Of all the high profile comeback albums in 2010 from stars of yesteryear – Jerry Lee Lewis, Mavis Staples – this gem by the former 13th Floor Elevators’ frontman was by far the best. Bookended by two lo-fi song fragments, the album consists of Erickson & Co. tackling all types of heavy shit. Ruminations on love and loss and law from a man who in 1969 opted to be committed and undergo electroconvulsive therapy rather than serve a ten-year sentence for possessing a single joint. A background like that makes it all the more poignant when he sings – sounding like a psychedelic Steve Earle – “electricity hammered me through my head” on “Ain’t Blues Too Sad.” This album is as deep, dark, and beautiful as it is unexpected. Grade: A-
