THE VISIBLE MEN
Love:30 (Leisure King)
Reviewed by DJ Johnson

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Ever wary of anything that might be misconstrued as optimism, Dustin Lanker called this album Love:30, which would mean he's just beginning to take a beating, were this a tennis match. But it's music, and Lanker, along with fellow former Cherry Poppin' Daddy Dan Schmid and recent recruit Jordan Glenn, would seem to be up to any challenge. They spent three and a half years making this, their follow up to In Sock Mode, sometimes walking away from a song for well over a year and then returning with fresh ears and perspectives. Lanker's lyrics, as always, are darkly shaded, but usually with a wink of sorts to let you know he at least sees the humor in his predicament. That keeps the material out of the "wallowing" end of the pool (you know, where Roger Waters drown so long ago) and also keeps the more word-oriented listeners on their toes and on the lookout for subtle little cues like "I hate you - I really don't, but it sounds funny..." Okay, that one was a little more obvious than most, but I don't mind the challenge. This isn't music to get wound up by for a hard days work, and it's probably not for the "music as background" set, but it's definitely rewarding listening material. When Lanker and Schmid said they were starting The Visible Men to explore "different directions" from the happy dance music of Cherry Poppin' Daddies, who woulda guessed they meant "different hemispheres?"

© 2005 - DJ Johnson