Penelope Houston

Intended as the soundtrack to an imaginary film of the same the title, The Pale Green Girl sounds like the perfect complement to the green-tinged faux-French late night Showcase movie that exists in Houston’s mind. One-time lead singer for punk trailblazers the Avengers, Houston is in a much more relaxed mode for this record, offering up 11 pretty, fun, folkie tracks more reminiscent of the Byrds than anything coming out of the California punk scene in the ’70s. With the assistance of multi-instrumentalist Pat Johnson, Houston’s songs are given a lively, upbeat feel. Sometimes even verging on country with songs like the vaguely honky-tonk "Hole,” the diversity on this record is as impressive as it is a reminder of the strength of Houston’s abilities as a songwriter and a vocalist.