Bitman & Roban, Msica Para Después de Almuerzo (Nacional). Tomas Cookman's Nacional label specializes in modern electro/dance sounds with an authentic Latin flavor, and the latest from Bitman & Roban continues the imprint's impressive winning streak. The Chilean crew's Msica is comprised of extremely cool chill-out mixes featuring multilingual lyrics and samples whose wit crosses all vernacular boundaries. It's a Nacional treasure. -- Roberts
Def Leppard, Yeah! (Island). Are you serious? A new Def Leppard album? Really? Why? Hold on...this isn't a new album. It's a covers album. And you know what? It isn't half-bad. Still, is an adrenalized twist of these originals worth your hard-earned loot? Nah! -- Dave Herrera
I See Hawks in L.A. , California Country (Western Seeds Records). Big twang, killer harmonies and lyrics that reek of burning leaf inform this trippy-hippie California country-rocker from L.A.'s favorite alt-country band. Even the bluegrass murder songs have an unrepentant, thinly disguised flower-power political slant, a pro-NORML, pro-environment feel. Guilty pleasure "Slash From Guns N' Roses" hilariously disembowels Hollywood chic. -- William Michael Smith
Dave Knudsen, The Weeping City (Boronda Records). Producer Charlie McGovern gets a big sound out of quiet Dave Knudsen, who modestly wears hurt and compassion on his sleeve. Knudsen's folkie songs are full of non-fatal cuts, healing yellow bruises, subtle insights into emotional damage and small pieces of unrealistic hope and tender mercy -- all of which will make you cry. -- Smith
Protest the Hero, Kezia (Vagrant). The Mars Volta, what hast thou wrought? Pointless, soulless and unlistenably lame prog-core, that's what. Protest the Hero's debut is a tour de farce of bloated, overproduced riffs and self-important whining that gets all high and mighty about Fall Out Boy and its ilk while offering something equally derivative and empty. -- Heller
Young People, All at Once (Too Pure). The similarity between Young People and Young Marble Giants goes far beyond names and a coed, two-piece lineup. All at Once, Young People's new disc, is sculpted from tribal yet pointillist percussion and modal melodies that invade, sear and haunt the psyche -- much like the work of the group's legendary post-punk predecessor. -- Heller
