The Prize Fighter Inferno, 'My Brother's Blood Machine' (Equal Vision)
When the stairway to heaven leads up your own ass.
By Trevor Kelley 12.07.06 4:00 AM
As the frontman for prog-emo extremists Coheed and Cambria, Claudio Sanchez is no stranger to self-indulgence, but on this self-recorded solo debut his lack of restraint makes for a messy amalgam of classic-rock balladry and falsetto dance pop that probably should've never left his hard drive.
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Alela Diane, 'The Pirate's Gospel' (Holocene Music)
Looking to the past, singer/guitarist finds startling voice.
By Barry Walters 12.06.06 4:00 AM
Accompanied mostly by her acoustic guitar, newcomer Alela Diane Menig sings stark, ghostly folk. And while her chords and picking may be beginner's stuff, she's already flaunting a large, lived-in growl flavored by antediluvian blues and jazz inflections.
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Isis, 'In the Absence of Truth' (Ipecac)
Heavyweight innovators drift off into the ether.
By Joe Gross 12.06.06 4:00 AM
Some of us remember back in 2001 when Isis' still-astonishing debut album, Celestial, redefined art-metal with ungodly heavy guitars that rewrote grindcore as towering space rock. Man, those were good times. Over the next few albums, Isis have stretched out further, embracing shoegazey wonder like it was the prodigal riff.
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Chin Up Chin Up, 'This Harness Can't Ride Anything' (Suicide Squeeze)
Post-tragedy, Chicagoans refine their complex sound.
By J. Niimi 12.05.06 4:00 AM
Reeling from bassist Chris Saathoff's death in a 2004 hit-and-run, Chin Up Chin Up finished their sublimely hooky debut, We Should Have Never Lived Like We Were Skyscrapers, by culling his parts from rehearsal tapes.
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The Who, 'Endless Wire' (Universal Republic)
Venerable Brit invaders still repping their generation.
By Mikael Wood 12.05.06 4:00 AM
The Who's first studio album in 24 years opens with an echo of the "Baba O'Riley" synth riff, yet Endless Wire doesn't try to reanimate the muscle of the band's early-'70s work. Instead, surviving members Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey explore a rustic folk-rock vibe -- not a bad move, considering the frayed edges of Daltrey's golden-god yowl.
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Jim Jones, 'Hustler's P.O.M.E. (Product of My Environment)' (Diplomat/Koch)
Incessant chatter clutters up coulda-been rap contender.
By Thomas Golianopoulos 12.04.06 4:00 AM
This MC "capo" of Cam'ron's Harlem-based Diplomats clique constantly fills the usual empty space between bars with loony catchphrases ("Fly with the stars / G4 flights, 80 grand large"), and these flamboyant ad-libs almost overshadow his competent, if overlong, third solo album.
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