A Surp-
risingly
Cohesive
Whole

Dios,

We Are

Dios,

Buddy-

head

Records

[2/16/10]

On their third full-length, Cali quartet Dios tosses a grab bag of

styles and moods into the mix and makes them into a surprising-

ly cohesive whole. Driving beats collide with acoustic guitar inter-

ludes, while treated vocals spar with enchanting chimes. As with

Black Moth Super Rainbow, they also wield the flute, an instru-

ment making quite a comeback lately, with aplomb. Fans of Beck

and the Beta Band would do wise to give We Are Dios a try.

Note: According to the AMG, "In summer 2004, guitarist Ronnie
James Dio served Dios with a cease and desist order, citing potential

confusion over his own outfit's name Dio and the younger group's

moniker. In response, Dios changed their name to Dios Malos."

Love ya, Dio, but that's lame—especially since Dios, whose

name comes from the Spanish word for God, consists of four

second-generation, Los Angeles-born Mexican-Americans.



Cosmo Jarvis, Humasyouhitch
Sonofabitch, Wall of Sound

"Well, I'm 19, and I don't know much

about anything, but I ain't dumb."
-- Cosmo Jarvis, "Clean My Room"

About Cosmo Jarvis's self-titled EP, I wrote, "I could

do without a few of his more adolescent lyrics," and I feel

the same way about the New Jersey-to-UK transplant's

two-disc debut (he definitely has a way with a melody,

but one disc would've gotten the job done). That

said, I still like his description of Megan

Fox as "the girl in Transformers."



Static of the Gods, Knowledge

Machine, delVerano records [3/23/10]

The indie rock of Bettie Serveet meets the electro-pop of

the Yeah Yeah Yeahs on this Boston trio's second record, ex-

cept Static of the Gods offer a slightly darker, more under-

stated sound. I feel like I've been down this road before,

but that doesn't make the journey any less pleasant.



Endnote: For more information about Cosmo

Jarvis, please click here; for Static of the Gods,

here. Dios image from ...nonphenomenal lineage.