Katamine - Lag

Assaf Tager accrues accolades like no one else you've probably never heard of; not only is the man an acclaimed musician in Israel, but he's played guitar for Elliott Smith, opened shows for Devendra Benhart, and is on the verge of playing lead in a Coca-Cola/iTunes campaign. Katamine is the moniker for Tager's acoustic project, and Lag is its second installment. Lag could have almost been created and recorded by a lone Tager in his bedroom, but producer Wharton Tiers (Sonic Youth, Nick Cave, etc.) elevates the songs to a crisp (not slick) level of coherency. Tager's guitar and voice are all these songs need, though guests crop up here and there to implement the minimal amount of extra instrumentation. Sounding like an freak-folk meets Elliott Smith acolyte without the pop inclination, Tager glumly wades through his own emotional discourse only to find a brighter, more engaging resolution waiting on the other side. Opting out of choruses and hooks make Lag an alienated listen, and Tager's abstract, almost free-form lyrical and singing styles don't make the record an easy one to swallow. "Junior Buddha" sees Tager implementing some Either/Or-ish songwriting, while closer "Someone Came Around" is simple, pretty acoustic folk. In between, the tracks are morose and mysterious, some sounding too much like the others, and rarely capricious. The rest of the band is barely audible when present, or they're just not doing enough to take the immediate focus away from Tager. Lag sometimes feels too sparse for its own good, but it's still got a few gems hidden in its mist. [www.katamine.org]