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CD Reviews: Minus the Bear; Dave Gahan; Dwight Yoakam

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Minus the Bear, "Planet of Ice"(Suicide Squeeze Records)

If you listen to music long enough, everything old becomes new again. Such is the third full-length release from this Seattle five-piece. (Bassist Cory Murchy and multi-instrumentalist Alex Rose are Santa Fe expats; Rose used to play in the Duke City group Mistletoe.)

On this disc, the band goes even further with its electronic experimentation and more cerebral with its lyrics and themes. The band ups the ante on its prog/psychedelic rock hybrid: This is future classic rock. And the musicianship is excellent throughout, especially David Knudson's guitar attack (the anti-corporate greed screed of "Dr. L'ling").

"Planet of Ice" seems like a song cycle or a concept album of sorts. And the band tackles more mature subject matter — love and seduction — lyrically: ("When We Escape"; the urgent intimacy of "Throwin' Shapes"; and the lover's delight of discovery on "White Mystery"). All are also allusions to a forbidding and foreboding landscape.

Other highlights include "Burying Luck," a song of regret with the refrain, "What have you done?"; the expansive guitar jam "Knights"; and the almost nine-minute "Lotus," which brings up questions of faith and devotion. "Double Vision Quest" serves up a jazzy guitar signature, while offering self-reflective and introspective insights from the music's point of view.

Minus the Bear headlines an all-ages show on Halloween at the Sunshine Theater, 120 Central Ave. S.W. Helio Sequence and Grand Archives share the bill. Doors open at 7 p.m. Wednesday. Tickets are $15, plus service charges, at Ticketmaster outlets and at the door. Call 883-7800 or go to ticketmaster.com. Smoking and alcohol service in segregated areas.

Paul Maldonado, Tribune copy editor, music writer and critic

• • •

Dave Gahan, "Hourglass" (Mute Records)

Ever since his first solo record, "Paper Monsters," Dave Gahan, frontman for Depeche Mode, has been trying to prove he can do without Martin Gore, DM's profound lyricist. The result is "Hourglass," an album that delivers raw energy and emotion, sometimes a little too unpolished and off course.

On his latest effort, Gahan experiments with different sounds, treading in waters Depeche Mode might never set foot in. His deep, sultry voice is free of inhibitions on songs such as "Use You" and "Deeper and Deeper," heavily influenced by Trent Reznor.

DM song lyrics have hidden meanings and are carefully constructed; one could spend hours analyzing them. Gahan proves he's not the deep lyricist Gore is, but he does incorporate the same sort of emotion with raw energy.

Maybe Gore's cynicism rubbed off on Gahan through the years, as each song on the album tackles the same issues of sexual desire or repression and constant struggles with faith.

In "Miracles," Gahan writes: "I don't believe in miracles, but they happen every day. I don't believe in Jesus, but I'm praying anyway."

Gore might have said it more eloquently, but that's the beauty of Gahan's new album: It's refreshing and less inhibited.

He also incorporates a lot of electronic rock, reminiscent of "Violator" and "Playing the Angel."

And he takes off from where he wanted to take the band in "Songs of Faith and Devotion," a more rockier-sounding album in which Gahan helped push the boundaries of what Depeche Mode, and himself, are capable of.

"Hourglass," is the type of album you have to listen to a couple of times to appreciate. Avid Depeche Mode fans might not fully value Gahan's latest effort because he strays from the carefully constructed sound and lyrics that define that band. However, Depeche Mode and its members are constantly evolving, something their fans must come to grips with.

Stephanie Garcia Krenrich, Tribune city desk reporter

• • •

Dwight Yoakam, "Dwight Sings Buck" (New West)

Dwight Yoakam has carried Buck Owens in his artistic DNA since his first album more than 20 years ago.

He has let it rise to the surface before, most clearly when Yoakam revived the legend's hit "Streets of Bakersfield" and pulled Owens out of retirement to duet on the song.

After Owens' death at age 76 in March 2006, Yoakam began planning a tribute to his friend. "Dwight Sings Buck" probes the spot where Owens' influence melts into Yoakam's distinctive style.

Rather than stick to faithful revivals of Owens classics "Under Your Spell Again," "Act Naturally" and "My Heart Skips a Beat," Yoakam gives them a twist — sometimes playful, sometimes mournful — that brings them alive.

Yoakam emphasizes Owens' distinguishing traits: crisp yet inventive rhythms, a fat Telecaster twang and slurring, spiky vocals. Just as Owens turned heartbreak and self-loathing into party anthems, Yoakam inhabits these chestnuts with fresh, colorful personality. He also wisely goes beyond the most frequently covered Owens songs to dig up less-revived gems like "Only You" and "Down on the Corner of Love."

In the end, Yoakam tips his Stetson to his idol by acknowledging his artful way of showing people how to laugh through their tears.

Michael McCall, Associated Press