Red Devil Dawn

1	Big Darkness 4:40
2	Don't Say a Word 5:11
3	You Can Never Leave 3:49
4	Bad Man Coming 3:24
5	You Threw a Spark 3:16
6	Boy With (100) Hands 4:11
7	Sweet Marie 4:55
8	Angelina 3:31
9	Disappear 4:16
10	Carrion Doves 3:58

Barnes & Noble

Former Archers of Loaf frontman Eric Bachmann -- who over the past several years has been employing the nom de disque Crooked Fingers for his de facto solo work -- pulls out all the stops on Red Devil Dawn, the third album to appear under that moniker. Branching out from the dark and fractious guitar pop of his previous work, Bachmann slathers the disc's tunes with horns, strings, and offbeat rhythms, all of which draw attention to, rather than distract from, the increasingly abstract imagery of his lyrics. The creaky, querulous title track takes the last train to Tom Waits–ville, making sure to pack plenty of shuffling beats and calliope trills for the trip. "You Threw a Spark," on the other hand, makes a beeline for the Stax studio, horns a-blazing and bass a-bouncing. Fans of Bachmann's more angular guitar missives will find a sprinkling here -- "Boy with 100 Hands" has the most in common with the ghosts of Archers past -- but the downbeat, indie-boy tenor of bygone days is noticeably missing. As he sings on "Disappear," "Those songs I played for you are done/sad songs should never last too long." For the most part, Bachmann manages to get happy without going all Bobby McFerrin on us. David Sprague

All Music Guide

Like a Tom Waits prodigy, Eric Bachmann employs his hopeful rasp on Red Devil Dawn creating a sweet mix of Americana, heartland melancholy and an essentially optimistic outlook. Red Devil Dawn is a welcome masterpiece of emotional subtleties -- the great record that Crooked Fingers missed the mark on with 2001's drunken, bluesy and somewhat disappointing Bring On the Snakes. "Big Darkness" jangles along, looking for "a hero coming soon." "You Can Never Leave" moans like something off of Heartattack and Vine or Springsteen's absolutely perfect Nebraska. And speaking of Nebraska, the hauntingly spare "Bad Man Coming" could have easily fit between "Johnny 99" and "Highway Patrolman" on that record -- had this song come out in 1981, a 32 year old Springsteen may have covered it as readily as Waits' "Jersey Girl." The best track on Red Devil Dawn has to be "You Through a Spark," an exhilarating and joyful swirl of horns, guitar and raw feelings, and something closest to Waits' Rain Dogs on a manic binge. In the end, Red Devil Dawn is simply a beautiful album, and the first truly great release of 2003. ~ Charles Spano, All Music Guide