The sophomore studio effort from the eclectic bay area singer/songwriter,
In Heaven presents a sizeable shift in fidelity for
Stusso, eschewing the warbly, 4-track emissions of his 2015 debut,
Nashville Dreams/Sings the Blues, for a mostly sonorous, though no less ramshackle approach that yields some surprising results. While the slacker
T. Rex-isms and laconic
Nap Eyes/
Mac Demarco vibe remain omnipresent,
Stusso and producer/underground psych legend
Greg Ashley (
Gris Gris) have managed to inject more than a little bit of juke joint soul and dreamy retro-pop into the mix, resulting in something that feels almost Twin Peaks-ian -- the reverb-laden title track alone, which takes its moniker from the ghostly ragtime song that plays behind Eraserhead's sashaying lady in the radiator, suggests an affinity for all things
Lynch-ian. This predilection toward quasi-mystical/semi-ironic balladry manifests itself most effectively on the two opening cuts, "Well Acquainted" and "The Bullshit Century, Pt. 1," as well as the smoldering "Up the Stream," all three of which find the sweet spot between schmaltz and transcendence. "Modern Music," a feisty mid-album foray into
Black Keys territory that sees
Stusso wrestling with the existential ramifications of turning 30, provides some much-needed muscle to the mix, but that energy starts to deplete as
In Heaven begins its descent, with cuts like "Terror Management" and the aptly named "Getting Loose" getting lost in their own compositional and sonic eccentricities. Still,
Stusso remains a compelling figure throughout; a shambolic beach bum medicine man caught between the sock-hop stylings of
JD McPherson, the good-natured hedonism of
Harry Nilsson, and the moonstruck mania of
Alexander "Skip" Spence. ~ James Christopher Monger
