Chris Knox

At 47, Chris Knox is the ancient root of a massive musical tree that sprouted from the green isle of New Zealand. As a member of the country's first punk band, the Enemy, and lo-fi pioneers the Tall Dwarfs, Knox helped kick-start everything from Flying Nun pop bands like the Clean and the Verlaines to Xpressway noisemakers like the Dead C and Peter Jefferies. And while vicious sarcasm and bitter anger have always fueled Knox's work, his need for catharsis has led to his harrowing new solo album, Beat. A song cycle of loss, the record finds Knox wearing his heart on his sleeve, dripping blood down his shirt.

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• Chris Knox
• Peter Jefferies

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Knox harnesses his negative energy into a clarity of sound and emotion. On "Becoming Something Other," he uses the aorta pulse of Wire's "Heartbeat" as a backdrop to the story of his father's slow death. Through the musical therapy of "Ghost" he gives voice to his shadow side, while on "When I Have Left This Mortal Coil" he reveals, "There's more to all of this than what we see/ There's less of what we've dreamt of in our frail and fucked up philosophy."

Throughout his career, Knox has explored pop, punk, folk, and experimental clatter, making his records a schizophrenic listen. Beat is no exception: Jazzy tracks like "The Pulse Below the Ear" lumber beside fuzzy punk numbers like "It's Love." His usual surreal rants are kept mostly in check, except for "What Do We Do With Love?" which suggests, "We make it into crosses, angels, breasts, and dicks, and interlocking hearts." Knox does best when wrapping a delicate melody around a dreamy guitar riff, as on the touching "My Only Friend." After the final song, a whole set of ragged songs and backward tape-loops appear as a long hidden track.

Getting this close to someone grappling with mortality is disconcerting, but the inner conflict seems to be keeping Knox's music vital. May his ghosts never rest in peace.