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Sinomatic “Sinomatic” Atlantic

Pouting faces, glaring in their best rock-star, bad-boy manner from the cover of Sinomatic’s self-titled major-label debut, give hope that inside there will be a true rock album, without any of the syrupy pop influences that have infiltrated the genre. Unfortunately, “Sinomatic” is torn between two worlds – Third Eye Blind sound-alikes and the wailing electric guitars and attitude-filled vocals of a bygone era. In the first category, songs like “Girlfriend,” “Leave Me Tomorrow” and “7 Days,” complete with string orchestrations, are too pop-influenced for a band that tries to bring a harder edge back into mainstream rock. “What Love Is” is similarly a slower-paced song, but it lacks a string section and is better for it. “Feel Alive,” “My Time” and “One Life,” on the other hand, have a distinctly ’80s rock quality, complete with unnecessary echo on the vocals and hard-driving electric guitars. The first two tracks, “Bloom” and “You’re Mine,” are the most individual songs on the album. Here the band’s multiple influences are present but unobtrusive, which bodes well for its future work. Not surprisingly, this album was produced by Eric Valentine, who also co-produced Third Eye Blind’s self-titled album. This was no benefit, as many of the problems on the album, such as the string orchestrations and engineering of the singer’s voice, are a matter of overproduction. A simpler sound would have been more fitting for many of the tracks. Sinomatic doesn’t fall victim to the usual faults of new bands. Its songs are well constructed, the instruments are integrated nicely and the 11 tracks don’t feel like reconstructions of the same song. It does, however, lack an overall distinctiveness. “Girlfriend” and “One Life” are good songs, despite their overproduction and eerily familiar sound, and “What Love Is” and “You’re Mine” are both well written and well executed. The album is infused with a feeling of great potential, and it can only be hoped that the band finds its voice, as it does with “Bloom” and “You’re Mine,” and produces a second album that delivers what this one promises.

Mary Williams Rating: 6

Jeff Beck “Wired” Epic It’s a little unsettling when some of the best releases in the current music industry are reissued albums. Jeff Beck’s “Wired” is a brilliant paradigm of the level of quality that should be expected in today’s releases. The only thing is that the album was originally released in 1976. Beck, considered by many to be one of the greatest guitarists of all time, displays not only flash but also the moderation that is not often seen in guitarists’ “solo” albums. All too frequently these types of solo albums are dedicated to one giant guitar-soloing wankfest. However, Beck leaves ample time for the rest of his band to step into the spotlight. Bass player Wilbur Bascomb takes the opportunity to lay down a phatty, thick layer of funk, while Max Middleton and Jan Hammer spew out gritty runs on the clavinet and synthesizer respectively. Along with these adept musicians, some of the best instrumentation on the album is by Narada Michael Walden, who shows his prowess on both piano and drums. In addition to playing on the album, Walden wrote four of its eight tracks. The album sounds unusually bright and the notes are pristine in their clarity. Many albums in the late ’60s and throughout the ’70s suffered from having some of the sound quality lost in their final mixdown. “Wired” is one of the few albums that deviate from this path of musical loss. Produced by George Martin, “Wired” is a testament to both Beck’s musial genius and Martin’s veteran experience as a producer. With Beck hitting the front shelves of record stores once again, maybe the rest of the music world will take a hint from this inspirational album and produce something of the same high quality.

Antero Garcia Rating: 8

Zebrahead “Playmate of the Year” Sony Music

Adorning Zebrahead’s album “Playmate of the Year,” are images of Playboy playmates Kessisa Fare, Elan Carter and Jennifer Rovero, decked out in tasseled leather bikinis. And then there’s the picture of the band ogling an issue of Playboy magazine, drool practically dripping down their chins. Appropriately titled, the album includes tracks such as “Livin’ Libido Loco,” “Wasted” and “I’m Money.” With a poppy, punk sound reminiscent of Blink 182 and Bloodhound Gang, Zebrahead creates a fun, party atmosphere with its catchy beats and contagious lyrics. The first track, “I am,” uses its instrumentation to create a punk and electronic feel at the same time, allowing for a wider audience. “I am” keeps up a fast-paced tempo from beginning to end, as do most of the album’s other songs. The song successfully grabs the listener’s attention with profane lyrics, although some may find these verses offensive. “Playmate of the Year,” the title track, further adds to the album’s upbeat mood by adding sounds of “whoo” and “yeah” into its chorus. With lyrics that are easy to relate to such as “Gotta get up/Gotta open my eyes/I’m swimming through this haze/That’s been around me for days,” listeners can, at times, connect with the band. At other points in the album, however, Zebrahead makes it clear that it just wants to have fun and it doesn’t care what anyone else thinks. This attitude can be clearly felt in the song “In My Room,” during which the band sings, “I can do it all in my room/I can be a rock star with a bad attitude/I am the king in my room.” While the album has a fun, enjoyable quality, many of the songs sound the same and are hard to distinguish from other bands’ music. Stick to tracks “Playmate of the Year,” “Now or Never,” “Wasted” and “I’m Money” in order to hear Zebrahead at its best. In the end, although the CD can get a little repetitive, it’s a good album to mix into the party lineup.

Rebecca Cohen Rating: 6