Spent Bullets

On Spent Bullets Adam Franklin translates the shimmering tones of impressionist painting into sound. Of course, Franklin has been a master of atmosphere for decades, beginning with the roaring sonic washes he summoned up with his band Swervedriver in the ‘80s. Spent Bullets' tracks wallow in pleasantly disorienting moods, achieved through quivering overlaid textures supplied by Franklin and co-guitarist Locksley Taylor. The tenor of the lyrics is similarly off-kilter, though not disturbingly so — songs like “Bolts of Melody,” “Autumn Leaf” and “Two Dollar Dress” are downcast sketches of fleeting moods and images. Country-rock vocal harmonies and laconic melodies give “Big Sur” and “It Hurts to See You Go” a balmy sort of California feel. There are a few visceral moments, most notably in the surprisingly forceful “Surge.” But more often, Franklin prefers a more insinuating approach, as in the vaguely ominous “End Credits” and the sultry, lounge-like “Champs.” Franklin’s misty vocal tones fit the subdued yearning and oblique angst of his songs.