Tyler Jakes & the Bootleggers, Rocking Hoarse Calypso. Through no mistake is Tyler Jakes’ nickname “Three Chords.” His San Francisco-via-Minneapolis trio plays simple, cliché-ridden garage rock with Southern flair and a Western frame of mind. None of it’s particularly effective, at least until aptly named closer “I Can’t Take Anymore” finally eases into a groove. (self-released)
Experimental Dental School, Jane Doe Loves Me. It may seem obvious, but “experimental” is a fine description for this time-tested Oakland act. Its third record, fittingly, is an apocalyptic math-rock fit. Mashing tortured melodies against fractured noise, it restlessly bounds between toe-tapping and confounding across all twelve tracks. (Cochon Records)
Aprilsrain, Stellar Transmission. Three years of recording at the Plant in Sausalito yielded Aprilsrain’s debut, a pleasant collection of distilled dream-pop and shoegaze that leans more toward the mainstream than perhaps it should. The crisp, clean production will appeal to Pinback and Death Cab for Cutie fans, but even those bands take more chances. (PVP Records)
Tippy Canoe & the Paddlemen, Parasols and Pekingese. Tippy Canoe is one Michele Kappel, songwriter and lead singer for this Oakland quintet. What attempts to pass for old-timey pop is really a mélange of country, jazz, and folk from various bygone eras. With such an assortment of styles and Tippy’s trademark ukulele lost in the mix, it’s hard to say quite where the band lands. (Late Bloomers Works)
