If the unconscious mind could speak for itself, what would it say? That is the question singer-songwriter Matt Johnson and the The attempt to answer on Dusk. On three previous the The recordings, Johnson always asked difficult questions about human frailty and psychic vulnerability, though not without flinching. By contrast, the songs on Dusk are written in the language of raw need.

On the opener, "True Happiness This Way Lies," he explains the dilemma: "Have you ever wanted something so badly/That it possessed your body and your soul/Through the night and through the day/Until you finally get it?/And then you realize that it wasn't what you wanted after all." Over the remaining nine songs, Johnson tries to free his protagonists from the demons of unfocused desire and self-loathing, only to have them get trapped and have to escape again.

Using the core musicians from Mind Bomb (1989) – guitarist Johnny Marr, drummer Dave Palmer and bassist James Eller, along with the newly added keyboardist D.C. Collard – the The has been transformed from Johnson's solo vehicle into a band of collaborators. The players provide Johnson with a solid, unobtrusive foundation – of rock, pop, blues and jazz – that allows his characters' damaged, restless hearts to speak. The predominantly acoustic mix uses ornamentation sparingly, allowing the listener to become immersed in Johnson's voice and lyrics. Guitars, harmonicas and Hammond organs dot the song-scapes, playing just behind the words as Johnson poses probing, seductive questions. With Dusk, Johnson displays his maturity as a songwriter, and the The reveals itself as a band in full command of its gifts at the very beginning of collective musical discovery. (RS 649)

THOM JUREK