Dredg, The Pariah, the Parrot, the Delusion. Without
dwelling too much on the innate pretension of a title like The
Pariah, the Parrot, the Delusion, it should be noted that the music
doesn’t fare much better. Dredg’s stock-in-trade is passion and
earnestness delivered via brooding, theatrical, occasionally
understated hard rock. The band is certainly talented, but the more it
tells you so, the less it matters. (Ohlone Recordings)
Brwn Bflo, Brwn Bflo. These ambassadors of conscious
Latino hip-hop make a proud artistic statement without neglecting the
more earthy elements that attracted them to the music in the first
place. Some moments transcend both old- and new-school, such as the
chorus to “Wheels Keep Spinnin’,” which upends a classic rap phrase:
Like this y’all, like that y’all, hands up y’all, against the wall
y’all. (self-released)
Michael Marshall, Soul of the Bay. Mike “Meezy”
Marshall, the legendary East Bay soul and R&B artist who sang the
chorus to Luniz’ “I Got Five on It,” returns with his first album in
three years — a fact he needlessly apologizes for in the opening
track. Soul of the Bay, named after another of Marshall’s
epithets, may be worth the wait, but only for those who were waiting in
the first place. (Jakil Records)
Garrett Pierce, All Masks. This San Francisco
songwriter’s third record, recorded to tape in a remote barn outside
Yosemite, ranges from raving pop to solemn folk, from Shins-like
exuberance to Mark Kozalek’s charismatic sadness, and from ambition to
plainspokenness. Simply put, it’s a fully realized effort — a
dynamic, ephemeral collection that continually contracts and expands.
(Crossbill Records)
