Crooked Fingers
(Red Pig)
Eric Bachmann's eclecticism has always been part of his music's appeal. From fronting the seminal postpunk outfit Archers of Loaf and writing film scores to recording a minimalist solo album and guiding the rough-hewed Americana of Crooked Fingers, the guy has been a veritable musical chameleon. But whereas Bachmann's sonic shifts on past Crooked Fingers records were subtle, adding stylistic nuance from one disc to the next, Forfeit/Fortune, the band's fifth LP, finds him in the throes of musical schizophrenia. Peppered with an array of styles, the album offers an interesting listening experience but falls short of the bar Bachmann has set for himself as a songwriter.
Employing the services of a number of guest musicians, Bachmann creates the fullest sound of any Crooked Fingers album. Opener "What Never Comes," a wall of sound girded by muscular, E Street Band-influenced saxophones, barges out of the speakers. The album shifts gears quickly with the haunting "Luisa's Bones," which juxtaposes Miranda Brown's ethereal vocals and a tortuous Spanish guitar figure with caterwauling electric guitar and strings. The Spanish influence continues on the "Phony Revolutions," with a Latin horn section adding punch to the sultry melody.
Too many of the remaining songs are just varying degrees of duds, particularly the deadweight trio of the quasi-spoken-word sludge "Sinisteria," "No Me Lo Des!" and "Run, Lieutenant, Run," which moves from a schmaltzy ballad to what sounds like a staggered, drunken rendition of "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da" in Spanish.
A few songs, though, save the rest of the album from being a continuous reach for the skip button. "Let's Not Pretend (To Be New Men)" begins as somber waltz matching Bachmann's distorted vocal with classical guitar and thudding drums before a screaming violin and bellowing cello tear into the mix. "Cannibals," a straight-ahead indie rock nugget bursting with energy, and the propulsive "Your Control," a New Order-esque duet with Neko Case, are reminders of the visceral quality Bachmann can create in his songs when he doesn't get too enamored with experimentation.
Standout Tracks: "Cannibals" "Luisa's Bones" JASON MIDDLEKAUFF
