*** The Bogmen

CLOSED CAPTIONED RADIO

(Arista)

Closed Caption Radio, the second release from the Bogmen, is a major step forward from their debut album, 1995's Life Begins at Forty Million. The band have abandoned the calypso-meets-garage swing that defined the earlier CD for harder rhythms and abrasive electronic textures. Built around squalls of distortion and bass rumblings, Closed Captioned Radio is a concept album based on an individual's struggle against the numbing passivity imposed by society. At times, the sound of the band nearly overwhelms singer Bill Campion, but on numbers like "Highway of Shame" and "Failing Systems," his desperate vocals break through. It's the sound of one person winning the battle against alienation, passivity, and world-weariness.

-- Colin Flemming