There's a breathless melodrama to Dead Rider's second album The Raw Dents, from the start; literally, in the case of Todd Rittmann's half-whispered/half-crooned vocals, showing that David Bowie's impact on him will never quite die. And everything from the brisk, punchy drums to the nervous, bass-synth blasts suggests a rock band aiming to create a threatening hip-hop album. It's a nice change from from what you'd expect, but it's a little too playful in its ominousness to be neo-goth, and just by taking notice of what's happening around them sonically, they're in a better spot than most. Meanwhile, having the drumming of Theo Katsaounis and Matt Espy forward in them mix at most points -- taking over breaks, heralding the start of songs, pretty much leading the way for the rest of the band to follow -- is just a fun thing to hear in an all too easily guitar-centric field. You hear guitar skronk used only as shading, as in the memorable break on Why I Only Take Baths that sounds like a power station tearing itself apart, while rhythm and vocal melody drive the song; it's such pleasure that when a bit of riffing emerges in Feb 5 it's almost a shock. The slow creep-up-your-neck trickle of keyboard on Just a Little Something shifting into a slicker, horn-driven section is another key, if sudden, highlight. Other strong moments include when Rittmann sings an isolated lead over a distorted bass crunch and rumble to start off The Pointed Stick and the slow, murmuring punch, frenetic guitar, and cackling laughter of 2 Nonfictional Lawyers. It's perhaps appropriate that this album came out in a year when Gang Gang Dance and tUnE-yArDs received so much attention when it came to disrupting expectations of what "rock" can be; chalk it up to something in the water or the air. ~ Ned Raggett, Rovi

1		Mothers Meat
2		Just a Little Something
3		Feb Five
4		The Pointed Stick
5		L. Rider
6		Why I Only Take Baths
7		Two Nonfictional Lawyers
8		Stop Motion
9		The Blue Flame