Crooked Fingers: An Archer's Steady Aim

When he fronted Archers of Loaf, Eric Bachmann was one of the 1990s' louder indie rockers, shouting his way through college radio staples such as "Web in Front" and "Wrong." But after that band broke up, he got a lot quieter, releasing tunes as Crooked Fingers that had more in common with '70s singer-songwriters (if '70s singer-songwriters had spent less time singing about their feelings and more time singing about taking cheap drugs in dive bar bathrooms in a doomed attempt to erase those feelings). His latest album, Breaks in the Armor, tones down the debauchery but keeps the focus on some pretty grim characters: fortune tellers warn of doom, lovers fail one another, apocalypses threaten. But since they do it all to some pretty irresistible melodies, you sometimes find yourself humming along. Bachmann stopped by the Googleplex to sing us some songs, talk about his recent reunion with his old Archers pals, and explain that "words are tedious"—he wants to stop caring about lyrics and just play a clarinet. – Tim Quirk, Google Music

"Bad Blood" Crooked Fingers