Daily Staff Writer

“Signs of a Vacant Soul”

Virgos Merlot

“Signs of a Vacant Soul” is anything but vacant.

Virgos Merlot’s vocals on the album embellish angst-ridden themes that drive like a Mack Truck through the collective unconscious to the dirty little truck stop urinal of the mind’s eye.

The tracks on this album are grittier than a sand-caked thong and twice as stingy. Snap! There goes another synapse.

Hard-biting tunes jump out of the CD player and invade the senses like an unruly child with a short attention span.

“Wrong” states, “So now you know/ I’ll spill my guts and spoil the show.” You don’t usually get to hear words that are this moving unless drugs are involved.

Judging from the artwork, drugs aren’t a problem for these boys, who seem to be heavily influenced by the latest trends in Gothic fantasy role-playing games told from the vampire’s perspective.

“Wrong” continues with “Look around, come back down/ Try to rearrange it once again.” This one gets my vote for best single.

The look and the sound are not inescapably linked, however. These guys look like they should sound like The Sisters of Mercy but are much closer to Alice in Chains with a hint of Sonic Youth and a dash of pepper.

Hold on to your hat, mister — this album comes to town to chew bubble gum and kick ass and it’s all out of juicy fruit, cha cha.

If you have never been probed by malevolent alien surgical tools, now is your chance to find out what THAT’S all about. But don’t forget your adult diapers because “Signs of a Vacant Soul” can take a Monday and turn it into brown-trousers time.

It’s out-of-control Regis Philbin style, and if you don’t believe me, buy it, shove it in and turn it up, Kathie Lee.

4 stars out of five

— Greg Jerrett

“Candy Coated Water Drops”

Plumb

Filled with modern pop-rock melodies candy-coated in straightforward Christian lyrics, Plumb’s sophomore release, “Candy Coated Water Drops,” has given the band new recognition.

Plumb exploded onto the Christian music scene in 1997 with its self-titled release. Quickly selling over 100,000 copies, the album sported the No. 4 Christian rock single of the year, “Crazy.”

Fronted by lead vocalist Tiffany Arbuckle, “Candy Coated Water Drops” wastes no time establishing itself musically and lyrically.

Built on the foundation of Plumb’s edgy guitar and drum-filled rock, the album fumes with “Late Great Planet Earth.” The first single off the album, the song speaks of a generation losing its faith in the face of Y2K and bears remarkable resemblance to the “Armageddon” soundtrack.

The album takes a quick turn in “Stranded.” Deviating both lyrically and musically from the apocalyptic “Late Great Planet Earth,” “Stranded” emulates Plumb’s pop-rock energy from the band’s first album.

The album continues with one of the few ballads on the CD. Exploring the true meaning of fearing God, “Phobic” is a soft-spoken song with a straightforward message.

If I were leaving on a jet plane, I’d take “Candy Coated Water Drops” with me.

4 stars out of five

— Sam Johnson

“East Points Greatest Hits”

Cool Breeze

It’s tighter than a pair of Wranglers on a farmhand, though the album I’m talking about isn’t country music by any means.

Cool Breeze’s debut album, “East Points Greatest Hits,” has the flows. The Atlanta, Ga. rapper has a style that hasn’t been heard out of the South since the release of Master P’s “Ghetto Dope.”

Cool Breeze begins the mayhem with “Ghetto Camelot,” which shows from the start the man is going to stay true to his southern roots. The next track, “Watch For the Hook,” has been on the Rolling Stones Rap “Top 20” list for close to a month.

These two efforts set the pace for a landmark debut. The rest of the release follows with no two beats sounding even remotely the same. Along with the superb mixing is the outstanding quality of vocals and lyrics that Cool Breeze delivers.

“East Points Greatest Hits” is highlighted by “Cre-a-tine” and “We Get It Crunk.” Watch for these two songs to take the rap world by storm.

The album is unique in the way that it not only brings the pain, but it also includes relaxing music, such as “Hit Man.”

The only possible thing anyone could complain about is that Cool Breeze wasted time with two interludes instead of throwing in another track.

This is one of the greatest rap debuts ever.

5 stars out of five

— Brett Noble

“Don’t Haffi Dread”

Morgan Heritage

Nothing says, “Hey, spring is here, relax DAMMIT!” like the soothing sounds of reggae.

What is it about the syncopated beats, the horns, the bouncy, earthy feeling of a bassline that makes you want to kick off your shoes, suck a fat, chronic blunt and dance around like Bob Marley at Jimmy Cliff’s beach house in post-riot Kingston?

Morgan Heritage is picking up the gauntlet dropped by Marley — at least from the perspective of someone whose idea of good reggae is UB40 doing “Red, Red Wine.”

There are two things good reggae should inspire: lazy afternoons hanging out in the arboretum playing hacky sack, the desire to slip the cold bonds of Midwestern uptightness, and racial harmony.

OK, three things.

The tracks on “Don’t Haffi Dread” will satisfy the worldbeat monger inside of you. “Talkin’ Bout War” talks about war underneath steel drums and twangy guitars.

I couldn’t understand hardly any of the words because I am not Jamaican, but that doesn’t matter. Reggae is all about the chorus and the feeling you get spinning around in a dizzy, spliffed-out haze.

It’s not about your ability to create transcripts.

I am particularly fond of “Earthquake” because it is full of tough talk and says “Rasta mon” in the chorus. This gives you something to focus on when bobbing around like an islander.

While all the tracks are quite similar, none of them blow, and the album makes good party or background music. Nothing is going to stand out like Marley’s “Legend,” but if you need a fix, check it out. Irie.

I and I got to say keep the volume down or Babylon be all over your ass, mon.

3 stars out of five

— Greg Jerrett

“Magic Love Fountain”

Magic Love Fountain

Buy your bomb shelter quick, ’cause the corporate hippie people are going to take over.

Magic Love Fountain is a combination of hippie-rock, pop and the ever-present alternative ingredient. All these styles are mixed together and coined under the genre of “modern rock.”

Brad Stanfield (“The Magic”) plays guitars, piano and lead vocals; Pando (“The Love”) plays bass and vocals; and Matt Luneau (“The Fountain”) does his share of harm through the drums, percussion and vocals — basically, your regular rock ‘n’ roll set up.

It’s pretty easy to envision Modern Love Fountain’s birth. It probably involved a corporate bigwig trying to make some cash by throwing some pretty boys together and telling them to play power chords, wear patchouli oil and sing about pot.

The lyrics in the band’s self-titled release are exceptionally bland. There is no creativity or cleverness, especially in “High.” Stanfield sings, “I wanna get high/ Gonna touch the sky/ Never wanna die/ I just wanna get high.”

Come on — eighth graders rhyme like that.

Sincerity is lacking in Stanfield’s voice, too. When Stanfield is trying to sound dramatic, he ends up sounding more like a whiny bitch.

The sheer feeling of “fakeness” is omnipresent throughout the album. This band will probably rape the music industry with massive marketing ploys because there’s no way it can make it on its own.

But don’t take it from me — see for yourself at www.magiclovefountain.com.

I’m just glad I got to you before the hippie people did.

1 star out of five

— Abram Hardinge