Artist Mr. Gnome

Shifting between delicate ambience and spooky riffage, Cleveland duo Mr. Gnome has an eclecticism that could easily be mistaken for indecision. The instrumentation—drummer Sam Meister’s herky-jerk percussive shifts and heavy guitar riffs that can be both head-banging and heady in atmosphere—competently touches a lot of ground somewhere between the blissful eeriness of Blonde Redhead and the tactfully applied rage of any number of prog-metal groups, without ever giving over completely to either. All of which would be jarring were it not for Nicole Barille’s vocals: Her wounded, somber yowl keeps things flowing gracefully on 2009’s Heave Yer Skeleton, whether she’s patiently building to the epic chorus of “Spain” or playfully chirping over the rockabilly quips of “Vampires.” Like Skeleton, Mr. Gnome’s 2011 album Madness In Miniature was recorded at Pink Duck Studios, owned by Queens Of The Stone Age’s Josh Homme.

Updated 03/21/2012