Sound Bites

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B>Drill Team
Hope and Dream Explosion
(Reprise)
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By far, the best thing about Drill Team, an L.A.-based alternarock quartet, is the name of drummer -- Apollo Strange.
Drill Team's first album, Hope and Dream Explosion, reflects the recent trend of record companies signing any semi-skilled group in the hope that it will pay great dividends over the long run, although these groups' first few albums are terrible.
Drill Team's fundamental problems lie in its inability to write more than one riff that can sustain a song, so the result is that every song sounds almost exactly the same. Some groups have a distinctive sound, but Drill Team takes this concept too far. Another major fault inherent within Drill Team's songs are their simplicity and the group's unwillingness to take musical risks on tracks like "Bumble Bee" and "Stars Fly." Singer Jeff Watson's vocals are mediocre and often obscured by the simplistic guitar work.
Perhaps a little more seasoning will do the members of Drill Team some good -- allow them to learn how to play their instruments, write better songs and play a few more gigs. Maybe they will be worth listening to in three to five years.

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--Mike Dutra / Staff Writer
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B>Mystery Machine
Headfirst Into Everything
(Network Records)
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Mystery Machine's newest effort, Headfirst Into Everything, is not an album of songs that will be on heavy rotation on any radio station, and the songs aren't for everyone.
The album is like the quiet girl or guy in the back of the classroom: intense, intellectual and almost frighteningly truthful. The members of Mystery Machine understand what makes people tick and what makes people do stupid things, and they aren't afraid to let their listeners know.
Headfirst is a candid and occasionally jarring look at the different addictions that plague people, surrounded by a wall of lush guitar sounds. Profound passion taken to the limits of human emotion are expressed in this album, the culmination of two solid years of work by this quartet.
Really the only complaint about the album is that the melodies are not exactly notable or interesting. The atmospheric guitar sounds are unwavering in their concentrated focus as well as in their repetition. It is really only when songs have interesting innovations on keyboards and trumpet (guest Phil Comparelli from 54.40) that they deviate from the formula of a great spoken-word performance accompanied by some guitars.
Headfirst shows a great deal of work, but next time, the group should put just as much time into its melodies as it does into the deep lyrics.
-- Claire Luna / Staff Writer
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B>Various Artists
We are not Devo:
A Tribute to Devo
(Centipede Records)
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The New Wave energy band of the late `70s and `80s, Devo never really received the admiration it rightfully deserved -- or so these 13 mostly southern California bands think. Jim Goodwin, founder of the label Centipede Records, was inspired to produce and record this compilation. Goodwin gathered up some of the bands he previously produced, such as Face to Face and the Aquabats, to create A Tribute to Devo.
Included on the compilation are 13 songs taken from five Devo albums. Each cover incorporates some of the popular punk and ska sounds of today. The Voodoo Glow Skulls remake "Time Out For Fun" from the album Oh, No! It's Devo adds the unmistakable ska sound of today to Devo's obviously `80s noise.
Although the talented bands of today attempted to bring Devo back into the world of music, none of these bands really do anything exciting or new to update the songs.
Face to Face covers "Whip It" from Freedom of Choice, which gave Devo its claim to fame; however, Face to Face's rendition of this song sounds almost identical to the original. Basically, if you didn't enjoy Devo the first time around, you aren't going to start now.
-- Jill Tierney/Staff Writer
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B>China Drum
Self-Made Maniac
(Beggars Banquet/Mantra Records)
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Gavin Rossdale only wishes he could sound like Adam Lee of China Drum.
Though Bush and Lee's group have been likened to each other in the press, the only thing they have in common is that they are British. China Drum's infectious melodies on Self-Made Maniac take the group into a league of their own in the power-pop world.
Practically every song on the album is a catchy, radio-friendly tune, inviting comparisons to Tool on uppers with the group's sometimes industrial feel. China Drum sounds like a punk group all grown up -- the guitars and drums are still loud and harsh, but the melodies and lyrics are, deservedly, discernible.
Certain riffs sound like they have been lifted straight from songs by The Police. It sounds weird, but it works, breaking up the frenetic energy of the high-powered tunes. The technique allows one to understand the potent lyrics and shout along with singer Lee's strong vocals when the choruses begin again.
Self-Made Maniac is full of refreshingly original songs that should have a diverse appeal. The tunes are short and complex, packing a powerful punkish punch. China Drum's talent has been well-honed during the past decade, and its new album is a strong testament to the group's abilities.
-- Claire Luna/Staff Writer
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>The Bogmen
Closed Captioned Radio
(Arista)
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It is almost impossible to classify the Bogmen's sophomore album, Closed Captioned Radio, as anything other than satanic lounge music. The New York quartet incongruously combines relaxing tunes, vocal harmonies and mellotrons with lyrics about cannibal cockroaches, drinking blood, castration and bondage.
The Bogmen's lead singer, Bill Campion, who goes by the moniker Vic Thrill, has a raspy, lulling voice that contrasts with the Beach Boys-esque harmonies of keyboardist Brendan Ryan and drummer P. J. O'Connor.
Closed Captioned Radio contains a multitude of different sounds from African tribal drumbeats of "Every Man is an Orphan" to the trumpet solos on "Mexico," but they fail to coalesce into compelling songs and are more or less only novelties. Although each song is unique, the album is generally underwhelming as a result of poor songwriting and too much experimentation.
The Bogmen's talents are obvious, but almost every song has problems, from simplistic melodies to shoddy production. It is almost as if the Bogmen became too wrapped up in nifty effects and dark lyrics and neglected the most basic aspects of songwriting.
Closed Captioned Radio's finest moment is the bonus track -- an awesome version of the 1950's song "You are My Destiny," complete with a backing chorus and saxophone.
-- Mike Dutra / Staff Writer