Since fronting the consistently amazing college-rock behemoth Pavement throughout the nineties Stephen Malkmus has become, like Graham Coxon, a quintessential indie guitar geek poster boy for a generation. The generation that is, of early-to-mid-twenties males who never really got over him splitting up his previous band. Still, his first self titled solo album reconfirmed why we should still be interested in the king of arch-indie, being as it was packed full of his trademark flash wordplay and skewed but catchy almost-anthems. Then came the dense prog-folk marathon Pig Lib, and suddenly the critical acclaim and die-hard fan adoration that had always come so easily to him died off a bit. So it's no surprise that for once his new release arrives with little fan fair, which is a shame as Face the Truth marks something of a return to form.

Pencil Rot opens the album with an unhealthy smattering of wonky synth sounds which give way to the kind of tricky, angular rock that has become his trademark. Most ex-big band fronting artists on their third solo album would probably be calming down by now, edging ever closer towards dreaded maturity, but this opening track alone confirms that after all this time, SM's primary instinct is still to fuck with the rulebook (thank god). Likewise, I've Hardly Been is creepy, angular, and downright weird as phrases like "the cemetery headstone is a rock in the rain" are delivered in his usual sardonic American drawl. Even stranger is Kindling For The Master's foray into weird lo-fi funk, a style which it's encouraging to hear Malkmus attempt at this late stage in his career. No More Shoes meanwhile is this albums one example of the progressive-folk template he explored on his last album. If any other artist attempted an eight minute song consisting of an elongated guitar solo, you'd quite rightly be baying for their blood, but Malkmus' knack of being erratic and exploratory rather than a typical virtuoso guitarist means that No More Shoes is forgiven its indulgent nature and provides a suitable centrepiece for the album.

While these songs may show that SM has lost none of his quirky leftfield leanings, the remaining tracks sound closer in spirit to the ragged sun-kissed country rock of Pavement's masterpiece Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain, and what is truly surprising is the fact that these songs house some of Stephen Malkmus' most personal lyrics yet. Known as he is for tongue-twisting wordplay and cryptic nonsense, lyrics like "I've been sitting on the fencepost for the brunt of my life, and now I need some help to find out what I feel" are genuinely and pleasantly surprising. This line is taken from the gorgeous It Kills, in which Malkmus also states that "there's more to me than what you think of me", suggesting that maybe this time he's ready to reveal a little more about himself. Freeze The Saints backs this notion up, as lines like "if you want to know, well you are so much like me" are sung sincerely over his most pleasing melody since the mighty Range Life. Even better is the languid folk-pop of Loud Cloud Crowd, in which he offers the line "don't let reputation pre-deceive you", as if pre-empting and shattering the long standing notions of him as a not-to-be-trusted whip-smart ironist. Mama is even more surprising, being easily the most accessible song here with lyrics of pure childlike nostalgia, such as "Mama's in the kitchen with onions, Daddy's in the back with old Hank", while the chorus of "though we never had that much money, just enough to make our dead ends meet" is practically tear-jerking. Previously a Malkmus track like this might have been greeted with suspicion but as the whole album seems to lean more towards an honest tone, it's easy to ignore notions of sarcasm and accept this uplifting and incredibly catchy song as it stands.

The newfound openness of some of the lyrics may surprise old fans who'd lost faith, while his trademark quirks and laidback charm that are in abundance on Face The Truth could be enough to attract new followers. On the whole, Face The Truth is his most consistently pleasing album since Pavement's glory days. What more could an indie geek ask for?

I don't know much about Fall Out Boy, (yes, my credibility as a reviewer decreases already. Whatever happened to research?!), but I happened to stumble across 'Sugar We're Going Down' on MTV2 and I was hooked.

It's the vocals I like the most, consistent throughout the album. Sure, there's something emo-esque about the harmony laden lyrics, but hey... I shan't complain. The fact is, the majority of the songs on 'From Under the Cork Tree' are too catchy for their own good. Almost a guilty pleasure, making a self-confessed indie kid like me want to run through town screaming "I'm Indie! Honest!"

Stand out tracks are: '7 Minutes in Heaven (Atavan Halen)' and 'Champagne for My Real Friends, Real Pain for My Sham Friends'

Review by Jackie Barker
www.falloutboyrock.com
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Like their strange image that mixes sharp suits with handle bar moustaches, converse trainers and colourful ties, the Treliks attempt a weird mish-mash of musical styles on Coffee or Tea, their debut album. Like the mighty Cramps before them, this London based band's tastes veer more towards the forgotten genres of trashy surf music, psychobilly thrash, raw garage, and a general air of fifties sleaze. However, unlike the Cramps, the Treliks seem to lack the unhinged conviction to make this potentially unholy racket work and come off sounding disappointingly tame.

Take 'Surfing Gyrodec' for example- it's sung in a requisite 'I'm a bit psychotic' voice, but it's parping keyboards, fairground Hammond organ, and tinny guitars make it sound closer to pastiche rather than a genuinely mental surf thrash. 'The Fair', predictably enough, has a circus edge to it, and sounds like a knackered Coral being fronted by a bad Papa Lazarou impersonator- it's chorus refrain of "come to the fair all you girls and boys, we'll all make some noise" borders on the cringe-worthy. The first single 'Stereo' features a steady disco beat, but again sounds more like an unfortunate stylistic mistake rather than a welcome diversion, thus rendering the song instantly forgettable, while 'Mexican Road Movie' unconvincingly tells the tale of tequila soaked mayhem, but the thin sounding guitars and organ mean that this particular story sounds about as exciting as a Tuesday night out in Stoke.

The only track that works for me is 'Lazy Old River'- dropping the self consciously 'whacky' moments in favour of a more reflective mood produces impressively melancholic results, making it the most engaging track here. The band's overall weakness though is highlighted by the similarity between the riff of the opening track 'Dirty Blood' to that of 'Psychosis Safari' by the Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster. The Treliks seem to be striving for a sound that Eighties Matchbox have simply done a lot better, by taking the same reference points to the rabid, deranged, and completely thrilling extreme. In contrast the Treliks simply sound dull and lifeless, with the ever present whiff of misguided humour hanging in the air.

Review by Ian Viggars
www.the-treliks.co.uk
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I remember watching that Tom Hanks film Big when I was a kid, and I found the whole notion of growing up really depressing. But when I see what an irritating teenager I was I'm glad. Making out to everyone that I was so different, and thinking myself superior, dressing up in make up and listening to songs about sex and thinking what a rebel I was. Now I'm just glad that I've grown up and can see what a dick I was. Anyway, on to music...

What we have here is the Dirty Children, self-styled sleazy punk rock, or rawk, from L.A., which obviously thinks it's a lot more shocking and exciting that it really is. The coos and orgasmic wails that make up the delivery of vocalist Nadia Fay all seem pretty forced and don't have the desired effect of being at all sexy. Rather they fill me with a world weary resignation at yet another case of going through the motions. The music fares worse again, sounding extremely dated and ringing distinctly of the 1980s, bringing to mind myriad guitar bands that teenagers thought were far sexier than a more objective view reveals; take bands such as Motley Crue, Skid Row, Guns N Roses, et al. Basically the kind of acts that so fooled the Manics into making their first album an equally sexless fake homage to those bands. Well think of these acts in regard to Dirty Children, only it seems that by having a raunchy female vocalist they seem to think this somehow makes all those clichés suddenly original or for some reason worth rehashing.

Songs such as 'Beautiful Freak' try to show how different and weird they supposedly are, 'I Did It' is one of many songs about relationships, there are loads of songs dealing in some pretty weak sexual innuendos, and there's even the classic teen fodder of songs that deal with God in oh such a dangerous and edgy way, 'God Got In The Way', wow she's going to go to Hell because she likes to sin and give into what she craves, and she doesn't even care! I'm shocked (this works best on moody teenagers who like Marilyn Manson and Nine Inch Nails and think that this somehow gives them a privileged worldview). Yawn, its all very teenager wearing black and pink.

Oh its not terrible, I don't hate it, and its not offending me, the big problem I have with it is that it's so bland and full of nothing, yet obviously thinks it's doing something special. I'm sure it'd work on angsty teenagers who like to sit in their rooms all summer long, painting their nails, writing terrible verse and trying to make their life contain 'problems'. God knows I was one of those, and yeah I think I might've enjoyed this. The difference is I've grown up so now this just seems like a boring joke.

So, if you are an angsty teenager who wants to listen to some pseudo-glamorous music dealing it tales which are meant to be sordid, shocking and sexually exciting then go for it, but if you're easily bored or slightly grown up then don't.

I won't, but then I think I'll keep it maybe for the day I have teenage kids. I mean if this kind of thing worked in the 80s and supposedly still works now two decades later practically unchanged, then who's to say there wont be some demand for it in another two decades.

In conclusion, not half as fun as it thinks it is. Oh well, what is...

Oh! As an afterthought, a band that actually does this type of thing well is Rachel Stamp, but I may just be clinging on to that as a remnant of my misspent teenage years wanting to be glamorous and outsider, but yeah you get the picture, but at least the Stamp have great tunes and genuinely do sound like exciting sex.

Review by Daniel Newman
www.dirtychildrenmusic.com
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