falls, is chock-full of impossibly upbeat ditties and laidback groove-soaked mood lifters.

With his stay at the Hotel, Moby returns to the varied styles and tempos found on Play. But he packs his bags a little lighter by eschewing his signature samples that were central choral elements in his previous two outings, opting to take the mic himself.

It seems artists with monikers reflect a prolific outburst of songs. Take Conor Oberst and Bright Eyes, Damon Gough and Badly Drawn Boy or Mark Oliver Everett, who performs slippery title of eels. Working under the eels name since 1995, Everett has been turning out songs to the indie underground and has even captured Tom Waits as a die hard fan. This time around, Everett, or “E” as he

Dave Schools is a rock and roll chameleon. While most recognized for his full-time job as virtuoso bassist for Widespread Panic, over the course of his career (and particularly in the past year while his band was on hiatus) his effortless, shape-shifting talents have bubbled freely from his fingers.

Following some growing pains, an apparent identity crisis, and an album with good intentions but questionable results, The String Cheese Incident release their fifth studio album, One Step Closer. But they inevitably sold themselves short on the title, ’cause this latest effort is far more than just a step – it’s more like leaps and bounds closer.

Sure, Mercury Rev shares the same hot shot producer of The Flaming Lips,
on The Secret Migration. Sure, lead singer Jonathan Donahue was even once a roadie for the Flaming Lips. And sure, Donahue even sings in the same childish wonder of Wayne Coyne, while narrating like Bob Ross, with words of “swirling clouds” and “green forests.” But does that mean that Mercury Rev is a Flaming Lips clone? No way.

What Nitty has is a great party album for people to dance and get down to.

Among Grammys with the Flecktones and numerous other awards, he holds the only chair for being named

Damon Albarn calls Demon Daysa darker album than its predecessor, although it

The Brazilian Girls

If there

In less than a few short years, the estate of one Jerry Garcia, at least in the vault material department, has upped its commercial status from sleeping giant to roaring juggernaut. This latest, four-disc collection

Appearing with his new band The Cardinals, Ryand Adams gives us a natural, sporadic effort

With Teeth, the first album in six years from Nine Inch Nails, proves the band name still carries weight. Trent Reznor