Machines Will Always Let You Down
Replicator
(Radio Is Down)

With their off-kilter melodies and even more off-kilter lyrics ("It's like a surrealist painting / The kind with a giant penis serving tea to dainty old ladies" comes to mind), Oakland trio Replicator again illustrates troubled times in a technology-reliant age with Machines Will Always Let You Down. Their third full-length album - a trip to a time in which, among other horrors, life-altering nanotechnology allows microscopic machines to explode in the bloodstream - would be terrifying if not for the exuberance that constantly breaks through the surface. The jagged edges are plentiful, but they serve to create crazily built structures that inevitably come crashing down. Between declarations of "Damn right, there's evil inside" and "You will do as I command because I own you," Replicator has set themes of pessimism, corruption and oppressive fear against an appealingly chaotic sound. And for sheer magnitude of profanity, may I suggest "King Shit of Fuck Mountain" for the soundtrack to the film adaptation of Another Bullshit Night in Suck City?


– Karen Nicoletti

Underhanded Romance
Scissors for Lefty
(Eenie Meenie Records)

From the moment the new Scissors for Lefty album, Underhanded Romance, hits your ears, it's clear this San Francisco quintet has honed and perfected its peppy, tongue-in-cheek, dance-friendly Britpop. The hooks are hookier, the beats are bigger, the guitars are grittier, the synthesizers sizzle and … well, you get the idea. Led by the charismatic Bryan Garza on vocals, SFL seem primed for the big time with instantly likeable songs such the off-kilter "Lay Down Your Weapons," complete with a 4/4 beat that accents the chorus; "Ghetto Ways," with a keyboard progression that won't leave your head alongside Garza's nasal, twitchy vocals; or the brusque, over-the-top delivery (with an obvious nod to the snide British band, Pulp) of "Next to Argyle." Comprised entirely of brothers – the Garzas (Bryan, Robby and Steve) and the Krimmels (Peter and James) – Scissors For Lefty have somehow captured an element of immediacy and fun with this new record that immediately catapults them to the top of the San Francisco music heap. Catch them now before they hit the big time.

– Tim Pratt

The Pen and the Letter
HIJK

The tightly wound sounds of Oakland trio HIJK (formerly known as Hijack the Disco) kick into high gear on the release of their full-length debut, The Pen and the Letter. Recorded at the world-renowned studio, The Plant, in Sausalito, the album is an amalgam of angular guitars, terse rhythms and irreverent yet harmonious vocal duties shared by lead vocalist Mike Mahoney and guitarist Dave Tsui. Tracks such as "Smells Like Cigarettes" feature the dueling singers in full-on angst mode, carried along by a bouncy melody and throaty guitars, while "The Dresser Speaks" thumps to attention from the get-go thanks to Trevor Wencl’s powerful drums, before settling into a lazy bass-driven groove. Though the double vocals sometimes overpower the music in the mix, they work for the most part, and HIJK's sensibility for crafting original songs is apparent.


- Tim Pratt

Minipop
S/T

Minipop describe their sound as “marshmallows on morphine and Care Bears on Xanax,” and that’s not far from the mark. The SF quintet’s first full-length, produced by Chris Manning, does a good job of showcasing the band’s dreamy sound, especially Tricia Kanne’s soothing, dulcet vocals. “Fingerprints,” the languid lead track, creeps into my head at the oddest times and stay there for days, and obvious singles “Like I Do” and “Butterflies” sound right at home on a teen movie soundtrack. But a sweet-sounding singer can only take them so far – the music should create the energy to buoy her vocals up, to keep them from sounding lethargic; maybe more Ritalin and less Xanax. Cases in point: In songs “My Little Bee” and the gooey “New Hope,” Kanne sounds like she’s drifting off to sleep and weighing the music down with her. Still, there are enough signs of life and glimmers of promise on the album that I think if Minipop can add a little more pizzazz to the mix, we’ll all be happy to wake up and listen.

– Jennifer Elks

We Live Now
Dora Flood
(Elephant Stone)

San Francisco-based quintet Dora Flood got their start in the explosion of a certain early ‘90s musical sub-genre (whose name, in a fit of teenage self-righteousness I swore to myself I would never use) characterized by riff-heavy guitars and atmospheric synthesizer effects. Some call it dream-pop, but let’s just say the boys in Dora Flood have stolen more than a glance or two at their toes. In truth, though, such categorizations become irrelevant when listening to We Live Now, as Dora Flood has crafted an album of diversely influenced psychedelic rock that you don’t have to stare at your feet to appreciate. The album opens with “Phoenix Rising,” a fuzz-powered guitar groove that gets kicked up in the second verse by some screaming rock organ before dissolving into a multilayered sitar wash. The album seems to get stronger as it progresses, from the juke-joint swagger of “Revelation Blues,” to the standout track “Atlantis,” whose sweeping, spaced-out verses recall Blonde Redhead at their trippiest, and whose head-banging choruses surely have Randy Rhoads peering down from rock-god heaven with pride. For all of the diversity of retro-psychedelic influences incorporated here, the album is unmistakably contemporary. With one foot firmly planted in the sounds of their forbearers, Dora Flood’s eyes are fixed on the future (and not their sneakers).


– Kevin Hobson

The Music Lovers' Guide for Young People
The Music Lovers
(Le Grand Magistry)

Imagine Morrissey is abducted from whatever raw-food bar he’s been frequenting lately, brainwashed with a steady diet of serotonin, Neil Diamond and show tunes, and then returned to the world. Rest assured, Morrissey’s Vegas Cabaret Comeback Special would undoubtedly be dismissed outright as a rip off of the Music Lovers. The San Francisco quintet’s second full-length album, The Music Lovers Guide for Young People, is a quirky yet restrained set of orchestral rock songs. Composed around lead vocalist Matthew “Ted” Edwards’ distinctly British croon, the songs are peppered with strutting horns, beefy electric guitars and sweeping violins. A chunky bass guitar riff and plaintive harmonica line drive the melodic “You Have the City,” while “I Don’t Mind,” the lovely duet between Edwards and pianist Jun Kurihara, is wrapped up in the mournful drone of Kurihara’s understated accordion. In truth, understatement is perhaps the biggest strength of the Music Lovers; despite the proliferation of instruments on the album, the songs never feel crowded, but rather full of vast, contemplative space. A lesser band could have gone wrong many different ways here, the result sounding like a brainwashed Morrissey doing his best Neil Diamond impersonation. Fortunately for us, the Music Lovers are not a lesser band and, with this record, they’ve created something that’s entirely their own.


– Kevin Hobson