The Black Watch

Sounds Like: Mary Beth

See Also: The Cure, The Refreshements

Very Mary Beth

When I first looked at the cover photo of Lisa Loeb on The Black Watch's Very Mary Beth, I instinctively threw the CD down and ran out of the newsroom crying. After someone coaxed me back in by wrapping the CD in bacon, I gave it a second look and realized that it is, in fact, not Lisa Loeb on the cover, but just someone who looks like her. Fine, The Black Watch, you got me. Then you guys slyly recorded tracks like "Beautiful" and "The Girl of My Dreams," which sound just like the Gin Blossoms with your lead singer disguising his voice to sound like Robert Smith's to preserve some scrap of a quasi-indie status. Got me again! I thought that the album's last song, "Magic Shoes," would redeem the whole 1994-esque experience and transport me to a land of unicorns and tap dancers, but instead they just gave me corns.

÷ Elizabeth Thompson

Butterfly Boucher

Sounds Like: Chick rock for beginners.

See Also: Pink, Hole, recent Alanis Morissette.

Flutterby

This album is not for you or me. It is best-suited for high school girls who are in that "rebellious phase," which is a mixture of cynicism, feminism and an overall hatred of mainstream values. Its' not one of the most delightful times in a young girl's life.

Do not be confused though, because it is by no means as sophisticated as an Ani DiFranco, Alana Davis or even Tori Amos. It sounds like a dumbed-down version of the same ideas, minus the brilliant musicality, profound lyrics, and nice-to-listen-to-ness.

Overall, this album has an all right sound, but is not in the same category as the other female greats, and should not be lumped as such. I do, however, tip my hat to her for finding her audience and playing appropriate music for them. It is just not you or me.

÷ Celeste Meiffren

Courtney Love

Sounds Like: A cat in heat playing a guitar

See Also: Kim Deal, The Smashing Pumpkins

America's Sweetheart

Courtney Love attempts to reconnect with her punk rock past with the release of her debut solo album America's Sweetheart.

America's Sweetheart is nothing more than a commercial attempt to recapture any credibility the singer-actress has ever had in the punk scene. The album is 12 tracks of formulaic rock with a ballad or two thrown in for balance.

Most notable is the sharp contrast between Love's piercing vocals and the background of standard three-chord rock. I respect the throaty vocals of legitimate street punk, but let's be honest, Love's voice is so incomprehensible and shrill it makes my ears bleed. Ultimately, the album lacks creative substance, contributing to its cheap attempt at punk rock.

÷ Jessica Lewusz

The Sleepy Jackson

Sounds Like: Soundtrack to that new Ethan Hawke movie

See Also: Bob Dylan, The Flaming Lips, George Harrison

Lovers

Australian band The Sleepy Jackson should've strapped a tambourine to a koala and set it on fire. It would've given the record that edge it desperately needs.

Amidst great production, catchy hooks and genre mixing of country, alternative, folk and pop, this band is really easy to ignore. There is some potential for the next mix tape, though.

"Vampire Racecourse" and "Tell the Girls I'm Not Hanging Out" are rich songs flanked by steady beats and strong vocals. However, what I can only assume is the band's attempt at humor, "Morning Bird" features the vocal straining of an 8-year-old. The song is both sad and intolerable. And while the rest of the album isn't that bad, it's still the only record that will get your dad's toe tapping while he's at the dentist.

÷ Eli Herman

All Night Radio

Sounds Like: Sweet melodious dream pop with tons of filters

See Also: My Bloody Valentine, The Flaming Lips

Spirit Stereo Frequency

All Night radio sent a press release that has to be read with 3-D glasses and their album is layered with enough instrumentals and sound effects to cause severe tripping.

All Night Radio is, simply put, groovy. The duo puts together an album full of radical pop, when it easily could have created a soundtrack for the Timothy Leary fan club.

With "Sky Bicycle (You've Been Ringing)," the simple background vocals ("ooh" and "ahh) build to an enthralling climax before fading away to pedaling noises. The band could stretch its songs into seven-minute snooze-fests, but wisely chooses to maintain some sense of structure.

These kinds of decisions make me think All Night Radio might not be completely stoned. But it probably is.

÷ Nate Buchik