"I've honestly only heard three songs, but I already know I'm going to play this one over and over again for the rest of the fall. Beautiful voice, very melancholic sound."

McMurtry has been around so long that for fans of sardonic folk rock, he's long been a staple of the mahogany furniture. With this LP, the man is back in the spotlight. He grumbles sympathetically about Saddam Hussein and corrupt police officers. Listen especially to the alternative adventures of Pinocchio. Disney is furious.

A long record full of long songs with long sentences. A lot of syllables. They say it's something like a miracle when Dionysus hits the urinal. And yet it's endlessly relistenable for those who love left-handed country rock, à la MJ Lenderman, Silver Jews, and Palace Music.

The Birmingham post-punk duo has the same dark humor and cynical spoken-word lyrics on NATIONAL AVERAGE. The melodies are a bit funkier, but it still grates.

It's a good year for ugly male singers (see also Greg Freeman's new album, Burnover ). "Taxes" might just be the best song of the year.