Battles
Mirrored
(Warp)
Battles is a 22nd-century groove band combining electronics, loops, and samples with instrumental virtuosity. That may not be radically new, but Battles takes it to a deeper level. Anyone who's witnessed the band's sweaty, ecstatic live show knows how seamlessly the players blend virtual effects with physical musicianship. The members have ties to Helmet, Don Caballero and Anthony Braxton, but comparisons are misleading. The debut full-length conjures forward-looking dance music with shards of metal, minimalism and hip-hop. The music isn't overly fussy and the band spikes the instrumentals with pitch-shifted vocals, injecting goofy catchiness into the mix. If the tunes aren't yet as memorable as the approach, Mirrored is still a formidable achievement.
—Jeff Jackson
*
J.D. Blackfoot
The Ultimate Prophecy
(Fallout)
J.D. Blackfoot was a dude from Ohio who fronted this psych-boogie-rock band whose 1970 debut is re-issued here with eight bonus tracks. It's all over the road—from full-on freak-psych to pretty country rock to zany comedy to bombastic prog with apocalyptic themes. It's like Mountain, King Crimson and Iron Butterfly in places. Moments of heroic drumming, inspired vocal harmonies and wicked proto-metal give way to overwrought, extended structures and conceptual turf. Play J.D. Blackfoot with Ween, Spinal Tap and Tenacious D and see who's the joke.
—John Adamian
*
Calabi Yau
Actuel EP
(calabiyau.org)
It's no accident Calabi Yau named their breakthrough EP after the legendary avant jazz label. The trio's sound is similarly adventurous. Too precisely structured and oddly catchy to fit comfortably in the noise scene and too dissonant and experimental for traditional rock, they've carved out their own turf. Imagine an amalgam of The Ex, Dead C and Talking Heads. Actuel spins eight songs in 20 minutes, exploring more ideas than many bands manage in twice the time. They shift between bone-rattling noise grooves, stuttering riff workouts, and oscillating drone tunelets. Bo White's yelped vocals are largely texture, highlighting the high friction interplay between guitars and drums. Calabi Yau may better these blistering fragments, but for now, grab this via their website.
—Jeff Jackson
*
Queens of the Stone Age
Era Vulgaris
(Interscope)
On paper, this album works; the songs are varied, the riffs are good. But the pieces don't fit—frontman/songwriter Josh Homme is working way too hard. Ironically, this record of violent riffage and angular beats peaks hardest when it chills out. The menacing groove of "Make it Wit Chu" mixes ZZ Top with Prince by way of Beck, and has the album's best line ("These mysteries of life, that just ain't my thing") and a surprisingly smooth guitar solo. Homme zigs where others would zag, which is admirable. But rocker buddies should try to get him to chill out.
—Adam Bulger
