This is MB6! Collect the whole series! • Brian Wilson — Smile (Live In Concert) :: Yeah, I love paying big bucks to watch a medicated wax dummy spend the entire evening reading from two teleprompters that are force-feeding him his own lyrics. • John Frusciante — Inside Of Emptiness (Record Collection) :: If you thought his last extended player reeked, then you won’t want to smell this plugged john’s fresh runny sonic stool of amateur aural excrement. • Gov’t Mule — Déjà Voodoo (ATO) :: Formulaic but enjoyable Southern rock that’ll go down smooth with a full 60-ouncer, a loaded 12-gauge and an exposed set of 36DDs. • Katrina Carlson — Untucked (Kataphonic) :: Honey-voiced blonde swan dives into the deep end of the Pop Life pool and surfaces for an enjoyable hour-long float. • Keren Ann — Not Going Anywhere (Blue Note) :: But if you prefer your chanteuses soporifically wandering barefoot in the moonlight, then say hello to the new Nico. • Shoplifting — Shoplifting (Kill Rock Stars) :: By melding the herky sound of Pere Ubu with the jerky vocal phrasings of Patti Smith, this four-track EP shows more than enough primo potential to justify a full-length album. • 3 Inches Of Blood — Advance And Vanquish (Roadrunner) :: Some critics have accused these guys of musically retreating. They didn’t retreat. They just advanced in the opposite direction. • SIZZLING PLATTER OF THE WEEK: Low Millions — Ex-Girlfriends (Manhattan) :: Because I’m a soft touch for old-fashioned pop music with killer riffs and witty lyrics, I got instantly hooked when I heard “Eleanor,” the first song on this debut disc. Not since a spurned Bryan Ferry penned Roxy Music’s Siren has there been such a long-playing ode to the angst of urban abandonment. • Be seeing you!
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