Lamb of God - Sacrament (death): Finally, something new on the list, right? Yup, the brand-spankin’ new album from Lamb of God. Even though Lamb of God is one of my favorites metal bands these days (meriting inclusion in the Soundtrack to the Apocalypse), I’m a little ashamed to admit that I drove to BestBuy to pick this album up on my lunch hour on the day it came out. I felt so nerdy, but I it was one of those few times that I found it justifiably necessary. For those unfamiliar with Lamb of God, their vocals are almost death metal like, backed with some incredibly technical metal. This new album is no exception. The metal is exceptional, and the vocals are screamingly sharp. For current Lamb of God fans, I’d say that this album is definitely worth picking up, but for those who might be considering this as their first foray into Lamb of God, I think I might recommend “New American Gospel” or possibly “As the Palaces Burn” first. B+

Louis Prima - Breaking It Up (lounge): This is a collection of mono recordings done for Columbia from 1951 to 1953. During this time, Prima was at the tail end of a roller coaster career as a big band leader, but had yet to meet up with Sam Butera to put together the Vegas Swing sound that he is famous for. This record was produced by Mitch Miller, so although the songs are distinctly Prima novelty numbers, they are backed with music is squeaky clean big band. The songs are still fun, but because Miller’s style barely lends itself to Prima’s, those familiar with the later Prima/Butera pre-rock n’ roll Vegas sound notice that something is not quite right. This is very plain during a sing-a-long (with Mitch?) version of “Oh Marie” which can’t hold a candle to his later swing version. Also, the energy doesn’t seem to be as high as it would be in Prima’s Vegas years, which could be pinned on Miller’s style, but it could just as easily have been a result of Prima drowning in gambling debt and alimony payments at the time. Bottom line is, the recording is fun, but it’s in mono and it’s not really the Prima sound that most people are used to. If you already have the Capitol Collectors Series Louis Prima disc and you are looking for more, then this might be a fun addition to your collection. If you don’t have the Capitol disc, I would recommend picking up that disc first. B

Wes Montgomery - Ultimate Wes Montgomery (jazz): This is a Verve collection of guitar jazz, which can be the smoothest or the cheesiest kind of jazz depending on your point of view. Personally, my viewpoint changes each time I hear it. In either case, though, it’s tough to go wrong with these Verve collections. There is nothing bad on here (well, maybe Tequila could’ve been left out) and the material is pleasant to listen to, but it’s essentially a series of jazz guitar versions of old pop standards (Caravan, People, Baby It’s Cold Outside, etc.). When we mix standards with Montgomery’s style of finger-picking (which tends to give the guitar a more mellow, blunt sound), we end up with what is essentially the comfort food of jazz. It’s good, and you feel good after digesting it, but it’s nothing that you’re going to write a lengthy review about. B

Mastodon - Leviathan (metal): I have a hard time describing Mastodon. It’s not quite mathcore, it’s not quite stoner metal, but it’s not plain old metal, either. I think it sits heavily somewhere in between all three, and although disc chock full of detuned riffs from the start, I find myself trying to make myself enjoy it rather than actually enjoying it. It’s as if Mastodon is something that I should like, and I just can’t accept the reality that I don’t. I really have to be in the mood for it or I’ll spend a lot of time on the skip button. C-

Mr. Bungle - self titled (experiMENTAL): Mr. Bungle was an experimental music project from Mike Patton (Faith No More) that combined various musical styles (jazz, rock, funk, noise, hiphop, circus) in rapid succession into single songs. Even though the songs come across as mental, you can tell that they are actually written intentionally rather than thrown together. A coworker best described their style as “microcompositional.” Although I learned to enjoy one of their later albums, California, I have to say that I have never liked this album. When this album first came out, I fuckin’ hated it. Now, I hate it. Sure, I can appreciate the microcompositional angle of it, but its reliance on 90’s funk/chorus guitar (think red hot chili peppers) drives me batshit crazy. Every time I put in the player, I inevitably say “Life is too short to listen to this shit,” before shutting it off. D (I gave it an upgrade from F just purely on style)

My Dying Bride - Songs of Darkness, Words of Light (doom): You know when you pick up an album and you think you know what it is, but when you get it home you realize you were way, way off? Yea, that’s what I did with this one. I thought I knew it, and when I saw that it mentioned Doom and Kerraang! on the cover it only bolstered my misconception. There are tons of different types of doom metal, which I didn’t think of when I bought this album. I just assumed it was sludge/stoner doom, which it is certainly not. Sure it’s low and slow, but the vocals are comically sad. This is doom for your little brother who wears big black pants, draws on his face with eyeliner, and hangs around with that fat girl with the black lipstick. I guess it’s critically acclaimed, but then again, so is Liberace. This is going into the lala pile. F

Ok Go - Oh No (indie rock): If it wasn’t for the dancing on treadmills video, I don’t think I would’ve ever thought to pick this one up, but I’m sure glad I did. Before I continue, I should share my feelings on the 80’s: If someone with a time machine took the entire 80’s and shoved it straight up their ass, I wouldn’t shed a single tear. Sure, I would lose a lot of metal and hardcore, but it would be worth it to never have heard a single note of shitty pop/rock bands like Duran Duran or Bob Geldof. And having an entire decade lodged up someone’s ass would put an end to any plans for any subsequent revivals later on. That said, in all honesty, OK Go is a catchy, 80’s revival, pop-rock outfit aimed at kids who are half my age. Those kids don’t remember the way the Kinks sounded towards the end of their career, but Ok Go seems to remember just fine, because they take that sound and turn it into something that I actually like. They take straight rock guitar and pop vocals and roll them in with straight 4/4 rock drums (with cowbell!) and a semi-punchy bass to form catchy songs that I can’t help liking. B+

Rise Against - The Sufferer and the Witness (punk-pop):This is the 4th album from Rise Against, who even though they are from Chicago, I had previously extolled as carrying the torch of the FatWreck SF Punk sound that I like so much. I was excited enough about this release to pick it up the week it was released, and I have to say that the fist track started out nice and strong. From the second track on, though, it started sounding like the goal of every song was to feature a clip that you’d see on a 30 second commercial for Sam Goody. I know that this was the first album released since their transition to Geffen Records, which is an abysmal hole of aging and/or crappy pop stars, but I don’t think the label can take the full brunt of the nose dive in creativity that this album represents. Sure, the production value rivals label mates like Ashlee Simpson, but if the material is starting to sound like it’s coming from the same vein and targeting the same audience, who the hell cares? The older albums were $10 production on million dollar songs, and this is just the opposite. Man, this was a disappointment. C-