Given how many bands
Daniel Boeckner
has helped found over the years --
Wolf Parade
,
Handsome Furs
Divine Fits
, and
Operators
, among others -- one might imagine he was averse to making a solo album, preferring to use the format of a group to present new ideas. Now that he's chosen to step out on his own, he's opted to bill himself as
Boeckner
, in the grand tradition of
Van Halen
Hanson
Nelson
. That said, if you've spent much time with
's previous projects, you'll have no trouble recognizing the auteur behind
Boeckner!
, even if you hadn't put the name to the frontman. The mix of prominent vintage synthesizers and gritty but well-controlled guitars nod to
's firmly established fondness for 1980s alternative rock, and it's easy to imagine many of the tracks on
fitting comfortably into the playlist on MTV's 120 Minutes or your local X station. The melodies have a surprising amount of lift given their downcast vibe,
's lyrics are literate without sounding pretentious, and he and producer
Randall Dunn
give the material an attack that evokes the past while maintaining an up-to-date intensity and focus.
's studio band -- which includes former
Pearl Jam
drummer
Matt Chamberlain
, and guitarist
Brad Laner
of
Medicine
-- give him just what he needs, and even though there's no question this is his vision, he's smart enough to have found just the right allies to make it come to life.
is an album that fits the sonic template of his body of work while also having enough of a distinct personality in its silky depressive energy to stand on its own. Where
is going to fit into the man's roster of musical projects remains to be seen, but he's always had ideas to spare, and
proves he saved plenty of good ones for this album. ~ Mark Deming