Kerouac it`s not, but give Arson Garden credit for plying B-grade poetry. With some insipid lyrics (”Languished lightly/Adrift, oh, hours/But the water was an ocean of impossible space”) let`s hope the Bloomington, Ind., band didn`t major in English at Indiana University-or spot gigs at campus coffee shops. Pretentiousness aside, the good news is April Combs` masterful singing. With superb dexterity, her vocals undulate and ebb in a fragile contrast to the quintet`s throbbing instrumentals. On ”Bird in the House,” Combs emulates Margo Timmins of the Cowboy Junkies as the troupe saddles up in appropriate country-inflected manner. Unpredictable guitar chord changes and tempo U-turns by brother James Combs proffer a wry twist. Harnessing feedback to emphasize lyrical anguish rather than using it in the now-vogue wall of distortion is another strong suit.
Ratings:
Excellent (STAR)(STAR)(STAR)(STAR)
Good (STAR)(STAR)(STAR)
Fair (STAR)(STAR)
Poor (STAR)
