Red House Painters [II]

Red House Painters: Mark Kozelek (vocals, guitar;, Gordon Mack (guitar); Jerry Vessel (bass); Anthony Koutsos (drums).
After the relatively concise song structures and expanded sonic palette of the Painters' previous album, Mark Kozelek and his band of un-merry men return to the extended songforms and minimalistic feel of the band's debut. As ever, tempos lurch along at an appropriately ominous pace, and Kozelek examines the dark side of his soul on "Evil" and "Helicopter." A new development that would soon become a trademark is the band's talent for deconstruction as they tackle both Simon & Garfunkel's alienation anthem "I Am a Rock" (a logical choice) and the "Star Spangled Banner" (!), effectively redefining each to suit their whim. The previous album's "New Jersey" is reprised here in a somewhat more aggressive form, and the Painters continue working the slow-build that is one of their most effective dynamic tools on the epic-length "Blindfold."