Regardless of how much music one hears, the possibility of hearing something new and undescribable remains. Sometimes a group combines so many diverse genres that it becomes impossible to categorize -- or even to fully comprehend on the first listen. At other times, an artist's music may not go beyond established limitations, but his/her personality and approach is so distinctive that comparisons to other artists are not only inaccurate, but unfair.

Clearly, TW Walsh falls into this latter category. Walsh doesn't showboat. None of the songs on Blue Laws, his second album, go out of their way to grab the listener's attention -- there's nothing striking, nothing unusual, nothing overtly flashy. The album is basically just Walsh and his guitar, with occasional string accents to prevent monotony from setting in.

After a few tracks, however, something begins to change. The songs begin to draw you in, revealing simple and fragile, yet amazingly beautiful, melodies. The music is nothing that hasn't been tried thousands of times before, but rarely has it been done as well as it is here. The lyrics tend to be simple ("Lions and tigers and bears/there's nothing to sing about in there/sirens and bikers and prayers/it's been done to death but no one cares/the VCR needs some repairs" in "Lions and Tigers and Bears"), but Walsh's voice -- similar to that of Neil Young in his quieter moments, or the Weakerthans' John Samson -- infuses them with meaning and beauty.

The only misstep occurs on "Top of the Food Chain"; while in itself a fine song, its louder guitars make it seem out of place amid the other, more peaceful songs. But this is an inconsequential quibble. Blue Laws is an exceptional album, and with luck will receive wide recognition as such. If nothing else, it proves that the recent "Quiet Is the New Loud" trend is not limited to British bands.