Tarnation: Mirador

Tarnation frontwoman Paula Frazer occasionally gets compared to Patsy Cline, mostly because her country-gothic vocals echo and warble with depth and a dark side. But listen to the San Francisco band's new third album Mirador, and you realize that if you need a comparison, her voice is far more akin to the amazing Jimmie Dale Gilmore. Both convey sadness with a sense of aching beauty. And man, is Mirador ever a good record: Gentle Creatures, the band's 1995 major-label debut, was a sleeper full of tragedy and atmosphere, but it rarely grabbed you the way songs like the stunning "You'll Understand" do. Mirador is full of torch and twang, but it's never derailed by cornpone or melodrama-by-numbers; instead, it drifts and swoons, and carries you away in the process. Tarnation exists at some strange intersection of insurgent country, Chris Isaak, and Mazzy Star, and fans of all three would be well advised to buy accordingly.