The family that plays together doesn't always stay together. Drummer Janet Weiss and guitarist Sam Coombes used to be married; now they're just bandmates when she isn't pounding the skins for Sleater-Kinney and he isn't strumming behind Elliott Smith. And unlike a lot of exes, there doesn't seem to be a lot of tension in their relationship -- at least none that comes through in the grooves of their fifth CD The Sword of God. With a rambling, shambling style that screams 'Portland Indie Duo,' Janet's crash 'n' bash drums and Sam's cheesy keyboards mix with their garage-band guitars and melancholy melodies into a strangely happy brand of lo-fi weirdness -- kind of like what Ben Folds might sound like if he traded in his grand piano for an old Yamaha organ and dropped psychotropic drugs. At any rate, it's proof Janet and Sam can still make beautiful music together.

Track Listing 1. Introduction
  2. F**k Hollywood
  3. It's Raining
  4. Genetic Science
  5. The Sword Of God
  6. A Case Of No Way Out
  7. The Curse Of Having It All
  8. Seal The Deal
  9. From A Hole In The Ground
  10. Little Lord Fauntleroy
  11. Goblins & Trolls
  12. Better Luck Next Time
  13. Nothing, Nowhere
  14. Rock & Roll Can Never Die