Lisa Germano

“Lullaby for Liquid Pig” (Ineffable)

Compare to: Liz Phair, PJ Harvey, Kristin Hersh

Rating: 5 1/2

Lisa Germano is no stranger to the music scene.

After playing violin for such artists as John Mellencamp, David Bowie and Sheryl Crow, Germano has become well-known for her groundbreaking style and mysterious sound.

Germano’s latest solo work, “Lullaby for Liquid Pig,” is both hypnotic and melancholy. The album, due out in early April, is her first on a new label, and the slower, darker feel of the album proves she is moving in a different direction than her previous work.

This is Germano’s most daring work to date. The lyrics are packed with honesty and power. The first track, “Nobody’s Playing,” begins with the lyrics, “These are your secrets/ Hidden inside/ Wherever you go/ Wherever you hide/ Nobody’s playing/ Nobody knows.” Disturbing off-key piano and violin unnerve the listener until the very end.

Germano was born into an Italian-American Catholic family in small-town Indiana. Her Italian influences are prevalent throughout the record.

The title track, “Nobody’s Playing,” could in fact suffice as a lullaby. Violin and piano, along with the soft edge of Germano’s voice, lull the listener into a trance.

A lonely, untrusting feeling of the first song flows through the tracks. In the song, “Pearls,” Germano whispers, “Wear your mask/ Wear it like it’s real.”

Germano’s albums are explorations into her soul. She writes about sex, rape, loneliness and feeling used — whatever is going on in her life at the time. While the mysterious sounds of songs like “Paper Doll,” “From a Shell” and “All the Pretty Lies” won’t fly at a party, the introspective, soothing nature of her work would make a great soundtrack for a night alone.

— Shannon Varner

The Red Hot Valentines

“Calling Off Today” (Polyvinyl)

Compare to: The Reunion Show, Weezer, The All-American Rejects

Rating: 6 1/2

If Weezer and the Get Up Kids were to produce a bastard offspring, the result would be much like the Red Hot Valentines. Borrowing catchy alt-rock melodies from the ’90s and infusing synth-driven Moog stylings, the Red Hot Valentines have offered up a debut Polyvinyl EP packed with infectious fun.

“Calling Off Today” is a three-track teaser to the still-pending full-length offering due this spring from this five-piece band.

The Red Hot Valentines has created a buzz in central Illinois so loud the trend spotters at Alternative Press Magazine caught wind. In the most recent issue, the Red Hot Valentines are listed as one of the “100 Bands You Need to Know.” And rightfully so. The band’s brand of pop punk is exactly what’s hitting the mainstream today through bands like Jimmy Eat World and the All-American Rejects.

The Red Hot Valentines’ sound hasn’t mutated much since the last release, a split EP with Retro Morning. An amalgam of well-crafted vocal harmonies and unobtrusive hooks result in a feel-good album. Where bands like OK Go can be too creative (read: dissonant) in the use of synths, keyboardist Tyson Markley reiterates an already existent melody.

In a genre of music in which songs can sound predictably vanilla, the Red Hot Valentines are breaking the mold. Though the three songs sit well next to each other on the album, each has its own personality.

The catchy and hook-laden “Firecracker” starts off with looping synths and guitar riffs while thinning out during verses to create a stripped down message before exploding into the chorus again. Though a song about a girl, the lyrics aren’t contrived.

Besides the three tracks, the enhanced CD also includes a bonus video for the previously released “Bring Back the Good Times.” The video gives a taste of a red hot live show, while the members come off more as the boy next door than as anything resembling a pretentious rock star.

— Erin Randolph

DJ Jani

“Hotel Arena — Tonight” (Black Hole)

Compare to: BT, Moby, DJ Ti‰sto

Rating: 7 1/2

Disco was said to have died in the early ’80s, but the spirit seems to live on in European clubs like the Dutch club Hotel Arena, where DJ Jani recorded his forthcoming album, “Tonight.”

The mix consists of 16 tracks that bring back the days of glitz and glam at clubs like New York’s Studio 54. However, this recording relies less on artists like Gloria Gaynor or KC & the Sunshine Band than it does modern artists like Bob Sinclair and Kid Creme.

DJ Jani winds his way through the mix flawlessly. The mixes may be a bit rushed, but overall, transfers from one track to another are barely noticeable.

The mix begins with a Kid Creme remix of “At Night” by Shakedown. Elements of strong disco influence assert themselves right from the start, with a keyboard playing the staccato rhythms made famous during a decade of decadence. Layered on top is what appears to be a man talking about a “fine sista,” but sounds more like a bad Ali-G impression.

Further on in the mix, Jani begins to play tracks that could have easily replaced many famous game show themes of the ’70s, most memorably “The Price Is Right” theme. The mix doesn’t get interesting until midway through, when all of the early cheese is transcended. There are fewer jangly guitar samples and diva vocals screaming about “feeling great,” with the modern sounds of stateside house music in their place. Transitions become more intricate as the mixes stretch, allowing for Jani’s skill to shine through.

On the technical side, this is much more interesting than the earlier portion of the mix. Now, if it just weren’t so boring. Before, the diva singers at least broke up some of the monotony of the music, but now, the tracks are so similar, they become an endless repetition of beats.

Overall, this is a piece that is technically accomplished, and fans of such a sound would probably enjoy immensely. If you have a weak stomach when it comes to disco, however, just pass this album by.

— Josh Nelson

Damone

“From the Attic” (RCA)

Compare to: Veruca Salt, American Hi-Fi, Too Much Joy

Rating: 1 1/2

In the past, a band had to have musical talent or a least a small amount of musical aptitude in order to get a record deal. If Damone is any evidence, things have changed drastically.

From the beginning, anyone can tell the members of Damone have not yet grown out of their skateboarding, Pokemon-loving days as sixth-graders. The whole album sounds as if the band is either ripping off Avril Lavigne or rehearsing for their junior high talent show. The band’s name was even inspired by a character from the movie “Fast Times At Ridgemont High.”

“I’m rocking a BMX bike/ I’m rocking a musclehead car/ I freestyle wherever I go/ I don’t cry whenever I fall,” sings vocalist Noelle in “Frustrated Unnoticed,” the album’s first track. The lyrics are just one sign of musical immaturity.

Guitarist David Pino’s lyrics sound as if he is still attempting to turn his junior high infatuations into meaningful, loving relationships through song.

The album’s worst track is “At The Mall,” not just because it is full of 13-year-old angst, but also because of the downright nerdy vocal delivery. A more befitting title would be “The Infatuations of a Loud Obnoxious Third Grade Psycho Stalker.”

The lyrics bring to mind an image of a pre-teen guy chasing a girl from store to store. It gives the listener an image of those really loud, obnoxious kids who tell video game jokes and make loud, embarrassing outbursts about how they are the greatest Pokemon card player of all time.

What we see is the failure of the music industry to recognize the difference between a good band and a talentless knockoff of what’s popular.

However, Damone has two catchy, radio-friendly songs in “On My Mind,” and the closing track, “Leave Me Alone.” Besides those two tracks, the music doesn’t have much to offer.

— Dan Hopper