The tragedy of ELLIOTT SMITH’s 2003 suicide underscores every note of FROM A BASEMENT ON THE HILL (Anti). Smith made a trio of smart, overlooked indie releases prior to his Oscar-nominated song in the film Good Will Hunting, which launched the career of the Dallas-raised pop singer into the mainstream. Wrapping his frail voice around pained, beautiful melodies, Smith sang songs that weren’t confessional but obtuse. There are no clues here as to what went wrong, and this album, finished by friends, is not among his best work. Looking for ways out of his dreamlike, quiet mold, Smith ends up with disconnected, ill-fitting production. His overall vision may well have been leading to a grand, unexpected destination, but sadly, this version of From a Basement is the only road map this rare talent left behind. by Jeff McCord
Musicians often disparage board tapes, the live recordings made through a concert PA system. It’s what they don’t capture—stage volume, energy, charisma—that somehow makes them less-than-perfect artifacts. So it goes with GOURDS albums. The Austin group is unquestionably one of Texas’s best, but things can get lost in translation on their way to the tape machine. Gourds sessions are largely matter-of-fact; they stubbornly shun producers and record the arrangements they learn for the stage. Nonetheless, BLOOD OF THE RAM (Eleven Thirty) is another fine set of songs, awash in delights, including the bawdy “Illegal Oyster,” a faux Al Green take on “Escalade” (yep, the SUV), and the roof-raising “Do 4 U.” They’d be household names if the very traits that endear them to the old fans weren’t the same ones that keep the uninitiated at bay. by Jeff McCord
The Texas roots of hypnotic singer-songwriter RICHARD BUCKNER date back to 1994, when his acclaimed debut, Bloomed, was released by a San Marcos label. Eventually, Buckner, a restless wanderer, wound up in Austin, where he spent a good chunk of this past year. He recruited some locals (Butthole Surfers drummer King Coffey, guitarist extraordinaire Mike Hardwick, Meat Puppets bassist Andrew Duplantis) and began recording his latest, DENTS AND SHELLS (Merge). As with almost all his albums, Dents is characterized by a dark brooding, medium to slow tempos, ambitiously vague lyrics, and a sketchlike unfinished quality. Dents also benefits from the energies of its sidemen, and Buckner makes it all work with his unique sense of musical drama and a trance-inducing baritone. by Jeff McCord
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