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As Is
On "Little Plastic Castle," Ani DiFranco wastes no time distancing herself from media mythology. [2]
Joan Anderman

The Beauty of Bacharach
Burt Bacharach's back, and he rawks; if you don't believe that, check out the three tribute albums released in the past year. [3]
Charles Taylor

Maximum Metal
The new Relapse label champions new sounds for a hardcore/grindcore audience who've outgrown those genre's rote conventions. [4]
Carly Carioli

Free Billy
Avant garde jazz violinist Billy Bang's "Commandment" puts free-jazz critics' minds to rest. [5]
Ed Hazell

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Sign of the Times
Performer Terry Callier hasn't had a hit record. Is it because his variety of styles won't lend him to a niche? [7]
Ron Wynn

Boston Phoenix CD Reviews
Silkworm, Smoking Popes, Richard Carpenter, Oval, Home, "Great Expectations" soundtrack, Gregg Bendian, and Bill Frisell. [8]

Red Expendables and DM3
Lettin' lose with some funky juice, slappin' down the platters that matter and writing brief reviews of current musical releases for your edification. [9]
Michael Henningsen

Rhythm & Views
Philip Glass, The Dead Boys, Various. [10]

Turn Up That Noise!
An eclectic survey of recent recordings. [11]
Stephen Grimstead

Gotta love Burt Bacharach too. The hair's as wavy and white as whipped cream, and those smooth-as-glass pop lyrics? Zowie. Who else but Burt could create a rhyme as cutesy as "The moment I wake up, before I put on my make-up" and get away with it? He's the man. What the world needs now is more Burt Bacharach songs.

I have nothing to say about the hair of Chicago singer Terry Callier. It's short and dark and invites nary a reference to pie toppings or fruit jingles. I will say that his songwriting, strong and jazzy and prone to incessant style-hopping, sounds like a winner. Hey, 50 acid jazz deejays can't be wrong.

As for the grindcore band Relapse, their members look like a textbook representation of the progressive stages of hair loss. I have little to say about their "abusive, misanthropic fogs of cyclical white-noise squalls that can fry your speakers at even moderate volumes," "spaced-out ethereal landscapes tinted toward foreboding and menace," and "gothic/tribalist new-age-leaning ambient clarity." That's neither fruity nor creamy, I'm afraid. Very afraid.

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Live Shots
Reviews of recent gigs around Austin: Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Cornershop, Roy Henrich, Terri Hendrix, and Pushmonkey. [6]

Now What?
If you go gaga over the sultry smoothness of a symphonic glissando, just wait till you experience our transitions to cool and useful music links on the Web. [12]

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