Lonelyland
Ugly Americans may be on the wane, but various survivors of the Austin alt-pop outfit do turn out to support frontman Bob Schneider on this solo effort.Lonelylandshowcases Schneider's competing interests as a singer-songwriter (niceElvis Costello-like melodic turns of "Big Blue Sea") and Southern white-boy rapper (most notably on the swampy "Bullets"). But things get really strange on "The World Exploded into Love," on which a sub-Barenaked Ladiesspiel is paired with full-blown female operatic accompaniment. Schneider, it turns out, is the son of an opera singer, so the song makes sense biographically, if not musically. While fans of Schneider's prior outfits (Joe Rockhead,Ugly Americans, and the Scabs) will likely find things to love on this album,Lonelylandsounds like the work of a solo artist who's still finding his own voice.--Bill Forman