The Best
Heather Phares: There wasn’t one clear standout contestant on Wednesday night. Boy-band member turned rocker Robbie Carrico was probably the most promising guy sent on to Hollywood, but there were quite a few ladies with potential (or the potential to flame out in Hollywood). The flirty duo of Corliss and Brittany was a pleasant surprise; not only were they charming, they had similarly appealing jazz-pop singing styles. Natasha Blach was another retro-minded singer who turned in a very pretty version of Etta James’ “At Last.” And though her “Think” was a little bit over the top (like so many “singer/actresses” can be), cute-as-a-button Syesha Mercado was the night’s most charismatic talent. However, the best thing about Wednesday night’s show was probably the diversity of the contestants that appeared in Miami. Latin, Asian (including Filipina Ramiele Malubay, who wants to be the “first Asian-American Idol”), black, white and everything else, the episode was a melting pot of good and bad singers of every persuasion.

Matt Collar: Man, I dunno that there was a best contestant in Miami. Even the good singers like Syesha were kinda off or something. I mean, she was way cute and inspirational with her rehab dad, but was it me or was she way shouty on “Think”?

Andy Kellman: One vote for single mom Suzanne Todd — the Alicia Silverstone/Angelina Jolie/Teena Marie one — despite picking “I Can’t Make You Love Me,” provided she watches the “…little stuff goin’ on, different melodies,” just like Randy said.

Andrew Leahey: I didn’t really enjoy the contestants as much as I enjoyed the judges shooting them down — particularly the showy singers who chose to do Janis Joplin tunes. Really, who told them that emulating her would be a good idea? Simon would’ve given the boot to a reincarnated Joplin herself. Too “over the top.”

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Did you ever come across a composer whose music was so… so understated that it made you want to swoon? Frank Martin (Switzerland, 1890-1974) is that kind of composer. A couple of terrific new Martin releases confirm the axiom that less can be more.

Le vin herbé is a cantata based on the Arthurian legend of Tristan and Iseult. You’d think that after Wagner, the final word had been spoken on the subject. (You don’t see many modern composers setting Beaumarchais’ The Barber of Seville or The Marriage of Figaro, for instance.) But Martin’s take on the story, which is based on a source earlier than the ones Wagner used, is really fresh and startling. The lovers are confused adolescents whose sudden passion causes them more anxiety and distress than rapture, and they never consummate their love. They’re more like Pelléas and Mélisande (but they don’t even get to kiss!), and Martin’s music is far more like Debussy’s than Wagner’s. Martin’s text setting is straightforward and declamatory, but beautifully lyrical, and his music doesn’t need to rise to surging orchestral climaxes to make its point — with the simple alteration of a chord, he can strike you in the heart with joyful hope or abject distress.
 
Le vin herbé: Part 2. Tableau 4. Dans le fourré clos de ronces
Le vin herbé: Part 1. Tableau 5. Iseut l’aimait
Le vin herbé: Part 3. Tableau 3. Il manda Kaherdin en secret
Le vin herbé: Part 3. Tableau 1. Les amants ne pouvaient vivre
 

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John Lennon once said that if you were going to give another name to rock & roll you might as well call it Chuck Berry — a phrase that has been repeated to exhaustion precisely because it is no exaggeration. More than any other single musician, Berry defined the sound, style, and attitude of what rock & roll is, pushing guitars and cars to the forefront, constructing a world of soda shops and jukeboxes that resided just down the road a piece, finding an endless world within three chords. Fats Domino may have started the big wheel rolling, the Everly Brothers invented the power chord, Buddy Holly married pop with tough rockabilly, Little Richard had the manic energy, and Elvis Presley broke down the barriers, but Chuck Berry was the one that created the culture. How he did it is at long last chronicled in detail on Hip-O Select’s  Johnny B. Goode: His Complete ’50s Chess Recordings, a four CD set containing all his singles from the ’50s (which include most of his biggest hits), album tracks, and rarities, including demos and unreleased recordings.

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The Best:
Andrew Leahey: This was an episode full of corn-plowing men and Midwest farmers’ daughters, none of whom could really wail. But the contestant I’d most like to see again is Samantha Sidley, whose soft rendition of “Don’t Know Why” was twice as endearing and innocent as last week’s Abstinence Amy.

Matt Collar: Not only was she pretty in a kind of college study-partner way, but she had a really pleasing natural voice. Dunno if she has a shot at winning, but if she sticks to ersatz folk-jazz tracks like “Don’t Know Why” and anything by Corinne Bailey Rae, she should be a fan favorite.

Heather Phares: She probably had the most potential out of anyone on Tuesday’s show. She backed up her shy confidence (“I think I can win this competition because I’m a good singer”) with a really good version of Norah Jones’ “Don’t Know Why.” She was the only contestant who was judged by Simon, Randy, Paula and Ryan — who, like a true talking head, told her, “You need to work on your self-confidence and stop spinning around on the mark.” He sent her along to Hollywood, though, as did the other judges, who rightly praised her sweet Norah-meets-Chan Marshall tone.

Stephen Thomas Erlewine: This girl seemed truly adorable, plus she could sing. Coming close was Leo Marlowe, the self-professed homecoming queen who delivered a fine “A Song for You” at the close of the show.

HP: He was the most charismatic. Not only did he have quote-worthy quips (“My mama always said she raised the perfect homecoming queen … too bad it wasn’t one of her daughters”), he showed that he isn’t just a technically good vocalist with good tone and pitch, he’s also a fine interpreter –- a skill many AmIdol contestants lack.

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Dead Child
http://www.myspace.com/deadchildmusic
What else is there to do in Kentucky other than recreate the churning, strutting noise of Sabbath at their jauntiest? Apparently nothing for the five dudes in Dead Child. Their self-titled EP from 2007 was a malevolent statement of intent, their forthcoming album promises to be even darker and heavier. Here’s a track from the EP: “Never Bet the Devil Your Head”
 
 
Birds of Avalon
http://www.myspace.com/birdsofavalon
The sadly defunct Cherry Valence were a band that rocked, thanks in large part to the blistering dual guitar attack of Cheetie Kumar and Paul Siler. From the remains of the CV, the now married Kumar and Siler formed the equally heavy Birds of Avalon. Equally skilled at thunderous blues rawk and shimmering psychedelic jams, the band’s debut album Bazaar Bazaar earned them a comparison to Redd Kross (who never quite got the credit they deserved for steady rocking it alt-rock style in the 90’s). Here’s one of the better tracks from the record: “Horse Called Dust”
 
 
Earl Greyhound
http://www.myspace.com/earlgreyhound
Ah, the power trio. It conjures up so many good memories. The James Gang, Blue Cheer, Budgie…. Earl Greyhound could be added to that list someday. Their album Soft Targets is a rambunctious, earth-shaking blast of good times and hard rock that boasts both strong songwriting and some fierce playing. Not to mention the fact that vocalist Matt Whyte conjures up some Stevie Marriott vibes, which is always a good thing. Listen to this track with a cold beverage in hand for optimal pleasure: “S.O.S.”
 
 
The Fucking Champs
http://www.myspace.com/thefuckingchamps
The Champs are instrumental metal heads who have been crafting heavy, witty albums for quite a few years now without ever really breaking through. It’s too bad because their soaring, hard-driving guitar virtuosity comes off as the best parts of 70’s and 80’s metal but without the annoying vocal histrionics. Check this track from 2002’s V: “Hats Off to Music”

 
 
Supergrass
http://www.myspace.com/supergrass
If you want your rock made by dour, angry dudes with lank mops of unwashed hair, you’d better look somewhere else. The ultra-happy and cheerful Supergrass have been making records for a long time now and while they have been known to make a pleasingly rock-like racket in the past, signs point to the possibility of their forthcoming record rocking heavily. The first single is saddled with the silly title “Diamond Hoo Ha Man” but it’s a storming chunk of hot rock that knocks Jet (among other so-called rockers) into a cocked hat.

 
 
Monotonix
http://www.myspace.com/monotonix
Monotonix are the stoner rock band to watch from Tel Aviv, that well-known global hot spot for rocking. The trio built a following with an incendiary live show featuring cornball but entertaining antics like setting the cymbals on fire. On record they deliver the rock just as convincingly. Tracks from an upcoming EP for Drag City are featured on their MySpace page and their sound is a funky, loose blend of Black Sabbath grind and Thin Lizzy swagger that puts lots of rockers from places like New York or Detroit to shame. Plus, they sure are sexy.
 
 
Big Business
http://www.myspace.com/bigbigbusiness
While not handling the bass and drums chores for the Melvins, Jared Warren and Coady Willis take really sweet photos for their MySpace page and make sweet noise as Big Business. Their bass and drums (with occasional guitar and synth) attack ranges from pummeling to proggy but never fails to rock. Here’s an awesome track off their latest album 2007’s Here Come the Waterworks: “Hands Up”
 
 
 

RTX
http://www.myspace.com/rtx
After Royal Trux split, Jennifer Herrema devoted herself to sounding as fist-pumpingly metal as possible. On their three records, RTX has shown a metallic sheen and a radio ready sound that almost covers up the fantastically scuzzy heart beating within. For a few seconds of what modern rock radio could sound like, check this song from 2007’s Western Xterminator: “Balls to Pass”
 
 
 

The Sword
http://www.myspace.com/thesword
This group from Texas rocked 2006 with the seriously hard Age of Winters. They mix their stoner-friendly sound with a nice dose of propulsion and pleasingly mystical lyrics about … well, who knows really. They have an album out in 2008, but here’s something from Age of Winters: “Winter’s Wolves”
 
 
 

Fancy
http://myspace.com/welovefancy
Aw, heck. There are no words that can describe the amazingly flamboyant rock & roll machine from France known as Fancy. Really, you just have to hear it (and see it) to believe it. Even then…..

Clinic’s last proper album, Visitations, was an excellent distillation of the cranky, cryptic art-punk that they’ve been churning out for over a decade. However, the album’s staggered release dates — in fall 2006 in the U.K. and early in 2007 in the U.S. — were confusing and might have led to Visitations getting less attention than it deserved. Clinic are already taking steps to avoid the same thing happening to their upcoming fifth album, the emphatically named Do It!: This Friday, Feburary 1, the band will offer their new single “Free Not Free/Thor” on their website as a free download. Described as a “warped pop amalgam filled with songs about living for the day, love, escaping witch hunts and more,” Do It! arrives on April 8th.

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Being funny ain’t easy, but it’s damn near impossible to be funny while you’re rocking. Acts that can tell a joke while they rock the house always get the shaft, just like how comedies rarely take home the Oscar — and if they happen to do both well, they’re pegged as novelty act, as if the success just happened to be a fluke, and if the Coasters, certainly the first and almost undeniably the best funny rock & roll band ever, proved anything, it’s that they were no fluke. They racked up hit after hit in their peak in the late ’50s and early ’60s, hits that defined the era and influenced countless musicians, not just paving way for humor in music, à la Frank Zappa, but illustrating just how much fun it is to play rock & roll. Just looking at Coasters covers speaks to their widespread impact: the Beatles played “Young Blood” and “Three Cool Cats” as they sweated away in the Cavern Club, the Searchers had a hit with “Poison Ivy,” the Move mimicked “Zing! Went the Strings of My Heart,” but the group’s impact reached beyond the British Invasion, too, as the New York Dolls tapped into the furious energy for a blistering “Bad Detective” and, most improbably of all, echoes of the Coasters’ “Girls Girls Girls” can be heard in the Beastie Boys’ doo wop pastiche “Girls” — perhaps not a direct connection, as it’s hard to imagine the Beasties hauling out an old Coasters LP, but that just speaks to how pervasive their influence was: their aftershocks were felt miles from the epicenter. That epicenter is documented on Rhino Handmade’s There’s a Riot Goin’ On: The Coasters on Atco, a four-disc box set that contains all the key recordings from the group’s peak (including sides by the Robins) and noteworthy tracks from the ’60s, plus a disc’s worth of rarities.

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As the ’80s have already come back in full swing — causing thousands to curse selling their old electro mixtapes and Human League records at garage sales during the push to collect enough money to buy one of those new-fangled compact disc players — why not get an early start on the inevitable return-of-the-90s by listening to some songs you probably haven’t thought about since you packed away your flannel and combat boots for good (quick, it’s not too late, pull them out now, start the revolution!). Everyone remembers Nirvana and Pearl Jam and even that band that had that bee song (they’re getting back together, by the way…), but few remember the five-and-a-half-minute grunge masterpiece “Mighty K.C.” by the Gainesville band For Squirrels. Written in tribute to none other than Kurt Cobain, the track features anguished nasally vocals, simple guitar chords, and plenty of mood shifts, as singer Jack Vigliatura IV changes from a growl during “100, 200, 300, 400, 500, 600 oh they have found dead, dead/And I am numb from watching TV” to a nearly-sweet croon during the chorus. Sadly, Vigliatura and bassist Bill White died in a car accident while the band was returning home from 1995’s CMJ Festival, which may be part of the reason For Squirrels never made much of a splash. Or, on the other hand, it might be why we remember them at all.

In any case, here’s a sample of “Mighty K.C.”