Album of the week

The Veils
Nux Vomica (Rough Trade)










Finn Andrews is a puppet master of the heart -his heart. He has total control over what kind of emotion he wants to put into each song, resulting in a wide variety of songs that don't ever stray too far from his signature musical craft. Nux Vomica seems to have something for the whole family: the rockabilly of "Advice For Young Mothers to Be"; the classic rock, zeppelin-ish "Jesus for the Jugular"; the heart-wrenching ballad , "Under the Folding Branches", and the modern, new wavy, catchy sounds of "Night Thoughts of a Tired Surgeon" -a bonus track on U.S. editions.

Whatever the influences, Andrews has his feet firmly planted on his own ground. And this time around -as opposed to The Runaway Found- his jangled rock has turned more independent and slightly darker(see "Pan", "Jesus for the Jugular", the title track). Everybody now: "ma-tur-i-ty" ...except for the fact that the lad is still quite young -23. He's still a prodigy. To blame it solely on maturity would be to diminish his talents. I'll settle with deliberation- along with a wider lens of life . An artist as brilliant as Andrews isn't going to make the same record twice.

Nux Vomica continues to show off his knack for producing rustic, catchy melodies(i.e. "Not Yet", "Calliope!", "Advice...", "Under...") as well as his ability to offer lyrics seemimgly from one well past his age. When it comes together, he becomes that puppet master, pulling the strings tight from his heart into his lungs, resulting in a croon: "You're nothing but a child!"("Pan"). Or on "Under the Folding Branches" when he withdraws and wraps the strings firmly around his heart: "I loved you once, didn't I?"

hear: Calliope!, Advice for Young Mothers to Be, Jesus for the Jugular, Under the Folding Branches, Night Thoughts of a Tired Surgeon








www.theveils.com
www.roughtraderecords.com

QUICK LICKS:
Dntel, Dumb Luck (Sub Pop)








Jimmy Tamborello has many projects, but in a sense Dntel is the home base for the "electronic half" of The Postal Service. After all, we wouldn't have "We Will Become Silhouettes" without Dntel and it's collaboration on it's first record. Thinking of perhaps spawning 5 new side projects, Jimmy taps a host of extras, including Ed Droste of Grizzly Bear, Mia Doi Todd, and Jenny Lewis to bend the 'angular' electronic stereotype and create soft, comforting electronic music that is Dumb Luck.

hear: I'd like to Know, The Distance, Rock my Boat, Breakfast in Bed
www.dntelmusic.com/index

Blonde Redhead, 23 (4AD)








What it lacks in experimentation and progressiveness, they make up in clever melodies and a stripped-down, arcane sincerity. The vocals, perfect for a lucid dream, are as luscious as ever. You can't miss with almost any track.

hear: pick one. My favorites are SW and Spring and by Summer Fall
www.blonde-redhead.com