Knife in the Water - Red River

Independent - 2001 - 51 minutes

Although the band was formed for just one gig in 1997, this is the second album from the Austin, Texas-based quintet. Named after a Roman Polanski film, Knife in the Water play suitably atmospheric music, complete with languid vocals courtesy of Aaron Blount (with support from Laura Krause).

Starting with what sounds like an approaching tractor, first track 'Watch Your Back' slowly grows into harmony with the unforgettable refrain; "Where we are so in love/that our hearts/Just won't collapse". Anguished, but tender, ballads sit side by side with Nick Cave-like murder songs as the band evokes a sense of space that puts you in mind of Seattle's The Walkabouts. Complete with a cover of Lee Hazlewood's 'Sundown, Sundown', 'Red River' is a melancholy treasure.

Caroline Hennessy

Tracklisting: Watch Your Back - Rene - Machine To Tulsa - Party - Sundown, Sundown - Promenade - Nevada Spider - Young Blood In The River - Broad Daylight - Nightingales of Evelyn