Daily Staff Writer

‘Get Some Go Again’

Rollins Band

Very few punk artists age like fine wine, but the ones who do … good Lord!

In the late 1970s and early ’80s, Henry Rollins was on the forefront of the American punk subculture as the lead singer of Black Flag. Since that time, he has become an actor, a poet, a spoken word artist and a social critic. The thread running through all of these disparate roles is passion.

Critics can argue ad nauseum about Rollins’ relative merits as an artist, but no one can accuse him of being a poser.

Rollins’ work practically stinks of genuine angst, ennui and anger. “Get Some Go Again” lives up to Rollins’ reputation for powerful performances. The album has all the intense emotion and critical social commentary Rollins is known for.

The music is mostly a backdrop, however. It is a hardcore background used to accentuate the meaning of the words. It’s tamed punk rock with a purpose — to lift up the message in the words without dominating.

The lyrics have an almost religious quality to them. Though most of the tracks are traditional songs, there is an aspect of spoken word to them all. Slick metaphors and in-your-face imagery combine with hardcore guitars and relentless drums to create a tapestry of social discord.

“I sailed the sea of desolation/ dropped my anchor there/ plumbed the depths of isolation/ walked its length and was not scared/ went from end to end to end/ and then from there I went again/ the road that only this one knows/ off to nowhere here I go.”

Where Henry Rollins is now is where punk was always meant to go. Dissatisfaction and a deeply felt sense that all is not well is fine, but it has made for a lot of mixed messages and pointless anarchical ramblings.

“Get Some Go Again” is a concerted, focused punk effort that is so professionally executed, it has completely exceeded the boundaries of its genre.

4 Stars

— Greg Jerrett

‘The Sickness’

Disturbed

Face it, with a new metal act popping up in the industry every day, sometimes it can be hard to tell one from another, especially when a lot of them have their eyes set on the next opening slot on the Family Values Tour.

Disturbed isn’t doing anything groundbreaking and completely new, but on their first release, “The Sickness,” they do come out with a fresh-enough sound to put them in a distinct category of metal.

You won’t hear any rapping on this album. Nor will you hear that rabid dog bark that so many metal singers are using today. Instead what you’ll hear is … get ready for this … singing!

Frontman David Drainman has a very distinct style of vocals that, on songs such as “Voices” and “Stupify,” resembles a tribal chant over grinding guitars and pounding drums. It is nearly impossible to compare Drainman’s style with that of any other singer, something that really gives Disturbed an edge.

And you definitely wouldn’t want to visit Disturbed for any kind of psychological advice. With song titles such as “Down With the Sickness” and “Violence Fetish,” it’s easy to see where they came up with the name for their band. These guys are dark, and it shows in their lyrics.

“The Game” includes the lyrics, “You always wanted people to remember you/ To leave your mark on society/ Well don’t you know your wish is coming true today/ Another victim dies tonight.” Disturbed makes Jonathan Davis’ abuse lyrics look like bedtime lullabies.

Don’t let the darkness ruin your mood, though, because this record is absolutely solid from the opening track to the finale. Disturbed combines punishing guitars, powerful vocals and quivering electronics. Go ahead, let yourself get infected with “The Sickness.” You’ll be happy you did.

3 1/2 Stars

— Trevor Fisher

‘Fuzzatonic Scream’

Bobby Gaylor

Fashioned after stand-up comics, folk singers and your grandpa telling “when I was your age” stories, the debut album from spoken word artist Bobby Gaylor is an edgy and bizarre soundtrack to his life.

“If you want to paint a picture with words, you have to use all the colors,” Gaylor says on “Fuzzatonic Scream.”

The formula, while risky, is effective and produces biting commentaries on crime, suicide and masturbation. You can’t help but compare Gaylor’s angry style to Henry Rollins or Dennis Leary, but it offers something new with mood-setting background melodies, which set an appropriate tone for the messages it delivers without losing meaning or credibility.

However, his storytelling abilities take front stage. “Tommy the Frog Killer” is a haunting and graphic tale of a childhood neighbor who tortured frogs by crucifying them and setting them ablaze.

“Hit a Guy With My Car” describes a strange late-night highway accident involving a geriatric driver and a vagabond with a death wish, while the simple “One Moment” is a narration of his first summer love.

But the most inspirational track is the single “Suicide.” First gaining airplay on the Bob and Tom Show in Indianapolis, “Suicide” received an unprecedented response from the press and listeners in the area.

Gaylor begins with reasons for people to commit suicide. “There’ll be more Ring Dings for me,” he proclaims, before he subtly changes the message.

The second part of the track reminds the listeners of what they would miss if they died. Things such as romance, reminiscing and “If you’re a guy/ the first time you reach up a girl’s shirt/ Or, if you’re a girl/ the first time you reach down a boy’s pants.” He ends abruptly with one single truth: “You were born, finish what was started.”

Both compelling and humorous, Gaylor manages to address the sensitive topic of suicide without falling into the role of preacher.

While outlandish and sometimes shocking, “Fuzzatonic Scream” is a solid start from a former stand-up comic. The album is vivid, poignant and memorable.

With this strong introduction to the music world, Gaylor will easily have more messages to come.

5 Stars

— Shar Macatangay

‘Holy Dogs’

Stir

“Holy Dogs,” the second album from alt-rockers Stir, has a Tonic-like sound with a definite blues influence that can be attributed to the band’s roots in St. Louis.

But it falls short of the band’s lofty proclamations of power.

In a period when boy bands are swooning teen-agers as opposed to corrupting them, “Holy Dogs” may find a lull in sales. The album’s overall pace is calm, more reminiscent of Hootie and the Blowfish than Alice in Chains.

The follow-up to Stir’s eponymous debut album can be put in the same category as the first. “Looking For,” Stir’s first single on Capitol Records, received some attention and moderate radio play in the mid-1990s, but it never propelled the band or the album into stardom.

The best chance for Stir to gain exposure will come when they open for Creed for the final leg of that band’s current U.S. tour.

Standout tracks include the first single, “New Beginning,” a solid, radio-ready chick song, and “Stop Killing Me,” one of the few tracks that would seem to translate well to a live performance.

“Velvet Elvis,” with a tribal chant meets heartland power rock sound, checks in as one of the most original tracks, while the remainder of the album is mostly formulaic.

Producer Howard Benson’s skills are exemplified in the philosophically cheesy “Spaceman,” in which the empty sounds of space form the background of the track. “Holy Dogs” finishes strongly with the title track but fails to compensate for the sleepy feel of the album.

With songs eerily similar to the early 1990s ballads of Mr. Big, Stir has a steep hill to climb to achieve success worthy of validating their efforts.

2 Stars 1/2

— Brandon Babcock