Heiruspecs

“A Tiger Dancing” (Razor & Tie)

Compare to: The Roots, Jurassic 5, Black Eyed Peas

Nodding noggins and fists in the air will be all that is left when “A Tiger Dancing” hits hip-hoppers in the head.

From start to finish, Heiruspecs hits more powerful punches than many gracing the game recently, without a DJ or a sample.

The balance between the five members is perfect, putting the best harmonizers to shame. Last year, OutKast dominated like nobody’s business, but Andre 3000’s “The Love Below” was by far the better half of the package. Heiruspecs actually achieve the team effort most bands dream about, with no “Most Valuable Player” to speak of.

Felix’s smooth, articulate rhymes are aided by Maud’Dib’s beatboxing and syllabic slaughters. The vocals are backed by Peter Leggett’s snares and splashes, accompanied by Twinkiejiggles’ groovy basslines. Lastly, all this is held together by dVRG’s multidimensional keyboard manipulation.

Heiruspecs creates a sound that speaks to the streets without incorporating the sexist, racist or classist slurs that stereotypically accompany rap.

Heiruspecs’s verses on nearly every song are strengthened by choruses catchy enough to play in one’s head all day.

It’s impossible to pick a best track from this stack of gold; people have tried, and the band responds accordingly:

“Our engineer Joe Mabbott told us the outro [of the title track] was the best OutKast song he never heard. After he was fired, our new engineer didn’t mouth off as much.”

— Andrew Mabe

Sahara Hotnights

“Kiss and Tell” (RCA)

Compare to: Tegan and Sarah, The White Stripes, Yeah Yeah Yeahs

Self-proclaimed music-elitists beware — indie is not always better.

Just because you heard a band on Internet radio and smile with satisfaction because your fetish isn’t on the shelves at Best Buy, doesn’t mean it can trump all other similar artists. Even if the competition is, gasp, being exploited on a Clear Channel radio station.

Okay, disclaimer over. Swedish girl-rockers Sahara Hotnights have released their third full-length album, “Kiss and Tell.”

Since its 1997 debut into the music scene, Sahara Hotnights have exhibited a pop-punk sound that, at the time, was an underground reaction to the death of grunge. Now that flavor has bubbled to the surface, and these revolutionaries need to keep ahead of the times. If a group hasn’t hit the mainstream, it needs to make its music worth searching for. Why should you pay for shipping when you can just grab a copy of The Donnas and get the same feeling?

This new album is not as exciting as it should be. Now that many other bands have caught up with Sahara Hotnights, the girls need to dig into their rebel selves and come up with something fresh.

Not to say that “Kiss and Tell” is boring. Certain stellar tracks keep you from falling asleep. A few more months in the recording studio would have helped.

Highlights include “Stay/Stay Away,” “Walk on The Wire” and “Empty Heart.” Tracks like these make you want to get up and shake it like a British nanny — and that is what you should expect from a band with a record like Sahara Hotnights.

— Kathryn Fiegen

Senses Fail

“Let It Enfold You” (Drive-Thru)

Compare to: Finch, Thursday, My Chemical Romance

Senses Fail may be young, but its music is far from immature.

The New Jersey quintet, not too far removed from high school, strikes gold with its debut full-length album, “Let It Enfold You.”

The album, the follow-up to its 2003 EP “From the Depths of Dreams,” is a do-not-miss, at least for Drive-Thru’s cult following.

Singer Buddy Nielsen’s lyrics alone are worth purchasing this album. Nielsen pours his heart out for all to hear, mostly about failed romances and the general teenage angst, but he does this in a way that is so metaphorical, poetic and original it is easy to forget the topics he sings about are pretty clich‚. His lyrics are incredibly dark and violent, and at times cross the fine line into disturbing.

There are no harsh transitions between songs and the entire album flows well, with each song containing elements of Senses Fail’s typical quasi-hardcore style, and the album rolls on without even a hint of monotony.

The song “Slow Dance” is just what its title implies — by Senses Fail standards, anyway. The powerful riffs on the track “Irony of Dying on Your Birthday” are reminiscent of punk bands of yore, but they’re quickly turned back to the original Senses Fail style, and the chorus of “Buried a Lie” is so catchy it will stay with you longer than that VD you caught on spring break.

Nielsen’s shout-along lyrics reign supreme, but each song is permeated by Senses Fail’s signature pummeling drum beats and furious guitar riffs, combining to form a veritable quagmire of intensity and darkness.

— Andrew Shafer

The Black Keys

“Rubber Factory” (Epitaph)

Compare to: Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Lenny Kravitz, Jimi Hendrix

The annals of rock ‘n’ roll history will forever remember Akron, Ohio as the birthplace of a band named Devo and a strange new-wave movement that resembled many of the other passing trends of the early ’80s.

Hailing from the same native Akron soil, The Black Keys aim to establish themselves as something more than just another “passing trend.” The release of their third album “Rubber City” does just this.

Although the album certainly meets the requirements that might qualify it as your standard blues-rock compilation, a strikingly peculiar energy distinguishes it from the rest of the crowd.

One of the best attributes of this album is its rough, raw sound. The track “Ten A.M. Automatic” is a perfect example of this. A primitive guitar wail emanates through the heart of the song and couples with the vocals so effectively, the listener forgets the guitar is a supporting device rather than the lead itself.

Not every song seems reminiscent of a good ballad, though; other songs such as “The Lengths” have a certain aura of their own.

In this particular track, The Black Keys use a lap steel guitar to capture the emotion needed for conveying the pain felt in a dying relationship. What makes this song so captivating is once again the sound that is produced. The lap steel has a piercing cry that hits the heart of human emotion, and does more for song than any number of words could begin to.

The power of this album lives within its sound. If you’re a fan of good rock ‘n’ roll or just a fan of blues, this album is sure to please.

— Mark Vestweber