In "Queen of the Underworld," the guitar soul-thwack and breezy "ooohs" (provided by Melissa Auf der Maur) of the verses gives way to a jangle-pop chorus, and dueling piano and organ build the yearning mood of "Brooklyn." But it's Malin's personal reflections, such as growing up a child of divorce in the Seventies in "Almost Grown," that give
Fine Art its soul. With a voice that seems to tumble straight out of his throat, his emotional directness is yet one more example of just how fine the line is between punk and roots rock.
MEREDITH OCHS
(January 28, 2003)