I haven’t heard a British rock band sound so good in years; Silence Will Kill You, released last fall is a strong, energetic release by a band named after a psychedelic Nancy Sinatra track from the ’60s. But don’t let that give you the wrong impression of this band, whose foot-stomping rock-’n'-roll-meets-indie sound will give you a swift kick in the ass. The eleven songs on the album are full of emotionally driven, catchy lyrics that urge the listener to join in and participate in human history.

The content found within Silence Will Kill You encourages human/political involvement, and there really is no excuse to be passive after hearing this record. This is more than just a rock ‘n’ roll album put together to have some fun on a Saturday night; it’s music that wants you to think.

Album opener “Let The Good Times Come My Way” creates some fresh optimism to kick things off, and the up-tempo single “Losing My Mind” is relatable as it speaks of freeing personal expression of desires and creativity as an answer to personified chaos. I’d be interested in hearing the song that speaks for itself, “One Day You’ll Love The Things You Hate,” done acoustically, as it would strip the track down to its bare bones and really make the lyrics stand out even more. “Pretty Girl” is radio ready, and a sure hit, as it’s catchy, sexy and upbeat (this was the song that made me want to check out the band in the first place).

“Stolen Love Song” is bluesy and tender, and it’s a nice change of pace (introducing an element of vulnerability) on such a definite rock record. In “Propaganda”, the focus is on the current erosion of freedoms and what it could lead to, and is one of my personal favorites with the lyrics: “The close-up, the sound bite / The replay, the gunfight, it’s all propaganda / The tax cuts and think tanks / The loopholes, the World Bank / Oh take a look around you, it’s all propaganda”. This is another song that should be on radio playlists, and will still be very relevant down the line.

“Settle Down” is about wanting to slow down and settle but knowing that you can’t, and is followed by the very poppy, U2-ish “The Nightshift”—which is just gorgeous to hear—about being apart from the one you love. The album concludes with “The Madness of Crowds” which utilizes a refurbished Beatles sound with the mic echo, and is a nice complement to a song about being different and being heard.

This is definitely a must-buy album and needs to be on the radio. This band will inspire you, get you dancing, get you to break the silence and get you moving in the right direction.

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Teletextile is the post-musical project of the Pamela Martinez Band. Lead singer Martinez is quoted on the band’s Web site as saying, “[Teletextile's] name comes from an obsession with relating music and art you can touch and feel like fabric.” Enlisting another talented multi-instrumentalist, Brian Hamilton, they put forth Care Package. The album was recorded at a variety of different locations, and showcases a host of fabulous musicians, while highlighting the incredible vocal and instrumental range of Martinez and Hamilton.

Care Package uses a wide array of musical instruments ranging from cello, harp, violin, mallet and piano to convey a sense of vulnerable isolation. The album bears grace and magnitude with a composition of oscillating sensations. It is minimalist, indulgent, dreamy and epic.

“Come to Bed”, the album’s opener, is heartbreaking and sensitive—a lonely, beautiful song. Martinez coos: “So I hold my breath and wait for the moment / But when you appear, your lips supply air / Your comfort comes to be nothing…” “Ampm Two” includes a simple but hypnotic piano arrangement, subtle bursts of violin and Martinez’ top-notch vocals. This track ranks up there as one of my favorites on the album. As an aside, this song is also featured as a video on a DVD music video that you can obtain at the band’s live performances.

“Gesso” takes a descent into a darker space. Martinez’s lyrics, while retaining their airy quality, are assertive and graphic: “I’m standing naked now between two mirrors / There’s a couple of scars to prove that I have lived”

I had the great pleasure of seeing Teletextile live in Allston, Mass., and I would recommend casual lovers of the Dresden Dolls, or Björk (which is a stretch in either case, though, since Teletextile are true originals) to catch them on their upcoming Midwest tour.

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How best to describe Six’s latest offering, Between the Warning and the War? Basically it’s a metal band taking all the elements of the hardcore genre and spewing it forth without falling into the worst subtlety of the genre—the simple nature of the song structure.

Pulling a heavy amount of inspiration from the legendary Suicidal Tendencies, along with elements of hardcore and punk, Six pulls everything together in a blistering metallic shell and each song seethes out of the speakers, full of fury and rage.

With guest appearances from Tony Campos (Static-X) and Mike Clark (Suicidal Tendencies), Six attacks the listener with a barrage of punishing grooves (”A Guide to Living Alone” and “The Beautiful Things”), thick riffs (”Broken Girl”, with its insanely catchy melody, and “Had Enough”, which features some great machine-gun blast beats) and punishing intensity (”Forgiveness” and “Warning”). The couple of curve balls, where the band most emulates Suicidal, come in the form of “Perfect Life” (a more mellow approach that still loses none of the band’s intensity) and “Throwing the World Away”.

Nothing on here is filler. Six has meticulously crafted this intense approach through constant touring with the likes of Arch Enemy and Fear Factory and Clutch and Gwar and Dope and on and on. A fan of any of these bands needs only to pick up this disc and crank “Circles” at maximum volume to be convinced of the band’s worth.

Between the Warning and the War is a worthy addition to any metal-head’s collection.

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Anyone reading this would more likely recognize Emerson Hart as the frontman for the band Tonic, a group which, in the mid-’90s, scored one (and only) big hit with “If You Could Only See”.

Now on his own, Hart has crafted an album that fails to measure up to that one big hit, but manages to string together a collection of songs that… well, isn’t entirely a waste. And I mean that in a completely positive way.

Take the opener, “Run To”. The song almost feels like a throwback to the mid-’90s, and I can almost imagine it getting tons of airplay. There’s this infectious bass hook underneath the proceedings, and the overall melody really pulls you in. And Hart sounds pretty comfortable behind the mic, but the lyrics just feel lacking, which can’t be a good thing when you shed the full band for a solo endeavor. The more I listen to the track, the more I like it musically but dislike the lyrics.

That pretty much sums up the entire collection. Everything feels like it has great potential, but something comes up to screw things up. The lyrics are actually pretty solid on “Devastation Hands”, but there’s a terrible synth/vocal bridge in the chorus that just sort of ruins everything.

Even the good stuff on here, songs like “If You’re Gonna Leave” or “Ordinary”, just seem like they’re aping the same formula on which a large bulk of the male singer/songwriters or a group like Daughtry rely. I can’t tell if it’s the song structure of the chords or what, but I could put together an entire album of these songs that you wouldn’t be able to distinguish from one another, apart from the differing vocals. Hart has a good voice, and he’s able to craft a good song, so why do the tired and true instead making something new and great?

As an aside, “I Wish the Best for You” is actually a very good song. It’s a little pedestrian in its approach, but taken in its entirety it’s a homerun. You wouldn’t be able to do 12 versions of it and call it an album, but it’s a great song around which to build an album.

In the end, it just feels like if there were a couple of risks… if he had taken a few more chances, the results could have been memorable. And we’d be left with a collection of songs that had an edge, and felt like they were worth something instead of being easily disposable. There are glimmers in some of the songs (the rock appeal of “I Know” or the haunting melody of “Green Hills Race for California”, another really special song on here), but most efforts sadly fall flat.

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It’s been almost two decades in the industry for Bassnectar.

If you’re reading this review you either know that already or you’ve never heard of him. Can’t imagine there are too many casual, occasional fans out there.

Quick intro for those new to the show: Bassnectar plays big shows and back alleys at a clip of about 150-200 shows per year. You’ve probably heard one of the many generic derivatives of Bassnectar’s sound if you’ve been to any nightclub in the world—bass-heavy, electronic beats over the club-supplied smoke machine and $12 cocktails.

On Underground Communication, it’s easy to hear the difference between Bassnectar and all of the imitators. With apologies to Gertrude Stein, there is a there, there.

The title track is layered with no less than a half-dozen sonic styles from beginning to end that start, stop, speed up, slow down, then morph into something new just as the ear has managed to catch up. And, if that sounds like a cop-out description of a song in a genre that’s impossible to describe, then you’re reading the wrong review, son.

“Amorphous Forms” features some traces of unmistakable funk blended in with its computer notes. If Dr. Dre were to ever to record an electronic music album, this would be the first single. “Ridiculous Wobble” builds on a strong drum throughout, before switching up to what almost could be described as a trip to India at the end.

Bassnectar’s version of “Stomp”, with vocals by Seasunz, would surely make Kirk Franklin’s head explode as it veers from today to tomorrow, then hits the brakes eases to its finish. “Kick It Complex” has a decidedly Latin flair and if this one isn’t being played right now in one of Miami’s wonderfully diverse dance spots, I’ll give you a dollar.

I’m not going to insult, y’all, now. If you’re not a fan of the genre, this album won’t turn you into one. The sound here is broader and not intended to be contained within the confines of your iPod. Never before has the cliché “it is what it is” been more appropriate. Still might be worth a listen for the curious, though.

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