*** David Grubbs

THE SPECTRUM BETWEEN

(Drag City)

Former Gastr del Sol mate Grubbs seems intent on erasing the lines between folk and art music. Here his guitars and lyrics -- which often border on socially awkward introspection -- forge a delicate poetry. Both are absolutely unhurried, yet there's a decisiveness in the way Grubbs drops ringing, crackling chords smack on top of his softly sung syllables in numbers like "Whirlweek"; it makes his words indistinguishable while reinforcing his apparent conviction that words and sound provide a higher meaning together than either could alone. So in a sense these songs are about unity. Which is why a feedback drone can function handily in place of a pedaled root note in the one-chord blues "Pink Rambler." And why Grubbs's lace doilies of arpeggiated melody, picked out mostly in guitar tones that are clean, warm, and barely electric, can work comfortably against splashes of drums, trumpet, or cymbals played gently like a gong. The instrumentals "Preface" and "Stanwell Perpetual" are especially compelling for these sonic combinations, each instrument's entrance adding ripples of complication to the emotional framework of Grubbs's slow-etched compositions.

(David Grubbs plays upstairs at the Middle East this Saturday, February 10, with the Shipping News and Hall of Fame. Call 864-EAST.)

Ted Drozdowski