Choice Cuts: October 2003

ALBUM OF THE MONTH

Artist: THEA GILMORE

Album: Avalanche

The Scoop: Outside of perhaps Radiohead and The Velvet Underground, no musical entity is more oft-cited and misused in press kits and album reviews than Bob Dylan. It's a pity, then, because pointing out the lineage from Dylan to Thea Gilmore becomes a diluted proclamation. The temptation is to eschew the comparison completely, but the ghost of Dylan classics like "Subterranean Homesick Blues" makes too remarkable an appearance in Gilmore verses like "They drew the weapon read the rules and sent the rebels back to school / They'll book you for the next crime catch you in the nick of time / So don't trust the captain who is sailing in a straight line." Like Dylan, it is easiest to define Gilmore as a sharp-eyed folk singer-a Brit rather than an erstwhile Minnesotan-but, again with the parallels, her talent does not limit itself to coloring within genre lines. Sometimes the versatility backfires; although the lyrics rarely falter, the rest of "Juliet (Keep That In Mind)" nails the Paula Cole/Dawson's Creek commercial formula a little too perfectly. The bulk of Avalanche is much more ambitious, showing Gilmore capable of both quick-attacking, socially conscious folk-rock ("Mainstream," "Heads Will Roll") and slow-burning gems (the title track, the chorus of which achieves a Sarah McLachlan-esque place of grace). At only 24, Gilmore has earned herself a seat at the table of her generation's most compelling lyricists. Continuing at this rate, parallels will eventually be drawn to her rather than from her.

Highlight Tracks: "Rags and Bones" and "Avalanche"

For More Info: Visit http://www.theagilmore.com

Artist: THE CLIENTELE

Album: The Violet Hour

The Scoop: In my obsessively alphabetized CD collection, The Clientele resides next door to The Clash. Stranger bedfellows are hard to imagine. The Clash probably wouldn't let a guy named Alasdair MacLean join their band (it ain't exactly as rock and roll as Joe Strummer), let alone an Alasdair MacLean who noticed things like lampposts and trees and then wrote fragile, beautiful songs around them. The Clientele-guitarist/vocalist MacLean, drummer/pianist Mark Keen, and bassist James Hornsey-never stray far from their light and jangly formula, sticking to songs that revolve around MacLean's breathy vocals, sparsely meditative instrumentation and guitar jangle and reverb. At points, yes, The Violet Hour feels like it is repeating itself, but it's more akin to the déjà vu of a dream or hallucinogenic trip than the sound of a band returning to the well once too often. There isn't a home run song, but there also isn't a jarring strikeout. The album's 50 minutes pass seamlessly, a hypnotic blur that will be a pleasant background if that's all you require, but will prove to be quite an enchantment for those who listen a little closer.

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