The droll musings of David Berman’s mind and the unmistakable rumble of his voice make a welcome return on this album of whiskey-soaked indie-honky-tonk music. Berman may be an acquired taste, but I have well and truly acquired it. So when he asks on ‘Strange Victory, Strange Defeat’: “What’s with all the handsome grandsons in these rockband magazines?/ And what have they done with the fat ones, the bald & the goateed?”, all I can say is, “Welcome back Dave! We kept your seat at the bar where you can mutter and grumble to your heart’s content. The house band will jam along with some slide guitar and piano and here’s a four out of five review you can wear laminated around your neck.” That’s what I’d say to David Berman, so I would. Because he rocks and he don’t even know it.

Key Track: ‘Strange Victory, Strange Defeat’