Shotgun CD reviews are short reviews on CDs that you can usually pick up for $10 or less. For further explanation, check the FAQ

Tipsy – Trip Tease (dj): Trip Tease is an oddity by a San Francisco DJ outfit that uses space age pop as a basis for their samples. It seems like a novel concept, but when it was released in 1996, there were a fair number of people doing exactly the same thing because of an easy listening and lounge revival. The only other album I can remember in this style from the time was an album called Sacrebleu by Dimitri From Paris, which I. Fucking. Hated. That album shut me off from the style because it wasn’t done right. This one is. If you were ever into space age pop, it’s pretty cool to hear all the different samples mixed together coherently. If you weren’t ever into space age pop, it may not hold the same interest without the mental gymnastics of trying to recognize the samples as they swim by. Is it an interesting oddity to have in your collection? Yes, definitely. Would you take it to a desert island with you if you could only take 25 albums? Probably not, but it’s put together really well for both turntablist and space age pop fans who are looking for something a little different. B

Antonio Carlos Jobim – Wave (bossa nova): You may not recognize Jobim by name, but almost everyone is familiar with a little bossa nova tune called “The Girl From Ipanema” that took the world by storm when Stan Getz and Astrud Gilberto recorded it on their album Getz/Gilberto in 1964. Jobim not only wrote the music for that tune, but he’s credited with writing most of the songs on that album. Jobim was a native of Rio de Janeiro and the sleepy, smooth sounds of bossa nova were his playground. For many, Wave might remind you of being trapped in an elevator in 1967, but to me, it’s an awesomely relaxing ride that transports me to a place where I’m smoking a pipe and looking out over the city from behind the plate glass of my wall-sized picture window. With one hand in the pocket of my smoking jacket, I wonder who the beautiful woman is swimming downstairs in my pool, but I can’t be bothered to investigate because women like that tend to only lead to more questions… B+

Jimmy Smith & Wes Montgomery – The Dynamic Duo (jazz): Jimmy Smith was a blistering Hammond organ player and Wes Mongomery was at the top of the jazz guitar pile, so when you slam two major masters into an album like this, it really lives up to its title. The two musicians blend organ and guitar solos so skillfully that even though they are on fire at times, they never seem to be competing. When one comes forward to solo, the other hangs back to provide a solid, but non-distracting backup. Then, they reverse roles. I don’t think that there’s anything extraordinary about this album, but it’s so solid that I always find myself tapping my foot along to such an enjoyable ride. The album includes a version of “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” that has become one of my favorite versions of the song, even though I don’t feel that there’s anything particularly extraordinary about it. There’s nothing extraordinary about a peanut butter cup either, but I really enjoy those things. This is solid jazz from two jazz greats who work really well together. B

Fu Manchu – In Search Of… (stoner): I feel funny reviewing this because it’s merely a replacement for an album I lost a few years back, but why not? Fu Manchu are the kings of stoner rock. That’s a fact. Released way back in 1996, this was the Fu’s third full album and the last to feature Eddie Glass (guitar) and Reuben Romano (drums) before they left the band to form the stoner trio, Nebula. Romano would be replaced on later albums with ex-Kyuss drummer, Brant Bjork, which didn’t make a big difference, but the loss of Glass subtly changed the band. Fu Manchu has a fuzz-laden, cowbell banging, riff-driven stoner sound that is hard to match, but Glass had more fuzz per ounce than you’ll find on subsequent Fu Manchu releases. This is a long ride in an orange piece of American muscle with a Hurst shifter and fat ass tires in the back. It’s also one of those core stoner albums that you have to own. A

Casey Jones – The Messenger (hardcore): A couple of years ago, I picked up Casey Jones’s The Few The Proud, The Crucial and ended up really liking it thanks to the old school, mix-tape way that they interspersed sound clips from TV and movies with new hardcore-ish style straight edge metal. The Messenger certainly shows the band has grown up, but I think that might be the problem. The immaturity was what set them apart, and when you take that out and clean up the recording, you end up with a strait edge clone of Rise Against. While I can appreciate the straight edge angle, I couldn’t really get into this album. There’s nothing really wrong with it, but there’s nothing really memorable about it, either. Most times, I pass right over it in favor of something less formulaic. C+

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