AVIDIGI

Chris Eckman vocalist and guitarist (The Walkabouts) Hugo Race (formerly Birthday Party and Bad Seeds) now guitarist with True Spirit and former Come and Codeine member Chris Brokaw have made an album that contains what it says on the CD packshot - Dirtmusic. It's not the happiest of CDs to embrace, nevertheless, there is an undisputable charm to it.

This unique collaboration has brought together three musicians who have a full grasp of the barren dust bowls of America and know exactly how to paint the landscape in musical terms, perfectly captured on opening instrumental Erica Moody. Alt-folkie Micah P. Hinson got me fascinated by his take on his sparse alternative Americana, and though this has occasional similar soundscapes, it's a bit more down the line and accessible, which ain't too bad a thing. Together they've created a well crafted album with some delicious melodies and harmonies and exquisite instrumentation that sucks you instantly into some far-off distant wilderness, which is quite remarkable, considering it was all laid down and recorded in Prague, of all places. After a quick," Ready, one, two, three," the lightweight Erica Moody is a great and appropriate start. It sets the scene so to speak, with its steady and laid-back template that spills over onto The Other Side, with banjo plucking nicely to what sounds like a tambourine before a sweet (and catchy) chorus kicks in. Sun City Casino has a slow and menacing pace textured by cool jangly reverbed guitars. It's the first song that you expect some kind of explosiveness or massive crescendo. It doesn't happen and it's not a disappointment really, as we are (don't forget) out somewhere remote, in their collective minds. Then comes sweeping Face Of Evil, a rootsy acoustic ballad, where the guitar sounds almost over accentuated thrusting it to the foreground of their picture, further enhanced by twanging electric guitar. Brooding chugger with husky vocals, Still Running is a haunting boogie and the paceiest song so far, though further in Ballad Of A Dream is a cracking soft country shuffle which has some spell-binding wailing solo breaks. Wasted On couldn't get more laid-back if it tried. It plods at snail pace punctuated by thudding drums with rolling organ in the distance, even building into a kind of retarded crescendo. Finally, it drifts into the dusty distance in typical, if not somewhat jagged fashion, with Morning Dew.