January 25, 2011

The Ohio spudboys return with their first album in 20 years, and the sharp songcraft and sharper social commentary haven't dulled a bit. "Fresh" is a pop layer cake of über-catchy chorus, propulsive rhythm and gurgling synthesizer; it belongs in the hit parade with "Whip It" and "Girl U Want." Vocalist Mark Mothersbaugh still packs a compelling mix of righteous indignation and nerd-on-steroids charisma on tracks such as "Sumthin'," which takes jabs at George W. Bush.

On his 17th album, Wilcox tries a bold experiment: he records in front of a live audience, but without applause punctuating each tune. The result captures the current of a concert performance and focuses it on songs such as the plaintive "Dynamite in the Distance," which tells of a demolition man working in winter and treading a tricky romance: "When you hear the sound from far enough away / Even dynamite can purr."

Deas Vail's youthful pop-rock is in the vein of Christian hit-radio bands. But the vocals soar to giddy heights on "Growing Pains," which makes compelling use of distorted guitar, riffing piano and swishing cymbals. "Sunlight" catapults from a sidestick backbeat into hopscotch rhythms gilded by tasteful strings before evaporating into a mist of electric piano and tremolo guitar and then building up again for the climax. It's modern rock, but with unexpected and pleasing flourishes of art-school savvy.

Chicago mints blues artists like a factory spits out widgets. Not all of them pass inspection, but Nick Moss has passed the tests of time and substance, and here he delivers a potent working-man's blues-rock blend. His version of Chester Burnett's "Louise" is a bare-fisted boogie with just a touch of southern-rock swagger. Moss loves to stretch out, too, going past the seven-minute mark on three tunes, including the original "Privileged at Birth," which offers a message of serenity: "There ain't no shame in things you can't control."

The King's Speech is the latest in a long line of "there'll always be an England" movies. These are films—sometimes historical, oftentimes epic—that celebrate the grit and determination of the former British Empire: Lawrence fighting for right over might in Arabia, an outnumbered band of pith-helmeted Brits warding off Zulu warriors, a stiff-upper-lipped POW major building a too-sturdy bridge over the River Kwai.