Ranging from $10 to $20 - though one might pay more for a double-disk set - CDs are a perfect gift item for college students on a restricted budget. For those reluctant to support big-name labels and question the talent of their acts, CDs are available featuring more obscure bands from independent labels.
With finals coming up next week, students might be hard-pressed to research which bands they feel are worth their hard-earned and carefully budgeted gift-giving money. Luckily, the following four CDs are high quality, interesting and varied enough to fit anyone on Santa's list.
Low - "Trust"
The vocals on "Trust" are tightly wound expressions of forlorn anxiety. There's something hippishly minimalist about the lyrics and music of Low: "Try to learn from the past/keep my fists in my mouth/but they just keep falling out/well all right," lead singer Alan Sparhawk croons.
"Trust," Low's sixth album, washes over the listener like an ebbing tide. The perfect accompanying music for any activity from studying to driving, "Trust" proves that Low's name describes everything but the quality of the band's music.
Alla recently filled in at the Mohawk Place's Rasputina gig when one of the other bands couldn't make it. Not only did this indie-rock band surpass the opener's pathetic whining, front-girl Alla Ivanchikova, a graduate student at UB, had the crowd firmly on her side by the set's close.
The recent release of their independently recorded album, "Missing the Earth," is a blend of skilled guitar music and challenging, touching lyrics. Comparisons to Ani DiFranco wouldn't be amiss, but Alla's musical sophistication far outstrips those of DiFranco's early efforts.
Aside from a cover of "Rebel Girl," "Missing the Earth" features seven original tracks. They're taking most of December off but will return to Mohawk Place on Jan. 4.
Longwave - "Day Sleeper EP"
This brief, nostalgic album is only four tracks long, but Longwave manages to recreate a brilliant reminiscence of all those angst-ridden tunes one might have enjoyed in high school without descending into the realm of clich?(c).
"Everywhere You Turn" is "Day Sleeper EP"'s standout track and would have fit perfectly into the soundtrack of a late 1990s teen film.
Rasputina - "Cabin Fever"
Rasputina is a bit better known than the other bands on this list but deserve mention here because of their cult status. With their recent show at Mohawk Place, Rasputina served up their brand of trippy, cello-soaked, "positive goth rock." Lead singer and core member Melora's haunting vocals wind their way through every melody on "Cabin Fever." As well as the crazed fervor of "AntiqueHighHeelRedDollShoes," the CD also features the warbling ghost-melody with "My Orphanage."
However, the humorous high point is most certainly "PJ + Vincent + Matthew + Bjork," a spoof track featuring impersonations of a "celebrity double-date" featuring a foursome of narcissistic glitterati.
Adam's Castle - "One Year"
"One Year" is a lesson in not judging a CD by its cover. The contents of the album are nothing you would suspect from the hardcore-seeming cover art. Instead, Adam's Castle is 10 tracks of instrumental groovability.
The songs relax and soothe the listener, providing an ambient sound that should make studying, reading or just relaxing at home over the break a delight. As the piano, bass and drum (played by Sami Jano, Eric Adams and Zach Eichenhorn, respectively) massage your eardrums, you will hear echoes of classical structures and perhaps more than a hint of the same sort of sound Ben Fold has made famous.
