Rock your ears off with these local bands

Buzzing indie rock swarming with guitars, socially aware hip-hop and moody modern rock top the latest roundup of Vegas music releases:

BEE MOVIE THE BAND, "Volcano Bear" (myspace.com/beemovietheband): They could be closet Iron Maiden fans.

Not makin' any such accusations, just sayin', judging by these dudes' love of twin-guitar harmonies, which is at least somewhat suggestive of those shaggy-haired Brit masters of as much.

For proof, check out the way six-stringers Brian Cantrell and Eric Zellner run laps around each other on "Analog Love Machine," a full-bodied indie rock thumper that ends in a subwoofer-devouring squall of guitars. Or cue up "Tanks of Gold," an anti-war missive that somehow feels like an epic jam despite clocking in at just more than four minutes as this "Volcano" erupts again and again.

SPROCKETS, "Medicated Empty" (myspace.com/sprocket): In the liner notes to this one, the band members thank "every ex-girlfriend and future ex-girlfriend for all the inspiration," and that's a pretty succinct encapsulation of the thematic grist of "Medicated Empty," an album of war-torn hearts, unquenchable addictions and unspeakable acts.

And the sonics tend to follow suit, all dark atmosphere and stormy sentiment. Frontman Brodie Knight Vans sings breathlessly, as if he has been running wind sprints, as his band navigates hard-driving modern rock with near-metal riffing to spare ("Your Infection"), digital torch songs ("Blue Burns To Butterflies") and full-throttle, pop punk-esque joy rides ("Liquid Bullets").

Tracked by MXPX frontman Mike Herrera, "Empty" is an incredible sounding album, polished to a sheen, with major label production values. It's a very radio-friendly record -- and that's about the only thing friendly about it.

HIGHDRO, "The Time Is Now" (myspace.com/highdrolv): Big beats, small government: These are the twin axes upon which this disc spins with funnel cloud-force.

A nimble-tongued MC seemingly influenced as much by the likes of Milton Friedman, Howard Zinn and Noam Chomsky as any rapper, HighDro comes with glowing embers of social protest rooted in class consciousness. "The middle class is depleted, damn near deleted," he rhymes on "Welfare Line." "It gets me so heated, to think how we're treated."

Against a shifting backdrop of old-school soul samples, touches of rock guitars and hand drums, HighDro argues for higher pay for teachers and against the overselling of prescription drugs.

It's not a feel-good record, nor is it meant to be, but with its Orwellian overtones, "Time" is good for partyin' like it's "1984."

Contact reporter Jason Bracelin at jbracelin@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0476.