The big deal with Paul Brill's new album New Pagan Love Song is supposed to be his journey into "electricana", the phrase he uses to describe the blending of his more traditional acoustic singer/songwriter tendencies with a desire to experiment with electronic elements. Never the fan of new terms and classifications, I became immediately worried, wondering what "electricana" would sound like and whether it would turn out to really be deserving of this newly created label. I began listening with a host of questions and reservations.

The first half of New Pagan Love Song quelled my fears that the electric in electricana would suck the life out of the album leaving only an electronic coated shell. The use of heavy effects is used sparingly to provide that little bit of something extra. Songs like "Weekday Bender" and "Lay Down Your Weary Head" clearly display that the focus is still squarely on Brill's songwriting and not on any gimmicky use of electronics.

With "Powerlines", however, this all changes. The song is firmly rooted in ambient electronica and although there is a very full organic presence provided by the bass, the track provides a distinctly different blend of "electricana" than that presented earlier in the album. It isn't necessarily the overabundant electronic element that turns me off to the track, but simply that the balance was shifted so dramatically that the song doesn't seem to fit.

Luckily, the remaining portion of the album returns to its original form where Brill seems to be at his best. While his venture into "electricana" may have provided an occasional inconsistent track, Brill may have come into something with New Pagan Love Song that will give his future albums a distinct sound that will separate himself from his peers.