Swinger 500

Chris Eckman and Carla Torgerson took a slight turn on their second studio album Swinger 500; while the moody stateliness familiar from the late 1990s Walkabouts carries over, there’s also unexpected choices of instruments and arrangements suggesting experimental edges, with both credited for synths and loops as well as more familiar choices. Once again various guests take a bow, notably guitarist David Immerglück, and songs like “The Good News First,” “Mercury Rising” and “Fear” add to their overall canon of excellence.