Richard Buckner

Dents And Shells - (Merge)    
 
Richard Buckner is a little bit like the emo Pied Piper of alt.country, if you will, and his new Dents And Shells release only adds to this unique reputation. He has a voice that squeezes every ounce of drama out of each lyrical line, as if he were wringing the last drop of moisture from a washcloth. And if Buckner had opted for the unplugged route, Dents And Shells might well have ended up being a real dry drag. Instead, there is enough moist musicality here to keep spirits relatively high.

Tracks like "Rafters,' with its slightly jangle-y, beat-heavy rock, and "Straight," with its chiming guitars, act as aural lights in this sonically emotional darkness. In fact, "A Chance Counsel" opens the disc with a propulsive burst of drum-pounding energy.

The most troublesome aspect of Buckner's work is its general lyrical vagueness. Sure, he gets worked-up about the various circumstances of his life. But he rarely gives us enough detailed information to at least picture approximations of what he's singing about. It's like a detective story with enigmatic clues that never quite fit together into any recognizable motive or storyline.

Dents and Shells is all about an unspecified armed conflict somewhere or other, I guess. It's up to the listener to fill in all the large blanks.

6.0