Frontier Ruckus
The Orion Songbook
Quite Scientific Records

Two years ago to the month, I was sitting on a bench outside a Wayne State University building talkin' music with one of my classmates. Sharing an uncanny number of interests, mainly of the folk variety, he took out his mp3 player and said something along the lines of: "You have to listen to this, it's (insert expletive here) amazing." He sat and watched my contemplative straight-face morph into a raised-brow, side-smirk visage, as I was taken away by Matt Milia's imagistic, heartstring poetry. But traveling through the ear buds were some very rough recordings; if memory serves, I believe they were all recorded live in front of a laptop. Nonetheless, by the third or fourth track, I was a newly converted believer in then-completely-anonymous Frontier Ruckus.

So here we are, two years and one EP later, with Lansing's best band putting out one of the best folk records you'll hear, and they're doing so on Quite Scientific, one of Michigan's most diverse and delightful independant imprints. If nothing else, The Orion Songbook is an incredible collection of songwriting, but I'm more than pleased to report that the instrumentation keeping these lyrics from evaporating into air is the product of a tight group of very capable musicians. While Milia's near-falsetto, shaky folk-croon is enough to unnerve this listener in the most wonderful ways imaginable, and though the phrases he strings together are more than worthy to be printed alone on paper as pieces of art, the group effort produces cascading waves of heart-rip harmony, singing-saw wails with cymbal crash character, root-down bass, spot-on horns and the most welcomed banjo I've heard in quite a while.

I could pick at song order - "Animals Need Animals" need not be an opener - but what I can't do is offer a reason not to listen to this record. That would be impossible. The Orion Songbook is packed with emotion, but there's a lot of that in music. What makes the difference is honesty. Make ME feel something - don't just try to convince me that YOU (the songwriter) felt something. That's the kind of music at play here.

Working our way through heartache (no sap to be found), nostalgic renderings of youth's innocence, love-based vindictiveness and the longing for an American Dream that hinges more on creaky barn doors, dirt roads and swaying prairie romance (perhaps literally rolling in the hay?) than Web conferences, subways and match.com, there's a lot to be said about the vast landscape of matter and mood Frontier Ruckus hits on. And that was a long sentence.

"Latter Days" could've been a lullaby, but if it were, then it took a wrong turn on Forelorn Love Ave., a street the record often veers onto and off of, yet the pattern does not tire. Milia has a broken heart - deal with it. "Dark Autumn Hour" has always been a favorite with its beautiful banjo runs, restrained melodica and newly welcomed fiddle and old-timey sounding piano. "Back Lot World" is a haunting, almost voyeuristic, troubled dream of a song, and works as the perfect semi-intentional intro to "Rosemont Street," the wistful nod to Detroit city. "The Blood" is a brooding minor-key epic and is balanced by an equally grand blue-grass jam in "Adirondack Amish Holler." - TRAVIS R. WRIGHT

Danielson
Trying Hartz
Secretly Canadian

Daniel Smith grew up in Clarksboro, NJ, inside a family of stalwart folk players with equal vigor for music as for Christianity. Their trademark faith-flavored fluorescent pop-circus has always exploded any sort of pinpointing classifications; truly timeless, truly genre bending. These strange and giddy chants and pounding rhythms and brazen banjos and invigorating squeaky-vocals all but reach out and grab the audience, shaking them by the shoulders and simply shouting, "C'mon!" This isn't aimed to any religious embrace (though they are labeled as alt-christian-indie-rock), but simply to feel comfortable in your own skin and to have a good time with your family (be it by siblings and parents, or just all your friends), singing of "a fellowship of love," and "All that matters / We'll be there." Ê

Presented here is a warm and fond look back at the Smith path, one that has adopted numerous incarnations (as well as uniforms), has traveled (musically) and has an effective capture on that unclassifiable, far-out/far-back and all-out-fun, folk-y, wiggling, rhythmic space-country. Daniel Smith's recordings of the past ten years are fresh, including (on disc two) numerous live performances - as that is widely considered the best way to experience all things Danielson. - Jeff Milo

Looker
Born In The Desert
Serious Business

Three chicks and a little drummer; sounds like a certain Ô80s movie - with reversed gender roles. Which reminds me, let's not be so lame - or brainless - as to shove Looker in a box with other lady bands like The Donnas or guys-plus-chick ensembles like Garbage. If you insist, though, have some decency and package them with The Shirelles, The Kinks and The Pretenders. Born in the Desert isn't innovative, but the way in which they pull the best from pop and gritty punk, which clashed against each other in the Ô70s, earns it some iPod space. - Kelly Durbin

Jake One
White Van Music
Rhymesayers Ent.

White Van Music is a resume and all the artists featured represent letters of recommendation. Hire-on-the-spot referrals come by way of Black Milk, MF Doom, Freeway, Brother Ali, Little Brother, Slug, Bishop Lamont, Busta Rhymes, elZhi, Royce da 5'9", Young Buck and Prodigy É just to name some. As for experience, work ethic and reliability, these 22-tracks are market fresh and sneaker sole funky, representing well Jake One's adaptable array of beat-making recipes. There is one misstep: Keak Da Sneak on "Soil Raps." Ugh, it's quite bad. - Travis R. Wright

In My Ear
Berlin Dancing

Madeleine Sullivan puts a glamourous spin on folk music. Minimal, acoustic guitars and a haunting voice make Berlin Dancing's songs catchy and beautiful. She plays Token Lounge on November 6. Here are ten albums Madeleine is currently slightly addicted to:

Jeff Buckley
Grace
The Raveonettes
Whip It On
Bjork
Homogenic
Ladytron
Witching Hour
The Kills
No Wow
The Clash
Combat Rock
Cat Power
Jukebox
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
Baby 81
The Veils
Nux Vomica
Giant Drag
Hearts and Unicorns