More Music

• Cowboy Junkies revisit, re-record 'The Trinity Session'
• Review: 3D effects flesh out U2
• CD reviews: Jet Lag Gemini; RTX; Metro Station; We the Kings

MOST RECENT TRIB STORIES

• ABQTrib.com to remain available
  08:48 a.m., February 25, 2008
• Congressman is indicted
  08:37 a.m., February 23, 2008
• Series of attacks target Green Zone
  08:36 a.m., February 23, 2008
• Iran is defying U.N., agency says
  08:35 a.m., February 23, 2008
• Waterboarding approval probed
  08:34 a.m., February 23, 2008

TRIB IN THE BLOGOSPHERE*

• Ty Murray Invitational thrills fans in Albuquerque
• Is Rome Burning?
• Ominous Skies
• The Road to Invalidation
• Albuquerque company participates in “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition”

*Note: The Tribune does not create and is not responsible for the blogosphere's headlines and stories. These links to blogs talking about ABQTrib.com are automatically generated. Use them at your own risk.

STORY TOOLS

• E-mail story
• Comments
• iPod friendly
• Printer friendly

SHARE THIS STORY [?]

Mates of State, "Bring It Back" (Barsuk Records)

With the female-male vocal interplay, intimate details and sexual tension going on throughout this disc, you'd be forgiven if you didn't know this husband-and-wife drums-and-keys duo have been married for five years. Fortunately for us and them, the torch still burns brightly. The music on their fourth LP is organ-driven with a steady, evolving backbeat, yet it is more complex from previous efforts thanks to multilayering, overdubbing and sonic experimentation.

"Think Long" is indie dream pop where the song title chorus devolves into "dink dong" (believe me, it works beautifully). "Fraud in the Õ80s" is power pop a la the Go-Go's and other girl bands of their ilk. The song ends with the line: "You could surely try to be more alive!" But judging from the overall contents of this disc, these mates would be hard-pressed to be more so. A piano drives "Like U Crazy" to Õ50s girl group doo-wop heaven. These songs are hook-laden with catchy melodies.

One of the great things to be said about age is that it gives you life experience, and these guys take full advantage of it. Instead of wailing about teen angst, they (mostly) deal with grown-ups' issues, among them having a 1-year-old daughter. These quandaries include making love last in a long-term relationship ("Beautiful Dreamer"), rediscovering the spark ("For the Actor") or just taking stock ("So Many Ways").

This is a joyous celebration of Kori Gardner and Jason Hammel's love, and that love comes forth on every note and in every lyric.

Come share the love with the Mates of State at 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Launchpad, 618 Central Ave. S.W. Asobi Seksu opens the all-ages show. $10. Call 764-8887. www.virtuous.com

Pernice Brothers, "Live a Little" (Ashmont Records)

The name may be a bit of a misnomer, as Joe Pernice, the stalwart and namesake of the group, is the only full-time Pernice brother in the band. Brother Bob is "the prodigal son," playing when he wants, and Joe says Bob "played more on this record than on any other."

There is an orchestral beauty throughout the record, as strings and brass compliment most of the songs. Joe Pernice is kind of like a singer/songwriter, his songs are so intimate and so immediate, but he's backed by a full band. He can be a storyteller of abstract truths - "Conscience Clean (I Went to Spain)," in which he laments: "I went to Spain . . . or mildly insane" - or the commentator of the everyday mundane ("Lightheaded").

"High as a Kite" is a catchy pop ode to Joe Strummer of the Clash; "Microscopic View" is a love song to a "hard-pressed woman"; and "Zero Refills" is a song of affirmation with a killer guitar coda courtesy of Bob. The band is also adept at country tinge (the lilting "PCH One") and guitar pop (the languid ("Somerville").

The best song on the disc, "Automaton," is '60s-like pop, a Beach Boys update with somber undertones. In fact, Joe Pernice reminds me of Nick Lowe, detached pop with a dark undercurrent.

Joe might be bringing Bob when the Pernice Brothers converge on the Launchpad at 8 p.m. Sunday. Elvis Perkins opens. $7. 21 and over.

The Melvins, "A Senile Animal" (Ipecac Recordings)

These hard-rock noise merchants are back with their most listenable record in years. A Melvins record was often a tedious trial of patience and disorientation. Not this time.

The songs segue from one to the next, almost indecipherably, making for a cohesive whole. And it doesn't hurt that seven of the 10 run 3 minutes or less. The minor chords and ominous vocals are still here, as are the mostly nonsensical lyrics. But for this disc, they've ditched the dueling bassists for dual drummers.

The disc opens with the hard groove of "The Talking Horse" and flows into "Blood Witch," twitchy music with chant-shout vocals. "Civilized Worm" is a sludge rocker that fits comfortably into its slow groove before ending in double drum thunder, while "A History of Bad Men" is bombastic sludge. Not having forsaken their roots, the boys dish an up-tempo punk-rock trilogy in the middle of the proceedings - "Rat Faced Granny"; the excellent "The Hawk"; and "You've Never Been Right." The disc ends on a sullen note with the minimalist and almost primitive "A Vast Filthy Prison," whose subdued vocals echo the feeling.

Come feel the noize when the Melvins invade the Launchpad at 9 tonight. Big Business, whose members double as the Melvins' rhythm section, open the show. $12. 21 and over.