Jesu - Conqueror

Jesu's self-titled debut was a ragged slab of industrial noise that didn't quite manage to transcend its origins as Justin Broadrick's post-Godflesh pet project, but Conqueror proves the art-metal godfather still has a few tricks up his sleeve. Broadrick cements his reputation as an unrivaled sonic architect here, creating a panoramic soundscape of ethereal keyboards, bristling guitars, and towering bottom end rivaling Kevin Shields for sheer aural density. Opener "Conqueror" rides a gauzy, ascending guitar riff past the 8-minute mark, and every track here conjures a unique textural ambience. The real surprise, only hinted at on earlier work, is the depth of Broadrick's lyrics; with nary a scream in sight, he manages to plumb the depths of mental isolation without sounding hopeless. The reinvention seems as much an extension of Broadrick's personal life as a necessary musical evolution; he has spoken in interviews of some long-standing family issues, and tracks like "Transfigure" and "Medicine" definitely point toward a struggle with dysfunction. But these epic tracks find resolution even in the most barren emotional landscapes: "Now you're stuck in the old year/but I believe in the new year," goes a line from "Old Year," a cathartic standout on a record full of them. Common sense dictates that metal artists tend to mellow in their old age, but rarely do they remain as inspired as this.

Jesu MySpace

The Trucks - The Trucks

Peaches knows how to start a party, but she had to go and get all cock-rock on us; Le Tigre and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs went to the majors, so they're out too. Chicks On Speed, who? Where did all the electro-dance-punk-girl-clash acts go? Enter Bellingham, WA's Trucks, ready and willing to parlay snippy Casio-bangers like "Titties" and "Zombies" into take-back-the-night femme-rock stardom. Too bad the record sounds like a bunch of tattooed thirty-somethings fooling around with keyboards and an 8-track on Saturday night. In place of a personal style, singer Kristin Allen-Zito adopts every annoying vocal tic from riot grrl-karaoke hell, yelping like Kathleen Hannah, panting and cooing like Karen O, and, oddly, dropping into the trembling lower registers of Conor Oberst. Sorry, but when your hit single reuses the same two lines for the verses and the chorus, you really aren't trying very hard. Basically the best thing about The Trucks is they'll make you want to listen to the bands that did it first.

The Trucks' MySpace