17th Century Fuzzbox Blues finds Anton Barbeau's way with titles undiminished and presents listeners with a CD that is, curiously, both subtler than his previous, brilliant album (1999's A Splendid Tray) and for the most part more immediately accessible. The resolution of this apparent paradox (as if subtlety were generally commercial) is that much of Barbeau's appeal lies in his febrile imagination, wit, and expansiveness both verbal and musical. Yet 17th Century Fuzzbox Blues is more direct - a higher proportion of loud pop songs with relatively uncluttered arrangements - and more insular. The bizarrerie of Barbeau's usual lyrics is subdued here in favor of obscure but intense images: it's clear from his performance that these songs mean something to him, but what that something is can be seen only obliquely. Thus, the lovely, longing "Jane Too Soon" and the stark "Who Was the Green Bird?" - the latter of which presents a series of similar questions delivered in Barbeau's sandy, Lennonesque voice accompanied only by piano. If the song were sung in a language I didn't understand, I'd guess the words to be the sort of anguished inner searching characterizing a song like Lennon's "God." And perhaps it is that - but where the focus of Lennon's song is clear and direct, what troubles Barbeau here is seen only through the veil of metaphor woven from a fabric of Barbeau's personal design. By contrast, the other pole of this CD comprises tuneful, winning pop songs like the effervescent opener "Little Daisy," with its nicely abraded guitar, and the sunny "Dig My Pig." "Six Hours Later" and "Lara Brushing Her Hair in L.A." likewise enchant and charm in the traditional tuneful manner, the latter song's opening allusion to "She's Leaving Home" spiking its erotic longing with bittersweetness. And both songs feature a woman named Lara, who would appear to be this album's muse. While the better songs are among Barbeau's best, the CD is weakened a bit by a handful of doodles and underdeveloped tracks, making this essentially a top-flight 25-minute EP with about ten minutes of filler tacked on. But since those 25 minutes are of such quality (and to be fair, the remaining time isn't terrible or anything), it still earns its place among my more listened-to CDs of 2000.

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