Kevin Hearn and Thin Buckle

Kevin Hearn returns with his Thin Buckle band (with guests Lou Reed, Mary Margaret O'Hara and others) for another private showing of the skewed imagery he retains and collects from the world around him. There are "helicopters in the sand," or "HITS." Hearn repeats this line in his gentle, small voice as the album closes. Well before that moment, Havana Winter tends toward the hypnotic, even when more upbeat pop and jazz passages are followed. It's as if Hearn, playing July 28 at The Company House, is appealing to listeners' subconscious (semi-conscious?) head-space. He's a great writer of words, but when alert, listening closely, the music sounds unresolved.