Austin's Built By Snow's sophomore release Mega injects a quick dose of Atari-influenced nerd-pop. I get the feeling these kids spent more time in arcades than J.J. Cooney, but instead of Fear, their headphones were jammin' to The Cars and Cheap Trick while in battles with the Bishop.

"Something in 3D" is an anthem that seems destined to blast from Geek Squad bugs everywhere. "All the Weird Kids Know" is a catchy rocker with a "stroke of Strokes" riffs. BBS hands reach into the Weezer cookie jar, as well. I found myself listening to "Implode Alright" over and over; it's a heartfelt song that speaks of the truest form of love, a love only found in Mr. Do's castle, no doubt, -------V-V-VViva PacMan.

[Built By Snow is playing 2/14/09 at Walter's on Washington, along with The McKenzies, The Tontons, & The Mathletes.] (SCR Staff // 02/06/09)

"Look at me I'm the next big thing," sings Crisis in Hollywood singer Adrian Snyder, and with his band's anticipated debut album, Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea, he may be on his way. The band, which consists of Daniel Valery on guitars, Logan Berton on bass, and Andy Wambach on drums, has compiled 13 tracks that are full of catchy hooks, infectious guitar riffs, over-the-top sing-alongs, and a swirl of three-part harmonies that rival anything the Jonas Brothers sing. The album's first track, "The Fashion of the Christ," kicks off with repetitive drum rolls before an attack of dual vocals soon join in, reminiscent of early Taking Back Sunday. Adrian spills lyrics describing how they see the scene they belong to and take stabs at the number of mass-produced bands popping up year after year, the trendy clothes and dark eyeliners that mask the quality of the music.

"Sin on my Lips" is the quintessential first single from this pop-punk band, fitting the formula to a T. It's filled with heart-on-your-sleeve lyrics, repetitive, captivating choruses, and melodic guitars, with lyrics touching on that all-too-familiar subject, a failed relationship. Although not new, Crisis in Hollywood manages to make the topic as fresh as ever, and you'll find yourself singing the chorus by the second go-round.

As you get to the fourth track, though, you may begin sensing a feeling of déjà vu, as the track "Like a Wave" begins with yet another repetitive snare drum roll, but once your ears get past the assault of drums, the song is an in-your-face attack filled with double-bass patterns and guitar solos. It's definitely a track where Crisis in Hollywood envisioned sweaty bodies slamming into each other, but while the track is filled with fury it still holds its pop roots so as to not alienate their fans. It's nice to see Crisis in Hollywood depart from their formula on "Out with a Bang," which incorporates tambourines and handclaps over a steady heart-thumping bass line that sends shiver down your spine. The lyrics touch on the subject of living your life as only you can and the need to stop living by the orders of the masses.

On the negative side, while Crisis in Hollywood may be on their way to playing bigger venues and competing with the likes of Fall Out Boy and Panic! at the Disco, this album won't be the one to make them rockstars. The band seems to be coping with an identity crisis, as the musicians blend their catchy hooks with overzealous metal-crunch guitars and overused double bass pedals. "Let it Go" is a prime example; the band adds its love of metal where it's not needed and alters the songs overall appeal. On their last track, Crisis in Hollywood does manage to make you forget that they're a pop-punk band. The title track showcases the best of Crisis in Hollywood's love of metal -- midway into the track, they break down and delve into a metal-like trance filled with dual guitar solos and constant double-bass kicks that are evocative of Atreyu. The melody of the song is more rock 'n roll than pop-punk; perhaps this is the growth of the band that we're witnessing.

Crisis in Hollywood has found a niche in a scene where emo, screamo, hardcore, and mass-produced pop acts rule the charts, and they've done it with relentless touring and an old-school, punk-style DIY attitude. The band is currently in the studio recording their followup, and with the band growing up, one can only expect their second full-length to be bigger and better. Maybe, just like Snyder sings on "The Fashion of the Christ," he will be the next big thing. (Jesus Acevedo // 02/06/09)

There's a scene in H. G. Wells's The Time Machine where the Time Traveler pushes his machine millions of years into the future and sits on a beach under a dying red sun. There, he watches life itself begin to fade, like a person with terminal cancer slipping off bit by bit. If, when he had come to a stop, there had been a girl at a piano quietly singing a requiem for the Earth, that girl would have to be Joni Davis.

A Bird's Heart is the San Francisco native's second album, and it could not be more full of idyllic emptiness than if it was an inside-out zero. "Haunting," "ethereal," and "beautiful" are words that have already been thrown at her numerous times, but they're none the worse here for having been used before. Every track on the album sounds like it was recorded with a broken heart on Mars, tripping along in orbit with little more than her soul voice and grand piano.

There's little here of the dynamic change-ups in tempo and tone that make other piano artists like Nick Cave and Tori Amos the trailblazers that they are; Joni Davis tends to stick with what she does best. She does that very well, however, and I wish that everyone who insists on calling Amy Winehouse great just because she's got a soul voice would pick up this album instead. She's really real. (Jef With One F // 02/06/09)

It'd be way, way easy to lump Golden Cities in with the whole guitar-heavy, spacey-atmospherics crowd, tag them as Explosions in the Sky 2.0 (3.5?), and move on. I mean, there's a fair bit of doubled, echoey guitars on here, particularly on tracks like "The Beautiful Death of Immortality," which by itself wouldn't sound very out-of-place on the soundtrack to Friday Night Lights.

To pigeonhole these guys like that, though, would be a major disservice. For one thing, the atmospheric meanderings they come up with sound to me a lot more akin to Mogwai's dark rumblings than anything the EitS boys have ever done; from lead-in track "Introit" forward, there's a menacing, foreboding tone to the music, like it's a warning. It definitely paints some gorgeously sky-like imagery, to be sure, but Golden Cities aren't about pretty clouds drifting across the moon -- rather, this the sound of a looming, threatening storm, one that's likely to do a ton of damage before it moves on out to cripple some other community.

Granted, this whole feeling may be because I still see the debris left by Hurricane Ike every time I drive home from work or take my daughter to school, but to me Golden Cities seems remarkably prescient considering it was recorded in late 2007 (during the Perseids meteor shower, apparently, which accounts for at least one song title), long before Ike inflicted his wrath on Golden Cities' (and my) adopted hometown. There's majestic grandeur, sure, but despite the band's name, there's more of a sense of danger to it than of triumph. This is the sound of a storm passing by, just put to music.

Marcus Gausepohl and Nathan Heskia's guitars lead the way, really, coming in distant and quiet -- almost jazzy at points, but we'll get back to that -- and steadily, implacably building over the course of each track (and sometimes multiple times within a single track) to a thundering, overdistorted roar, something most members of the high-lonesome school of atmospheric rock would hardly ever touch. The drums, meanwhile, push the storm forward to wherever the heck it's going, with drummer Lance Higdon throwing in these surprising jazz fills and off-kilter rhythms.

Listening to Higdon's drumming, in particular, some of the band's non-spacerock influences seem to peek through. There's a resemblance to post-rock icons Tortoise, and stepping beyond them, Fugazi or even (no, really; bear with me here) jazz-fusion-y stuff from the '70s -- and that's no bad, thing, as far as I'm concered. I've honestly never been big on either fusion or post-rock admittedly, but here they serve to somewhat deepen the mishmash of styles; there's the Mogwai-/Pelican-esque guitar crushers, the grand, wide-open-sounding Explosions in the Sky instrumentals, the quirky avant-jazz undercurrent, and even some proto-emo-style stuff scattered throughout ("Where the Earth Meets the Sky" makes me think of EndSerenading-era Mineral, for one).

I should probably note, by the way, that I've had a hell of a time discerning one track from another, even when I'm sitting here with the CD case staring me in the face. It's partly because the band crafts multiple movements within the songs themselves, so much so that I've had to check the CD player in my car to make sure that yes, I was still on track 2, but more than that, Golden Cities just feels like one big long track, meant to be listened to and digested slowly on a long drive home. Just sit and squint into the setting sun, watching the clouds build off in the distance.

[Golden Cities is playing 2/6/09 at Rudyard's, along with The Appleseed Cast & The Hungry Villagers.] (Jeremy Hart // 02/06/09)

Ever since I first heard "Airport Surroundings" on NPR's All Songs Considered back in December, I have not been able to get Loney, Dear out of my head. I waited patiently for almost two months to be able to have that particular song and others from the new album, Dear John, on my iPod and to be able to blast it as I walk through my college campus.

The long-anticipated day has come, and I now listen to the entire album at my pleasure. What was the first song I listened to over and over again when I first got my hands on Loney, Dear's new album? That's right: "Airport Surroundings." I think that this is the best song on the album; it's got a catchy beat set to Emil Svanängen's beautiful yet mysterious voice and thoughtful lyrics, as when he sings, "I've got a hole in my head and a hole in my heart." It's soft enough to be background music at any party or playing at your favorite coffee shop, yet catchy enough to blast at any dance party or club and get people moving.

I find it smart, by the way, that this song is the opening track of the new album; it catches any listener's attention and keeps them listening. The album continues, but not as well as the opening track, I feel. By the third track, Svanängen slows things down with "I was only going out," a charming little song about apologies and forgiveness.

I honestly got lost a little throughout the next few songs. It feels like the catchiness of the first track wears off by now and the album desperately needs help to keep listeners tuned in. Just as I'm about to lose hope, the opening of "Summers" begins, and I'm immediately back. This track is definitely my second favorite on the album and reminds me a lot of Loney, Dear's previous single "I am John," which is a definitely a good thing. That track is just what the album needed to keep us hooked until the end.

"Violent" is another good song that will slowly creep onto my favorites list, and I really loved that the album ended with the quiet melody of "Dear John." I think it's the perfect finishing touch the album needed, ending the album on a quiet, soft, thoughtful note.

Overall, I'd definitely recommend this album and cannot wait to see Loney, Dear on their current tour. To be completely honest, I think I was a little disappointed with the album, but at the same time I was also very satisfied. I had very high expectations, and although they weren't met, they rarely are.

I think Dear John's great also because it plays to all kinds of moods and feelings that listeners experience, much like previous Loney, Dear albums. I can picture myself blasting some of the songs with the windows rolled down and friends in the car singing along, but I can also turn it on as I am going to sleep. It's another Loney, Dear masterpiece, and I expect great things from them as hype around the album hopefully rises.

[Loney, Dear is playing 2/10/09 at Rudyard's, along with News on the March & Alkari.] (Spencer Flanagan // 02/06/09)