Christian McBride “Vertical Vision” (Warner Bros.)

Compare to: Chick Corea, B‚la Fleck, John McLaughlin

Rating: 8

If the current fashion trend of throwbacks holds true in the realm of music, the Christian McBride Band has hit the nail on the head with its new record, “Vertical Vision.”

In a style reminiscent of the ’70s landmark jazz-fusion group the Mahavishnu Orchestra, “Vertical Vision” uses driving drums and bass beneath a sea of intricate melody to produce a head-nodding vibe.

McBride is known for his avant garde style and experimentation in the world of jazz. One of his most recent projects, titled “The Philadelphia Experience,” partnered McBride with drummer ?uestlove of The Roots and keyboardist Uri Caine. The CD kicks off with a 16-second intro of cutesy elevator jazz. A familiar needle-being-dragged-across-a-record sound effect stops the music and a voice says “No, no, no, no, put that other record on.” Then the beat drops.

From there, the track “Technicolor Nightmare” takes off. A big, juicy bassline works the band to an early high and the bottom drops out. McBride takes an extended solo above a smooth wah-wah guitar line and sparse drum beat. Slowly, the band members work themselves into a frenzy, as many fusion tracks are known to do. But as the eight-minute track comes to a close, the next track comes in slow and timid.

This kind of emotional/musical/tempo/dynamic roller coaster is ridden throughout the rest of the disc. This culminates in the final and longest track, “Boogie Woogie Waltz,” which starts off with a funky bass intro. Slowly, it phases in more and more parts, switching from a low-key bass-driven lick to a saxophone lead — and on and on.

A sole low point was the addition of a spoken Spanish verse in “Lejos De Usted.” Not only does a monolingual listener not know what the narrator is saying, but the whole effect seems somewhat clich‚ — it’s been done. Luckily, the narration only lasts a few seconds, and once again the fury ensues.

Throughout the album, McBride’s bass power is felt, as his spine-tingling solos walk all over the drum beat, as he drops that extra octave to make your seat rumble. So crank the subwoofer up an extra notch and throw in “Vertical Vision.”

— James McKenzie

AFI “Sing the Sorrow” (DreamWorks)

Compare to: The Circle Jerks, H2O, Sick of it All

Rating: 9

They do magazine cover spreads. Vans shoe company names a shoe after them. And the lead singer looks like he’s the primary shareholder in Hot Topic.

But try as they may to ruin their credibility, the members of AFI just can’t seem to make music that even the most jaded listener doesn’t respect. In fact, “Sing the Sorrow” is a masterpiece of blended styles that hardcore, punk and goth fans will all appreciate, if not cherish.

With an underground fan base as rabid as a Nazi youth rally, expectations were high for the California-native foursome’s first major-label release on DreamWorks. Within the first few pounding drum beats and rising synths of the opening track, “Miseria Cantare — The Beginning,” those expectations are surpassed.

By the time the stand-alone, near-Gaelic vocals of lead singer Davey Havoc resonate from the speakers, the album has already established an eerie, deep feeling within the listener, and the feeling lasts through all 12 tracks.

One thing that hasn’t changed is the vocals and for good reason. “Of late it’s harder just to go outside/ To leave this dead space with hatred so alive/ Thrown into banality, I decay,” screams Havoc in “Death of Seasons,” one of the album’s more hardcore-influenced tracks. The dark, gothic-inspired prose from previous albums like “Black Sails in Sunset” and “The Art of Drowning” are still frothing over the edge of every song, regardless of the individual song’s style.

Unfortunately, “… but home is nowhere,” the album’s best track, is a “secret track,” buried after more than nine minutes of dead air and lifeless staccato piano tapping.

Once the track begins, however, the beauty and richness of Havoc’s voice, combined with the cohesion of various musical elements, keeps everything on a fine line between beauty and overkill.

Change was inevitable on this album. Changes in style and sound were expected, but AFI has made it work. The new sound and direction prove that even an unclassifiable band can be marketed by a major label, without sacrificing what got them there in the first place.

— Aaron Ladage

Oleander “Joyride” (Sanctuary)

Compare to: Our Lady Peace, Lit, Local H

Rating: 7 1/2

A label change can sometimes mark the end of a band’s career or a major decline in sales and the quality of music. Oleander is one of the few exceptions.

After two albums with Republic Records, Oleander decided it was time for a change. Oleander’s new label, Sanctuary Records, has done wonders for the band.

Lyrically, nothing has changed. Oleander still delivers the same strong, aggressive and thoughtful lyrics of old, but the music sounds cleaner.

Oleander’s music doesn’t cause headaches and muscle tension like it used to. “Joyride” is clean, polished grunge rock from beginning to end.

“Joyride” sounds like Oleander is a band playing music for the hell of it, instead of a band on a deadline, with record executives and producers breathing down their necks. Though aggressive, the music is almost soothing to hear.

The album starts out driving and aggressive with “Hands Off the Wheel,” the band’s latest single. The song is structured well to be an opener. The slow and almost melancholy opening guitar riff is a perfect lead into the hard, aggressive chorus.

The album only gets heavier with the second track, “Don’t Break My Fall,” but starts to mellow down with “Fountain and Vine,” a song about the struggles of drug and alcohol addiction. The groaning distorted guitar riffs are evidence of musical maturation.

“Rainy Day” leaves you wanting to see what the music video would look like.

It brings to mind a picture of a guy walking down a dark, dimly lit street of some city, singing to himself mildly as the pouring rain drenches his stocking cap and bounces off the arms of his leather jacket. All the while he is having flashbacks about the fight he had with his girlfriend the night before he walked in on her and Larry, the elementary school’s janitor, doing the dirty deed.

This is Oleander’s most solid release, and diehard fans will be more than pleased. However, the band doesn’t experiment and doesn’t offer anything that will vastly expand their fan base.

— Dan Hopper