Music Reviews by Kent Manthie

Dactyl: “Teething” (Reptilian Records)
All through the (only) 8 tracks on “Teething”, Dactyl manhandle the hell out of the bass guitar, thumpin’ and bumpin’ it, pumping it through a fuzz-box, it really anchored the band quite well. The tunes are groovy punk riots – take “Ulterior Motives”: there is a blissful conciseness here: “DNA/It has its own agenda!” and then “Tooth Magic” has one of the coolest lines I’ve heard in a while: “Freedom is a mustache, man…” – indeed! Underneath the razor-sharp terseness, there is a wry sense of humor throughout the short, sharp “Teething” – they don’t want to hurt people, they just want to do their own thing,
The fuzzy bass and the screaming guitar were purposely made to drown out the vocals – angry calls for blood, more hammers and anvils. Anyway, I dig this album a lot and so will you fans of the Melvins, Drive Like Jehu and Mudhoney. “Teething” was recorded at the Talking Head Club in Baltimore but it’s not a live album per se. I don’t think there was a show actually being captured for posterity; they just recorded the album there without overdubs and all that kind of stuff that goes on in the studio. Dig the outta-sight artwork on the CD sleeve by Orin Brecht; it’s got that old concert showbill art style to it, that cartoonish, graphic arts type of drawing, with 4-color processes. The whole album rocks, it’s just song after song of tight, jammin’ get-ups that put you in a head-bobbing mood and will be the most exciting thing you hear tonight. For the websites of your life, go to: http://www.dactyldactyl.com or http://www.reptilianrecords.com – KM.

Slowdeath: “A Rising Tide of Anger” (Moebius Palindrome Records)
On the long-awaited follow-up to 2002’s “New Deadly Sin”, Slowdeath bring you “A Rising Tide of Anger” and believe me, it’s angry! It’s very fast, fiery and man, the singer-front man Ed Milch, sounds so damn angry, I feel like saying to him, “gee, Ed, lighten up, will ya? Get over it already!” The CD gets going with a really cool opener called “Apocalypse Dub”, a funky little instrumental jam that pulled me in only to bait & switch me after two minutes when it went into the meat of the disc: a grungy, violent Manichean bloodbath took over. It’s a veritable catharsis of major proportions – for both Slowdeath as well as the fans who listen to the CD.
Besides the opener, “Apocalypse Dub”, check out “Requiem”, “Helicopter Head” and “Slow Doom March” for some good samples. For the requisite website information – http://www.moebiuspalindrome.com – KM.

Slowdeath: “New Deadly Sin” (Moebius Palindrome Records)
Slowdeath are some busy cats, pumping out CD after CD, filling the streets with more and more death-cult scenery. Yeah, dude, I dig it. “New Deadly Sin” goes full-throttle from the very first note and doesn’t let up until the end. This is an older release, back from 2002, but as long as we’re doing the Slowdeath reviews, I thought I’d give a special mention to this one to show you what all the fuss is about when it comes to their more recent stuff. I say get ‘em all.
As far as the music enclosed therein, “Liberty” is a nice extended slugfest, a jamboree of fury that has the tightest guitar riffs this side of Saturn. Then for you axe murderers out there, “The Fear” is your song. Also, let me say that the title track is a nice closer, I mean, well, so it’s not a whole lot different than the other tracks, it’s got a unique groove-thang that leaves one thinking about them for a while after it’s over. For more info and junk, go here: http://www.moebiuspalindrome.com – KM.

Drats! Presents: “Welcome to New Granada” (Burnside Distribution Corp.)
For those of you who remember the 1979 cult-film “Over the Edge” will recall Matt Dillon’s debut film performance. It is the story of the teenagers who are growing up in a soulless subdivision in some plastic suburb in Anywhere, USA. When I saw the movie, about 15 years ago, I totally saw the suburb where I lived and went to high school – it was like they were telling the story of my friends and me in the late 80s, it was so like my experience it was scary! But, anyway, Drats! – an interesting new musical combo with some interesting ideas as well, took the aforementioned indie flick as an inspiration and wrote and recorded their musical interpretation of the movie. It is in the tradition of other classic movie music such as “200 Motels”, “More” or “Zabriskie Point”. With more than just novelty value, this ex post facto soundtrack actually is a very cool and musically stylish work of art. I am so glad that there are still people around in this world who appreciate avant-garde, originality and fresh ideas. That is such a comforting thing to know.
So now you have to go out and find “Over the Edge” on DVD somewhere (that is, if it’s even on DVD) and watch it so you can better appreciate this CD. But even if you’ve never seen the film and never will you’ll still get a great kick out of listening to “Welcome to New Granada” – a musical fantasy that has a hip jingle-jangle pop sensibility to it.
Drats! are the newest musical sensation from Portland, OR, a sextet that does their level best to be as outré as possible. Their syncopation and eclectic melodies make listening to this album over and over again a pleasant experience with something new popping out with each new hearing. “…New Granada” is not a long, drawn-out experience, it’s only a handful of minutes long, less than forty minutes, but each note is a big-time sweetness rush. Check ‘em out at http://www.dratslive.com – KM.

“American Heroes” – Various Artists (3 Point Records)
For all you “patriotic” types out there – you know who you are – here’s a little something to put in your CD player: 3 Point Records has issued this tribute to military folks with “American Heroes”. There are a whole slew of people who’ve donated a song to this, people such as: Fremont John, Eric Hansen, Drew Gorman, Andreas and Ode, just to name a few. The music is a sort of blend of homespun, country fried chicken-&-apple-pie paeans. Well, if you like your music flag-wavin’ and thick with a lack of irony, you’ll really dig this CD – and best of all, it’ll give you a nice little warm feeling when you find out that 3 Point Records is donating the proceeds of this CD to Keystone Soldiers, a foundation that helps people do stuff.
But I must say, I think it’s kind of disingenuous to write things on the back of the CD cover like “…We are proud of our heroes, who cannot be at home with their families because they are protecting all of ours.” It’s ok to support your military loved ones, but don’t be deluded: nothing in the U.S. is being protected by our military occupying Iraq – especially since we’ve been losing liberties left and right, one after the other thanks to the Bushies.
There’s only one way to support the troops – BRING THEM HOME. But hey – dig the music, kids…dance, dance, dance – http://www.keystonesoldiers.com – KM.

Spirits in Ambience: “SIA”
The music here is kind of a cool, electronica-disco. It’s not Ambient, with a capital ‘A’, but it’s got some smooth atmospheric pleasure-dome effects to it. I tell, you though, it’s pretty hard to like the first cut when you keep hearing Hitler’s voice over and over (track #1, “Submission”)
Anyway, the rest of this four-song EP has some midnight-black, ominous-sounding dance-jams that would not be out of place at your local downtown nightclub; there are stylish guitar loops, a flashy drum machine, a sexy-sounding female singing in French and pulsing electronica wigging out in many layers. It would go well for your date with that tall blond German girl. Check out the website – http://www.aurorablue.com – KM.

Dead City Dregs [Demo]
Well, the word on the street is out – these guys rock! They are already taking California by storm with their rip-roarin’ debut – hell, it’s only a DIY demo CD with four tracks but it’s already buzzing all over the place – everyone I know says they really dig these guys and cannot wait to see them tear the place up when they come to town and play live.
Anyway, DCD are a quartet from the good ol’ Midwest river town of St. Louis, Missouri, where William S. Burroughs grew up. Bryan, Shane, Jake and Tom are exploding onto the indie scene, getting airplay on XM satellite radio, getting rave reviews by fans through word-of-mouth and on the internet.
For the last year and a half, the Dregs have been working overtime, playing gigs in and around the St. Louis area and even appearing on the opening bills for bands like Frontline Attack, On the Rise and Time Again.
Well, all that hard work has paid off and they’ve managed to craft a nice oeuvre so far. Of course, this is only the beginning. The first cut, “Goin’ Back” is a stimulating dance number to which you can’t resist bopping up and down. Song 2, “End of the Line” is a straight ahead rocker, a hard-edged roadhouse jam. Third cut, “Weapons” speeds things up a little; it’s a frenetic, herky-jerky groove “…forty days to the night”. My favorite, though, is the last tune, “Dead Air” – a punk party tune, reminiscent of Rancid at their best.
Currently, Dead City Dregs are doing – guess what? – more touring. This time they’re branching outside of St. Louis and playing gigs in select cities around the U.S. in support of this currently-available-for-purchase demo CD and they’re also getting ready to put out a full-length CD with some refined and measured stuff, so keep your ears open and your eyes peeled for these guys to come to your town soon! You can visit them (virtually) at their MySpace page: http://www.myspace.com/deadcitydregs – KM.

Spirits in Ambience (s/t)
This is kind of a concept album – there is an accompanying paper that came with my copy on which every song title is deconstructed and the meanings of the songs are spelled out for interested listeners. Spirits in Ambience is the project of producers Mark Peacock and Greg Vossberg; they’ll take you on a magical dance journey and you’ll be gyrating non-stop before the whole thing is over. Mark Peacock is the progenitor and proprietor of Aurora Blue, an ambient music society that is putting out this trippy essence of ether. This is their pet project but they have big plans for the future, which will be bright, indeed.
The music on this CD is much more laid back, ambient stuff than the dance-y four-song EP, “SIA”. “Spirits in Ambience” is a more grown up, chill-out record, a fabulous, swirling vortex of the stuff dreams are made.
It sort of reminds me a little of Orbital, the 1990s trippy dance-ambient sensation, albeit SIA add a touch of the earthy along with the ethereal. Instead of getting up to dance, “Spirits in Ambience” will make you want to get down and make love, go on a nature hike or slip into a blissful trance.
Interwoven with the mechanized electronic dance dubs is some flamenco guitar, some bluesy electric guitar, a bit of violin with a pick up played through effects pedals and other humanizing touches that add a great flair to it, that give it all some soul. Especially in the last few cuts, things let loose, hair is let down and the disco energy is adulterated with some electric bugaloo microdots
To get in touch with your inner Spirit in Ambience, go to: http://www.aurorablue.com – KM.

Karyn Roy Smith: “When the Stars Come Out”
More and more people are expressing their artistic sides and writing their own music and putting out their own CDs and so on. It’s not just garage bands who record their own demos anymore. Karyn Roy Smith has just crafted a lush pop CD with bubbly, dance stuff on it for your listening pleasure. If you like to go out dancin’ with your loved one, this will probably be the one that induces you to get out and hit the dance floor.
What with songs like “Beautiful Again”, “When the Stars Come Out” and “Swept Away” how can you possibly go wrong? Dig the soothing, sensual melodies, the carefree, windswept soundscape. You’ll fall asleep with a smile on your face.
What is more, Ms. Smith isn’t just some dumb chanteuse, she’s written all her own songs, created a style all her own and has taken it to the streets. If you’re in the mood for light summer fare this is probably the one for you. For more information, check out: http://www.karynroysmith.com – KM.

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