Hammers and Anvils, the first solo release by ex-Verlaines leader Graeme Downes, is reminiscent of his band's best and another artist, Lou Reed, both alone and with The Velvet Underground. A monastic intensity clings to these 13 tracks. Hammers and Anvils opens with the title track: a complaint against love and the industry accompanied by stark solo guitars. It ends 40 minutes later on a vamp, "Mastercontrol", about hedonism's last stand. In between, Downes revs ("Alright by Me", "Cattle, Cars and Chainsaws") and ruminates (the gorgeous "Song for a Hollywood Road Movie") with equal compassion. His attentive, impressionistic lyrics avoid cliché. He delivers salient observations about disparate subjects - Cole Porter, Gucci, aimless Sunday afternoons, AIDS - which never feel fractious or incongruous. Casting his net wide, on Hammers and Anvils Graeme Downes captures a bounty.
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