A Minor Forest: Ini-dependence LP

AMF's new one follows in the soft/loud direction of their first record, but manages to keep the some- times generic formula sounding fresh-inspired even. They push everything to the extreme; the low- key stuff is ultra melodic and delicate, the rock is completely over-the-top ugly metal (Caspar Brotzmann with the agility of Rush). Brian Paulson, who worked the magic on Unrest's Imperial F.F.R.R and Slint's Spiderland among others, displays once again that he is the man for super rich, warm production. Whereas Albini and Weston's recordings for Flemish Altruism made AMF sound brittle and a bit thin, Paulson comes closer to capturing the Godzilla-crushing-Tokyo blanket of sound of the band's live show. A note of interest to recording buffs: AMF must have picked up a few things from the aforementioned engineering wizzes, for one track is self-produced, and sounds nearly the same as Paulson's work. High quality. (Thrill Jockey, PO Box 476794, Chicago, IL 60647)