Afterhours
Ballads for Little Hyenas
www.afterhours.it
This album has been compared to Afghan Whigs and the Twilight Singers (member Greg Dulli produced Ballads…), but I fail to see much in the way of serious validation for these claims. “Ballads for Little Hyenas,” apart from being one the more poorly titled albums I’ve seen this year (though there’s plenty of time left for others to take the title), is a dull and tedious affair. Often cited as Italy’s biggest rock band, Afterhours’ first English release slumps quicker than fellow countryman Marco Materazzi did at the World Cup Finals last year – and much less spectacularly. — LGLP

Aqualung
Memory Man
www.aqualung.net
Starting with two upbeat tunes, “Memory Man’s” beginnings are a slight departure from what we heard and felt on “Strange and Beautiful,” though the guitar heavy ‘Cinderella’ and building, robust ‘Pressure Suit’ are pleasant detours before Matt Hales gets back to his stock and trade on ‘Something To Believe In’. This record is intricate and delicate, and yet so present in its melancholy delivery. Comparisons to Coldplay, and even Radiohead (listen to ‘The Lake’), are going to be difficult to avoid, but Aqualung has its own ground to stand on, and it’s beautifully marked out on “Memory Man.” Be sure to catch Aqualung at the 9:30 Club on April 16. — LGLP

Vashti Bunyan
Lookaftering
www.forthstreet.demon.co.uk
It’s hard to rate an album that some people are bound to like and some people aren’t. It’s like Joanna Newsom – for those craving something truly eccentric, it soothes the burn perfectly. Others get too weirded out by the mere mention of her music’s categorization: “psych-folk.”  She’s been around too long and influenced too many to really criticize. This album will excite some people while others could care less, and that is just fine with me. The fact that she released these pretty tunes 35 years after her first and only other album makes for an impressive story in itself. — RA

Comeback Kid
Broadcasting . . .
www.comeback-kid.com
Maybe the nonexistence of violence in Canada can be attributed to the fact that bands like Comeback Kid vent their anger through music. For the (hopefully) small section of the population that considers Linkin Park to be their favorite band, “Broadcasting…” offers a more mature alternative. The shouted lyrics don’t growl, so any pubescent teenage boy can strain his vocal chords in “tune” with lead singer Andrew Neufeld and feel as manly as possible. And, behold! Not all the songs sound the same! Beautiful. — RA

Jackie Gino
The Boom EP
www.jackiegino.com
A proficient EP from a band clearly influenced by the mainstream artists that were overplayed on DC101 in the late ‘90s and early ‘00s – Incubus, Sublime, Dave Mathews and the like. The musicianship is of a high quality across the board — I was especially impressed by the drumming of Erik Wiesbock — and the EP’s production is also quite good. Unfortunately the songwriting lacks any originality, leaving Jackie Gino a talented band that sounds too much like their influences. Catch ‘em April 14 at Ned Devines in Centreville. — LGLP

Hard Lessons
Wise Up!
www.thehardlessons.com
Hailing from Detroit, the Hard Lessons are a gimmick-free, no nonsense rock’n’roll band. ‘Wise Up!’ kicks off on this vein, but not until ‘It Bleeds’ is the talent of the band revealed as the tempo slows and more attention is given to the layering of the song. ‘Move to California’ has its moments, especially when the organ kicks in. ‘Wicked Man’ also has a few good hooks. But overall, the ‘gimmick free’ approach is solid but too simplistic, and makes you wish for some gimmicks, a touch of nonsense, or maybe a playful ruse or two. See them at DC Nine on April 10. — LGLP

Michael Jantz
Snapshots of the Universe
www.michaeljantz.com
With the attitude of Jason Mraz, wit of John Mayer and the penchant for crafting infectious pop songs, Michael Jantz leads the pack of singer-songwriters in the District. His choice of album title, “Snapshots of the Universe,” is very telling: Jantz explores various styles of songwriting from the breezy pop of “Love is but an Ocean” to the bouncy blues of “Mama’s Comin’ Home,” leaving few musical territories neglected. Catch his CD release show May 5 at DC9. — NC

Mark Mallman
Between the Devil and Middle C
www.mallman.com
Mark Mallman has played two ‘marathon concerts’ – one of 26.2 hours in 1999, and another of 52.4 hours in 2004. Sometimes he dresses up in a werewolf costume and performs as his alter-ego ‘Mallwolf.’ It is therefore no surprise that when this hero-of-Minneapolis turned his mind to writing ‘80s-influenced tunes dripping with the sweat of Bowie, Mercury and Meat Loaf, he went all out. “Between the Devil and Middle C” is not kitschy, doesn’t reek of the wank-rock inherent in bands like the Darkness, and has garnered attention from across the musical spectrum allowing him to open up for bands as diverse as Guided By Voices, Cat Power and Beth Orton. Performing at DC9 on April 9. — LGLP

Maria McKee
Late December
www.mariamckee.com
This woman’s ability to carry a tune leads me to believe that she should be starring as Mrs. Potts in Broadway’s version of “Beauty and the Beast” and not wasting time and money on recording this abysmal excuse for an album.  This album represents outdated tastes through its hallelujah choruses, spoken word, barefoot acoustic guitars and triumphantly belted lyrics like “I’m a big girl / I’ve made my choice.” It doesn’t even fit neatly into a genre, which is also frustrating: she says it’s folk, but I’m pretty sure that folk rock sounds soothing, pleasant and tells a story people can relate to. Relating to this, however, may mean it’s time for a lobotomy. Hits the streets in the U.S. April 24. — RA

Peter Maybarduk
Passengers
www.petermaybarduk.com
After attempting to process the “artsy” 40 second intro, one’s confusion must be put aside to fully ingest the “invitation” presented in the first line uttered: “Come inside / I’ve a story to tell.” Are you bored already? Yeah, me too. A constant finger-plucking loop and depressingly mediocre vocals don’t help the fact that his absolutely wimpy subject matter makes me want to puke. Toughen up, Peter!  Lyrics like “Some of us will get ahead / And some’ll clean up after those who do / But as long as the Red Sox are playin’ / There’ll be no revolution anytime soon” do NOT put a fire in my butt to get up and change the world. I’ll be cradling my knees in the corner waiting for this CD to be over. — RA

Mew
Frengers
www.mewsite.com
To play off the opening track of this album: Is this album bad? No. Is this album great? Also no. “Frengers,” from the Danish rock band Mew, is a mix: really good music, but seemingly over-hyped. This is the current it band, critically acclaimed, an international breakthrough, the best band out of Denmark, blah blah blah. But “Frengers” either doesn’t live up to the expectations, or collapses underneath them. Two things this band has going for it is that they A) know how to play their instruments and B) are more than lyrically competent. The opening track “Am I Wry? No” is solid and energetic; “SheSpider” builds up nicely before kicking some ass and “Comforting Sounds” is an excellent closer. Some of these songs are even danceable. Where the album falls short is that, four or five tracks into this collection of dreamy guitars and high-pitched vocals, it gets tiresome. Listen to this album with no preconceived notions of greatness, and maybe it will be great. — RF

Neva Geoffrey
The Days are Rolling
www.aliasrecords.com
Simply beautiful is Neva Geoffrey’s “The Days are Rolling.” This Lexington, Kentucky-based musician hits all the right notes. These songs are mostly mellow, melancholy even, dominated by Geofrey’s sweet voice, or at times piano or strings. “Keep Coming Anyway” has a nice addition of horns, and “Corduroy Boy” is more upbeat. Simple, uncomplicated and just lovely. Unfortunately, by the time you read this, Geoffrey will have just passed through town. But keep her in mind and hope she comes back through some time soon. “The Days are Rolling” is available April 3. — RF

Ozomatli
Don’t Mess With the Dragon
www.ozomatli.com
While this record is not exactly my cup of tea, I can see why others would be quite interested. Ozomatli’s fusion of Latin music, Chicano R&B, rock, hip hop, protest music, ska, and reggae is captured skillfully by KC Porter (known for launching Ricky Martin and Carlos Santana to the very tops of the charts). If you miss the days of Sublime, are impressed with what Long Beach Dub All Stars do, enjoy Fishbone, and songs that capture that celebrated California party approach, then this record will be right up your alley. Hits the streets April 3. — LGLP

Paulson
All at Once
www.paulsonisaband.com
“All at Once,” though sometimes painful (think lyrics like “Girl I want you, want you / Girl I need you, need you sometimes / SomtIIIImes / Sometimes tIIIIIImes”), some of the elements are in the right place. Lead singer Logan’s vocals will catch the ear of pop-punk fans, but don’t whine as is typical. He can actually carry a tune, and when the band peppers the songs with disco beats and interesting electro-friendly drums. Paulson’s kind of like the Bravery meets All American Rejects.  Take it or leave it, it’s pretty damn dancey, and you may not be able to avoid it. — RA

Kowtow Popof
End of Greatness
www.wampus.com/artists/kowtow
What an interesting album. Frankly, the first five tracks on Kowtow Popof’s “End of Greatness” are solid but not extraordinary stuff. Then following a nice segue of an instrumental in “Exalted Headband,” the disc takes off with well crafted, catchy, challenging, interesting music headed in different directions, all good. The Bowie-like “Amazing Tales,” is a highlight, as are “Gone 4 Good” and the title track. Give this disc a listen, especially the second half. Then go to Austin Grill in Silver Spring on April 11 or the Galaxy Hut in Arlington on April 14 to see this local product live. — RF

Porter Block
Suburban Sprawl
www.porterblockmusic.com
OK, these guys have a bigger problem than their music blowing if they’re including Blur, XTC, Elvis Costello and the Beatles in their MySpace “sounds like” section. To exactly pinpoint what this attempt at charming-via-quirky-lyrics recalls, I’d have to say Blessed Union of Souls meets Sister Hazel meets every adult-top 40 radio station stream since 1995. I’m surprised these guys haven’t hit it big, actually — their combination of mandolin, plucky guitars and storytelling vocals is too generic for the average Joe to hate. — RA

Rocco Deluca & the Burden
i trust you to kill me
www.roccodeluca.com
There really isn’t a bad track on “i trust you to kill me,” this offering from Rocco Deluca & the Burden.” That said, there isn’t any knock-me-over song as well. Just well executed rock. Some hard, some slow. Some open with guitar, others drums. Alternative, if you will. Strings nicely haunt the opening track “Gift,” and  “Bus Ride” is beautifully layered. Nothing bad here, just nothing challenging. On a side note, kind of cool that they’re signed to Kiefer Sutherland’s label. Catch ‘em at the 9:30 Club on April 9. — RF

Paper Umbrella
Self-Titled
www.paperumbrella-music.com
DC locals Paper Umbrella sound like they fell out of a soundtrack from a late ‘70s film. Images of VW vans and barefoot, long-haired ne’er-do-wells were amongst my first visceral reactions upon listening to the Umbrella’s debut album. There’s a strong pop backbone throughout the record, and the band’s sound is not limited to an echo of Revolver-era Beatles, but incorporates a number of pop influences across the past few decades. There’s even a fitting touch of Neil Young on ‘Lucky To Be Alive.’ A solid debut from a band that is saturated in experience rather than inhibited by age. See them April 6 at the Warehouse Next Door. — LGLP