David Byrne

Sounds Like: World Beat minus the Enya factor.

See Also: Rhythm of the Saints-era Paul Simon.

Grown Backwards

David Byrne ranks among the few 50-plus rockers who haven't surrendered their dignity to gaudiness and irrelevance. The former singer of the Talking Heads circumvents the problem by keeping his finger in as many pies as possible, including a new book and other ventures. Grown Backwards delves deeper into Byrne's fascination with world music. Byrne challenges himself with material as disparate as two opera arias ("Au Fond du Temple Saint" and "Un di Felice, Eterea") and a cover of Lambchop's "The Man Who Loved Beer." His voice remains the same: jittery, strained and oddly charming, just like that now legendary cardigan-sporting stoic on stage at CBGB's.

÷ Mark Sussman

Knoc-turn'al

Sounds Like: West coast rap family reunion.

See Also: Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre, Warren G.

The Way I Am

The one thing this album definitely does right is create variety. Nearly every track is produced by someone different. The notable tracks are the Dr. Dre-produced "I Like" and the Timbaland-produced "Have Fun." Knoc-turn'al also has some notable featured artists from his old West Coast crew: Snoop Dogg, featured on "The Way I Am" and Nate Dogg and Warren G featured on "What We Do" make those tracks stand out as pretty good. Knoc himself isn't the best rapper, but his flow is cool, in that it's laid-back and kind of rough at the same time. The biggest complaint about the album is that nobody is really saying anything. The track "War" attempts to make some kind of statement about the war in Iraq but is extremely

convoluted.

÷ Gabe Joselow

Weezer

Sounds Like: Just as fresh as it sounded 10 years ago.

See Also: Ash, Barbara Streisand, Kiss, Iron Maiden.

Self-Titled Deluxe Edition

The reissue of The Blue Album, as it's nicknamed, sounds just as refreshing as it did 10 years ago. It's still chock-full of picturesque melodies, Beach Boys' harmonies and distorted power chords.

A new second disc includes B-sides every Weezer junkie has already heard, including "Susanne" and "Jamie," which are good enough for Blue. Early versions of "Undone (The Sweater Song)" and "Only in Dreams" provide filler, but the real treats are the previously unreleased "Paperface" and "Lullaby for Wayne." The songs show a raw, punkish Weezer with the same catchy hooks. The Deluxe Edition may be a little pricey for casual fans, but it's something special that every Weezer lover should add to his collection.

÷ Nate Buchik

Trans Am

Sounds Like: Rumsfeld and Ashcroft throwing a loft party.

See Also: Int'l Noise Conspiracy, Tortoise.

Liberation

Being a Thrill Jockey band is tough. Everyone's asking if you're in Tortoise, if you know the guys from Tortoise or if you've heard the new Tortoise record. Fortunately, almost every band on Thrill Jockey sounds a little like Tortoise, and most of them swap members like swingers at a key party.

Trans Am has managed to carve out a little sound of its own, though, straightening out the intentionally lopsided, jerky beats of its label mates to make its sound danceable, instead of sounding like it should sound danceable. Another point of departure for the band is its unambiguous politics. Sampling George Bush and manipulating his voice until he sounds like Satan behind the podium tends to paint a pretty clear picture of where Trans Am stands.

÷ Mark Sussman

Coachwhips

Sounds Like: Listening to punk rock over the telephone.

See Also: John Spencer Blues Explosion, The Gossip.

Bangers Versus Fuckers

Besides having one of the best album titles ever, Bangers Versus Fuckers is everything raw, dirty and good that rock has forgotten about. Most of the songs are relatively short (under two minutes) and make for about an 18-minute album, which is acceptable because it's hard to keep up with this band for much longer. This is a real lo-fi-style record. Lead singer John Dwyers sings through a homemade telephone receiver/microphone apparatus, and the band sticks to simple and heavily distorted bar chords present throughout the album.

The CD also includes a video of a live show at a friend of the band's house in New York and shares a glimpse of a show Coachwhips-style ÷ hot, shitty, and fun, from what I can see.

÷ Eli Herman