Various Artists
Protest Songs!
(Smithsonian-Folkways)
I'm generally a fan of Smithsonian-Folkways compilations, and we could use some good protest songs, but this collection isn't the answer. Its 23 tracks are a mismatched assortment from well-known artists such as Billy Bragg, Woody Guthrie, Phil Ochs, Utah Phillips and Pete Seeger, and more obscure performers. Many of the latter are drawn from the back catalogue of Broadside (1962-1988), a magazine whose output was greater than its selectivity and whose ex post facto reputation exceeded its actual impact. The inclusion of "Blowin' in the Wind" sung by the New World Singers (say what?) and "Society's Child" by Janis Ian posing as Blind Girl Grunt suggests choices were made by what was available, not what was logical.
—Rob Weir
Gallhammer
The Dawn Of…
(Peaceville)
If I had to die at the hands of a band, Gallhammer would be high on my list. Who doesn't want to be disemboweled by gorgeous Japanese alcoholics in corpse paint? Risa Reaper, Mika Penetrator and Vivian Slaughter traffic in excruciatingly slow gloom fuckery. But Gallhammer is more aligned with the current Sabbath revival than modern sludge or doom. The production is so lo-fi you'll think you're listening to a cassette demo—until you hear the actual demos at the end. The overall picture is so damaged that you don't really listen to Gallhammer—you subject yourself to them.
—Dan Barry
Klaxons
Myths of the Near Future
(Geffen)
This English trio has been hailed as the vanguard of "Nu Rave." Maybe that's Brit journalist shorthand for saying they ingest lots of ecstasy, because nothing on their debut sounds particularly rave-like. Klaxons play with grooves and use synths, but propulsively catchy cuts like "Gravity's Rainbow" owe more to indie pop than anything else. And the insanely infectious backing vocals of "Golden Skans" could've been lifted from a prime Hall & Oates track. That's not to say Myths of the Near Future isn't fun. There are a handful of killer singles and several album tracks point at a promising future. But despite the Ballard and Pynchon references, Klaxons aren't offering some visionary sci-fi head-trip. Their music isn't particularly new. Or even Nu.
—Jeff Jackson
The National
The Boxer
(Beggars Banquet)
Though The National toys with post-punk shivers, The Boxer is equal parts sleepy come-down record, with piano and trumpets and half-spoken singing. Marching, U2-inspired drum beats and solid bass anchor everything, along with pecked-out guitar and the singer's mix of Billy Idol snarl and Leonard Cohen's ennui. The lyrics are delivered with a mix of languor and buried passion. The singer sounds like he's singing out of one side of his mouth, with a cigarette clamped between his lips, while he checks the time on his watch. It's disaffected but affecting.
—John Adamian
