New Multimedia Reviews - Sound Stage

CD

Tab Benoit Power of the PontchartrainTelarcRating: 3.5Sonics: 4Noted Cajun bluesman Tab Benoit's Power of the Pontchartrain has a hard-edged bayou flavor that gets your toes tapping. Benoit's zydeco-flavored songs like "Sac-Au-Lait Fishing" are charming and the straight blues numbers jam. This is a diverse album, though, and the ballads and rock numbers seem forced. Sound is consistently good, with lush guitar and sharp vocals. With decent speakers, the guitar and snare in "Good To Ya, Baby" should hit hard enough to make you flinch. Dynamics and soundstage are solid.

The Bad PlusProgHeads UpRating: 4.5Sonics: 4.5I hate it when bands do covers on records. On stage it's a different matter, but the idea of a good band using limited track space to redo other people's material seems like a waste. Then there's The Bad Plus. Their version of Tears for Fears' "Everybody Wants To Rule The World" is a revelation. It's like a new composition and a tribute (negative or positive) to the original, which is ideally what a cover should be. Whether there's some kind of irony or ridicule behind the approach, I'll leave that to the listener. Regardless, if you a approach the music as sonic effects rather than listening for subtext, you'll be bowled over by their versions of songs by David Bowie, Burt Bacharach and Rush. The Bad Plus' original work on the CD will get overshadowed, but it deserves equal airtime. -tired ant

Reed KDThe Ashes BloomDirty Laundry RecordsRating: 4.5Sonics: 3Liking indie folk rock doesn't make you any less of a man. That's what I keep telling myself while thoroughly enjoying Reed KD's The Ashes Bloom, the latest branch on the Simon and Garfunkel family tree. This one has all the hallmarks of good folk music. There are simple, sometimes heartbreaking melodies and surprisingly intricate guitar work. Some of the tracks get synth chords or broken beats to date this stuff new millennium. This album was recorded in "various living rooms, bedrooms and closets called home," yet the sonics are clean, with excellent frequency range. Hooray, technology.

Depeche ModeBlack CelebrationRhino RecordsRating: 5Sonics: 4This classic album celebrating the dark side holds up well over time, notwithstanding the artificial electronic sounds that seemed so fresh in the mid-'80s and out of date now. That should serve as a testament to the strong songwriting abilities of Martin Gore. His gift was an ability to combine moody arrangements with energetic rhythms and beats, topped off with very masculine yet pretty vocal lines. It's a strange, distinctive mix that always sets the band apart. "Stripped," "World Full of Nothing" and "New Dress" are still brilliant, if much more obvious than when I heard them as an angst-ridden teen. The two-disc set includes a 5.1 (DTS or Dolby) version of the album, a short video on the band and additional tracks such as "Shake the Disease". Essential for DM fans. -tired ant

Game

Aja West And FriendsTotal Recall 2012KOCH RecordsRating: 4Sonics: 3.5Aja West, leader of Mackrosoft, brings it with this solo funkathon. Despite the constant funk, the funk ain't constant. West keeps it interesting with instrumentation that features cutting violin, lazy sax and more synth sounds than you can shake your butt at. The album is recorded with excellent soundstage, but there's pretty much only one volume. The melodic broken bass line on "The Getaway" should be a good test for the speed and harmonic quality of your subwoofer.

Tokyo Xtreme Racer DRIFT 2 Crave Games for PS2Rating: 3Tech: 2Shortly into playing DRIFT 2, your car's bound to spin out for no apparent reason. Whether this lack of control pisses you off or excites you with its approximation of the somewhat erratic nature of actual drifting will define your gaming experience. DRIFT 2 features curvy Japanese mountain tracks and lots of recognizable rides, but the driving can get monotonous. Graphics are weak for a game this late in the PS2's lifespan, but sounds rev-up well. DRIFT 2 isn't for everyone, but it should interest the drifting nut.

Adam FreelandMexico CityGlobal UndergroundRating: 2.5Sonics: 3Surprisingly, I'm not dancing as I write this. That's probably why I'm a bit bored listening to Mexico City, an album based on a live show done by respected DJ Adam Freeland. The tracks are predominantly driving, mid-paced dance remixes. Freeland's tastes are eclectic. He does well to introduce new themes throughout songs, but the two-disc album is uneven as a whole. The sonics are what they are meant to be. That is, a loud constant volume with dominant midbass that leaves some space for high-frequency flourishes.

TocaTocaTwo Tone ElephantsRating: 3Sonics: 2Toca's a Los Angeles-based band with more range than Tom Hanks. They switch mid-song from hip-hop to Latin to psychedelic rock. Their debut album is a lot like Hanks circa "Bosom Buddies." The talent is evident, but it's wild and unfocused. On many occasions, it feels like they're changing style and pace for the hell of it without thinking of the song or album as a cohesive tableau. The sonics are the Peter Scolari here. They're forgettable. The mix is often strange, like a synth string that's twice as loud as everything else when it comes in on "Hearts of Gold." As a whole, the sound is a bit muddy.

Driver Of The YearWill destroy youFuture Appletree Records/ Nail in the Coffin RecordsRating: 2.5Sonics: 2.5Driver of the Year is a band from heaven. No, it's Iowa. They want to rock hard and break into the heart of the snobby indie rocker who could never love a band from Iowa. DOTY's strengths are solid, aggressive guitars and drums. Unfortunately, the album vacillates between the awesome ("Celebrities are Guns") and the insipid ("Night Receiver"). Sonically, the instruments muddle together at times and soundstage is limited. The recording's got a full, brawny feel to it, though, that fits the material and sounds best at ear-splitting volumes.