and melodies are spread a little thin elsewhere, Lerche still has a convincing charm in his lighter, acoustic moments, as on the wistful, wounded “After All.” DOUGLAS WATERMAN

make homespun guitar pop that recalls the casual elegance of early R.E. M. But the real story of this breathtaking follow-up to 2005’s self-titled debut is Romeo Stodart’s transformation from merely a good songwriter to an outstanding one, with an effortless gift for piercing observations on affairs of the heart. (“‘Over’ is not a word that you know,” he sighs at one point). Less savvy bands should start covering his cunning tunes immediately. JON YOUNG

 

FROM LEFT: DAVID B. TORCH/COURTESY SPEAKEASY PR; COURTESY DEERHOOF

threw a party and his country’s
indie elite showed up? On
k-os’ third album, the MC
extends his rock side-trip
with singer/songwriter
Sam Roberts (2004’s Joyful
Rebellion), bringing in Roberts
and Broken Social Scene’s
Kevin Drew to support his
echoing vocals on “Valhalla,”
while Drew’s bandmate Justin
Peroff lays down staccato
beats. Death From Above
1979’s Sebastien Grainger
gives “Sunday Morning” a
jumpy drum line, and Buck 65
adds baritone rhymes to soul-
ful closer “Ballad of Noah.”
While Atlantis sacrifices some
of Rebellion’s gospel spirit, its
collaborations push boundar-
ies with eclectic nerve. ALYSSA
RASHBAUM

Lifetime
Lifetime
ITUNES MYSPACE
Hearts still on their sleeves,
mosh-pit masters return
More than ten years after
they made it okay for tough-
guy hardcore bands to write
teary-eyed choruses, these
New Jersey vets are back
with a collection of sensitive
yet brawny anthems that
might have been recorded
during their mid-’90s heyday.
Though singer Ari Katz frets
about feeling out of touch
with the kids on the rollick-
ing sing-along “Can’t Think
About It Now,” what this true-
to-form reunion disc really
proves is that, at least when
it comes to melodic punk
bands, the best comebacks
are continuations of the past.
TREVOR KELLEY

Stephen Marley
Mind Control

Sondre Lerche
Phantom Punch
ITUNES MYSPACE
Norwegian pop waif decides
to crank up his guitar
On the heels of last year’s The
Duper Sessions—his total
immersion in neo– Tin Pan
Alley craftiness—Lerche obvi-
ously wanted to loosen up
and rock a little. As evidence,
skip to the title track, a wry
Britpop jaunt with insistent
guitar slashes, and the furious
Green Day–by-way-of–Elvis
Costello churner “Face the
Blood” (“Didn’t ever think I’d
be sleeping with the sharks,”
he opines). Though the hooks

The Magic
Numbers
Those the Brokes
⁵
ITUNES MYSPACE
Brit siblings avoid sophomore
slump with dazzling tunes
This group’s two pairs of
unkempt brothers and sisters

ITUNES MYSPACE
Heir to reggae’s royal family
honors dad’s legacy
Mind Control is the solo
debut by this son of Bob,
but Stephen has done time
in older brother Ziggy’s
Melody Makers for years and
produced much of younger
brother Damian’s work,
including 2005’s international
hit Welcome to Jamrock.
Perhaps unsurprisingly,
Stephen’s music fits snugly
between that of his two
siblings: He kicks out dance-
hall-inflected reggae/hip-hop
jams, carefully balancing
political fire and an island-life
vibe. His ease with both
elements would make his
father proud. MIKAEL WOOD

The guys soften
you up, then
she delivers the
death blow.
Slap and Tickle
Noise-pop heartthrobs still spazzing out
Deerhoof
Friend Opportunity
⁵
ITUNES MYSPACE

(“Cast Off Crown”). And far-flung pocket symphonies like “Whither the Invisible Birds?” pay tribute to Brian Wilson.

Hella:
Gleefully
butchering
the Beatles

The Mooney Suzuki
Have Mercy
ITUNES MYSPACE
Played-out retro rockers lose
what’s left of their mojo
Hokey, jokey, and uninspired,
the Mooney Suzuki’s sputter-
ing latest gasp expels what
little remains of the New
Yorkers’ original garage-
band fervor, revealing soul-
free, thirdhand melodies
housed in songs that any
halfway decent bar band
would reject without a
second pass. The production
polish only highlights the
album’s weaknesses, which
include cringe-worthy lyrics,
massive clichés disguised as a
pseudo-ironic look at clichés
(“First Comes Love”), and a
six-minute boast- filled drug
goof (“Good Ol’ Alcohol”).
That the band’s goal—slickly
replicating killer ’60s pop
rock—is so obvious just
magnifies how short they
fall. JOSH MODELL

Lovable but high-mainte-nance, Deerhoof aren’t one of indie rock’s biggest crushes because they’re easy. John Dieterich’s guitars caterwaul, Satomi Matsuzaki’s melodies are more chanted than sung, and rivet-punching drummer Greg Saunier plays like Keith Moon on a Red Bull bender. And that’s just “The Perfect Me”—the careening album opener, which compresses everything great about these spazz cadets into two minutes and 40 seconds.

But with the helium-tinged Matsuzaki front and center, Deerhoof’s music remains deliciously skewed. An apparent new affinity for classic rock is even twisted to fit their sound: “Believe E. S. P.” comes powered by a slinky, Aerosmith strut and—wait for it—cowbell. And then there’s “Look Away,” an epic ¹²-minute closer that’s compelling and difficult, with Matsuzaki

Deerhoof aren’t
one of indie rock’s
biggest crushes
because they’re easy.

Friend Opportunity is Deerhoof’s eighth and most ambitious record, but it’s also their most familiar, with the band nodding toward contemporaries and past luminaries alike. Spot-the-influence obsessives will discern chunks of Stereolab (“+81,” “Choco Fight”) as well as bits of Built to Spill

cavorting like Robert Plant in the darkest depths of Mordor, chiming in amid smoked-up guitar wankery that’s both gorgeous and atonal.

A bit much? Well, sure.
But Deerhoof know that’s
what makes people fall in
love with them.

SHANNON ZIMMERMAN

 

W W W. SPIN.COM FEBRUARY^{2007 11}