Crooked Fingers, 'Forfeit/Fortune' (Red Pig/Constant Artists)

Breathtaking swaths of beauty salvage sketchy roots-rock set.

Former Archers of Loaf frontman Eric Bachmann has led the folksier Crooked Fingers for nearly a decade, but he still operates in the shadow of his semi-seminal indie-rock outfit, due to an inconsistency that also plagues Forfeit/Fortune. Magisterial opener "What Never Comes" folds an aching, Southern-accented melody into beautifully Bowie-esque chord changes, but it's nine tracks later before Bachmann and Co. deliver anything comparable. That would be the sublime "Modern Dislocation" -- which gives its indie buzz an epic Springsteen sweep -- and closing track "Your Control," a gorgeous, synth-swept rocker on which Bachmann is joined by Neko Case.

Comments

Got something to say?

The content of this field is kept private and will not be shown publicly.
  • Web page addresses and e-mail addresses turn into links automatically.
  • No HTML tags allowed
  • Lines and paragraphs break automatically.
  • Use <!--pagebreak--> to create page breaks.

More information about formatting options

Are You Human?
If so, enter the four-letter code below to post your comment.
Image CAPTCHA