Marilyn Manson “The Golden Age of Grotesque” (Nothing/Interscope)

Compare to: Nine Inch Nails, Orgy, Rob Zombie

Rating: 7

Love him or hate him, you have to give Marilyn Manson credit for constantly reinventing himself. From his wraithlike, pseudo-Satanic persona on “Antichrist Superstar,” to the glammed-out, breast-adorned alien of “Mechanical Animals,” Manson’s look is as much a part of his art as his music.

On his latest album, “The Golden Age of Grotesque,” he has once again transformed himself — this time into the self-proclaimed “Arch Dandy of Dada.”

What impact this has on the album is best left open to interpretation, but what really matters is what the album sounds like.

And it sounds good.

Sonically, there’s really nothing new here. Although the album has solid production, it’s basically more of the same thickly distorted guitars and pounding industrial madness we have grown to expect from Manson.

That’s not to say it doesn’t rock; it rocks just as hard as anything else he’s done.

His trademark vocals are present, alternating from creepy croaked-out verses to throat-shredding choruses, all topped off with a dab of distortion.

This album won’t disappoint any of his devoted followers, but it’s not going to convert anyone, either.

Manson seems to have abandoned his mission of converting the masses, and instead has begun to gravitate toward the cynical satire and decadent self-indulgence that go along with being a rock star.

As he says in “The Bright Young Things,” “We know who we are and what we want to say/ and we don’t care who’s listening/ we don’t rebel to sell it just suits us well/ we’re the bright young things.”

When Manson begins “This is the New Shit” with the lines “babble babble/ bitch bitch/ rebel rebel/ party party/ sex sex sex and don’t forget the violence,” one might mistakenly think Manson has finally run out of things to say.

This would be greatly underestimating the man’s intelligence.

The song is mocking the incessant, faux-rebellious drone of most music and pop culture (himself included).

This album is more introspective than his others, still spewing venom at everyone and everything around him, but this time taking just as hard of look at himself.

Manson has always had a talent for wordplay, and on “Grotesque,” he shows his ability to deliver heaping helpings of scary imagery and taboos, stirring them together into a deliciously vile stew.

With lines like “We’re the low art gloominati/ and we aim to depress/ the scabaret sacrilegends/ this is the golden age of grotesque,” Manson plays upon words.

He exploits them for his own purposes while still managing to never take himself, or anything he’s saying, too seriously.

The album explores, both lyrically and musically, the 1930s underground, aspects of Dadaism (song titles like “Obsequey (the Death of Art)” are a direct homage) and delves into the world of burlesque.

This is undoubtedly a side-effect of Manson’ current main squeeze, burlesque dancer Dita Von Teese.

With the eyes of the world upon him, expecting him to continually shock them and push boundaries, Manson has been busy getting comfortable with the niche he has created for himself.

Defining the concept of the ever-shifting persona, and the “it’s-only-cool-if-I-do-it attitude” of the scandalous rock-icons that preceded him, Manson and company continue to forge ahead, whether the rest of the world likes it or not.

— Casey Jones

Steely Dan “Everything Must Go” (Warner Bros.)

Compare to: Chicago, Yes, Fleetwood Mac

Rating: 8

Steely Dan continues its tradition of merging slick, sophisticated fusion-pop with literate and witty lyrics to great effect with its latest offering, “Everything Must Go.”

In typical fashion, the duo lay down their tunes with extreme concision, not wasting a note, pulling off their uber-complex arrangements with the ease of a third-grader playing “Hot Cross Buns” on a recorder.

Steely Dan’s greatest asset has always been its ability to make the cerebral accessible and fun.

The album kicks off with classic Steely Dan: “The Last Mall” plays with mortality.

“Attention all shoppers/ it’s cancellation day/ yes the big adios/ is just a few hours away,” Donald Fagen announces in his Courvoisier smooth delivery.

The music, composed by Fagen and longtime cohort Walter Becker, is quirky, tight and magically jazz-licious.

The two strongest tracks are “Things I Miss the Most” and “Blues Beach,” which feature driving, nimble bass lines and vocal harmonies that precisely accentuate Fagen’s melodies.

The former track waxes further on the themes of the middle-aged with its reminiscing about the Audi TT, the house on the gulf coast and various other materialistic memories of the aged yuppie.

“Everything Must Go” is an impressive follow-up to 2000’s triple Grammy-winning “Two Against Nature.”

It demonstrates that Steely Dan are not content to kick back at the home and sip Ensure, but are hungry to produce compelling new compositions that will challenge and delight a new generation of fans.

This is one you won’t want to miss.

— Tony Lombardo

SouthFM “Drama Kids” (MCA)

Compare to: Staind, Nickelback, Puddle of Mud

Rating: 8

SouthFM is a typical alternative hard rock band that plays typical music in a very typical manner. I stress the word “typical” because this band is just that. This is not to say their music is all bad; it’s just quite unoriginal.

“Drama Kids” is this Texas-based band’s first album. It immediately reminded me of a couple other mainstream rock bands such as Staind, Nickelback and Puddle of Mudd.

The appeal of this band lies in its ability to create whiny, churning, yet gratifying hard rock. The result is a mediocre album that incorporates a few catchy tunes with the potential to become singles.

The first single is entitled “Dear Claudia.” This song is actually pretty good, containing a fun melodic simplicity. After hearing this song only a couple times, it remained stuck in my head for hours.

Another track that possesses the same catchiness is “Corporate White America,” though the song is much darker and disturbed. The lead singer, Paco Estrada, sings in a gritty voice with a satirically pessimistic undertone.

“Because It Was You” is a short love song that includes an old record-like crackliness. Creating a different appeal than the rest of the album, “Drama Kids” unfortunately lacks more unique songs like this.

The main problem with this recording is it’s extremely run-of-the-mill. As soon as this CD begins to deviate from the mainstream rock style, it instantly returns to it in full force. SouthFM simply needs to take more chances in their music.

It seems to me the idea behind this music is to make money and become famous.

So, if you have an inclination for music that sounds remarkably like many other popular rock bands, then this might be a good CD to try out.

— Annie Krumhardt