What you’ve heard is probably true.
The desert-dwelling, Joey Burns/John Convertino-led ensemble expands on the more “commercially accessible” elements of 2003’s Feast of Wire with a largely acoustic, 11-track disc that resonates with all the emotion — though not all the eclectic, diamond-in-the-rough charm — of its predecessors.
Some have laid blame at the feet of producer J.D. Foster, who previously sculpted Richard Buckner’s major-label offerings. Butblame’s a harsh word. Under Foster’s watch, Burns and Convertino surely have smoothed over the rough edges and Giant Sand-style patchwork of their earlier full-lengths.
But the results still sing, especially on “Cruel” or “Lucky Dime,” the sensual “Roka” and the epic-with-a-capital-E “All Systems Red.” – Linoleum, June 2006
