This Winnipeg quartet, led by Keri McTighe and Shelley Marshall, is really on to something in their sophomore release. Nathan effortlessly mix dark and sometimes disturbing lyrics with upbeat, almost whimsical melodies, and it's this juxtaposition that ultimately puts Jimson Weed above the typical crying-in-your-beer alt-country shtick. The overall effect is a band that sounds like the Carter Family and Patsy Cline as interpreted by Tom Waits and Holly Golightly. Spine-tingling harmony backed by trumpets, accordions, banjoes and pedal steel rave on waltzes and two steps like techno never even existed - in Manitoba anyway. Brent Raynor

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