Eyesinweasel: Wrinkled Thoughts

It worked. GbV didn't destroy their songs; they brought them into focus, burning away the extraneous detritus of production to clarify the stunning beauty of their melodies. Guitarist Tobin Sprout, meanwhile, who left the band in 1996, has been experimenting with clean production, most- recently as lead songwriter for Eyesinweasel.

These aren't GbV songs. They've got clearly defined verses and choruses, logical lyrics, and they lack telltale cassette hiss. GbV's blink-and-you'll-miss-it aesthetic is gone; with 14 tracks spread over 36 minutes, Wrinkled Thoughts has no problems with conventional rock structure.

There are some awkward moments. A little more alt-rock whine would turn a few tracks into Foo Fighters songs, and for a moment your heart sinks as you imagine Carson Daly waiting to snatch Sprout away, but these are the exceptions. Most of Wrinkled Thoughts stands squarely outside the fleeting banality of the TRL mainstream because Eyesinweasel has tapped into a sound so archetypal it might as well be timeless. GbV's guitar roar can be heard in some of these songs, but so can a chiming 12-string that could be channeling the spirit of the Byrds' Roger McGuinn; elsewhere, a shimmering faux harpsichord could have come from an early-80s R.E.M. session. Eyesinweasel isn't derivative, but it is aware of its history, which in today's new-new rock world is an accomplishment in itself.

Eyesinweasel may never break the sort of ground GbV did, but that's all right. It's done something even rarer: it's become traditionalist without becoming "retro." As long as there's guitar, bass, and drums, music like this will be around; as long as songwriters like Sprout keep coming up with melodies as powerful as the wistful, swelling chorus to "Marriage Incorporated," there'll be a reason to listen. (Luna)

—Nicholas Webb

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