BEN LEE
Awake is the New Sleep
NEW WEST RECORDS

Ben Lee's sixth CD is ripe with the stuff that great albums are made of. Although "Catch my Disease" has received solid airplay in the past few months, the album is chock full of tasty little indie rock morsels that will probably never make it to radio. Lee's consistent mellow style and creative mixing makes for quality easy-listening tunes from start to finish. Plan on adding this album to your permanent collection.
KORIN MILLER


DOVES
Some Cities
EMI RECORDS

For a long distance runner, the secret to success is all in the pacing. Doves' third album, "Some Cities," comes roaring out of the blocks with a monstrous wall of sound. Gone is the gloom of "Lost Souls." "Black and White Town" and "Almost Forgot Myself" mix a '60s psychedelic jangle with the best of the early '90s British rock invasion. "Snowden" slows the pace only slightly, tempering the Doves' harsh bombast with exquisite orchestral swells. Their stride starts to falter midway through the album, but manages to finish strong with "Ambition." For the Doves to win this race, they need to stop over-reaching their musicality and instead rely on their strength as sprinters. "Some Cities" is only one step away from musical gold.
VIVIEN WEIMAR


VARIOUS ARTISTS
House of Wax Original Soundtrack
MAVERICK RECORDS

If the movie is anything like the soundtrack, "House of Wax" is a guaranteed blockbuster. The film's tunes, which range from the Deftones' "Minerva" to Joy Division's "New Dawn Fades," are sure to keep you rocking long after the movie ends. Other notable artists on the CD are My Chemical Romance, Marilyn Manson and Har Mar Superstar. For an eclectic mix of up-and-coming and classic alterna bands, you've got to get your hands on this album. Oh, and watch the movie-if only for the music.
KORIN MILLER


KYLE RIABKO
Before I Speak
AWARE/COLUMBIA

As a 25-year-old man, I can't be certain about this, but if think, if I were a 14-year-old girl I would love Kyle Riabko. Never mind the fact that he's a mere 17, with an almost sad look in his boyish blue eyes-Riabko's got some impressive musical talent. "Before I Speak" is a funk-rock-pop-soul record with a sound somewhere in between Justin Timberlake and Dave Matthews. The album shows us Riabko's ability to write and execute songs with definite pop-chart prowess that should get your feet moving.
MIKE ADDABBO


GRAHAM COLTON BAND
Drive
STRUMMER RECORDINGS - UNIVERSAL RECORDS

I really hate to bring out the negative stick, but sometimes people need to be hit over the head with it, with the hope they'll learn something. For the Graham Colton Band, I recommend a new approach, starting with ditching their singer. As the frontman and the band's namesake this may be difficult, but he needs to go, or at least stop singing. His grating voice instantly negates the musical caliber of the band, though the music, also, seems bland at best. The band reminds me a little of the Counting Crows, Third Eye Blind and Better than Ezra, but whinier.
MIKE ADDABBO


THE SQUEAKY FROMME
Photography
MOCKINGTONE RECORDS

"Dude. It's time to rock!"
"Then put on The Squeaky Fromme! Put on 'Photography'!" That's the conversation I imagine occurring between two Squeaky Fromme fans, yelling across the crowded living room of some college house party. Because, it seems to me, The Squeaky Fromme are straight-up party rock, complete with what seems like ten guys singing harmonies over the top of loud distorted guitars and blaring drums. "Photography," which even includes a sing-along acoustic ballad at the end, is a rock album through and through, and comes recommended for any of you keg-standing, chest-bumping party rockers.
MIKE ADDABBO


MOBY
Hotel
BMG RECORDS

Moby's been busy. Since releasing his ubiquitous album "Play" in 1999, he's opened a teashop, written a book and withstood being punching bag for puppet comics.  Adding to his output, Moby has released a double-disc, "Hotel," absent of his clever sampling in favor of straightforward rock, complete with his own vocals. As a singer, Moby's range is limited, a problem that illustrates the failings of "Hotel" as a whole. Lead tracks "It's Raining Again" and "Beautiful" will appeal to fans of Matchbox Twenty for their catchy yet ultimately forgettable hooks, while "Homeward Angel" and "Spiders" stand out for their atmospheric and talented arrangement.  As a DJ and musical aficionado, Moby is first-rate; as a rock band, "Hotel" shows him to be about as significant as elevator music.
VIVIEN WEIMAR


RIVIERA
At the End of the American Century
GLORIOUS NOISE

Riviera's full-length debut is pervaded by a sense of nostalgia and uncertainty. The album turns a critical eye to the detached cool with which many of us conduct our lives; filling the spaces with work, dreams, drinking or some other noise. But while there is a cynical underpinning to the album, there is also a certain amount of naiveté-a feeling that there was innocence lost along the way, but not so lost it cannot be regained. There is an understated beauty in the sentiments expressed on the album brought out by the hushed tone of the songs. Melodic piano lines, countrified drums and guitar playing that ranges from obvious to obscure are the backbone of this quiet Americana record.
DAVE BRECHEISEN


MEGHAN HAYES
Go and Give the Guard a Break
CRANKY HEARTBURN MUSIC

Within five seconds of listening to "Desert," the second song on Meghan Hayes' sophomore release "Go and Give the Guard a Break," I found myself in a daydream, driving a car with the windows down through the deserts of the Southwest. The melodic, driving beat of the song almost surrounds you, and I swear I felt a desert breeze. Hayes knows how to suck you into her songs. And although she does it while embracing her alternative country background, she's not afraid to mix it up and bring out the distorted guitars and heavy bass lines in rock songs like "Voice Like Mine."
The only noticeable problem on "Go and Give the Guard a Break" is Hayes' choice in lyrics. At times they're a little too basic with simple rhymes and borderline clichés like in "Voice Like Mine": "Why didn't you come for me? Why didn't you ever call? There are things in life that are free. There are things in life you can't have at all." Hayes is on the right track, regardless of rhyme scheme, and I would recommend this album for any alt-country fan. The catchy music and vocal melodies provide plenty of reason to sing along.
MIKE ADDABBO


MARS VOLTA
Frances the Mute
UNIVERSAL RECORDS

No one should pick up a copy of "Frances the Mute" without being properly warned about its effects on one's mind. The group isn't just trying to be prog- or alt- anything; this album is actually intended to burn the ears and bend the mind.  There is something utterly self-indulgent about creating an almost un-listenable album.  To be sure, "Frances the Mute" is no "Metal Machine Music," Lou Reed's magnum opus of feedback. Still, the combination of Rush-like falsetto, endless John Bonham-style drumming, and space-age synth loops that the former At the Drive In duo produce showcases a band that cares nothing for subtlety or structure in its attempt to push sonic boundaries.
As an album, Frances the Mute is to be played sparingly. And, not unlike an IMAX movie, it's meant to be experienced in 3-D and enjoyed for its challenging originality, sonic transportation and ability to seemingly make the floor move after you've left the theater.
VIVIEN WEIMAR


THE METHOD AND RESULT
The Things You Miss
KIRAKIRA DISC RECORDS

A self-proclaimed "indie-electronic-pop" duo, The Method and Result incorporate electronic sounds and drums with non-electronic instruments to create an interesting music sound that is at the same time synthesized and raw. Megan Wendell's vocals further contribute to the raw feeling, as they are well exposed over the sometimes-minimal background of music. With an overwhelming laidback feel, "The Things You Miss" does drone sometimes, especially with the excessive looping of particular sounds or samples. However, for a relaxing night or as background music to your artsy cocktail party, "The Things You Miss" will be perfect.
MIKE ADDABBO