Chick folk rockers Billi & Patti have all the angles covered. No one can misinterpret their songs. Not only do they sing crisply, but they include a four-letter word synopsis for each song in their press packet. Yeah, the album is called “Love and other four letter words,” but I could have guessed on the other ones myself. I rarely look at the press packet before I write a review because (I guess) I don’t want to be “tainted” by other people’s opinions, but the release was sitting on the top of a pile and it caught my attention by accident. My problem with most folk music is its lack of subtlety. If the reason for a song has to be spelled out, then the lyrics aren’t doing their job. So, you can imagine my disgust for having these four-lettered words spelled out for me. Now that I’ve gotten past that, let me say I think Billi and Patti B. have strong musical talents. The acoustic guitar and percussion is muted enough to allow their strong voices to carry the weight of the song, and their harmonies don’t sound forced. Those who love the Indigo Girls will find kindred spirits in Billi & Patti. Nevertheless, their ability to singing candidly about God opens their music to a whole other audience. [Vanessa Moore]

There are lessons in life, and one of them is not to expect much from a guy named “Corky.” Having learned that lesson in my youth, I was able to make it through Corky McClerkin’s CD, “Island of Dreams,” a full-blown exercise in tightly produced, skillful, smooth suburban jazz. For my tastes, yuck. There is an ethnic flavor to a couple of songs, I know this because there are some jungle sounds and one tune is titled “Africa.” But Toto had a song titled “Africa,” too—‘nuff said. All is not lost, though. When Corky and the band let loose on some straight-ahead, un-synthesized swingin’ jazz, he aint bad at all. More of that, and less of the other crap, please. (Mike Mitchelson)

According to the comment that accompanied this submission, Dusted Dons already sent us their new 12” for review, but apparently it hasn’t made it through the Demorama pipeline yet. Since this note made it to us via the Online Submission system and had all the appropriate info, this constitutes a submission too! (Yes, you can submit more than once, and many do.) Anyway, you ready? Here goes: Dusted Dons are a New York six-piece hip hop band. They sound good. Much to my relief, they don’t sound especially derivative either. While having obvious roots in the genre, they still seem to have a sound of their own. Best of all, their sound is thick with Energy and the feeling of sweaty urban clutter. I’ve heard a number of bands try for a dense sound like this, and just end up sounding incoherent. Dusted Dons made it work. I’m guessing this is exhausting stuff live. Dusted Dons also sport an imaginatively designed website, but be warned, it’s media intensive, so a broadband connection of some sort is a wicked good idea. Lyrics include some mature language (not necessarily swearing) so mind the kiddies. Or, if you like, let ‘em listen to it over and over. Your choice. Who am I to tell you what to do? Heck they probably hear worse on the bus to school. Now I wonder if anyone has taken that 12” yet? (Conrad Teves)

Gwen Jennier’s first album, “You’ve Got To Believe,” is an eclectic mix of spiritual songs based on her life’s experiences. Of particular importance to her is her interaction with nature and animals as part of God’s world. I can easily imagine the lyrics to several of these songs being turned into overhead projections for an entire congregation to sing in unison. It’s true that several tracks feel as if they were divinely inspired. Jennier shows an easy control over her lyrics and the music she has chosen to accompany them brings about the necessary tone. I especially like the fun 1950s ballad-style of “Angel of the Night,” and the thumping rock behind “The Vision,” as well as the deep-voiced backup singers, give the words a compelling gravity. Nevertheless, I can’t help but wish Jennier’s own voice was a little stronger. It’s sincere enough, but it’s missing a certain power. [Vanessa Moore]

I guess I have to give these guys grudging approval. So much of what I dislike of current "loud" music is here: pointless double-bass drum thrashing, cymbals pounded into submission, "harmonies" screamed rather than sung, forced angst. Yet I think if I liked type of music, I'd like this band. The playing's very good and the sound is excellent. These guys might have something going. (SCIsadore)

They play occasionally-Ocaseky thud-metal-girlpunk and they named themselves after the video game manufacturer that gave us NBA Jam. They had me at hello. Unfortunately this is 2004, where up and coming rock bands have to sound like smarmy toddlers with a day of the week in their name or 32nd-hand O.C. punkture-wound designer safety pin bullshit or, at best, incompetent versions of the Hives. In a world where Emperor Norton was a label that people still paid attention to and Bis has more legacy than just the Powerpuff Girls theme, Midway would be a buzz band, so let's pretend it's 1998 again and give them a big thumbs-up. They're a pretty versatile band; while they specialize in synth-twitter power-pop-punk, they have a few detours: "Connection" grumbles and slogs through doom-riff plunder before shifting drastically into Parisian vocoder electro-pop, and "Shadows" pictures Ladytron's aloof Euro-cool as Darkness-Cars camp fun. Lead singer Theresa is like a spunkier, chirpier Joan Jett, with simple sing-along lyrics about electricity and space stations that smack like bubble gum but last a lot longer. Big goofy fun. Top Honors. (Arturo Daytona)

PBtB covers alot of ground on this ep: From a kind of "beat/folk" like Jem to some Sinead/Merchant-type confessionals to some mild electronica. It has the kinds of things that would fit in well on The O.C. soundtrack. Hell, with all the styles, it could BE the soundtrack. Good sound, good effort! (SCIsadore)

I’ll be honest here. I took this CD from our trough here at Demorama headquarters because the cover art looked interesting. So was the title, “Rustic Living for Urbanites.” I, being an urbanite, found humor in that. But when I thumbed through Teo’s lyrics I began to get queasy, mostly because there are three songs with the name “Marianne” in them. The first track, “Arms of Marianne;” the sixth “Marianne Called;” and the last, “Hush Marianne.” I’m not one for melodrama. But the record hangs together pretty well. The music is easily the strongest element on the album, an odd blend of acoustic pop and traditional Asian sounds—the erhu or zhonghu (whatever it’s called) is woven in seamlessly. He’s doing some interesting things lyrically (when Marianne isn’t involved); his songs are basically free verse poetry set to music—timing and syllable counts more his game than rhyming and choruses. His voice has a gentle soulfulness, and the hint of his accent kind of gives it a scat-like quality. Teo, according to his press release, is a Malaysian sensation looking to bust out in the United States. Unfortunatey, he won’t bust out far—he’s got a brain. (Mike Mitchelson)

Prosper says "We like to Rock." Fair enough--it's just that somebody forgot the roll part. These four songs are so rhythmically stiff and plodding that these dudes sound like human popsicles. Overall, it's cookie-cutter pop-metal with some decent vocal work over lurching backing tracks; time to invest in a metronome, boys! (SCIsadore)

Splatter are a Vancouver based four piece who lay it down heavy. Dark, chugging, churning metal guitar work with a female-vocal frosting. It’s nice their samples include a cover song, since I find you can learn a lot about a bands’ sensibilities by listening to them interpret someone else’s material. Seems to me you can get an indication if a band is bound too closely to their influences, or they can own their own sound. In this case, there is speed-metal cover of Blondie’s “Call Me.” They make it theirs. They have that sort of high-energy high-volume sound that can make a dark smoky room seem even darker and smokier. Cool! (Conrad Teves)

It’s not that Stone Marmot’s lyrics rhyme “Alien Concubine” with “She’s so fine” that makes me cringe. Lots of songs with this kind of bouncy, sing-along-y feel often go for simple word and chord progressions. It’s not that I don’t like hearing about environmentalist posers or joining the Foreign Legion after a bad break-up. It’s just that when I listen to Stone Marmot’s “Babes of an Alien Persuasion,” I feel like I am back in junior high, giggling over the latest album by Weird Al Yankovic while hiding out in the back of the library. Those weren’t my best years. The CD cover of “Babes of an Alien Persuasion” advertises itself as a pop-rock alternative, and that is certainly true. If you loved Sharon Lois & Bram as a child, then Stone Marmot might fill an empty spot in your adult soul. The two groups appear to share a manic sort of quirkiness. The four-person band is creative and no subject appears to be taboo. In fact, they appear to enjoy pulling back the disguises people use in order to look cool. And, not to leave us exposed to public scrutiny without a moral to learn, in their song, “The Choice,” they say, “All of us see good and bad, pleasure and pain, happy and sad/ You can bask in the positive or dwell on the negative/The choice that you make, what you choose to be/ Determines your life and personality.” As for the music, it’s a bit repetitive within each song, but that seems to go with the territory. So, if you like this type of music, by all means, make a choice and choose Stone Marmot. [Vanessa Moore]

Ugh! This album is just plain wrong. The Bandages blow big time. There are no redeeming qualities to their generic rock. I didn’t hear anything in their songs that grabbed my attention. The structure of the songs on this album are incredibly basic and the vocals sound forced and artificial. They dedicate so much energy to singing in tune rather than really letting their voices loose. I don’t think a bandage could save these boys. (nmayerle)

There's probably a thousand bands in the Twin Cities alone that are mining this same vein-- 4 pc band with Lead Singer/Guitarist, Lead Guitar, Bass, Drums, playing what many refer to nowadays as "Replacements Rock." Funny, I hear Big Star. The Faces. Exile Stones. And The Kinks, especially in Aaron Pruitt's Ray Davies-esque plaintive delivery. Okay, maybe my touchstones are a bit more, er, uh, shall we say seasoned. But I really dig this disc. These guys have taken all of my personal fave rock elements and brewed them into a heady mix that delivers even after repeated listens. Good hooks that avoid dulling repetition. Brazen, unabashed emotion. Most noteworthy is the interplay between Pruitt's and Steve Dupuis' guitars. The dance and parrying between the two elevates the seemingly basic rhythms into a liquid lovecarpet of churning riffage and add9 jabs. Dupuis is no slouch in emotive guitar fills, and his tasty additions are perfectly placed. Drummer Brian Mondl and Bassist Jon Sawyer hold down the fort, natch, but their efforts are far beyond the typical 2/4 taptap-drone of many less experienced rhythm sections. Yeah, they can rock the house, but multidimensional dynamics seem to be what is driving this band van. Highest honors to one of the best discs I have reviewed this year! -Dylan Ritalyn

I’m partial to rockabilly for some reason, although I wouldn’t say these guys fit neatly into that category. They have a heavy surf-influence, and their versatility leads them through other genres. But they maintain that retro sound. And I hate the term retro, because it’s a hip term, and I hate hip. Let’s just say these guys understand their influences from 40-plus years ago, and they deliver original music that doesn’t sound like they’re just trying to be cool. Bands like The Silvermen should ultimately be judged live; there’s a certain energy with rockabilly—and honkeytonk— that doesn’t get transferred through the magic of recording devices. But the CD succeeds where it should—I now want to see them play. (Mike Mitchelson)

I hate to foretell doom, but sometimes, it just can’t be avoided. “Nothing Like Our Picture,” by the Minnesota-based band Thinmen, is boring. They are never going to amount to much more than a decent bar band if they don’t act on the advice that they seem to try to give themselves in their songs. I like their voices. I even like their music, but if I were to hear it on the radio, I’d change the channel. Thinmen has taken the path of least resistance, but I get the feeling David Alstead, Will Jacobsen and Doug Christianson are aware of this. The lyrics of their opening song, “Free Yourself,” spell it out completely: “‘Sing if you can’t scream,’ he said. . . ./The longer you wait, the closer you come to becoming what you despise, so free yourself now!” Yes, do. They know what sounds good. Alstead’s voice is unique enough to be stretched, so please experiment. Take the music to another level. That does not mean to say I’m asking for the Thinmen to rock harder, if that’s not where the experiments take them. On the contrary, the most heartrendingly beautiful song I’ve heard in a while is “Colorblind (Can We Survive?).” The pianos rippling through the hand drums create a luxurious backdrop to Alstead’s soaring lyrics. The band should take their cues from the artists they cover on the album, like Peter Gabriel. He didn’t get where he is now by toeing the line. Thinmen has got to do something different. Otherwise, they will always be what their song “Vanilla” says they fear: being plain, unsexy and full of self-loathing. [Vanessa Moore]

Okay, I don’t have to do this review since the submission had a Demorama Submission Rules Violation. For the record, you have to have at least three FULL-LENGTH songs for us to review. This is clearly stated in the form. I will however review it anyway, since I haven’t seen as pronounced a set of misplaced priorities in an artist’s website in pretty much forever. Consider the above website as an object lesson in what not to do. Most importantly, I will address the lack of proper music samples. It is nearly impossible to get any sort real feeling for what an artist is like on a 30 second (or less) snippet. For chrissakes, the RAMP on many songs is longer than that. A more useful way of “safely” providing samples is by providing somewhat lower-resolution samples. However, even that is probably unnecessary for an unsigned act since by the time an artist/band/whatever actually gets anywhere, those songs will have long been removed from their set-lists for no other reason than they are tired of doing them, and they will hopefully have advanced on to much better material. Don’t be afraid to give people a listen! It helps get the word out! The above noted website spends a great deal of bandwidth, not on music, but on slideshows of no less than 46 glamour shots of Ms Moza. This is doubtless to back up the amount of print space given to describe how hot she is. Read her bio. Seriously, hit the link above right now and read her bio and come back. Now do the same for the “Stats” page. Got it? Welcome back. You can stop laughing now. Apart from her measurements (on the site TWICE), shoe size (!) and her personal pertness, fashion preferences and dimensional constraints, what do you really know about her music? Not very damn much thank you, and you certainly aren’t going to learn much more from the sparse samples provided. So what’d I think of the music—what there was of it? It struck me as somewhere between Aqua and Stacy Q. Such that I could tell. Her website calls her a “complete commercial package.” No doubt someone is swinging for the fences here, but without some music to back that claim up, how we gonna know it isn’t just hype? (Conrad Teves)