44.1kHz


  Science Park, Disinformation (Obscure-Disk): If you can imagine an earnest Stephin Merritt, you'll get an idea of what Boston boy Myke Weiskopf is up to on his third album. Even though two members of Weiskopf's live band appear here, it all sounds like the man alone with his keyboard, reminiscent of Holiday-era Magnetic Fields. But Weiskopf plays his programming for new-wave gush rather than robotic detachment, and his self-expression risks the ridicule of pop theoreticians (I was quite surprised to see the name of Merritt associate ld beghtol in the Thank Yous). These nine modest songs are reports from the frontline of the gay bar scene, accurately rendered via bellicose imagery including satellites, U-boats, radar and — that most important piece of queer survival gear — code-breakers. The lyrics suggest Weiskopf's done his time there and moved on, but 1998's Futurama sounded jauntier somehow — there's nothing here as radio-ready as that album's "Lay You Out in Lavender." Here's hoping he'll be able to make not wanting what he hasn't got sound interesting when we hear from him next. — Kevin John



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