Adai

Anyone amazed by the amount of racket the White Stripes can generate with just two members will be positively flattened by Adai's latest — an EP recorded and self-released in 2006 that's now getting national distribution. With assistance from producer Kurt Ballou (whose credits include work with Genghis Tron), guitarist/vocalist...

By Michael Roberts

December 4, 2008

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Anyone amazed by the amount of racket the White Stripes can generate with just two members will be positively flattened by Adai's latest — an EP recorded and self-released in 2006 that's now getting national distribution. With assistance from producer Kurt Ballou (whose credits include work with Genghis Tron), guitarist/vocalist Devin Mendoza and drummer Justin Trujillo create a metallic mash of undeniable power. "The March" stomps across a figurative battlefield in a steady rain of grandiose riffs and cymbal splashes, while "A Mark of Ownership" and "Hawkins" explode with dynamic calculations that would do any math-rocker proud. Granted, Mendoza's occasional vocal growls don't qualify as distinctive, but this flaw is hardly fatal, since the two wreak such havoc instrumentally. They're noisemakers of a different stripe.

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Michael Roberts began his career with Westword in 1990 as music editor. In 1999, he took on a new role, full-time media reporter, as author of a column called The Message. In 2008, he became the lead writer for Westword's news blog, The Latest Word, a position he held until January 2023. Michael continues to freelance for Westword, covering everything from business to sports and the media; he also contributes to Jazziz, a national music magazine. He holds a bachelor's degree from what is now Colorado Mesa University and master's degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles, and Northwestern University.

Contact: Michael Roberts

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