Lost Goat Dirty Ones CD

San Francisco's Lost Goat has graduated from Rush-like prog to pure metallic rock on the band's third album, The Dirty Ones, recorded by the Fucking Champs' Tim Green. With bassist Erica Stoltz's emotional and sometimes angry blues vocals, the band sounds reminiscent of mid-'90s acts like L7 and 7 Year Bitch, but Eric Peterson's intense and complex guitar playing casts the group as a younger, less heavy -- albeit more serious -- cousin to the Fucking Champs. On "Seattle Shakedown," Lost Goat turns Melvins-style sludge rock into clean, surprisingly political metal. "Rat Masters of the Icky Path" could do without the Smashing Pumpkins' "rats in a cage" analogy, but the Iron Maiden guitar wizardry is pretty amazing. The most original track on the record is the instrumental desert rock piece, "The Drifter," which is complemented curiously by instrumental covers of Leadbelly's "Line 'Em" and Buffy Sainte-Marie's "Cod'ine." Lost Goat still sounds as if the band hasn't entirely figured out its own sound, but the group is definitely pointed in the right direction. ~ Charles Spano

Recording information: 2001.

Lost Goat: Eric Peterson (vocals, guitar); Erica Stoltz (vocals, bass guitar); Tina Gordon (drums, percussion).

Personnel: Erica Stoltz (vocals); Eric Peterson (guitar).

Additional personnel: Kris Force (violin); Jackie Gratz (cello).