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The follow-up to "Long Dry Spell" (reviewed in DiY Report 29) is every bit as perfect a collection of magnetic particles as it was. The guitar work here is simply wonderful, coaxed to play a variety of endless sounds that somehow manage to be musical amongst backcountry story tellers whose stories are the prize -- who cares if they're lies. The music here is an environment. Living and breathing. But musical and full of song. Bits of Waits, Femmes, Beefheart may be used as reference, but you'll start there and never look back. Highly recommended.

In the tradition of early Violent Femmes, along with DiY groups like Private Studio's Squigbelly Phlegmfoot and Baltimore's Groovy Like a Pig, Lords of Howling is an acoustic conglomeration of folk street band with a punk edge along with some nods to Captain Beefheart and maybe Tom Waits. Great songwriting and playful musical invention make it all work perfectly and still seem completely natural. There's a whole lot of material here that makes Long Dry Spell a sure fire on your regular rotation list. The combination of sheer songwriting talent and musical adventure, with a more than generous amount of craziness makes this release one of the best I've heard all year.