Baby I'm Bored

However, the ambience isn't always so positivist. "The Same Thing" hints darkly at mental turmoil endured ("I can't believe how far I slipped") while "Why Do You Do This to Yourself?" berates a kamikaze party animal over the most muted of acoustic strums. So, is this Dando's autobiographical meisterwerk? Well, if it is, there is resolution: "All My Life" gratefully delineates newer, sounder perspectives ("All my life I thought I needed / The things I didn't need at all") while the giddy, bucolic closer "In the Grass All Wine Colored" sounds as pristine and pure as a baby's conscience. Members of Calexico, Giant Sand, Come and Spacehog chip in their support on the album but the focus is fully on Dando, an artist reborn, restored and--palpably--far from bored. --Ian Gittins