Alessadro Alessandroni - Trinity Goes East

The shadow of Ennio Morricone looms large over this CD but as anyone acquanted with a large chunk of my music collection knows, that really isn't a bad thing to me. Alessadro Alessandroni is something of a legend in Italian cinema, though he's mostly unknown in the US. Well, his name is unknown but you've heard his whistling and guitar playing in soundtracks such as A Fistful of Dollars. Trinity Goes East is a B-movie cross between a spaghetti western and a martial arts movie and Alessandroni has given it a delightful soundtrack. Listening to this album, sometimes you think you're listening to Once Upon a Time in the West but, as the saying goes: It's not a ripoff. It's an homage! Check out Trinity on the March and the Main Title.

The Accident Experiment - Arena

I think it was an item on Blabbermouth that brought The Accident Experiment to my attention. They had a song for downloading (note to other bands: a 320 MP3--none of this low-quality nonsense) and from that I decided to keep an eye on them. When Arena came out I snatched it right up. Good, solid, modern rock. Great vocals. Big guitars. If you go into the high speed version of their site you can preview their album with the little flash player in the top right. Support your neighborhood indie band!

Grimble Grumble - Gossip, Numbers and Theories

When you place an order from CD Baby you often get a sampler CD. Most sampler CDs contain nothing much of interest but the latest one I received had a little gem. Grimble Grumble was a Chicago-based band/project and their title track, Gossip, Numbers and Theories caught my ear. I guess the style is called "drone" and that makes sense. I don't know if I would be interested in a whole album's worth but maybe you would be.

Beatallica

You're asleep and the nightmare has begun. Cliff Burton has introduced James Hetfield to John Lennon. They start jamming. It's a garage dayz night-ah, and I've been working like a dog... You wake up in a cold sweat, relieved that it was just a dream. You can't get back to sleep, though, so you shuffle off to your computer and surf the web. Wait a second...it can't be...it is. Beatallica is the nightmare come to life. With both of their albums available for free download, you can enjoy such soon-to-be classics as A Garage Dayz Night and No Remorseful Reply. Dare to live the nightmare. Seriously, though, the singer's impersonation of Hetfield is dead-on.

Queens of the Stone Age - Stone Age Complications

Stone Age Complications is an odds-n-ends collection from Queens of the Stone Age. Some old B-sides, a remix, some new stuff. It's a mixed bag but worthwhile for fans. Apparently it's a limited edition and it came out April 16 so if you're interested, jump on this right away. Amazon says they've already sold out but you can find them there used as well as on eBay (where I got mine).

On A Pale Horse - Black Is Not The Darkest Colour

Here's some straight ahead rock and roll for you. On A Pale Horse features former members of Painface and Slipknot but the end-result, Black Is Not The Darkest Colour, sounds nothing like either of those bands. What you get is a Southern rock feel (the band says their goal is "to bring back some greasy rock n' roll"), along the lines of the first Leadfoot album but more intense and with a harder edge. Check out Come On and The Day Has Come.

Ohm - Live on KPFK

Jazz/rock fusion, for me, ends up being more about the jazz than the rock. Not so for Ohm. The band features former Megadeth (and currently my favorite) guitarist, Chris Poland, drumming legend Ginger Baker's son, Kofi Baker, and bassman extraordinaire, Robertino "Pag" Pagliari. Their songs have more of a rock structure than freeform jazz jams so a rock dude like me has something to sink my teeth into. I've seen them live a few times and they are just amazing. Live on KPFK was recorded while they were performing in the studio for some Southern California radio stations. Check out ID and Came to Believe.