The latest Rock/Pop CDs reviewed

SUSANNA
Flower of Evil  Rune Grammofon**
The cover version has served Susanna Wallumrod well. Over two albums with Magical Orchestra collaborator Morten Qvenlid, the Norwegian singer has gained a rep for perfect versions of songs by
AC/DC, Kiss, Dolly Parton and, perhaps inevitably, Leonard Cohen ( Hallelujah) and Joy Division ( Love Will Tear Us Apart). Flower of Evil is her second solo outing and, while the debut was all her own work, the breakdown here is unsurprisingly 10 to two in favour of covers. On some, Susanna gets the pace and pitch bang on and makes the song her own. Jailbreak, with Bonnie Prince Billy giving a hand, is ghostly and sparse, while her Who Knows Where the Time Goesis desperate and sad. But her Abba ( Lay All Your Love on Me), Tom Petty ( Don't Come Around Here No More) and Black Sabbath ( Changes) turns come across as soundtracks for a daytrip to novelty island. www.myspace.com/susannasonata  JIM CARROLL
Download tracks: Jailbreak, Who Knows Where the Times Goes

DANIELSON
Trying Hartz (First Fruits '94-'04) Secretly Canadian***
Trying Hartz collects the pre-Ships work of Daniel Smith & co (once featuring Sufjan Stevens), including live performances. Danielson's energetic haze of psychedelic Christian-themed indie folk can be as overpowering as musk incense in a battered hippy bus. Their sound encompasses singalong gospel, Britt Ekland flower power, Daniel Johnson's childlike mania, and elements of Arcade Fire's winning theorem (male + female vocals + organ x band = millennium indie). With 28 exhausting tracks of
viscous sound and eccentric discord (especially Smith's on/off cartoon falsetto), Trying Hartzisn't exactly easy listening. Still, Danielson's sincerity and originality can be rewarding. Even without Smith
performing in a fruit tree costume, this retrospective proves that they were always bananas. www.danielson.info DEANNA ORTIZ
Download Tracks: Flip Flop Flim Flam, Daughters Will Tune You

VARIOUS
Even Better Than the Disco Thing Today FM/RMG**
A bunch of your favourite Irish acts throw caution to the wind and cover those disco songs we all enjoy
chancing our arms at in karaoke bars. If the image of Brian Kennedy strangling Never Can Say Goodbye, Jack L neutering Staying Alive, Juno Falls smothering Last Night a DJ Saved My Life, Fred defaming Fame, and Director stifling Ring My Bellare enough to turn you off your Christmas pudding, then so be it. The motivation behind it (raising funds for various charities, including the
National Children's Hospital) is beyond reproach, of course, and the concept probably sounded great over a few fizzy cocktails. Unfortunately, us Irish just can't get a groove on, which is why the aforementioned acts strain for a balance between panache and pain. The only ones to get it right
are non-Irish blues singer Eric Bibb ( Dancing Queen), Lisa Hannigan ( Upside Down) and Cathy Davey ( I Feel Love). TONY CLAYTON-LEA
Download tracks: Lisa Hannigan, Upside Down; Cathy Davey, I Feel Love

MR DAVID VINER
Among the Rumours and the Rye Loose**
This collection from a very English folk/rockist singer-songwriter has the feel of a quaint slap-happy
session down at the pub on a Sunday morning. A little bit of blues ( Won't Cry Againis straight
out of House of the Rising Sun) a little bit of Cohen, a dash of Tom Waits, and a large helping of 1960s American rock strained through a very English accent. Produced by noted singer-songwriter Ed
Harcourt, Among the Rumoursis loose (appropriate label, you might say!) and friendly, with the
emphasis on creating a good communal vibe. Mr David Viner (he claims the "Mr" was applied by
John Lee Hooker, no less) has enthusiastically assembled a solid collection of songs that are best
when kept simple, as on the intense title track. www.mrdavidviner.com  JOE BREEN
Download tracks: Thorn in My Side, Among the Rumours and the Rye