Monday Album Roundup: Jedis, Queens, and Missing Commas

‘Afternoon, all! Another week, another bunch of great releases. This week, aside from the albums I intend to blather on about in just a moment, we have new releases from PJ Harvey and John Parish, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and Ministry.

Despite needing to learn a thing or two about proper punctuation, Peter Bjorn and John need no instruction in the music department. Though they most often get slapped with the “quirky indie pop” label, their quirks are nearly always inventive and playful, rather than grating on the ears like a lot of other such bands. Living Thing, the group’s fifth proper album, will apparently continue in that vein, if the first single is an adequate sample size: “Nothing to Worry About” begins with a bizarre chorus of distorted child-like vocals, but quickly evolves into a groovy mid-tempo club number that makes you want to dance in your chair. And that pretty much sums up the entirety of PB&J’s music: it shouldn’t work, but it does, wonderfully. This living thing should live it up in your music playlist quite well.

We all knew that Seattle prog-metalheads Queensryche had jumped the shark when they decided to release a sequel to their classic concept album, Operation: Mindcrime. After failing to find commercial success with any album after Op: Mindcrime (including, sadly, the underrated grunge-influenced Tribe), nobody thought that the band could ever find its voice again. And, well, they didn’t. Op: Mindcrime II was like a middle-aged guy trying to capture the glory of his college days: desperate, kind of stupid, and ultimately futile. American Soldier, the band’s latest album, doesn’t seem to be any better at first glance; “If I Were King,” the album’s first single, is a big, stinky chunk of power-ballad cheese. But then, so are most power-ballads. I wouldn’t write this one off immediately, especially if the band pulls off another Tribe, but don’t hold your breath.

As the producer half of underground hip-hop duo Jedi Mind Tricks, Kevin Baldwin – also known by his stage name, Stoupe the Enemy of Mankind -  crafts a complex web of back-beats, samples, and fills for partner-in-crime Vinnie Paz. Occasionally, however, he strikes out on his own with other emcees, such as in his collaboration with Canibus back in ‘03. In Decalogue, Stoupe commits his stage name to a ten-track mini-album and brings along with him a motley cast of characters from the underground. The result is basically a JMT album for people who don’t like JMT – and, um, for those who do as well. Just check out “Allison James” and tell me that it doesn’t win you over. Seriously, tell me. Hmm? What’s that? Yeah, that’s what I thought.