Chore of Enchantment
Howe Gelb's revolving-door band Giant Sand started out as a gritty twang-rock project for the beer-and-barbecue set. Still steeped in desert mystery, Gelb's wise and wizardly ways have evolved over the past 15 years to the point where his songs manage to conjure up images ofNeil Young,Brian Wilson, andTom Waitscomingling inside of a warm pair of speakers.  The result is thaumaturgical--not quite Picasso for the blind but just as bumpy and as fun to touch as braille.Chore of Enchantment's relaxed juggling of rock, country, psychedelia, and experimentalism is chameleon-like without being forced and beautiful without even trying. The variety of sounds suggests Gelb's closest contemporaries to beYo La Tengo, who also spent 15 years moving from a so-so debut to sonic seniority.--Jason Josephes