Claw Hammer: Hold Your Tongue (And Say Apple)

The schoolyard joke to which the title refers is that actually holding your tongue and saying "apple" results in the hapless dupe saying something which sounds like "asshole." Ha. Fortunately, Claw Hammer vaults from that head-shaking low to some head-bobbing highs on Hold Your Tongue; you just wish those highs would pop up more consistently. The band seems to suffer from an identity crisis, as if it's trying to cram touches of all the cool music its members have ever heard into every single song. Sometimes, as on "Hind Sight," they come off like Snakefinger-era Residents impersonators. Sometimes, as on the ploddingly slow "The Valley So High," Claw Hammer sounds like a straight parody act. Often, the band's use of piano adds an overly theatrical touch that makes Hold Your Tongue sound like an Andrew Lloyd Webber musical. Sometimes, though, it all falls into place, and the ensuing rockers actually make you take Claw Hammer seriously as a band of eclectic musical pranksters a la Captain Beefheart. With all the nods to musical geniuses like Brian Eno and Tom Waits, it's clear the band has its collective heart in the right place, but it needs to better prepare before heading back into the studio.