His Name Is Alive

Proudly eclectic, reflective, and obscure--hell, arty--Warren DeFever's concession to rock normality is mood music for more moods than you'll first believe are there, including plenty of sex for the polymorphously inclined. Think Big Star's Third as witting aesthetic strategy rather than failed attempt to make the world go away. DeFever adds an electric flaneur's world-music collection and an extra coupla decades of pop-studio perversity to the sonic palette. Karin Oliver sings as if being pretty is a spiritual attainment. (Grade: A-)