For the second album in a row the Walkabouts started off with a sharp punch of a song, with both Carla Torgerson and Chris Eckman singing “Fuck Your Fear,” simmering with images of destruction and unease in the wake of 9/11 and the Iraq War. On Acetylene, with Michael Wells returning on bass for the first time in years, louder rock and roll energy replaced the elegant moods of the stretch of albums beforehand. Compositions such as “Kalashnikov,” “Devil in the Details,” “Whisper” and “Have You Ever Seen the Morning?” burned brightly as a result.

– Ned Raggett