‘The Century of Self’

February 22, 2009 at 12:00a.m.

Trail of Dead (Justice/Richter Scale Records) Grade: A

Trail of Dead gets back to its old self on “The Century of Self.” After the more precise and spiffed-up rock of 2006’s “So Divided,” the Texas band has returned to the grand chaos and sage songwriting of its epic 2002 disc “Source Tags and Codes.

Expect to spend some time with “Century,” because it is sonically dense and pulses with alternately controlled and random forces throughout its 54 minutes.

The album ebbs and flows, drifting through lulls that build into glorious crescendoes paced by Aaron Ford’s staccato percussion.

As is typical for Trail, “Century” starts with a noisy intro, that, like a gathering storm, explodes into a furious rocker (“Far Pavilion”).

“Halcyon Days” is like two songs in one, an urgent cry in the dark sandwiched around a delicate piano passage. Same thing happens in “Bells of Creation,” which sweeps into a gallop for the final lap.

Going indie is obviously exactly what the band’s creative force — Conrad Keely and Jason Reece — needed. Freed from the control of major label Interscope, Trail has produced a near masterpiece marked by haunting piano, plaintive lyrics and powerful melodies.

— Guy D’Astolfo, The Vindicator

‘Keep It Hid’

Dan Auerbach (Nonesuch)

Grade: A

Some musicians just get it. Dan Auerbach is one of those.

The singer/guitarist for The Black Keys is putting out his first solo album and it’s every bit as brainy, engaging and powerful as his work with Pat Carney in the Akron-based duo.

“Keep It Hid” is Auerbach stepping out, stretching a bit. Much of the material was written at the same time as the Keys’ last album, the Danger Mouse-produced “Attack and Release,” and it clearly shares the same DNA. The sound is much more diverse than the band’s early, effervescent blues-rock work, and shows an understanding of what really makes rock roll.

There’s a little bit of country, a little bit of rock ’n’ roll, some soul and psychedelia, and plenty of trouble as Auerbach chases his fancy, even putting his father Charles’ lyrics to wax in “Whispered Words (Pretty Lies).”

The album, recorded at Auerbach’s Akron studio, is full of tasty sounds.

There’s the plaintiff guitar line and earnest warble in Auerbach’s voice on the ’50s-style ballad “Whispered Words,” the dreamy synth of “When The Night Comes,” the heavy bottom on “The Prowl” that will challenge cheap speakers and the sinister sitar sound of the banjo on “When I Left The Room” would fit right in on a David Lynch soundtrack.

The material is often dark, perfect for Auerbach’s preternatural voice, but he shows some range with the occasional ballad or plaintiff cry of the heartbroken soul man.

He’s positively Waitsian on the title track: “Lock the door and close the blinds,” he sings over a jittery guitar line, “they’re coming for me girl and I ain’t got time/If they ask you darlin’, oh god, what I did/baby, you gotta keep it hid.”

The only thing missing here is that spark that Auerbach and Carney have when they’re playing together in the Keys, two young guys so talented and in tune with each other, they’re like a chemical reaction. But this is a great way to kill time till they drop the needle on the next Keys album.

— Chris Talbott, Associated Press

‘Astral Weeks Live at the Hollywood Bowl’

Van Morrison (Listen To The Lion Records)

Grade: A

To mark the 40th anniversary of its release, Van Morrison returns to the iconic “Astral Weeks” on stage, offering a tribute laced with characteristic quirks.

Songs are augmented with solos and Morrison’s extended scatting, but perhaps only Van the Man — or maybe Bob Dylan — would have the audacity to shuffle the track list on a classic. For this performance, the album-closing “Slim Slow Slider” is shifted into the third spot. “Sweet Thing” and “The Way Young Lovers Do,” separated by “Cyprus Avenue” on the original, are melded into a lilting, organic whole.

Word is that there was only one rehearsal for the show, but that doesn’t mean the man was disengaged. Even if some of the jamming is a bit long-winded in a “you-had-to-be-there” way, the power of the songs is still undeniable.

“I believe I’ve transcended,” Morrison shouts early on. Listening to the music, it’s easy to understand why.

— Jim Abbott, Orlando Sentinel

‘Testimony: Vol. 2, Love & Politics’

India.Arie (Republic)

Grade: B

This album, the follow-up to 2006’s “Testimony Vol. 1, Life & Relationship,” tackles some heavy issues but still manages to sound breezy and beautiful.

On the love side, silky ballads such as “Chocolate High” incorporate an old-school Motown sweetness with strings and gorgeous interplay between the singer and her backing vocalists. (Ironic since “Vol. 2” is Arie’s first album since parting with Motown for Universal Republic.)

“Chocolate High” also features a cameo from R&B star Musiq Soulchild, one of a boatload of guests who are the sonic equivalent of a United Nations assemblage. Others on hand include MC Lyte, reggae singer Gramps Morgan, African singer Dobet Gnahore and Turkish folk star Sezen Aksu.

Morgan’s exuberant presence sets the tone for an upbeat song cycle on “Therapy,” which explores the notion of a loving partner as psychological relief. “Boy, I can’t bear to leave,” she sings. “I need your therapy.”

Lyrical couplets such as that one and the too-sugary sentiment of “Chocolate High” sound mighty close to the scribbles in a high-school notebook, but the groove makes it go down fine.

And on “Ghetto,” one of the political nods, Arie finds meaningful ground in the notion that the world is a ghetto, from the Havana to Savannah. Even better, like the rest of her “Testimony,” it’s easy on the ears.

— Jim Abbott, Orlando Sentinel

‘Year of Refusal’

Morrissey (Attack/Lost Highway)

Grade: B+

The phrase “you’re not getting older — you’re getting better,” first seen in hair-dye ads, must forever become the property of Morrissey.

The ex-Smith has, since going solo in 1988, become grander and romantic but with a more bitter edge. Powered by growlingly melodramatic vocals and swelling melodies from songwriting guitarists Boz Boorer and Alain Whyte, Morrissey no longer sounds woebegone or precious. The writer and singer manages to be emotional yet muscular.

The bedrock of each “Refusal” track is a burly tune onto which Moz pastes his flamboyant brand of self-undermining assertiveness. No one but he could get away with floridly singing about how well he’s doing — before snarling through a litany of drugs for depression on “Something Is Squeezing My Skull.” Or killing off devotees with no regret (”The Last Time I Saw Carol”). Or poking fun at aging heroism (”You Were Good in Your Time”).

The crooner bites his tongue as he spews his most venomous love songs — the angriest being “It’s Not Your Birthday” with its sexuality, now tender, now treacherous. Bigmouth strikes again, harder than ever.

— A.D. Amorosi, Philadelphia Inquirer