*** Frank Pahl

IN CAHOOTS

(Vaccination)

Collaborating with a different group of musicians for nearly every song, Michigan's oddest acoustic soundsmith, Frank Pahl, becomes a multifarious monster. With an instrumental arsenal ranging from accordions to zithers, he's the definition of eclectic. But Pahl's far from schizophrenic. On In Cahoots he engages in ukulele duels, growls a sinister tale over atonal violin, and plays a quiet brass duet. All his songs are rooted in a similar mindset, where shuffling Tom Waits-like sound effects are of equal importance to melodies and lyrics. This strategy yields patches of difficult listening -- a droning bagpipe/sax collaboration and the guitar wankoff forum "Shorty" come to mind. But there are also sweeter numbers like Missy Gibson's "Lorene" and Duplex Planet creator David Greenberger's reading of "1001 Real Apes," a lovely tale about ancient monkeys' cannibalism and dealings with God. Greenberger approaches the story as if it were the most normal thing in the world -- which is just how Pahl deals with his own natural eccentricity.

-- Jay Ruttenberg