Aimee Mann-The Forgotten Arm/www.AimeeMann.com
"Baby, there's something wrong with me" sings Aimee Mann channeling protagonist John on her new record, the masterful The Forgotten Arm. Delving into the world of the narrative concept record, Mann assumes the pace, tone and cadence of one of those great downbeat early 70's road films. Two-Lane Blacktop, Badlands and even Night Moves come to mind. Actually set in the early 70's The Forgotten Arm recounts the blurry misadventures of bored housewife Caroline who abandons the cinches of family and small town life to hit the road with ex-con/ex-boxer John. As Aimee sings on 'King of the Jailhouse", there is something wrong with both of them. John has a nasty junk habit, and Caroline's dissatisfaction and unhappiness are incurable. Wisely, Aimee Mann keeps the narrative interpretive and at an arms length, letting the voids and valleys tell the story, rather than mapping out every detail, making it almost allegorical. In keeping with the 70's tone of the tale, the music is some of the finest of her career. Smart hooks are matched with loose and mannered country-rock, ala The Band, or Court and Spark-era Joni Mitchell. The overall sound is a throwback to the days when production was detailed and soulful and musicians were listed track-by-track on inner sleeves.

I've often thought it must be tough to be Aimee Mann, to have such a unique and intense sound unlike any other singer-songwriter. While that may set her apart from other and lesser artists, it also must be difficult to avoid making what the public can dismiss as "another Aimee Mann record". Luckily, this is a brilliant example of how an artist can keep her voice and integrity and develop a wholly successful and unique work of art, both in her canon and in modern music in general. This is a front-runner for the best of 2005. Record geek side note: Wouldn't it be cool if on tour, or on a b-side, Aimee Mann covered Colin Blunstone's "Caroline, Goodbye?"-Greg Trout

Grand Magus-Wolf's Return/www.GrandMagus.com(Rise Above)
In 2001 Grand Magus's self titled debut was a true cause for celebration. After being teased with split-7 inches and compilation cuts, their full length delivered just what it promised: Loud, dark hard rock from three bikers in Stockholm who seemed to have never heard anything post-75. I am going to chalk up my misgivings about Wolf's Return to experimentation. All of the elements that made them and their debut so special are here: Loud riffs, stronger-than-strong vocals and masterful playing. The unwelcome addition is the new tendency to write hooks and anthems, sending them careening into Iron Maiden territory. Hopefully that's out of their system and next time around they can get back to the basics of living up to their name-dark conjurers of black magic. -Greg Trout

The Jessica Fletchers-Less Sophistication / www.theJessicaFletchers.com(Perfect Pop )
Oslo's The Jessica Fletchers are the Bay City Rollers for the 21st century that no one asked for or required. That said, I must say they put on quite a party of a record. Some of the most infectious hooks in Power-pop I have heard in years, and the songwriting is pretty mature as well. If you know anything about my reviews or musical taste, you know that I am amazed every time someone does power-pop successfully. Time and time again I crow about how the Raspberries were the last word and that's that. Every now and again I get proven wrong. So I am going to grab my copy of Pizzazz, a big glass of Hi-C citrus cooler (You know, the green stuff) and head on down to my wood paneled basement, sit in the bean bag chair with the big headphones on and groove to the Jessica Fletchers. By the way, even if they were no good, naming a band after the detective on Murder, She Wrote is pure genius. -Greg Trout

Spiritus Mortis-S/T/ www.SpiritusMortis.com (Rage of Achilles)
Every now and again a record comes along that reaffirms my love for metal, a record that portrays it in all its loud, nocturnal glory, a record that reeks of alienation and creeps with power. In the 80's Saint Vitus kept us hoping, and Cathedral helped us through the 90's. The early part of this decade blessed us with Electric Wizard and now we have Finland's mighty Spiritus Mortis. I was pretty impressed by some demo recordings and had kept them in the back of my mind, but nothing could have prepared me for this. Spiritus Mortis is a true metal classic, on par with Sabbath and the Obsessed. No exaggeration. This is a rock solid hour of molten riffs and sophisticated and subtle songwriting propelled by the incredible vocals of Vesa Lampi, arguably Metal's finest vocalist since Messiah Marcolin of Candlemass. -Greg Trout

Andrew Bird-The Mysterious Production of Eggs/ www.BowlofFire.com
In 1966 the world of music was presented with Revolver by the Beatles and Pet Sounds by the Beach Boys. Arguably the two most influential records in pop music history and the palette on which artists still paint. They were the records that made it OK to craft ornate pop music in a studio over the course of months or years. Andrew Bird's fifth record, The Mysterious Production of Eggs continues and explores this grand tradition. Middle-Eastern sounds, and Memphis soul are given equal measure, as are lush strings, breathless vocals and mellotrons. Switching gears like a nervous driver twirling an FM knob, each song is a journey and adventure that leaves the listener exhilarated and enlightened. Comic fan side note, the booklet features artwork by the masterful Jay Ryan, whose heartbreaking work is theperfect fit with Bird's Flights of Fancy.-Greg Trout

Ramesses-We Will Lead You to Glorious Times/www.Ramesses.com (This Dark Reign)
In 2003 Mark Greening and Tim Bagshaw left Electric Wizard. Mark stayed on drums and Tim moved to guitar. Adam Richardson joined as bass player and Ramesses was born. Ramesses build epic soundscapes and structures around monster riffs not unlike Sleep or and extra-heavy Helmet. Some of the most satisfying and exhilarating Doom metal I have heard as of late. Write them a letter and get them to the states! -Greg Trout

Roots of Dub Funk 4:Rise of the Eclectic Dread/ www.Tantyrecord.com
The accompanying press release describes Dub as the 'deconstruction of a track that already exists'. That's half the story. The other half is the mastery required for a DJ to put it back together and keep it interesting and hypnotic. Collected from DJs all over the world, some tracks are dance-able (not too common in Dub): like Jah Warrior's" Ridiculous Dub", Some explore Drum 'n Bass (Dub Funk Association's "Nest of Vipers") and some are just classic mellow Dub like DJ Perch's "Dub the Border" and Manjul/Humble Band's "Upper Cut. Tanty Records is devoted to the art of Dub and we are better for it. An essential listen.-Greg Trout

Ivy-In the Clear /(www.thebandIvy.com) (Nettwerk)
Ivy haven't changed much since their last record in 2001. That's good. Ivy are the musical equivalent of a 60's new wave French film or a first Friday party at a mid-century modern gallery. Cool, fun, but not too loud. Each track is a perfectly crafted and executed bit of pop. Played and sung by people who know their way around a pop song and pop history. They are even joined on a couple of tracks by James Iha late of the Smashing Pumpkins. I hope Ivy never change. They get it right every time and I can't imagine not owning every record they ever released. -Greg Trout

Earthride-Vampire Circus /(www.Earthridedoom.com) (Southern Lord )
Heavy metal is a fractured business, and a frustrating one to explore. Like a sporting event one needs a program to keep up with the players and a decoder ring to keep up with each sub-genre. Like classical music, and hip-hop each strain is peppered with remnants and colors of its region or inhabitants. Rap, industrial, funk, even country finds its way into the leather and sweat world in the 21st century. While Lord knows I am all about experimenting and mixing it up, I have very strict rules about what I dig in metal. I don't like hairspray. I don't like ballads. Metal to me has to be either true rebellion or true resignation. I want a metal band to sound like it's the only way they could express their pain. I want to feel like they had two choices: Pump gas or learn a riff. Finally, I want metal to sound like a forbidden kegger in the woods, with as much acid as there is cheap beer. I want to be scared and exhilarated. If you don't know what I mean, go get a Motorhead, Sabbath or Saint Vitus record and check back with me. If you are still with me, read on. I've got a killer record for you. Dave Sherman, (late of Spirit Caravan) and Earthride are back with their second helping of doom with 'Vampire Circus'. It corrects everything i did'nt like about 'Taming of the Demons'. Sherman's voice no longer sounds like a Lemmy-alike, and the riffs and songs are solid, well written and powerful. This is one of those records that seems to appear right when you are about to give up on metal. Witness 'Dirt Nap'. It's the sound of a band that works. A band that is speaking that secret language to one another. When they just know and they just rock. This track in particular is augmented by Mick Schauer's organ, which so beautifully sounds like he got in a time machine and lifted it from Uriah Heep, that it makes greater that didnt need to be. Bearing mentioning is Kyle Vansteinburg's molten riffs, Rob Hampshire's backbone of a bass, and Eric Little's brutal time keeping. All tight, all solid.This brings me to Dave Sherman. I've always found him to be one of the most fascinating figures in metal. 'Undone Mind' being one of my favorite Spirit Caravan tunes. He has a reputation for being a walking metal encyclopedia, and when someone with that knowledge starts a band it can be dangerous. Or in this case great. Apparently Sherman with authority, has applied his metal lessons and it's paid off. Finally, how can you resist a record with a song called 'Swamp Witch'?-Greg Trout

Mix Tape Song: Vampire Circus

The Isles-Back to Terrific EP /(Theislesnyc.com) (Binder Records ) Indie rock is a mystery to me, when it doesn’t work its maddenly boring. When it does, it’s brilliant. But I have never gotten to the bottom of what makes the simple vocals-guitar-bass-drums-sometimes-keyboards formula. This is most likely why I write about music instead of making it. So, don’t ask me to explain why I love The Isle’s Back to Terrific 4-song EP so much, but I do. Low-key sort of folk-rock, sort of jittery power-pop stagger chords, with some of the most cynical, sneering lyrics I’ve heard in a while. See this couplet from my favorite track on the set “Eve of the Battle ”: “She’s no fair/she makes me think I care/I care for nothing”. I am not sure what the Isles have in store for us next. I hope it’s a full-length, because an entire CD of their work may just hit the same chord with me as the best of the Go-Betweens. To me that is almost the best music can do. As I play it through for the 5 th time as the sun goes down here in Fishtown , Pa , I feel as though this record has been with me all my life. How do bands pull that off? Go to their site and check them out. -Greg Trout

Mix Tape Song: Eve of the Battle

Gravenhurst-Fires in Distant Buildings /(Gravenhurst) (Warp Records ) A few years back I went to a screening of Blow-Up, the groundbreaking and to some (like me) life-changing 60's masterpiece of swinging London seen through a surreal lens and an incredibly cynical eye. Afterward Veruschka, one of the worlds first supermodels made famous in one of the opening shots was there for an after-flick Q & A. She happened to be in town to unveil her photography. Her medium? She builds miniature cities and sets them on fire and photographs the ensuing carnage. This is the best I can come up with to describe the music of Gravenhurst. Perhaps its automatic word association to the title of their record Fires in Distant Buildings. I think there is also a kindred spirit to the way front man Nick Talbot approaches music and the way Veruschka approached photography, i.e. building something and then wreaking havoc upon it to watch it change and, at times, grow. Look at his cover of the Kink's "See My Friends", expanded to a 9 minute done with caterwauling noise injected within. Or the originals "Cities Beneath the Sea" or " Down River " which are beauteous, soothing soundscapes with a thick coat of iron filings rubbed over. My favorite track "The Velvet Cell" combines all the great details of such disparate influences as Wire, My Bloody Valentine, and XTC in one incredibly exciting five minutes. Gravenhurst is one of my favorite discoveries this year. A document of outsider beauty that reveals a new revelation upon every listen, which you will learn as you realize you cannot remove it from your CD player anymore. Much as you try. -Greg Trout

MIx Tape Song: The Velvet Cell

Ladytron-Witching Hour (www.Ladytron.com) (Rykodisc)
Ladytron is a rare band with something special. Something the Band had. Husker Du had. The Replacements, My Bloody Valentine had it too. Radiohead and Wilco have it now. It's called Everythingness. What's that? That's disparate personalities combining to transcend genre and create a layered music equal parts all that came before, creating what lies ahead.On their third record (fourth if you count their mix tape), Ladytron build on the landscapes and aesthete they have forged in the past and come off with their strongest, most powerful and unclassifiable offering yet. Stretched up a torture rack of an electronic pallette, Ladytron builds their house of cards on the slick and sleazy lessons of Roxy Music (from whence comes their name) and New Order-packing a din of dance under layers of twisted cinematic setpieces. Kicking off with the Psychedelic feedback work- out "High Rise", Ladytron confounds their following, and their past in a way that would make the Spacemen 3 proud. Hopefully this and what follows will help them shake their unfortunate 80's nostalgia tag. There is nothing nostalgic about this, electronic music has been with us for 60 years, it's just one of the treasures in this Pandora's Box. What an embarrasment of riches it is! The crown jewel, and their finest track ever "Destroy Everything You Touch" is truly the finest dance track of this century and deserves to be the new generations "Blue Monday". Other highlights include the catchy "International Dateline", which continues the tradition of obtuse and uncomfortable takes on human relationships. It's not clear whether Helen Marnie's husky-little-girl-who-has-seen-it-all voice is breaking up with her partner on the international dateline or imploring him or her to kill themselves, but she means it. "Sugar" takes a VU-chug and throws over it a playful couplet at once about sex and drugs. "amTV" reinforces them as the representatives of all the people who only come out at night and are little cooler than you and I over a dreamy synth track. Sadly Mira Arroyo's eastern-european accent is only heard on a single track "Fighting in Built Up Areas" and as usual it serves as the bottom, bass line right hook anchoring the whole affair. Sometimes a record comes along and I can't hold it together. I hang up my music-geek journalist hat, dispose of my integrity and just gush. This is one of them. So go get it, and drop me a line. We'll stay up all night in a cheap walk-up in a dark part of town arguing and dissecting it.-Greg Trout

Mix Tape Song: Destory Everything You Touch

Foetus-Love (www.Foetus.org) (Birdman)In 1990 I was just out of high-school and in my first job. It was with a major coorperation and I lived in fear of being a corporate tool. J.G. Thirwell aka Jim Foetus aka Clint Ruin and his spiteful iconoclastic swagger was my inspiration and I basically appropriated his alter ego. I walked around in a biker jacket (like him), grew a little devil beard (like him again), smoked like a rat packer (all him) and drank like Kerouac. I was in such fear of becoming a cooperate tool that his battle cry of "Run the gauntlet north and south/walk right up to the cannon's mouth and scream 'I can do anything goddamn thing I want!" became mine in my everyday misadventures and sure I paid the price, but I had solace in music. I was addicted to 'Hole', 'Nail', 'Thaw' and any number of his side projects (Wiseblood being my favorite). Times have changed. I've grown up, I'm not so much a cooperate tool but a member of the American workforce now. Foetus has evolved too. His latest opus "Love" echoes that. While it doesn't contain anything so terrifyingly shocking as "Destroy All Girls!" or "The Only Good Christian is Dead", it runs deeper. Alot deeper. So deep that he tackles the scariest of all spectres, the titled "Love". My favorite track (and I believe his current masterpiece) is a lengthy exercise called "Aladdin Reverse", in which confronting our psyche, our love of all things around us is compared to being trapped in an elevator. A mental elevator we'll never escape. It features a wagnerian orchestra right out of the inferno and pummeling guitars that should be the envy of any Doom Metal outfit No longer content to challenge and frighten the masses with his junkie-biker schwag, he now aims to grab the human brain pan and squeeze, pulling away a hand soaked with a substance scarier than a thousand crowbars soaked in blood. I saw him perform once in my life, at the Trocodero in Philadelphia at 6 in the afternoon. Backed by ex- swans and ex cop shoot cops-he stood like a escaped convict come home. Beer after beer, marlboro after marlboro he pumped angry steam into the microphone. At one point a fan got too close during his deconstruction of 'I am the Walrus' and got punched. Now it seems like the same fan would likely be embraced-the scariest act of all.-Greg Trout

Mix Tape Song: Aladdin Reverse

Jello Biafra & the Melvins-Never Breathe What You Can't See/ (Alternative Tentacles)
I hate to admit it but I stayed away from this one for a little while. I have been a lifelong Dead Kennedys devotee, they are truly one of the smartest bands that ever existed. Similarly, The Melvins are heavy heroes of mine, Gluey Porch Treatments being a perennial favorite.But Jello & the Melvins? Just could'nt see it..Goes to show how wrong you can be. This record is a revelation, a cause for celebration! The Melvins kick up their speed about 10 notches to (dare I say it?) match the flawlessly played, bottom heavy, intense and fat rock and roll that made the Dead Kennedys so brilliant and special. Jello? He has lost none of his bite and bile. He sounds sarcastic and sick as ever, taking on such topics as SUVs ("Yuppie Cadillac"), Civil Liberties ("McGruff the Crime Dog"), Iraqi Occupation ("Islamic Bomb"), and the religious right ("Dawn of the Locusts"). Most impressive is his explanation of the actions of Islamic Extremists in "Caped Crusader", it's almost poignant. Once again Jello has masterminded the rarest of creatures: A record I want to crank up to 11 and drive fast to, while challenging everything going on outside my door today.-Greg Trout

Mix Tape Song: McGruff the Crime Dog

Volebeats-Like Her (www.Volebeats.com) / (Turquoise Mountain)
Detroit's Volebeats fill a necessary void that Alt-Country or whatever you have been calling it is leaving. Sensitive early 70's-Country Rock of the goodwill variety. Let me elaborate: If you are reading MagnaPhone, most likely you have spent one afternoon or another on your hands and knees in the back of Goodwill going through boxes of records. Heck, most of you do that on a weekly basis, I'll bet. What do you usually find there? Kristofferson, BJ Thomas, Mac Davis, Poco and a host of other guys with big sideburns and big smiles. When I first listened to this CD I was surprised it didn't have that musty old record smell (that I love). Jeff Oakes and Matthew Smith are the autuers behind this. Matthew Smith is also in Outrageous Cherry, a band that mimics the music of a similar time, but in that case it's bubblegum rock, and like that band, he and Oakes get it exactly right. To be fair, this music isn't as frivolous as i am making it sound. The ghosts of Gene Clark and Gram Parsons are the true stylists whose mark is felt here. Not for everyone, but if you related to anything I said in this review, then you'll dig it. -Greg Trout

Mix Tape Song: This Girl

Grimble Grumble-Leaves Leader(www.GrimbleGrumble.com) (Pehr)
Named for the Gnome in Syd Barrett's song. That's where the comparison ends. No Looking glasses or rabbit holes in this Psychedelia, this is modern-day, state of the art Psychedelic. What sets apart mere jamming and great psychedelia in my book is virtuosity. This record has it in spades. The discipline in which the riffs and grooves are paired is precise and deadly. The juxtaposition of out of tune guitars and perfectly honed instruments is coolly calculated to create a new form of harmony. Witness the din that "Wish Song" builds to, its nearly unbearable. Now hear the space rock of 'Third Song' and check out the window and make sure you are still on earth. Classic powerful head music without a hint of nostalgia. It's a little hard to find, but well worth the search.-Greg Trout

Mix Tape Song: Wish Song

The Sights/ www.WeAreTheSights.com(New Line )
In today's world of indie pop, everyone loves the Kinks, Faces and Pretty Things. It's basically a rule. Faced with this a band can do one of two things. Sound exactly like their influences and be boring, or they can do something truly wonderful and create great pop music. The last time this successfully happened was with The Go's Whatcha Doin'. Well, it's happened again. "Waiting on a Friend" and "Baby's Knocking Me Down" are two of the finest songs you'll find in any band's canon and certainly worthy of the influences I've named above. "Frozen Nose" even throws some Slade or Mott the Hoople into the mix, to spice it up a bit. But I must re-iterate. This is not mere retro-rock. This is new stuff, and its gooood. Eddie Baranek (guitar) and Bobby Emmett (Bass) have been playing together since they were 13 and it shows. The language and interplay exchanged between them is electric and intuitive. Mike Trombley's not-unlike-Moonie's drumming rounds it out to make this a pure pop masterpiece. A hidden track, a cover of The Face's "Stay With Me" secures everything I just said. .-Greg Trout

Mix Tape Song: Baby's Knocking Me Down

Engineers/www.Engineersweb.net/(the Echo Label Ltd)
Back in the 80's I read an interview with Robyn Hitchcock talking about Bryan Ferry's "Boys and Girls". He referred to it as "Embryonic Music. All soft edges and moistness" or something like that. He might as well have been talking about Engineers
Tunes like "Waved On" and "Come In out of the Rain" feel as if one is slipping underwater or into another consciousness where (like Hitchcock himself said) there are no edges, nothing to catch your clothes on. Just smooth euphoria. Sure, they turn it up on tunes like "One in Seven" but even that feels like warm tea and hypnosis.
This London based quartet prides itself in its unique sound and is trying to create a whole new multimedia experience featuring slides of Lomo camera photos. Readers of Magnaphone know there's one thing we love and thats a transportive experience and we've a great one here. I think Guitarist Mark Peters sums it up: "You've got to be able to live with every aspect of the music you've made, You've got to love it so much you can keep going back to it night after night. That's why we're doing it ourselves. We know what it's got to be like"-Greg Trout

Mix Tape Song: Waved On