CROOKED FINGERS
CROOKED FINGERS
Breaks in the Armor
Lovers Label
For a guy who launched into the
music stratosphere on the blinding
rocket of one ol the '90s' most revered
indie-rock bands. Eric Bachmann
has proved one unglamorous star
Instead of riding the exuberantly noisy
contrails ol Archers of Loal. his solo
path with Crooked Fingers has largely
opted to cultivate emotional nuance.
This album, recorded in his now-native
Athens, proves that the increasingly
unprolific Bachmann can still captivate
through spirit and plain honesty
Though cast in moody American hues,
the genre influences here act as shad
ows but are never allowed to coniine
his intimate yet robust melodies.
Unassuming gorgeousness abounds
in moments like the scrutfy maiesly
ol "Typhoon," the uplifting stomp ol
"Bad Blood," the muted briskness ol
"The Counterfeiter," the horizon-waking
power of "Went to the City" and the
dream-ushering Americana shimmer of
“Your Apocalypse."
With work like this, Bachmann
shows that indie rock can still exist
beyond style and flash. It can be
simple, unpretentious and deeply
human. And this album is nothing
more than that—not because ol any
lapse of ambition, but simply because
that alone is something worth earnest
focus That's what’s called a small
miracle
Bao Le-Huu
PAPA
A Good Woman Is Hard to Find
Hit City U S A.
PAPA is a three-piece formed by
Darren Weiss, drummer from Girls (the
band that sounds iike The Beach Boys
and The Cure at the same time, and
therefore cannot escape comparison)
Whereas Girls is all twisted beach
music and unsteady melancholy.
PAPA is a more cathartic, up-front
rock and roll construction of rebel
lion and disappointment This protect
borrows from Girls' toolbox ol tangly,
California-worthy sounds, turns up the
volume, hits the drums a little harder
and yells over it The lead singer has a
deep, serious warble that commands
attention over the unfocused jangle like
an energetic Stephen Merritt
This indelicate mixture of surf and
the haze is so rich mat it feels like a
passing pleasure, like satiating a food
craving as many times as it takes to get
rid of it. The five-song EP is delicious,
but in a way that encourages short
lived. intense adoration to be discarded
when the listener has absorbed as
much as he/she can take. PAPA is so
right lor right now that overdosing is
hard to resist. Don't stay away though;
it's better to have loved and purged
than to have never loved at all.
Sydney Slotkin
PAPA is playing at the Variety
Playhouse in Atlanta on Wednesday
Sept U.
KUROMA
PsychoPomp
Independent Release
Though the considerable r6sum6
of Athens son Hank Sullivant includes
being an original member of The
Whigs and louring guitarist for MGMT,
this second LP by solo vehicle Kuroma
is far more in line with the dreamy aes
thetic of the latter. Moving further away
from rock, the arabesque psychedelia
here is decidedly pop-minded. Steeped
in Euro tendencies, classic rock fan
tasia and golden glam rays, the songs
move moderately in and out of focus,
but never so much as to eclipse the
clean pop craftsmanship.
Befitting its chosen faith, Kuroma
is best when it's taking you on a voy
age. Shimmering journeys like “The
Magick Deed," "The Electrical Host"
and especially “Psychic Wandering"
coast on sharp sine curves that careen
weightlessly across galaxies of kaleido
scopic landscapes More silvery glides
include “Teardrops" and “Get Quick Got
It," an eight-minute odyssey that goes
out on a lovely guitar carpet ride.
Though it sometimes lacks the
intensity of color or punch that other
bright and like-minded revivalists such
as MGMT or Smith Westerns have, the
precision and craft of Kuroma's song-
writing is undeniable And as nicely
conceived as PsychoPomp is. where
this auspicious promise can go with
more seasoning is the truly exciting
prospect
Bao Le-Huu
NUSK HARVEY
Sketches from the
Book of the Dead
Mute
Mick Harvey (The Birthday Party,
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds) will
always be best known for his role as
collaborator and producer, and his
previous solo albums were primarily
interpretations ol other people's work.
Sketches... is the first album where he
is the sole writer, and he has chosen as
subject matter people from his life who
have passed on. However, these tales
aren’t delivered in a way that suggests
anything other than quiet contempla
tion. Harvey often sounds on the verge
of tears throughout Even so. his vocals
are deliberate and measured, suggest
ing that each line represents a task that
is neither desirable nor drudgery but.
rather, unavoidably necessary.
The music he's composed for this
album is a welcome mix of his varied
styles. There’s dark folk in "October
Boy," sleazy neon blues in "Famous
Last Words," minor key piano in "How
Would I Leave You 7 " and, mostly, the
rest of the record follows suit. The
stunning achievement on Sketches,
though, is Harvey's lyricism He hasn't
attempted to mask factual informa
tion lor the sake of a story. He just
observes, submits and accepts With
this method he demonstrates there
can be a beauty in the cataloguing of
facts and memories even if the activity
doesn't bring any peace. Harvey also
shows that there's bravery in yielding to
one's experience and allowing oneself
to see—even when it hurts like hell.
Gordon Lamb
WILD BEASTS
Smother
Domino
Smother is an odd title for English
art-pop quartet Wild Beasts’ third
proper album, the sonic textures of
which are subdued and unimposing.
Perhaps the name is the band's little
attempt at irony, but the title could also
be seen as lending “smothering" new
context, in that the record is in fact
almost overwhelming in its restraint.
The 10 tracks are uniform in their
calm yet insistent electro beats, synth
ripples and guitar chimes But the
limelight is on singer Hayden Thorpe's
operatic tenor, which is nakedly
exposed in the foreground. A peculiar
blend ol vibrato-laden falsetto and
earthy bellow akin to Dredg front
man Gavin Hayes. Thorpe's aching
vocals dominate the proceedings, the
instrumentation serving mainly as
accompaniment.
Thorpe's style remains the group's
most polarizing element, and it can
outweigh the album's bolder instru
mental moments: the chilling space in
"End Come Too Soon," the propulsive
skitter of "Reach a Bit Further" and the
gorgeous synth cascades ol "Burning."
But no tune quite climaxes, opting
to drift rather than surge This eerily
soothing ambience proves to be both
brilliant and boring at times, as the
consistently low-key mood blurs all the
songs together.
John Barrett
Wild Beasts are playing at Variety
Playhouse in Atlanta on Tuesday,
Sept. 20.
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