Thursday, October 26th, 2006

Time	Event
9:06a	Pat Todd & the Rankoutsiders - The Outskirts of Your Heart PAT TODD & THE RANKOUTSIDERS The Outskirts of Your Heart (Rankoutsider) Pat Todd used to lead the justifiably legendary Lazy Cowgirls, the Indiana-to-L.A. punk rock band that mixed American roots music with the Ramones and the Clash better than, well, anybody. After a couple of decades, the Cowgirls split up right after releasing their greatest album (2003’s I’m Goin’ Out and Get Hurt Tonight); Todd decided to keep on keepin’ on with the same sound and a new band called the Rankoutsiders. He stockpiled a lot of material in the intervening years, all of which finds a home on the The Outskirts of Your Heart. Twenty-seven new songs spread over two disks seems like a lot for your average listener to take. But Todd and the Rankoutsiders make it easy, simply by virtue of their talent. An engaging and heartfelt singer and songwriter, Todd’s creative consistency is amazing—he mines anger, sadness, disgust, loneliness, disappointment and defiance better than just about anybody working right now. And the Rankoutsiders—part Chuck Berry, part Hank Williams, part Rolling Stones, part Johnny Thunders—are the perfect vehicle to bring his visions to life, rocking like raging fury one minute and swaying like an Indian summer breeze the next. The group shifts gears between acoustic roots rock (“Kendall County Blues,” “Now That the Sinnin’ is Over,” “It Was a Stupid Dream Anyway”) and rollicking cowpunk (“You Can Yearn Right On,” “Is My Last Chance Gone,” “Just Another Stupid Guy”) so smoothly there’s not an iota of cognitive dissonance, and there’s not a bad cut on either disk. Not only is The Outskirts of Your Heart one of the best rock & roll records this year, but it’s one of the greatest of the decade. Michael Toland (Comment on this)
11:14a	Khlyst - Chaos is My Name KHLYST Chaos is My Name (Hydra Head) As avatar of and/or co-conspirator of Old, Atomsmasher, Shadowcast, Flux and Khanate, James Plotkin has had a long and prolific career making as unpleasant a noise as possible. His latest project Khlyst pulls together all his various strands into one big glob of putrescent audio snot entitled Chaos is My Name. Blackened ambient textures meet free jazz drumming under artcore guitar stabbings and virulent vocal violence. The Roman numeraled tracks veer from merely unsettling to aggressively irritating and back again, channeling the kind of nightmares one might have after mixing bad acid and worse Mexican food. It’s unlikely anyone without masochistic tendencies would put Chaos is My Name into regular rotation, but it’s a reminder that not all art has to be accessible. If you want to have your head blown apart and stitched back together with rusty sutures, Khlyst is already wearing the bloody smock. Michael Toland (Comment on this)
11:43a	The Pernice Brothers - Live a Little THE PERNICE BROTHERS Live a Little (Ashmont) Joe Pernice and his crew have settled into a fairly comfortable groove after six albums, and Live a Little doesn’t stray from it. Of course, when you’re as good at melancholy folk pop as Pernice is, you don’t need to give yourself a makeover every time you do an album. The guitars are a bit louder from time to time, but otherwise the latest Pernice record features the usual lush pop gems, like “PCH One,” “Somerville” and a remake of the Scud Mountain Boys’ “Grudge Fuck.” If you’re already a fan, this is another chapter in a compelling book. If you’re a new fan, this is as good a place to start as any. Michael Toland (Comment on this)
4:52p	Steve Almaas & Ali Smith - You Showed Me STEVE ALMAAS & ALI SMITH You Showed Me (Parasol) It’s taken a while for Steve Almaas and Ali Smith to follow up their self-titled duet album from 2002, but You Showed Me is worth the wait. Beautifully produced by ex-Gunbunnies/Skeleton Key guitarist Chris Maxwell and mixed by Mitch Easter, the record is practically a primer on the creation of tasteful folk/country/rock/pop. The duo and their backing musos sound great on Almaas’ “Thy Will Be Done,” “I Don’t Like to Be Alone” and “#7,” as well as the Byrds’ opening title track. Smith steals the show, however, on an absolutely gorgeous take on Brian Wilson’s “The Lonely Sea”—her vocal performance transforms the melancholy beauty from an obscure Beach Boys track to a future torch standard. You Showed Me is as clean and sweet as it comes. Michael Toland (Comment on this)

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