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Tokio HotelScream*There’s something that just doesn’t translate about Germany’s Tokio Hotel. According to my sources on the issue, these guys are the shit in Europe. Seriously, they’re like Jesus, Princess Diana and The Rock all rolled up and baked into one big Pop-Tart of Euro-love.

However, the mysterious forces they’ve employed to seduce the impressionable youth of the Old World are notably absent from their English-language premiere, Scream. Instead of being the next great global superstars, Tokio Hotel are four sexually ambiguous teens playing music that sounds like an especially lazy knockoff of Taking Back Sunday. Pretentious misspellings and gallons of hair gel aside, there really isn’t very much to distinguish Tokio Hotel from any other black-clad “heavy but soft” act toiling away on the Warped Tour circuit. For once, it looks like “big in Europe” isn’t enough endorsement to earn these guys even a turn as an ironic flavor of the month.

-Shane Danaher

The Dead TreesFort Music EP***The Dead Trees sound kind of like Bright Eyes’ folksier side, but with a much-needed dose of whimsy. Rarely does the band venture beyond its core of roomy guitars and pleasantly ethereal hooks, but in this case, that may signify a healthy knowledge of its limitations rather than an unwillingness to experiment. As things are, Fort Music hovers comfortably in its alt-country niche, venturing occasionally into lo-fi rock territory but always maintaining its unkempt charm. Opening track “Television” shows the group at its finest, laying down songwriting in the lazy but engaging style that gives the album its allure. The Dead Trees still have a few kinks to iron out of their sound, but Fort Music is a solid start down the right path.

-Shane Danaher

Charlotte SometimesWaves of the Both of Us**One question comes to mind when listening to Charlotte Sometimes’ Waves of the Both of Us: Is this girl Canadian? Well, no, she’s from New York, by way of New Jersey. But her voice has that low, twangy, “Am I talking or singing?” feel to it. It’s somewhat like a hybrid of Avril Lavigne and Alanis Morissette. That odd mixture seems to have leaked into every area of her work-her music is undeniably pop, but her subject matter is much darker. At least that’s what we’re supposed to think. Too bad it feels forced. Although there’s nothing overtly wrong with the album, and in fact there are some good things here, it’s just not quite believable. -Marcella Barnes

Tea For JulieThe Sense in Tying Knots***This is a pretty solid album. Michael Deresh has a light, slightly nasal, melodic voice, which melds well with the smooth indie instrumentals. Think Sean Lennon and Pinback, though The Sense in Tying Knots could never be mistaken for those artists’ work. The only possible drawback is the album’s commitment to being low-key. This is a record to chill with from beginning to end–there really aren’t any high-energy, get-moving songs.

-Marcella Barnes