Much has been made of the fact that The Verlaines' Graeme Downes pursued and achieved a PhD in music. However, it doesn't take expertise to recognize the beauty resting here on The Verlaines' finest album. Like many young songwriters, Downes was staring down the demons of life thus far. "Slow Sad Love Song" starts with Downes singing barely in key, overcome by emotion, holding notes until his breath runs out. Then the song kicks into gear and mania takes over. "Makes No Difference" evokes a loneliness that's punctuated by sad, aching horns and harmonica. "Take Good Care of It" admits "my heart bordered on lunatic." And it's this emotional commitment that brings these songs to life and makes the performances special. They play out like a raw, open wound, with the guitars adding pronounced rhythmic shifts. The orchestration grows to a grand scale for the ambitious "C.D. Jimmy Jazz and Me," where the feeling of Love's Forever Changes meets the '80s indie rock aesthetic via New Zealand.