‘Wysiwig’

Chumbawamba

Chumbawamba should appear in Webster’s Dictionary as “a form of pretentious, pseudo-political, lighter-than-air pop music full of sound and fury signifying nothing.”

This album is a tale told by an idiot and only an idiot would pay good money for it. After the mind-numbing success of “Tubthumper,” which apparently undermined any legitimacy Chumbawamba could hope for as a serious, political act, these guys seem to have something to prove.

“Wysiwig” is chock full of plastic, anti-American sentiment posing as serious social commentary. Even people who hate America couldn’t possible be fooled.

Fully two thirds of the tracks are satirical criticisms of the kind of kitschy American culture one found on television years ago — as if any culture can be accurately judged by the nonsense it broadcasts over the airwaves.

Biting social commentary this is not. It would sure like to be though. But it is hard to take the rants seriously when the cover of their album is the face of a dog that is in the act of coitus. How cheeky. Fold out the liner and you get to see the entire act being performed.

Karl Marx can start rolling over in his grave, because the proletariat are as screwed as this dog if Chumbawamba is the people’s band. Thank you wankers for showing us how frivolous we really are.

The music is typical Brit pop. It’s all fluff and synthesizers with horns and a couple of traditional instruments thrown in. Nothing too spectacular, that’s for sure. Even if the lyrics had substance, it would be on a par with really good elevator music.

But the lyrics do get in the way. “I’m With Stupid” starts off pleasurably enough, but by the time the lyrics kick in, the show is over. “Guess what, I’m with stupid/ Guess what, I’m with you.” This is what’s supposed to pass for lyrics? You can’t even take these words apart and reorder them in a way that makes them worth listening to. A lame T-shirt from the 1970s is not a sophisticated enough concept for an entire song.

Adding insult to injury, each song is explained in the notes. Listening to the metaphysical meandering of “The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Jerry Springer,” we can read that “Mr. Springer is pickled during a particularly overlong ‘final thought’ musing on the blurring of distinctions between reality and entertainment.” Wow, this would have been cutting edge if it had been written five years ago. This subject has been done over hard right here in the United States, but Chumbawamba wouldn’t know that because they get all their information about the United States from reruns on the BBC.

This album sucks!

1/2 Star

— Greg Jerrett

‘Reinventing the Steel’

Pantera

Prior to the release of Pantera’s first studio album in four years, the word on the street was to expect something completely new and original from these Texas hellraisers. Well, it was an outright lie.

“Reinventing the Steel” is an identical twin to any Pantera album ever made in the ’90s. After listening to “Reinventing the Steel,” you can’t help but wonder why it took four years to put together this regurgitation of a record.

The group really seems to struggle lyrically, and a shining example of this is the first song of the record, “Hellbound.” The chorus consists of a bloody-murder-like scream of the song title, followed by a quick “In Fort Worth, Tx.”

Of course the chorus isn’t the most important thing to a good song, but it does help the listener get into the music. “I’ll Cast a Shadow” and “Uplift” follow the same exhausted path as “Hellbound.”

All is not terrible with Pantera’s new release though. In fact, with the exception of “Hellbound,” the first five songs of the record aren’t all that bad. “Goddamn Electric” pays tribute to the things that Pantera holds dearest — whiskey, weed and Black Sabbath.

“Yesterday Don’t Mean Shit” and the first single from the record, “Revolution is My Name,” are the stand out tracks. Frontman Philip Anselmo has a good singing voice (left over from he band’s glam-metal days) when he chooses to show it, and he does on both of these songs.

Dimebag Darrell also brings back the art of guitar solos on these tracks, something that seems to be a forgotten cause in metal today. Darrell’s blazing solos are nothing short of amazing, a definite positive to a mostly otherwise poor album.

Out of the 10 songs on the album, the self-proclaimed “Cowboys From Hell” pound out four very respectable tracks. But unfortunately, that leaves six songs that could definitely use some “reinventing.”

2 Stars

— Trevor Fisher

‘Building Nothing Out of Something’

Modest Mouse

Modest Mouse truly is building nothing out of something on this new collection of B-sides. Luckily for the Issaquah, Wash. trio, they have accomplished the feat of making nothing interesting.

Consider the gnarly closing time funk of “All Night Diner.” Or listen to the road trip frustration of “A Life of Arctic Sounds,” on which singer Isaac Brock sings “1,100 miles is too far inside a car.”

“Building Nothing Out of Something,” while playful at times, won’t go down in music history as a fun party album.

A common thread of Modest Mouse’s music is that the residents of the band’s songs are either driving, passengers in cars or can’t get their cars to run, but need to escape — usually from themselves.

No matter what part of the driving cycle they’re participating in, the destination is still unsuccessful, unknown and unclear. We hear this resignation with life’s journey in songs like “Neverending Math Equation,” “Interstate 8” and “Baby Blue Sedan.”

If you listen to this album while in a poor humor, be prepared to feel worse.

No matter what, Building Nothing Out of Something is the rare B-side compilation that will make repeated trips to your CD player. The album makes a great precursor to the band’s other Up Records releases, and theoretically, their major label debut, “The Moon and Antarctica,” which will be released on June 13.

Be the first on your block to discover Modest Mouse. You’ll be glad you did.

3 1/2 Stars

—Tori Rosin

‘Beautiful Something’

Mars Electric

“I wanna see my face on the screen/ I wanna see my name in the lights/ I wanna shine like the stars/ But I could never get it right,” lead singer Jacob Bunton solemnly sings in “Another Day (On Top of the World).”

This lyric exemplifies the spirit of Mars Electric, an Alabama foursome that has been chasing the dream of becoming rock stars for the last four years. Mars Electric’s dreamer attitude is prominently displayed on their debut album, “Beautiful Something.” The album takes listeners through a roller coaster ride of emotions with songs of love, heartache and the desire that comes from following your dreams.

Mars Electric exudes a heartfelt passion that shines proudly throughout songs such as “Another Day (On Top of the World)” and “All the Things.” Bunton’s emotional crooning mixed with the beautiful melodies of both songs takes control, forcing the listener to feel his passion and pain.

On other cuts such as “Just Enough” empathy is felt as he sings, “All now it seems that you believe your life revolves around a bottle.” The song details the struggle and pain that a family member of an alcoholic goes through when they finally cannot take their loved one’s self destructive behavior anymore.

Mars Electric also proves that they can rock hard when they want to with tracks such as “Fear of Falling,” which brings intensity to the disc that is lacking on previous songs with its raucous hard and fast guitars and gritty lyrics. “Someday” also adds a hard-hitting edge with its jarring guitar riffs and catchy chorus.

“Far Away” is another track that demonstrates the hard rocking abilities of Mars Electric. Flaunting the same hard and fast style, Mars Electric cuts through the track with a barrage of heavy string-striking.

The group’s 12-track debut album is a bonanza of emotionally-charged songs displaying a passion that many artists lack today. “Beautiful Something” tugs on the listener’s heartstrings with passionate songs and hard hitting rock tracks making it a worthy addition to anyone’s collection.

3 1/2 Stars

—Justin Kendall

‘Suspended’

#Zoppi

One look at the picture of the band Zoppi, and you’re probably thinking these guys look like the Backstreet Boys. But unlike those famous “TRL” showboys, Zoppi write its own songs, and it does a very good job of it at that.

Full of catchy hooks and sing along choruses, the pop/rock group provides a solid release in “Suspended.”

The group does almost everything right that they need to in writing good pop/rock songs. Frontman Bob Zoppi’s vocals have a definite R&B feel to them, but with a bluesy edge. And Rick Vogelsang’s guitar playing goes from harmonious rhythm to commanding solos in the drop of a hat; such is the case in the title track, “Suspended.”

“Feel Love,” “Ashamed” and “Distorted Views” show the group’s exceptional grasp to deliver tight harmonies and melodies, all built around the vocals of Zoppi.

The group even delivers a bit of a bubble-gum, hip-hop feel to the track “What You Get.” It’s just about the best example of Zoppi’s ability to hook listeners with their choruses. “What I get might hurt and the hurt will sting/ what I have is fear and the fear brings shame/ but I cannot blame anyone but me/ when she shakes it up it only makes me weak,” Zoppi croons.

Content wise, Zoppi’s songs are all based on a “I need you baby,” “I’m lonely without you baby” level, and being fed the same relationship details over and over again gets a little lame, but that’s about the only downfall of an otherwise very good album.

Zoppi definitely has all the necessary tools to make a big name for themselves in the music industry. One listen to “Suspended” is all the evidence needed to prove it.

3 Stars

—Trevor Fisher

‘The Man Who’

Travis

England always seems to have the upper hand over America in discovering new bands that make great music.

Sure, in the early ’90s there was this little band from Seattle that made a few waves, sold a few records and brought a whole new genre to the mainstream.

But the British fans and press tend to identify and embrace groups that are truly unique or talented before their American counterparts.

Travis is no exception to this general rule — America is getting their first taste of the band as they tour with Oasis. The Scottish band has already won two Brit awards this year — Best Band and Best Album — and their record sales in the United Kingdom alone have topped two million.

And they deserve it.

On their latest release, Travis creates music that falls somewhere between their tour-mates and acoustic Radiohead. Solid musicianship coincides with vocals that tremble with energy.

Singer/songwriter Fran Healy’s voice has an incredible range. The fragile-as-blown-glass vocals of the piano-driven “The Last Laugh of the Laughter” contrast with the growls Healy emits during “As You Are.”

The song nearly explodes along with Healy’s voice, only to seemingly die down. A simple, soft guitar interlude follows, broken by a distorted guitar solo that mirrors the lead singer’s earlier vocal eruption.

No track on the album is ever really abrasive or hard-hitting. Each one floats along, centering mainly on Healy’s voice, with the acoustic and occasional electric guitars supporting the singer’s often-plaintive lyrics.

Though Travis’ melodies are happy throughout most of the record, Healy’s lyrics tend to be darker and melancholy.

In “Why Does It Always Rain On Me?,” the song that perhaps best reflects the Radiohead/Oasis influence, Healy sings “Even when the sun is shining/ I can’t avoid the lightning.”

The rhythm and music suggest the lyrics will be happy and positive, when they are the complete opposite. “I can’t stand myself/ I’m being held up by invisible men,” Healy sings, bringing to mind Radiohead’s “Creep.”

But Travis is not Radiohead and Oasis — the band captures a sound that acknowledges their influences, though not in a derivative way.

American radio, fans and critics should not miss out on the “The Man Who” or the men who made it.

4 Stars