kind of ambition can work two ways. On the one hand, the bravura arrangements can't compensate for hooks that sometimes never come, and each side closer tries too hard to climax. Without the consistent melodic strengths of Soul Mining (the The's last album, released in 1983), Infected isn't always infectious. On the other hand, it doesn't need to be. At a time when many albums are conceived only to generate singles, Johnson has made a coherent work with the continuity and variety missing from most radio-hungry releases.

As made clear by Infected's album-length video, Johnson's no actor. Consequently, he pulls off his musical melodramas best when he's playing himself. Like Billy Bragg, he can be stilted when writing about politics, but he's a powerhouse on the topic of personal relationships. "Out of the Blue (into the Fire)," "Slow Train to Dawn" and the manic title track all convey what the The captures as few others: the desperation of a one-man band that spends too much time alone. (RS 496)

BARRY WALTERS