Richard Buckner - 'Dents & Shells'

Richard Buckner has a new record out tomorrow called Dents & Shells. He's moved over to Merge Records for this release, and I think the results split the difference between his more recent work (Impasse, The Hill) and the excellent Since. It's his first album in a while that sounds like he is backed by an actual band, which includes former members of the Butthole Surfers and some other Austin musicians. D&S feels a bit more accessible than Buckner's recent work -- probably a good thing since his brand of estoteric alt-folk can be a little inpenetrable at times. But Buckner's music is consistently worth the effort, and this album is a worthy addition to an impressive body of work.

By the way, he'll be touring with Damien Jurado for a little while, including a stop in Houston on October 23 at Fat Cat's. His full tour itinerary is posted at Merge's website:
http://www.mergerecords.com/tour.php