After Between the Buried and Me pushed metalcore purists away with their most progressive release, COLORS, they decided to push even harder for their fifth release. A diverse outing with an unruly amount of genres crammed into only six songs, THE GREAT MISDIRECT is a highly adventurous, very convoluted, wildly dynamic, and extremely difficult listen. Briggs, Waring, Rogers, Waggoner, and Richardson are in top form, with their script-flipping abilities intact and their technical chops at their most extreme. This is a guitarists' album first and foremost (although bass players and drummers are in for a treat, as well), and the playing, while showy, is incendiary. Like a cross between Dream Theater (whom they toured with in 2008) and Dillinger Escape Plan, Between the Buried and Me meld creative aptitude and roaring fury as they skate genres, stapling together speed metal, hardcore, carnival jazz, chamber pop, and a few indefinable Mike Patton-esque styles.

"Fossil Genera -- A Feed from Cloud Mountain" fuses loungy Henry Mancini piano with metal guitar and guttural growls in a lighthearted way, but this only lasts for a few minutes; the song takes a dark turn into eight minutes of screaming speed metal before seguing into an epic orchestral outro with syrupy singing by vocalist Tommy Rogers. To fit the many moods, Rogers readily switches moods between painful howls and heartfelt singing (with lyrics mainly dealing with alien abductions, the inner workings of the human brain, and magic), but he passes the microphone to guitarist Paul Waggoner for "Desert of Song," a relatively straightforward acoustic Dirt-era Alice in Chains ballad, which builds to a thick finish. It's merely a breather, however, and after five and a half minutes to recoup, the band goes out with "Swim to the Moon": nearly 18 minutes of unflappable and razor-sharp prog metal -- whirlwind scales, snaking solos, and amazingly intricate rhythm twists -- with hair-raising howls, parted by radio rock harmonies.

A diverse outing with an unruly amount of genres crammed into only six songs, The Great Misdirect is a highly adventurous, very convoluted, wildly dynamic, and extremely difficult listen.


  To Plant A Seed CD
  by We Came As Romans
Our Price: $11.69 CD / $9.90 MP3
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To Plant a Seed, the first full-length release by We Came as Romans, is billed as a hardcore album with a twist. In addition to the expected guttural vocals, double kickdrum thunder, and heavy guitar riffage, the band devotes ample time to melody, with co-vocalist Kyle Pavone adding some crooning relief to the mix and producer Joey Sturgis layering the group's music with symphonic arrangements. Those looking to bang their heads will still find plenty of traditional hardcore elements here, particularly the horror-movie screaming of frontman Dave Stevens, but To Plant a Seed ultimately winds up as a somewhat confusing debut, its Christian-tinged message muddled by the reliance on minor-key progressions and throat-shredding vocals. ~ Andrew Leahey

To Plant a Seed, the first full-length release by We Came as Romans, is a hardcore album with a twist. In addition to the expected guttural vocals, double kickdrum thunder, and heavy guitar riffage, the band devotes ample time to melody, with co-vocalist Kyle Pavone adding some crooning relief to the mix. Pavone also plays piano, and the band laces its minor-key anthems with symphonic instruments, including violin, cello, and orchestral percussion. Those looking to bang their head will still find plenty of traditional hardcore elements here, particularly the horror-movie screaming of frontman Dave Stevens, but To Plant a Seed is more concerned with establishing the band's unique identity. ~ Andrew Leahey

  Sublime CD
  by Sublime
Our Price: $10.45 CD / $7.59 MP3
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The popularity of ska bands like No Doubt and Goldfinger paved the way for what seemed to be inevitable success for Sublime. But lead singer Brad Nowell died of a heroin overdose in May 1996, two months before this major-label debut was released. SUBLIME reveals a talented act whose songs were a brilliant mix of punk, reggae, hip-hop and dub. Sublime's ability to jump genres is showcased within a few bars of "What I Got." Amidst whistling, scratching and a rhythm copped from the Beatles' "Lady Madonna," Nowell's vocals glide from spoken-word to a toasting vibe. Pop culture also provided a handy source, particularly in "Caress Me Down," where porn star Ron Jeremy and G.I. Joe are mentioned amid reggae rhythms and Spanish lyrics.

Although many of these songs have a fun, carefree aura, Sublime's darker side occasionally surfaces. The black humor of "April 29, 1992 (Miami)," which boasts of looting during the L.A. riots, gives way to the eerie foreshadowing of "Garden Grove," where in the middle of quirky samples and heavy reverb, Nowell casually sings of shooting up.

Rolling Stone (4/17/97, p.80) - 4 Stars (out of 5) - "...


  Marquee Moon CD
  by Television
Our Price: $10.89 CD
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New York's 1970s punk was markedly different to that of Britain. Rather than reject the past, American groups deconstructed its forms and rebuilt them with recourse to the music's strengths. Television's leader, Tom Verlaine, professed admiration for Moby Grape and the folk rock of early Fairport Convention. Elements of the latter appear on this album's title track, which offers a thrilling instrumental break, built upon a modal scale. Verlaine's shimmering guitar style provides the set's focus, but his angular compositions are always enthralling. A sense of brooding mystery envelops the proceedings, and Marquee Moon retains its standing as one of the era's pivotal releases.

Rhino's 2003 expanded edition of Television's seminal debut, Marquee Moon, doesn't add much on the surface -- in addition to the de rigueur liner notes and loving packaging, all standard fare on serious reissues here in the early days of the 21st century, there are a mere five bonus tracks. Some might complain, but dealing with scarcity is part of being a Television fan; few great bands have left such a slim body of work, with only two studio albums from the golden age, weighing in at a total of 16 songs. So, any addition of new recordings, even alternate takes, to the canon is welcome indeed, and the five bonus tracks are all necessary, none more so than the first official CD release of Television's first single, "Little Johnny Jewel." Here, the two parts -- part one issued as the A-side, part two as the B -- are presented as one track (it does fade out and in at midway point), and it's a fascinating roughhewn blueprint for Marquee Moon.

It's a legendary single, and it's a blessing that it's finally readily available, but hardcore Television fans will likely be more taken with the alternate takes of "See No Evil," "Friction," and "Marquee Moon." While "See No Evil" is the only tune that's radically different in this incarnation -- it's the same structure, only with another, very busy, guitar line surging throughout the verse -- the band, particularly Tom Verlaine and Richard Lloyd, always played the songs differently, so "Friction" and "Marquee Moon" make for fascinating listening anyway; that's also the reason why the untitled instrumental, which doesn't really go anywhere, is still good listening -- it's just a pleasure to hear this most musical of punk bands play. That, combined with good liner notes and remastering of a timeless album, make this an essential reissue. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine


  London Calling CD
  by Clash
Our Price: $6.25 CD / $9.99 MP3
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Additional personnel includes: Baker Glare (whistling); The Irish Horns (brass); Micky Gallagher (organ). Digitally remastered by Ray Staff & Bob Whitney (Whitfield Street Studios, London, England). If punk rejected pop history, LONDON CALLING reclaimed it, albeit with a knowing perspective. The scope of this double set is breathtaking, encompassing reggae, rockabilly, and the group's own furious mettle. Such a combination might seem over-ambitious, but the Clash accomplish it with swaggering panache. Guy Stevens, who produced the group's first demos, returns to the helm to provide a confident, cohesive sound equal to the set's brilliant array of material. Boldly assertive and superbly focused, London Calling contains many of the quartet's finest songs and is, by extension, virtually faultless.

If punk rejected pop history, LONDON CALLING reclaimed it, albeit with a knowing perspective. The scope of this double set is breaktaking, encompassing reggae, rockabilly and the group's own furious mettle. Where such a combination might have proved over-ambitious, the Clash accomplish it with swaggering panache. Guy Stevens, who produced the group's first demos, returns to the helm to provide a confident, cohesive sound equal to the set's brilliant array of material. Boldly assertive and superbly focused, London Calling contains many of the quartet's finest songs and is, by extension, virtually faultless.

Also available in a 3-pack with THE CLASH and COMBAT ROCK.


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