54*40
Since When
(Columbia/Sony)

Jesus, what a volte face. What an odd duck. And ultimately, what a brilliant move. Since When, 54*40's ninth longplayer, makes their last album of hard rock candy, Trusted by Millions, sound old and tired (which it wasn't) by comparison. Quiet and introspective one tune, perky country jangle the next, it's ambitious almost to a fault -- I guess this is the chance you're supposed to take when you've built a fan base.

You want references: the Byrds' original alt-country stylings ("I Could Give You More," "You Should Come Over"), the folk-rock hit sound of Neil's Harvest on "Playground," Randy Newman's "Mama Told Me Not to Come" and Nilsson's "Everybody's Talkin'" and Billy Preston's electric piano on "Get Back" and Snoopy music are all implied in the infectious title tune. What 54*40 has attempted is the kind of move R.E.M. made with Out of Time (minus the mandolin) -- whether it achieves the same monster success is another issue.

It gets weirder. You'd almost get the impression they were so sick of the sound of themselves they set about to deliberately break the mold. A charming female named Camille Henderson (West End Girl, Chilliwack Bill's daughter) is backing up Neil Osborne, who sings in a relaxed low-key manner. Phil Comparelli leaves most of his guitars in the closet and plays piano and organ, and there are strings everywhere. The band balances itself on the cutting edge of arranged pop, but whereas a group like the Pernice Brothers (whose Overcome by Happiness is also one heckuva recording) could be the Zombies reincarnate, 54*40 tend toward a countrified West Coast Beatles approach. Even "Stormy," in which the "Eleanor Rigby" strings get pretty insistent, and which could have ended up a bloated, pretentious wank, instead compels and dares.

Singer/guitarist Osborne, who has tended in the past toward the ultra-serious in his lyrical concerns (what is the meaning of life, yadda-yadda), leans into it a bit here, but even the occasional foray into portentousness can't ruin the mood. This is the sound of a band having fun. (They play the Stardust Picnic at Historic Fort York July 11-12.)