Big Head Todd & the Monsters

“Crimes of Passion” (Big/Sanctuary)

Compare to: Blues Traveler, The Black Crowes, R.E.M.

Todd’s head may be getting even bigger. With the recent release of “Crimes of Passion,” the frontman for the Colorado-based trio Big Head Todd & the Monsters has plenty to be proud of. As lead vocalist and guitarist extraordinaire for the group, Todd Park Mohr also played saxophone, keyboards and wrote every song on the album. And he did a good job of it.

“Crimes of Passion” is BHTM’s most solid studio release to date and quite an accomplishment for a band known primarily for its live show.

Like scores of “jam bands” before (and after), this trio has amassed a major following through incessant touring and fiery live performances but has had trouble bringing the same intensity and exploration into the studio. Mohr and the boys change all that on their latest release, creating an ever-changing musical landscape that allows the band to stretch out but still rock hard.

The new songs demonstrate BHTM’s complete inability to be pigeonholed, from the jazzy, laid-back groove of “Beauty Queen” to the spacey pop sound of “Imaginary Ships,” on which Mohr’s guitar work screams Santana.

The band gets down and dirty on bluesy Southern rock numbers such as “Conquistador” (which pays homage to “blues conquistadors” Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker and Howlin’ Wolf) and the extremely funky “Love Transmission.”

Another highlight is “Peacemaker’s Blues,” on which Mohr flawlessly emulates Bob Dylan with rambling, half-spoken vocals and a bluesy harmonica line, but plays an electric guitar instead of going acoustic.

Although Mohr’s singing can be nasal and annoying at times, the few songs with substandard vocal melodies are eventually redeemed by savvy instrumentation.

Every track on the album is worth listening to, if only to hear Mohr’s impressive blues-based chops and the fluidity and tightness of the band. Overall, “Crimes of Passion” is a rock-solid collection of diverse songs that would be criminal not to check out.

— Aaron Butzen

Pitch Black

“Pitch Black Law” (Universal/Motown)

Compare to: N.W.A., Dr. Dre, IRS

The world has been given yet another rap album with weed, beautiful girls and, best of all, James Bond cars.

Pitch Black lays down the law with its new album, and the five rappers who make up the group stop at nothing to let people know who they really are. The guys drive Aston Martin automobiles, which apparently make them tougher.

The group starts bragging right out of the gate, and it never seems to stop with lyrics like “I mastered the street, but I mastered the books/ They shake my out look/ I’m a scholar and a crook,” and “If you don’t know/ Who we are/ Recognize/ Realize/ This is Pitch Black.” The bragging is clear.

“Recognize,” the album’s most boastful track, showcases the group bragging on its street cred and the dedication the members have to each other. All five MCs lay it down West Coast style, and the backing vocals during the chorus are harmonious and almost beautiful. The chorus features all five chanting in unison. The voices compliment each other and round out the sound nicely.

The vibe from “To Be the Best” is close to that of the rap war songs between Tupac and Notorious B.I.G. The members of Pitch Black issue challenges and reflect on how they are the best and hardest rappers around.

The album also contains an appearance from Busta Rhymes, who showcases his scratchy rapping howls. The track is another boaster in which Pitch Black and Busta call attention to themselves and holler at both East and West Coast rappers just for some extra attention.

The album is clich‚ gangster rap in every way, but the bass tracks and samples are phenomenal on every song. Every backbeat and chorus has thumping bass tracks, and colorful sampling is prevalent throughout.

Although the lyrics address systematic topics, the way some are used is innovative and fresh. This is an album where every track is worth listening to all the way through — and the bass will make high schoolers with big stereo systems even more cool than they are now.

— Dan Hopper

Break the Silence

“Near Life Experience” (Hopeless)

Compare to: Atreyu, Good Riddance,From Autumn to Ashes

There are only two possibilities when an album has the phrase “Break the Silence” stamped on its cover — it’s either A) a pop star collaboration in the name of charity or B) another screamo band with a pointless name.

Which one is it this time? Let’s just say “Near Life Experience” won’t be saving any whales.

Formed from the remains of several notable punk and hardcore bands — including 88 Fingers Louie, All Else Fails, Every Light Red, Mike and SKG — Break the Silence has enough ammunition to build on the prior successes of its members.

Prior success, however, might not be a prerequisite for a band with a style like this. Although not much different from the Glassjaw-meets-Bad-Religion-inspired punkcore sound of its colleagues, Break the Silence does what it does very well.

In fact, Bad Religion-like harmonies are a hefty ingredient in BTS’ recipe. The album’s opening track, “At War With Instinct,” charges out of the gates with enough fury to knock the cred cops on their asses, yet it stops just shy of crossing into a strictly metal or hardcore classification.

By mixing surprisingly sweet harmonies and throat-scratching screams over anthemic guitar parts, lead singer Dan Wintercorn and crew mix a sound that’s gritty and melodic all at once — sort of like what a barbershop quartet would sound like if you lit everybody’s hair on fire. However, the album only drops its tough-guy image once — the softer “A Piece of Mind,” complete with clean guitar intro and straight rock vocal track, is as close as Break the Silence ever comes to one genre or another.

While this punk/hardcore teetering may be what makes the album noticeable in the first place, it’s also the same reason it loses its appeal rather quickly. Instead of innovating, Break the Silence borrows heavily from two genres that are already far too played out.

Maybe it’s not groundbreaking, but the members of Break the Silence definitely understand the definition of “crossover.” Emotional enough for emo expatriates with plenty of pounding for the punks, “Near Life Experience” is as marketable as it is listenable.

— Aaron Ladage