CD reviews 6\/12\/06<\/p>\n
by Kent Manthie<\/p>\n
Akimbo: \u201cForging Steel and Laying Stone\u201d (Alternative Tentacles Records)
\nSeattle-based Akimbo is out now with their fifth release, \u201cForging Steel and Laying Stone\u201d, a cathartic, rip-roaring CD that harkens back to the heyday of the Pacific Northwest\u2019s flannel-punk scene; bands like The Melvins, Mastodon and Dillinger Escape Plan. It\u2019s a clean, crisp, well put together album; Akimbo took their time and screamed until dude\u2019s throat was sore. This is the result: loud, piercing guitars, frenetic, hysterical screaming that will make your blood curdle, all very articulately produced; it doesn\u2019t come out all muddled \u2013 you can hear each guitar play, distinctively. (http:\/\/www.alternativetentacles.com) KM.<\/p>\n
Larkin McLean: \u201cX-Rated Musical\u201d (Best Day Ever Records)
\nLarkin McLean has broken out of the shadows to reveal a sexy, talented chanteuse who is arriving in time to freshen up a wilting musical spectrum, saturated with rock, hip-hop and other canned trends. \u201cX-Rated Musical\u201d starts out with a rag-like \u201cDevil Tuesday\u201d, with a lightly bouncing peanut gallery piano. An ethereal musical siren, enchanting the headphones right off my head, McLean sings original tunes, co-written by herself; tunes that have a coolness, a jazz sensibility with a timelessness that doesn\u2019t sound trendy and won\u2019t sound dated in the future. I waded through each mellow jazzy number, getting deeper and deeper into a mysterious, smoky atmosphere, losing myself in blue note after blue note until I came out on the other end, refreshed and inspired. Larkin reminds me of a modern-day Joao Gilberto, singing to a Getz-like sax on \u201cGiving\u201d. It reminded me a lot of a summer day in Paris, strolling in the city with a carefree attitude, something I want to last forever. (http:\/\/www.larkinmclean.com) KM.<\/p>\n
Schoolyard Heroes: (title TBA) (The Control Group)
\nPunk-rock with a nasty edge to it; this as-yet-unnamed CD starts out with cacophonic un-melodies that really grate at one\u2019s inner soul. But instead of just cutting it off right there, I listened onward and the album actually develops as it goes. By track 5 S.H. settle down a little; \u201cBattlestar Anorexia\u201d, \u201cThey Live\u201d and \u201cNightmare at 20000 Feet\u201d are the midway-point where the album finally seems to find its bearings and goes on from there with a bit more cohesion. (http:\/\/www.thecontrolgroup.com) KM.<\/p>\n
Motor: \u201cKlunk\u201d (Mute Records)
\nMinimalism and repetition can have a mesmerizing effect when contextualized in the right way. By keeping a stern, steady beat and layering it over and over with ethereal, trippy mechanistic techno-synth electronica you can build a really crazy soundscape, a wall of sonic intensities that crawl up and down your skin. Well, Motor does fit in that mold, a stark, bold, unobtrusive ambient thriller of a CD here, their full-length debut after some time of putting out singles here and there. Motor is a duo, consisting of Mr. No, from Paris and Bryan Black, from Minneapolis, which is just enough to create a cool, icy shimmer of a record that you can lose yourself in, not unlike a terrific jazz record, both can hypnotize you and take you outside of the regular world. Some might say, though, that Motor is not at all comparable to jazz, there is too much mechanization; it\u2019s only soulless, steely, cold sheets of ice and that is true, but I am referring to the euphoria that a certain music can give one, the heights that can be reached. This may not soar, but it hovers in a sedate way and lingers in a chill stasis. Think Kraftwerk, Front 242, Nitzer Ebb (only less angry) or Plastikman. (http:\/\/www.din9.com or http:\/\/www.mute.com) KM.<\/p>\n
Inner Surge: \u201cSignals Screaming\u201d (Cyclone Records)
\nInner Surge is a band of rockers that sound a little like TOOL. Their debut, \u201cSignals Screaming\u201d is a hell of a heavy metal juggernaut that grabs you by the throat at the beginning and takes you away on a rockin\u2019 metal journey beyond the fires of Hell. The singer can sing, the band can play, what more do you want? A sound that fits the future \u2013 this is what your kids will be dancing to in 20 years. (http:\/\/www.innersurge.com) KM<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
CD reviews 6\/12\/06 by Kent Manthie Akimbo: \u201cForging Steel and Laying Stone\u201d (Alternative Tentacles Records) Seattle-based Akimbo is out now with their fifth release, \u201cForging Steel and Laying Stone\u201d, a cathartic, rip-roaring CD that harkens back to the heyday of the Pacific Northwest\u2019s flannel-punk scene; bands like The Melvins, Mastodon and Dillinger Escape Plan. It\u2019s a clean, crisp, well put […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[1],"tags":[86],"class_list":["post-82","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-archive","tag-cd-reviews-61206"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":53,"url":"http:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/2006\/05\/17\/seven-bands-you-must-know-from-seattle\/","url_meta":{"origin":82,"position":0},"title":"Seven Bands You MUST Know From Seattle","author":"admin","date":"May 17, 2006","format":false,"excerpt":"7 Bands You MUST Know From Seattle By: KEG keg@kegrocks.com http:\/\/www.kegrocks.com When most music fans think of Seattle, what immediately comes to mind? GRUNGE! While grunge was known for putting Seattle on the map, the \u201cCity Of Rain\u201d has rapidly evolved ever since. Cutting-edge Seattle artists are now indie forerunners,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "archive"","block_context":{"text":"archive","link":"http:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/category\/archive\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":151,"url":"http:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/2006\/09\/28\/seven-seattle-bands-you-need-to-know\/","url_meta":{"origin":82,"position":1},"title":"Seven Seattle Bands You Need To Know","author":"admin","date":"September 28, 2006","format":false,"excerpt":"7 Bands You MUST Know From Seattle By KEG, keg@kegrocks.com When most music fans think of Seattle, what immediately comes to mind? GRUNGE! While grunge was known for putting Seattle on the map, the \u201cCity Of Rain\u201d has rapidly evolved ever since. Cutting-edge Seattle artists are now indie forerunners, giving\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "archive"","block_context":{"text":"archive","link":"http:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/category\/archive\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1187,"url":"http:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/2009\/08\/08\/re-packaged-re-marketed-punkrock\/","url_meta":{"origin":82,"position":2},"title":"re-packaged, re-marketed punkrock!","author":"admin","date":"August 8, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"SUBHUMANS reissue Southern Records recently re-packaged (Some) and re-issued the Subhumans catalog on CD that were originally released back between 1981 and 1986 on Blurrg Records. Here are reviews of those new CDs and thoughts on why their popularity is timeless, as looking at your average teenage \"misfit\" punk-rocker with\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "archive"","block_context":{"text":"archive","link":"http:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/category\/archive\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":211,"url":"http:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/2007\/01\/09\/music-reviews-afi-%e2%80%9cdecember-underground%e2%80%9d\/","url_meta":{"origin":82,"position":3},"title":"music reviews – AFI: \u201cDecember Underground\u201d","author":"admin","date":"January 9, 2007","format":false,"excerpt":"Music reviews, by Fabiola Beylouni: AFI: \u201cDecember Underground\u201d (Interscope Records) I vividly remember the earsplitting squeal of joy that escaped me when I heard the first radio single, \u201cMiss Murder\u201d. They were back. After a bit of a drought, AFI fans have been able to rejoice the band\u2019s reemergence on\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "archive"","block_context":{"text":"archive","link":"http:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/category\/archive\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":273,"url":"http:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/2007\/04\/03\/music-reviews-antique-scream\/","url_meta":{"origin":82,"position":4},"title":"Music Reviews – Antique Scream","author":"admin","date":"April 3, 2007","format":false,"excerpt":"Music Reviews by Kent Manthie Antique Scream: \u201cBeware of the Fox\u201d (no label) How is it that these days some of the best rock & roll being made is being recorded by bands who aren\u2019t signed by any labels and they just don\u2019t care and instead they go ahead and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "archive"","block_context":{"text":"archive","link":"http:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/category\/archive\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":142,"url":"http:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/2006\/09\/11\/cd-reviews\/","url_meta":{"origin":82,"position":5},"title":"CD reviews","author":"admin","date":"September 11, 2006","format":false,"excerpt":"new CD reviews by Kent Manthie UBZORB (s\/t) (Cordhead Recordings) One cool tune on this record is track 5: \u201cSize Mick\u201d, the chorus: \u201cSeismic waves and Cosmic Rays\/destroy the maze\u2026\u201d Cool, huh, so California. Apocalyptic visions of a California bursting at the seams, earthquakes, fire, death, destruction \u2013 constant reference\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "archive"","block_context":{"text":"archive","link":"http:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/category\/archive\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=82"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=82"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=82"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=82"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}