Jack Logan & Liquor Cabinet

Mood Elevator (Restless)
by M.I. McDonald

Well, Jack Logan and his Liquor Cabinet jumped on the lo-fi train, but it’s unclear as to whether they meant to or just read the schedule wrong. “Did they or didn’t they?”s aside, their best-of-the-basement sound could be cool, if the guitar wasn’t the only snarling instrument let off its leash in this imbalanced mix, where some prick-up-your-ears automatic weaponry drumming is lowlighted, and Jack’s rich voice comes off sounding a bit squashed. Showcased are some mildly haunting anthems of alienation and a hint of welcome aggression, but Logan and Co. never quite kick down the self-imposed walls to fulfill the shadowy poetic potential that lurks in their disturbing but often underdeveloped songs. Perhaps a matter of taste, another shot to loosen things up could help; a more proportional mix couldn’t hurt; nonetheless some choice cuts shimmer through the mist, including “Vintage Man,” “What Was Burned,” and the screechy, almost-a-mystery-track close to the final cut, “Bleed.”