This is a well-matched pairing of cult favorites Anton Barbeau and The Bevis Frond that parcels out each act’s best tendencies while cancelling out their worst. Both have demonstrated a strong regard for traditional post-sixties songwriting, both have an interest in psychedelia, but while Bevis Frond albums sometimes succumb to main Frond Nick Saloman's worst instincts, such as twenty-minute guitar blowouts ("Tangerine Infringement Beak" anyone?), and while Barbeau tends to be overprolific in releasing and reworking seemingly every musical idea to strike his curly-haired head (this album features yet another version of "Octagon"), the two artists together seem to have focused their strengths and produced tight, powerful renditions of a batch of new Anton songs (very different demo versions of these tracks made up last year’s limited edition release Will Ant for Frond, now sold out). What might be unexpected, at least from Barbeau'’s fans, is how hard most of these tracks rock. Stripping away his usual instrumental eccentricities (weird synths, unusual guitar textures) and working with a basic four-piece rock band, Barbeau and pedigreed Frondmen Ade Shaw (bass, ex-Hawkwind) and Andy Ward (drums, ex-Camel) absolutely pummel these tracks, with Saloman adding fiery but focused guitar commentary and concise solos. The title track kicks off the CD and serves notice that on this record, Barbeau's not interested in navel-gazing or closely read sonics but in making a fine and loud noise. "Sweet Creature, What's Your Name?" is another in a series of horny Anton songs, in which our hero, squirreling away at the top of his vocal range, attempts to woo the object of his desire by behaving with absurd enthusiasm...on record, at least, it works. Some later moments slow down a bit, notably the waltz-time "I'm Always Offending My Sensitive Friends" and the multi-part "Sylvia Something," but most of the CD is a revelation, showing how well Barbeau works as a pretty much straight-ahead rocker. The Bevis Frond cult is currently a bit larger than the Barbeau cult: here's hoping King of Missouri broadens both audiences. (Available in the US via 125 Records.)