Zom Zoms - One Brain

Frank: These idiots are brilliant! Hilarious goof-wave. Like Hickoids on synthesizers. I miss Dr. Demento.

Sammy: Crazy synth Devo like insanity.

Dean-o: This is funny. Couldn't listen more than twice, but it rocks! Okay, maybe three times.

Jerry: Put this on at your next party, see who laughs and who runs.

Singapore Sling - Life Is Killing My Rock'N'Roll

Frank: Stuck in the Jesus And Mary Chain cycle... Moody, dark rock with cool basslines.

Sammy: Slo-mo bad boys. Fuck the Libertines, this here's the real deal. I feel dirty.

Dean-o: A dirtier Black Rebel Motorcycle Club.

Jerry: Sounds like there might be talent. They should try not playing other people's riffs.

Marah - 20,000 Streets Under The Sky

Frank: Like the best Springsteen songs, with better lyrics, better music, and a cooler vocalist.

Sammy: Blue-jean baby-boomer rock as good as any AOR station plays. What's with the flute?.

Dean-o: Play this in a room full of friends. They'll shout names. It's like music trivia.

Jerry: A Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel, Tom Petty, Bob Dylan Frankenstein's monster.

The Anomoanon - Joji

Frank: Indie alt-country chiming with Neil Young overtones. The third Oldham brother makes good.

Sammy: What happens when Steve Miller performs on barbituates. Sucks like a crack whore.

Dean-o: Cool folk-rock sound with a somewhat modernized/trendy vocal.

Jerry: Whiny plodding folk rock.

Seymour Glass - Note To Self

Frank: Cabaret rock goes to the next level. Great piano on strangely arranged songs. Very cool.

Sammy: Stirring, orchestrated ahrd rock that lacks only the operatic vocals of the Scorpions' Klaus Meine.

Dean-o: Sounds like a cheap rip-off of the last Muse record.

Jerry: I must be tired. I'd swear I had already listened to this album.

Silverhawk - Westward

Frank: Twisted alt-country. Earthy, real, irresistable. Great songs i could listen to forever, and then some.

Sammy: Cool train rhythms like Andrew Bird. Smirking solid dark folk. Sixteen Horsepower, Violent Femmes.

Dean-o: Twangy country rockabilly indie rock fusion.

Jerry: Country, blues and the Beatles walk into a studio... and the bartender asks...

Mardo - Mardo

Frank: Best power-rock album of the 2000's. Great rhythms, great riffs, just great fucking rock music.

Sammy: Here's to those lost in the great white fire of '01. An MGD for my homies.

Dean-o: Good old fashioned rock'n'roll, baby! Give me more!

Jerry: Not a fan of 70's revival crap, but this band is the exception. They rock!

Convertible Jennifers - Despite What I Told Her

Frank: Nice downbeat groovy jams. Cool music loaded with plenty of soul and jazzy vibes.

Sammy: Funky time signatures. Jazzy like watered-down Morphine. Good ideas, disappointing execution.

Dean-o: Jazzy light rock. Almost a jam band sound without the jamming.

Jerry: The unimaginative Dave Matthews crowd will love this band.

Ian Moore - Luminaria

Frank: Former run-of-the-mill-white-bluesman learned how to write amazing songs and sing. Completely unexpected and beautiful.

Sammy: Sad, tender, and pretty folk-pop. Could go rounds with David Smith. Ditch the falsetto.

Dean-o: Low key. Good voice. Nice lyrics.

Jerry: Proof that you can sing well, play well, and I still like it.

David Smith - Fastest Machine

Frank: Clever lyricist and captivating songs. Awesome production and musical texture. Best indie album 2004.

Sammy: Melancholy songwriter stuff. I could spend a few months listening to this.

Dean-o: Very melodic, good use of guitars and crazy synthesizers.

Jerry: Proof that you can play well, sing well... but I'll leave it to the Britpop kids..

This Is Exploding - Until The Next Red Light

Frank: More of that music made by those kids in the garage next door.

Sammy: Wedding Present stop and go maniacal bombast with nutso Unrest rhythms. Dude can't sing.

Dean-o: Frenzied, disjointed, bad voice.

Jerry: Emo gone bad. Ok, all emo is bad. This is worse.

pla - Read To The End

Frank: Just solid pop music. Girl has great mature voice, music leaves nothing to chance.

Sammy: Good dynamics, crappy guitar solos, good guitar riffs, vocals are pretty and mature. B-.

Dean-o: Lead singer sounds like Chrissie Hynde... and she's hot! Definitely for pop lovers only.

Jerry: If you're into mindless unchallenging sexy bands - this is for you!

Gram Rabbit - Music To Start A Cult To

Frank: Secretive, dark indie electronica alt-country with strange 60's vibe. Whatever their plan, it scares me..

Sammy: Like the Swans, except the disco. The vocals are like Zager & Mrs. Evans.

Dean-o: Dreamy, eclectic, all over the place. Hard to pin down.

Jerry: Lords Of Acid minus those sexy pornographic lyrics, and a twist of early Beck.

The Alchemist - 1st Infantry

Frank: This is quite an amazing guest list. Some cool raps and thick beats, lacks soul.

Sammy: What's it all about, Alchy? Larry Boy's archenemy makes listenable tracks, unlistenable album.

Dean-o: Hey yo! Who's dis "feat" on all da sons. He be wack, yo!.

Jerry: Read a book instead of listening to this album.

Shoplifting - Shoplifting

Frank: .

Sammy: Slo-mo bad boys. Fuck the Libertines, this here's the real deal. I feel dirty.

Dean-o: A dirtier Black Rebel Motorcycle Club.

Jerry: Sounds like there might be talent. They should try not playing other people's riffs.

Fear Before The March Of Flames - Art Damage

Frank: Sometimes I wish I could understand the lyrics in hardocre. This is one of those.

Sammy: Really tight screamcore. The stellar lyrics are wasted in lung butter. Creative for cookie monster.

Dean-o: Hardcore screamy metal.

Jerry: Hardcore is not for the faint of heart or the stupid. This band is stupid.

Steve Laurie - New Shoes

Frank: Nice laid-back songs. Think Jim Croce. Exactly what we expect from Canadians.

Sammy: Sounds like the southern Peter Murphy, plus a little Gordon Lightfoot. Odd and intriguing

Dean-o: Enough of the "woo hoo hoo"s.

Jerry: Hour 10 of 19 hour road trip, listening to only tape in the car... again.

Head Automatica - Decadence

Frank: Wild mix of 70's rock, 80's post-punk, 90's electronica, and 00's vocals. Oh... and disco.

Sammy:What Lenny Kravitz should sound like, but doesn't anymore. Nice 70's drive, hard groove.

Dean-o: Gritty, funky, Superfly rock. Disco Rage Against The MAchine can't pick a sound band.

Jerry: Good band, some songs better than others. Like the 60's funk, I'm hip like that.

Kilgore Trout - Novocaine

Frank: A less pop Urge Overkill. Cool indie-rock music with nice hooks and abrasive vocals.

Sammy: Gritty bubblegum. Good when the swells take over. The softer points are yucky.

Dean-o: Reason for bands like this is to encourage kids to start bands of their own.

The Capstan Shafts - (untitled)

Frank: Indie folk rock, cool guitar tones and cooler arrangements, ultra-cool vibe. Make more please!

Sammy: Lo-fi Morissey.

Dean-o: Hello Starchild.

Jerry: Didn't know blow-out fuzz was a production effect. Brings lo-fi to a new fi.

Peter Walker - Landed

Frank: Hip rock-pop with well-written lyrics and nice arrangements. Cool sounds. Great record. Amazingly deep.

Sammy: Satisfying progressions set to unsettling rhythms. Slow roots-rock. Vocals as good as Joe Walsh.

Dean-o: Bluesy, mellow late night driving music.

Jerry: Don't think I'm a big enough art-fag to like this. I want to be cool.

Vinyl Candy - Pacific Ocean Park

Frank: The Partridges updated for 2004, mix in a bit of Bay City Rollers. Great art!

Sammy: AM gold. I'd like to shove a Steely Dan up their Thin Lizzy.

Dean-o: Crappy 70's bubblegum pop rock... I need to brush my teeth.

Jerry: I was happy to miss this when it was popular. Back when Kool-aid was "special".

Vaux - Plague Music

Frank: Inventive hard rock-metal. The guitarwork pulls me in, vocals push me back out.

Sammy: Killer guitar, punchy overbeats, very inventive. Will kick all the ass you've got to kick.

Dean-o: The guitar is awesome. Music rocks, vocals should be on another CD.

Traindodge - The Truth

Frank: Low fidelity rockers try to be aggro and artsy. Sludgy guitars and semi-cool vocals.

Sammy: Pretentious two-chord math metal. Whiny whiny art-frog poo-poo Jackson Pollock shit.

Dean-o: I really wish I could have dodged this train.

Jerry: Too bad the music starts at two minutes. I was asleep at 1:30.

Daddy X - Organic Soul

Frank: Kottonmouth King eases it up to try his hand at reggae infused funkiness.

Sammy: Kottonmouth Kings do Grateful Dead, Kid Rock, Vanilla Ice, and still profess to be punk rock.

Dean-o: Ska-funk-rap. Mediocre and uninspired.

Jerry: I can see the middle school kids liking this... or MTV. I'm too sophisticated... Really.

The Fue - The First E.P.

Frank: Solid grunge rock, nice guitar hooks, vocals seem a little pushed.

Sammy: Derivative of some pretty derivative bands. Fourth Eye Blind.

Dean-o: Nirvana, you've returned... and you're not interesting.

Eleni Mandell - Afternoon

Frank: Sultry, smooth almost-jazz music. Amazing depth in a fresh contra-alto voice. Just cool music.

Sammy: Norah Jones without the chops. Needs better phrasing. Fame costs, and here's where you start paying.

Dean-o: She's no Margo Timmins... Still fun though.

Jerry: Sultry voice with a country-rock feel.

Tracy Shedd - Louder Than You Can Hear

Frank: Almost ambient music that is beautiful, accompanied by slightly off-key female vocals. Nice, moody rock.

Sammy: Delicate twining guitar work, soft unengaging vocals. Sometimes annoying, but generally inoffensive.

Dean-o: Run of the mill Lisa Loeb, Cranberries, mousey girl rock.

Jerry: Boring, uninteresting, lyrically unimaginative... but if you're into that...

Worm is Green - Automagic

Frank: Mind-numbing techno-inspired low-beat ambiance music, nice smooth and basic.

Sammy: Haunting, melodic electronica that evokes a hint of fusion.

Dean-o: Lead singers' ethereal voice sounds great over the trip-hop beats.

Model A - Transmission Lost

Frank: Sounds like an updated Rush. More indie than 80's mainstream. Decent.

Sammy: Psychedelia for modern times - very enjoyable.

Dean-o: Very solid prog rock. Catchy riffs, good vocals.

Le Concorde - EP

Frank: Pop-mush a la' a man called e, sad songwriting with excellent production.

Sammy: Lollipops and flowers and all that is "nice". A poor attempt to revive 80's pop.

Dean-o: Sugary sweet pop, good drumming, lots of keyboards. I didn't hate it.

At The Close Of Every Day - Zalig Zijn de Armen Van Geest

Frank: Surprisingly complex but slow, good music to kill yourself by. Acoustic-indie buzz-kill.

Sammy: Put me into an extremely slow moving German-accented dream state. Wake me up!!!

Dean-o: Tranquil and melancholy; with a better voice, I'd love it.

The Von Bondies - Pawn Shoppe Heart

Frank: Bland, poorly written rock. A lot of good emphasis, with not much sustenance. A let down.

Sammy: Straight forward rock and satisfying. Like Coach sez: "A jorb well done!".

Dean-o: Repetitive guitar driven rock. Not that that's a bad thing.

Null Objct - The Blind Clockmaker

Frank: Techno-ambiance. Good beat, clever changes, worth it.

Sammy: Beyond techno - originality can exist within this genre. This fucking rocks!

Dean-o: This would make a fine soundtrack for Metroid.

King Radio - Are You the Sick Passenger?

Frank: Indie-pop radio ready music, nice production, good musicians, created a good atmosphere.

Sammy: Not sure if I was listening to a PBS kid's show or candy store pop.

Dean-o: Other than the music, his voice, and the lyrics, I liked it.

2.2 Kidlife - Villains

Frank: Whiney melodramatic discordant music. Gets old fast. Please stop.

Sammy: Even family and close friends of 2.2 couldn't survive this crap.

Dean-o: Someone needs to punch this guy in the face. Brutal.

Woke up Falling - Woke up Falling

Frank: Decent emo, with good vibes, just missing that extra something to set it apart.

Sammy: Like the tunes but can't get past the vocals.

Dean-o: Very listenable, if formulaic, music, but the vocals are terrible.

The Icarus Line - Penance Soiree

Frank: Awesome rock, dirty and loud with a purpose. Killer album.

Sammy: Great song transitions - "Penance Soiree" is hardcore you need to hear.

Dean-o: Aggressive, feedback-fueled rock. Great stuff.

Particle - Launchpad

Frank: Dance-hall trash, good vibes, nice musician-ship. Ultimately disposable.

Sammy: Very melodic techno… party noise. Great as background.

Dean-o: Catchy techno/trance. Probably better live.

Treephort - Enchanted Forest

Frank: College rock, low-fi, witty lyrics at times. Funny bad.

Sammy: Instead of "Tape on Mouth" the appropriate warning should be "Tape on Ears"… Spare me!

Dean-o: Some decent hooks, sometimes funny, usually bizarre. I think I like it