This came out in 2000 – or at least that’s when I got it. Here’s what I said about it back then (with some minor editing):
Archery is, for all intents and purposes, a solo sport.
So it only makes sense that Eric Bachmann — former singer/guitarist of indie-rock pioneers Archers of Loaf — has decided to go the solo singer-songwriter route. But there are still plenty of surprises to be had on his debut disc Crooked Fingers. If you’re expecting the guitar-driven garage-punk of, say, Icky Mettle, think again: These 10 invitingly eccentric compositions are closer to a beer-fuelled chamber-folk jam in the hold of a seagoing freighter. As the band churn through darkly melancholy melodies graced by violin, cello and lap steel, Bachmann spins warped and winsome tales of old drunks and broken men in a gravelly rasp that gene-splices Tom Waits, whats-his-name from The Pogues and Neil Diamond with a very sore throat. Bullseye.