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The Joykiller Three(Epitaph) The Joykiller on paper sound like the punk supergroup of the century. I mean, sporting members of early '80s L.A. bands like the Gun Club and the Weirdos, as well as the front man from the amazing TSOL, how could they go wrong? Lead off track "What It's Worth" kindles hopes of Dickies and the Rezillos but the album soon sputters out when singer Jack Grisham begins exorcising demons he should have just ignored.6/10 (Johnson Cummins) Various Cuba in Washington(Smithsonian Folkways) A trio of Cuban folk acts expose the roots of modern salsa. Opening with bare-bones vocals and percussion, this comp moves on to tracks in the changüí style and finally the more urbane and melodically diverse son style. Exhaustive liner notes and crisp live sound make for a useful and enjoyable document. 8/10 (Rupert Bottenberg)
The Snow Queen go down the indie checkpoint list ripping off early Pavement, Archers of Loaf and Polvo. This would be a really heinous crime if I didn't love all of their influences so much. Even if they are re-inventing the wheel, at least it proves something other than "funky metal" combos come out of that cesspool called Los Angeles. I may be throwing this fish back, but in a little time the Snow Queen promise to be quite a catch. 6.5/10 (Johnson Cummins) Bone Thugs 'n' Harmony The Art of War(Ruthless) When Biggie showed these Clevelanders how to flow on "Notorious Thugs," it was the first time many East Coast necks nodded to a BT&H track. But on their sophomore outing, Tupac's empty-gun braggadocio on "Thug Luv" does less to translate their high-speed microphone language. With interesting operatic harmonizing on tracks like "Neighbourhood Slang" but no explanation of any real martial hip hop strategy of their own, The Art of War pays little respect to the ancient Chinese manual it's named after. 6.5/10 (Manchilde) |
The Snow QueenWif Coke (I've Fallen in Love) (Smilex)