(Badman) www.badmanrecordingco.com

With his quavering voice, Weinland frontman and namesake John Adam Weinland Shearer often sounds like a broken-hearted Neil Young on the band’s sophomore album. While that’s an easy comparison, that’s about the only thing simple on this record. Mandolin, accordion, Dobro, banjo, bells, pedal and lap steel weave a delicate web that mirrors the complicated and poignant sentiments of the lyrics. In addition to doing time in his share of turbulent relationships, Shearer also counseled emotionally disturbed teens – and his gravitation toward and repulsion from dysfunction sprinkles La Lamentator like volcanic ash after an eruption. Shearer may not exactly believe in happy endings (at least not yet), but he and the rest of Weinland have found a way to express the heartbreaking beauty that can be found in less than beautiful circumstances.

Standout Tracks: “Sick As A Gun,” “Gold” BARBARA MITCHELL