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The Jazz Butcher--which for about a decade, has pretty much been a front for singer-songwriter Pat Fish--is oh so utterly British, in the best and worst senses. The "group," now called the Conspiracy for some reason, continues to produce eccentric folk- rock, pop and new-wave. And Fish continues to perform tuneful originals with an offhand charm and droll wit on this release, which features dreamy arrangements with prominent electric and acoustic guitars. That's what's good about his Britishness. What's irritating are the affected vocals, which can sound like a not terribly appealing midpoint between Morrissey and Lou Reed, with a little bit of Lawrence from Felt. Ther's also the lyrical vagueness--songs about "Bakersfield," " ![[listen to President Chang]](/images/iconMP3.gif){kind=small} President Chang," and "Kids In The Mall/Kaliningrad"
that are evocative on the surface and
insubstantial underneath. I like Pat's dreamy,
acoustic-oriented textures far better than his
electric ones, where it sounds a bit like he's
trying to force himself to rock a little. A whole
album of anthemic, reflective pop like "Sweetwater"
(the best cut) might not be a work of genius, but
it would yield a more consistent and pleasant effort,
and I'd encourage him to concentrate on this
direction. (TriStar/Sony)
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