Detachment Kit

Ian Menard and Charlie Davis, the duo known as Detachment Kit must love video games, or at least the mythos behind the classic video game concept. A hero is called upon to travel through a fantasy world where the laws of reality are voided out while overcoming a myriad of odd opponents in order to save some form of royalty (usually a princess) from the grips of a hideous reptilian villain. And although we all know this blueprint, Detachment Kit has gone beyond the boundaries of this world's conventional composition skills to create a soundtrack to the classic video game era. Of This Blood plays like a tribute album to the 8-bit adventures that would hold your attention like a tractor beam. Don't interpret this as the description of a weak Techno CD with 14 tracks of "bleeps" and "bloops" sequenced together into song patterns. Instead, Detachment Kit put their emphasis on the emotional side of undertaking a mythical journey of imagination and conquest. Sometimes they tinker with xylophones to create the feeling of falling from the sky in a graceful descent from the stars ("Skyscrapers"). Bombastic guitars occasionally screech out blasts of noise and feedback making the type of music you'd expect upon finding the end-of-the-level monster. Menard's pained, static-y vocals echo with reverb to duplicate the sound of simultaneous perseverance and tragedy in strange lands ("Ricochet"). Detachment Kit package all of the nostalgia of the carefree days when controlling your character meant controlling your own daydreams of heroic triumph and defeat; when "dying" meant nothing more than a shrug of the shoulders as you bounce off the screen; when all the complications of life can end when you rescue your love. They provide all of this contemporary mythology by playing delicately crafted songs that crackle with both unyielding courage and quiet sensitivity ... minus the Power Glove. Detachment Kit plays Covington's Radio Down on Thursday. (Jacob Richardson) Grade: A

The Spectacular Fantastic

· THE SPECTACULAR FANTASTIC -- VORTEX OF VACANCY (IONIK RECORDS).

There's always a bit of nervous apprehension that accompanies a release crediting all performances, engineering, etc, to one musician. Sometimes brilliant (see Prince), other times grossly self-indulgent (see, uh, Prince), it's a time-worn recipe for genius or disaster -- or perhaps it's just the mother of necessity when you live out on a farm in Southern Indiana. Mike Detmer is the one-man band behind the Spectacular Fantastic's recorded efforts and serves as jack-of-all-trades on the delightful Vortex of Vacancy (recorded at Detmer's "Funny" farm). The sophomore outing from the "band" is a candy-coated adrenaline rush, complete with jangly rockers and simple, rootsy progressions. Previous output has inked Detmer comparisons with the ragged glory of Neil Young and the'60s BritPop movement, but take a slice of Raspberries' or Big Star's sweet Power Pop ("Lullaby") and add a primordial mix of Pavement and Guided By Voices ("Eskimo" and "Obsession") and you're getting warmer. Bright Pop songs ("Just My Luck") and fragmented experimentalism ("Freedom") make Vortex a deceptively sweet song cycle of sorts that progressively tackles love supreme, love unrequited and love's labor lost. What could get mundane doesn't because Detmer has the craft and the chops to make it all work. Even when he's bummed (the fragile, slide-tinged "Adore"), he scores major points. (Sean Rhiney) Grade: A

The Mammels

· THE MAMMALS -- ROCK THAT BABE (SIGNATURE SOUNDS).

If pedigree counts for anything, the Mammals are already well ahead of the Bluegrass/Folk pack based on their bloodline alone. Two thirds of the trio is comprised of vocalist/guitarist/banjoist Tao Rodriguez, the grandson of Folk deity Pete Seeger, and vocalist/fiddler/ukuleleist Ruth Ungar, daughter of fiddle icon Jay Ungar. The other leg of the triad is vocalist/multi-instrumentalist Michael Merenda, and on Rock That Babe, the Mammals' third album, the threesome stir up plenty of traditional Bluegrass and Folk goodness (the chestnut "John Henry" and Seeger's own "Quite Early Morning"). But clearly the Mammals aren't afraid to take chances with tradition, as evidenced by their cover of the Compay Segundo Cuban Salsa classic "Chan Chan" and Merenda's timely and partisan anthem, "The Bush Boys." The Mammals swing like crazy, sway like a porch rocker and thump like a chicken-wire bar band. (Brian Baker) Grade: B+

Stephen Duffy & The Lilac Time

· STEPHEN DUFFY & THE LILAC TIME -- KEEP GOING (FOLK MODERN/ARTFUL).

Yes, it's the man who left a pre-record-deal Duran Duran, stuck a "Tin Tin" in his name and had an international dance hit with "Kiss Me (With Your Mouth)." It looked like a good move at first, but of course time proved otherwise. In the late '80s, Duffy formed the Lilac Time and ditched the synths for a mix of Folk and Power Pop. They knocked out a few college radio hits with "Return to Yesterday" and the very pretty "American Eyes," though Duran-sized success eluded them. Now, Duffy has put his name out in front of the band and gives us Keep Going. Not moving too far away from L.T.'s M.O., Duffy tries his hand, subtly, at Country & Western, psychedelia and coffeehouse acoustic ballads. Alas, the best songs are the ones that bring the tempo up. Unfortunately, Duffy spends more time sounding dour, than upbeat. (P.F. Wilson) Grade: C+