Local CD Reviews

“Around Hear” is a monthly feature where a stable of IE writers review albums sent to us by local musicians. If you are interested in having your CD (must have a minimum of three songs) reviewed and are Illinois-based, mail it and any other media materials to 657 A W. Lake St., Chicago IL, 60661. Everything that meets the aforementioned guidelines will be reviewed in the order received. This may take several months.

Recorded in 2002, Der Uberschwarze, an odd 21-track concept album from Amadeus, somehow seems much older. At times recalling Throbbing Gristle’s experimental noise or the over-the-top improvisation of Ozric Tentacles, tunes such as “Nighthawk Over Baghdad” and “WWJD (What Would Jimi Do?)” are consistently challenging and often disconcerting. Though the collection suffers from a severe lack of melodic focus, it’s nonetheless an interesting experiment. (773-785-0407)
– Jeff Berkwits

What Analog Machine (formerly known as 18 Speed Tranny) does well on its recent self-titled release could be described as trucker rock: classic 1970s heavy metal arrangements belted out with ample crash cymbal, fuzzy rhythm guitar, and doomsday vocals (“Sheeple” and “Delusional”). “’69 GTO” races in top gear with extended riffing and even a cowbell breakdown. Makes you feel like hitting the road with a bottle of No-Doz, volume on 11. (www.myspace.com/analogmachine 69)
– Jason Scales

For the most part, The Arrivals forgo commercial punk on Marvels Of Industry in favor of adventurous songs that hearken back to the genre’s heyday. The lyrics are consistently confrontational, especially “Why You Talk All Shitty?,” a high-speed slam against Botox, and “The Joke,” which rallies against religion and government. The disc’s few generic songs are blown away by the pounding beat and angry message of “Dangerous.” (www.myspace.com/thearrivalsrock)
– Terrence Flamm

The Backroom‘s full-length debut, Reagan Era Rocketship, is an impressive collection of punchy power pop. Fueled by Keith Van Kaenel’s smooth vocals and a frantic bass that provides solid footing for the spiky, energetic guitars, “Loads Of Love” and “Lost Without You” reveal cracked hearts over crackling melodies. The broken-hearted hero of the faintly melancholic “Flatlined @ Zero” is backed with guitars reminiscent of Hüsker Dü, while an athletic piano line drives “Better Time Than Now.” (www.thebackroommusic.com)
– Patrick Conlan

Beatnik Turtle aim to satirize 9-to-5 drudgery on their latest CD, All In A Day’s Work, but the lyrics don’t have much bite. The arrangements on “Can I Help You” and “How Did I Google This?” are imaginative, but “Infrared Mouse” suffers from terminal cuteness. Beatnik Turtle fare better when they ditch the job-related stuff. “Mason Rocket (Spy Extraordinaire)” has an appealing 1960s-style silliness while “Little Pieces” lampoons romance with an infectious melody. (www.beatnikturtle.com)
– Terrence Flamm

Even though Wired For Sound is officially only their second release as Certain Stars, most of the members have been playing together for more than 10 years. While this results in a certain amount of chemistry and tightness that permeates their low-key indie rock (especially on “Slow Down Quickly”), they still haven’t discovered that missing element to propel them to the next level. Their five-song EP is certainly solid, but it’s barely memorable. (www.myspace.com/certainstars)
– Carter Moss

Did you know Cooler By The Lake is the greatest rock ‘n’ roll band of all time? That’s the bold (tongue-in-cheek) proclamation of Chicago goofball Rory Lake. Known throughout the city for hosting his own Karaoke Dreams and battle of the bands, Lake figured it was finally time to release his self-titled CD/DVD rockumentary. Like Lake himself, the music painfully tries to be far more grandiose than it really is. It’s big on humor (or rather attempts at) and small on actual melodies. Didn’t somebody try this already? Oh yeah, Tenacious D – at least they have a movie career to fall back on. (www.rorylakepresents.com)
– Carter Moss

Danger Is My Middle Name’s eponymously titled EP is tailor made for modern-rock radio, recalling such emo/pop punk favorites as Blink-182 and Fall Out Boy. If one were to list faults with this disc, however, it would definitely be an over-reliance on their influences and what could be misconstrued as pandering to both alt-rock radio and MTV. Otherwise, though, this is an impressive debut. (www.dimmn.com)
– Dean Ramos

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Category: Around Hear, Columns, Monthly