SAHARA HOTNIGHTS, Kiss & Tell (RCA)
SAHARA HOTNIGHTS exploded onto the music scene a few years ago with a bare bones rock and roll attack. They seemed both raw but with a touch of harmony and pop-sensibility. A rare combination indeed.

On their latest and first disc for RCA the group has lost almost all of its edge. Each song is worse than the one before it and builds up to a forced ejection before track five “Mind Over Matter.”

Have you ever bought a disc you thought would be good and couldn’t’ stand listening too? It’s rare for me. But I get lots of albums to review where this happens. I’ve given the SAHARA HOTNIGHTS two more chances after that first aborted listen and each time I’ve gotten to track 11 only once. I figured I had to give it a full chance before slamming it. Yet another disappointment.

NIKOLA SARCEVIC, Lock-Sport-Krock (Burning Heart)
If the guy from INTERNATIONAL NOISE CONSPIRACY and REFUSED couldn’t blow us away with his mellow solo project, what makes the frontman from Swedish pop- punk band Millencolin think he’s got a shot?

PAULSON, Variations (Initial Records)
This is one of those Emo/metal discs that makes me reminisce of days gone by when just plain old Emo was getting big. I would kill for some of the weaker Emo bands of a few years ago compared to weak bands like PAULSON that try and blend every style they love into one hodge podge of nothing. The worst part is that Variations ends up sounding like a very poor imitation of DREDG, one of the few truly unique groups to spring up the past few years. PAULSON totally reminds me of the days when I covered local music. They are at a stage when a young band is still working through its “idolization” phase and sound way too much like the bands they listen to. The production itself is shoddy and the vocals are amateurish at best leading to even more “local band” comparisons. How are all these bands releasing albums and touring?

SAFETY IN NUMBERS, In The Key of D (Triple Crown)
Luckily SAFETY IN NUMBERS hasn’t caught PAULSON’s disease, they’re trying to do just one thing. But that one approach of trying to be a rock band ends up being a cliché. I was hoping these guys would be a worthy successor to HOT ROD CIRCUIT on the Triple Crown roster. Unfortunately they’re not, and the production is just horrid. The vocals are pushed far, far into the background and the guitars sound grating. Wait is this a demo? No it’s an official promo disc. Too bad. There’s a hint of promise here but not enough for me to remember the name of this band by the time their next disc is released.

ODD PROJECT, The Second Hand Stopped (Indianola Records)
Just brutal. I can’t listen to any more screaming. It’s one thing when I get a hardcore album that is supposed to be hard and fast. But an indie rock record pretending to be hardcore is just worthless. In the end the fractured band identity is just too much to take. I’d hate to be a kid going to shows right now and getting hit in the face with this jarring dichotomy.

Saving Grace
TREVOR DUNN’S TRIO-CONVULSANT, Sister Phantom Owl Fish (Ipecac)
Avant-garde jazz with a rock twist isn’t new. Even the style Trevor Dunn of FANTOMAS and MR. BUNGLE fame and his two cohorts produce isn’t completely original. But the expert musicianship, complexity of the arrangements and more than competent production is a refreshing listen after so much drudgery.

Listeners can expect only a smattering of traditional jazz licks as interlude to chaotic explosions of guitar and drums. Dunn’s bass surprisingly isn’t overt and doesn’t try to take the lead. That’s a welcome surprise as he instead allows bandmates Mary Halvorson on guitar and Ches Smith on drums to flourish under his tutelage.

Sister Phantom Owl Fish is definitely not for everyone. And the album isn’t appropriate for all moods. It does challenge, spark interest and actually displays talent at almost every turn. Thank goodness this came in the mail last week.

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