CD Pick: Yesterday Rules

MTX

YESTERDAY RULES

Lookout Records

For years the Mr. T Experience has been among power pop's greatest secrets. Driven by lead singer/guitarist Dr. Frank, the band has been combining smart lyrics with contagiously catchy hooks since 1986. "Yesterday Rules" finds the band embracing the melancholy of their past while streamlining their name (now simply MTX) for the future. Once again the band delivers, be it the smart dissection of classic rock lyrics that is "She's Not a Flower" or the swinging mod beat of "The Boyfriend Box." What is particularly noteworthy on this release is Dr. Frank's delivery of lilting and lovely acoustic-driven laments. "Big, Strange, Beautiful Hammer" recalls the sad sentiments of the Kinks and the sweet melody almost obscures the song's darker lyrical imagery, while "London" follows a similarly melodious track to heartache. MTX still confidently tosses around brawny guitar riffs, but it remains witty songwriting such as the references to both Woody Allen and Noam Chomsky on "Institutionalized Misogyny" that separates MTX from the power pop pack. TOM KIELTY

Lucky Dube

THE OTHER SIDE

Heartbeat

One of reggae's brightest lights shines brilliantly on his new disc as he combines his astute lyrical ways with a muscular musical dynamic for a sleek set of 10 songs. The South African artist has always been able to find the small epiphanies in everyday life and mix the personal with the political without being condescending or tendentious. Here, he's not interested in making the big statements about what is wrong with the world as much as examining the foibles, failures, and small triumphs of individuals and how they maintain their dignity throughout the struggle to live a vital existence. In "Hero" he extols mothers, fathers, and grandparents, not politicians or media superstars. In "Ding Ding Licky Licky Licky Bong," he affirms the virtue of life by singing, "Hello happiness . . . ah Jah, thank you" as a joyful mantra. He also knows that people make sacrifices and, as exemplified by the exiles longing for their homeland in the title track, yearning is a key element in life, and it's what keeps people struggling to improve their existence. The music is lithe and vibrant, and Skipha Shabalala's guitar is vivid throughout, especially with the metallic flourishes he offers up on the finest track, "Soldier." KEN CAPOBIANCO

Mr. Airplane Man

C'MON DJ

Sympathy for the Record Industry

It would be fitting to talk about the third album by local rock duo Mr. Airplane Man as a story of hometown girls made good. They've been busy the past few years, touring and cranking out albums that stay true to the low-fi blues rock that feeds their sound. But guitarist/

vocalist Margaret Garret and drummer Tara McManus make music that's not about being respected. It's about playing rock 'n' roll that's slow and gritty but still makes you sweat. Their new album makes this abundantly clear, both on their stripped-down songs, built from gristly guitar, brassy drums, and breathy vocals, and their covers of classics such as "Asked for Water" by Howlin' Wolf and "Hang Up" by the Wailers. While the music channels the sultry feel of bluesy rock, powered by late-night longing, the album can occasionally frustrate with diffuse and muddy sound on tracks such as "Don't Know How to Love." This is especially disappointing because of the duo's devotion to the texture of the rock they love, and the aplomb with which they deliver it live. Many moments are very good, like the tough guitar melody and knock-kneed beat of "Fallen" and the tart, world-weary harmonies and twisting guitar jangle on "Travelin'." Even with uneven moments, Mr. Airplane Man's new album continues to show that choosing the path of naughty rock can result in music that expresses the best of the blues. SARAH TOMLINSON

Paris

SONIC JIHAD

Guerrilla Funk

Paris has been one of the most diligent and militant of hip-hop MCs throughout his career, and this comeback CD is one of his most uncompromising efforts. Like Dead Prez, Public Enemy, and Mr. Lif, Paris looks at the daily news feed that the federal government offers up and finds conspiracy, deceit, and repression. Here he decries the erosion of civil liberties after Sept. 11 as well as American imperialism throughout the world. He confronts the continued police harassment of young African-American men, rampant mind control by media outlets, and sellout by most mainstream rappers as they search out the bling instead of justice for their people. It makes for especially provocative listening, and people who don't agree with the Oaktown MC could accuse him of being overly paranoid. Paris would say that those who don't see it his way are burying their heads in the sand. As he says in the mock-Adult Advisory on the CD packaging, "warning, contains hard truth." Listen and make up your own mind. The music is throwback G-Funk with ominous keyboard lines bolstering big, beefy bass lines, and Paris's flow, reminiscent of Rakim, is pure liquid. This "Sonic Jihad" hits hard and forces you to rethink what we accept as reality and second-guess just what the truth is during these uneasy days in the world. KEN CAPOBIANCO



Hoobastank

THE REASON

Island

The first thing you notice about Hoobastank's sophomore album isn't the fan-club flier that falls out of the liner notes or even the enhanced CD video that urges you again to join the fan club. It's the sad fact that the band hasn't changed a single dynamic of its music since its 2001 debut. Of course, fans of some bands (read: the Strokes) are more forgiving of a one-trick pony, but prospective fans of Hoobastank won't find anything revolutionary here. By the third song, you can spot the pattern that mires most of the album. It's simple: Open with a catchy guitar riff, sing a quasi-sensitive lyric, then chew up the scenery with heavily amped guitars and a wailing chorus, then reel it in with a gentler guitar interlude and affected harmonies. Wait. Didn't Black Francis do this (and much better) 15 years ago with the Pixies? Naturally, this all means that the album will be a gigantic hit. Judging from last week's Billboard chart for top modern rock singles, which included hits from similar acts Incubus, A Simple Plan, and Trapt, Hoobastank is onto something. For a generation that has never heard Husker Du or Tom Verlaine's guitar work, this stuff is real rock 'n' roll. Hoobastank plays with Linkin Park, P.O.D., and Story of the Year at the Centrum Centre in Worchester tomorrow at 7 p.m.

JAMES REED