Hell Under the Skullbones

For his sophomore release Hell Under the Skullbones, intriguing Americana/folk singer/songwriter Graham Lindsey continues much in the same vein as his burnished, poetically charged debut album. But this time the instrumentation and arrangements are more fleshed out, often basking in warmer, fuller colors. The easygoing country-rock groove of the opener "Matchbook Son," recalls the laid-back pulse of the Byrds' Ballad of Easy Rider. "Just Like Dust" and "Deathtrip Blues" have a warped, downtrodden lope that recalls late-'60s Bob Dylan at his most prismatic and off-kilter. By contrast, "Hole in the Ground," when stripped to its core, is essentially a spine-tingling field holler that recalls the pre-bluegrass string bands of Appalachia. He sells all of these guises quite convincingly, and for a relatively young man he possesses one of the most feral and convincing howls among the Americana set. Lindsey, ever the malcontent and wanderer (having found previous artistic refuge in locales as diverse as Wisconsin and Brooklyn), ended up woodshedding these tunes in his adopted Bozeman, MT. As always, though, and regardless of geography, it's his striking poeticism and open-air darkness lashed by slight hints of redemption that make him stand out. This follow-up is as every bit stirring (in both similar and dissimilar ways) as its predecessor, Famous Anonymous Wilderness. Van Dyke Parks and pedal steel great Greg Leisz are among the notable guests pitching in on this album.