Madonna “American Life” (Warner/Maverick)

Compare to: Moby, Cher, Kylie Minogue

Rating: 8

“American Life” is an album that makes me very grateful for the invention of the compact disc. The 11-track mix of Eurotechno and acoustic guitar gushes out of my speakers like a fresh gunshot wound. This is an album that speaks richly of Madonna’s ability to mix effective, if simplistic, lyrics to the pulse-heavy, foot-tapping, dance-by-yourself beats of the irresistible music.

Nine of the 11 tracks are testimonies to the ongoing legacy and legend that is Madonna. Although this is the same woman who chirps that she likes to “singy, singy, singy like a bird on a wingy, wingy, wingy” in “Impressive Instant” on “Music,” she repeats herself with those “Oh, you silly Madonna” hammed-up lyrics with the ultra-radio friendly song “Hollywood” on “American Life.”

“Love Profusion” and “Intervention” are two songs that illustrate the mastery of mixing two completely different genres of music. Both songs intercut the rather complicated lyrics of folk rock into the “there’s a party in my mouth and everyone’s invited” sonic brush of producer Mirwais’s element of choice, both creating an addictive quality that has yet to stop me from replaying them constantly.

Only two songs don’t especially do it for me: the robotic “We’re trying to find the weirdest noises possible” title track “American Life,” and the completely incongruent “Die Another Day,” the title track from the most recent James Bond movie.

“American Life,” a purposefully disjointed song, is a bittersweet experience. It’s one of the more realized songs on the disc, with Madonna fully in tune with her transformation from Material Girl to Immaterial Mom. It’s as if Madonna has introduced herself at an AA meeting with this song, as a matriarch of both her two children announcing that she’s unsure of the path she’s now going to take as a drunken Queen of Pop.

That doesn’t mean it’s a good song. By the time she’s reaching with those painful rap-addled lyrics about drinking soy lattes and having chefs, trainers, bodyguards and so on, I’ve lost interest.

Thankfully, the AA meeting that is the rest of this CD provides a welcome and promising recovery until she asks Sigmund Freud to “analyze this…” in the vapid “Die Another Day,” a song that is mediocre at best. With its notoriety as being one of the worst James Bond themes ever produced, it just doesn’t fit in with the deeply explored subjects in such songs as “X-Static Process” and “Mother and Father.”

— Ryan Curell

The Flaming Lips “Fight Test” (Warner Bros.)

Compare to: Violent Femmes, Duraluxe, Super Furry Animals

Rating: 6 1/2

If you listen to college radio at all, you’ve heard the Flaming Lips. If you don’t, there’s still a chance you’ve at least heard the name.

The mainstream seems to have caught on to these indie stalwarts. Rolling Stone magazine’s College Radio Top 10 showcased the Flaming Lips for seven straight issues in 2002 and listed them at No. 1 twice.

The band’s back with “Fight Test,” an EP of B-sides and live tracks. The seven-track album is cut from the same trippy cloth as previous albums like “Transmissions From the Satellite” and “Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots.”

The difference between “Fight Test” and previous albums, however, is an interesting list of cover songs, remixes of old tracks and two new songs as well.

The band’s rendition of Kylie Minogue’s “Can’t Get You Out of My Head” is both disturbing and slightly humorous. The vocals sound like Minogue on an overdose of cough syrup.

Psychedelic melodies are threaded with drums and the throated lyrics, “I just can’t get you out of my head/ Boy your love is all I think about.”

The creepiest song of all is a cover of Radiohead’s “Knives Out.” From the very beginning, you will swear it’s not a cover at all, but a studio mix-up. The song is brilliantly done and is easily the best track of the disc.

A summation of the album is found in the last track, “Thank You Jack White (For the Fiber-Optic Jesus That You Gave Me).” The title, unfortunately, is better than the actual song, which is playful and funny, but stylistically thin.

The Flaming Lips have come a long way from singing to hometown Oklahoma City crowds 20 years ago, and a definite improvement over performing the Batman theme song. And yet, the group continues to be a one-hit wonder among Pop-Top 40 charts.

No matter, though, because music so alternative and humorous will always be loved among the college crowd. Come on, admit it, you’re still belting out “She Don’t Use Jelly” at parties.

If you’ve been a faithful Lips listener, you’ll love what you hear.

But if you’ve never been subjected to the band’s fun, psychotic sound before, it might be an easier transition to check out “Transmissions” first.

— Shannon Varner

Systematic “Pleasure to Burn” (Elektra)

Compare to: Saliva, Stereomud, Godsmack

Rating: 5

Uninteresting. Monotonous. Dull. Boring. Colorless. Drab. Dry. Flat. Lifeless. Stale. Stuffy. Unexciting. Tiresome. Systematic.

There are only two interesting things about Systematic, and neither of them are songs on the band’s new album. The first is Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich, who signed this Bay-area foursome to his now-defunct record label and produced their first album. Number two: The band’s drummer, Paul Boshaph, used to play for Slayer.

The biggest problem with Systematic is that throughout “Pleasure to Burn,” it just feels as if the band is going through the motions. Its style is very Godsmack-ish — basic rock songs at the core, but beefed up with some extra heaviness. The comparisons end there though, because unlike Godsmack, Systematic can’t seem to capture that heavy groove or catchy hook.

This is most noticeable on “The Water Cure” and “Right Before You.” Both songs rely entirely too much on the prodding guitars of Adam Ruppel and uninspired clich‚ lyrics of Tim Narducci.

The band shows glimpses of hope at times, though. This happens when it lets rip with some straight-ahead, balls-to-the-wall rock instead of wading in the overwritten muck that makes up most of the album. “I’ll Get By,” “Breakable” and “Infected” all show the band possesses the attitude and chops needed to throw down.

With the exception of those songs, nothing on this album has the attention-grabbing ability needed to set the band apart in today’s world of hard rock. You’ve heard all of these songs before, on different records, with different song titles and performed by different bands.

Worst of all, though, Tom Araya and Kerry King from Slayer are probably just pissed anyone formerly associated with Slayer joined such a boring, mediocre band.

— Trevor Fisher

Longwave “The Strangest Things” (RCA)

Compare to: Oasis, Badly Drawn Boy, Ride

Rating: 5

Ever attempt to sit through an album and have to battle your undying desire to skip to the next track? And your fingers fumble with the skip button so swiftly by the time you realize the album’s fate, the music is over and you’re left wondering why the bulk of the album felt like filler?

“The Strangest Things” is just that album. There are a few great songs suffocated by a thick pillow of bad ones. Don’t expect any major leaps on this third release from Longwave, whose recent signing with RCA probably stifled more creativity than it inspired.

The band members look like the Strokes and sound like a spaced-out version of U2. Better yet, early Radiohead meets early U2. The Strokes comparison is no surprise, since Longwave is a shoe-gazing fledgling of the New York scene recently exploited by the retro, trendy Strokes themselves. The lead singer even sounds like a cross between Julian Casablancas (The Strokes) and Bono (U2), with a hint of Max Collins (Eve 6).

After listening to “The Strangest Things,” U2-circa “Joshua Tree” is left resonating in the listener’s head more often than any of the tracks from Longwave. Track two, “Everywhere You Turn,” is the embodiment of Longwave’s U2 resemblance. The track sounds like what would result if you had the lead vocalist of the Strokes fronting “With Or Without You.”

There are about four songs worth listening to: “Wake Me When It’s Over,” “Everywhere You Turn,” “Tidal Wave” and “All Sewn Up.” Though Longwave still isn’t doing anything surprising on the tracks, they’re catchy enough to deserve a full listen. Even if only once.

The rest of the songs are mediocre. No surprises. By the time you get a minute into the song you can skip to the next track and not miss much, as you can be assured nothing exciting will happen in the duration of the song.

Longwave’s “The Strangest Things” is painfully average, and you might be better off dusting off U2’s “Joshua Tree” or Radiohead’s “The Bends” than attempting to sit through this album. Unless, of course, you’re looking for an album to ignore. Then, by all means, “The Strangest Things” is your album.

— Erin Randolph