NEW MUSIC REVIEWS

APRIL CD SPINS

by Staff

DE NOVO DAHL

Cats & Kittens

(Theory 8 Records)

De Novo Dahl’s debut full-length album, Cats & Kittens combines the perfect mix of fun and quirk, resulting in a spectacular pop package.

Released as a dual disc set, Cats showcases the original 16 tracks from the album, while Kittens provides the remixing of the same eclectic tunes.

Creative and innovative, it looks like the six members of De Novo Dahl could pave the way for a new musical trend.

If you haven’t heard of De Novo Dahl yet, once they become a household name, remember that you read about them via Midwest BEAT first.

The six-person Nashville based band consists of lead vocalist/keyboardist Mark Bond, lead vocalist/rhythm guitarist Joe McAnulty, lead guitarist Sandy Sandidge, bassist Dave Carney, vocalist/omnichordist Serai Zaffiro and drummer Joey Andrews.

The group has been together since the fall of 2001. Prior to Cats & Kittens, they have only recorded one other project – a self-titled EP. Ready to push ahead full-force, the band took about two years to record Cats, working in their own studio to record the dueling albums.

While the band lists their influences as artists David Bowie, The Beach Boys, Stevie Wonder, Super Furry Animals, Blur and Supergrass, listening to the album closely brings other possible influences to mind.

De Novo Dahl’s sound ranges from new wave to pop to rock, making it appealing to the masses. If you aren’t jiving with one track, just press “next” and you should find something that suits your taste.

Songs like “All Over Town” and “Jeffrey” sound reminiscent of The Cars, while “Be Your Man” is almost a cross between Prince and The Kinks.

“Sexy Come Lately” rounds the album out with elements of rock. (Are those some Tom Petty-esque guitar chords we’re hearing there?) And let’s not forget the funky, head-bopping tune “The Funk” which serves as the album’s “sticky track” that just won’t leave your head.

The flipside Kittens is one of the best remix albums that my ears have ever heard, making you want to dance one moment and laugh the next. It has its moments in bizarre-land, which is what makes it so likeable. Overall, this is just good, good stuff that deserves radio play, pronto.

Energetic, invigorating, uplifting… this is the perfect album to be stuck in traffic with or to play at a party.

You’ll want to be one of the first to be “in the know” about this hot new band.

– Corine Jurgerson

CORROSION OF CONFORMITY

In The Arms Of God

(Sanctuary Records)

The last we heard from the uncompromising Corrosion Of Conformity, was back in 2000, with America’s Volume Dealer.

Fast-forward to 2005 and we are blessed to get the eighth studio release, In The Arms Of God.

COC has never been a band to follow trends and their signature style of Southern Hardcore hasn’t lost its luster. In the land of copycats and same old, same old, we need that more than ever.

You would think that the inclusion of special guest drummer, Stanton Moore, from the New Orleans jazz-funk band, Galactic, would change the usual COC tone. Surprisingly, it is just as bombastic as ever. I should have had faith…COC has been at this quest since ’82 and obviously they know what they are doing.

“Paranoid Opioid” has the slightest hint of Monster Voodoo Machine and maybe a smidgen of Fu Manchu. “It Is That Way” has some spoken word vocals that sound eerily like Therapy? “Rise River Rise” has a Middle Eastern influence that lends itself to early Zeppelin. “Infinite War” offers up a little Cult vibe.

I like the fact that they experiment a little, but stay true to that gritty, not too polished, straight from the soul sound. It’s reminiscent of the Deliverance days, back in ‘94.

Whatever they set out to do, it’s always timeless and very satisfying. In The Arms Of God is a stellar album and should remind us of why we fell in love with COC in the first place.

– Diane Demeter

SUBJECT 2 CHANGE

S2C

(Indie)

Every once in a while a little rain must fall. However, because of that rain, things tend to flourish and grow strong. As we all know, Seattle tends to get a little rain and out of that Subject 2 Change grew and flourished.

You can find this out by listening to their debut CD, S2C. These guys are a refreshing change from the grunge and heroin-chic rock that originally put their hometown on the map.

As heavy metal riffs poor out of Allen Mattila’s guitar, both Morgan Smith and Scott Estes provide a rhythm section that just crunches everything in sight and chugs along like a high speed locomotive. Rising above all this, are crisp vocals, short jaunted blurts and screams that show true punk and metal influences.

To me these guys are very reminiscent of early ‘80s hardcore. I find myself comparing them to Bad Brains, Suicidal Tendencies and even Agent Orange with a little more edginess. All 13 tracks on this release are pure adrenaline. My favorites are “Half-Open Door”, “Drunk Love”, “Strings” and lastly, “Take Flight”.

These guys prove that they have what it takes to be a great band. As a three-piece, they fill the space well, kick ass and take no prisoners. What I really respect about these guys is their true DIY attitude, totally self-producing and managing themselves. I do have to bring up one bad point about Subject 2 Change, they’re not signed.

So to all you A&R reps and Label Execs – SIGN THIS BAND! The industry needs bands like Subject 2 Change and I urge all my readers to get this disc and support this band. For more info on them go to: www.subjekt2change.com

– Mr. Sid

NINE INCH NAILS

With Teeth

(Interscope Records)

I want to be as excited about Nine Inch Nails as I was in high school again. But the fact is I’m no longer angst-ridden or discontent. I don’t wear all black and I don’t hate myself that much these days.

Sure there are still plenty of things to be pissed off about, but I don’t wallow in misery like I once did and find solace in a song like “Terrible Lie” anymore. In fact, I find self-loathing to be exhaustively tiresome and that pretty much sums up my review on With Teeth

Listening to the latest from Trent Reznor is not unlike having to put up with Marvin the Robot from Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy, reiterating melancholic dissatisfaction to the point of tired tedium. I just don’t get excited about solipsistic nihilism anymore and one could blame The Flaming Lips or The Polyphonic Spree for that because I find optimism to be more contagious and slightly more memorable.

Sonically in fact, it finds Trent in a bit of a black hole vacuum in which no light can escape nor does he try to branch out beyond tired Depeche Mode meets Skinny Puppy era-industrial dance rock. Not expanding his palette, he is opting to settle for what’s “good enough” instead of what could be truly great.

It’s not to say the guy ain’t talented, because The Fragile, can certainly attest to his knack for building a brooding atmosphere. It was definitely The Wall for the Y2K goth kids.

But NIN’s latest sparks up a rather obvious inquiry: Has Trent listened to alternative radio in the past seven years? Interpol and Franz Ferdinand have been building their careers around dumbed-down tributes to nostalgic club-pop, and first single, “The Hand That Feeds”, does nothing to distinguish itself from the same cookie-cutter insipidness. The production quality is visibly present, but there are no interesting textures or themes that haven't been tossed around already on past efforts.

The opening track does spark anticipation as Trent impulsively layers his vocal over the rhythmic pronouncement of the title, questioning why one person gets to have “All The Love In The World.”

The drums, supplied by the always reliable Dave Grohl, retain the signature dynamic shifts during “You Know What You Are,” supplied with a disjointed feel, and this also dominates the standout title track “With Teeth.”

It’s with these two songs you can fully see the artistic progression that Trent Reznor has made along with the soothing, ambient closer, “Right Where It Belongs.”

He’s not exactly mellowed out; after all, in the past he’s built his niche inside the schizophrenic quiet/loud feel that many of his albums take. These songs bleed right through one another and very rarely does a lyrical phrase stand out. He’s run out of interesting things to say even if he’s still a solid craftsman with production skills of the highest order.

But there are moments that are eye-rolling and stomach churning, such as “Only,” one of the more catchy tracks which is sadly dominated by a spoken word pseudo-rap chant that is eerily reminiscent of “Down In It.” Trent sounds dated and downright cheesy when he speaks of being “Less concerned about fitting into the world/Your world that is.” And any NIN fan should be tired of hearing “Nothing can stop me now.”

Trent still sings about scabs, wounds, blurring lines, and fading away to the point where you can predict what’s coming next. Yawn. Lyrically, it’s clearly his most stale record with very few lines that resonate, and musically, it’s a bit of a letdown because we all know he’s capable of much more than distorted synth-disco.

With Teeth is not a terrible album because the fans will stick by him if he made an album of nothing but white noise, but it is a toss-away, destined for the CD recycling bin along with Stabbing Westward and Gravity Kills.

And yet you can’t fault the guy for trying because there will always be an audience for the relentlessly sad kids out there who need an outlet to vent the frustrations within themselves.

With Teeth does offer a visceral release at best. Since Trent got me through a lot of hard times, then there’s no reason to stop him from doing so now. I just wish he’d embrace evolution instead of settling for something rather trivial and trite.

– James E. Laczkowski

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