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03 November 2005

Superlow, Going Out Heavy (Barebonz) Rating: 6
Boston's punk-flavored power trio Superlow is about as discreet as a wrecking ball. On its full-length debut Going Out Heavy, the band's not so much inspired as it is instigated, ripping through ten songs in a rash 33 minutes. Discussing the album at length is like analyzing a brass-knuckled punch in slow motion: a humming wall of amplifiers, brusque, unpretentious songs, and a rhythm section that intimidates like a flexed bicep define the band's raging, street-tough rock. Going Out Heavy is terse, tight, occasionally anonymous, and often electrifying hard rock. And even though it sports the tough guy image, Superlow is surprisingly in touch with more delicate sensitivities: "Have you ever seen a grown man cry?" goes the opening hook to "Wasted Life". Going Out Heavy can't actually show us, but if we trust its aural approximation, it must look like a detonation sounds. [Amazon]
      — Zeth Lundy

Mack 10 feat. Nate Dogg, "Like This" (Capitol) Rating: 6
The presence of baritone gangsta crooner Nate Dogg is never a good sign -- it seems like whenever someone runs out of ideas for a hook, they just call Nate. The fact that he's essentially singing the same lines he was fifteen years ago doesn't help the appearance of unoriginality. Thankfully the beat is strong that you barely even notice he's there. Mack 10, like Kurupt and Nate Dogg himself, never really got over the collapse of West Coast gangsta as a commercial enterprise. He shows up every few years with an album but never seems to add up to more than Ice Cube's second banana. I don't know who MD Productions are, but this beat -- the sound of banging trash cans and clapping hands -- is strong enough to stand on its own without Nate Dogg's questionable chorus hook. Mack 10 is about as imaginative a rapper as he ever was -- continuing to seek reassurance as to the pugnaciousness of his hustling -- but this beat is hot. Spin the instrumental and watch the club explode.
      — Tim O'Neil

Tiger! Tiger!, Collisions (Chicken Ranch) Rating: 5
Equal parts fury and fun, Tiger! Tiger! lures you in early with "Jealous Lovers," which opens the disc with very palpable synth pop before "Insensible Bore" takes over with driving guitars. Though most of the songs on Collisions are more reminiscent of Television's "Guiding Light" than the Stooges' "I Wanna Be Your Dog", there is still plenty of sexually charged punk to go around. There are also a few dalliances with the strange. "Consolation Prize" swaggers with boozy horns and "5 & 10" swings with Texas guitars. There is nothing wildly unique in Tiger! Tiger!; it's only rock music meant for doing rock and roll types of things. [Amazon]
      — Dave Brecheisen

Anne Heaton, I Know This (Q Division) Rating: 5
This EP is led by Heaton taking the political route, singing "for those afraid" on "You Can't Take Him Away". It's an adequate tune that at times is a bit too preachy despite the rather nice piano driven melody. "Underdog" is a favorite however, even if it is a radio edit, sounding a cross between Nelly Furtado and Natalie Merchant. After another strong song entitled "Your Heart" which brings to mind Fleetwood Mac to some extent, Heaton delivers three live songs starting with "Go to Rome", a roots-oriented pop tune with nice harmonies that Heaton never plays up. Just as fine is her approach on the gentle "I Know This". Unfortunately, the songs that serve as the bookends are perhaps the weakest of the half-dozen tracks as "Did You Ever Want?" has that faux sense of jazz. [Amazon]
      — Jason MacNeil

.: posted by Editor 7:26 AM