Anton Barbeau

Barbeau is back for another round of his patented skewed pop music. 17th Century Fuzzbox Blues is a little looser than his last one and that makes for an even more inviting and welcoming listen. The sound is also a tad more varied, though there are still plenty of his dense pop-bombs. The addition of a little more air into tracks like "Six Hours Later" makes them slightly more ephemeral but no less worthwhile. For "Another Stoned Piano," it's just a boy and his guitar. "My Babe, When She Wears A White Wig" would be perfectly at home on a Loud Family LP; at least until the wah-wah '60s guitar line enters. Loud Family scion Scott Miller produces the opening "Little Daisy," proving that the similarities are not purely accidental. "Theme From Volkswagen," a piano and synth instrumental samba, is one of several short, quasi-throwaway tracks that also helps to lighten the sonic density. Things lag a bit near the middle, with the turgid "Hope Joy Fear (and too much beer in the dressing room)" and a couple of other slower, more downbeat songs, but once "Pin For A Head" kicks it over, he cruises through the homestretch.