But almost no one is as successful as the Betties at creating the type of old-school (’80s) indie rock that they play and still making it sound fresh and new and current. And Carol Van Dijk has continued to evolve as a songwriter, and that’s their real strength (along with her voice, which is I guess fairly ordinary in a way but is somehow totally irresistible nonetheless). She’s just such an interesting writer. I especially like the way she plays around with words and language, but she also has a great ear for melody, and the band is top-notch all around.

My personal favorite record of theirs (as opposed to the one I think is their best, which is Log 22) is Lamprey, the follow-up to Palomine; I adore it even though it sounds like it was recorded in a public bathroom down the hall using a boombox. There are a couple of in between albums that I don’t much care for, though I keep meaning to give them both another chance because I heard them at a time when my life was in turmoil, so I was maybe not as receptive as I would have been otherwise. But I’ve liked everything I’ve heard from this new record, so even if it’s not as good as Log 22, I have high hopes for it.

There are some clips from the new one at their site, if you want to investigate. And there’s some stuff available at the iTunes Music Store, if you have access to that. They’re not everyone’s cup of tea, but I love ‘em.

Besides, I HAVE to stick to the no-trade policy, especially since I just added to the overgrown collection today. I’m going to have to start setting monthly quotas for myself for CD purchases–maybe four a month will be a reasonable limit…though since I think I’ve bought four in the last week, I might have to lower the purchase quantity slowly to avoid withdrawal symptoms.