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It's been five years since Tooth & Nail released Sal Paradise's first and only US album, the slacker rock epic Further. So it is that Velvet Blue Music has resurrected the Australian Kerouacians for one last album, the oddly-titled For You and Before You.

Well…not exactly.

Instead, what we get with For You is acoustic versions of songs from past Paradise records (Although Further was the band's only release in the States, they have something of a following and several other records in Australia. These additional albums are not available in the US, which means we Yankees get the benefit of hearing 2/3 of these songs as new).

For the most part, frontman JJ Miller takes on the job alone, augmenting his lofty, pleasantly off-key vocals and poetic lyrics with acoustic guitars, electric lead lines, sparse percussion, and bells. This keeps Miller from overstaying his welcome, although sixteen tracks are a few too many at times. Still, For You and Before You is a good buy for fans of Further, as well as artists like Jai Agnish or Joe Christmas. 

Michial Farmer (7/20/01) 

3 1/2 tocks