Hazami - "Kata"(WM Malaysia, 2006)

If you're a fan of international music with a vibe similar to that of vintage Ricky Martin or Marc Anthony, Hazami might be just what you've been looking for in the pop world. His debut album Kata, which just received American release via WM Malaysia, is an impressive hook-driven group of songs that are sure to have you humming along. And though the language barrier prevents the casual listener from understanding the words Hazami is trying to get across, lacking a lyrical translation tends to be a bonus with this style of music. "Kata," the title track, has such an infectious beat and melodic structure, it's hard to deny the man's hit potential. However, the album's overall quality is diminished by Hazami's over-reliance upon trite balladry, so if that isn't your thing, the title track may be as deep as you'd like to dig. Still, considering how few opportunities arise in the midwest to experience Malay-pop music, Kata is definitely worth a listen even if it's just to broaden one's musical horizons for a short while.

As best I can tell by a Google search, Hazami does not yet have a website, either in America or Malaysia. But his album is available in its entirety on Napster.

The Music*: Hazami - Kata

* I am uploading this track via MP3Pro 40kbps format. That means it is a small file, and it is compressed to FM quality. If you want the high quality track, you can purchase it for 99 cents on Napster and support the band. Thanks for checking out the music and supporting independent musicians!

Eisley - "Room Noises"(Reprise, 2005)

This album came out a year ago this week, which is why you won't be reading about it in the pages of the Daily News. In a world where "newsworthiness" means the album has to have been released in the few months prior to publication, indie bands get the short end of the shift, particularly independent bands distributed by major labels, which lose promotion money if the album fails to chart on the high end in early weeks. Eisley's excellent debut Room Noises falls into that category. The album, which made an ephemeral blip on the radar of the national scene, features some of the best pure alt pop in the last five years, but because it peaked at #189 on the Billboard chart and then rapidly disappeared last February, I'd say it's a safe bet none of you reading this actually heard it.

That's a real shame, because this Texas-based quintet, led by Sherri DuPree, have an ear-catching sound that is rare in today's scene. Not since the mid-90s, when the airwaves featured such distinct female voices as Shawn Colvin and Sixpence None the Richer vocalist Leigh Nash, has such a simply airy vocalist commanded my attention. Sherri brings blends the memory of both, creating an immediately recognizable sound that is all her own. It is this sound that commands the album, and it is all the better for that.

That isn't to say this is a one note band. Sherri's two sisters (Chauntelle on guitar and vocals and Stacey on drums) and brother Weston (drums) join her, forming the core of the band as Jon Wilson (bass) provides the additional depth that ties the whole band's sound together. Fueled by strong original composition, Eisley's songs, including potential singles in "My Lovely" and "Memories" (which reminds me of a blend of Anna Nalick with Vanessa Carlton) hearken back again to the mid-90s folk pop explosion, comparable to Belly, Radiohead and The Sundays, as well as to modern alternative acts such as Coldplay. It's a broad sound, which makes it all the more special that the band maintains an element of simplicity throughout Room Noises.

All of which begs the question: why did the band's sound fail to find an audience? Perhaps they missed their chance by taking eight years since their formation to record a full studio album. More likely, howevever, since musical trends seem to cycle around in much the same way as the fashion world, perhaps it's better to think they're ahead of their time. Here's hoping Eisley gets the chance to record a sophomore album, to prove that they're not going out without a fight; to say that in a world where cookie-cutter rock and pop bands control the airwaves there's still room for a band with a different brand of pop hooks.

Kids in the Way - "Apparitions of Melody"(Flicker Records, 2005)

For those who say there's nothing good happening in Indiana, I offer Apparitions of Melody as a counter-argument. Kids in the Way, formed in Indianapolis back in 1997, have produced two small-label albums. This, their sophomore effort, is a seamless melding of the emo and metal ethos -- some call it "screamo" but I find that term distasteful -- giving listeners an album full of ear-catching hooks worthy of a national media blitz.



Blending the sounds of Yellowcard, Fall Out Boy and Thrice into a sound that bears their own distinct stamp, members of Kids in the Way have gone where few others in their genre have gone, and in the process they actually managed to write some interesting lyrics to boot. That might explain how they managed to win the Fuse-sponsored My Space Video Contest, while earning more than half a million My Space listens.

Now that's worth a look, wouldn't you say?

The album's full of potential singles. "Safety In The Darkness" has a pounding backbeat, grinding guitars and vocals that rival anyone on the radio today in the pop/punk style; it's a song that made me forget about Fall Out Boy's "Sugar, We're Going Down" in about ten seconds. "There's nothing I can say to build these bridges back," Dave Pelsue sings emphatically, "against the tides that washed them away; the life has left this room." When I saw the band's album labeled with the screamo kiss of death, I nearly passed it by. Songs like this suggest the band should avoid that moniker like the plague. This is solid pop punk with a metal edge, and it's better than anything I've heard all year in that regard.

The band has chosen to release "Apparitions of Melody" as the main single from the album, and it's a fine choice, a solid introduction to the band's sound. But I have to say, the album tracks are often as good or better than the ones considered radio-worthy. "Even Snakes Have Hearts" blends Jimmy Eat World with Slipknot screams, as Perdue spits his version of truth like venom: "So kiss my face, commit yourself to treason ... you broke my heart -- I hope it's worth the price you paid." Upon first glance the song would appear to be another emo-ish ode to teenage love lost. But on another level it's Christ's torment upon having been marked by Judas before his trial and crucifixion. That "layer upon layer" structure of the songs lends itself perfectly to repeat listening, and makes this album a true find.

Yes, the members of Kids in the Way are Christians, though they have publicly eschewed the idea that a band ever records "Christian" music. Apparitions of Melody is a dark album, an aural treasure chest full of songs that will redefine the way you look at pop/punk and CCM music in general. It was recorded by a band intent on making the best music possible, and if it has elements of their religious beliefs embedded within, that's hardly a reason to push them aside as didactic. The band is not afraid to tackle dark subjects in an original manner, and that the songs are as mind-bendingly addictive as the biggest top 40 climbers of their genre is an indication of how far they could, and should, be able to go with the right promotion. If their lyrics make you think about something more than sex, drugs and rock and roll, more power to them.

Band Links
http://www.kidsintheway.com
www.myspace.com/kidsintheway
Check out "Seed We've Sown," "Apparitions of Melody," "Safety in the Darkness" and "This Could Be The Song That Will Change Your Heart" on MySpace. The album can be purchased online from the band's official site, or can be streamed and purchased on Napster.

Mumiy Troll - "Merger and Acquisition"(Real Records, 2005)

One of Russia's most popular rock bands, Mumiy Troll (pronounced Moo-me Troll) has built a solid worldwide reputation with its solidly crafted hooks and intelligent, human, independent lyrics. Vocalist Ilia Lagoutenko's attitudes regarding the importance of free and honest expression forced the band underground for nearly a decade. Yet now the band, which formed in 1986 and saw a career revival in the mid-1990s, has gone from being "the most socially dangerous band in the world" according to early critics to being popular on a Beatlemania level.

Their meteoric rise may surprise those who have never heard of the band here in the States. It's hard to believe that a band capable of producing such a solid album is able to tour 20,000-seat stadiums in Russia without creating a blip in the English-speaking world. But the band has held on to its independent status, which means their music is difficult to distribute on a global level.

Too bad, because "Merger and Acquisition" is one of the most original albums of 2005. With a sound ranging from Daft Punk to Depeche Mode, with acoustic rock, electronica and elements of glam coming together in the vein of David Bowie and Suede, Mumiy Troll is perhaps the most innovative band I've discovered in the post mp3.com landscape.

This isn't going to be the easiest album to get into, mostly due to the language barrier. I discovered the band's website published on a Russian server and had been listening to the album through streaming audio there for almost a day before I found an English-language equivalent posted by their Russian record label. Even then only the album title was translated.

So I'm giving immense praise to an album recorded completely in Russian, which means I have to enjoy the music for what it is on that element. I cannot know what Lagoutenko sings about without the benefit of a translator. But I don’t think the same experience could be had with a badly dubbed American version. Something tells me that part of what sets Mumiy Troll apart is that they haven't tried to achieve global success through the Americanization of their sound.

If you enjoy music by the likes of Daft Punk, you'll enjoy the album's fourth track, entitled "Страху нет," which features a pumping rhythm, a funky electronic bassline and a guitar hook that will have you attempting to sing along to the chorus, even when you can't tell what's being said. "Такбываетнеслучайно" starts out as an almost calypso-styled track, then morphs into an uptempo electro-bass dance track with a heavy guitar edge.

The album is full of auditory highs and lows. For all the uptempo tracks that have a pop edge, there are songs like "Непокой," which starts out with nothing but a rhodes piano reverberating through both headphones, but which morphs into a rocker with a provocative, erotic edge (the background, which splices in the sounds of a woman in the throes of orgasmic ecstasy, renders this one a track not to play for young listeners).

In the end, what sets "Merger and Acquisition" apart is the band's ability to experiment in many genres of music, in their own native language, and still have something that appeals enough to make a listener want to ignore the language barrier. I cannot say whether they're really "the Dostoyevskys of Modern Pop," as one Russian critic declared. But I can say they've produced an album I've been listening to repeatedly for the past week, and it's found its way onto my current list of musical addictions.

The band's album can be heard in its entirety and downloaded legally from the official Mumiy Troll website (http://www.mumiytroll.com/en). Their past albums and a live concert video are also downloadable. Take the opportunity to spread the word, perhaps the band might see fit to obtain a distribution deal outside of their native Russia!

Photo Credits
http://www.mumiytroll.com/en
http://www.e-kozlov.com

An Open Letter to Readers of "In My Headphones"

Dear readers,

We're beginning a new semester, and with that come some major changes involving what is now the DNOnline. 72 Hours, now an online-only publication, should allow for better distribution of music reviews, movie reviews and entertainment news to Ball State readers, because we are now without the restraint of a once-per-week print model. For you this means more music can be profiled in a medium where we have the space to properly cover the news you want to read about.

This also gives me the chance to reinvent the column I've been writing for the last two years for the Daily News.

"In My Headphones" was becoming too much a profile of artists who were already receiving major-label notice, or who already had a radio fan base. And I'd rather be focusing my column on the independent bands who haven't yet reached a wide fan-base. Or, in the case of some getting major label attention, those bands which are on the cusp of greatness. Now that I will have the ability to post material to the site throughout the week, I'll have the chance to profile more artists who were slipping under the radar. I plan to focus on them rather than on the major label "big releases" that were getting so much ink from me last semester.

With that, I hope to be able to turn "In My Headphones" back into something an independent music fan can appreciate for the new artists exposed. That's what I hope to accomplish. But without the contributions of readers like you, I still may pass by the artists you think deserve to be given a spot in the limelight.

So if you know of a local band you'd like to see profiled, or if you have a band you want me to check out, please email me at jonathansanders@justice.com. Your contributions can help keep this a great place to hear new music and read about artists on the cutting edge.

Jonathan Sanders
DN Music Critic

New Reviews StartingThursday in the DN|Online!

Mumiy Troll performing live in Tomsk, Russia - December 3, 2005
Photo Credit: Jazzva; http://www.mumiytroll.com/en

I'll be reviewing an album by a Russian rock band called Mumiy Troll. Their album is called "Слияние и Поглощение," which translates to mean "Merger and Acquisition." The album is available completely online for streaming and download, since the band does not have a distribution deal here in the U.S. -- so apparently their label understands the importance of word-of-mouth in the music business.

The full review will be up here Wednesday night, and in the DNOnline's "72 Hours" section Thursday.