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believers thrashing away in the audience. On record, though, it's hard to see the point. There's nothing wrong with Forever, just as there was nothing wrong with the first million bands that sounded exactly like them. The only real variation to be found on this r5-minute record is "Who's Haunting Mel," which picks up enough speed to verge on hardcore. It's hardly earth-shattering, but when you've been in the van this long, any change in scenery is worth pointing out. -N.r.
Y ou're a very, very ol d punk or a very, very new one.

be the fruit in the can/ I'11 the whip in the cream/ Together we're ambrosia like it ain't no thing." On the epic, orchestral "Lonely Child," the duo shines, their lyrics about childhood isolation delivered with so much fiercenessthat a second listen is required to fully catch the tender message.And album highlight "Stomp" pays homage to Michael |ackson's "Thriller" with an infectiously catchy musical hook that recyclesitself continually throughout the song. As much'8os-influenced as it is presently innovative, A Million Trillion Starsis an entertaining slice of sibling revelry. -CLAINE ASHTON
B esi des B Mi l e and H us tl e & Fl ow ,you may hav e s een Tary n i n Whi te Ol eander, C ol d Mountai n, and the B ri tnev S pears v ehi c l e C rossroads.

BOOMKAT
A MtLLtONTR ILLtONS TA R S .i fl l e fi Va n illa Records/Maple Music Croup] Jant

Boomkat-siblings Taryn and graced Kellin Manning-first the club scene in zoo3 with Boomkatalog.One, disc full of a trip hop-infused dance tracks. Taryn's flowering career as an actor, as well as prime placement on some mator-motionpicture soundtracks, created a snowball effect that ultimately catapulted Boomkat's catchy, beat-healy material onto Billboard's dance charts. Six years later, the duo is back with its sophomore release, a categorydefying aural arena for a multi tude of genres that inspire the Mannings. Taryn brings the street-smart vocals showcasedin her film roles (8 Mile, Hustle q Flow) to Stars, alternating between tough rap, gritty power balladeering, and dance-minded soul. And whether he's using traditional or computer-generated instrumentation, Kellin keeps the album juiced up with pulsing rhythm. The sexy first single, "Run Boy (Here I Come)," featues Taryn rapping off-the-cuff lines like "You be

SALLYCREWE & THESUDDEN MOVES

BE NEAREST N4AY EXIT YOUR YOU[9-haek Mind] BEHIND Carefree, skirt-spinning , breezy pop ironically reached its boppy apotheosis during the era of Ronald Reagan, "duck and cover" Cold War paranoia, and guilt-free consumerism. So Your NearestExit May Be Behind You-the phrase redolent of, among other things, nuclear dread-seems like the perfect title for the third album from an artist whose '8os-friendly sound recalls Elvis Costello, the GoGo's, and the Romantics. Aided and abetted by psych' rock legend Roky Erickson and power-pop vet Tommy Keene, Yorkshire-rearedand now Austin, Texas-rooted songwriter Crewe has the wit to freshen up a more-than-two-decades-old style with admirable concision and a surplus of smarts, memorably rhapsodizing about

between,trackslike "Young Adult Friction" and"A Teenager in Love"are far more complex than their namesmight suggest.Perfectfor a rooftop party, this discwill impressyour friends academic and scenester alike.-nntw,tnrysuoor
, S low diveRide ,PaleSa int s Blac k , T ambourin e.

nity to continue touring. Their guitarist didn't want to, so the remaining three shrugged, picked up a replacement (guitarist fael Navas),formed a new band, and went anylvay. Forever certainly sounds like the brainchild of a bunch of folks who want the road to go on...well, forever. The musrc is enthusiastic, unpretentious, professional pop-punk that hits all the genre expectations-fast (but not too fast) tempos; raw (but not too raw) production; catchy, familiar hooks; and vocals with a tinge of cowpunk swing. Live, they're probably fabulous, and as happy to play in front oftwo people as in front of 1oo, in love with the true
POP CULTURE

FOREVER
FOREVER {HHBTtrI Reeords} According to the band's press materials, Forever was conceived in a van: While traveling as part of Me and My Arrow, Shenna Corbridge (vocals), fen Nigg (bassand vocals),and foel Lopez (drums) got the opportu70 | bitch FEMrNrsr REs PoNsTO E

a charismatic lover on "Mag. net" ("You're like a magnet/ I'm just a little paperclip/ And when you walk in a room I stick to you") and lamenting tough looks and bad attitudes ("How Can People Wear That Stuffl"). The payoffl Confidence and intelligence may be all it takes for Crewe and her Moves ro drag the form away from the throwback crowd into a new century. -I(c. You'lllove BlakeBabies' Sunburn, Spoon's SeriesofSneaks, A and the New Pornographers' Electric Version.

THE ETTES
DANGER EP IS {Take Boot Reeord*} Beat-punk lovelies the Ettes' new Danger Is is full of raw, garage-bred flair with a dash of blues-infused power-pop sensibility. The five-song rp includes two tracks produced by the Black Keys' Dan Auerbach, one unreleased track from the U.K. Toerag Studio sessions with producer Liam Watson-which spawned the Ettes' zoo6 album Shake the Dust-and two live tracks, one from New York's Arlene Grocery and the other from the Steve Allen Theatre in Los Angeles. Standout tracks "No Home" and "Subfect" are chock-full of crunchy guitars, four-onthe-floor drums, and Blondieesque vocals, exemplifying the ever-present chemistry between female powerhouses Coco (vocals/guitar), Poni (drums), and resident rhythm aficionado fem (bass)."Lo and Behold" hits a high note with layered harmonies that give a nod to the Buzzcocks and a bubblegum lusciousness reminiscent of the Runaways. Power-packed from beginning to end, the only shortcoming to be found on Danger Is is that it's over

in the blink of an eye,leaving listenersto wonder what just hit them beforehitting replay.
-C.4.

The Cr am ps . he Ram onest,h e t Nerves, Clash, Applicators. the the

THE NOISE REYIVAL ORCHESTRA

FARILYA {Independent} EP Boredwith indie-pop escapism, the NoiseRevival Orchesrra-a 11 -memberhybrid-orchestral group that melds classical compositionwith elementsof rock, dance,and soul-ambitiously treadsinto new territory with a magicaldeliveryand imagination to spare.Incorporatingthe psychedelic, epic flavorsofPink Floydand the PolyphonicSpree with traditional compositions i la Philip Glass,TNRO flawlesslychannelsits celebrated live performanceinto this sophomore recording. Whetting listeners' palates for an upcoming full-length co, Farilya' lighthearted" Durry s Quain" exemplifiesexpert composition, filling the void left by Beulahwith a participatory clap-trackintro, a sunny horn
section, and a soulful female chorus executed by band members Candace Iackson and Allie Attal. Elsewhere, the title track plays out like a true orchestral work, showcasing a monumental instrumental arrangement as well as the punctuated cadence of Nathan Felix's distinct vocals. The rp closes out with "Days N Daze"-a jaunty track with synthesizer lines so impressive one can only imagine what the Who's "Baba O'Riley" might sound like had it been delivered by a band triple its size. The Noise Revival Orchestra is actually making music interesting again. -c.1.

YACHT
S E EN 4Y S TE R Y LIGH TS {DM Reeordsl

ffi
The ensemble's first,self-titled album and Farilyacomecombined on USBdrivesif ordered directly from TNRO.

The cryptic yet entertaining pressmaterialsdeliveredwith See Mysterylighfs clearlystate that "YACHTis not a cult," but afterone listento this cp it's easyto seewhy peoplemight think otherwise.Giving birth, life. death.and the afterlife equallyjangly electro-folktreatments, this Portlandduo's first fullJength album might inspire somelisteners don a white to triangle (the band's oflicial symbol)and join membersfona Bechtoltand Claire L. Evansin drinking the specialKool-Aid. Though the handclaps, layered vocals, and instrumental loops that aboundon See Mystery Lightsmay inspire
FA LL.og l rssue no.44 bi tc htz r

one day, professing remorse for her nipple-revealing nightclub behavior the next. And after a year of providing U.K. tabloids with endlessly juicy fodder-a miscarriage, a breakup, a psychiatric hospitalization, and many middle fingers raised to p aparazzi-here comes Allen's sophomore release. On the album's first single, "The Fear,"Allen sings, "I am a weapon of massive consumption/ It's not my fault/ It's how I'm programmed to function," at once acknowledging her shortcomings as an influential celebrity while shifting the blame. She calls out blood diamonds, lauds weight loss and light ("Don't Fightthe and Darkness"), human respon- as a route to happiness, and claims to be "packing plastic." sibility ("We HaveAll We Ever If she's built this way, it's not Wanted,""It's Boring/YouCan hard to wonder what pairing of Live WhereverYou Want").

tw O n e p a r t s e l f - l o a th i n g , o p a r ts , h i g h f a s h i o n a n d l o a d so f m e d i o nooky. cre elderly-gent

NOUSNON PIUS
M ENAGERIE /Aeronaut Records]

One might ask why New Yorkbased coeds Nous Non Plus record primarily in French when the majority of the group's six members were born and bred right here in the U.S. of A. The answer is simple: It's all part of the kitsch. The group's aptly titled second studio album is an aural smorgasbord that incorporates elements of disco, burlesque, and lowbrow humor into otherwise straightforward indie rock. Male-female vocal combo |ean-Luc Retard and Celine Dijon share the spotlight throughout Menageie, alternating lead and backing vocals on some tracks and offering duets on others. Retard's gritty vocals on album opener "Loli" is less Parisian than Lower East Side; the fl amboyant "Catastrophe" channels the theatrical flair of the Scissor Sisters;and "Mais Maintenant Il Faut Danser," chock-full ofstaccato horns and open snare lines, sounds like it could easily accompany any big-top act. But the standout tracks are the least jokey: "Toi et Moi" and "Sunlight Yellow Noise" bring Menogerie's pace to a slow simmer, proffering a softer side of Nous Non Plus. Ifyou're already a fan, skip the download and purchase a physical copy of Menageie-the cp's inside cover contains a personal note from producer Dan Crane that sums the album up as an "eclectic collaboration amongst a sundry collection offriends from all over the world." -cl. B T h e K i n k s , r i g i t t eBa r d o t,R i n g o S t a r r , n d M a r l e n eD i e tr i ch . a

comparisonsto psychedelic folk bandslike Akron/Family and Do Make SayThink, YACHT doesthem one better by adding a healthydoseof noise.Songs catchyelectronic like "Psychic City" and "I'm in Lovewith a Ripper" will satisfy eventhe most bereft fan of the Blow (an earlier Bechtolt project), and when the YACHT duo tells you to "moveyour feet to the summer song,"you'll be hard-pressed to do asyour not leaders ask. As Bechtoltand Evans explain in the liner notes,See MysteryLightsgot its name from "a baffling paranormal phenomenonin the FarWest Texas desert,"where the album and was conceptualized recorded.Its themesrangefrom guesses aboutwhat happens when we die ("The Afterlife," "Ring the Bell"),to darkness
72 1bit c h F E M r N r s r R E sPo NsEIO

ruminaWith suchexistential clearthat the tions, it seems phenomenonof the mystery lights influenced more than just the album'stitle. Sothough they're not a cult, YACHT's otherworldlysound, hypnotic lyrical loops,and messages bigger-thanJife might be a little spookyfor somelisteners.But fans of electro-folk jams will probablywant to jump on this YACHT and ride it straight into the tail ofa comet, or maybeinto a hipster danceparty-whichever comes
fITsI. -KDLSEYWALLACE

unapologetic capitalism, consumer culture, and hedonism set the foundation. Ifyou re already aware that Allen s daddy issues manifest in her dating decisions, the number ofsongs about bad sex with old men won't surprise you. "Not Fair" is a jolly jab at blokes who fail to satisfy in bed, but as the album progresses, the repetition of this theme quickly becomes boring. Allen s staples of domesticity-watching the telly, walking the dog, wine and takeout-coupled with senti ments of feeling safe and less lonely in a relationship are honest, sure, but they're also clich6. Still, as much as lt's Not Me, It's You fails-unsurprisinglyto live up to the accolades garnered by Allen's debur, Smile, it's difficult to find fault with the somewhat introspective star. Her lilting voice and catchy pop rhythms make the dullest tracks listenable. Smilewas a better album, but then, some say so are trysts with younger men. Live and learn. -r.s.

The song "The Afterlife"reappro priatesthe lyricsto the Beaver officialsong,"Oregon,My State's O r egon. "

LILYALLEN
YOU IT'S NOTME,IT'S {Parlophone} Lily Allen has, from the start, forged a career as a contradictory hybrid of giddy consumerism and celebrity consciencephotographed while clearly intoxicated at an awards show
POP CULIURE