MadonnaMusicWarner Bros.We were listening to the first song when Heath head-butted some guy in retaliation for calling him "Ethan." Heath got blood all over his white shirt, which the chicks really liked, and the head-butt victim apologized. The Notorious B.O.B. then took over the dance floor and had all the girls hanging from his Bobsack. After lighting off a smoke bomb, we all followed some dumb drunk girl to another dumb drunk girl's house. If that girl is reading this right now, I'm the guy who ripped the license plate off your car, put holes in your inflatable plastic couch, and told you to shave your mustache. I love Madonna.¿Shadrock
BjörkDancer In The DarkElektraOnce I saw a program on TV about Iceland. They did an interview with the mayor of Reykjavik (Iceland's capital) who talked at length about the fairies who live in the boulder-size lava rocks that litter the mid-Atlantic island. Apparently some of these rocks had been destroyed by commercial building interests, and the mayor and her constituents were seriously worried about the fairies. So in Iceland, fairies who live in rocks set public policy. Icelandic people also drink a lot, which probably doesn't help. Björk's from Iceland, and if you've ever heard her music, the fact that she a.) believes in fairies in a very real way and b.) could possibly have a drinking problem will probably make you go, "Oh, okay. I understand now." She has a new album out called Dancer In The Dark. On it, she giggles and gasps in her little-girl whisper over electronic Euro music¿for the life of me I couldn't tell you what one song on the album's about, but she rips all the same.¿Joel
Loud RocksLoud RecordsNote to person who did cover art: please die.¿Shad
Trans AmRedlineThrill JockeyWashington D.C.'s power trio are back with some amazing new synth-rock and a heavy "no wave" style of music we've all become accustomed to (thanks to TransWorld SKATEboarding's last four videos). Redline is comparable to Trans Am's groundbreaking albums, Surrender To The Night and The Surveillance, which came out about two to four years ago. This new release marks the band's sixth full-length album and has 21 tracks for all its die-hard fans to relinquish in. The band members also have their own recording studio (National Recording Studio) in Maryland and have been mixing and recording everything themselves. This music is the future of rock and roll as we know it, and for Trans Am¿the future is now.¿Aaron Schmidt
Cold13 Ways to Bleed On StageGeffenThis band takes the trendiest parts of all the shit bands that the radio mercilessly beats into the heads of defenseless teenage brains. It's one part Korn, one part Marilyn Manson, one part Creed, and most parts annoying. It's the same riffs, the same voices, the same clothes, the same hairstyles, the same distortion pedals. All this world needs is another Korn rip-off.¿Chris Cote
Burning SpearCalling RastafariHeart BeatI'm sure the bros from the I-Path team will agree with me when I say that Burning Spear is real reggae. This man has been putting out some of the best reggae for years. This new disc called Calling Rastafari is like a breath of fresh air for reggae lovers everywhere. It's straight classic reggae with real horns, real bass, real guitars, and real rasta singing. If you're a fan of reggae, you already have and love this CD, but if you only own Bob Marley's Legend, go back to the record store and buy this new Burning Spear disc. Take it home, turn it up loud, and chill. Lay in a hammock if you have to.¿C.C.
At The Drive-InRelationship Of CommandGrand RoyalTransWorld Art Director Aaron Regan has the uncanny ability to listen to death-metal and actually get something out of it other than fear for the future of humankind. That may explain why he chooses his favorite bands by how "pissed" they are, and Aaron's set the "pissed" bar very high. For example, Aaron considers bbands like Nuclear Assault to be merely "kinda pissed," while metal classics like Metallica get a shoulder shrug and a "used to be pissed."With that said, Aaron considers At The Drive-In¿a six-year-old punk band from El Paso, Texas¿to be solidly "pissed." Aaron's old band played with ATDI back in the mid 90s when they were "seriously pissed"¿a trait Aaron attributes to their probable poverty at the time. With a few quality albums and EPs in circulation, Aaron's pretty sure the band has made a little money since those days, but after hearing their latest release Relationship Of Command, he figures they couldn't have made too much money, "'cause they're still pretty pissed."¿Joel
GodsmackAwakeRepublic I didn't have to listen to this album to know that it sounds like a poor attempt at an Alice In Chains cover band. These guys used to play all Alice In Chains songs in local bars, and they even named themselves after an Alice in Chains song. How the hell did they ever get on the radio? Are we as a society so lame that we are fooled by a cover band? It's crazy to think that a band like this would make it big while bands like Built To Spill still never get on the radio. The music industry is lame, so is Godsmack.¿C.C.
DuetsOriginal Motion Picture SoundtrackHollywoodIf someone wants to hear bad karaoke they can drive down to their local bar/lounge and listen to some middle-aged businessman sing "New York, New York." Why would someone pay for a CD that features Huey Lewis and Babyface doing bad covers of bad songs? Gwyneth Paltrow is very pretty and she can sing, but who cares? She's doing bad karaoke songs. If the movie is as bad as this CD, I hope your girlfriend doesn't drag you to see it, because you may puke.¿C.C.
MicranotsObelesk MovementsSubverseBeing an Atlanta import and having seen this group live numerous times, Micranots has a foundation of intelligence and positivity more solid than the pyramids of Egypt. The beats are injected with heavy reggae and jazz loops produced by DJ Kool Akiem while Verbalizer I-Self gives you militant, amped lyrics that feed your brain. No overused samples or clichéd rhymes. This is revolutionary hip-hop in its purest form.¿Dwayne Carter
