Record Rack

** Ministry, “Dark Side of the Spoon,” Warner Bros. With that title, the album had better be funny or harrowing, but the first collection from the one-time industrial-rock pacesetter in three years is neither. Alain Jourgensen’s distorted reflections on addiction are dark, and when he howls “Where did the time go?” in “Kaif,” he effectively portrays chemical disorientation. But we’ve heard it before and better--not least from Ministry itself. The band will be at the Hollywood Palladium on Aug. 17.

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Albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor), two stars (fair), three stars (good) and four stars (excellent). The albums are already released unless otherwise noted.