My Best Evil Friend

The paradox of is he's a great and valuable sideman, as he's shown on his projects with , , and many more. However, let him write the songs and suddenly the music becomes unquestionably his. is supposed to be a collaboration between , his best friend and boss , and and of the Norwegian band . However, became the main songwriter for their second album, 2023's , and in his hands it became a loose concept album about the music that had made a difference in his life, both past and present. recalls a radio station he loved in his youth ("KLIV"), life-changing concerts ("One Night at the Fillmore"), friends and heroes who've passed on ("304 Molino Way" and "Phil Ochs Is Dead"), the idiosyncrasies of great, obscure singles ("Cameo Parkway"), and imagining the afterlife as a get-together following a big show ("The After Party"). The scrappy rock & roll edge of the first album, 2020's , has been turned down a bit, perhaps a consequence of most of this album being recorded with in Oslo and in Portland, Oregon, with files being passed back and forth. Most of these songs are midtempo guitar-fueled pop, evocative in their moody jangle and somehow playful and somber at the same time, more so than one might expect from the man whose work with has been so full of wit. Despite being created in a virtual environment, turn out to be a symbiotic guitar team, on bass and on drums are a tasteful rhythm section, and they had the good sense to get some friends to contribute to the project, including of . So is this a band album from , or a LP with a lot of notable guest stars? In the long run, it hardly matters -- is a great album informed by the love and power of music, made by people in thrall to its magic, and if you've ever liked anything by any of the participants, chances are excellent this is something you'll enjoy. [ was released in two versions, 12 songs on CD and in digital formats, and 18 songs on a two-LP vinyl set.] ~ Mark Deming