ALIEN CRIME SYNDICATE
XL From Coast to Coast
(The Control Group)
** 1/2

I've always been an avid supporter of Alien Crime Syndicate, simply because the band embraces the bombast and heaviness that makes the best rock albums of the '70s and '80s so enduring. This is a band that actually brought its own generator into the Crocodile to power a brightly lit sign that flashed the ACS logo from onstage as the band played. However unfashionable ACS' music may be, the local four-piece, fronted by Joe Reineke (the Meices) is a whole lot of fun to see live. So when I first heard XL From Coast to Coast, I thought the album sounded artificial and heavy-handed. But that's because I was judging it by current indie-rock standards. Put it up against its true peers, though, and it gets the job done nicely. Ass-kicking in the most authentic rock sense, XL From Coast to Coast is an unabashed, multi-tracked extravagance of production and posturing, and there's nothing wrong with that. KATHLEEN WILSON

...AND YOU WILL KNOW US BY THE TRAIL OF DEAD
Source Tags and Codes
(Interscope)
***1/2

If you were enraptured by the apocalyptic characteristics of At the Drive-In, but couldn't swallow the fact that the singer sounded too much like whatshisname from Rage Against the Machine, you'll love this Trail of Dead album. It's the kind of work that should never be labeled "post-punk." These Texans are all about modern rock in the best sense of the term. Although TOD is infamous for violent onstage behavior and consistently lying to the press, the group's detailed arrangements and believably vexed vocals belie a gorgeous sense of craftsmanship and honesty. It's hard to know whom to credit for the stunning percussion, since the band switches instrumental roles constantly, but the drums are definitely the standout component here. Regardless of who's manning the kit, purposeful fills and vicious breaks propel and nail the whole lovely mess with a surgical precision that's as close to perfect as any punk should ever get. HANNAH LEVIN

YEAH YEAH YEAHS
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
(Shifty)
***1/2

Karen O. sings like she could easily lead a boy around by the dick, if that's what she wanted. Her slightly understated, quivering vocals burn through the Yeah Yeah Yeahs' slinky, new wave garage punk like sulfuric acid. They eat past shields of demure armor to expose a raw sex explosion that the frontwoman isn't going to use on just anyone. As O. sings on "Bang," even if her skin is blazing, you're not the real thing she's looking for. "As a fuck, son, you suck," she taunts. Driven by a primitive rock and roll two-piece (one guitar, one drummer), the music is sweaty and hot, a collection of late-night quickies. The guitar rumbles like the motor of a bluesy getaway car, waiting for O. to hop in and drive the songs wild, while the drums shake the beats in the background. In their debut EP, this Brooklyn trio exposes a lot in just five songs--from hardcore squalls to punk lullabies about being hated--enough to whet many an appetite for what's to come. JENNIFER MAERZ

THE DIVINE COMEDY
Regeneration
(Nettwerk Records)
**

Maybe Neil Hannon, who leads British band the Divine Comedy, is a Buddhist. He certainly has no problem with attachment to material items. Or he's just careless. On "Lost Property," from the band's seventh album (if you exclude compilations), Regeneration, Hannon croons in an expressive baritone about the possessions he's misplaced, mislaid, and just plain lost. A stream of passports, mobile phones, clothes, and C-class narcotics drifts past the listener and lingers after the song fades. With producer Nigel Godrich, Hannon has also let go of his attachment to grandiose (bordering on bloated) arrangements that more often than not stopped 1998's Fin de Siecle cold in its tracks. The core six-piece band on Regeneration reigns in the excesses while creating a sophisticated chamber pop atmosphere, emphasizing the melodic grace of the songs. Hannon has also shed his pretense at Noel Coward-esque lyrical aspirations, to both good and bad effect. It's a relief from the relentless irony that sometimes gave his previous albums a chilly distance. Unfortunately, the straightforwardness comes across as flat-footed at times, especially when Hannon attempts stale cultural criticism. On the chorus of "Love What You Do," Hannon makes the trite soar with his passionate delivery, singing as Buddhist or don't-give-a-fuck defeatist: "If you want it, you can have it/If you need it, go and get it." NATE LIPPENS

AMOS MILLER
Amelation
(Self-Released)
***1/2

Amelation moves from beginning to end with a mellow and spacey funk. Amos' voice is pleasant. His verses (which are mostly rapped and occasionally sung) are textured with a nice variety of rhyme schemes, and his narratives are engaging. The album sounds great for these reasons, but the album is great because Amelation is personal and sincere hiphop. Listening to the album is like opening a window in the overstuffed house that hiphop has become: a house teeming with emcees too busy responding to each other, and to hiphop in general, and to the industry (and so on), to construct a true and honest rap. There are typical hiphop elements on Amelation--the neighborhood, girl drama, the struggle of life, compulsive self-characterization--but Amos moves fluidly through these elements. The only tracks that drag are the jammy instrumental ones. They're not bad, just boring, especially when they come between Amos' excellent raps. BRIAN GOEDDE