Until now, the story of Frank Black's post-Pixies years could have served as a cautionary tale: A barroom punk rocker languishes too long in the studio pursuing his goopy, moody, neopsychedelic vision. The trip yields some quirky experiments – Black has worshiped Brian Wilson, for instance, with far more imagination than Barenaked Ladies do – but takes him away from what he does best. And distances him from his audience. Or, for that matter, any audience.

Frank Black and the Catholics brings the shouting auteur back to familiar territory – two guitars, a bass and drums, recorded live to two tracks in a matter of days, with no overdubs. It's a proud, raw rock & roll statement, full of beseeching verses and devastatingly simple hooks – melodies that not only test Black's expressive range but also find him acknowledging some of his influences. "Do You Feel Bad About It?" and "Suffering" are as close as anyone has come to the pissed-off poise of vintage Roger Daltrey, while the grinding "Back to Rome" bears traces of Pere Ubu frontman David Thomas' novelistic approach to storytelling. The Catholics – guitarist Lyle Workman, former Miracle Legion bassist David MacCaffrey and drummer Scott Boutier – support Black with a jackhammering rhythm attack, treating his every venomous word like a wise pronouncement and making every song rousing and righteous. (RS 798)

TOM MOON