Maroon

Barenaked Ladies

Compare to: Crash Test Dummies, They Might Be Giants, The Housemartins

3/5 Stars From freestyle and bossa nova to folk-pop, Barenaked Ladies have covered so many corners of music it’s hard to figure out just what the hell they are about from one album to the next. But maybe that’s the point. It’s a big, wide world of music, and why limit yourself to just one narrow category no matter how good you are at it? “Maroon,” the latest release from the band, is a great deal more mellow than last year’s “Stunt.” The band has been going from one extreme to the other since their inception. They’ve released albums that seemed closer to Weird Al than real rock and followed them up with a collection of solid folk-pop standards that blew the knobs off of radios around Canada and the United States from Iqualuit, Nunavut to Key West, Florida. The new album is without a doubt on the straight side of Barenaked Ladies spectrum. All the tracks have a “movie-theater background music” quality that virtually defy listeners to find a hook anywhere. With that said, one can never tell if Barenaked Ladies are changing their style or expressing any one of the many facets of their eclectic tastes. Fans looking for “Old Apartment,” “One Week,” “If I Had a Million Dollars” or “Brian Wilson” will not find anything like that on this CD. What they will find is an extremely mellow collection of soft pop tunes reflecting a maturity that may be one part of Barenaked Ladies most uninteresting qualities. It is worth wading through “Maroon” to get to the next album and the way these guys swing back and forth, the next release is bound to rock harder than some fat, tweaked-out grandma’s La-Z-Boy. – Greg Jerrett Music for People

Vast

Compare to: U2, Depeche Mode, The Cure

3.5/5 Stars When Jon Crosby first entered the music scene in 1998 with his debut album, “Visual Audio Sensory Theater,” he remained a virtually unknown artist with moderate to weak radio play. Back then he did all the work himself, but now, only two years later, he’s put together a band, produced another album and earned a spot touring with the Queens of the Stone Age. While Vast’s first album was a searing spiritual quest about God and morality, the band’s sophomore effort, “Music For People,” comes across more introspective. With this more personal feel, the album speaks to the common person with themes about longing for freedom and escape. The album opens with “The Last One Alive,” a song that begins with a quiet acoustic intensity, but soon a layer of guitars pile onto the mix, giving it a more expansive sound. And nothing cuts as hard as the opening riff of the album’s first single, “Free,” which moves with tidal force as Crosby pelts his voice to lofty heights. Crosby’s musical influences come through on the lamenting “I Don’t Have Anything.” His voice floats on the melodic current of an orchestra, providing the song with an atmospheric quality often likened to the Cure, Depeche Mode and especially U2. Crosby’s moody lyricism also garners attention as he gets slightly pretentious in the song “The Gates of Rock `N’ Roll” singing, “The gates of rock `n’ roll will never close on me.” Another remarkable song is “We Will Meet Again.” Crosby’s divinely sincere croon backed by darkly rich melodies, provided by the New Bombay Recording Orchestra, creates a magnificent representation of thoughtful songcraft. The only problem on the album is with the song “Land of Shame.” Crosby tries to cram too many words into the musical phrasing, giving the song a choppy, uncomfortable feeling. Despite this minor blemish, the album shows the level of maturity and depth that Crosby emulates through his music. Vast breathes life into the dying genre of modern rock without relying heavily on electronics – something rarely seen since the 1960s. – Kevin Hosbond Set it Off

Shuvel

Compare to: Limp Bizkit, Korn, Primer 55

.5/5 Stars Straight out of Wichita, Kan., Shuvel is the Warrant of modern metal. Once upon a time, there was a little band called Motley Cre. The band had released “Too Fast for Love” on an independent label in 1981. Catching the attention of Elektra Records, the band was signed and the album was remixed and re-released in 1982. By `83, the band had begun to gain exposure with “Shout at the Devil” and develop their fanbase. By 1985, the boys’ third release, “Theatre of Pain,” had made them stars. Soon, there were other bands that recognized Motley Cre’s success. One of these bands was Guns N’ Roses. Bursting onto the scene in 1987 with “Appetite for Destruction,” the L.A.-based group took over as the gods of metal. Soon, cheesy hair metal bands such as Great White and Warrant were popping up like dandelions in the City of Angels, attempting to capitalize on the success of Cre and Guns. No long hair, no brightly-colored spandex, no record deal. The bands paled in comparison to their predecessors, putting out albums that were mere products. It was not art, but a way for record labels to cash in on the success of other bands by creating a trend. Soon, the genre became diluted and even bands like Cre and Guns began to produce crap. So, what does this have to do with Shuvel? Fast forward to 1994. The death of alternative was near. Enter Korn. The band’s heavy brand of rock broke new ground, and they quickly gained an underground following. Korn achieved mainstream success with the `98 release “Follow the Leader.” Taking Korn’s sound and adding rap to the mix, Limp Bizkit gained popularity with their cover of George Michael’s “Faith.” Their sophomore release, “Significant Other,” established the band as a leader in a rapidly expanding genre. Soon, bands mixing heavy, de-tuned rock with rap such as Primer 55 and Papa Roach appeared on the scene. There is a pattern. The music industry has repeated itself. Shuvel is another terrible cookie-cutter, knock-off band from the Midwest that was signed only because they play an easily marketable genre of music that is making record industry executives millions of dollars. Their music is generic. It is a product. The lyrics and music are interchangeable and songs feature such wonderfully unique titles as “Set it Off” and “Hitlist.” The two rappers, Jeff Hollinger and Isaac Ayala, rhyme about violence, drugs and the horrible world they live in. What is most amusing, however, is the track, “Those Who Stand in Line.” The song is about the commercial nature of the United States, but it parallels the band and the rapcore genre too well. “We agree to believe that we’re bought and sold,” Hollinger or Ayala – it is impossible to tell which voice is whose because they sound exactly the same – raps. But one of the last lyrics displays true irony. “They preach the truth, but it’s not what you thought/ You don’t understand/ So you see we’re all just products of this game.” – Jon Dahlager