POSTED // Jun 11,2007 - CARINA ROUND The Disconnection HHHH From Carina Round’s open, heart-shaped face and rosebud lips issues forth the frightening march of a million scarlet demons. Although it wouldn’t be surprising to find that PJ Harvey was the main influence...

POSTED // Jun 11,2007 - JUCIFER War Bird **** This six-song EP steers away from Jucifer’s psychotic-dance elements and concentrates more on technical metal maneuverings while still retaining a solid wall of tortured guitar sludge. “Haute Couture” is the “peppiest,”...

POSTED // Jun 11,2007 - WORM IS GREEN Automagic **** In a nutshell, Worm is Green, from Iceland, is the electronic swirling and diving of a slocore Tortoise spiced with the spacey, intense trip-hop beats of Portishead and the buttery ambience of Sigur Ros (delivered more darkly)....

POSTED // Jun 11,2007 - COOPER TEMPLE CLAUSE Kick Up the Fire and Let the Flames Break Loose **** Somewhere between the dark, washy semi-sobriety of Black Rebel Motorcycle Club and the angular, floating, avant-garde basslines of Radiohead exists a land enshrouded in a fascinating...

POSTED // Jun 11,2007 - PROBOT Probot **** Oh, ye holy gods: These are the times when a five-star rating system would come in handy. Foo Fighter Dave Grohl wrote and played all the songs on this album, then invited 11 of his childhood heavy-metal heroes to sing along. Imagine...

POSTED // Jun 11,2007 - ANI DIFRANCO Educated Guess **** Never a big Ani fan (go ahead and egg my house), I nevertheless can’t help but be blown to smithereens by Educated Guess. Intimate, stripped down and taking all kinds of risks musically, DiFranco twists, torments...

POSTED // Jun 11,2007 - PREMONITIONS OF WAR Left in Kowloon **** Premonitions of War, who toured with The Black Dahlia Murder last year, deliver toxic metalcore interspersed with creative brutal Southern rock and grind/thrash breakdowns without any polish whatsoever that disintegrates...

POSTED // Jun 11,2007 - RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE Live at the Grand Olympic Auditorium **** Rage Against the Machine broke up and all you can do is cry, kids? Savor this CD of their final live performance and/or just learn to accept Audioslave. Seeing Rage live in their heyday...

POSTED // Jun 11,2007 - F-MINUS Wake Up Screaming **** A wall of scalding lava is flooding down the mountainside to eat away your greedy, deceitful, conformist flesh with blazing heat, leaving only clean bone. F-Minus’ über-furious brand of raw, authentic ’80s...

POSTED // Jun 11,2007 - JILL SCOTT Beautifully Human **** Did you know Jill Scott appeared on Sesame Street for its 33rd anniversary? That’s hot. Kickin’ it old-school R& , Jill combines the class and soul of ’70s divas like Diana Ross with ’50s...