Private Party: The Naked Touch CD - Import

When we were writing the album, we were listening to a lot of Alice in Chains, Incubus, and Soundgarden, while later, when recording, we started getting into the raw sound of Stone Temple Pilots' Tiny Music and P.J. Harvey. For Jason and Rob this became a general fascination with noise, and resulted in the digital headtrip that starts the album (the title track), as well as guitar-based soundscapes (noisescapes) in "The Ballad of..." and "Sinner". An eclectic set of short interludes open the album up in even more directions, including a jazz guitar solo and an intimate, almost tender take on the "Silence is Rape" chorus. Some of our favorite tracks on ...Some Sort of Poison are "Silence is Rape," a biting diatribe against the corporate media for ignoring for years the atrocities in the Congo (inspired by a 2004 The Nation article by Jan Goodwin), and "Shiver Shake Chills," a regretfully, bitterly honest look at grappling with a close friend's addictions.

Almost entirely acoustic, this album has a much more pastoral feel, a more organic sound, Gone are the soaring synthesizers of 'Kingdom of Benevolent Strangers', replaced with the delicate interplay of cello and pipa. It is as if the rustling of leaves and the whisper of the wind have substituted for the urban cry, Likewise, a serene inner strength has supplanted the power and fury of the live CD. One other divergence of note, unlike the prior primarily vocal albums, eight of these eleven tracks are instrumental.

What has been carried forward on this incredible journey? The same outstanding musicianship of five talented players. The same blending of East and West (a touch more East, this time around). The complex rhythms and the effortless way in which the band handles them. And of course, LinDi's song writing genius. There is a genuine depth to her writing that goes beyond ordinary talent. The songs seem to come alive in your ear,, telling heroic tales of triumph and failure, conjuring stunning imagery of fantastic scenes, bringing messages of hope and forlorn desperation. Some songs are so poignant, they seem not to be written at all, rather shed like tears. These are the type of songs that come unbidden to mind in the checkout line or the stop light. Not only the beautiful melodies, but the entire magical atmosphere. That is truly something special.