IMBROCO
Are You My Lionkiller?
Deep Elm Records
6 tracks/25:29

Those of you still lamenting the passing of the great Texan quartet Mineral, pick up your wallets. You've got some shopping to do. When Mineral split just prior to the release of their sophomore disc, many felt they were on the verge of becoming the next big thing. They had a healthy record deal with Interscope, the 'emo' scene had been bubbling away in the underground and was ready to break, and the band just plain rocked. Their breakup came as a huge shock to fans and followers, both of the band and of the post- hardcore scene in general.

Luckily for the fans, the band's split didn't mean its members faded away. Mineral's front man and bassist went on to found the stunning Gloria Record, while drummer Gabe Wiley has already released two discs with his new Pop Unknown combo. Prior to Pop Unknown, however, Wiley launched a new act with former Mineral guitarist Scott McCarver. Titled Imbroco, the new quartet played a few well received shows, then quietly faded into the background. Before its members scattered, however, Imbroco laid down a six song EP which sat on the shelf for two solid years before being dug up by the good folks at Deep Elm Records. This is it.

If the Gloria Record represents the continuation of Mineral's quiet, introspective side, then Imbroco stands as the continuation of Mineral's aggressive, discordant side. McCarver's signature guitar tones are in full effect as Imbroco's songs swell, crest, and finally break under the weight of all that minor key feedback.

Vocalist Matt Breedlove is solid -- though as was the case with early efforts from Mineral, he's mixed so far back that it's often difficult to make out any lyrics. Though not as strong as its members' previous efforts with Mineral, Imbroco is a worthy successor and well worth a look.
--Todd Brown

Coming off overwhelming buzz from Ozzfest, this quartet of youngsters (various reports point to three of them being legally "under-age") positions itself as the Anti-Brittney. The music bears this out. Rather than pre-recorded synth-pop, they churn forth a mixture of crunching, grinding guitar metal that at times plods ala stoner-rock and at times hops along with a hardcore/thrash vibe. The vocals range from harmonization in parts to some of the most extreme screeching and growling by a female band ever. They make L7 look like The Supremes. All-in-all, such harsh music is something relatively untouched by female bands, or at least unnoticed by anybody if it has been.

The roadblock to mainstream success for the band will no doubt be the severe and blistering anger of the lyrics. Sure, they try to explain away "Do You Think I'm a Whore" as a song about society's perception of them versus their own. They no doubt do the same with "Spit", "Suck," and "Choke". And no, the titles are not shock-value masks for toned-down lyrics. They serve as red glowing flags for the vulgarities within. They have apparently released an edited version of the album, which must be interesting. It must have taken months of editing.

Sometimes detaching the lyrics from the music provides a possibility of enjoying an album. In this case, it hardly seems possible. Listening to the steady stream of very vulgar thoughts pouring out of these four young ladies hurts the ears, even if the music does not.
--Jeff Edwards

...keeping up with the times.

Half a verse from "A Letter From A Concerned Follower" seems to sum up exactly what David Bazan had in mind with the new EP. The speed of
progress - the unfeeling way everything is moving forward, supposedly for the good of mankind. Have we stopped being real people?

There are only two new songs on the EP, with two live radio session songs. Both of the two new songs have dates for titles - and what Bazan attempts to do is examine the differences in our culture and question the way we're moving on (question our
"progress"). We start off in "1976" and then jump 63 years forward to "2039."

The new songs are completely stripped back - the sound is certainly sparser, yet follows nicely the overall raw feeling and atmosphere that was so different on Winners Never Quit. For years Christians have been crying out for music that leaps light years ahead of the rest of the music being made but also continues to deliver good spiritual messages. I think we've found it.

"Progress" delivers nothing different than what we've heard before, but it's still great to hear the new songs - even if it is just a small appetiser. Long live the Lion.
--Brian Merton

SIXTEEN HORSEPOWER

To even try to compare the sound of Sixteen Horsepower to other bands playing and recording today is useless. Imagine a band of fire-and- brimstone soldiers-turned-preachers just after the Civil War, travelling from town to town in dusty boots and hats, mixing religious brimstone and a grim postwar outlook into southern-tinged melodies. Now find a time machine and send this group electric instruments, digital recording equipment, mid 20th-century country albums and maybe a little Joy Division. 'Gothic alt-country' is the best most reviewers can come up with.

Over several albums, this is the sound cultivated by the brave David Eugene Edwards and friends. This time around, the sound is even tighter than before, improving even on such masterpieces of music as Low Estate's "Brimstone Rock". The sound is at times atmospheric, with guitars wailing out of control over the vocals on "Cinder Alley" and orchestral meanderings across the beautifully dark "Burning Bush". The first single from the album, "Clogger" is the type of tension-filled rocker that threatens to explode with emotions such as guilt, hatred and love all mixed into a bulging powderkeg. The lyrics underscore the dark passion of the narrator's old-time religion:

You're thinkin' when this is all over,
We'll all sit back an' laugh,
Well I don't think so friend 'cause,
I done the math,
And I ain't lookin' to gain any honor,
No, no not among you thieves,
I'll be right beside you though,
In judgement on my knees.

Available in Europe months before its US release, this album received rave responses across the ocean as their best to date. Overall, it is a much more layered and richer sound than past efforts. Unlike many bands seeking to add to their sound, however, Sixteen Horsepower successfully keep the emotional undertow and zeal of the music intact. This album is art, and one of the best releases in any genre this year.
--Jeff Edwards

Buy most of these CDs at:

SLICK SHOES
Wake Up Screaming
Tooth & Nail Records
15 tracks/37:24

Pop-punk bands emerged by the thousands a few years back, forcing all rock radio listeners to endure a seemingly endless stream of three-chord, over-produced one-hit wonder bands. Let's be honest -- that was when Slick Shoes first appeared. Like d.b.s., they were all teenagers playing the hip teen sounds of melodic punk rock. Fronted by the junior high vocals of Ryan Kepke, they had the girls swooning with their dreamy good looks and sappy lyrics on their debut.

My impressions were that they did pretty well for themselves with their first record. Then came the sophomore effort. Have you heard it? I haven't. After checking out the lyrics and a couple samples, I wasn't impressed. They were trying to be more serious, exploring fewer sappy-and-happy subjects (i.e. girls) in an attempt to mature as artists. That's fine and dandy, wanting to grow. I just wasn't ready for it.

Now they're back with a third full-length produced by the ALL/Descendents boys. Am I happy with it? Yes, very happy. They've returned to the formula which endeared me to them originally: girls + God = good album. They've also injected this recipe with a nice dosage of maturity by including a number of songs revolving around self-reflection and trying to grow and become a better person (listen to "Hide & Seek" and "Have I Said Too Much?").

The best song, in my simple-minded opinion, is the third track, "Angel." It showcases Ryan's post-pubescent vocal range, serious-yet-huggable lyrics, and catchy melodies. It deserves to start/end a mix tape for that special someone. They've always been consistent musically, playing fast and uptempo tunes featuring simple and catchy licks, a nice low end, and double-time drumming. "Don't Mess With Texas" and "Lucky" highlight the superb skills of Joe Nixon on the skins. They even mix it up a little with the old-school sounds of "This Is Your Life," featuring a spoken vocal delivery and gang vocals (with the help of Chad Militia).

Yes, our little punk rockers have grown up. And even with losing long-time member Jackson on guitar (Ryan's brother-in-law), they've kept it together and created a great album that will keep you singing and jumping for two-thirds of an hour.

The only part of this album that was a letdown did not involve the music -- it was the layout. Egads, it's horrid. Crappy pictures in a cheesy makeshift kid's bedroom. They had to have had some better ideas than that. Buy this disc if you like previous Slick Shoes albums, early Gameface, ALL, or MxPx. Just don't open the booklet. Yuck.
--Hardcore Joel

We have a new generation of metalheads coming up in the world, and Static-X clearly illustrates their intentions. Raised on doses of rapcore, heavy industrial, and hybrid metal such as White Zombie and Ministry, Static-X takes metal to a new frontier with the true fusion of heavy and electronic. Electronic industrial has come a long distance since Front 242 plinked out "Headhunter". Likewise, you picture Ozzy staring in disbelief from the wings at the evolution of metal.

Lyrically, the fury matches the intense guitar and lightning-fast drumming of the tracks. The singing, if it can truly be called that, is often rapid fire and beyond recognition outside of the stray profanity. That's OK - they don't say much lyrically anyway. "Love Dump" in particular has the potential to inspire nausea with the over-the-top lyrical imagery (use your imagination and you'll probably get close). The last song, "December" has one of the few moments of near-poetry, albeit rhyme and grammar impaired:

It's no surprise, I close my eyes,
And close the door, feeling so old,
Years pass like days, fastly changing,
So many ways, my eyes perceive,
Yes I believe in nothing more.

Pain, desperation, anger. We've heard it before, and more eloquently from people like Trent Reznor. The music is tight and enjoyable, but the songs end up empty.
--Jeff Edwards

Chicago-based Verbow, a musical outgrowth of the acoustic rock duo of Jason Narducy (songwriting, guitar, vocal) and Alison Chesley (cello), first broke into the world of major-label rock 'n roll through punk pioneer Bob Mould (Sugar, Husker Du). Mould recorded and mixed Verbow's first full-length offering Chronicles in 1997. With White Out, Verbow has generated en ough of their own creative incandescence to clear away any remaining Mouldy shadows others might cast on them.

The first single--and, in my opinion, the strongest track--off the album, "New History," begins with a brief blast of screaming distortion, which quickly melts into guitar/cello-heavy power chords that underlie Narducy's catchy falsetto vocal hook. The song is perhaps the best example of the clean/ distortion interplay between Chesley's cello and Narducy's guitar. As "New History" falls into overlapping chaos in the bridge, all excess disappears, and Jason and Alison take their place with a brief acoustic interlude before Verbow again drops through the ceiling to firmly plant their combat boot of rock in the room.

Verbow demonstrate the dynamic mastery of Smashing Pumpkins while still maintaining the elegant angst of Verve Pipe and R.E.M. "Garden" displays Verbow's soothing use of strong melodies and tasteful cello layering; "Ambulance" rolls through the quiet hospital zone with the radio cranked to 11; "Be Someone" is a tumbling vocal fair ride energized by cello electricity; and White Outs closing track, "Crest of Mary," is a starkly affecting guitar and cello stroll in the park.

Intelligent + Classy + Melodic = Verbow's White Out.
--Greg Adams

With their fifth full length release, the appropriately titled i am a stranger in this place: an experiment in vibe, The Violet Burning have finally released the album that all their fans knew they could make.

Drawing from bandleader Michael Pritzl's impressive back catalog of songs, the band has re-thought, re-interpreted, and re-designed both their sound and the songs themselves, making i am a stranger in this place at once immediate, fascinating, and powerful. Stripping back the distortion and heavily produced sound of their acclaimed 1998 effort Demonstrates Plastic and Elastic, the focus on the new album is again placed on Prtizl's impressive songwriting. Mixing personal expression and social observation, songs like "There is Nowhere Else," taken from the bands' 1990 debut Chosen, and "Arabic Tremelo Radio" from their self-titled 1996 album, gain a contemplative and meditative edge missing from their earlier recordings.

Similar in style to Disintegration-era The Cure, some of the more mellow elements of U2, and the acoustic songs of The Smashing Pumpkins, The Violet Burning have created an album that is more than the sum of its influences. Using unique instrumentation (some songs feature congas, others piano, some just acoustic guitars with chorus effects), the album somehow manages to feel earthy yet otherworldly at the same time. Pritzl also shares the vocal spotlight with newcomer Melissa Barnett, who has Pritzl also shares the vocal spotlight with newcomer Melissa Barnett, whose angelic harmonies and counter-melodies act in perfect compliment to Pritzl's emotional songs.

I am a stranger in this place: an experiment in vibe is the rarest of rock experiments: an album that both pushes the envelope and invites repeated listenings. Simply put, this is the sort of album that deserves a listener's full attention. Dim the lights, light a candle, and get lost in The Violet Burning's poetry, mood, and vibe. You'll be glad that you did.
(To Order: 1-888-999-0838 or The Violet Burning website)
Read our interview with Michael Pritzl of The Violet Burning.
--Derek Anderson