Trampoline

Trampoline is Joe Henry's Sgt. Pepper's. Before this release, Henry garnered critical attention for a couple of terrific alt-country albums. But nothing prepared fans for the perfectly executed experimentation of Trampoline. Certainly nothing prepared them for his enlistment of Helmet guitarist Page Hamilton for power and grit. Or for "Flower Girl," a stark and spare novella of imagery against a backdrop of pump organ, shuddering strings, an opera singer (as instrument, not vocalist), and chunky drums. Throughout the album Henry sings as if he's telling you secrets in a dark bar frequented by carnival performers. By placing these songs within these innovative arrangements, Henry reveals how good his writing really is. More accessible than Tom Waits's Swordfishtrombones, this album mines similarly dark thematic caverns and comes up with solid gold.