When Glenn Donaldson (Art Museums, Skygreen Leopards) decides to get down to the basics, he does a little Reds, Pinks & Purples. Basics in that Donaldson does all the work himself. The songs themselves are wry and often dense. And not exactly straightforward.

The Reds, Pinks & Purples Uncommon Weather (Slumberland)

Anyone who writes songs with titles like "Don't Ever Pray in the Church on My Street", "The Record Player and the Damage Done" and "A Kick in the Face That's Life" is into oblique angles. Donaldson isn't an enemy of melody, but he doesn't care much for convention. These are pop songs without hooks.

And yet they meander their way into some of the most tenacious earworms around. Donaldson's habit of singing his way into the groove of the song (or is it that it simply takes a listener ten or fifteen seconds to find the groove?) can be a bit off-putting, but that extra effort engenders a warm rush of affection. Once found, the center of each song is a jewel.

Precisely the sort of thing that popped up as something of a counterpoint to grungy alternarock in the 90s, this project is a bit of a throwback--and also right in the middle of a comeback of this sound. Some (Mountain Goats, anyone?) never left, and some, like Donaldson, have been around long enough to catch the rebound. The more you listen, the tighter the grip on your ears.

Jon Worley