Kill Hannah

“For Never and Ever” (Atlantic)

Compare to: Joy Electric, Oh-OK, The Smashing Pumpkins

Before you make a final decision regarding your purchase of Kill Hannah’s new album, “For Never and Ever,” you should take this into consideration: These are some seriously hot guys here, and fashionable to boot.

“For Never And Ever,” even without the sex appeal, may very well be a breath of fresh air for most rock listeners.

Synth-rock bands aren’t doing so well right now. It seems like the entire genre hasn’t been playing on the radio since about 1998. But Kill Hannah pulls it off and does a great job of it.

Each song sounds just the way synth-rock should digitally enhanced. Lead singer Mat Devine utilizes his tenor voice to reach some pretty good highs. The music has been produced to the point where nothing — absolutely nothing — sounds the least bit raw. The cherry on top of this sundae is each song sounds just a little bit similar to the one before it.

Although repetitive rock music is not the kind of thing that often works out, it would be a shame if Kill Hannah had more variety in this album. Synth-rock is the type of genre that shouldn’t vary much in the first place. “For Never and Ever” is a consistent barrage of synthesizers, effeminate voices and guitar effects.

Perhaps the best cut of this release is “I Wanna Be a Kennedy.” Not only is the music good, but the words are entertaining. The song sums up the life of every member of the Kennedy family: “I wanna be a Kennedy/ I wanna shake hands with heroes/ And kiss the girls of centerfolds on the tongue/ And die young.”

“For Never and Ever” gets pretty weak near the end, however. The final songs just don’t have the same spark and energy the rest of the album has, like drinking half of a fresh, cold cup of milk at breakfast and then coming back to finish it at lunchtime.

That aside, “For Never And Ever” is definitely worth buying. Emo kids can pretend it’s crossover emo, too, because of the high voices and depressed mood of the album. Of course, every good emo kid knows looking good makes the music good. And Kill Hannah is, like, totally hot.

— Campbell DeSousa

Ryan Adams

“Rock N Roll” (Lost Highway)

Compare to: Interpol, Jeff Buckley, Wilco

Elton John is quoted as saying that Ryan Adams is the best thing in music right now. Enough said, for some.

Adams is hanging out with The Strokes, dining with Elton John, fighting with Jack White and creating great music. Adored by critics for his flaming mouth and hot-tempered opinions, he’s got a reputation for kicking people out of concerts, smoking lots of cigarettes and loving Alanis Morissette. His new album, “Rock N Roll,” won’t disappoint listeners, either.

Adams isn’t going to quit writing and recording any time soon either. “Rock N Roll” came out alongside the first volume of “Love is Hell,” an artsier, more somber EP.

“Rock N Roll” is his third official solo album, coming after the fan favorite “Demolition” last year. Adams may be able to escape his Whiskeytown-based alt-country label with this diverse rock album and continue to expand his audience.

“Rock N Roll” can and should be heard as a reaction to The Strokes’ and The White Stripes’ “revisal of blues rock.”

The opening track, “This is It,” starts with Adams singing, “Let me sing a song for you that’s never been sung before.” An appropriate start. This song alludes to The Strokes “Is this it” and is one of many titles that plays off other noted songs.

“She’s Lost Total Control” alludes to Joy Division’s “She’s Lost Control” not solely by the name. Adams is definitely looking for the comparison. Tracks like “Wish You Were Here,” “Boys,” “The Drug’s Not Working” and “Rock N Roll” are all construed titles from Pink Floyd, The Verve and The Beatles.

In an A Perfect Circle interview a few years ago, Maynard Keenan insists an artist’s consciousness in this world/culture/politics/whatever is the fuel to creation. Adams is definitely conscious of what’s going on in music. Some may call him arrogant to do such a response, but the talent and passion is still there. “Rock N Roll” can’t help but remind fans of Bob Dylan’s album, “Blonde on Blonde,” which was his own reaction to the psychedelic times of The Beatles’ “Sergeant Pepper.”

This is it, this is really happening; we don’t have to wish it was still the 1960s anymore.

— Kyle Schmidt

The Forces of Evil

“Friend or Foe” (Jive)

Compare to: Reel Big Fish, Mephiskapheles, Less Than Jake

Yes, ska is still alive. And although it wants to be violent and anarchist, albums like “Friend or Foe?” are about as threatening as a 90-year-old armed with a walker and a potty mouth. No matter how happy and belligerent the members of The Forces of Evil appear initially, the tone of “Friend or Foe?” is unmistakably harmless.

The arms-bearing cartoon animals from hell on the cover adjacent to the parental advisory box says many things about this album. The ruckus raised by the Forces of Evil should only be taken as seriously as a temper tantrum by a hyperactive toddler.

From start to finish, the Forces of Evil’s bitterness is obviously tongue-in-cheek. The album jump-starts with the parodic “Angry Anthem,” a friendly introduction to the band beginning with, “If I had my way, I’d never speak to anyone again/ I got to say, I hate people, I’m so sick of them.”

The song that may strike a real chord with the most listeners is “Independent.” Any male who has ever pursued a self-supporting feminist who has listened to a little too much Destiny’s Child, romantically or otherwise, will relate. The song is a tug of war between a boy and girl, alternating sides with verses like “Would you please hold my hand?/ I can’t — I’m independent/ I want to be your man/ You can’t — I’m independent.” After being rejected so many times by Miss Independent, the singer concludes, “I hate that stupid ho/ Just let it go.”

The Forces of Evil may come under attack for these lyrics that seem to rip on equal rights, but it will take much more than some pissed-off listeners to put the band’s ranting to a halt.

The album’s main shortcoming is that it embraces too tightly the “right to skank.” The Forces of Evil is doing what it loves to do with such zeal — it forgets to try anything new. In the end, this is just another ska album that, while evoking plenty of laughter, sounds just like its predecessors.

— Andrew Mabe

Murphy Lee

“Murphy’s Law” (Universal)

Compare to: St. Lunatics, Nelly, Q-Tip

Imagine having a yearly “Booty Days” festival in your town. People would come from miles around to eat the corn dogs, ride the overpriced Ferris wheel and attend the best part of the event, the “Miss Booty World” contest.

If such an event were to take place, rapper and self-proclaimed booty critic Murphy Lee would be more than happy to be the master of ceremonies.

On his new album, “Murphy’s Law,” Lee tosses out booty criticisms like it’s his job, but not without help from a slew of guests, including P. Diddy and Toya.

Based on the album’s lyrics, the listener can tell Murphy knows his booties. Either that, or his fantasizing has gone overboard.

Murphy Lee’s weak point is his rapping, which could use some work. The album lacks a track where Lee lays it out gansta style, but he makes up for it with clever lyrics, pounding bass and witty comparisons.

In “Grandpa Game Tight,” Lee compares himself to a make-up kit and lays down judgment on some booties, saying he likes his butts round and juicy. Almost every song contains a review of at least one booty, a group of booties or some other bodily feature.

Murphy is all about women and music, but also knows about drugs, sex and money. In “What da Hook Gon Be,” a track featuring Jermaine Dupri, Lee talks about women going crazy over guys who can lay it down.

This streak continues until “Shake Ya Tailfeather,” the ultimate booty-judging song. Evidently, Lee has been judging booties since he was born. And according to “I Better Go,” he’s pretty good at it.

Almost every song will make the listener want to turn the bass up as loud as possible. These are upbeat, break-danceable tracks and bring to mind pictures of people throwing up a hand or grinding with those next to them.

Murphy gets down and dirty, and,depending on your preferences, makes his mark as an up-and-coming, legitimate rapper.

— Dan Hopper