Down II - A Bustle In Your Hedgerow (2002)

What is there to really say of this album? Disappointment, my brothers and sisters; prepare for disappointment. The chunky riffage of "Lysergik Funeral Procession" opens it all up, as if a kind of continuance of NOLA, but that's about where the fun ends, because the album then proceeds to tank, precipitously -- a helluva NOLA letdown, for sure. A bustle in your hedgerow this effort is not; more like a thimble in a haystack. Phil's voice is, understandably but mournfully, wearied and lacking much of his famous punch. At 15 songs, and one hour in length, the album isn't exactly a sprawling epic, but it sure feels like it; the cheeky pretensions of the title and the torpor of the music contribute to this feeling, I suppose. "Landing On The Mountains Of Meggido," the song that closes it all, is by far the best track on the album, and perhaps one of Down's best songs. Although very Zeppish, this plaintive acoustic song bristles with an angry, albeit subdued and genuine sadness. When Phil tiredly sings, "this is what wars are made of," you can hear the resignation. Other pretty good tracks: "Ghosts In The Mississippi," "Beautifully Depressed" and "Seed." Buyer beware: "Flambeaux's Jamming With St. Aug" and "Doobinterlude" are pointless filler. "Where I'm Going" answers itself musically: nowhere -- worst track, methinks. Listen to NOLA and the new album, not this mess.
C-