$5 Review

Beth Gibbons & Rustin Man – Out of Season
Beth Gibbons, better known for her vocal work with the group Portishead, delivers a solo album that most aging hip starlets could only dream of. The disc favors acoustic guitar in most places, with softly-colored accompaniment weaving in and out of the album’s eleven tracks. Gibbons’ voice is the unmistakable centerpiece of the ensemble: cracked, delicate, yet graceful, she achieves the tempting forlorn lushness of a Nick Drake with the sentimentalism of a has-been star.

The Broke Revue – Oldtime-Futureshock – Milou Studios
The Broke Revue, fronted by the insanely fanatic Dan Melchior, ravishes us once again with no-nonsense rock and roll. Melchior’s wonderfully grainy voice snarls and coaxes, splattering bits of emotion and reckless abandon throughout the tight three-minute tracks, sans adornments or loose ends. Hints of surf and swing in the guitar riffs are demolished by the insistent blues patterns in the chord progressions. Melchior covers blues legends Skip James and RL Burnside, but from the first guitar chord the stage is his, and the experience is enthralling and fun.

Neurosis & Jarboe – Neurosis & Jarboe - Neurot Recordings
From Neurosis’ own record label rises the tale of a machine, a tale of darkness and wicked solace. With obvious gothic overtones and a compelling switch-off between grinding industrial stomps and swaying impressionistic ballads, Neurosis rolls out the red (dark red!) carpet, allowing the seductive Jarboe to loll about and hypnotize us with her soporific despair. The production goes over the top in spots, such as the straight-faced reading of the Hail Mary a la Stigmata, but these moments don’t drive the album. They are ultimately eclipsed by Neurosis’ stirring sense of rhythmic development and unbridled exploration of the music’s darker side.