JEFFREY MORGAN'S MEDIA BLACKOUT #763.502.131!

The Two Koreas - "Altruists" (Unfamiliar) :: The amphetamine gitbox style of Lou Reed + the hyperkinetic vox style of Pete Townshend = relentless rock 'n' roll.

Stamen & Pistils - Towns (Echelon Productions) :: Secret life plant music so ploddingly impenetrable it makes A Passion Play sound like Follow The Leader.

Korn - Unplugged (Virgin) :: Strip away the artificial angst and they begin to sound like Jethro Tull.

Little Aida - Mad Country (Second Shimmy) :: Acoustic mellotronian harmoniums.

Lighting Dust - Lightning Dust (Jagjaguwar) :: Armed with a mighty quim quivering voice that's part Grace Slick and part Tiny Tim, distressed songstress Amber Webber is the unstable female Neil Young.

Maps + Atlases - Tree, Swallow, Houses (Sargent House) :: Frippertronics on a hot tin roof.

Nurses - Hangin' Nothin' But Our Hands Down (Sargent House) :: Amateur hour goes on and on. Worst album of the year, hands down.

John Wort Hannam - Two Bit Suit (Black Hen) :: Competent generic country that ain't bad but nothin' new neither.

Klaxons - Myths Of The Near Future (Geffen) :: A-OO-GAH music for cokeheads. Make sure you remove the brass tube first before you sit down, Stevie.

Autons - Short-Term Manifesto (Zip) :: Rexian gitbox boogie + Roxite synth sonics = relentless rock 'n' roll.

SIZZLING STATEMENT OF THE WEEK: Jon Brooks - Ours And The Shepherds (Exile) :: I may be a "might makes right" kinda guy, but I sure know quality when I hear it-and this thoughtfully insightful low key concept album about warfare though the ages has lots of it. And although I don't agree with everything he says, I know his heart's in the right place. Besides, he's less obfuscating than Dylan and more sincere than Springsteen.

Be seeing you!