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(50) SLUGMilano. A few years back, S.O.D. sortof had a falling-out between Scott Ianand Milano; rumor has it that it wasbecause in Anthrax’s VH1’s Behindthe Music special, the band left outformer member Danny Lilker. ButM.O.D. is enough to please the fansof always-outspoken Millano. Thenagain, there are plenty more M.O.D.albums than there ever were of S.O.D.albums because said band wasmainly a side-project. Red, White andScrewed continues the same politicaland social commentary Milano alwaysuses from record to record with songslike “Jose Can You See,” containingthe lyric, “There is a Taco Bell next tothe Alamo” and other charged songssuch as “Bullshit Politics,” “SpeakingTruth to Power,” as well as the record’stitle track. M.O.D. have always beena hybrid of sorts, blending speedythrash with hardcore in its breakdownsand Milano’s gruff screams. There isalso Mr. Milano’s not-so-subtle humorin songs like “Balls on Bread,” “AlphabetCity Stomp” and “Hardcore Harry.”The Milano mosh may be gone in thewind with S.O.D., but his band is stillmoshing along as they always werein all their brutality and strife. –BryerWhartonModeselektorHappy Birthday!BPiTCH ControlModeselektor = Jab Micah Och El +Kraftwerk + Aphex TwinStreet Date: 10.09Admittedly a fan of minimal electro, Iwas immediately won over by Modeselektor’sdistinctly reserved style ofephereal dance jams. Think a shit-tonof analog performing as a symphonyorchestra, subsequently run down bya team of assassins, leaving only aquartet of percussive electronics tocarry on, and maybe you can imaginethe weight each beat and rhythm playsin Happy Birthday. Additionally, guestspots from TTC, Paul St. Hillaire,Thom Yorke and Maximo Park allowthe group to expand the listeningpalette by highlighting Modeselektor’scontrasting style. At times the fracturedbeats and wide soundscapesare reminiscent of Aphex Twin,while at other times the overdrivenkeyboards bring Justice to mind. Inthe end, pigeonholing the group’ssound becomes an impossible task,and while distinctly electro, the orchestralmagnitude of Modeselektor’scompositions will undoubtedly crossmore musical niches and sub-genresthan any other electro group to date.–Ryan PowersMonoGone: A Collection of EPs2000-2007Temporary Residence LimitedStreet: 09.11Mono = Mono + The best stuffPelican and Red Sparowes haveever doneAh, Mono. For my money, the absolutebest from a genre that is about asoverdone as black metal (there’s akick in the ribs for ya!) This isn’t exactlya collection of anything that I wouldcall “mandatory,” but it’s a great listen,nonetheless. Ten tracks from variousEPs, splits, and compilations, “Gone”seems to be an exorcism of sorts forMono … you know, make the older,sort-of-hard-to-find-stuff available tothe people that have jumped on theinstrumental/post-rock bandwagonover the last year so they can moveon to bigger and better things. If youlike older Mogwai, this is right upyour alley and if you think Pelican hasjumped the shark, this is right up youralley. –loveyoudeadMother and theAddictsScience Fiction IllustratedChemikal UndergroundStreet: 09.18Mother and the Addicts = TalkingHeads + GrindermanTake a little bit of indie, add in awhole heaping pile of dancy grooves,and top it off with a creamy dose ofreally creative dark-yet-not-too-darklyrics, and you’ve got Science FictionIllustrated, the sophomore releaseof Mother and the Addicts. Thegreat thing about this album is thatno particular feature is ever over-pronounced,and everything just meldstogether incredibly well. Tracks suchas “Watch the Lines” have more of apronounced dancehall style than onessuch as “Going Native,” which seemsto stem from more punk-like roots, butall of them borrow from the other. Thiscreates a very cohesive feeling for allof the tracks, creating an album (anda great one at that) rather than just acollection of songs. –Ross SolomonOverkillImmortalisBodog MusicStreet: 10.09Overkill = Metallica + Anthrax +MegadethThere is a certain consistency thatthe thrash metal world has come tolove and count on and that name isOverkill. These fellows have beenaround since 1980 and been puttingout records all along the way, nevertaking a break, which is somethingto be said since thrash, like all metal,took a big hit in the early 90s whengrunge reared its head. The band hascome quite a ways since their horrificallyunder-produced albums in the80s, as classic as they may be, suchas the great Under the Influence andThe Years of Decay. I truly never reallygot into the band with fervor until theband’s 1999 classic Necroshine. Theyhave never really let up or changedtheir style throughout their career andtheir latest Immortalis displays thatfact. Purveying amongst the packand being pretty much the leader ofthe East Coast thrash scene, Overkillhave returned to satisfy fans andnewcomers alike with this new record.Unmistakable is frontman BobbyBlitz’s vocal attack. High and snarling,it sort of takes some getting usedto, but once you’re hooked, you’rehooked. Don’t forget the band is hometo one of metal’s best bassists, D.D.Verni. Immortalis pretty much containseverything all the Overkill recordssince Necroshine have had, fast guitarattacks with a hell of a lot of grooveand great bass-lines. Blitz changes uphis vocals slightly on this new offering,adding more of his type of clean singing,which has a sort of bluesy feel.If you worship thrash metal, then youalready have a place in your heart forOverkill and I don’t need to tell you topick this new offering up. But if you’retired of the offerings of the supposednew school of metal like Lamb of Godor As I Lay Dying, then get a taste ofthe old school with Overkill, somethingI’m sure they will never abandon.–Bryer WhartonPatrick WatsonClose to ParadiseSecret City RecordsStreet: 09.25Patrick Watson = Coldplay + DevendraBanhartLovely lollygag-a-pop. If I could putWatson’s Close to Paradise in twowords, that’d be it. However, SLUGmakes me do a minimum of 70 orso, so I guess I’ll expand on thosetwo words a bit. Imagine a pair-adice;now imagine something closeto a pair-a-dice—let’s say, thosefuzzy dice stupid folk hang from theirrear-view mirrors—and pretend thatevery dot on those die make heartfeltpop sounds. Okay, now roll themdice! You hear that? That’s the soundof constructed-variable pop music.Sometimes the track comes up snakeeyes, sometimes yo-eleven or midnight.Mr. Watson is undoubtedly usingthe aforementioned guys at the crapstable; however, he always comes outon top because when he’s ahead, heputs chips in his pocket instead ofgagging on the free casino lollypops.–SpantherPrintsPrintsTemporary Residence Ltd.Street Date: 10.15Prints= Pinback+ Talking HeadsKenseth Thibideau from Pinbackdecided it was time to go on a newmusical adventure and merged hismusical genius with the vocal talent ofZac Nelson (Who’s Your FavoriteSon God) to produce this new ultimatesuper group. At first there wereonly a few tracks that stood out asgems, but with repeated listening, the‘CD slowly starts to grow on you. TooMuch Water and Meditation still stickout in my mind as the best songs onthe band’s premiere LP. Although thisCD is really good, I must say that unlessyou’re in the mood for somethingthat mellows you out, it is definitely ahard record to get into. But when youfeel like kicking back and listening tosome dreamy sounds and imaginativelyrics, this is what you will want to popinto the old musical-making device. Sitback and enjoy. –Adam DorobialaSäh06/06PhratryStreet: 09.18Säh = Drrive Like Jehu + ExplosionsIn The SkySäh’s third album, 06/06, has two ofthe best instrumental songs I haveever heard. This first track, “InsideYou There’s a Part of Me ScaredShitless” and the second track, “TheStuff Dreams are Made of,” are someseriously cool songs, each of themclocking in somewhere over 10 minutes.This is how instrumental musicis supposed to be written. These threedudes are bodacious. The album’sback three songs are also good but,they have random vocals in the background.They aren’t horrible vocals,I just thought that it took away fromthe intensity of the music and someof the mystery of these sweet, sweetjams. Säh consists of three membersand depending on the song, there areeither two guitar players or one of theguitar players hopping off the axe andjumping on a second set of drums.So either way, you’ve got dual guitaraction or some double drums and thatjust can’t be beat. The one drawbackof the album is the recording quality;although everything is audible, it hasa low volume and I think could usea good mixdown. But that’s whatunderground is all about, baby. All inall, I am glad that I have discoveredSäh’s music. This is one band thatdefinitely drops the bombs on yamoms; hard rockin’ yet atmospheric.–Jon RobertsonSandro PerriTiny MirrorsConstellationStreet: 09.24Sandro Perri = John Cale + SeuJorgeI may be wrong, but I have a suspicionthat Sandro Perri is from … the future!In the year 2525, the Polmo Polpomember and his crew of archaeologists(all Constellation Records regulars)discovered the only remainingbits of earthling music—a Nick Drakerecord, some bossa-nova and Hawaiianluau guitar chord charts. Fusingthe fragments, the group returnedto 2007 and released Tiny Mirrors.All jokes aside, this is an odd recordwhose excessive bottle-neck