A Sonic Deterrent/MOZ
split
Watch for review in a future posting. -- Bryan Baker,

A Sonic Deterrent/Vita-Verbum-Lux
Spit 7-inch
Watch for review in a future posting. -- Bryan Baker,

Activity Set
Drift
The running time of the 8 selection "Drift" is 34:30 minutes. The set-up is typical rock (guitar, bass, drums, vocals), but John Lisiecki (Activity Set) has developed a nice sound that is acoustic guitar at it's base only to flower into electric guitar dirges. The songwriting is, also, solid. His sound is somewhat similar to that of a singer/songwriter "shoegazer" filtered through 70's art-house. The recording of the disc is, at least, "mid-fi" (as John states in the sleeve) with the exception of the vocals (which are a little on the rough side. Which, I'm sure, is what was intended, but they could have maybe been better served in a slicker form). "drift", "on this very night" and "misspelled your name" stand-out as very high quality tracks. Those interested in singer/songwriter's will be quite pleased after hearing "Drift". -- Michael Breece, 729930

Alan Stivell
Brian Boru
Watch for review in a future posting. -- Takeo Kellar,

Allan Soberman
Hold Tight
The first thing that strikes me about this new album from Allan Soberman is the rich vocal harmonies, masterfully interwoven throughout each of the songs and performed entirely by Soberman. The vocal arrangements have a certain Beach Boy influence, to be sure, but there's a unique combination of choral and other elements that give these songs a unique stamp. Soberman is deft at exploring adult themes, like love slowly fading or how divorce effects children. Soberman is able to show us unique perspectives from the hearts of different characters who may all be just like us sometimes. Songs like "One Day at a Time" and "Parents Like Us" illustrate difficult emotions and choices we're sometimes forced to confront as time finds us coping with our past in the present and moving forward the best we can. Soberman reaches deep into his catalogue here -- many songs date back to the early and mid 80's, and I would say fans of 80's pop music such as Air Supply, Dan Hill, etc., will find much to like about Soberman's crafty and intelligent music. -- Bryan Baker, 733958

amilia k spicer
Like An Engine
Watch for review in a future posting. -- Bryan Baker,

Anthony Rain Starez
Under No Flag
Watch for review in a future posting. -- Bryan Baker,

Art Paul Schlosser
Your Empty Inside
Watch for review in a future posting. -- Bryan Baker,

Art Paul Schlosser
I Want To Be Madonna & Greene Plus 41 Other Songs & Jokes
Schlosser sings his songs with guitar and kazoo on the streets of Madison and people walk by him just like other street artists; but this guy has some great tapes and CDs out and I think everyone should own at least one or two. This silly, sometimes stream of consciousness by someone who has a definitely unique take on life. And even though this is not Schlosser's best work, it's still a must-have 'cos who else can play the blues on kazoo? (Really). -- Bryan Baker, 728020

Art Simon
Watch for review in a future posting. -- Bryan Baker,

Brigitte Secard
Watch for review in a future posting. -- Bryan Baker,

Carter Scholz
8 pieces
Watch for review in a future posting. -- Bryan Baker,

Chris Sizemore
free sound
Sizemore self-financed the making of a thousand copies of this tape of found sound collage pieces, each with a sort of theme and has been handing them out to anyone who'll listen. Limited edition, full-color printed cover conveys an anti-media message and much of the tape inside expounds on that as well Ñ a common take for collage artists. Some of the pieces tend to go a little too long, yet still manage to maintain focus. Highlights include a piece which collects various classic guitar riffs and couples them sexual juxtaposition. -- Bryan Baker, 728126

Chris Spheeris
Eros
Soulful and beautifully played instruments with a world beat jazzy feel. The nylon string guitar is the primary sound on this disc, backed by a variety of percussion sounds, a little accordian here and there, sparse keyboards and synth. It's perfect sunny day music. I felt like I was in some sort of exotic foreign film while listening, or at least somewhere more exotic than the front porch. It's gentle music, extremely melodic and well played. If you can't afford a vacation at the moment, might want to pop this disc in and drift away on the sounds. -- Kevin Slick, 729886

Clive Smith
Clever Animals
Nostalga seems to run in twenty year cycles, in the 1970's there was a rush of interest in the 1950's music scene. Here in the end of the '90's there seems to be a huge amount of releases in the indie scene that draw inspiration from the 1970's progressive rock world. Clive Smith must have listened to a fair amount of Peter Gabriel, or perhaps the more pop oriented sounds of ELO or Kansas. Of course it's not all retro, there's a contemporary feel as well. Maybe after chucking all the mystical lyrics out the window in the last decade we're ready once again to dwell on deeper lyrics and listen to more pointed messages like " Nobody can think for you". To his credit, Smith does this sort of music well. The playing is well done, the strings come in at all the right places. The guitar work is nice, not over played at all. There are some beautiful moments here. In fact it would sound quite at home amongst those artists previously mentioned, and that's nothing to sneeze at now is it? -- Kevin Slick, 729875