JEFFREY MORGAN'S MEDIA BLACKOUT #789.528.159!

Beastie Boys - The Mix-Up (Capitol) :: I get the Zappa-influenced bargain basement cretin slop mentality, but these mushy instrumentals are strictly for 'luded out losers. A-heads prefer Teenage Fanclub's The King.

Lori Cullen - Buttercup Bugle (self-released) :: A bouquet of brass-backed melodies that are light and airy, just like windswept love is supposed to be. This clever Cupid's got a hammer and she's swingin' it all over this land.

The Grip Weeds - House Of Vibes Revisited (Ground Up) :: They're not the Beatles, but an incredible stimulation!

Nathan Lawr & The Minotaurs - A Sea Of Tiny Lights (Minotaur) :: Ever get the feeling that too many people are making too many records these days? I sure do.

Rasputina - A Radical Recital (Filthy Bonnet) :: Are you ready for two women playing cello versions of "Barracuda" and "Rock And Roll"? I sure am.

Raine Maida - The Hunters Lullaby (King Noise) :: For a second, I thought that "China Doll" was Iggy's Idiot song, but then I realized that even Bowie at his most cocked-out never wrote wretched lyrics like: "She's sweet like honey, sour like democracy."

Intodown - Brave New World (self-released) :: This mind-bending garage-surf art rock album whose hippie-trippy touchstone is the 13th Floor Elevators is going up so punch a higher floor!

Twilight Hotel - Highway Prayer (self-released) :: Producer Colin Linden has brought out the best in this sweet-pickin' guy 'n' gal duo, so how come they don't got no record label yet?

Kamera - Resurrection (Nettwerk) :: And you thought the '80s were dead.

SIZZLING PLATTER OF THE WEEK: Johnny Hollow - Dirty Hands (Orange) : "Scully, imagine Bernard Herrmann reincarnated as an aggregate of two gals and a guy and you'll have an idea of just how spooky this unbalanced album is." "What are you saying, Mulder? That this is the most haunted Goth-infested record ever?" "All I'm saying is that you'll want to file this one next to Siouxie & The Banshees' A Kiss In The Dream House; it's that good."

Be seeing you!