REVIEW: Man Man "Six Demon Bag"

Rating: 8.5

If The Decemberists are carrying the standard for literate chamber pop full of tragic Dickensian characters and anachronistic instrumentation then Man Man are those tragic Dickensian characters playing shirtless and toothless in the alley, banging on soup pots to the delight of harlots, urchins and art house rock fans everywhere.  Six Demon Bag is full of odd-ball sea shanties, guttural grinds and drunken dirges - it is relentless, inventive, inclusive, original and filthy feeling fun.  Think Liars interpreting Oliver Twist at the Moulin Rouge.

REVIEW: Rye Coalition "Curses"

Rating: 6.5

Dave Grohl is a magician.  Seriously, if he rubs any cd with the shirt he is wearing it will play KISS Destroyer from then on.

Rye Coaltion has played Fugazi-esque Math Punk meets AC/DC Guitar Stomp for ten years and four LPs, and played it pretty well.  On Curses the band falls under Grohl's production spell, tightening rhythms and racing them to the brink, doubling guitars and harmonizing shredded vocals.  Where previous Coaltion material sounded gutsy, loud, and raw Curses sounds gutsy, loud, and polished to a woozy custom bass-boat glitter.  It's a bigger, sexier sound, and it's a lot of fun, but like the acid washed jeans it came in, it wears thin.

"Clutch the Pearls" is a blatent '80s era Van Halen rip-off that manages to both revere and ridicule Eddie and co., and the album openers "Pussyfootin" and "Burn the Masters" offer real highlights for those about to rock.   In the end it's metal-lite guitar worship that seems to prove, more than anything, that Dave Grohl is on a crusade to make Rrrock bands of us all.