Locally Yours: Our critics discuss some recent releases

All of the CDs you're reading about here are pretty good. Some of the albums came out earlier this year; others are fresh off the presses. Enjoy the reviews and listen responsibly (i.e., to local music).

Der Todesking

Bird/Brain
(self-released)

Der Todesking performs a warped bastardization of rock, an offshoot so twisted and distorted that it's categorized as punk because no other genre will claim it. The guitars have an eerie tone reminiscent of the Dead Kennedys' East Bay Ray, while vocalist Andrew Vox's scratchy, panicky delivery recalls Rudimentary Peni's bedeviled Nick Blinko, especially when he's shrieking apocalyptically about "soldiers in the army of God" during the ominous opener, "The Doombird Cometh." The rhythm section makes the songs sound both claustrophobic and ready to collapse: The drums erupt in sporadic torrents, and the bass lines rattle erratically. Bird/Brain is a rough, grimy record, but it's smartly sequenced and fraught with tension. Onstage, Der Todesking, which plays at the Haunted Kitchen in Lawrence on October 9, offers shocking, anarchic experiences, the kinds of exhilarating yet oddly stressful spectacles that leave jolted witnesses questioning what they've beheld.

— Andrew Miller

ID and Sleeper

With Fixed Hands
(Circle Into Square Records)

ID and Sleeper seem to be made for each other. Neither adheres to traditional hip-hop song structure; as a result, their sophomore effort is a complicated affair that requires multiple listens to fully digest it. At the production helm, Sleeper lays out dense, ambient landscapes for his MC counterpart to trudge through — at times, it's a strain for listeners to keep up. But aside from a few overbearing moments, With Fixed Hands showcases the duo's most innovative material. Elements of abstract hip-hop track iD as he paces carefully through the synth-heavy movements of "Sink, Swallow, Spit," which is followed by the sinister Aztec backdrop and Kool Keith cadence on "Among the Ruins." The album's reggae-infused "Burn at Both Ends" closes things out with a welcome wind-down, reminding us that the genre's boundaries won't be found in Lawrence.

— Andy Vihstadt

The Jen Say Kwahs

Fear and Magic
(self-released)

The Jen Say Kwahs were just picking up steam last year when bassist and guitarist Jeff Milberger split for Chicago. A sharp homecoming performance at the recent Pitch Music Showcase hinted at what might have been and put an exclamation point on the release of the group's first and maybe last EP. The self-released six-songer is a worthy document of the group's early output, which covered a wide swath of melodic indie-rock territory. The standout song "Heroics" mirrors the group's M.O.: clean guitar lines, upbeat grooves, bright melodies and unpretentious vocals. Guitarist and pedal steel picker Brett Resnick is impressive throughout, and Milberger's busy bass lines gel keenly with Phil Canty's driving drum beats. The only disappointment is the absence of more recent material — here's hoping it finds a way to surface.

— Richard Gintowt

Suzannah Johannes

Suzannah Johannes
(Range Life Records)

With four songs at a running time of just over 10 minutes, this debut from Suzannah Johannes goes by fast and sublime. Initially a fingerstyle-guitar troubadour, Johannes enlisted the help of the rhythm section from fellow Lawrence crew Ghosty — Mike Nolte on bass, David Wetzel on keys and Josh Adams on drums — plus Fourth of July guitarist Steve Swyers, to form a Stray Gators to her inner Neil Young. This would be the Young of Harvest, the sad and desperate but eternally hopeful searcher. On the torchy "Kelly Ann," Johannes asks, in a breathy warble that could launch a thousand road trips, Where's the river where I can wash my heart/And fall apart/While drifting away/And where, my dear, is Kelly Ann? On "Horserider's Smile," the loping ballad about a rambler whose friends have moved on and forgotten her, she promises, I'll come lookin' for you in the night/And I'll make it worth your while. With an old soul style and a sense of what makes a song timeless, Johannes establishes herself in these four songs as more than a talent to watch — she's one with music worth memorizing.

— Jason Harper

Kool-Aide and the Exact Change Band

Tears Fallin Down Like Rain
(K.J. Johnson Production)

Guitarist and frontman Kool-Aide knows that the blues is about a key to the universe, not fixed parameters, so the music on this album goes everywhere — from the tender soul of "Chokin' Kind" to the barroom strut of "Kool-Aide Blues" to an intricate alchemy of keys, guitar, and snare that earns the title "Wizard Blues." But no moment suggests the big picture more artfully than "Get Your Money," a song that starts as a bass-driven confrontation with a wayward lover and turns into a party jam, calling Are you ready?/Do the bus stop! That dance launches into an extended hip-hop-style rap before something like a Philly soul train pulls out of the station, heralded by train-whistle vocals and stoked by fiery keyboards.

— Danny Alexander

Mac Lethal

Crown Prime Rib Mixtape
(Black Clover Records)

Mac Lethal's persona is so thoroughly Kansas City that his hometown fans are in a bit of a predicament. On the one hand, it's great to see the guy who rapped about the Hurricane and his disdain for KCHZ 95.7 get nationwide attention with his Rhymesayers debut, 11:11; on the other hand, it's sort of like watching the entire world hit on your girlfriend. Maybe that's why Mac and DJ Sku's latest, Crown Prime Rib Mixtape, feels like a lo-fi nod to the townies, and not just because of the Jack Stack-inspired title. That doesn't mean every track is a three-minute tribute to the Royals — there's still a mix of first-take freestyles, trash-talking originals and even a few campy comedy bits. But there's something a bit more personal about an underproduced mixtape making unapologetic local references (yes, Manute Bol really does live in Olathe) that brings back fond memories of Mac's low-key Scribble Jam days.