A buzzing, raw jewel of a record that hints at seemingly limitless possibilities for Beckett's songwriting.

To be sure, there is nothing on Often Lie that is revolutionary - for the most part Dalley delivers straight ahead power pop.

The spoken-word Sonny and Cher act of Chains and Sue does gets tiresome at moments, lyrics like "you be the follower, let's kill the leader" aren't as clever as their authors believe, and the record does run on a fairly consistent mid-tempo bounce.

The album feels half baked, as though Morrison isn't quite sure which direction to take his nascent solo career.

Amber Headlights has clear thematic and structural parallels to the Afghan Whigs' excellent 1996 rock opera Black Love.

The outcome is alternately brilliant and awful, adventurous and boring, incisive and pretentious, over-wrought and subtle.

Despite the wailing vocals and insipid lyrics, the rhythm section nearly saves this album with its tensely coiled, ready-to-explode grooves.

It's hard to think of any reason to buy this album, and if you do, it's hard to imagine any reason for listening to it more than once (unless you hate your neighbors or your cat).

The disc's highlight, "TV Pro," ably blends the band's two moods and adds some promise to an otherwise bland and vacant offering.

Unfortunately, the band is not able to match their vitriol with memorable tunes.

Over the course of Gemstone's 15 tracks, Green's heavily enunciated, lumbering delivery become more irritating than a busload of thespians on their way to an audition. Thankfully, Green's elementary-school melodies, which call to mind Jonathan Richman at his silliest, ultimately save this album from the topical hell to which it aspires.